Holiday hours: Thanksgiving 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Dec. 25 closed. Note, all guests are required to have a timed ticket for entry into the Museum. A separate, timed ticket is also required for all guests for: temporary exhibitions, Discovery Zone (free), and Space Odyssey (free).
Christian Cooper. John Muir. George Floyd. What does race have to do with it? In the compelling book "Black Faces, White Spaces", Carolyn Finney explores why African Americans are so underrepresented when it comes to interest in nature, outdoor recreation, and environmentalism. Finney argues that the legacies of slavery, Jim Crow, and racial violence have shaped cultural understandings of the “great outdoors” and determined who should and can have access to natural spaces. As a National Parks Advisory Board member from 2010 to 2018 and a scholar-in-residence at the Franklin Environmental Center at Middlebury College, Finney is at the forefront of a movement to understand how people negotiate their relationship to the environment. During this evening of impactful discussion, Finney will address how art, science, and popular culture create frameworks for engagement among individuals, communities, and organizations to nurture healthy relationships between humans and the environment.
This program is presented in partnership with Bird Conservancy of the Rockies with promotional support from Denver Audubon and Audubon Rockies.
How do you imagine the future? With a science educator and writer, Assétou Xango, as your guide, travel through your imagination to the unknown. Using the Fantasy Spaceship in the Museum's "Space Odyssey" exhibition as a virtual backdrop, explore science, fiction, and science fiction! Get the tools to start a short story and some fun writing exercises.
Assétou Xango was born and raised in Colorado. A poet and community activist, they have been performing poetry since 2009 and was featured on HBO's Brave New Voices in 2010. In 2017, they were featured in Westword's top 100 Creatives. Xango coaches workshops, is a two-time TEDxMileHigh Speaker and is the poet laureate of Aurora, Colorado.
Presented in partnership with Lighthouse Writer's Workshop Story Fest. Story Fest is a community festival with a focus on storytelling through literature, music, film, dance, visual, and performing arts.
Donations are appreciated and will be split between the Museum and Lighthouse Writer's Workshop.
Prepare for a trip to Himalayan glaciers, chilly fjords, and the frigid coast of Antarctica. Geologist Bob Raynolds and Ka Chun Yu, curator of space science, will guide you through landscapes defined by snow and ice, which are also increasingly affected by rising global temperatures. Image credit NASA.
In the short film “Run Red Walk” a red sheepdog’s search for his lost sheep takes him across the hills and hollows of the rez. After the film screening, award winning artist and filmmaker Melissa Henry, will discuss her motivation to create the film, the importance of language revitalization and positive role models. Henry will share stories about the process of working with her mom’s sheep-herding dogs, the challenges of filming an eye-level account of Red’s adventures, and some joyous moments screening the film for young students.
This program is presented in partnership with the International Institute for Indigenous Resource Management and the Denver American Indian Commission.
This event is part of the 17th Annual Indigenous Film & Arts Festival. For a complete Festival schedule, please visit www.iiirm.org.
Explore humanity’s relationship with nature and wildlife as scientists and conservationists from all over the world examine ways we can restore our planet. The three-part PBS series "The Age of Nature" documents the complex, interdependent connection between people and nature, and underscores that how we live with nature now will determine our future. Watch "The Age of Nature" before the event and then tune in for a live discussion with a panel of experts. Speakers include Bill Gardner, vice president of programming & development at PBS, Giulio Boccaletti, chief strategy officer & global ambassador of water at The Nature Conservancy, Taylor Hawes, Colorado River program director, and James Hagadorn, Tim & Kathryn Ryan curator of geology, Denver Museum of Nature & Science.
This program is presented in partnership with The Nature Conservancy Colorado and Rocky Mountain PBS.
View “The Last American Indian on Earth”, a performance art piece by Gregg Deal (Pyramid Lake Paiute), which documents what happens when an unsuspecting public is confronted with the flesh-and-blood version of a stereotype. This piece is a window into the funny, sarcastic, truthful, and even emotional journey of an artist using himself as an instrument of awareness. Artist and filmmaker Gregg Deal will discuss the film and his painting, “Defiant To Your Gods” currently on display at the Museum.
¡Reúne a tu familia para disfrutar de una divertida y fría ciencia invernal! Experimenta con hielo y aprende la sorprendente manera en que los animales se adaptan al clima frío.
Program Types: Watch Lunch with Educator and Performers
Ever wondered what DMNS' Educator/Performers talk about at lunch? We're sure you haven't, but you'll wish you had after you see the hilarity that ensues as staff gather for a virtual lunch.
Program Types: Watch Lunch with Educator and Performers
Ever wondered what DMNS' Educator Performers talk about at lunch? We're sure you haven't, but you'll wish you had after you see the hilarity that ensues as staff gather for a virtual lunch.
Program Types: Watch Lunch with Educator and Performers
Ever wondered what DMNS' Educator Performers talk about at lunch? We're sure you haven't, but you'll wish you had after you see the hilarity that ensues as staff gather for a virtual lunch.
Program Types: Watch Lunch with Educator and Performers
Ever wonder what DMNS' educator performers talk about at lunch? We're sure you haven't, but you'll wish you had after you see the hilarity that ensues as staff gather for a virtual lunch and hysterical hypothetical animal match-ups!
Lunch with Educator Performers: Why are there actors in my museum?
Program Types: Watch Lunch with Educator and Performers
This discussion covers the Museum’s historical enactors program – our talented educator performers develop composite characters to bring science to life for guests. Will they be in character? Will anyone break character? Tune in and find out!
Betrayal, murder, and cannibalism. Get ready for a wild ride not for the faint of heart with DMNS Archaeologist Erin Baxter, and her take on the infamous Coloradian, Alferd Packer.
Senior Curator of Archaeology Steve Nash discusses the Museum's decade-long and ultimately successful effort to repatriate sacred grave posts of the Mijikenda tribes of Kenya.
See her real life tarantula, and listen as Dr. Paula Cushing talks about her research exploring the evolution, diversity, and behavior of arachnids in Colorado and beyond.
As we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, our collections staff share some images of objects in our collections along with stories of tragedy and hope that accompany them.
The fossil preparation lab at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science is currently closed, but our preparators are continuing to work on new scientific discoveries from their kitchen tables!
This presentation by Curator of Archaeology, Michele Koons, explores the politics and power of the Moche archaeological culture (250-900 AD) of the North Coast of Peru.
Join Senior Curator of Archaeology, Steve Nash, for a fantastic, colorful, whimsical summary of recent work on a documentary film on the artist and his work.
An international team of scientists led by David Krause, senior curator of vertebrate paleontology, have discovered a new fossil mammal, Adalatherium hui, from the island of Madagascar.
Curator of Geology, James Hagadorn, talks about new work focused on dating and deciphering 500 million year old rocks and fossils from the bottom of the Grand Canyon.
Dr. Joe Sertich talks about how new discoveries from the Denver Basin like the Thornton Torosaurus are helping us understand this bizarre group of dinosaurs.
Curator of Archaeology Erin Baxter, PhD, presents the art, history and archaeology of Colorado cemeteries. Baxter has a trove of local stories, headstone IDs, epitaph translations and tips for what to do if you find a tombstone in your backyard along with other practical knowledge for your next (recreational) cemetery visit.
Your treasures are all around you. Conservator Jude Southward shares simple steps you can take to help them last longer and some tricks she uses to care for the Museum’s collections.
Program Types: Watch Programs for Families Programs for Adults
An international team of scientists led by David Krause, senior curator of vertebrate paleontology, have discovered a new fossil mammal, Adalatherium hui, from the island of Madagascar.
No spaceship? No problem. From the comfort of your couch, space science educators Naomi, Mitch, and Jose will guide your family on a virtual adventure through the universe, starting with our home planet and voyaging into the solar system and beyond with the assistance of stunning scientific visualizations. Learn about our place in the universe, how we fit in the solar system, and the ways we are integrally connected to space!
The lecture is full of interesting twists, personal anecdotes and insights, big personalities, meanderings through familiar and unfamiliar content, and the kind of "we don't know's?" that set the imagination and curiosity spinning in new directions.
Jonathan Samet, MD, MS and Dean of the Colorado School for Public Health discusses solutions and challenges around slowing the spread of the disease, as well as insights gained from working closely with state officials on their public health guidance.
In part two of our ongoing COVID-19 webinar series, we’ll explore the science behind vaccine development and which medical avenues could prove most effective in quelling the coronavirus.
In the third part of our ongoing coronavirus webinar series, tune in for a discussion on Colorado’s approach to testing and how it fits into the state’s broader response.
Have you been watching your favorite sci-fi movies? Delve into the science behind popular sci-fi movies with Museum scientists and Vincent Piturro, professor of film and media studies at Metropolitan State University of Denver.
Last year, the headlines that 3 billion birds have disappeared from North America since 1970 shocked the world and captured our attention. Join avian conservation scientist, Arvind Panjabi, from Bird Conservancy of the Rockies for a live virtual presentation to discuss this groundbreaking research.
We’re teaming up with Denver’s beloved Buntport Theater for The Great Debate! A comedic debate between two opinionated amateurs. Who will you side with as they go head-to-head, toe-to-toe, in a not-so-scientific way, to finally put the great Pi(e) debate to rest? Vote your conscious because the stakes have never been more irregular or sweeter?! Grab your favorite beverage and Zoom in!
Donations are appreciated and will be split between Buntport Theater and the Museum.
Take a virtual trip to volcanic sites around the world with Ka Chun Yu, curator of space science, and Bob Raynolds, research associate. From ancient Pompeii to present day Yellowstone National Park, volcanoes have made their mark on people and landscapes. What dangers are seething just below the surface? Which volcano will erupt next? Learn the facts about this explosive geologic phenomenon!
Jonathan Samet, MD, MS and Dean of the Colorado School for Public Health discusses solutions and challenges around slowing the spread of the disease, as well as insights gained from working closely with state officials on their public health guidance.
In part two of our ongoing COVID-19 webinar series, we’ll explore the science behind vaccine development and which medical avenues could prove most effective in quelling the coronavirus.
In the third part of our ongoing coronavirus webinar series, tune in for a discussion on Colorado’s approach to testing and how it fits into the state’s broader response.
As the battle against COVID-19 unfolds each day in America’s hospitals, doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists and other caregivers are working tirelessly to diagnose, treat and improve patient outcomes. Their selfless efforts in the face of an unprecedented epidemic have earned commendation nationwide, and their stories from the front lines help us look beyond statistics to understand the true human impact of the disease.
Coloradans have increased their time spent at home since mid-March following statewide policy interventions implemented by Governor Polis and increased social distancing guidelines set by essential businesses. Using digital trace data, scientists have been able to study general patterns in population mobility during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results find noteworthy trends, including variation across different areas of the state, a voluntary reduction in movement even before Stay-at-Home orders took effect, and recent reversals in the overall amount of time spent in public.
Jude Bayham, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of Agricultural & Resource Economics at Colorado State University and the co-lead author of the recently published report, titled “Colorado Mobility Patterns During the COVID-19 Response.” Bayham will discuss the study’s key findings, including trends and patterns in how Coloradans are (or aren’t) spending time away from home as well as policy implications for coronavirus outcomes moving forward. He’ll also answer your questions during a moderated Q&A session.
This livestream event is presented by the Colorado School of Public Health, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and the Institute for Science & Policy.
Colorado’s research community has responded swiftly to the COVID-19 challenge, with new projects already underway on vaccine development, diagnostic tools, biomedical countermeasures, and food system impact mitigation. Historically, technological investment has aided our response against diseases before they emerge, in the midst of outbreaks, and during the lengthy global recovery. Many exciting avenues of study are happening in our Colorado backyard right now. But what does applied research really look like, and when might we see the impacts?
In this installment of our weekly COVID-19 webinar series, we’ll be joined by Alan Rudolph, Ph.D., vice president of research at Colorado State University. Dr. Rudolph will discuss the creative and innovative new ways that researchers are tackling this novel disease and draw upon his decades of experience in both biomedicine and global security to address how today’s infrastructure development can help build tomorrow’s more resilient societies. He’ll also answer your questions live during a moderated Q&A session.
The free webinar is a collaboration of the Colorado School of Public Health, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, and the Institute for Science & Policy.
As COVID-19 spread rapidly around the world, so too did myths, exaggerations, and outright falsehoods. The flood of misinformation was often powerful enough to shape public perception and policy decisions. But in the face of ever-evolving guidance from experts and wall-to-wall media saturation, how can the public sort fact from fiction? What makes a particular source reliable – or not?
Summer is typically the season of camping, grilling, and lounging by the pool, but some of our favorite warm weather activities could look and feel very different this year due to ongoing COVID-19 precautions. So what should Coloradans expect over the next few months? Is it safe to send kids to camp? Will I be able to go swimming?
Using the helpful questions and word bank, identify the different bones in the human skeleton! When you are complete, make it your own. You can color it, name it, add a background and then take a photo and have an adult post it online to #DMNS.
Investigate cause and effect. Observe object properties and characteristics of building materials, ramps, rollers, and sliders to discover that objects move differently depending on materials and shape.
Amanda, educator/performer at the Museum, shares some activity ideas that she has been using at home with her own kids. Learn how to save frozen superheroes, build cardboard skee ball, and teach literacy with materials you find in your backyard.
Astronauts train and maintain healthy lifestyles to be physically fit for space travel. Learn how to train like an astronaut and prepare for your first space expedition with this activity guide!
Grab your peppers and join Jenna in this fun dissection! Learn the scientific names for different parts of peppers, and use your senses to make observations. What color is the pepper? What does it smell like?
Our Education/Performers are taking you on a geography adventure around the globe! Alexander challenged Shelsea, Abid, and Monika to randomly select one country to learn about. See what they learned.
Age Range: Ages 10-17. In this activity related to ecology, ecosystems and populations, you will learn a fun way to estimate the number of pikas in a population using a method that scientists actually use. As a way of integrating math into your learning, you can also make calculations to test and see if the method really works.
Age Range: 10-17. In this activity related to ecology, ecosystems, predator-prey relationships, energy food chains, and populations, you will play a game to see how weasels control the size of the pika population and how pikas control the size of the weasel population. Using math, you'll also calculate how populations can change.
Age Range: 10-14. Tie Dyeing is a fun, creative art project you can do at home. This activity shows you how to do it. Can you predict what kind of pattern your tie dye will make? Try it out with the help of an adult and see if your predictions are correct!
Age range: 4-12. Design and build a bridge and understand how they work. Different types of bridges can serve different purposes depending on how they are built.
Program Types: Teach Teacher Professional Development
Grades: 5-12
Summer On-line Workshop, June 22-25 & 29-30 (9 a.m.–12 p.m.) Fall On-line Lesson Implementation September 7–October 18 Final Face-to-Face (at the Museum) October 17, 2020
Discover new ways to get all learners in your classroom excited about the “sense-making” part of their investigations, simulations and labs. During this on-line and face-to-face course, you will learn-by-doing practical strategies to enrich and motivate your students’ discourse, writing and reading. Have fun as you observe, practice, plan and implement research-based strategies that support all learners.
Program Types: Teach Teacher Professional Development
How can we use scientific argumentation as a way to continue building community and connection with our students in on-line learning environments during the time of COVID 19? What might Argumentation look like on-line?
Teachers! Grab your afternoon tea and log in for Tools @ Tea Time, an end-of-the day boost, with tips and resources from the Museum Teacher Professional Development Team and an opportunity to share strategies with other teachers about remote and hybrid learning.
Scientists in Action is a monthly broadcast series that connects learners everywhere with real scientists where they work, and is driven by audience Q&A. Each event is a live, two-way interactive webcast with multiple schools, organizations, homeschools, pods and families participating. Click below to learn more about our upcoming broadcasts, dates, and times!
Sixty-six million years ago, an enormous asteroid collided with our planet and brought the age of the dinosaurs to a dramatic end. But how Earth made a comeback after the impact has long been unknown to science ... until now! Join paleontologists from the Denver Museum of Nature & Science for a live virtual look at a groundbreaking new discovery made by the Museum.
As the curator of archaeology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Dr. Koons uses modern technology to study ancient places and peoples and unravel mysteries of the past.
Join the Education Collections team—who have the very cool job of caring for some of the artifacts and specimens—as they take you behind the scenes to explore why the collections are safely preserved and how these objects play a starring role in research, education, and museum magic.
Thursday, November 19, 2020 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m., and 1 p.m. All times are Mountain Time.
Did you know that every time you enjoy a meal of chicken, duck, or turkey, you are actually enjoying some delicious dinosaur? That’s right – every bird alive today, from ostrich to oriole, pigeon to penguin, are descendants of theropod dinosaurs like T. rex and Velociraptor. But how did this change occur? What clues do scientists look for? Find out on this virtual behind-the-scenes trip with Museum paleontologists and ornithologists as they explore evolution with fossils, natural history collections, and more. Your questions will guide our exploration and will ensure that you never think of Thanksgiving dinner the same way again!
Thursday, December 17, 2020 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m., and 1 p.m. All times are Mountain Time.
No spaceship? No problem. Space scientist Dr. Ka Chun Yu will be your students’ guide on a virtual adventure through space, starting with our home planet and voyaging into the solar system and beyond with the assistance of stunning scientific visualizations. Learn about our place in the universe, how we fit in the solar system, and how we are integrally connected to space! This is a fully interactive program where participants direct their questions to Dr. Yu and vote to guide our voyage through the universe.
Program Type: Virtual Science Academy Grades 1 - 8
Virtual Science Academy
Available for bookings now!
Blast off to new discoveries with this live program that merges space science and scientific illustration! Titan is Saturn's largest moon and one of the most fascinating places in our solar system. Students and teachers will learn how to capture their own Titan investigations using scientifically accurate illustrations, just as other great scientists have done throughout history. Materials will be provided.
Program Type: Virtual Science Academy Grades 3 - 8
Virtual Science Academy
Available for bookings now!
Get your students' pulse going with this live dissection experience. Your class will participate in interactive experiments and discussion, as well as guide the dissection of a real sheep heart.
Program Type: Virtual Science Academy Grades 2 - 5
Virtual Science Academy
Currently booking for the Fall 2020-2021 school year!
Science and art collide to bring the past to life! Your students will take a journey of discovery and creation as they use real fossil evidence to sculpt their very own dinosaurs. This fun class blends live virtual instruction from a Museum educator with mixed digital media, kinesthetic activities, and two-way interactivity. Students piece together clues that teach them about dinosaurs and show them how scientists and artists work together to understand the deep past. Sculpt-a-saurus introduces learners to scientific methodology as well as paleontology, fossilization, erosion, adaptation, and climate.
Program Type: Virtual Science Academy Grades 3 - 8
Virtual Science Academy
Currently booking for the Fall 2020-2021 school year!
Take your classes' breath away as they get to peer inside the respiratory system. Explore lung anatomy while observing a sheep lung dissection and participate in activities, then make observations to learn how the respiratory system works.
Program Type: Virtual Science Academy Grades 3 - 8
Virtual Science Academy
Currently booking for the Fall 2020-2021 school year!
Are your students hungry for new learning? Explore the cells and organs of our digestive system, a.k.a. your guts, from saliva to bile and rugae to villi. Learn how your guts work with other body systems to break down food to be used as building materials and to provide a raw energy source for all living cells in the body.
Program Type: Virtual Science Academy Grades 5 - 6
Virtual Science Academy
Currently booking for the Fall 2020-2021 school year!
Explore the physical, emotional and chemical changes to the human body during a sensitive, respectful, co-ed discussion led by a professional educator. Ask honest questions and get honest answers. This class is now only offered as a Distance Learning course.
Teachers! Grab your afternoon tea and log in for an end-of-the day boost, with tips and resources from the Museum Teacher Professional Development Team and an opportunity to share strategies with other teachers about remote and hybrid learning.
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