Press

“Women of Science” on Saturday, March 9, 2019 from 11:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. This free program invites visitors of all ages to meet Museum scientists and learn more about their work, current research projects and museum collections.

Throughout the day visitors can meet over a dozen scientists, engage in hands-on educational activities, complete an activity booklet, and attend short talks and “Ask a Scientist” panels. A schedule of talks is listed below:

• 11:00 a.m. - “Ask the Scientist” for Families
  What does a typical day in the life of a museum scientist look like? Please bring your questions and join Dr. Daria Merwin, archaeologist, to learn about the opportunities and challenges of becoming a scientist.
   
• 11:45 a.m.- The Science of Fossils: What to Do When You Find Them
  Fossils can be used to determine how creatures lived, how they changed over time, and what they were like when they were alive. Join state paleontologist Dr. Lisa Amati and learn how to study animal and plant fossils.
   
• 12:30 p.m. - Diversity Gradients, Birds and Parasites
  State Museum Ornithology Fellow Naima Starkloff talks about the diversity patterns of malaria-causing parasites in a group of birds in North America.
   
• 1:15 p.m. - A Day in the Life of an Entomologist/Evolutionary Biologist
  Dr. Julie Urban, Research Associate Professor at Pennsylvania State University, will discuss the field and lab components of the research she conducts with planthopper insects.
   
• 2:00 p.m. - Not All Anthropologists are Archaeologists! The Adventures of a Cultural Anthropologist at the State Museum
  Anthropology is the study of human beings, our past and our present. So what does it look like to study human beings today doing everyday human being things? Join Dr. Gwen Saul, cultural anthropologist, for an introduction to cultural anthropology and the contemporary Native art collection at the State Museum.
   
• 2:30 p.m. - “Ask the Scientist” Panel Discussion featuring all participating scientists
  Visitors of all ages are invited to meet State Museum scientists and ask them what it’s like to be a scientist.

Participating scientists include: Dr. Christina Reith, Dr. Daria Merwin, Kristin O’Connell, Susan Winchell-Sweeney, Jessica Vavresek and Sarita Morse from Archaeology; Lisa Anderson, Andrea Lain, Jessica Campbell, and Julie Weatherwax from Bioarchaeology; Naima Starkloff from Ornithology, Diana Hurlbut from Botany; Dr. Gwendolyn Saul from Cultural Anthropology; Dr. Denise Mayer from Malacology; Kathleen Bonk from Geology; Dr. Lisa Amati from Invertebrate Paleontology; Jessica Watson from Zooarchaeology; and Dr. Julie Urban from Pennsylvania State University’s Department of Entomology (former research doctoral student at the State Museum).

The State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located at 222 Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is closed on the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.