Bananapocalypse: Externalities in the Un/Making of Plantation Capitalism
2023-09-21 17:00 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | Earth Theater
Plantation regimes confront a serious challenge in the 21st century. For every commodity, there are multiple externalities that are hidden and unaccounted for. Drawing on fieldwork between the Philippines and Japan, this lecture will argue that industry members depend not only on the externalities themselves, but also on the conceit that externalities remain external. Focusing on pesticide drift, food waste, and soil pathogens, this lecture will discuss how, when, and why the doubling back of externalities happens in the context of a powerful, but also desperate plantation economy operating within the increasingly constrained environmental conditions of this century.
Bio: Alyssa Paredes is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Her work appears in Ethnos, the Journal of Political Ecology, and Food, Culture & Society, as well as in the edited collections The Promise of Multispecies Justice and Feral Atlas: The More-than-Human Anthropocene. She is also co-editor of Halo-Halo Ecologies: The Emergent Environments Behind Filipino Food, under contract with the University of Hawaii Press. She holds a PhD from Yale University.

Event Details
This event is taking place at Carnegie Museum of Natural History in the Earth Theater. Please see museum staff for a map or assistance in locating the theater.

Sponsors
Carnegie Mellon University Department of History, Mellon Foundation Sawyer Seminar, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Anthropocene Studies Section

Powdermill Avian Research Center Open House
2023-09-23 08:00 - 12:00 | Powdermill Nature Reserve, 1795 Route 381, Rector, PA, 15677, United States
Our Open House days are FREE behind-the-scenes experiences for people to visit the bird banding lab and see up-close how researchers safely capture and band birds, and learn about the data they gather. Visitors are also able to visit PARC’s flight tunnel and hear about how we’re studying avian perception of glass to provide glass manufacturers and building designers with important information that will help reduce bird-window collisions. You’ll also have the opportunity to chat with the scientists on staff, and perhaps visiting researchers, about the other projects being conducted at PARC. This event is weather dependent and will be canceled due to heat (>78 degrees), strong winds, or inclement weather. Drop in at any time between 8 am -12 pm (we recommend arriving as early as possible for the best chance to see a variety of birds). Registration recommended but not required.

PARC Open House
Saturday, September 23, 2023 8 a.m. – Noon

Moriarty Science Seminar: Our Changing Ohio River: Climate, Water Quality, and Harmful Algal Blooms
2023-09-25 12:00 - 13:00 | Hybrid: Online and At the Museum
R.W. Moriarty Science Seminar Presents: “Our Changing Ohio River: Climate, Water Quality, and Harmful Algal Blooms”

Speaker: Emily Elliott, University of Pittsburgh.
The Ohio River basin is not only vast, but its waterways are a vital economic, ecological, and recreational resource for the 15 states within basin boundaries. Yet, a half-century after the Clean Water Act, major challenges remain to make the Ohio River fishable, swimmable, and drinkable. For example, in 2015 and 2019 unprecedented blooms of the toxin-producing harmful algal bloom, Microcystis aeruginosa, extended along 600 and 300 miles of the mainstem Ohio River, respectively. Given the unusual nature of these extensive blooms and the potential impacts to human and ecological health, it is imperative to understand factors contributing to bloom formation. I will highlight ecological, hydrological, and climatic changes in the Ohio River over the past 40 years and explore how these factors may be interacting to fundamentally change the ecology and biogeochemistry of the Ohio River. Long-term trends in flow and two key nutrients that contribute to algal bloom proliferation (nitrogen, phosphorous) are evaluated using a U.S. Geological Survey model called Weighted Regressions on Time, Discharge, and Season (WRTDS). Our model results are placed in the context of current river management strategies, efforts to curb nutrient pollution, and a basin-wide push for federal designation as a restoration target.
This event will take place Monday, September 25,2023 at Noon in person at Earth Theater and online via Zoom.
Seminar 158
Click here to join the webinar live on September 25 at 12:00 p.m.
Click here to download the program.
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RADical Day: Free Day
2023-09-30 10:00 - 17:00 | At the Museum, 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213-4007, United States
RADical Days is an annual ‘thank you’ to taxpayers, offering a chance to see the best of Allegheny County’s top cultural destinations free of charge! This year, RADical Day at Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History is Saturday, September 30, 2023.
To get your free RADical Day admission, please select September 30 as your visit date below.

Sponsors

Family Nature Walk at Powdermill
2023-10-07 14:00 - 15:00 | Powdermill Nature Reserve, 1795 Route 381, Rector, PA, 15677, United States
Join us as we hit the trails for a guided nature walk! We’ll meet in the atrium of the Powdermill Nature Center at 2 pm before heading outside to explore. This family-friendly experience is open to participants of all ages.
Events fill up fast! Registration is recommended to guarantee your spot and help us plan timing, seating, and/or trail routes. If there are spots available at the time of the program, non-registered individuals can join on a first-come, first-served basis.

Family Nature Walk
Saturday, October 7, 2023 2 p.m.

Sold out? Sign up for our waitlist!

Powdermill Avian Research Center Free Guided Tour
2023-10-08 08:00 - 09:30 | Powdermill Nature Reserve, 1795 Route 381, Rector, PA, 15677, United States
Powdermill Avian Research Center (PARC) offers FREE guided tours of the bird banding lab and research facility. Attendees must arrive by 8:00 a.m. in order to join the tour. These behind-the-scenes experiences allow people to visit the bird banding lab and see up-close how researchers safely capture and band birds, and learn about the data they gather. Visitors will also be guided to PARC’s flight tunnel to hear about how we’re studying avian perception of glass to provide glass manufacturers and building designers with important information that will help reduce bird-window collisions. On your tour, you’ll have the opportunity to chat with the scientists on staff, and perhaps visiting researchers, about the other projects being conducted at PARC. This event is weather dependent and will be canceled due to heat (>78 degrees), strong winds, or inclement weather.
Guests must pre-register for the tour and arrive at PARC by 8:00 a.m. The tour is 1.5 hours long.

PARC Free Guided Tour
October 8, 2023 8 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

Moriarty Science Seminar: Academia and Indigenous Communities: Opening the Doors to Collaborative Research and Community-Driven Projects
2023-10-09 12:00 - 13:00 | Hybrid: Online and At the Museum
R.W. Moriarty Science Seminar Presents: “Academia and Indigenous Communities: Opening the Doors to Collaborative Research and Community-Driven Projects”

Speaker: Jessie Ryker-Crawford, Institute of American Indian Arts.
An honest assessment of research practices and methodologies often leads to new and innovative strategies that address inclusion and accessibility between researchers and host communities. Collaborative research projects, in particular, allow for a point of entry for ongoing foundational building and networking between institutions and host community organizations—resulting in the long-lasting relationships that are so key to deep research.
This presentation will explore how initial contacts can be made, facilitating co-advisory groups that can formulate effective and meaningful research projects for all involved, soliciting community engagement, and the dissemination of research knowledge and material to a wider community audience.
Stories of events – also known as case studies – will play heavily in the sharing of insights, pitfalls, time-to-stand-up-brush-it-off-and-continue instances, and glorious successes.
This event will take place on Indigenous People’s Day, Monday, October 9,2023 at Noon in person at Earth Theater.
Click here to download the program.
Seminar 159
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Carnegie Discoverers: Can Conservation Areas Support People and Biodiversity? A Case-study of Biocultural Stewardship in the Hawaiian Islands
2023-10-12 18:00 - 20:00 | At the Museum, 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213-4007, United States
Nicole Heller, PhD, Associate Curator,
Anthropocene, Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Protected areas are designed to protect biodiversity, but they are also linked to the dispossession of land and lifeways for local and indigenous people. To improve conservation, scientists and local and indigenous people are collaborating to revitalize place-based stewardship traditions and restore land and community health. A case study of Hawaiian’aina stewardship and how it is responding to contemporary struggles related to water scarcity, over-tourism, invasive species, and Hawaiian sovereignty politics and, more generally, the importance of land stewardship for effective and just conservation in the Anthropocene will be discussed.
This is a Carnegie Discoverers meeting. Membership to the Carnegie Discoverers opens doors to in-depth and up-close experiences with scientists, exhibition designers, and program directors across the museum. Become a member today to enjoy exclusive access to all the world-class scientific and educational treasures that Carnegie Museum of Natural History has to offer. Learn more about Carnegie Discoverers and how to join.

Hispanic Heritage Celebration
2023-10-14 11:00 - 17:00 | At the Museum, 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213-4007, United States
Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh presents Hispanic Heritage Celebration

Located at Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History
Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh is thrilled to honor and celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History. Join us throughout the day for Latin music performances, a scavenger hunt, spotlight stops featuring Latin American scientific specimens, a Colombian food truck, and Spanish-language tours.
Don’t miss our special activities!

All Day – A scavenger hunt of Latin American natural history specimens titled “Three Birds and a Butterfly.”
All Day – Hispanic specimen spotlights featuring gems and minerals, dinosaurs, jaguars, and birds.
12 p.m. to 4 p.m. – Food and drink at the Sculpture Court. Colombino food truck serves authentic Colombian cuisine (gluten-free and vegan options available). Cash bar.

1 p.m. and 3 p.m. – Spanish-language art tours, meet the group outside the Carnegie Museum of Art store.

Film Screening: a seed a deer a seed
2023-10-14 15:00 - 16:30 | Earth Theater
A seed a deer a seed (2023) is a short film by Marianne Hoffmeister Castro that examines the conservation efforts at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (Austin, TX). The film threads together stories and modalities of care and management of local ecosystems while bringing forth the alliances and challenges between plant, animal and human communities. What are the ecological alliances that need to be sustained in time? How long can the land management efforts continue to preserve balance on the local ecosystems? Who decides who needs to keep on living or who needs to be eradicated? By formulating these questions throughout the film, a seed a deer a seed becomes a meeting place to reflect on the human impact on managed landscapes but also on the entanglements with vegetal lives and nonhuman animals as agents in these conservation efforts.
The screening will be followed by a conversation with the filmmaker and Rachel Reeb, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.
Tree News is a newsletter and event series produced by artists Erin Mallea and Paper Buck (Pittsburgh & Philadelphia, PA). Tree News focuses on tree and forest stories as entry points into discussions of environmental justice, ecological orientations in art practice, and climate change adaptation. Tree News profiles trees, people, places and projects to serve as a platform to share resources, build relationships, and develop deeper understandings of the world around us.
Touchstone Cinema is the curatorial project of moving-image artists Inbar Hagai & Rebecca Shapass. The ongoing screening series is dedicated to facilitating discourse around artworks that challenge and push the cinematic form.

Event Details
This event is taking place at Carnegie Museum of Natural History in the Earth Theater. Please see museum staff for a map or assistance in locating the theater.

Presented in partnership with
Tree News & Touchstone Cinema

HAUNTED MUSEUM AFTER DARK
2023-10-20 18:00 - 22:00 | At the Museum, 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213-4007, United States
The world is full of stories of the weird and wonderful. Grab your best costume and join us at Haunted Museum After Dark to discover what is fact or fiction, and what mysteries are still waiting to be solved. What creatures inspired the monsters that haunt our dreams? What real animals, plants, and bugs are stranger than anything we can imagine?
Event Highlights:
• 8:30 p.m.: Keynote speaker Matt Lake, author of Weird Pennsylvania, gives an overview of some creatures that have enjoyed a century or more of widespread recognition without actually existing (at least, not as specimens in the wild).
• 6:30-7:15 p.m., 7:30-8:15 p.m., and 9-9:30 p.m.: Meet some of the museum’s slithery, scaly, and furry critters during Live Animal Meet and Greets.
• Find creepy, cute, and one-of-a-kind specimens that have emerged for one night only on the Cryptid Catch’em All Trick or Treat quest!
• Beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) and light snacks will be available for purchase. For the first time, the bar will offer zero-proof gin, whiskey, and tequila, and non-alcoholic beer. Try the festive Poison Apple mocktail and Witches’ Brew cocktail!
Costumes are encouraged but cannot include masks that cover the entire face, weapons, or weapon-like objects. Safety face masks are permitted, but not required.
Pre-registration is strongly recommended. Tickets are $24 ($19 for members) when purchased online or over the phone before 5 p.m. on October 20. Tickets are $29 ($24 for members) at the door.

Haunted Museum After Dark
Friday, October 20, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
21+ (current ID will be required at the door)

Tickets on sale now!

Sponsored by

Powdermill Avian Research Center Open House
2023-10-21 08:00 - 12:00 | Powdermill Nature Reserve, 1795 Route 381, Rector, PA, 15677, United States
Our Open House days are FREE behind-the-scenes experiences for people to visit the bird banding lab and see up-close how researchers safely capture and band birds, and learn about the data they gather. Visitors are also able to visit PARC’s flight tunnel and hear about how we’re studying avian perception of glass to provide glass manufacturers and building designers with important information that will help reduce bird-window collisions. You’ll also have the opportunity to chat with the scientists on staff, and perhaps visiting researchers, about the other projects being conducted at PARC. This event is weather dependent and will be canceled due to heat (>78 degrees), strong winds, or inclement weather. Drop in at any time between 8 am -12 pm (we recommend arriving as early as possible for the best chance to see a variety of birds). Registration recommended but not required.

PARC Open House
October 21, 2023 8 a.m. – Noon

Member Exclusive: Powdermill Nature Walk
2023-10-22 14:00 - 15:00 | Powdermill Nature Reserve, 1795 Route 381, Rector, PA, 15677, United States
Powdermill Nature Reserve is Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s environmental research center located in Rector, PA. In addition to being positioned for Appalachian-specific studies in ornithology, ecology, invertebrate zoology, and botany, Powdermill is a great place to spend a fun-filled day outdoors with the family. Enjoy a leisurely Sunday walk with your member community and explore the beautiful woodlands around Powdermill at this event.
Register for the Event

Moriarty Science Seminar: Let’s Talk About Climate Change! Outcomes of Climate in Rural Systems Partnership (CRSP)
2023-10-23 12:00 - 13:00 | Hybrid: Online and At the Museum
R.W. Moriarty Science Seminar Presents: “Let’s Talk About Climate Change! Outcomes of Climate in Rural Systems Partnership (CRSP)”

Speaker: Nicole Heller and Laurie Giarratani, Carnegie Museum of Natural History.
The Climate and Rural Systems Partnership (CRSP) operates at the intersection of three ideas: 1) museum resources are valuable for understanding environmental change, 2) museums are underserving rural audiences, and 3) complex socio-scientific environmental change topics are deeply connected to social decision making in rural communities. Over the last four years, educators and researchers from Carnegie Museum of Natural History (CMNH) and the University of Pittsburgh have collaborated with community partners in a research practice partnership (RPP) that supports professional networking, reflection and learning. The project is centered at two community hubs – one at Powdermill Nature Reserve and the other at Mercer County Conservation District. Our collective work supports socially safe, science-based discussions about human-caused climate change and is building regional capacity for information exchange across organizations. Through this partnership we seek to improve methodologies and practices for practitioners to effectively address climate change issues with their audiences, including the museum’s work with its audiences. In this talk, we will share background theory and practice that motivated this learning science project, describe how the RPP works, and discuss some of our findings. We will also talk about how this research is informing our vision for the long-term role of the museum in regional climate empowerment.
This event will take place Monday, October 23,2023 at Noon in person in the CMP Board Room and online via Zoom.
Talks are free to attend in person. Registration is required for online access.
Register Now
Click here to download the program.
Seminar 160
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Sensory Friendly Trick or Treat
2023-10-27 18:00 - 21:00 | At the Museum, 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213-4007, United States
Sensory Friendly Trick or Treat
Put on your favorite costume and head to Carnegie Museum of Natural History for a sensory-supportive Halloween Trick or Treat! Museum galleries will have reduced audio and visual elements and calm spaces with support materials. Pick a seat around our story time faux campfire, meet a scaley live animal ambassador, and trick-or-treat your way through the museum at this all-ages and all-abilities event!

· Trick or Treat through the museum galleries
· Gift shop will be open
· Seasonal story time around our faux campfire
· Sensory Friendly Live Animal Meet and Greets
· Jumping spider specimens from behind the scenes of the insect collection
· Friendly staff who are ready to chat for as little (or as long) as you’d like about dinosaurs, rocks, gems and more!
Costumes cannot include masks that cover the entire face, weapons, or weapon-like objects. Safety face masks are permitted, but not required.

Sensory Friendly Trick or Treat
Friday, October 27, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Super Science Saturday: Booseum
2023-10-28 12:00 - 16:00 | At the Museum, 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213-4007, United States
Looking for family-friendly activities to do for Halloween? Costumes are encouraged for a nature-themed Halloween celebration! Investigate seasonal specimens that are not usually on display, including jumping spiders, hairy tarantulas, and Fred, our famous crystal skull. Follow a scavenger hunt through the museum’s haunted halls while looking for clues and earning stamps along the way, then redeem for a goodie bag with all sorts of prizes. While supplies last.
Costumes cannot include masks that cover the entire face, weapons, or weapon-like objects. Safety face masks are permitted, but not required.

Sponsors
Super Science Saturdays are sponsored by PA Cyber, Tender Care Learning Centers, a proud partner of Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, and Discover Westmoreland, celebrating 250 years of Westmoreland County.

Moriarty Science Seminar: Awareness of the Natural World Through the Lens of Amphibian and Reptile Ecology at Powdermill Nature Reserve
2023-10-30 12:00 - 13:00 | At the Museum, 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213-4007, United States
R.W. Moriarty Science Seminar Presents: “Awareness of the Natural World Through the Lens of Amphibian and Reptile Ecology at Powdermill Nature Reserve”
Speaker: Dr. Walter E. Meshaka, State Museum of Pennsylvania.
Curiosity brings awareness, and, awareness, in turn, makes caring possible. A protected resource, Powdermill Nature Reserve, in the northern Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania, provides an uncommon opportunity to understand the natural world in short-term and uninterrupted long-term research endeavors otherwise not possible. Presciently, Dr. M. Graham Netting understood the importance of such a place when he undertook the acquisition of the station in 1956. A beneficiary of this vision, Dr. Walter E. Meshaka, Jr. has, with the kind support of Powdermill staff, since 2002 undertaken research projects in the ecology of amphibians and reptiles at the station that have involved museum specimens and mark-recapture of individuals. Referring specifically to a few of the 16 published papers to date, Dr. Meshaka hopes to convey how the combination of traits comprising the Powdermill Nature Reserve can provide and await our awareness of this part of our natural world, its meaningfulness, and the importance of its stewardship.
This event will take place Monday, October 30, 2023 at Noon in person at Earth Theater.
Click here to download the program.
Seminar 161
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Family Nature Walk at Powdermill
2023-11-04 14:00 - 15:00 | Powdermill Nature Reserve, 1795 Route 381, Rector, PA, 15677, United States
Join us as we hit the trails for a guided nature walk! We’ll meet in the atrium of the Powdermill Nature Center at 2 pm before heading outside to explore. This family-friendly experience is open to participants of all ages.
Events fill up fast! Registration is recommended to guarantee your spot and help us plan timing, seating, and/or trail routes. If there are spots available at the time of the program, non-registered individuals can join on a first-come, first-served basis.

Family Nature Walk
Saturday, November 4, 2023 2 p.m.

Sold out? Sign up for our waitlist!

Super Science Saturday: Animal Communication
2023-11-11 12:00 - 16:00 | At the Museum, 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213-4007, United States
Animals may not talk, but they have much to share! From seismic elephant vibrations to silverback gorilla body postures, from scent-marking cats to dancing insects, the world around us is constantly communicating. And we can help you tune in! Some birds have learned to mimic human sounds; can you tell the difference between the real sound and the bird?

Sponsors
Super Science Saturdays are sponsored by PA Cyber, Tender Care Learning Centers, a proud partner of Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, and Discover Westmoreland, celebrating 250 years of Westmoreland County.

Moriarty Science Seminar: Impacts of Extreme Warming Events on Early Eocene Mammals and Ecosystems
2023-11-13 12:00 - 13:00 | At the Museum, 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213-4007, United States
R.W. Moriarty Science Seminar Presents: “Impacts of Extreme Warming Events on Early Eocene Mammals and Ecosystems”

Speaker: Abigail Carroll, University of Pittsburgh.
How might animals and ecosystems respond to today’s warming planet? Looking to Earth’s past may help us answer this question. A series of extreme warming events during the early Eocene (beginning 56 million years ago) are analogous in many ways to present-day global warming. Paleontological investigations conducted over the past decade have also uncovered a curious response to these warming events: a brief, but significant, decrease in body size for some mammal groups, including the earliest horses. Furthermore, the extent of body size decrease appears to be related to the magnitude of the warming event. In this talk, we will look at a fossil record of these events from the Bighorn Basin of Wyoming, and consider the mechanism(s) which may have led to the observed body size changes.
This event will take place Monday, November 13, 2023 at Noon in person at Earth Theater and is free to attend.
Click here to download the program.
Seminar 162
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Carnegie Discoverers: Collections and Anthropogenic Change: The Link Between Acquiring New Specimens and Deciphering the Impacts of Land Use and Climate Changes on Amphibians
2023-11-16 18:00 - 20:00 | At the Museum, 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213-4007, United States
Jennifer A. Sheridan, PhD, Assistant Curator, Amphibians and Reptiles, Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Curators build collections for a number of reasons, from documenting biodiversity to deciphering evolutionary relationships among species. A discussion of a recent visit to north Borneo will highlight some notable new additions to the Section of Amphibians and Reptiles’ collection, and will share preliminary results of a larger question, namely how does land-use change impact the relationship between primary productivity and biodiversity? The importance of this question, along with other new additions to the Museum collections for future research, will be presented.
This is a Carnegie Discoverers meeting. Membership to the Carnegie Discoverers opens doors to in-depth and up-close experiences with scientists, exhibition designers, and program directors across the museum. Become a member today to enjoy exclusive access to all the world-class scientific and educational treasures that Carnegie Museum of Natural History has to offer. Learn more about Carnegie Discoverers and how to join.

Family Nature Walk at Powdermill
2023-12-02 14:00 - 15:00 | Powdermill Nature Reserve, 1795 Route 381, Rector, PA, 15677, United States
Join us as we hit the trails for a guided nature walk! We’ll meet in the atrium of the Powdermill Nature Center at 2 pm before heading outside to explore. This family-friendly experience is open to participants of all ages.
Events fill up fast! Registration is recommended to guarantee your spot and help us plan timing, seating, and/or trail routes. If there are spots available at the time of the program, non-registered individuals can join on a first-come, first-served basis.

Family Nature Walk
Saturday, December 2, 2023 2 p.m.

Sold out? Sign up for our waitlist!

Educator Workshop: STEELS Standards and Project-Based Learning
2023-12-05 09:00 - 15:00 | At the Museum, 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213-4007, United States
Using the exhibition Life in One Cubic Foot as inspiration, explore activities and lessons to teach learners about the dynamics of biodiversity and ecosystems. We’ll visit the exhibition to discover what a cubic foot of land or water reveals about the diversity of life on the planet with the help of “biocubes”, one-cubic-foot frames used to survey animals and plants living in an ecosystem. Meet with other formal and informal educators to think about ways we can support each other in planning for the new STEELS standards and their focus on project-based learning.
Life in One Cubic Foot is organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service in collaboration with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.
This workshop welcomes educators from all subject areas and grade levels.
If more than 50% of your students qualify for free or reduced-price school lunch, your school or organization will be eligible for a scholarship towards a museum field trip after the workshop.
Funding is available to reimburse your school or district for substitute teacher costs on the day that you attend this workshop.

Midday Musings: Senior Social
2023-12-07 12:00 - 16:00 | At the Museum, 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213-4007, United States
Looking for an exciting way to spend your afternoon?
Carnegie Museum of Natural History invites you to explore nature throughout the museum with an open house featuring activities for seniors. Dinosaurs! Mammals! Gems! Minerals! Botany! Birds! World Cultures! Meet with one of the museum’s Natural History Interpreters and journey through some of Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s most historic, and scientifically significant, and beloved collections.
Coffee, tea and, light snacks will be available in the Senior Social lounge.
Whether you’ve already signed up for a Senior Membership from Carnegie Museum of Pittsburgh, or just want to see what it’s all about – we hope you’ll stop by!

Community Access Membership is presented by

Moriarty Science Seminar: A time-machine to Africa: revisiting the collections of the Pulitzer Expedition to Angola at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History
2023-12-11 12:00 - 13:00 | At the Museum, 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213-4007, United States
R.W. Moriarty Science Seminar Presents: “A Time-Machine to Africa: Revisiting the Collections of the Pulitzer Expedition to Angola at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History”

Speaker: Luis Ceríaco, Carnegie Museum of Natural History.
In 1930, the newspaper mogul Ralph Pulitzer funded an expedition to Angola, southwestern Africa, for the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Aimed at getting specimens of the iconic Giant Sable, the expedition was comprised of naturalists who assembled impressive zoological, paleontological and ethnographic collections. These collections are still extant in CMNH and are scientifically relevant to the present day. They served as the basis of the description of new species and are unparalleled testimonies of the Angolan landscape a century ago. While reviewing part of the collections assembled in this expedition, I started to pull a thread that eventually led me to (re)discover a treasure trove of documentation and specimens. In the last 10 years I’ve been doing research in Angola and collecting in the exact same areas covered by the Pulitzer Expedition. This allows us to compare the landscape evolution, the loss of biodiversity and the logistics of an early twentieth century expedition with those of today. This story intertwines history and biodiversity and reinforces the value and scientific importance of CMNH collections. Using the CMNH collections as a time-machine, we will travel back and forth in time and discuss history, science and conservation in one of Africa’s most biodiverse countries.
This event will take place Monday, December 11, 2023 at Noon in person at Earth Theater.
Seminar 163
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Carnegie Discoverers: The Secret Lives of Caterpillars
2023-12-14 18:00 - 20:00 | At the Museum, 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213-4007, United States
Kevin Keegan, PhD, Collection Manager, Invertebrate Zoology, Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Bizarre, beautiful, and fascinating; The world of caterpillars abounds with amazing natural history. From predators to parasites and land to water, caterpillars do far more than just munch on your tomato plants. Hear the tales of some of the spectacular and surprising life histories of select moths and butterflies housed in our Museum’s Invertebrate Zoology Collection.
This is a Carnegie Discoverers meeting. Membership to the Carnegie Discoverers opens doors to in-depth and up-close experiences with scientists, exhibition designers, and program directors across the museum. Become a member today to enjoy exclusive access to all the world-class scientific and educational treasures that Carnegie Museum of Natural History has to offer. Learn more about Carnegie Discoverers and how to join.

Christmas Bird Count Workshop
2023-12-16 10:00 - 12:00 | Powdermill Nature Reserve, 1795 Route 381, Rector, PA, 15677, United States
Let’s get ready for the 2023 Christmas Bird Count (CBC)! Join us at Powdermill Nature Center for a workshop all about this important community science project, and help tally and identify birds as part of the Rector area count. Hear the rich, long history of the CBC which now spans nearly 3,000 areas throughout the Western Hemisphere. Learn about different types of bird feeders and seeds that help attract birds in the winter. If you’re participating in the CBC for other areas of southwestern PA, this will be a helpful practice run. All levels of birding skills are encouraged to join us!

Christmas Bird Count Workshop
Saturday, December 16, 2023 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Super Science Saturday: Tales from the Field
2023-12-16 12:00 - 16:00 | At the Museum, 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213-4007, United States
Museum scientists have been working hard all year, traveling near and far to conduct field research and contribute to the newest science! Follow your “Tales of the Field Passport” to meet participating scientists and claim a goodie bag of field work essentials like a notebook, pencil, and compass. Add your dream research destination to a map and see where other explorers want to travel. While supplies last.

Sponsors
Super Science Saturdays are sponsored by PA Cyber, Tender Care Learning Centers, a proud partner of Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, and Discover Westmoreland, celebrating 250 years of Westmoreland County.

Family Nature Walk at Powdermill
2024-01-06 14:00 - 15:00 | Powdermill Nature Reserve, 1795 Route 381, Rector, PA, 15677, United States
Join us as we hit the trails for a guided nature walk! We’ll meet in the atrium of the Powdermill Nature Center at 2 pm before heading outside to explore. This family-friendly experience is open to participants of all ages.
Events fill up fast! Registration is recommended to guarantee your spot and help us plan timing, seating, and/or trail routes. If there are spots available at the time of the program, non-registered individuals can join on a first-come, first-served basis.

Family Nature Walk
Saturday, January 6, 2024 2 p.m.

Sold out? Sign up for our waitlist!

After-school Story Stroll: Bear Snores On (ages 1-4)
2024-01-17 16:00 - 17:00 | Powdermill Nature Reserve, 1795 Route 381, Rector, PA, 15677, United States
This month, we will discover Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson.
Reading level: Ages 1-4
Explore Powdermill on a family story stroll! Join our educators and naturalists on a guided walk through the forest trails as we read and discover fun nature stories. Look for pages along the way and enjoy hands-on activities as the story unfolds. Each month will feature a different book as the seasons change in the nature reserve.

After School Story Stroll:
Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson
Reading level: Ages 1-4
Wednesday, January 17, 2024 4 p.m.
