Snowflake Chronicler
Posted on February 16th, 2017 by Mary Lord
No two snowflakes are alike, right? We know this thanks to a Jericho, Vermont, farm boy and citizen engineer named Wilson A. Bentley, who adapted a microscope to a camera and spent 40 years capturing thousands of unique images.
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Tags: Environmental Engineering, Environmental science, Science of Snow, Smithsonian, snowflake, University of Utah, Web Resources, William Snowflake Bentley
The National Park Service just turned 100 and what better way to celebrate than with the grand opening of a stunning new addition to the National Mall. The $540 million National Museum of African American History and Culture is adorned with a corona, or scrim, of 3,600 bronze-colored cast-aluminum panels that glow at night from the light within, and was built around a 77-ton, 80-foot-long railway car and other huge artifacts housed in its vast below-ground exhibit space. 
On July 1, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History will open its new innovation wing, with interactive exhibits and programs focused on the theme of U.S. enterprise, business, and invention. The centerpiece of the 45,000-square-foot space is the studio of Ralph Baer, inventor of the home video game.
Look what turned up in the “nation’s attic.” The Smithsonian Institution has released 25 photos of scientists from the 1925 “monkey trial,” more formally known as the State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes. The scientists and science reporters were supporters of the defense of Scopers, who was convicted of violating a state law against teaching evolution to school children.
Interact with Smithsonian scientists, curators, and educators in this free, two-day online conference April 28-29. In live presentations, demonstrations, and moderated forums, teachers, students, and anyone interested can use critical thinking skills to address problems in science, history, arts, and culture.
