Evening and Weekend Programs

Have fun, meet others, and explore the issues of our time through our science and cultural programming offered on evenings and weekends. Our After Hours events give you access to scientists, filmmakers, authors, and innovators seeking to better understand the natural world and our place in it. After Hours events are designed for adults, but all are welcome.

View After Hours Calendar

NMNH After Hours programs include:

Natural History on the Big Screen

This film series presents a curated selection of natural history-related films, followed by discussions with filmmakers and related experts.

May – August, 2021: Natural History on the Big Screen: Climate Emergency – Feedback Loops

Around the world, scientists are working to better understand a critical piece in the climate puzzle: feedback loops — irreversible chain reactions that are being set in motion by Earth’s rising temperatures. 
 
Narrated by Richard Gere, "Climate Emergency: Feedback Loops" highlights the efforts of the world’s top climate scientists as they address the urgent question: Are we approaching a point of no return, leading to an uninhabitable Earth, or do we have the vision, the will, and the ability to work together to slow, halt, and reverse course?
 
Join us for a 4-part series featuring the films and Q&A discussions with scientists in the film and other experts on what they’ve learned about feedback loops, the environmental and social impacts, and proposed solutions. 
 
Click a film's title to register to receive the virtual screening and discussion information.

Film Screening & Discussion Schedule:

• May 19, 2021: Forests (watch video)
• June 9, 2021: Albedo (watch video)
• July 14, 2021: Permafrost (watch video)
• August 11, 2021: Atmosphere: 

  Watch the film at your convenience upon registration and tune in on August 11 for a live discussion with Jennifer Francis (Senior Scientist, Woodwell Climate Research Center); Nichola Minott (Visiting Scholar in the International Studies Program, Boston College) and Deepti Singh (Climate Scientist), moderated by Laura Donnelly-Smith (Exhibit Writer, and Editor, Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History).

  • About the Film: Global warming is altering Earth’s weather patterns dramatically. A warmer atmosphere absorbs more water vapor, which in turn traps more heat and warms the planet further in an accelerating feedback loop. Climate change is also disrupting the jet stream, triggering a feedback loop that brings warm air northward, and causes weather patterns to stall in place for longer.

Closed captioning will be available during these programs.

Other Programs

Programs in other series, such as HOT (Human Origins Today) Topics and Virtual Science Cafés; plus programs that are not part of a series.

Thursday, August 19, 2021, from 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.:
The Role of Insect Eating in Human Diets, Past and Present

While you might not be eager to chomp chocolate-covered cicadas, edible insects are a part of the human legacy. Dr. Julie Lesnik, Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Wayne State University, reconstructs what insect consumption likely looked like through human evolutionary history. Join us for a conversation on the role of insects, which are highly nutritious and a very sustainable protein alternative, both in past human diets and for the future of food.

Moderator: Briana Pobiner, paleoanthropologist and educator at Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.
 
This program is offered as part of the ongoing HOT (Human Origins Today) Topic series. 

This program will be presented as a Zoom video webinar. A link will be emailed to all registrants. Register

An Evening With

This signature series features cutting-edge thought leaders in conversation with paleontologist and Sant Director of the National Museum of Natural History, Kirk Johnson.

Beyond the Exhibition

This series features the content, curators, and conversations inspiring new and developing exhibitions at the National Museum of Natural History.

Anthropocene: Life in the Age of Humans

This discussion series explores human impact on the environment, featuring scholars, artists, and others in an intimate conversational setting.

Exploring the Arctic

These programs explore the cultures and natural history of the north.