Past Events 2010
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Sun, December 19, 2010
Afternoon event: 1:30-4:30 pm
Event web page »
The program, "Critters of the Plains," was led by Dennis Ferraro, Professor of Herpetology and Extension Educator in the UNL School of Natural Resources. A variety of aquatic and semi-aquatic critters native to Nebraska were on display for children to investigate, including frogs, toads, salamanders, and turtles. Some non-native creatures were also be represented. Museum visitors of all ages learned about turtles and amphibians that live in the state, their habitats, and ways to help protect them. Other hands-on activities were also be provided.
'Sunday with a Scientist' is a series of presentations that highlight the work of museum scientists and those from other institutions, while educating kids and families on a variety of topics related to science and natural history. Presenters share scientific information in a fun and informal way through demonstrations and activities or by conducting their science on site. 'Sundays with a Scientist' takes place from 1:30-4:30 pm at Morrill Hall on the third Sunday of each month.
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Sun, November 21, 2010
Afternoon event: 1:30-4:30 pm
Event web page »
Alan J. Osborn, Research Associate Professor and Curator of Anthropology at the Museum, presented a program for families about ancient Puebloan people of the American Southwest and their "killer beans." Visitors learned about cooking methods, saw prehistoric ceramics, and guessed the number of beans for a prize.
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with Mary Zicafoose
Sat, November 20, 2010
11:00 am - 1:00 pm
In support of the exhibit A Turning Point: Navajo Weaving in the Late 20th Century, artist Mary Zicafoose gave a demonstration on tapestry weaving outside the Cooper Gallery. Visitors had the opportunity to weave on a loom with assistance from Zicafoose.
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Sun, October 17, 2010
Afternoon event: 1:30-4:30 pm
Event web page »
The Museum presented a program for children and families about traditional Native American life on the Great Plains as part of its Sunday with a Scientist series. The program, "Native Americans: Tipi Life on the Prairie's Edge," was led by Mark Awakuni-Swetland. Visitors viewed and learned about a modern 14-foot tipi, along with late 19th-early 20th century furnishings, clothing, tools, and games.
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October 8-10, 2010
Show times listed below
From 1977 to 2004, Mueller Planetarium at the University of Nebraska State Museum entertained audiences with laser shows. Laser shows were back for one weekend only. In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the laser that was first demonstrated in 1960, Mueller Planetarium offered music-themed laser shows with music ranging from pop to country to classic rock.
LaserFest was held in association with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Laserpalooza 2010 and the 2010 Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics Oct. 7-10, hosted by the UNL Department of Physics and Astronomy, home of the Diocles Laser. For more information, visit www.physics.unl.edu/~wophy.
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October 7-9, 2010
Video »
In support of the exhibit A Turning Point: Navajo Weaving in the Late 20th Century, Native American weavers demonstrated their craft outside the Cooper Gallery. Artists Martha Schultz, Melissa Cody and Lola Cody, representing three generations of one Navajo family based in Arizona, interacted with visitors and showed them the process of creating a hand-woven tapestry first hand.
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Sat, October 2, 2010
9:30 am-4:30 pm
The Museum and the UNL School of Natural Resources hosted the first-ever 'NaturePalooza Nebraska' at Morrill Hall. It was a day of discovery and hands-on activities throughout the museum with stations staffed by the school's faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate students. Activities and games helped visitors better understand Nebraska's rich natural resources and ways to help protect them.
| Activities: Photos with "Pebbles," a larger than life piping plover Identify fish, algae, and insects See live reptiles and amphibians Learn about "alien invaders" Plant a soybean and observe its lifecycle Investigate ground and surface water movements Play games using a real-time weather station Explore how geographers use mapping technology Fulldome planetarium shows Scavenger hunts, giveaways, and more! |
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"Museum Day"
Sat, September 25, 2010
9:30 am-4:30 pm
Museum Day is an annual event hosted by Smithsonian Media in which participating museums across the country open their doors for free to anyone presenting a Museum Day Ticket.
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Sun, September 19, 2010
Afternoon event: 1:30-4:30 pm
Morrill Hall
Event web page »
"Digging into Anthropology," was led by presenters from the UNL Department of Anthropology, helped visitors of all ages better understand human origins, cultures, and the various methods anthropologists use to unlock the mysteries of our past. There was an archaeological test dig outside the museum.
NASA Astronaut
Clayton Anderson Appearance
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
6:30-8:00 p.m.
Morill Hall, UNL City Campus
More information » | News release »
The museum hosted an appearance by NASA astronaut and Nebraska native Clayton Anderson at Morrill Hall. Anderson gave a presentation featuring images from his flights aboard the space shuttle, including the most recent STS-131 mission on Discovery to resupply the International Space Station. During this mission, he conducted three spacewalks. Anderson's presentation was followed by a question and answer period. After that, visitors had the opportunity for photographs and autograph signings. Mueller Planetarium presented the fulldome show Dawn of the Space Age.
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Sunday, August 15, 2010
Afternoon event: 1:30-4:30 p.m.
Morrill Hall
Event web page »
Did you know that one of every four living things on the planet is a beetle? "Beetle Mania," led by faculty and staff of the State Museum's Division of Entomology and UNL's Dept. of Entomology, took over Morrill Hall when the University of Nebraska State Museum presented a program for children and families that celebrated the beauty and diversity of beetles and other insects. Visitors had the opportunity to interact with scientists and ask questions about the insects they collect and study. The scientists showcased a small selection of the most colorful and striking insects from the entomology research collections, which contain over two million specimens. Children were encouraged to bring a "backyard bug" of their own to the museum for a scientist to identify. All insects had to be stored in closed containers and could be alive or dead.
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Morrill Hall
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Afternoon event: 1:30-4:30 pm
Event web page »
Did you know that poop is like a fingerprint? It is unique to an individual and holds a lot of clues. We found out what researchers from the UNL School of Natural Resources learn from river otter poop in their quest to uncover facts about one of the state's most reclusive species.
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Morrill Hall
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Afternoon event: 1:30-4:30 pm
Event web page »
Tadd Barrow, a lake water quality educator from the UNL School of Natural Resources, presented a program for children and families about the different types of algae found in Nebraska's lakes, ponds and streams, as well as the science behind aquatic ecology. Presenters brought photos and samples of algae for visitors to touch and examine with microscopes, and to clarify which are toxic and nontoxic.
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Morrill Hall
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Afternoon event: 1:30-4:30 pm
Event web page »
The museum presented a program for children and families on how climate affects Nebraska. Presenters from the Center for Advanced Land Management Information Technologies (CALMIT), the National Drought Mitigation Center, and the geography graduate program from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Natural Resources educated visitors on how scientists work to determine and assess the impacts of climate on society and the environment.
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Morrill Hall
Saturday, May 15, 2010
1:30 am-4:30 pm
News Release »
This was a fun-filled afternoon of music, art and animals to celebrate the museum's new Colorful Creature Art Exhibit. Families enjoyed performances by musician Mike Mennard, artists provided hands-on art activities and several naturalists and volunteer groups gave children the opportunity see live animals up close and personal. Mueller Planetarium played the fulldome show The Enchanted Reef.
Astronomy Day
Morrill Hall
Saturday, April 24, 2010
9:30 am-4:30 pm
The Museum was full of exciting hands-on activities about space, science and astronomy at this fun-filled event for all ages.
Activities and demonstrations were on robotics, rocketry, planets, space travel, microgravity, physics, telescopes, meteorites, optics, the Moon and more. Other attractions included launching of rockets and presentations of the fulldome show "Earth, Moon and Sun."
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Morrill Hall
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Afternoon event: 1:30-4:30 pm
Event web page »
April's topic was Endangered Species. Educators from the Tern and Plover Conservation Partnership and the Nebraska Invasive Species Project, both of the UNL School of Natural Resources, taught families all about protecting animals and their habitat.
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Morrill Hall
Thursday, April 15, 2010
4:30-8:00 pm
On April 15, museum admission was FREE to the public from 4:30-8:00 pm as part of the Lincoln community's "Week of the Young Child" celebration. The "Week of the Young Child" is celebrated annually by a number of Lincoln organizations committed to early childhood education.
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Trailside Museum
Ft. Robinson State Park
Near Crawford, NE
Thursday, April 15, 2010
2:00-7:00 pm
The public was invited to a free open house at the Trailside Museum of Natural History at Fort Robinson State Park to celebrate a new permanent paleontology exhibit featuring art by Nebraska artist Mark Marcuson.
Eighteen full-color panels illustrate how creatures that once roamed Nebraska might have looked based on fossil material in the research collections of the University of Nebraska State Museum.
Marcuson is known for his exceptional murals that depict prehistoric creatures and landscapes. His extensive scientific knowledge of animal anatomy and locomotion give him the foundation to create reconstructions of animals based on fossil skeletons.
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Sunday, March 21, 2010
Afternoon event: 1:30-4:30 pm
Event web page »
Educators from the UNL Water Center and the Groundwater Foundation, as well as the Mayor's Water Conservation Task Force, helped visitors learn about the science behind our state's abundant water resources, including groundwater, surface water, drought, and water conservation. Families visualized the groundwater cycle through demonstrations with 3-D flow models, including a 6-foot water machine, and other fun hands-on activities.
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Sunday, February 21, 2010
Afternoon event: 1:30-4:30 pm
Event web page »
Visitors had the unique opportunity to discover nanoscience, big science on an extremely small scale, with Professor Stephen Ducharme of the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience.
Dinosaurs & Disasters
Saturday, February 6, 2010
9:30 am-4:30 pm
News Release »
Visitors experienced extinction at the annual fun family day, Dinosaurs & Disasters, with a full day of discovery with three floors of hands-on activities with scientists!
| Stations included: Rock & Fossil Identification Dinosaurs Fossil Preparation Survivor Game |
Mammal Extinctions Many more Extinction Games Microbial Life & Geobiology ANDRILL & Antarctica |
Geyser Tsunami Tornadoes Meteorites Weather |
| Visitors were encouraged to bring a rock or fossil for identification. The Museum also showed the new Fulldome movie 'Natural Selection' in Mueller Planetarium. |
Sponsored by the University of Nebraska State Museum and UNL Department of Geosciences |
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Sunday with a Scientist
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Afternoon event: 1:30-4:30 pm
Event web page »
Museum highway salvage paleontologist Shane Tucker gave visitors the rare opportunity to watch as he removed sediment from a 6-8 million year old giant land tortoise shell. He prepared the fossil all afternoon, taking time out to give a presentation in Elephant Hall where he discussed his work in the field and showed images of other fossils, including three-toed horse, camel, rhinoceros, wolf-sized bone-crushing dog, horned rodent, and extinct four-tusked elephant remains. Hands-on dig opportunities were also provided for kids.
