Museum of Natural History Announces March Events

AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY PUBLIC PROGRAMS March 2010

Virtual Universe: Our Solar Neighborhood with Jackie Faherty
Tuesday, March 2, 6:30 pm
Hayden Planetarium Space Theater
$15 Adults, $13.50 Members, students, seniors
http://www.amnh.org/programs/programs.php?date=2010-03-02&event_id=1627

Join Jackie Faherty for a tour of Earth's neighborhood. On the first Tuesday of each month, Virtual Universe offerings take visitors on trips through our solar system and beyond in live, interactive programs that include question-and-answer sessions. The Museum invites all to take the journey of a lifetime.

SciCafe: Fuel Cells - A Look into the Future of Energy Technology
Wednesday, March 3, 7 pm
Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth
Enter at 81st Street/Rose Center
Free admission with cash bar, 21+ with ID
http://www.amnh.org/programs/scicafe/

Join Héctor Abruña, director of the Cornell Fuel Cell Institute and the Energy Materials Center, as he discusses fascinating advances in fuel cell technology and describes projects to develop efficient, high-performance batteries and fuel cells for industry and consumer products. Learn about technologies that have amazing potential to revolutionize our transportation and energy sectors.

Cocktails, conversation, and cutting-edge science are all on tap at SciCafes, emceed by experts on the topics discussed. Guests are encouraged to come with friends, meet new people, and talk science at this after-hours series.

Bright Wings: An Illustrated Anthology of Poems About Birds
Wednesday, March 10, 6:30 pm
Kaufmann Theater, first floor - Enter at 77th Street
$15 adults, $13.50 Members, students, seniors
http://www.amnh.org/programs/programs.php?date=2010-03-10&event_id=1620

Join Poet Laureate Billy Collins, renowned artist David Allen Sibley, and poets George Green, Joshua Mehigan, Linda Pastan and David Yezzi as they celebrate the "bright wings" that surround us through words and pictures. Part poetry and part field guide, Bright Wings: An Illustrated Anthology of Poems About Birds combines more than 100 poems by Elizabeth Bishop, Charles Simic, Sylvia Plath, Wallace Stevens, and others with carefully matched illustrations by Sibley. Joel Cracraft, curator of ornithology at the Museum, will introduce the program. Book signing will follow.

Come early to enjoy wine, coffee, and snacks at Café on One from 5:30 to 6:30 pm.

Co-presented with the Poetry Society of America and New York City Audubon.

10th AnnuAl Isaac Asimov Memorial Debate
The Moon, Mars and Beyond: Where Next for the Manned Space Program?
Monday, March 15, 7:30 pm
LeFrak Theater, first floor - Enter at 77th Street
$15 adults, $13.50 Members, students, seniors
http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/programs/asimov/

Join Neil deGrasse Tyson, Director of the Hayden Planetarium, as he moderates a panel featuring Kenneth Ford, Institute for Human and Machine Cognition; Lester Lyles, United States Air Force (Ret); Paul Spudis, Lunar and Planetary Institute; Steven Squyres, Cornell University; and Robert Zubrin, Mars Society, who will discuss what is next for the manned space program.

Should NASA return to the Moon, where man has already walked, or proceed directly to Mars? Learn the central issues to the subject, including political will, national security, and international competition.

Still Life: Adventures in Taxidermy
Tuesday, March 16, 6:30 pm
Linder Theater, first floor - Enter at 77th Street
$15 adults, $13.50 Members, students, seniors
http://www.amnh.org/programs/programs.php?date=2010-03-16&event_id=1621

Join Melissa Milgrom, author of Still Life: Adventures in Taxidermy, as she offers an exclusive look at the artistry and personalities behind some famous taxidermy works, from Damien Hirst's infamous sharks to the Museum's renowned dioramas. Special guests include Bruce and David Schwendeman, former chief taxidermist at the Museum, who will share anecdotes. Book signing will follow.

Come early to enjoy wine, coffee, and snacks at Café on One from 5:30 to 6:30 pm.

Global Weekends:
From the Motherlands to El Barrio: New York's Latino Immigrant Experience
Saturday and Sunday, March 20 and 21, 1-5 pm
Kaufmann and Linder Theaters, first floor
Free with Museum admission

The story of the ancient Silk Road is, in part, a story of immigration and of the cultural exchange that occurs at the borders of immigrant communities. Through performances, interactive workshops, conversations, and films, this family-friendly event focuses on Latino communities in New York City while drawing parallels between immigrant experiences throughout time.

Adventures in the Global Kitchen: Silk Road and Tea
Wednesday, March 24, 6:30 pm
Linder Theater, first floor - Enter at 77th Street
$20

South of the Silk Road, the ancient Horse Caravan Route linked Yunnan province in southwest China with Tibet and India for trade dominated by tea. Discuss various teas of the Silk Road era, the history of the tea trade, and beliefs in the medical and religious value of tea with Morris Rossabi, distinguished professor of history at City University of New York, and Sebastian Beckwith from In Pursuit of Tea. Taste a selection of teas and learn more about modern variations.

Celestial Highlights: Inferior Planets with Joe Rao
Tuesday, March 30, 6:30 pm
Hayden Planetarium Space Theater
$15 adults, $13.50 Members, students, seniors

Joe Rao leads this tour of the western sky including Mercury, Venus, and the early spring constellations. On the last Tuesday of each month, enjoy a live presentation under the brilliant stars of the Zeiss Mark IX Star Projector. Learn about the current positions of the moon, planets, and stars, as well as visual spectacles like meteor showers, eclipses, and conjunctions.