[NMScience] April Events at the Museum

[Morris, Tish, DCA]

April Events at the Museum—details below

International Year of Astronomy 2009 
April 5, Solar Viewing at the Planetarium

April 4 First Saturdays at the Sandia Mountain Natural History Center

Public Lectures
Bahamas-Amazing Fossil Finds
Gary Morgan
Tuesday, April 7, 2009  7 p.m.

IRIS/SSA Distinguished Lecture
Roaring Oceans and Singing Icebergs :Taking Earth’s Pulse and Temperature Using Seismology
Rick Aster, Ph.D.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Collections tours April 3 and April 17

The New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science
1801 Mountain Rd NW, Albuquerque, NM 87104
505-841-2800
Check our website at: www.NMnaturalhistory.org
Questions? Call Chris Sanchez at 505-841-2872
____________________

Bahamas-Amazing Fossil Finds
Gary Morgan
Tuesday, April 7, 2009  7 p.m.

Bahamas/fossils--two words we don’t usually connect to each other, but recent research has revealed wonderful fossils there.  Imagine a tropical blue hole, a spring on the island of Abaco, Bahamas.  Throughout the Ice Age, animals died in or near a sink hole spring and fell deep into its crevices.  The water contains a layer of hydrogen sulfide that has led to excellent preservation of these remains.  It also leads to some of the most dangerous diving imaginable.  Divers have discovered Cuban crocodiles, giant land tortoises, bats and extinct flightless birds.  This is current research with the fossils first found in 2005. Morgan will have just returned from this winter’s field work with even more discoveries to tell us about.

Gary Morgan is a Curator of Paleontology at the Museum.  He specializes in Ice Age mammals, but has studied fossil crocodiles for over twenty years.  He is the team paleontologist for research at this underwater site in Abaco, Bahamas.

Admission is $7 adults, $6 members/seniors and $4 students
Guarantee your seats by purchasing in advance at   www.naturalhistoryfoundation.org  or at the door (if available) before the talk.



IRIS/SSA Distinguished Lecture

Roaring Oceans and Singing Icebergs: 
Taking Earth’s Pulse and Temperature Using Seismology
Rick Aster, Ph.D.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009  7 p.m.

Icebergs sing! Scientists recently have used earthquake monitoring equipment (seismographs) to record hours-long collisions between Earth’s largest icebergs gyrating under the influence of ocean currents and causing the icebergs to “sing” with a newly discovered type of seismic and ocean acoustic tremor. Seismographs are also recording aspects of Earth’s climate. Buried in the background of worldwide seismic recordings are “microseisms” -- seismic waves created by ocean waves pounding the coast and interacting with the sea floor. Extreme storms occurring during the Arctic winter produce waves that propagate to Antarctica and influence iceberg behavior. Dr. Aster and his colleagues have looked at over 35 years of global seismic recordings and have been able to reconstruct a unique record of ocean-storm intensity. Early evidence suggests that the number of violent ocean storms across the planet and their associated ocean waves have been increasing during the past three decades. Join Dr. Aster as he explores unsuspected linkages between climate, oceanography, seismology, and glaciology.

Rick Aster joined the faculty at New Mexico Tech in 1991 and is currently a Professor of Geophysics and Chair of the Department of Earth and Environmental Science. Much of his research uses seismology to learn about earthquakes, volcanoes, and unusual seismic sources, like icequakes and explosions, and to image the structure of the deep Earth. In addition to the work described above, he is currently studying the upper mantle beneath the Rocky Mountains, the activity of Mount Erebus Volcano in Antarctica, and seismic activity in New Mexico.

Sponsored by The Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS), the Seismological Society of America (SSA), and the Geological Society of America’s International Year of Planet Earth Lecture Series

Cost: $2 public/$1 members, seniors, students
Reservations: Chris Sanchez at 505-841-2872 
or email:  programs.NMMNHS at state.nm.us



International Year of Astronomy 2009
http://www.nmnaturalhistory.org/calendar.html#0402
Solar Viewing
Sunday, April 5, 12:00-noon at the Planetarium
The Planetarium and the Albuquerque Astronomical Society will have telescopes available for safe, day sky viewing of the sun and planets.
Free with museum admission


Museum Collections Tours
Join us for behind-the-scenes tours of our Bioscience and Geoscience collections.  Free with Museum admission.  Children must be above age 7 and accompanied by an adult.  No food, drink or strollers allowed on tours.  Tours begin promptly at the Information Desk. Limited to 20. Reservations welcome call 505-841-2892 or email: programs.NMMNHS at state.nm.us

Geoscience tour
Friday, April 3,   3 to 4 p.m.  

Bioscience tour 
Friday, April 17,   11 a.m. to noon 


First Saturdays Sandia Mountain Natural History Center
 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. presentations 10-11 a.m. each time
Generally open only for scheduled school groups, the Center welcomes the public on a few select days of the year.  Hike 5.5 mils of trails, observe wildlife from our observation deck, or explore our education exhibits and bring a picnic lunch to enjoy at our tables.
505-281-5259 or www.nmnaturalhistory.org/smnhc/calendar.html
April 4 SNMHC Wildlife Research
May 2 Fire Thinning and Forest Health


Join our BioBlitz!
Great fun for the whole family!

What: Join the first New Mexico BioBlitz, a day-long exploration of life in a localized area.  You show-up, follow a scientist out in the Park and see how many different types of life you can identify.  Come back to the group shelter near the parking lot, and share what you found, look at some other things that other groups found, follow another scientist on another walk; see what you can find!
Where: Rio Grande Nature Center State Park, at the west end of Candelaria
When: Saturday, May 2, 2009  all day – (6 a.m. to 5 p.m.) come anytime, stay as long as you want.
Who: Families and individuals are welcome, no experience necessary.
Dress for walking in the bosque, hat, sunscreen, walking shoes, water bottle; maybe you’ll get wet catching water bugs, be prepared for fun exploring!

Cost: $3 per vehicle day-use fee at the Rio Grande Nature Center

Co-sponsors: Rio Grande Nature Center State Park, New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science, and The Nature Conservancy, New Mexico Chapter.


Tish Morris
Senior Education Specialist
New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science
1801 Mountain Rd NW
Albuquerque, NM 87104
505-841-2882
tish.morris at state.nm.us
www.NMnaturalhistory.org



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