LSAMP at the Smithsonian

LSAMP Winter Workshop
7 - 12 January 2001

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*  *  *  *    DESCRIPTION OF EVENTS    *  *  *  * A summary of the activities and events featured as part of the "01 Winter Workshop - - Scientific Partners: Joining the Smithsonian Community

at the Smithsonian

IMAX Film Ocean Oasis:

Showing at the Samuel C. Johnson IMAX theater in the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.  Ocean Oasis is a 2D IMAX film that features the research of four Hispanic natural history scientists who study the bountiful seas and pristine deserts of two remarkably different, but linked worlds: Mexico's Sea of Cortes and the Baja California desert.  Glide side-by-side with a graceful giant manta ray; witness the pageant of migrating whales, the tango of courting terns, and the battles of lumbering elephant seals.  Fly over sweeping vistas of snow-capped mountains, vast deserts, palm oasis, and mangrove swamps.

LSAMP Poster Session:

Displayed in the NMNH Director's Hallway.  This is an opportunity for workshop attendees to learn about each other and to share information with members from the NMNH community.  Each LSAMP Center will be allocated a 4' x 4' space for posting materials about their center.

Demonstrations & Tours: 

Join Smithsonian professionals as they offer LSAMP Winter Workshop participants an inside view behind-the-scenes of the research investigations, scientific laboratories, and national collections of the National Museum of Natural History.  

Anthropology - the study of the origins, physical characteristics, and cultural developments of humankind.  Learn about the NMNH Anthropology scientific staff who conduct archaeological, ethnological, linguistic, and physical anthropological research throughout the world.   

Botany - the science dedicated to the study of plants.  Discover botany research, which focuses on plant systematics in the broadest sense: taxonomy, nomenclature, comparative anatomy and morphology, ecology, evolutionary theory, and conservation biology.  Both modern and fossil species of many plant groups, including the algae, mosses, lichens, ferns, and flowering plants, are currently being studied.  See the United States National Herbarium, which is the world's third largest collection and includes approximately 4.5 million collections from worldwide. 

Entomology - is the branch of zoology that deals specifically with insects and their relatives, including centipedes, millipedes, and spiders.  Learn from the entomologists about their research, which is primarily collection-based and systematic in the broadest sense.  Insects are the dominant group of animals on the earth today.  The National Insect Collections have substantially more than 30 million specimens.   

Geology - includes the study of the origin and evolution of the Earth and solar system; the effects of plate tectonics, volcanoes, meteorite impacts, and other geological phenomena on Earth's atmosphere and biosphere; and the study of gems and minerals.  Learn about NMNH research investigations of rocks dredged from the deep oceans; field and laboratory studies of active and ancient volcanoes; systematic research of major gem and mineral groups; and chemical and mineralogical analysis of meteorites.  See the National collections including meteorites, gem and minerals, and the Rock and Ore collection that contains approximately 180,000 specimens, including more than 12,000 specimens of eruptive rocks from about 137 of the 550 historically active volcanoes on Earth. 

Herpetology - is the branch of zoology dealing specifically with reptiles and amphibians.   Researchers in the Division of Amphibians and Reptiles specialize in systematic herpetology, attempting to determine what the species of amphibians and reptiles are and how those species are related to one another as parts of larger taxonomic groups.  The National Collection of Amphibians and Reptiles is among the largest and most important herpetological collections in the world, consisting of more than 500,000 specimens and many thousands of type specimens. 

Ichthyology - is the study of fishes.  Research by staff and associates in the Division covers a broad spectrum of the great diversity of fishes, generally relying on the vast resources of the national fish collection.  The fish collection at the National Museum of Natural History is the largest in the world, with approximately 500,000 lots (a lot consists of all specimens of a species from the same time and place) and about 8 million specimens.   

Invertebrate Zoology - is that branch of science dealing with animals that have no backbone, such as shrimp, crab, sponges, worms, jellyfishes, snails, and squid.  Research in the NMNH Department of Invertebrate Zoology focuses on systematics, geographic distribution, relationships, and ecology of invertebrate animals other than insects including both marine and freshwater invertebrates. 

Mammalogy - is the scientific study of mammals.  Research by scientists in the Division of Mammals covers the evolution, systematics, taxonomy, biogeography, ecology, and anatomy of mammals.  Anthropologists make frequent use of the primate collection in their studies of human evolution.  With 570,000 voucher specimens, the NMNH mammal collection is by far the world’s largest, nearly twice the size of the next largest mammal collections.  The scope of the collection spans the globe, with especially strong representation from North America, Central America, northern South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. 

Ornithology - is the study of birds.  NMNH scientists  in the Department of Ornithology conduct their research in the biogeography, evolution, systematics, taxonomy,  paleontology, and ecology of birds.  The bird collection  at the National Museum of Natural History has representatives of about 80% of the approximately 9,600  known species in the world’s avifauna.   

Paleobiology - the study of fossils as once living organisms, includes paleobotany (ancient plants) and paleozoology (study of fossil animals), further divided into vertebrate paleontology (animals with backbones) and invertebrate aleontology (animals without backbones).  Paleoecology,  seeks to reconstruct the conditions of the geologic past to understand the environment in which the prehistoric plants and animals lived.  Learn about interdisciplinary studies of the history of the earth and its biota and see the paleobiology collections.

Group Discussion:

Due to space and time limitations, workshop participants will divide into smaller groups for touring research departments.  After the day’s tours have concluded, all workshop participants will convene to share with the rest of the group highlights of the activity and suggestions for enhancing the information presenting.  A “recorder" from each group will be assigned to present the highlights of the demonstrations and tours to the rest of the participants during discussion time. 

Informal Gatherings:

The Executive Conference Room, of the National Museum of Natural History, will serve as "event headquarters" including the starting point to disperse to different activities. 

Exploring Research Disciplines / Shadowing Smithsonian Scientists:

As part of the Workshop activities, students and LSAMP administrative  representatives will be paired with one Smithsonian research scientist to spend some personal time with them learning about their research interests and the research activities of career scientists in their discipline.  Scientists selected for the shadowing opportunity will provide insight into their methods and processes of research, plus what they do during their day-to-day activities.  This activity is an excellent opportunity to personally learn more about the research endeavors of natural history scientists.  About 5 hours are reserved for this one-on-one activity including two mornings (Tuesday and Wednesday) of the scheduled agenda.    

Conversations with Scientists:

Tables reserved in the NMNH Atrium Cafe.  Scientists will discuss valuable career and academic experiences with workshop attendees.  This informal roundtable session highlights sharing of scientific insights and networking with professionals: goals of the LSAMP at the Smithsonian '01 Winter Workshop.  Students are invited to talk one-on-one with Smithsonian scientists to discuss education and career options in the natural history sciences. Center representatives are encouraged to meet scientists and learn more about their research investigations.  Table topics include: marine biology, molecular systematics, physical anthropology, geological processes, biodiversity, human culture, and paleobiology.

Student Reports, shadowing experiences:

Each day after the scientist shadowing activities, students will convene to present and share about their experiences in their respective research departments.  This informal session allows students to provide individual insights into their particular interests and curiosities.

Representative Reports, research disciplines:

Each day after the scientist shadowing activities, representatives will convene to share their experiences in their respective research departments.  This informal session will allow representatives to discuss the potential opportunities for LSAMP students at the National Museum of Natural History.

Student Workshop:

Features opportunities to learn about grant funding opportunities in the natural history sciences, especially for undergraduate students.  Talk directly to program directors and representatives from several major programs including the Smithsonian's Office of Fellowships and Grants and NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site investigators.

Representative Workshop:

Features an open planning discussion with NMNH administrative and scientific staff focused on developing a plan for the NMNH to become an institutional leader in supporting the increase of minority students achieving careers in the natural history disciplines.  This unique workshop will be especially directed towards dialogue on how to facilitate placement of LSAMP students in Smithsonian-sponsored research opportunities including internships, field research assistance position, co-sponsored graduate fellowships, employment opportunities at the Smithsonian, and careers in the natural history disciplines. 

LSAMP Center Team Presentations:

Students and Representatives will convene for team presentations by each center focused on their “take home” message and plan of action.  Each LSAMP Center team will be allocated 7 minutes to present their message and discuss concepts with the rest of the workshop attendees.

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