Maggy Hunter Benson
Profile
Maggy Benson manages both distance learning and community partnerships in the Office of Education and Outreach at the National Museum of Natural History. She manages the implementation of the NMNH distance learning program, which pioneers new models for using digital media and technology to engage youth audiences who cannot access the Museum. As a partnership manager, Maggy oversees the building and maintenance of relationships with schools, school districts, professional associations, government agencies, and non-profit organizations locally and nationally. Prior to this position, she was the community manager and producer for the Webby Award-winning Smithsonian Ocean Portal.
Prior to her work at Smithsonian, Maggy was the coordinator of Coastal America’s Learning Center Network, implementing international ocean science activities and programs such as the International Student Summit on Oceans and Coasts and the International Ocean art Contest, in partnership with aquariums, federal agencies, and corporations.
Maggy enjoys spending her time cycling through Washington, DC and occasionally slipping away to the coast to swim, surf, and dive.
Collaborator Contributions
At the ends of the Earth, life thrives despite extreme conditions. In the Arctic and Southern Oceans, organisms have evolved adaptations to cope with year-round cold and six months of darkness. But the tough critters...
What does a bioluminescent creature that lives more than 2 miles below the surface of the ocean and a glow stick have in common? More than you think. ...
These star-shaped grains of sand, collected from southern Japan, look like miniature works of art -- but they were not sculpted by an artist. They are the shells of microscopic organisms called ...
For more than 40 years, Earth Day has been a day to get your hands dirty—or wet! No act of green or blue is too small. Whether you choose to plant a tree or pledge...
What does a bioluminescent creature that lives more than two miles below the surface of the ocean and a glow stick have in common? More than you think. ...
Gyotaku is a traditional form of Japanese art that began as a way for fisherman to keep a record of the fish they caught. The fisherman would apply sumi ink to one side of a freshly caught fish, then cover the fish with...
Many household electronics, such as video game consoles, stereos, computers, and kitchen appliances, continue drawing power after they are switched off. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that this “phantom” energy...
Jorge Velez-Juarbe is Predoctoral Fellow in the Department of Paleobiology at Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. Jorge is pursuing a PhD in...
A lemon shark pup swims through a shallow mangrove forest off the coast of Bimini Island in the Bahamas in this image captured by National Geographic photojournalist Brian Skerry.
For nearly 30 years, Skerry has...
It isn’t everyday that a magnitude 5.8 earthquake strikes the East Coast of the United States. But on August 23,...