Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

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fish

The Sant Ocean Hall is the largest permanent exhibition ever produced by the National Museum of Natural History. A one-of-a-kind interpretive exhibit, it showcases biological, geological, and anthropological expertise and unparalleled scientific collections of the museum, as well as ongoing research in marine science.

 
11:15 a.m. - 12:00 noon

Opening Festivities: Music and Dance by Native Maritime Communities

tlingit canoe
Image courtesy of Brian Wallace and the Juneau Empire

To welcome the public and open the Sant Ocean Hall with a flourish, performers from two Native communities will regale visitors with music and dance. Tlingit and Haida Dancers kick off festivities by performing three traditional songs: Canoe Song, Tlingit National Anthem, and a Love Song. Their appearance is made possible by the National Congress of American Indians.

Aloha Boys
The Aloha Boys appear courtesy of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Image courtesy: Aloha Boys

Then, the Aloha Boys from the Halau O' Aulani, a nonprofit school dedicate to the preservation of the multi-faceted cultures of Hawai'i celebrated through dance, language, art, history, music, and custom, will perform live music for the crowd gathered for the Hall's unveiling. Location: Rotunda

 

12:00 noon

Unveiling of the Sant Ocean Hall

At high noon, the curtain drops and the
Sant Ocean Hall opens to the public.

Location: The Sant Ocean Hall (Rotunda entrance)

 

Fabulous Fishes book coversusan stockdale
[Left] Cover Image of Fabulous Fishes, written and illustrated by Susan Stockdale, [Right] Photo of the author-illustrator. Images courtesy of (Peachtree Publishers 2008)
 
11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Book-signing by Susan Stockdale: Fabulous Fishes Author/illustrator Susan Stockdale signs copies of and reads from her children's book, Fabulous Fishes, which introduces young readers to both exotic and familiar fishes and the underwater world they call home in simple, rhyming text and brightly colored illustrations. An afterword identifies each animal and tells a little about where it lives.
Location: Museum Store, ground floor

1:00 - 2:30 p.m.

Bringing the Ocean to Life - The Sant Ocean Hall How does a 23,000 square foot exhibit happen, what are the behind the scenes secrets - how did that squid ge there? How do we know what we know about the ocean? What makes an exhibit educational and entertaining? At 1 p.m. join the exhibit team and companion book author, Deborah Cramer, in Baird Auditorium for a preview and discussion about the ocean hall, moderated by Nancy Knowlton, Sant Chair of Marine Sciences. Through stories, power point presentations, and questions and answers, the team will highlight special moments in the development of the hall and the unique stories in the hall that are not to be missed.

Panel members:

 

 

panel members and moderator
 
  • Dr. Carole Baldwin (top left) - Research Zoologist and Curator of Fishes, Smithsonian Natural History Museum
  • Deborah Cramer (top middle) - Author of Smithsonian Ocean: Our Water, Our World, the companion book to the Ocean Hall
  • Dr. Brian Huber (top right) - Research Paleobiologist and Curator of Foraminifera, Smithsonian Natural History Museum
  • Dr. Nancy Knowlton (Panel Moderator) (large photo) - Sant Chair for Marine Science, Smithsonian Natural History Museum
  • Jill Johnson (bottom left) - Ocean Hall Exhibit Developer, Smithsonian Natural History Museum
  • Elizabeth Musteen (bottom middle) - Ocean Hall Project Manager, Smithsonian Natural History Museum
  • Dr. Michael Vecchione (bottom right) - Cephalopod Biologist, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Ocean Hall Curator

Location: Baird Auditorium

 
3:00 p.m.

Illustrated Lecture by Barbara Block - "Tracking Ocean Giants" Ever wonder how far tuna and white sharks travel? Or where the albatross wander? Find out this and much more from Professor Barbara Block of Standford University. Recipient of a prestigious MacArthur Fellowship, Block is one of the world's leading experts on the tuna and their cousins, swordfish and marlins. She directs the Tag a Giant Bluefin tagging program (www.tagagiant.org) in the Atlantic, & the Tagging of Pacific Predators program (http://www.topp.org/), which tracks the movements of tunas, whales, sharks, elephant seals, turtles, seabirds, and even squid. In this illustrated lecture, Block discusses her pioneering use of electronic tags to sutdy how these large migratory species navigate the worlds oceans, information that is essential for keeping their populations healthy. Fishing now threatens the future of many of these magnificent organisms and Block's team is actively working to protect and conserve these ocean giants. Location: Baird Auditorium

 
cover of Smithsonian Ocean: Our Water Our Worldsusan stockdale
[Left] Cover Image of Smithsonian Ocean: Our Water Our World by Deborah Cramer, [Right] Photo of the author. Book cover image courtesy of Harper Collins, and photo of the author courtesy of Shawn G. Henry.
4:00-5:30 p.m.

Book-signing by Deborah Cramer Deborah Cramer, author of Smithsonian Ocean: Our Water, Our World (companion volume to the Ocean Hall) and Great Waters: An Atlantic Passage, writes about science and the environment. Her work has appeared in the New York Times and Atlantic Monthly, and she speaks frequently about the sea on both sides of the Atlantic. Cramer is currently a visiting scholar at MIT's Earth Systems Initiative. Deborah Cramer will sign copies of her new book, published for the opening of the Sant Ocean Hall, Smithsonian Ocean: Our Water, Our World, and Great Waters: An Atlantic Passage.
Location: Museum Store, ground floor

 

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