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The National Museum of Natural History presents the “Centennial Festival: Looking Past and Forward”. The festival will be a one day event featuring multiple interdisciplinary activities throughout the museum.

The “Centennial Festival” celebrates the Natural History Museum’s one hundredth year since its opening in 1910. Participants will enjoy a variety of events. The public can interact with active research scientists, meet staff and visiting authors, speak with historical re-enactors, and explore the museum through a historical centennial guidebook. Over 20 scientists and specialists will demonstrate their research and allow visitors to get a “behind-the-scenes” look at the work done at the museum.

A detailed list of the day’s activities includes:

Museum specialists and curators:
• Dave Bohaska will give a hands-on presentation on fossilized whales, and Ian MacIntyre will discuss corals. (Sant Ocean Hall – 1st floor; 11a.m.-4 p.m.)

• Kari Bruwelheide and Doug Owsley will give a presentation on forensics and the life of collector and adventurer, Robert Kennicott. (Forensic Anthropology Lab – 2nd floor; 11 a.m.-4 p.m.)

• Bruno Frohlich and Dave Hunt will present an inside look at mummies, collections and the museum’s use of CAT scan technology. (Entrance to Western Cultures – 2nd floor; 11a.m.-4 p.m.)

• Karen McDonald and Vichai Malikul will demonstrate Digital Scientific and hand illustrations of insects and plants. Visitors will get the opportunity to do illustrations of their own. (Insect Zoo and Butterfly Pavilion – 2nd floor; 11a.m.-4 p.m.)

• John Pojeta will present a cart with a number of mollusks and other sea specimens for the public to handle. (Sant Ocean Hall – 1st floor; 11a.m.-4 p.m.)

• Sorena Sorensen will discuss the importance of jade and show several specimens. John Sonnier, a sculptor, will demonstrate carving with different rocks and look at the history of sculpture in gardens. (Gems and Minerals Gallery – 2nd floor; 11a.m.-4 p.m.)

• Barbara Stauffer will guide visitors while they design an exhibit for the future. (Centennial Exhibition – 2nd floor; 1-4 p.m.)

• David Thomey, from “Rocks Build the World”, will hand out coloring books and help children color from his book “My Dad Makes the World a Better Place”. (Rocks Gallery – 2nd floor; 11a.m.-4 p.m.)

• Rick Wunderman will give a presentation on volcanoes, and Jonathon Cooper, a Smithsonian geologist, will demonstrate how thin sections of rocks and geology can be used as a research tool. (Geology Hall – 2nd floor; 11a.m.-4 p.m.)

• Visiting researchers and scientists from the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association will provide the public with demonstrations on the science behind rocks. (Rocks Gallery – 2nd Floor; 11a.m.-4 p.m.)

Book Signings:
• Don Wilson, co-author of The Smithsonian Book of North American Mammals. (The Museum Bookstore – Ground floor; 12-2 p.m.)

• Rich Efthim, editor of DK Rocks and Minerals. (The Museum Bookstore – Ground floor; 12-2 p.m.)

• Jerry Harasewych, co-author of The Book of Shells and museum scientist. (The Museum Bookstore – Ground floor; 2-4 p.m.)

• Dia Michels, author of a number of children’s books on science and math, will be signing copies of her book along with her friend Snugglepus, the platypus, and lead an activity on mammals. (The Museum Bookstore – First floor; 11a.m.-4 p.m.)

Theatrical Presentations:
• Greg Hubbell Jr. will demonstrate his talents and animal calls to the public, discuss the importance of game and bird calling and detail how it has changed over the years. (Mammals Theater – 1st Floor; 11:30 a.m., 12:00, 1:30, 2:00, 2:30, 3:00 p.m.)

• James Foote, a historical re-enactor of President Teddy Roosevelt, will engage visitors throughout the museum and other presenters while answering historical questions about his presidency and the museum. (Mammals Theater; 1st Floor; 11:30 a.m., 12:00, 1:30, 2:00, 2:30, 3:00 p.m.)

• Marsha Rehns and Steve Rosenthal will be dramatically reading letters from Emma Darwin to her husband, Charles Darwin. (Evolution Theater – Hall of Human Origins – 1st floor; 12:30, 1:30, 2:30, 3:30 p.m.)

• Phil Hore will interact with the public as O.C. Marsh, a 19th century paleontologist who collected many famous specimens of dinosaurs. (Early Life/Dinosaur Hall – 1st floor; 11:15 a.m., 1:15, 2:15, and 3:15 p.m.)

Hands on Activities:
• Education staff from the Ocean Portal will talk about the ocean, the portal and its features. (Sant Ocean Hall – 1st floor; 1-4 p.m.)

• Catherine Sutera will encourage visitors to create artwork with natural objects. (Evans Gallery – Ground floor; 11a.m.-4 p.m.)

• JoAnn McBride will direct a hands-on activity on how to create folded paper stars out of recycled calendars. (Evans Gallery – Ground floor; 11a.m.-4 p.m.)

• Staff from the Naturalist Center and AnthroNotes will be on hand to talk more about collections—and have visitors try and discover mystery objects. (Evans Gallery – Ground floor; 1-4 p.m.)

• Various hands-on activity carts throughout the museum (11 a.m.-4p.m.):
“Bipedalism,” Looking at Tools. (Human Origins Hall –1st floor)
What is a Fossil and Shark’s Teeth. (Life in the Ancient Seas – 1st floor)
Building an Elephant. (Behring Hall of Mammals – 1st floor)
Rockin With Soils and “Minerals Matter”. (Gem and Minerals Gallery – 2nd floor)