Morning at the Museum: Natural History

The following was written by Samantha Delle, the Media and Public Outreach Leader for the National Museum of Natural History Academic Resources Center.

National Museum of Natural History Morning in the Museum group photo in the Kenneth E. Behring Family Hall Rotunda on June 6, 2017 The event welcomes interns from all across the Smithsonian to view the exhibits before opening to the public. Photo Credit: James Di Loreto, Smithsonian

On June 6th, the NMNH’s Academic Resources Center (ARC) intern team hosted Morning in the Museum, an event inviting interns and fellows from across the Smithsonian to explore the exhibits before the museum opened to the public. Gavriela Carver, the Special Activities and Events Leader in the ARC, planned a fun scavenger hunt, encouraging participants to solve clues and take pictures throughout the halls. Her whimsical clues included a number of riddles, such as:

“She was named for our first president’s wife, and flying was the goal of her life. Of her species, she was the last; if only we could bring back the past!”

The answer, of course, was located in the Objects of Wonder exhibit: Martha, the last passenger pigeon.

Event attendance reached nearly two hundred, but the exhibits remained pleasantly quiet, offering interns and fellows the opportunity to delve into the displays without being surrounded by the mid-day crowds. Some of the event highlights included seeing the Objects of Wonder exhibit, viewing the Hope Diamond, and walking through the Butterfly Pavilion.

At the event’s conclusion, Smithsonian photographer James Di Loreto captured a group picture of the attendees. Sant Director Kirk Johnson made a surprise appearance just in time for a group picture, and another was taken with the Director of the Office of Fellowships and Internships (OFI), Eric Woodard.

Overall, the event was a great opportunity for interns and fellows across the Smithsonian to socialize and experience the National Museum of Natural History.

Click on the image below to see more photos of the event!