For the first time, the wildly popular Lightning Talks is open to the public!  

The goal of the lightning-fast format is to allow a diverse group of speakers to introduce their research to the museum community. During this round, all are invited to get an inside look at the latest discoveries.  We will have two sessions, each with four talks followed by time for discussion, including questions from the audience. 

Part 1: 10:15 - 11:00

W. John Kress, Botany
Heliconias and their hummingbird pollinators:Coevolved partners with remarkable behaviors

Sabrina Sholts, Anthropology
Toxicological analyses of the mammalian skeleton: Environment, chemicals and health

Casey Dillman, Vertebrate Zoology
Nuclear DNA perspectives on sturgeon phylogeny:Problems and prospects

Fred A. Davis, Mineral Sciences
Volcanic islands: Windows into the deep Earth

Discussion follows Part 1 program

Part 2: 11:10- 12:00 

Nancy Knowlton, Invertebrate Zoology
Is there any room for #OceanOptimism when it comes to the Anthropocene?

Jae-Cheon Sohn, Entomology/Paleobiology
Evolutionary consequences of changes in larval feedinghabits within Lepidoptera (butterflies & moths)

Briana Pobiner, Anthropology
The ecology of early human scavenging

Carla Dove, Vertebrate Zoology
Feather Identification: When birds collide

Discussion follows Part 2 program

Presented by the National Museum of Natural History's Senate of Scientists and offered as part of the Museum's Anthropocene: Life in the Age of Humans series.