"Science Talk" Rescheduled to Thursday, February 18

The next edition of the Virginia Museum of Natural History’s “2nd Thursday Science Talks” has been rescheduled for Thursday, February 18 at 6 p.m., when Dr. Elizabeth Moore, curator of archaeology at the Virginia Museum of Natural History, presents "Archaeology: Virginia’s past cultures".  Admission to the presentation is free.

For almost 20,000 years, humans have lived in Virginia.  Since the end of the Pleistocene, people adapted to the drastic climate change at the end of the last Ice Age.  Humans learned to intensively use a variety of natural resources necessary to survive and thrive and learned to modify the environment, as well as some of the plants and animals in it, to better fit their needs.  During this presentation, Dr. Moore will discuss how humans successfully adapted their behavior and changed to the world around them to thrive in an ever changing landscape.

Recently named Professional Archaeologist of the Year by the Archaeological Society of Virginia, Dr. Moore holds a variety of distinguished titles in the field of archaeology, including chairman of the State Review Board of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, treasurer of the Middle Atlantic Archaeological Conference, vice-chair of the Martinsville Architectural Review Board, and board member of the Archaeological Society of Virginia and the Martinsville and Henry County Historical Society.

Dr. Moore earned a Ph.D. and MA in Anthropology from The American University, and a BA in Anthropology from the State University of New York at Potsdam.

The museum's "2nd Thursday Science Talks" take place on the second Thursday of each month through May 12, 2016 at the museum.  Attendance is free due to contributions to the VMNH Discovery Fund.  The presentations are delivered by VMNH curators, VMNH researchers, as well as VMNH research associates.  Geared towards audiences with a keen interest in science, the presentations also increase awareness of the varied and unique scientific career paths available for local students.

Date or time changes will be announced on the museum’s website at www.vmnh.net/science-talks.

Remaining Series Schedule

Thursday, March 10, 2016
"New perspectives on human evolution"
Speaker to be announced

When Charles Darwin publicized the theory of evolution, it sent shock waves through the scientific community and changed the perspective of how early humans developed.  As time goes on and new evidence is discovered, perspectives continue to change.  During this presentation, the audience will learn about Hominids and early humans, as well as current research and new scientific perspectives of evolution.

Thursday, April 14, 2016
"How do we protect what we have?"
Presented by Tiffany Haworth, Executive Director, Dan River Basin Association

Our natural resources are vital to the survival and continuation of life on this planet.  During this presentation, Tiffany Haworth will discuss conservation priorities and how they are determined, as well as what the current priorities in Virginia and the Dan River Basin are.

Thursday, May 12, 2016
"The importance of museums in the 21st century"
Presented by Dr. Joe B. Keiper, Executive Director, VMNH

Museums serve a vital role in new discoveries and past history.  In this presentation, Dr. Keiper will discuss the traditional reasons to have museums, the decline of collections facilities, the tangible benefits of museums to societal problems, and how to best manage museums as we move forward.