The Plant Press

From The Plant Press, Vol. 23, No. 4, October 2020.

Summer explorations: Descubre la historia natural

In early August, scientists from the Departments of Botany, Vertebrate Zoology, and Mineral Sciences joined staff from across the museum to participate in ¡Descubre la historia natural!, the last of a three-week-long online Summer Explorations series hosted by the National Museum of Natural History’s Office of Education, Outreach, and Visitor Experience. The Spanish-language program attracted audiences from across North and South America, as well as participants from Europe. The five-day program was led by educators Odalys Lugo-Morales and Juan Pablo Hurtado Padilla. It featured Efrain Tejada (Museum Educator) and Chris Mooney (Insect Zoo) giving an introduction to the museum, Vanessa Gonzalez (Genomics Scientist) on genomics, Hurtado Padilla (Microscopy Educator) on electron microscopy, Adela Roa-Varon (Ichthyologist) discussing what makes a fish a fish, Marcos Caraballo Ortiz (Botanist) exploring the structure of fruits and seeds, and Gabriela Farfan (Mineralogist) on the art and science of creating gems. 

The program was recommended for students in grades 3-7, but was open to all ages. Science skills were taught through live webinars, recorded videos, and hands-on activities and projects. During the week, participants were encouraged to create their own personal natural history field books and they were invited to share their entries at the end of the program. All lessons have been archived and are available on the program’s website at <https://naturalhistory.si.edu/education/natural-history-summer-explorations/descubre-la-historia-natural> and submissions from the participants can be seen at <https://spark.adobe.com/page/WeEqVWMAgvz1F/>. 

During the five-day Spanish-language virtual program, ¡Descubre la historia natural!, Marcos Caraballo Ortiz (Botanist), Juan Pablo Hurtado (Microscopy Educator), and Odalys Lugo Morales (Museum Educator) lead participants in an exploration into the wonderful world of plants. In this webinar, students are guided in a dissection of a fruit to answer this question: What makes a fruit a fruit? Students also learn how to draw different types of leaves: