April 12, 2010
Celebrate Earth Day @ the Academy of Natural Sciences
Not up for running? That’s okay. The Academy of Natural Sciences also has an Earth Day event planned, with their annual weekend festival.
This is the 40th anniversary of the Academy’s ongoing Earth Day fest, which will run this Saturday and Sunday, April 17th & 18th, from 10am to 5pm each day.
Guests can meet chemists, engineers, and scientists from the Academy, all of whom will demonstrate their work with environmental research. Visitors can make crafts, conduct their own experiments, enjoy a performance of Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax by the College Settlement Outdoor School, and more.
All activities are free with general museum admission.
Earth Day Festival @ the Academy of Natural Sciences
Saturday and Sunday, April 17–18, 2010
Academy of Natural Sciences
1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 299-1000
www.ansp.org
April 6, 2010
Print by Thomas Horsfield, Image courtesy the Academy of Natural Sciences
Did you know the Academy of Natural Sciences has an art gallery? Well, they do. And you should check it out.
Their current exhibit, entitled First Impressions, displays the print work of Thomas Horsfied. Local to Philadelphia and a member of the Academy, Horsfield was the first American scientist to explore Southeast Asia.
The exhibit features 22 of his prints, which “he made by applying ink to the plants he collected on the Indonesian island of Java.” The point of the gallery is to show off the scientific achievements of this explorer, while revealing the striking, artistic nature of his work.
To learn more about The Art of Science and upcoming galleries at the Academy, visit their official website.
Art of Science
Now through May 2nd, 2010
Academy of Natural Sciences
1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 299-1000
www.ansp.org
March 3, 2010
Academy of Natural Sciences
Next week, the Academy of Natural Sciences opens up a new art exhibit, displaying the stunning photography work of Henry Horenstein.
The exhibit, entitled Looking at Animals, consists of 24 large-format, black-and-white images that compliment many of the Academy’s research collections, and show some of these majestic creatures in their natural habitat. I’ve posted two photos after the jump, have a look.
Knowing the Academy, we’ll likely see some excellent events themed around the exhibit through the coming months. I’m looking forward to it.
Academy of Natural Sciences
1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 299-1000
www.ansp.org
February 22, 2010
Heads up! The George Washington Carver exhibit at the Academy of Natural Sciences closes this weekend. On display since November, the exhibit displays over 150 historical artifacts from his life, as well as videos, interactive displays and more.
The exhibit is free with museum admission. Go check it out. Last day to see the display is this Sunday, February 28th.
For more information on the exhibit, visit the Academy of Natural Sciences’ official website.
George Washington Carver @ the Academy
Now through February 28th, 2010
Academy of Natural Sciences
1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 299-1000
www.ansp.org
February 18, 2010
The Academy of Natural Sciences
Next weekend, the Academy of Natural Sciences is inviting visitors to craft their own jewelry from plants, just in time for the Philadelphia Flower Show.
Participants will meet Jane Kilduff, a judge and participant at the Philadelphia Flower Show, known for her fantastic nature-inspired jewelry. She’ll share her techniques with guests, and afterwards, class participants can tour the Academy’s George Washington Carver exhibit, to learn how nature influenced him.
Tickets are $30, which includes admission to the exhibits and the class.
Nature Jewelry Craft Workshop @ the Academy
Saturday, February 27th, 1pm – 2:30pm
Academy of Natural Sciences
1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 299-1000
www.ansp.org
February 8, 2010
Creating dinosaur art @ Paleopalooza, Photo courtesy the Academy of Natural Sciences
Paleopalooza is back at the Academy of Natural Sciences this weekend, bringing a weekend full of drawing lessons, rare fossils, prominent lecturers, and trilobite races with it.
The Academy is bringing out some of their rarest fossils for the weekend, including fossils that belonged to President Thomas Jefferson. Saturday guests can meet the Academy’s paleontologist and acting President Dr. Ted Daeschler, for a talk on his discoveries and fossil hunting adventures.
The weekend long festival is free with regular museum admission.
Paleopalooza @ the Academy of Natural Sciences
Saturday and Sunday, February 13th & 14th, 2010
Academy of Natural Sciences
1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 299-1000
www.ansp.org
January 19, 2010
Bees at work; photo by A. Jaszek
As you may have heard, amateur beekeeping is all the rage these days. Flush with the spirit of urban homesteading and DIY, city dwellers are putting hives on building roofs. In more rural areas, first-time beekeepers are consulting with county extension agents for the best ways to handle a hive that’s swarmed. Here in the Philadelphia area, lots of people don protective gear and regularly wander out into their backyards or climb to their roofs, in order to tend a queen and her subjects.
However, without Philadelphia-born Lorenzo Langstroth, these homegrown hives would not be possible. He is widely known as the Father of American Bee Keeping and helped make bees the most studied insect in the world by inventing the moveable frame beehive.
With colony collapse disorder regularly in the news and the stark reality that bees pollinate one-third of all the food we eat, it’s time to learn more about those fuzzy buzzers.
This year the opportunity for knowledge is yours, as bee scientists and beekeeping aficionados will be celebrating the 200th anniversary of Langstroth’s birthday with lectures, receptions and a September Honey Festival (hoped to be the first of many). The year of celebration kicks off this Thursday evening at 7 p.m., with a lecture by Carl Flatow of the Science Friday Initiative, Barbara Ceiga of the Academy of Natural Sciences, and historian Mark Hoffman, and will be hosted by the Philadelphia Beekeepers Guild at the Unitarian Society of Germantown.
Click the links for more information about Lorenzo Langstroth, beekeeping and the upcoming Honey Festival.
January 8, 2010
The bar at National Mechanics
On Monday, January 11th, National Mechanics is hosting Science on Tap, a monthly discussion organized by the Academy of Natural Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, the Chemical Heritage Foundation, the Mütter Museum, and the Wagner Free Institute of Science.
Past discussions have included talks on everything from dinosaurs to forensic science. This time around, the talk is centered around something National Mechanics serves up. Beer.
Dr. Ernie Schuyler, the Curator Emeritus of Botany at The Academy of Natural Sciences, will lead guests in a discussion about the evolution of beer, and how it has changed over thousands of years. The talk is free to the public.
Additional Science on Tap talks occur the second Monday of every month at 6pm. While the event is clearly aimed at those 21 or older, people under 21 are welcome, so long as they have a chaperone over the age of 25.
National Mechanics
22 S. 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 701-4883
www.nationalmechanics.com
December 30, 2009
Photos courtesy the Academy of Natural Sciences
Tomorrow, the Academy of Natural Sciences is hosting Bug Day, a celebration in honor of creepy crawlers everywhere.
The Academy’s naturalists and animal handlers will be walking the halls of the museum, carrying insects with them, offering up a rare chance to get up close with some of these unique creatures.
They’ve got activities galore planned; a puppet theater show at 12:30pm and 3:30pm, live animal shows at 11am and 2:30pm, and an arts & crafts workshop, where kids can make their own insect noise maker.
For more info on the Academy and their live-animal programs, visit their official website.
Bug Day @ the Academy
Thursday, December 31st, 2009
Academy of Natural Sciences
1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 299-1000
www.ansp.org
November 30, 2009
Monkeys painted by Walton Ford, Courtesy the Academy of Natural Sciences
This Wednesday, watercolor artist Walton Ford will be stopping by the Academy of Natural Sciences to talk about the inspiration behind his paintings, and sign copies of his recently published retrospective of his work, Pancha Tantra.
Copies of the book will be available at the event. The signing is free and open to the public, and starts at 6:30PM, running until 8:30PM.
The event is sponsored by the Joseph Fox Bookstore, a great little bookshop on 17th and Sansom.
Walton Ford @ the Academy of Natural Sciences
Wednesday, December 2, 6:30 – 8:30PM
Academy of Natural Sciences
1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 299-1000
www.ansp.org
