Lecture – Cultivating the Next Generation of Female Space Pioneers by Carolyn Sumners Women have played a vital role in the U.S. space program since its inception in the 1940’s. While women were once considered unfit for space travel, the most recent NASA class is 50 percent female. As we begin celebrating the 50th […]
By Jeff Cummins, Horticulturalist at the Cockrell Butterfly Center A sea of green surrounds people living in even the most urban environments, and yet almost nobody can see truly the plants. We see the trees, manicured hedges, or notice when our neighbor has taken a little too long to mow the lawn, but that’s […]
Lecture – Facing the Past – Cases in Forensic Sculpture by Amanda Danning Forensic sculptor Amanda Danning performs facial reconstructions on skulls whose true appearance is unknown. She has worked on the most exciting anthropology finds in North America as well as contemporary criminal cases. Danning’s captivating presentation will combine history and technology, forensics and […]
Every year on Valentine’s Day, we in the Cockrell Butterfly Center like to think about all our favorite insects and the methods they use to find mates. From special pheromones to elaborate mating rituals, every insect has a way to find a mate (or more often, multiple mates)! It’s the smell that counts […]
By Jennifer Moore, HMNS Outreach Presenter With school being out for just a tad longer, kids are looking for something to do around the house. Here’s a simple activity that requires little to no supplies that anyone can do. We’re going to act out all the stages a butterfly goes through as it grows! Butterflies […]
BTS – Gladiators: Heroes of the Colosseum Gladiators locked in mortal combat for the entertainment of the crowds in Rome’s Colosseum. “Gladiators: Heroes of the Colosseum” takes us into the violent arena of the Colosseum and behind the scenes to the world of the gladiators. Theirs was a world of specialized training, discipline, regulation and […]
It seems a strange mix, but hot glue is a wonderful medium to work into a caterpillar design. Materials: – Hot glue gun – Wax paper – Colored glue sticks – Scissors (optional) **Note: I use a fine tip glue gun. You can […]
At the Houston Museum of Natural Science, we know that children who are encouraged to use their creativity learn to innovate, and those who are innovative can have great success in the sciences. At first blush art and science look like different disciplines, but if you look closely you will see they share much […]
The Cockrell Butterfly Center at HMNS is one of the most unique locations in Houston. Among the over 1,500 butterfly species you spy as you wander through our enchanting rainforest conservatory, is the beautiful Yellow Tiger Longwing, Heliconius ismenius. This stunner of a specimen gets it’s name from—you guessed it—it’s beautiful striped markings, which are […]
Summer is here and our campers have arrived! As the museum buzzes with activity and excitement this week, we have for your viewing pleasure another installment of our “My Favorite Part About Camp…” series. Some of the Education staff started their careers at HMNS as campers in Xplorations Summer Camps; some of us started as […]
