May 2024
10:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m.
Experience the dynamic forces that shape Oregon’s landscapes, climate, and ecosystems. Meet giant salmon, Ice Age sloths, and other amazing animals from across the millennia. Through interactive displays and rare specimens, you’ll go deep into Oregon’s past and join a conversation about our collective future.
10:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m.
Delve into Oregon’s story, from the archaeology of the First Americans to the dynamic cultures of today’s Tribes.
Combining interactive displays with world-class anthropological collections, Oregon—Where Past is Present shares 14,000 years of Oregon stories, and invites you to tell your own. Explore the galleries, try your hand at ancient weaving styles, test your skills as an archaeologist, and much more.
10:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m.
Experience Oregon's dynamic—yet fragile—kelp forest ecosystems and learn why this species is vital to Oregon and the world. Discover the critters that call Oregon's kelp forests home, the threats facing kelp today, and what we can do to help the kelp.
10:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m.
Come face-to-face with wolves! Wolves: Photography by Ronan Donovan, features National Geographic photographer Ronan Donovan's stunning images and videos of wild wolves in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and Ellesmere Island in the high Canadian Arctic. Created by National Geographic Society and the National Museum of Wildlife Art, the exhibit features images and videos highlighting the contrast between wolves that live in perceived competition with humans and wolves that live without human intervention. Photograph by Ronan Donovan, National Geographic Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada. On exhibit in National Geographic "Wolves: Photography by Ronan Donovan"
Join us for guest presentations, fun activities, and discussions about classes and anthropology.
5:00–6:00 p.m.
Join us for guest presentations, fun activities, and discussions about classes and anthropology.
10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
The Museum of Natural and Cultural History offers free admission on the first Friday of the month. Investigate Oregon's amazing fossils and ecosystems, and delve into its cultural history—from the First Americans at Paisley Caves to the dynamic cultures of today's Tribes.
1:00–2:00 p.m.
Celebrate the season with a walk and talk in and around the museum's Glenn Starlin Native Plant Courtyard guided by members of Native Plant Society of Oregon, Emerald Chapter. With more than 40 species, the courtyard offers a rich array of plant life that have supported thriving Indigenous cultures for millennia
5:30–9:00 p.m.
Have you wondered what it is like to be an archaeologist? Drop in any time between 5:30 and 7:00 p.m. to chat with MNCH archaeologists Todd Braje (MNCH), Scott Fitzpatrick (University of Oregon), Richie Rosencrance (University of Nevada, Reno) and Jordan Pratt (Texas A&M University) and Katelyn McDonough (MNCH and University of Oregon). Get a book signed, learn about their research, see artifacts, and discover how learning about the past can help us understand the present.
Books available for purchase:
· Understanding Imperiled Earth: How Archaeology and Human History Inform a Sustainable Future
· Current Perspectives on Stemmed and Fluted Technologies in the American Far West
· Sustainability in Ancient Island Societies: An Archaeology of Human Resilience
10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
The Division of Graduate Studies invites you to a one-day conference showcasing the research, scholarship, and creative expressions of UO graduate students. The forum regularly showcases the work of more than 100 students representing more than 35 disciplines. Join us for the popular poster session and the panel presentations!
To participate, all graduate-level students are invited to submit a proposal by April 17, 2024. All accepted posters will be judged. Posters are categorized by field; first place in each category will win $300. Panels will instead be pre-selected. All accepted panels will receive $250 per panelist.
For more information, go to https://graduatestudies.uoregon.edu/forum
2:00–4:00 p.m.
Meet students working in the museum’s paleontology lab, see the fossils they are working on, and learn about their student research projects. Join the flock! Instead of admission, make a donation to support student employees and interns working in the fossil collections as part of the museum’s Ducks Give campaign.
6:00–7:30 p.m.
The Clark Honors College and Oregon Forensics welcomes Dr. Marc Robinson to discuss his 2024 book Washington State Rising: Black Power on Campus in the Pacific Northwest documenting the origins, actions, and impact of the Black Student Union (BSU) in Washington from 1967 to 1970.
Dr. Robinson will give two public lectures followed by questions and discussion.
May 23rd at 6:00pm
Museum of Cultural and Natural History, 1680 E 15th Ave
May 24th at 3:00pm
Browsing Room at the Knight Library
Dr. Robinson, a professor of history at UC San Bernardino, was an Equity, Inclusion, and Justice fellow at the college in 2023.
This event is sponsored by Oregon Forensics through the McMains Contrarian Forum.
6:00–7:30 p.m.
In 1968, the Black Student Union (BSU) at the University of Washington led a pivotal campaign for institutional reform. Join historian Marc Robinson as he uncovers the connections between the BSU in Seattle—especially its Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee—and the Civil Rights Movement in the South.
Book signing to follow the presentation. Books will be available for purchase.
Marc Robinson is an assistant professor at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) and author of Washington State Rising: Black Power on Campus in the Pacific Northwest.