 Regional
Conference 
START CONFERENCE: Planning for Tomorrow!
Gallery Walks and Behind-the-Scenes Tours
Friday, November 16th, 2001
Conference Events Registration Form
Conference Agenda
(Microsoft Word Document)
African Voices
Dr. Mary Jo Arnoldi, Curator of African Ethnology, Dept.
of Anthropology
Dr. Michael Mason, Anthropologist/Exhibit Developer, Office of
Exhibits
Topic: Learn about Africa's history and cultures in the new
African Voices exhibition and hear about the process of community
consultation that help museum professions develop a broad consensus
on what Americans should know about Africa.
Number of People: 15
Location: Asia Hall entrance to African Voices (NMNH)
Times: 11:15-12:15 and 2:00-3:00 (both)
Virtual Triceratops Project
Linda Deck, Project Manager & Exhibit Developer, Office
of Exhibits
Ralph Chapman, Director, Applied Morphometrics Laboratory, ADP
Topic: Virtual Exhibition: Linda Deck and Ralph Chapman will
present the Virtual Triceratops project, or the World's First
Digital Dinosaur, and review the processes of exhibiting Triceratops
and its relatives.
Number of People: 15
Location: Triceratops Exhibit (NMNH)
Times: 11:15-12:15 and 2:00-3:00 (Friday, both slots)
Insect Zoo
Nathan Erwin, Manager, Insect Zoo
Topic: Go behind the scenes of what has been one of the Museum's
most popular exhibits for over 25 years.
Number of People: 12
Location: Insect Zoo, 2nd Floor (NMNH)
Times: 11:15-12:15 and 2:00-3:00 (both)
Technology: Computerized Tomography
Dr. Bruno Frohlich, Research Anthropologist, Dept. of
Anthropology
Topic: Technology: Computerized tomography, also know as
CT Scanning is used by Smithsonian scientist Bruno Frolich to
assist in research carried on throughout the Institution. Recent
examples of its use are an extensive study of a collection of
Stradivarius violins from the Museum of American History, and
a post-mortem study of Hsing Hsing, the Panda who died a few
years ago.
Number of People: 10-15 people at a time
Location: Dr. Frolich's laboratory (NMNH)
Times: 11:15-12:15 and 2:00-3:00 (Friday, both slots)
Forensics: Physical Anthropology
Dr. David Hunt, Physical Anthropologist, Dept. of Anthropology
Topic: Forensics: Behind the Scenes look at research activities
in the division of Physical Anthropology with a demonstration
of methods and techniques for studying human skeletons. It will
include examples of skeletal biology and details from recent
homicide investigation that the Smithsonian has played a role
in solving.
Number of People: 10-15 people at a time
Location: Dr. Hunt's laboratory (NMNH)
Times: 11:15-12:15
Mineralogy: Geology, Gems and Minerals
Galleries
Dr. Jeffrey Post, Research Geologist & Curator of
the National Gem and Mineral Collection, Dept. of Mineral Sciences
Topic: Mineralogy: A tour of the highlights of the recently
renovated Geology, Gems and Minerals Galleries, followed by a
behind-the-scenes look at some of the recent acquisitions to
the National Gem and Mineral Collection.
Number of People: 15
Location: Geology, Gems & Minerals Gallery (NMNH)
Times: 11:15-12:15 (Friday, only morning slot)
Smithsonian Archives
Dr. Pamela Henson, Historian, Smithsonian Archives
Topic: Archives. Dr. Henson will take participants behind
the scenes for a look at historical documents such as early photographs,
sketchbooks and field notebooks from Smithsonian expeditions.
They will also learn how these documents are cared for and how
to gain access to them via the World Wide Web.
Number of People: 15 at a time
Location: Smithsonian Institution Archives, in the Arts
and Industries Building (across Mall from NMNH). Participants
meet at the Information Desk in the Arts and Industries Building.
Times: 11:15-12:15 and 2:00-3:00 (Friday, both slots)
IMAX Projection System: A "Behind-the-Screen"
Tour
IMAX Cinema Staff
Topic: IMAX Projection System: Take a "behind-the-screen"
tour (a 66 x 90 foot screen, that is) of what is, hands down,
the BIGGEST draw in the Museum. The Samuel C. Johnson Theater
features an IMAX three-dimensional (3D) large screen format theater,
which features a film projection system that runs 70 millimeter
frame film at 24 frames per second.
Number of people: 7
Location: Johnson Theater entrance (NMNH)
Times: 11:15-12:15 and 2:00-3:00 (Friday, both slots)
Discovery Room
Vilma Ortiz-Sanchez, Acting Manager, Discovery Room/Office
of Education
Topic: Ms. Ortiz-Sanchez will take participants through the
Discovery Room, a very popular educational facility in which
visitors the natural world through all of their senses. The Discovery
Room is a hands-on microcosm of the Museum with objects from
each scientific department.
Number of People: 15 at a time
Location: Discovery Room (NMNH)
Times: 11:15-12:15 and 2:00-3:00 (Friday, both slots)
Museum Support Center in Suitland,
Maryland
Museum Support Center
Topic: Tour of the Museum Support Center, the Smithsonian's
state of the art storage facility in Suitland, Maryland, where
the National Museum of Natural History keeps the majority of
its collections. The Department of Anthropology has nearly 3
million objects and tour participants will get to see a sampling
of these extraordinary objects. Dr. James Krakker and Deborah
Hull-Walski will be among those who will lead tour groups.
Number of People: 50 maximum, in individual tour groups
of 10-15 people each.
Location: Suitland, Maryland (transportation provided)
Times: 3:00-5:00 p.m. Friday
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