Open House
Once a year the Museum of Northern Arizona invites the public to have a firsthand experience of its research and collections operations at its Open House, during the Flagstaff’s annual Festival of Science from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, October 3.
Admission to the Museum and tours are free, as well as a chance to interact with the researchers and staff involved in the Museum’s scientific work. Get to know what goes on behind-the-scenes in the geology, zoology, and anthropology research labs and enjoy on-site gallery guides throughout the Museum’s exhibit halls.
Try prehistoric aboriginal skills and techniques with S.A.L.T. (Study of Aboriginal Lifeways and Technology), a group dedicated to hands-on recreational and educational activities for the whole family. Learn to use an atlatl, the same spear thrower that prehistoric hunters used to kill their prey. Flintnapping will show how ordinary stones were turned into arrowheads and other tools. See how early people turned raw materials into woven fabric and cordage, and learn about gourd craft.
Four seasoned guitarists from the Grand Canyon Guitar Society are performing on the research side of the MNA campus. Local performers Craig Yarbrough, Ray Rossi, Jim Hudson, and Patricia Silverberg blend together their talents to play delta blues, folk/rock, jazz, flamenco, and classical guitar from 1 to 4 p.m. Grand Canyon Guitar Society is dedicated to performing guitar music throughout northern Arizona, as well as studying current trends and working to advance the guitar throughout the region.
Taste fresh veggies grown at the Flagstaff Youth Garden, during tours every half hour from 1 to 5 p.m. Situated on the historic Colton Community Farm site near the Colton Research Center, the garden features students and a slide show highlighting the efforts of its eight-week summer employment program for area high school students. If veggies are not filling enough, there will be plenty of traditional Navajo foods to taste.
Take a half hour tour at 2 and 4 p.m. of the numerous historic buildings on the Museum campus with Susan Deaver Olberding, a Museum research associate and board member. Play “Habitat Hike,” an interactive educational technology game that explores ecological life zones. Susan Sonni Green’s new video on Museum co-founder Mary-Russell Ferrell Colton will be screened. Creative types will enjoy making crafts at Creative Corner, or paper chromatography at Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy (FALA), where math and science teachers Amber Cline and Doug Friedman discuss their programs.
Book Sale Bring some knowledge home from Open House with a stop at the MNA’s Book Sale to benefit MNA’s library. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, this fundraiser features several thousand books covering a wide range of topics. There are a large number of archaeology books, as well as works of fiction and Grand Canyon videos for sale.
Other Flagstaff Festival of Science Events at MNA Panel Discussion From 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, October 2, four local scientists explore evolving forms of ancient Puebloan communities in an effort to understand how different cultures developed social structures and evolved over time. At Changing Forms of Human Communities in the Southwest, cutting-edge research is shared in a panel discussion with Dr. David Wilcox, Senior Curator of Anthropology at MNA; Dr. Jeffrey Dean from the Laboratory of Tree-ring Research at the University of Arizona; Dennis Gilpin from SWCA Environmental Studies; and Jim Holmlund from the Western Mapping Company.
Wilcox has created a new context for understanding the changing forms of Puebloan communities through his studies of all known sites of 13 rooms or more throughout the entire North American Southwest; Dean is discussing the changing forms for Kayenta Anasazi communities, including the cliff-dwelling sites of Kiet Siel and Betatakin; Gilpin is sharing his studies of Chacoan communities; and Holmlund is displaying maps of pueblos on the Colorado Plateau.
Flagstaff Festival of Science Twilight Talks at the Museum of Northern Arizona
Monday, September 27, 7 p.m.
Do Comets Carry Life? by Dr. David Schleicher, Lowell Observatory In the past, comets have caused mass extinctions, drastically altering all forms of life. In the future, people will visit comets. Find out what you might experience while living on a comet as it follows its highly elongated orbit around the sun.
Tuesday, September 28, 7 p.m.
Spirit and Opportunity: The Mars Exploration Rover Mission by Dr. Ken Herkenhoff, USGS Far from Mars, Flagstaff’s scientists were developing, operating and testing the cameras aboard the twin Mars Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, in hopes of finding evidence of water on the harsh red planet. Hear from Flagstaff’s Mars team leader about the success of the mission and Flagstaff’s role in this pioneering journey.
Wednesday, September 29, 7 p.m.
The Science of Drought by Mike Staudenmaier, National Weather Service Learn about the meteorology behind the formation of droughts and how both atmospheric and oceanic effects can cause prolonged drought in the West.
Thursday, September 30, 7 p.m.
Wild by Design—The Living Grand Canyon by Kelly Burke, Grand Canyon Wildlands Council The Grand Canyon region is one of the best places to explore the full web of marvelous life. Come hear about streamside habitat, springs, plants, and wildlife and our relationship with wild nature.
Friday, October 1, 7 p.m.
Astrobiology and the Biological Universe by Dr. Steven Dick, NASA Astrobiology looks to the future of life in the universe and this 20th century overview shows how NASA scientists have arrived at the view that cosmic evolution results in life and intelligence. Hear from the author of The Biological Universe and find out why some say it is possible that we may be living in a postbiological universe.
About MNA
The Museum of Northern Arizona sits at the base of the San Francisco Peaks, the highest mountains in Arizona. Through its research, collections, and educational efforts, the Museum aims to inspire a sense of love and responsibility for the beauty and diversity of the Colorado Plateau through collecting, studying, interpreting, and preserving the region’s natural and cultural heritage. The Museum is located three miles north of historic downtown Flagstaff on Highway 180 and is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.