Carnegie Museum of Natural History

One of the Four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh

RW Moriarty Science Seminars

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R.W. Moriarty Science Seminar: Natural History in a Flash: Lightning Talks from Carnegie Museum Scientists

Talk: Lightning Talks from Carnegie Museum Scientists

When: February 8, 2027, 12:00–1:00 p.m.

Where: Art Theater and online via Zoom

Tickets: Free. Museum admission not required.

Meet a variety of Carnegie Museum of Natural History scientists in charge of the museum’s contemporary research and vast collections of specimens and objects. Join us for quick talks that highlight research and scientific activities happening daily at the museum and stay after the talks to interact with museum science staff in a fun, informal setting.

Registration is required to attend R.W. Moriarty Science Seminars. Register here to attend in person or click here to join us via Zoom. 

Upcoming R.W. Moriarty Science Seminars

Learn about scientific discoveries directly from the experts in the field. Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s scientific research staff and invited speakers discuss their latest findings on numerous scientific topics at the R.W. Moriarty Science Seminar series.

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R.W. Moriarty Science Seminar: Following Pots from the Dead Sea Plain to Pittsburgh

Talk: Following Pots from the Dead Sea Plain to Pittsburgh

Speaker: Dr. Morag Kersel and Dr. Meredith Chesson

When: Thursday, March 11, 2027, 6:00–7:00 p.m.

Where: Art Theater and online via Zoom

Tickets: Free. Museum admission not required.

In the early 1960s, archaeologist Paul Lapp noticed a flood of Early Bronze Age (3600–2000 BCE) pots in antiquities shops in Jerusalem and Amman, unmistakably looted from the prehistoric cemetery at Bâb adh-Dhrâʿ, a site along the Dead Sea Plain in Jordan. In response, Lapp and colleagues initiated excavations in the cemetery to save pots and other grave goods from also ending up on the antiquities market. Many of these items now reside at Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Since 2011, Dr. Morag Kersel and Dr. Meredith Chesson have been following Early Bronze Age pots from these same Dead Sea sites. They conduct pedestrian and drone surveys, use archival resources, and collect ethnographic interviews to trace how these vessels have moved, and to reconstruct their social, economic, and political meanings from 5,000 years ago to today.

Registration is required to attend R.W. Moriarty Science Seminars. Register here to attend in person or click here to join us via Zoom. 

Upcoming R.W. Moriarty Science Seminars

Learn about scientific discoveries directly from the experts in the field. Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s scientific research staff and invited speakers discuss their latest findings on numerous scientific topics at the R.W. Moriarty Science Seminar series.

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R.W. Moriarty Science Seminar: Fragile Legacies: The Ethics, Science, and Art of a Conservator

Talk: Fragile Legacies: The Ethics, Science, and Art of a Conservator

Speaker: Dr. Nancy Odegaard

When: Monday, April 12, 2027, 12:00–1:00 p.m.

Where: Art Theater and online via Zoom

Tickets: Free. Museum admission not required.

A career in conservation is based on responses. Conservators react to object damage, disaster recovery, technical study, and various ethical or legal issues. An objects conservator may be asked to be an active part of archaeological excavations, collections management, repatriation, exhibitions, and loans. Collaborations may involve colleagues from anthropology, classics, art history, historic preservation, chemistry, and materials science. This lecture will explore some of the influencing factors and outputs of a career in conservation through encounters with the sensitive and current issues surrounding human remains and their belongings, the determination and removal of toxic pesticides on museum objects, and the recovery and identification of stolen art.

Registration is required to attend R.W. Moriarty Science Seminars. Register here to attend in person or click here to join us via Zoom. 

Upcoming R.W. Moriarty Science Seminars

Learn about scientific discoveries directly from the experts in the field. Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s scientific research staff and invited speakers discuss their latest findings on numerous scientific topics at the R.W. Moriarty Science Seminar series.

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R.W. Moriarty Science Seminar: Lightning Talks from Carnegie Museum Scientists

Natural History in a Flash: Lightning Talks from Carnegie Museum Scientists

When: Thursday, May 7, 2026, 6:00–7:00 p.m.

Where: Art Theater and online via Zoom

Tickets: Free. Museum admission not required.

Meet a variety of Carnegie Museum of Natural History scientists in charge of the museum’s contemporary research and vast collections of specimens and objects. Join us for quick talks that highlight research and scientific activities happening daily at the museum and stay after the talks to interact with CMNH Science staff in a fun, informal setting.

Lightning Talks

“Welcome to the Anthropocene. Why Natural History Matters More Than Ever.”
Dr. Nicole Heller, Chair of Research and Curator of Anthropocene Studies
“Snails in Cactus Patches”
Dr. Tim Pearce, Curator of Mollusks
“One of a Kind–Cayenne Nightjar”
Serina Brady, Collection Manager of Birds
“Exploring Personhood in Ancient Egypt” 
Dr. Lisa Haney, Curator, Egypt on the Nile
“It is Not Just Scales That Make Pangolins Weird”
Dr. John Wible, Curator of Mammals
“Songbird Stopover Communities in a Changing World”
Dr. Luke DeGroote, Avian Conservation Scientist at Powdermill Nature Reserve
“Baskets as Environmental Archives”
Kristina Gaugler, Collection Manager of Anthropology
“Diving for Dinos: Cretaceous Fossils from Croatia”
Dr. Matt Lamanna, Mary R. Dawson Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology

Registration is required to attend R.W. Moriarty Science Seminars. Register to attend in person or click here to join us via Zoom. 

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R.W. Moriarty Science Seminar: Testing the “Sixth Sense” of Anuran Amphibians

Talk: Testing the “Sixth Sense” of Anuran Amphibians

Speaker: Dr. Rafael Márquez, Senior Researcher, Museo Nacional Ciencias Naturales

When: Thursday, April 9, 2026, 6:00–7:00 p.m.

Where: Library Lecture Hall and online via Zoom

Tickets: Free. Museum admission not required.

Anuran amphibians (adult frogs and toads) have a very unique adaptation of the inner ear that detects vibrations from soil, water, and plants. Dr. Rafael Márquez, Senior Researcher at the Museo Nacional Ciencias Naturales in Spain, will describe field tests with the emissions of vibrations to shed light on the selective advantage of this seismic detector.

Join us in person to practice identifying frog calls with a Natural History Interpreter following the lecture.

American Sign Language interpretation will be provided by Global Wordsmiths for in-person attendees.

Registration is required to attend R.W. Moriarty Science Seminars. Register here to attend in person or click here to join us via Zoom. 

To reach the Library Lecture Hall, please use the Portal Entry accessible from the parking area. Proceed past the classrooms and make a left at the Carnegie Library entrance. Head down the hall to the Fossil Fuels Cafe and take the stairs or elevator to the left up one level. Once in Discovery Basecamp, the entrance to the Library Lecture Hall will be to your right, along the wall, next to the Earth Theater. There will be signs and staff along the way to assist you.

Upcoming R.W. Moriarty Science Seminars

Learn about scientific discoveries directly from the experts in the field. Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s scientific research staff and invited speakers discuss their latest findings on numerous scientific topics at the R.W. Moriarty Science Seminar series.

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R.W. Moriarty Science Seminar: A Search for Evidence of Past Habitability in Jezero Crater, Mars

Talk: A Search for Evidence of Past Habitability in Jezero Crater, Mars

Speaker: Dr. Sergei Bykov, Assistant Research Professor of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh

When: Monday, March 9, 2026, 12:00–1:00 p.m.

Where: Art Theater and online via Zoom

Tickets: Free. Museum admission not required.

Water-bearing rocks and minerals on Mars, such as opals, are key to understanding the planet’s past habitability and identifying where water once existed or may still be present today. In this talk Dr. Sergei Bykov from the University of Pittsburgh will share his research on recent data returned from NASA’s Perseverance rover mission. This work includes detailed analysis of the structure and hydration of opals in Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s collection.

Registration is required to attend R.W. Moriarty Science Seminars. Register here to attend in person or click here to join us via Zoom. 

Upcoming R.W. Moriarty Science Seminars

Learn about scientific discoveries directly from the experts in the field. Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s scientific research staff and invited speakers discuss their latest findings on numerous scientific topics at the R.W. Moriarty Science Seminar series.