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Harvard Museums of Science and Culture

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Summer Solstice 2023: Night at the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture

Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology 11 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, United States

Join the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture on the longest day of the year—free of charge—to explore the galleries and new exhibitions at the Harvard Museums. Step outdoors to enjoy lively musical and circus performances, play mini-golf, and make a flower crown. Ice cream, mocktails, and snacks will be available to purchase from food trucks and vendors.

Soil to Foil: Aluminum and the Quest for Industrial Sustainability

Haller Hall 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA, United States

Aluminum is the most abundant metal in the earth’s crust. It is also ubiquitous in the modern world, from aircraft to soda cans. Today, the efficiency with which we use—and reuse—aluminum is vital to addressing key environmental challenges and understanding humanity’s fraught relationship with the earth. In Soil to Foil (Columbia University Press, 2023), Saleem Ali tells the extraordinary story of aluminum.

Science Spotlights: Fantastic Flowers and Their Many Forms

Harvard Museum of Natural History 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA, United States

Hear from speaker Andrea Appleton, Harvard Kramer Lab Graduate Student, on the importance of the evolution of flowers and the breadth of their diversity. Flowers exhibit extreme variation in their shape, size, color, and even the type of parts they are made of, but how? Let’s break some of the coolest flowers down to their basic components and talk about how floral variation has evolved. Learn more about this important topic. Event recommended for ages 10 and up.

Inspired by Nature: Drawing from Your Imagination

Zoom

Looking closely at nature can inspire a broad range of imaginative artwork, from abstraction and decorative work to illustration and cartooning. In this workshop, we will use a variety of examples from nature as inspiration, and then explore techniques for unleashing our creativity through the drawing process.

Class size will be limited to twelve, allowing ample time for individual feedback. All skill levels are welcome.

Taught by artist and illustrator, Erica Beade.

Landscape Sketching

Zoom

Landscapes are an appealing subject for drawings, but it can be difficult to know where to start. In this program we will learn how to select a landscape, create a sense of depth and volume, and use a variety of marks to capture a dynamic variety of textures.

Science Spotlights: How to Help a Scientist Find a New Species

Harvard Museum of Natural History 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA, United States

Meet up-and-coming scientists and learn about questions at the forefront of research today in this series of short talks.

How to Help a Scientist Find a New Species

Speaker: Thalles P. Lavinscky Pereira, PhD. Farrell Lab

Scientists estimate that there are over 7.5 million species of plants and animals that have yet to be discovered and described. But in a world where extinction may outpace discovery, how can citizen scientists get involved? Join me as I share how residents in Alaska helped me discover and describe a new species of snakeworm gnat and learn how you, too, can participate in the scientific process.

Film Screening: The Last Human

Geological Lecture Hall 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA, United States

Our most basic understanding of the origins of life was recently turned upside down when Greenlandic scientist Minik Rosing discovered the first traces of life on Earth in a small fjord near Isua, Greenland. His discovery predated all previous evidence by over 300 million years. Life began in Greenland. At the same time, its melting ice masses are disintegrating day-by-day, and scientists around the world agree that it could drown our entire civilization if it continues.

Director Ivalo Frank’s new film is a tribute to a vast, scenic country caught between two extremes: the beginning and the end of life on Earth as we know it. Frank’s film is anchored by an encounter with a group of children from the village of Kangaatsiaq who fall in love, form friendships, and struggle with loss and longing.

A Q&A with filmmaker Ivalo Frank and Sussi Adelholm, Head of School in Kangaatsiaq, Greenland, will follow the screening.

Celebrating Birds: A Papier Mâché Workshop

Harvard Museum of Natural History 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA, United States

In this workshop, you will use museum specimens to inspire your own avian creation. Over five half days, artist Gail Boyajian will guide you from start to finish as you build and paint a papier mâché bird from scratch, using everyday materials.

We will complement the art-making process with visits to the museum galleries as well as the ornithology research collections.

Science Spotlights: Finding New Species

Harvard Museum of Natural History 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA, United States

Scientists estimate that there are over 7.5 million species of plants and animals that have yet to be discovered and described. But in a world in which extinction may outpace discovery, how can citizen scientists get involved? Join me as I share how residents in Alaska helped me discover and describe a new species of snake worm gnat and learn how you, too, can participate in the scientific process.

I ♥ Science

Shake off the winter blues and let your inner scientist loose. This popular annual event offers the opportunity to interact with professional scientists and amateur collectors while trying your hand at simple science explorations. Meet Harvard scientists who study extinct animals, zombie flies, and black holes! Learn from the Boston Mineral Club and MassWildlife. Bring your rock, mineral, or fossil samples to discuss with local collectors. Create colorful shadows while exploring light. Design a button portraying your favorite part of the natural world. This event has something for everyone and is appropriate for children and adults of all ages.

Regular museum admission rates apply.

Free parking is available at the 52 Oxford Street Garage.

Sea Monsters on Maps: Myth, Mystery, and Marine Life

Geological Lecture Hall 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA, United States

For centuries, sea monsters have adorned maps, serving as both warnings and wonders of the unknown ocean. These artistic depictions reflected early attempts to understand the deep, blending legend with reality. From krakens to serpents, cartographers illustrated creatures based on sailors’ tales, inspiring fear, and curiosity. Over time, these mythical beasts influenced marine biology, shaping early studies of unknown species. Join us as we explore the fascinating history of sea monsters on maps and their role in unraveling the mysteries of the ocean.