Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History: Behind the Scenes

About the Museum

Seedpods of Abarema jupunba, family Fabaceae. Photo by Terry Henkel

Podcast Archive

Documenting Neotropical Biodiversity through Multidisciplinary Fieldwork

Roy McDiarmid talks about the excitement of remote fieldwork in tropics and explains the benefits of multidisciplinary expeditions.

Researching Chiroptera

Don Wilson talks about the challenges of catching bats in the wild and about observing bats with sophisticated technology.

Oceanic Petrology and Geology

Bill Melson talks about his research on the origin of ocean basins and risky rock collecting on remote islands, and explains the importance of Smithsonian rock collections.

Helen James and Storrs Olson discuss the discovery of extinct birds, Helen James talks about the sweat, dirt and excitement of fieldwork, and Storrs Olson tells the story of one rewarding fieldwork experience.

Entomological Collections, Research, and Fieldwork

Terry Erwin explains the importance of collections in directing research, talks about ground beetle research in tropical treetops, and discusses the impact of an oil company flare on rainforest insects.

Vicki Funk talks about her collection and research of high-elevation sunflowers and her expedition to Table Top Mountain in Venezuela. <span style="font-size:85%;color:#777777;">[Note: Table Top Mountain is in Venezuela and not in Peru as stated in the interview.]</span>

Botanical Collections, Research, and Fieldwork 1

Vicki Funk talks about her collection and research of high-elevation sunflowers and her expedition to Table Top Mountain in Venezuela. [Note: Table Top Mountain is in Venezuela and not in Peru as stated in the interview.]