AMNH Announces Public Programs For October

AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY PUBLIC PROGRAMS OCTOBER 2010

Dr. Nebula's Laboratory: Planetary Vacation
Saturday, October 2, 2 pm
Kaufmann Theater, first floor
$10 children, $12 adults; Members' tickets are $8 children, $10 adults

Dr. Nebula is lost in space! Help Scooter learn about the planets and moons of our solar system. By creating a three-dimensional model of the solar system, children will help locate Dr. Nebula.

This one-hour Interactive Science Theater show offers a fun encounter the whole family will enjoy. Join live presenter Scooter, Dr. Nebula's trusty apprentice, as kids explore hands-on activities and find the answers to questions on the universe and beyond.

Adventures in the Global Kitchen: The Astronaut's Cookbook
Wednesday, October 27, 6:30 pm
Linder Theater, first floor
$25

From the infamous Tang drink to crab cakes crafted by Emeril Lagasse, space shuttle cuisine has made leaps of its own over the past 50 years. Join authors Charles T. Bourland and Gregory L. Vogt as they discuss the science of zero-gravity food preparation and how it has changed from mission to mission since our first trip to space. Learn the art of space shuttle dining by sampling some astronaut favorites. Book signing will follow.

SciCafe: The Next 50 Years of Space Flight with Mike Shara
Wednesday, October 6, Doors open at 7 pm
Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth
Enter at 81st Street/Rose Center
Free admission with cash bar, 21+ with ID

Leap ahead 10, 20, and 50 years into the future with Museum Curator Mike Shara of the Department of Astrophysics to a world where suborbital tourism is a popular holiday option, a research colony exists on the Moon, we've surveyed-possibly even docked with-an asteroid, and ships have landed on the moons of Mars in preparation for an actual Mars landing, to list just a few exciting and attainable targets.

The popular monthly series featuring cocktails, conversation, and cutting-edge science presented by experts is back at the Museum this fall. Guests are encouraged to come with friends, meet new people, and talk science at this after-hours program.

10th Anniversary Celebration of the Frederick Phineas and Sandra Priest Rose Center for Earth and Space
Sunday, October 10, 10 am-5:45 pm
Rose Center for Earth and Space
Free with Museum Admission

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Frederick Phineas and Sandra Priest Rose Center for Earth and Space, the American Museum of Natural History will host a special celebration for all ages featuring dazzling performances, live concerts, hands-on activities, and presentations by Museum scientists. Festivities will include the world premiere of the new Big Bang presentation, which takes visitors on an exciting journey through the universe, and of the spectacular AstroBulletin showing a Science Bulletin about the last 10 years of astrophysics.

Event highlights include: Space Panorama, a recreation the historic Apollo 11 flight using only hand movements, facial expressions, narration, music, and a table; AstroCappella, a unique singing group, The Chromatics, that blends astronomy and music to create songs about the universe; and Native American Sky Stories, featuring Grammy Award winner Joanne Shenandoah and historian Doug George presenting Native American Sky Stories with music, dance, and more.

Special Rose Center Anniversary Isaac Asimov Debate: Is the Earth Unique?
Sunday, October 10, 7 pm*
Le Frak Theater - 77th Street Entrance
$15 adults $13.50 Members, seniors and students

Join Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium Neil deGrasse Tyson for a special Rose Center Anniversary Isaac Asimov Debate as he moderates a panel dedicated to the question: "Is Earth Unique?" The panel includes geologists, biologists, chemists, and physicists who have studied the past, present, and future of planet Earth.

*Refreshments will be available for purchase at the Café on 1 from 5:45 pm to 6:45 pm.

Ten Years of Space Shows at the Rose Center for Earth and Space
Wednesday, October 13, 6-8:30 pm
Hayden Planetarium Space Theater
$20 adults, $12 children; Members' tickets are $12 children, $7.50 children

Celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Rose Center for Earth and Space with your favorite Space Shows screened in one evening: Passport to the Universe, narrated by Tom Hanks; The Search for Life: Are We Alone?, narrated by Harrison Ford; Cosmic Collisions, narrated by Robert Redford; and the latest Space Show, Journey to the Stars, narrated by Whoopi Goldberg.

The American Museum of Natural History gratefully acknowledges Accenture, CIT, LockheEd Martin, NASA and Swiss Re for their support of AMNH Space Shows.

Production of AMNH Space Shows has been made possible by the following collaborating partners: California Academy of Sciences, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, GOTO, Inc., Papalote Museo del Niño, Shanghai Science and Technology Museum and Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

The Modern Shaman with Laurel Kendall
Wednesday, October 13, 6:30 pm
Linder Theater, first floor
$15 adults, $13.50 Members, students, seniors

Join Chair of the Division of Anthropology Laurel Kendall as she leads a group of experts in a discussion on the changing role of female shamans in Korea. Inspired by her latest book, Shamans, Nostalgias and the IMF: South Korean Popular Religion in Motion, the panel will explore the redefined role of shamans and anthropology in the modern world.

Café on One will offer refreshments for purchase before the event from 5 to 6:15 pm.

Wild, Wild World: Bats
Saturday, October 16, 11 am-noon and 1-2 pm
Linder Theater, first floor
$10 children, $12 adults; Members' tickets are $8 children, $10 adults

Get ready for Halloween! Rob Mies of the Organization for Bat Conservation leads this live-animal program about bats. Learn amazing facts about endangered species, vampire bats, and more. Meet a few bat ambassadors, including the Malayan flying fox, the largest bat in the world with a wingspan of up to 6 feet.

A Tear at the Edge of Creation with Marcelo Gleiser
Monday, October 18, 7:30 pm
Hayden Planetarium Space Theater
$15 adults; $13.50 Members, students, senior citizens

Can we find a final theory that explains nature in all of its complexity? Some of the greatest scientists of all time-Kepler, Newton, Faraday, Einstein, Heisenberg, and Schrödinger-believed in and searched for the elusive "hidden code of nature." Join Dartmouth Physics and Astronomy Professor Marcelo Gleiser, author of A Tear at the Edge of Creation, as he argues that the belief in a final theory is rooted in monotheistic religious tradition. By examining the teachings of modern science, Gleiser presents a very different lesson: that nature's creative engine depends on asymmetries that manifest themselves in all levels of complexity. Book signing will follow.

Barnum Brown: The Man Who Discovered Tyrannosaurus Rex
Thursday, October 21, 7 pm
Kaufmann Theater
$15 Adults; $13.50 students and seniors; Free* for Members
*Registration required; space is limited. Please call 212-769-5200

Barnum Brown might be the greatest fossil hunter of the 20th century. Learn about his extraordinary life with Mark Norell, chair of the Museum's Division of Paleontology, and Research Associate Lowell Dingus as they share stories from their new book, Barnum Brown: The Man Who Discovered Tyrannosaurus Rex. The evening will feature a viewing of archival images, illuminating a fascinating era in the Museum's history. Book signing will follow.

Café on One will offer refreshments for purchase before the event from 5 to 6:15 pm.

Ten Years of Digital Universe with Carter Emmart and Brian Abbot
Tuesday, October 26, 6:30-8 pm
Hayden Planetarium Space Theater - Enter at 81st Street/Rose Center
$15 adults, $8 children; $13.50 Members, students, senior citizens
Fall season pass, three for $40

A decade ago, the Hayden Planetarium created the Digital Universe Atlas, the most complete map of the known universe assembled from the latest astronomical data sources. The Digital Universe Atlas now serves as the foundation for the Museum's Space Shows and other planetarium programs. Join Carter Emmart and Brian Abbott to learn how the Digital Universe has grown since the Rose Center for Earth and Space first opened.

15th AnnuAl Halloween Celebration
Sunday, October 31, 2-5 pm
$10 per person; $9 Members

Trick or treat among the dangerous dinosaurs, eerie elephants, and other-worldly planets. Kids' favorite characters will wander the Museum halls greeting and entertaining visitors. Spooky arts and crafts will keep little hands busy, and live performances will punctuate the proceedings.

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 45 Museum halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space, is $16 (adults) suggested; $12 (students/seniors) suggested; $9 (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: $24 (adults), $18 (students/seniors), $14 (children)
o Museum Supersaver, which includes the Space Show, IMAX, and all special exhibitions: $32 (adults), $24.50 (students/seniors), $20 (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.

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