Carnegie Museum of Natural History

One of the Four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh

RW Moriarty Science Seminars

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Founding an Independent Research Lab to Change our Planetary Future

Founding an Independent Research Lab to Change our Planetary Future

Monday, March 3, 2025, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.

Earth Theater and online via Zoom

Featuring Suzanne Pierre, Critical Ecology Lab

This lecture is free. Museum admission is not required.

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.

Click here to register to attend virtually via Zoom. Registration is not necessary to attend in person. Museum admission is not included with the lecture. Visitor Services staff can direct you to Earth Theater on arrival.

Abstract

While it is now largely accepted that the threat climate change poses to humanity is not equally distributed across populations, the relationships between social power dynamics and inequality and the origins of global climate and ecological change are poorly, if at all, understood by the scientific community. Developing a scientific foundation for understanding changing Earth systems processes as they relate to persistent, unequal social systems is the objective of the Critical Ecology Lab. By conducting this type of scientific research in an effort to change basic scientific understanding and practice, public narratives about the Anthropocene, and contribute to a body of evidence to support political action, the Critical Ecology Lab aims to transform who and what global change science is for, and how it is done. Here, Dr. Pierre describes the founding and development of this unique independent research institution and presents examples of the Lab’s approach to socially critical Earth systems research and our vision for liberation work within science.

About Suzanne Pierre

Dr. Suzanne Pierre, a Haitian and Indian ecosystems ecologist and biogeochemist, is a writer and advocate for transformative social change. As founder and executive director of the Critical Ecology Lab, she leads groundbreaking research and community-driven efforts to challenge oppressive systems and address escalating ecological and social crises. Dr. Pierre earned a B.A. in Environmental Studies from New York University, a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Cornell University, and was a University of California President’s Postdoctoral Fellow at Berkeley. Her scientific expertise lies in using molecular and stable isotope techniques to study nutrient and carbon cycling in plant and microbial communities under climate change.

As the pioneer of critical ecology, Dr. Pierre combines scientific methodologies with decolonial and liberation theories to explore the links between global ecological change and the legacies of colonialism and capitalism. She speaks and writes passionately about the intersections of identity, liberation, and ecology, collaborating with artists to amplify these themes through exhibitions worldwide.

A recipient of the National Geographic Wayfinder Award, Dr. Pierre’s work continues to inspire innovative approaches to environmental and social justice.

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Moriarty Science Seminar: Long-distance migration in Nightingale-thrushes

Functional Morphology and the Origin of Long-distance migration in nightingale-thrushes (Turdidae: Catharus)

Monday, February 10, 2025, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.

Earth Theater and online via Zoom

Matt Halley, Delaware Museum of Nature & Science

This lecture is free. Museum admission is not required.

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.

Click here to register to attend virtually via Zoom. Registration is not necessary to attend in person. Museum admission is not included with the lecture. Visitor Services staff can direct you to Earth Theater on arrival.

Abstract for “Long-Distance Migration in Nightingale-thrushes (Turdidae: Catharus)”

The nightingale-thrushes (genus Catharus) are a clade of (mostly) American songbirds with diverse migratory strategies. With large datasets of molecular and morphometric characters, Halley and colleagues have resolved phylogenetic relationships, described new species and subspecies, identified and modeled migration-related morphological characters, and estimated ancestral states of those characters to infer evolutionary transitions in the migratory phenotype. The results indicate that (1) migratory behavior and its functional morphology are fundamentally linked and can be accurately modeled along a linear axis; (2) short distance and elevational migration were precursors to long distance migration; and (3) the homoplasy of the migratory phenotype, as noted by previous authors, may not have been caused by evolutionary convergence following independent origins of migration, as previously suggested, but successive “budding” of daughter lineages from a “persistent ancestor” in evolutionary stasis.

About the Speaker

Dr. Matthew R. Halley is an ornithologist and historian from south-east Pennsylvania, who has authored dozens of research papers about bird evolution and the history of American science. He is the Assistant Curator of Birds at the Delaware Museum of Nature & Science (Wilmington, DE) and a Research Associate at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University (Philadelphia, PA), where he earned his Ph.D. in 2021. Halley’s research is wide-ranging and interdisciplinary, combining a variety of methods including phylogenetic analysis, population genetics, morphometric analysis, video cameras, audio recorders, tracking devices, and taxonomic study of preserved specimens. He has also uncovered a litany of unpublished primary sources, during the last decade, which have reshaped our understanding of historical figures like Alexander Wilson and John James Audubon, and the development of scientific ornithology in the United States.

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Moriarty Science Seminar: Gender in Mineral Names

Gender in Mineral Names: A Record of Past and Ongoing Diversity Challenges in the Earth Sciences

Speaker: Chris Emproto, Carnegie Museum of Natural History

When: Monday, January 13, 2025, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.

Where: Earth Theater at Carnegie Museum of Natural History and online via Zoom

Tickets: This lecture is free. Museum admission is not required.

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.

Click here to register to attend virtually via Zoom. Registration is not necessary to attend in person. Museum admission is not included with the lecture. Visitor Services staff can direct you to Earth Theater on arrival.

Talk Abstract

There are currently more than 6,000 unique mineral species recognized by the global mineralogical community. Proposals describing potentially new minerals are submitted to the International Mineralogical Association Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature, and Classification for review and approval. The Commission also votes on the name suggested by the authors. Common ways to name minerals include references to distinct chemical or physical properties, the location where the mineral was found, or after a person involved in the discovery or who is prominent in the field of mineralogy. For this reason, mineral names encode aspects of scientific and cultural history. But can mineral names also tell us about the future? By tracking the demographics of mineral eponyms over time, Chris Emproto and colleagues were able to see changes in who is represented among mineral names and how eponym demographics have evolved, with an emphasis on gender. Contrary to expectation, their results indicated that women’s representation among eponyms has not increased significantly in the last two decades but remains stalled at around 11%. This trend contrasts with educational data that instead show improvements in women’s representation. The results emphasize the ongoing need for more intentional recruitment of underrepresented groups in the Earth sciences.

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Moriarty Science Seminar: Future-proofing Museum Collections

Future-proofing Museum Collections: Collections Care and Access at Carnegie Museum of Natural History

Monday, December 9, 2024, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.

Earth Theater and online via Zoom

Featuring Kathy Hollis, Carnegie Museum of Natural History

This lecture is free. Museum admission is not required.

Carnegie Museum of Natural History stewards a collection that is more than a repository of specimens—it is a dynamic archive of the natural world, each item telling a unique story about our planet and our place in it. From butterflies and trilobites to preserved snakes and ancient pottery, these collections are primary data about the natural world. Future-proofing collections—ensuring preservation and accessibility for generations—has long been the duty of natural history museums. Yet, shifting research methods, global environmental and technological changes, and evolving perspectives within the museum profession have all changed how collections must be cared for and made accessible. Recent projects have laid a strong foundation for the future, but without a museum-wide strategy, their full potential remains unrealized. In 2022, Carnegie Museum of Natural History set bold, 10-year goals through its opportunity assessment “Evolving Natural History: A Roadmap for the Next Decade,” which includes strategic objectives for future-proofing collections. To bring this vision to life, Carnegie Museum of Natural History is undertaking a comprehensive strategy—one that is focused on collaborative teamwork, building our technological capacity, and modernizing collection management practices. By implementing this strategy, the collections in our care can become a true public resource for our community and collaborators to inspire, educate, and engage for generations to come.

Click here to register to attend virtually via Zoom. Registration is not necessary to attend in person. Museum admission is not included with the lecture. Visitor Services staff can direct you to Earth Theater on arrival.

 

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Moriarty Science Seminar: Genomics, Informatics, and Conservation

Genomics, Informatics, and Conservation

Monday, November 11, 2024, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.

Earth Theater and online via Zoom

Featuring Keith Crandall, George Washington University

This lecture is free. Museum admission is not required.

Omics technologies (genomics, transcriptomics, metagenomics, etc.) have revolutionized insights into organismal diversity, evolutionary history, and functional diversity – all critical elements of effective conservation, management, and sustainability practices. Advances in new data types require novel computational tools to effectively take advantage of such data and integrate with additional relevant data (e.g., demographic, economic, climate, geologic, etc.). The Crandall Lab develops tools for omics data analyses (especially DNA/RNA sequence data) and integration with other data types. Some of these tools and applications will be demonstrated with ongoing research projects around microbiome research, conservation, and sustainability with links to ongoing international projects including FutureEarth, World Registry of Marine Species (WoRMS), and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and associated Species Survival Commission (SSC).

Click here to register to attend virtually via Zoom. Registration is not necessary to attend in person. Museum admission is not included with the lecture. Visitor Services staff can direct you to Earth Theater on arrival.

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Moriarty Science Seminar: How Geckos Rule the Night

Photo Credit: Tyger Williams, TNS

How Geckos Rule the Night: From Ancient Amber to Modern Stowaways

Monday, October 21, 2024, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.

Earth Theater and online via Zoom

Featuring Aaron Bauer, Villanova University

This lecture is free. Museum admission is not required.

With more than 2300 extant species, geckos are one of the most species-rich groups of living reptiles and can be seen as an evolutionary success story. Their distinctive body plan was established approximately 150 million years ago and they had already diversified extensively by the Late Cretaceous, as demonstrated by 100-million-year-old amber fossils from Myanmar. Most geckos are nocturnal, and this is likely one of the keys to the success of the group. The evolution of diverse architectures of adhesive toepads has also promoted diversification in gecko lineages. Although constrained in some aspects of their morphology and ecology, modern gecko diversity is promoted by the combination of substrate specificity and low vagility, resulting in extensive allopatric speciation. As a result, many gecko genera are speciose, but individual species are restricted to small areas of occurrence. Paradoxically, a few species of geckos have evolved traits that not only permit them to occupy larger areas, but also make them successful invasive species. These few “super-colonizers” have been spread between continents through human activity, from the trans-Atlantic slave trade to the development of modern shipping routes.

Click here to register to attend virtually via Zoom. Registration is not necessary to attend in person. Museum admission is not included with the lecture. Visitor Services staff can direct you to Earth Theater on arrival.