Smithsonian Institute

"INCREASE AND DIFFUSION OF KNOWLEDGE" IS THE MISSION SET FORTH BY JAMES SMITHSON.

RESEARCH AND COLLECTIONS (SEE SCHEDULE O) RESEARCH AND COLLECTIONS: THE SMITHSONIAN'S COLLECTIONS OF NEARLY 155 MILLION OBJECTS (ART, ARTIFACTS AND SCIENTIFIC SPECIMENS) ARE THE HEART OF THE INSTITUTION. RESEARCH, PUBLIC PROGRAMS AND EXHIBITIONS ARE BASED ON THESE COLLECTIONS, WHICH ADDITIONALLY INCLUDE MORE THAN 32 MILLION DIGITAL RECORDS OF ONLINE MATERIAL. CARE OF THE COLLECTIONS INVOLVES THE WORK OF REGISTRARS, CONSERVATORS, MUSEUM SPECIALISTS, DESIGNERS, CURATORS AND EDITORS. APPROXIMATELY 145 MILLION OBJECTS AND SPECIMENS ARE PART OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY COLLECTIONS AND ARE PRIMARILY USED FOR RESEARCH BY BOTH SMITHSONIAN SCIENTISTS AND RESEARCHERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD. IN SOME CASES, THE MUSEUM HAS THE DEFINITIVE, IRREPLACEABLE COLLECTION OF A CERTAIN SPECIES WHICH IS ESSENTIAL FOR COMPARATIVE STUDIES. THE CENTER FOR ASTROPHYSICS | HARVARD & SMITHSONIAN, PLAYED A CENTRAL ROLE IN CAPTURING THE FIRST-EVER IMAGE OF A BLACK HOLE IN APRIL. THE CENTER LED AN INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION OF HUNDREDS OF SCIENTISTS LINKING EIGHT TELESCOPES ACROSS FOUR CONTINENTS TO CAPTURE THE IMAGE THAT WILL HELP SCIENTISTS ANSWER FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW THE UNIVERSE WORKS. A GUAM KINGFISHER WAS BORN AT THE SMITHSONIAN CONSERVATION BIOLOGY INSTITUTE (SCBI) IN APRIL 2019. GUAM KINGFISHERS ARE EXTINCT IN THE WILD, WITH ONLY ABOUT 140 LIVING IN HUMAN CARE, MAKING THEM ONE OF THE MOST ENDANGERED BIRD SPECIES ON THE PLANET. THE SPECIES IS NOTORIOUSLY DIFFICULT TO BREED, AND WAS TAKEN FROM THE WILD INTO HUMAN CARE IN THE 1980S. SCBI HAS HATCHED 20 CHICKS SINCE 1985 AS PART OF THE GUAM KINGFISHER SPECIES SURVIVAL PLAN. RESEARCHERS FROM THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY TRIPLED THE NUMBER OF KNOWN SPECIES OF ELECTRIC EELS. A STUDY OF THE AMAZON BASIN REVEALED THAT ELECTRIC EELS BELONG TO THREE DIFFERENT SPECIES THAT EVOLVED FROM A SHARED ANCESTOR. SCIENTISTS HAD PREVIOUSLY BELIEVED THAT THE EELS ALL BELONGED TO A SINGLE SPECIES. THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY AND THE SMITHSONIAN'S DIGITIZATION PROGRAM OFFICE DIGITIZED 18,000 POLITICAL AND MILITARY POSTERS, MAKING THEM ACCESSIBLE FOR THE FIRST TIME TO THE PUBLIC ONLINE.

EDUCATION, PUBLIC PROGRAMS AND EXHIBITIONS (SEE SCHEDULE O) EDUCATION, PUBLIC PROGRAMS AND EXHIBITIONS: THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY AND THE SMITHSONIAN LATINO CENTER ANNOUNCED THE FIRST PHYSICAL GALLERY SPACE ON THE NATIONAL MALL DEDICATED TO CELEBRATING THE U.S. LATINO EXPERIENCE. THE MOLINA FAMILY LATINO GALLERY WILL OPEN IN 2021 IN THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY. IT WILL FEATURE 4,500 SQUARE FEET OF BILINGUAL STORIES FOR ALL AUDIENCES THROUGH ROTATING EXHIBITIONS. THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY OPENED "VOTES FOR WOMEN: A PORTRAIT OF PERSISTENCE" IN MARCH 2019. THE EXHIBITION EXAMINES THE HISTORY OF WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE IN THE U.S. THROUGH MORE THAN 120 PORTRAITS AND OBJECTS, THE EXHIBITION OUTLINES THE MORE THAN 80-YEAR MOVEMENT FOR WOMEN TO OBTAIN THE RIGHT TO VOTE. THE EXHIBITION WAS THE FIRST TO BE FUNDED BY THE SMITHSONIAN AMERICAN WOMEN'S HISTORY INITIATIVE, WHICH STRIVES TO BE THE NATION'S MOST COMPREHENSIVE UNDERTAKING TO DOCUMENT, RESEARCH, COLLECT, DISPLAY AND SHARE THE STORIES OF WOMEN IN AMERICA. THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY OPENED A NEW HALL OF FOSSILS, AFTER FIVE YEARS OF PLANNING AND CONSTRUCTION. "THE DAVID H. KOCH HALL OF FOSSILS-DEEP TIME," OPENED IN JUNE 2019, TELLS THE STORY OF 3.7 BILLION YEARS OF LIFE ON EARTH, HIGHLIGHTING THE CONNECTIONS AMONG ECOSYSTEMS, CLIMATE, GEOLOGICAL FORCES AND EVOLUTION, THROUGH MORE THAN 700 FOSSIL SPECIMENS. THE EXHIBITION HELPS VISITORS UNDERSTAND THAT THE CHOICES THEY MAKE TODAY WILL HAVE AN IMPACT ON THE FUTURE. THE NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM LED THE NATIONAL CELEBRATION OF THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE APOLLO 11 MOON LANDING IN 1969. TO COMMEMORATE THE ANNIVERSARY, THE MUSEUM AND NASA PARTNERED TO PRESENT THE APOLLO 50 FESTIVAL FOR THREE DAYS ON THE NATIONAL MALL. THE CENTERPIECE OF THE FESTIVAL WAS A FULL-MOTION PROJECTION MAPPING ON THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT. OVER HALF A MILLION PEOPLE VISITED THE NATIONAL MALL TO SEE THE 17-MINUTE SHOW THAT USED ARCHIVAL FOOTAGE TO RECREATE THE LAUNCH OF APOLLO 11 AND TELL THE STORY OF THE FIRST MOON LANDING. THE MUSEUM ALSO PUT NEIL ARMSTRONG'S APOLLO 11 SPACE SUIT ON DISPLAY, AFTER HAVING BEEN OFF DISPLAY FOR 13 YEARS OF CONSERVATION.

MEMBERSHIP (SEE SCHEDULE O) MEMBERSHIP: THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATE PROGRAM IS THE INSTITUTION'S LARGEST AND MOST BASIC MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM. THE PROGRAM PROVIDES MEMBERS WITH SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE, WHICH IS PUBLISHED 11 TIMES A YEAR. THE PRINT AND ONLINE PUBLICATION PROVIDES AN IN-DEPTH COVERAGE OF HISTORY, SCIENCE, NATURE, THE ARTS AND WORLD CULTURES. SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE ALSO HOSTS THE ANNUAL INGENUITY AWARDS, HONORING THE BEST AND BRIGHTEST INNOVATORS WHO ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD ACROSS A VARIETY OF FIELDS. "FRIENDS OF THE SMITHSONIAN" IS A HIGHER LEVEL MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM FOR PEOPLE INTERESTED IN A DEEP PHILANTHROPIC CONNECTION TO THE SMITHSONIAN. FRIENDS RECEIVE SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE, PLUS THEY ARE INVITED TO VARIOUS EVENTS AND ARE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN ABOUT AND SUPPORT THE INSTITUTION'S EXHIBITIONS AND RESEARCH. THE SMITHSONIAN ASSOCIATES OFFERS UNPARALLELED ACCESS TO THE SMITHSONIAN'S WORLD OF KNOWLEDGE THROUGH INNOVATIVE AND ENGAGING PROGRAMMING THAT PROMOTES LEARNING, ENRICHMENT AND CREATIVITY FOR PEOPLE OF ALL AGES. THE LARGEST MUSEUM-BASED EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM IN THE WORLD, SMITHSONIAN ASSOCIATES ANNUALLY OFFERS MORE THAN 750 SEMINARS, PERFORMANCES LECTURES, STUDIO ART CLASSES AND LOCAL AND REGIONAL STUDY TOURS. PERFORMANCES AT DISCOVERY THEATER AND MORE THAN 90 EDUCATIONALLY FOCUSED SUMMER CAMPS ARE AMONG THE PROGRAMS THAT FOSTER THE JOYS OF LEARNING FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AND THEIR FAMILIES.