Academy of Natural Sciences Opens Art Gallery

A newly renovated gallery at the Academy of Natural
Sciences will feature changing displays of contemporary and historic
artworks that explore the inherent-but often overlooked-beauty of
science.

The Art of Science Gallery, located on the first floor, will
showcase rarely seen treasures from the Academy’s own world-renowned
collections, works by contemporary artists, and imagery generated by
Academy scientists, past and present.

The current exhibit, which opened Feb. 27 and runs through May
2, is First Impressions: Thomas Horsfield’s printed plants of Java.
Horsfield (1773-1859) was a Bethlehem, Pa., native and Academy member
who became the first American scientist to explore Southeast Asia. The
exhibit features 22 detailed prints made by applying ink to plants he
collected on the Indonesian island of Java. The images are both an
accurate record of the plant life on Java 200 years ago and also are
visually striking artistic compositions. And that’s the point of the
gallery.

“The line between art and science is often a blurry one,”
said Barbara Ceiga, vice president for public operations. “This
gallery gives us the opportunity to introduce our visitors to the idea
that science can be beautiful.”

Upcoming shows will feature a wide range of subjects, from
dramatic X-ray images of fish skeletons (May 15 through August 1) to
colorful illustrations of grasshoppers. Some shows will feature works by
contemporary artists and others will showcase imagery created by Academy
scientists in the course of their own research. Founded in 1812, the
Academy is the oldest natural history museum in the Americas and has a
long history of research, exploration and discovery, and important
collections to show for it.

For exhibit updates, visit www.ansp.org.

“STORIES BEHIND THE SPECIES: ANIMALS AT RISK”

An illustrated presentation by Dr. Scott McRobert, Saint Joseph’s University

Weeknights at the Wagner, Thursday, March 4th, Lecture at 5:30 PM

We are living in the midst of a mass extinction. While the world is seeking solutions to global climate change and searching for new sources of energy, few people realize that animal species are disappearing at an alarming rate. The US Fish and Wildlife Services’ current list of Threatened and Endangered Species has grown to over 1,200 animals. And the World Wildlife Fund’s “Ten to Watch in 2010” which details the most ten most threatened species around the globe includes the Tiger, Polar Bear and Monarch Butterfly.

Dr. Scott McRobert, Professor of Biology at Saint Joseph’s University, has been fascinated by animals all of his life. Through his work as head of the Biodiversity Laboratory at the University he oversees the care of hundreds of rare, exotic and highly endangered animal species. Dr. McRobert points out that while mass extinctions have occurred before, we are living during the first instance in which the activities of humans are responsible for the elevated rates of extinction of species across the entire planet. According to the World Wildlife Fund, the current rate of species extinction is at least 100 to 1,000 times higher than the anticipated natural rate.

On the evening of March 4^th at the Wagner Free Institute of Science, which features some threatened and endangered specimens in its historic collection, Dr. McRobert will provide a general overview of the current causes of extinction. Known for being a dynamic storyteller, Dr. McRobert will also tell tales about amazing animals, some still alive, and some lost forever. One such animal is the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, a critically endangered bird that has not been sighted in the United Stated since the 1940s. Widely thought to be extinct, two of these birds are on view at the Wagner Institute’s Museum, as its collection was completed at the turn of the 20^th century.

Dr. McRobert’s talk is part of the Institute’s evening lecture series, “Weeknights at the Wagner.” He will speak in the historic lecture hall on Thursday, March 4^th, at 5:30 PM. Images of his research will highlight his discussion, and if weather permits, he will bring along some endangered species from his lab. There will be a question and answer session immediately following the talk.

Come early to explore the Wagner’s historic building and its unparalleled collections!

The museum will stay open late (4 – 7 PM) for this event.  The Lecture begins at 5:30 PM.

Dr. Scott McRobert received his bachelor’s degree in biology from Juniata College, his master’s degree and Ph.D. in behavioral genetics from Temple University, and studied pheromone biochemistry as a postdoctoral fellow at Montana State University and the University of Hawaii. As Professor Biology at Saint Joseph’s University, he studies animal behavior, ecology and evolution.

Museum admission is free. A donation of $10 is suggested for ages 12 and up, $5 for students and seniors.

Founded in 1855, the Wagner Free Institute of Science is a museum and educational institution that is nearly unchanged from the nineteenth century.  The museum building, a National Historic Landmark completed in 1865,

houses a natural history collection begun by William Wagner in the early nineteenth century and expanded by the pre-eminent scientist Joseph Leidy in the 1880s.  The collection includes skeletons, fossils, shells, minerals and mounted animals.  The Museum is open to the public Tuesday-Friday, 9 AM to 4 PM.

The Institute’s free public education courses in science are in their 154th year, making them the oldest program devoted to free adult education in the United States. The Institute also has a strong commitment to children’s education.  It offers a range of programs for visiting school groups, and cultivates special partnerships with neighboring schools.

For more information… www.wagnerfreeinstitute.org

FALL 2009 SCIENCE COURSES OFFERED BY WAGNER FREE INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE

The Wagner Free Institute of Science announces its free science courses for Fall 2009. Courses run from five to nine weeks, and each lecture lasts approximately one and a half hours. The courses are taught on an introductory college level and are appropriate for adults wishing to enrich their knowledge of the sciences, as well as for motivated junior and senior high school students.

The courses are offered free of charge, unless otherwise indicated

BOTANY SERIES~
“Trees of Center City Philadelphia”
Professor Alfred E. Schuyler
Field trip course; 5 sessions beginning September 24, 2009
Academy of Natural Sciences, 19^th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia – 1^st class, 6:30 PM
4 outdoor locations on Saturdays – 10:30 AM to 1 PM
Course is limited to 20 students per trip.
Pre-registration required. Please note there is a pre-registration fee for this class only. To pre-register, call 215-763-6529 x23 beginning Monday, September 14, 2009. Students may sign up for one, two, or three trips at $5 per trip or four trips at $15. Pre-registration will be confirmed by phone or email. To complete the registration process, please bring cash or check to the first class (or check must be received at the Wagner Institute by that date).

PHYSICAL SCIENCE SERIES~
“Physics and the World Wars: How Technology Shaped the Path of History”
Professor Paul J. Angiolillo
Course held at the Wynnefield Branch of the Free Library, 5325 Overbrook Avenue, Philadelphia;
8 weeks on Wednesday evenings at 6:15 PM beginning September 30, 2009

HISTORY OF SCIENCE SERIES~
“On Heavens and Humans: A Brief History of Astronomy and its Influence on Our Lives”
Professor Sylwester Ratowt
Course held at the Independence Branch of the Free Library, west side of 7^th Street, below Market Street, Philadelphia
9 weeks on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 PM beginning October 6, 2009.

ANTHROPOLOGY SERIES~
“Death, Aging, and Mortality: Cultural and Biosocial Perspectives”
Professor Janet Monge
Course held at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 33^rd and Spruce Streets, Philadelphia

6 weeks on Monday evenings at 7:00 PM beginning October 19, 2009.

For full course information and syllabuses or for more information, please call 215-763-6529, ext. 21 or visit www.wagnerfreeinstitute.org<http://www.wagnerfreeinstitute.org>. Please note that the schedule for the Free Library may change when the city budget is passed. Because this may force us to change the times or locations of courses scheduled at our branch library partners, check with the Wagner Institute prior to the first class.

Founded in 1855, the Wagner Free Institute of Science is a museum and educational institution that is nearly unchanged from the nineteenth century.  The museum building, a National Historic Landmark completed in 1865, houses a natural history collection begun by William Wagner in the early nineteenth century and expanded by biologist Joseph Leidy in the 1880’s.  The collection includes skeletons, fossils, shells, minerals and mounted animals.  The Museum is open to the public Tuesday-Friday, 9 AM to 4 PM.

The Institute’s free public education courses in science are in their 154^th year, making them the oldest program devoted to free adult education in the United States. The Institute also has a strong commitment to children’s education.  It offers a range of programs for visiting school groups, and cultivates special partnerships with neighboring elementary schools.

Can you handle the creepy crawlies of the bug world? Back for a second year, the Academy of Natural Sciences will host Bug Fest on Saturday, August 15th and Sunday, August 16th. Visitors will see more than 50 species of live insects including battle-ready stag beetles, huge rhino beetles, toe biters (giant water bugs), camel crickets, and 8-inch-long stick insects. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania will demonstrate advances in robotics with insectlike robots, and visitors interested in starting their own collection can learn how to collect and pin insects.

There will be plenty to please visitors of all ages, including dozens of live insects, bugs to eat, insect robots, roach races, entomology talks and displays, and a buggy field trip. Yes, bugs to eat! Cajun chef Zach Lemann will cook up samples of delicious creepy crawly cuisine to sample. Not sure you can stomach it? Well there’s also a Roach Race, lectures, story-telling and more.

AND it’s all free with regular museum admission. The Academy of Natural Sciences is located at 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway. It is open M-F 10-4:30pm and 10-5pm on the weekends. Adults are $12 admission. Children and seniors are $10. Visit www.ansp.org or call 215-299-1000 for more information.

WHAT TO DO NEARBY?

Why not wash those bugs down with a margarita at The Mexican Post? Or take the family for some burritos for lunch. The Mexican Post is located at 1601 Cherry Street.

Also, the Academy of Natural Sciences also has a decent cafeteria if you’re making a day of Bug Fest and want to stay at the museum. The Academy is located on the Parkway, which is mainly a business district and many of the local cafes and lunch venues are closed on the weekends. Luckily, Rittenhouse is just a few blocks south from there, so if you’re looking for more things to do, we suggest walking down 19th Street towards Chestnut and Walnut Streets.

19 South 22nd Street, Mütter Museum, 215 563-3737‎

When it comes to being “disturbingly informative” there’s weird and then, there’s Mütter weird. Quirky, slightly eccentric and 100% unique, the Mütter Museum is basically the Marilyn Manson of the museum world. Boasting some of the world’s strangest medical pathologies, the museum was once a surgery professor’s personal collection (aka Dr. Mütter). Building on his collection, the museum now has some 20,000 + objects including anatomical specimens preserved in fluid (think: baby in a jar), archaic medical tools (before laser surgery it was approximate-and-cut surgery) and plain old weirdness.

Want to see the world’s largest colon? A lady who decomposed into soap? Conjoined twins attached at the chest? Yeh, they’ve got that.

Well before I oversell it with tantalizing facts about the body’s abnormalities and medical wonderment, let me pass one more tidbit by you: the museum is open late every Friday evening. With normal hours of operation M-F 10 to 5, the Mutter has decided to accommodate all of the Friday weird-date-night business by staying open until 9pm.

So make a date of it! The Mütter Museum is on 22nd St between Market and Chestnut (easy access from the trolley stop at 22nd and Market). Ideas: walk a half block south to Sansom St and check out the Helium Comedy Club (2031 Sansom St.) and hit up the Rum Bar or Monkey Bar both easy-going bars with a hip vibe on Walnut St just before 20th.

315 Chestnut St., 215-925-2222, chemheritage.org

The words “chemical” and “heritage” don’t usually get us excited — and let’s face it, the combination is worse. But the Chemical Heritage Foundation, which opened the doors to its 17,000-square-foot museum and conference center in Old City earlier this month, is definitely worth a visit. Ten years in the making, this $20 million project uses contemporary art, history, current events, artifacts and technology to examine science in our everyday, beaker-phobic lives.

“A museum is a visual place, and we really wanted this one to be captivating,” says curator Erin McLeary. “Even if you don’t know what something scientific is, you’ll find it interesting here.” From birth control to computers, explosions to pasteurization, the permanent exhibit conveys the roles science has played — and continues to play — in shaping modernity. The first of the changing exhibits, “Molecules That Matter,” takes a look at 10 organic molecules that have influenced the world, including familiar faces such as nylon, DNA and aspirin. “We’re not as interested in teaching science as much as we are exploring how it occurs in our world,” says McLeary.

If the science doesn’t draw you in, the striking renovation of the First National Bank (built in 1865) is worth a look. The large arching windows let in plenty of natural light — a rarity in the museum world — and the eco-friendly construction included wall tiles and floors made from recycled materials. Then, of course, there are our favorite two words: free admission.

When Visiting: so the museum will be closed from Jan 19 – 23rd for construction. Normal hours are Monday to Friday 10-4. Not exactly conducive for a “night out” but listen up: It won’t take you more than an hour to go through the exhibits, so aim to be there around three o’clock and then march over to Second St, do some shopping and hit up the bars for happy hour! Old City is chock full of great places to go for food and libations. Some PhilaCulturati favorites include the church-turned-bar National Mechanics, a local brewery with a contemporary vibe, Triumph Brew Pub,  and the Khyber the city’s best hipster hangout.