AMNH Announces April Public Programs

The American Museum of Natural History has announced the following events for April.

Masters of the Planet with Ian Tattersall
Monday, April 2 at 6:30 pm
Kaufmann Theater
$15; free for Members
Curator Emeritus Ian Tattersall will discuss his book Masters of the Planet: The Search for Our Human Origins, a history of paleoanthropology and an account of how Homo sapiens beat out other human species to become masters of the planet.

Early-Morning Spring Bird Walks in Central Park
Tuesdays, April 3 to May 22, from 7 to 9 am
Wednesdays, April 4 to May 23, from 7 to 9 am
Thursdays, April 5 to May 24, from 7 to 9 am
Thursdays, April 5 to May 24, from 9:30 to 11:30 am
Fridays, April 6 to May 25, from 7 to 9 am
$85
Limited to 25 people per series.
Observe the vibrant spring migration of birds in Central Park with naturalists Stephen C. Quinn and Joseph DiCostanzo. Learn how to use field marks, habitat, behavior, and song as aids in identification. Bird field cards included. Walks start across from the Museum on the northeast corner of Central Park West and 77th Street.

Lunchtime Spring Bird Walks in Central Park
Tuesdays, April 3 to 24, from Noon to 1:30 pm
Tuesdays, May 1 to 22, from Noon to 1:30 pm
$50
Limited to 25 people per series.
Join ornithologist Paul Sweet (April walks) and bird artist Dale Dyer (May walks) to see spring bird migrations during lunch using field marks, habitat, behavior, and songs as aids in identification. Bird field cards included. Walks start across from the Museum on the northeast corner of Central Park West and 77th Street.

SciCafe: Chris Filardi: Island Birds and Biodiversity
Wednesday, April 4 at 7 pm
Free for 21+ with ID
Enjoy cocktails, cutting-edge science, and conversation at this popular after-hours series, which takes place on the first Wednesday of every month.

From Darwin’s finches to dodos, island birds have inspired significant scientific theories. Thanks to the genomic revolution and increased access to islands, there’s a new age of island exploration, and the results are changing enduring ideas about island biology and its implications for life on Earth. Join Chris Filardi of the Museum’s Center for Biodiversity and Conservation as he highlights the Museum’s ongoing island research, new paradigms in island biology, and their implications for science and society.
Dr. Chris Filardi is the director of Pacific Programs for the Museum’s Center for Biodiversity and Conservation. His research includes studying the foraging behavior of Palm cockatoos in Papua New Guinea and working with the Wildlife Conservation Society to set up one of the first community-based wildlife reserves in the country.

Proudly sponsored by Judy and Josh Weston.

Wild, Wild World: Baby Animals with Jarod Miller
Saturday, April 7 at 11 am, 1 pm, and 2:30 pm
Linder Theater
$12
Spring is the season for discovery, and the beginning of new life for animals around the world. Meet some of nature’s wildest and cutest youngsters and learn how they grow and adapt to their habitats with zoologist Jarod Miller. Please note: The 11 am program is recommended for children under 5 accompanied by parent or guardian.

Meet the Scientist
Saturday, April 7
The Discovery Room
Free with Museum admission
Passes for 40-minute sessions available
For visitors aged 7 and older can chat with scientists and learn how they became interested in their fields.

The Discovery Room was made possible by a grant from the Edward John Noble Foundation.
Additional support has been provided by the Rose M. Badgeley Charitable Trust, Capital One Bank, the Hugoton Foundation, and the Ducommun and Gross Family Foundation

Asteroids: Friends or Foes? with Richard Binzel
Monday, April 16 at 7:30 pm
Hayden Planetarium Space Theater
$15; $13.50 Members, students, seniors
An important legacy of the space age is the realization that impacts by asteroids and comets pose a hazard to civilization on Earth. In this talk, professor Richard Binzel will examine whether there is cause for serious concern, the possibility of exploring asteroids for resources, and the potential role of asteroids in future interplanetary space travel.

The Parent-Child Bond: Behind the Science of Attachment
Tuesdays, April 17 to May 8, from 7 to 9 pm
$240; $216 for Members
This four-session adult course shares the latest research on the neuroscience, psychology, and evolution of parent-child attachment. With the help of expert guest speakers, online resources, documentary footage, and in-class projects, students will learn how to be critical consumers of scientific research and news reporting—all in a small, discussion-based setting.

Spaceship Earth with Carter Emmart
Thursday, April 19 at 6:30 pm
Hayden Planetarium Space Theater
$15; $13.50 Members, students, seniors
Season pass, 3 for $40
Celebrate Earth Day 2012 with our annual appreciation of Earth as seen from space. With Director of Astrovisualization Carter Emmart as your guide, drift over the blue planet and see it faithfully visualized with satellite data accompanied by a live ambient soundscape.

Milstein Science Series: Bioluminescence: Creatures of Light
Sunday, April 22, from 11 am to 4 pm
Milstein Hall of Ocean Life
Free with Museum admission
Ninety percent of all ocean animals that live below 2,300 feet are bioluminescent. This family-friendly program explores what scientists know about these light-producing species and how they use light to communicate.

The Milstein Science Series is proudly sponsored by the Paul and Irma Milstein Family.

The Annual IRIS Lecture: Imaging Japan’s Earthquake with Miaki Ishii
Tuesday, April 24 at 6:30 pm
Linder Theater
$15; Free for Members
The 2011 Japanese earthquake caused catastrophic damage along the coast of the country’s mainland, but its energy reached every corner of the world. Dr. Miaki Ishii unravels the data from North American seismometers to understand how the quake started and why it became so large.

Unseen Universe
Tuesday, April 24 at 6:30 pm
Hayden Planetarium Space Theater
$15; $13.50 Members, students, seniors
Season pass, 3 for $40
Beyond the thousands of stars you can see in the night sky lies an unseen universe. Using the Digital Universe Atlas, Museum research scientists Emily Rice and Jackie Faherty will show you distant, violent black holes, gases glowing just beyond our eyes’ perception, and other elements in the unseen universe.

Global Kitchen: French Paradox with Mireille Guiliano
Wednesday, April 25, at 6:30 pm
Linder Theater
$30
Mireille Guiliano, author of French Women Don’t Get Fat, will shed light on the so-called “French paradox,” the apparent contradiction between France’s rich cuisine and slim physiques. Embrace the paradox while sampling a selection of frittatas, tartines, and mousse from Guiliano’s cookbook.

Global Weekends: New Orleans: Culture Remixed
Saturday, April 28, from 1 to 6 pm
Free with Museum admission
As part of the national celebrations during Jazz Appreciation Month’s 10th anniversary this April, the Museum will be taking a close look at jazz’s birthplace, New Orleans: how its art forms, rich cultural diversity, and spirit have thrived in a cosmopolitan fusion for nearly three centuries.

Join in the celebration through family-friendly activities and performances by Cajun bluegrass ensemble Hoppin’ John String Band of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Rhythm Road series and trombonist and National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Delfeayo Marsalis with his popular Party Like It’s Mardi! band.
The Presenting Sponsor of the Museum’s cultural public programming is MetLife Foundation

Support for Global Weekends is made possible, in part, by the Ford Foundation, the May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, Inc., and the family of Frederick H. Leonhardt.

Museum Information

Hours
The Museum is open daily, 10 am–5:45 pm.
The Museum is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Space Show Hours
Space Shows are shown Monday through Friday every half hour, 10:30 am–4:30 pm except Wednesdays (first show on Wednesday begins at 11 am). Saturday through Sunday, every half hour, 10:30 am–5 pm.

Admission
Suggested general admission, which supports the Museum’s scientific and educational endeavors and includes 46 Museum halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space, is $19 (adults) suggested; $14.50 (students/seniors) suggested; $10.50 (children) suggested.

The Museum offers discounted combination ticket prices that include suggested general admission plus special exhibitions, IMAX films, and Space Shows.
o Museum plus special exhibition, IMAX film, or Space Show: $25 (adults), $19 (students/seniors), $14.50 (children)
o Museum Supersaver, which includes the Space Show, IMAX, and all special exhibitions: $33 (adults), $25.50 (students/seniors), $20.50 (children)

Visitors who wish to pay less than the suggested Museum admission and also want to attend a special exhibition, IMAX film, or Space Show may do so only on-site at the Museum. To the amount they wish to pay for general admission, they should add $20 (adults), $16.50 (students/seniors), or $11 (children) for a Space Show, special exhibition, or IMAX film.

For additional information, the public should call 212-769-5100 or visit the Museum’s website, amnh.org.