Sunday,

February 7, 2010

Movies @ MNH: Evolution Series

"Darwin's Dangerous Idea"

Why does Charles Darwin's ''dangerous idea'' matter more today than ever, and how does it explain the past and predict the future of life on Earth? The first show interweaves the drama of Darwin's life with current documentary sequences, introducing key concepts of evolution.

Macbride Auditorium

(2nd floor)

Saturday,

February 13, 2010

Mini-World's Fair Celebration

Celebrate the closing of the “Museum Goes to the Fair” exhibit with special fair festivities at the Museum of Natural History and Old Capitol Museum! Visitors at each museum will be treated to refreshments popularized at the 1904 World’s Fair such as Dr. Pepper and cotton candy. At MNH, anthropology collections from around the world will be on display, visitors can explore the geology of the Philippines including volcanoes and plate tectonics, as well as fun activities and information to take home.

As part of the celebration, MNH will host a “Cabinet of Curiosities” identification table for visitors. There will be experts in geology, paleontology, archaeology, and more on hand to help identify ‘curious’ objects brought in by visitors, and let visitors know how and where they can find more information about their objects. [Note: No appraisals will be provided].

Bring in your artifacts, rocks, fossils, and interesting objects you would like to learn more about!

Sunday,

February 14, 2010

Movies @ MNH: Evolution Series

"Great Transformations "

What underlies the incredible diversity of life on Earth? How have complex life forms evolved? The journey from water to land, the return of land mammals to the sea, and the emergence of humans all suggest that creatures past and present are members of a single tree of life.

Macbride Auditorium

(2nd floor)

Thursday,

February 18, 2010

UI Explorer Lecture Series: Dr. Christopher Brochu

Associate Professor, Department of Geoscience

“The Hierarchy of Certainty:  How Evolution Illuminates Past and Present”

Dr. Brochu will speak about how the ability to estimate evolutionary relationships - the Tree of Life - gives researchers a powerful scientific tool with a host of applications, from the reconstruction of missing parts on incomplete fossils to the resolution of crimes and better understanding of the origins of disease.

Biosphere Discovery Hub

(3rd floor)

Sunday,

February 21, 2010

Movies @ MNH: Evolution Series

"Extinction!"

Five mass extinctions have occurred since life began on Earth. Are humans causing the next mass extinction? And what does evolutionary theory predict for the world we will leave to our descendants?

Macbride Auditorium

(2nd floor)

Sunday,

February 21, 2010

Storytime Explorers:

Backyard Birds

Join us on the third Sunday of each month for story time at the Museum, as we explore animals and the environment here in Iowa and around the world. Each month we will read stories about a different animal in the museum and then have an activity to do in the museum or at home. Stories are geared to elementary-aged students.

Hageboeck Hall of Birds

(3rd floor)

Ongoing through Sunday, February 21, 2010

Special Exhibit:

"The Museum Goes to the Fair"

UIMNH is celebrating 150 years of exploration, discovery, and service to UI students, the general public, and research scholars around the world. Celebratory events include a temporary exhibit in the Old Capitol Museum’s Hanson Family Humanities Gallery, that features objects from our Philippine collection. These objects were obtained by Museum Director Charles Nutting at the close of the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, and were originally created or displayed in the Philippine Exposition at the fair. The exhibit features objects such as baskets, textiles, utensils, musical instruments, weapons, and fishing and agricultural implements—many of which haven’t been on display for over 100 years.

Old Capitol Museum

(Hanson Family Humanities Gallery)

Sunday,

February 28, 2010

Movies @ MNH: Evolution Series

"The Mind's Big Bang "

Fifty thousand years ago, something happened -- the modern human mind emerged, triggering a creative, technological, and social explosion. What forces contributed to that breakthrough? Where might our power of mind ultimately lead us?

Macbride Auditorium

(2nd floor)

Sunday,

March 7, 2010

Movies @ MNH: The Life of Mammals: "Return to the Water"

Macbride Auditorium

(2nd floor)

Sunday,

March 21, 2010

Storytime Explorers:

The Mississippi River

Join us on the third Sunday of each month for story time at the Museum, as we explore animals and the environment here in Iowa and around the world. Each month we will read stories about a different animal in the museum and then have an activity to do in the museum or at home. Stories are geared to elementary-aged students.

Iowa Hall

(1st floor)