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Thursday August 11, 2016

E-Comet Newsletter

In This Issue. . .

In the News
5 Things Worth Sharing
Mark Your Calendars – Next 2 Weeks at MMA
Reminders
Follow Us on Social Media & the "Maria Mitchell's Attic" Blog
New Members

In the News

Women in Physics

There are more women in the sciences than ever before. However, persistent biases continue to affect the number of female physicians, Nature: The International Weekly Journal of Science addresses the hurdles that women pursuing a career in science often face.

Read the full article here.

Perseid Meteor Shower

Be on the lookout for the Perseid Meteor Shower peaking on August 11th and 12th. If you haven't already been to Loines Observatory this summer, come look for the shooting stars with our astronomers this Friday at Open Night!

Read more about the shower here.

African Tribesman Communicates with Birds to Find Honey

S cientists have determined that humans and their honeyguides communicate with each other through an extraordinary exchange of sounds and gestures, which are used only for honey hunting and serve to convey enthusiasm, trustworthiness, and a commitment to the dangerous business of separating bees from their hives.

Read the full article here.

5 Things Worth Sharing

1. Maria Mitchell Inspiring Young Scientists

Skylar Kardell, a young ornithologist on Nantucket, talks about his passion for science and how the Maria Mitchell Association helped garner his love for learning by doing.

Watch the full interview on GenoTV.

2. Astronaut at The Dreamland Theatre

The Maria Mitchell Association,

N-Magazine, and the Dreamland Theater will be co-sponsoring NASA Astronaut Andrew Feustel on Friday, August 12th at 6:30 PM. Astronaut Feustel will present a family-friendly multimedia presentation about his experience as an astronaut.

Tickets are available here.

3. Sailors' Valentines and Serpent Stories

Interested in the history of sailors and whalers on Nantucket? At this program we will learn some of the myths and yarns that the sailors spun aboard their ships, discuss whaling, and learn about the Mitchell family’s role in whaling all while creating our own scrimshaw and sailors' valentines.

4. Early-Bird Bird Walks

Our Maria Mitchell Field Ornithologist, Ginger Andrews leads birding excursions every Tuesday and Friday to the best birding spots on the island. On Tuesdays, we hold field expeditions and on Fridays we visit the best birding spots in downtown Nantucket.

5. Night Marine Ecology

Have you ever been curious about what marine creatures come out at night? Nantucket Harbor teems with marine life at night that is not visible in the day. Join our Aquarium staff to learn about the fish, squid, crabs, and more that come out to feed at night in the shallow water.

Mark Your Calendars: Next 2 Weeks at MMA

Summer Programs and Events

Aug 15th

Aug 16th

Aug 17th

Aug 18th

Aug 19th

Aug 20th

Aug 22nd

Aug 23rd

Aug 24th

Aug 25th

Aug 26th

Feeding Frenzy, Carnivorous Critters, Beach Discovery, Open Night

Early-Bird Bird Walk, Feeding Frenzy, Sailors' Valentines and Serpent Stories, Meet the Animals, Family Snorkeling with Digital Photography

Feeding Frenzy, Carnivorous Critters, Marine Ecology, Night Marine Ecology, Science Speaker Series, Open Night

Feeding Frenzy, Keep the Lights, Marine Ecology, Museum Activity, Robot Explorers, Stars & Senses Night Hike

Early-Bird Bird Walk, Feeding Frenzy, Carnivorous Critters, Marine Ecology, Open Night

Feeding Frenzy, Meet the Animals

Feeding Frenzy, Carnivorous Critters, Beach Discovery, Open Night

Early-Bird Bird Walk, Feeding Frenzy

Feeding Frenzy, Carnivorous Critters, Marine Ecology, Night Insect, Science Speaker Series, Open Night

Feeding Frenzy, Marine Ecology

Early-Bird Bird Walk, Feeding Frenzy, Carnivorous Critters, Marine Ecology, Open Night

2016 Science Speaker Series

All Presentations take place at 33 Washington Street

7:00 PM

Free for Members, $10 for Non-Member s

T hank you to Our Sponsors:

Dr. Regina Jorgenson

Wednesday, August 24

“Revealing the Mysteries of Galaxy Formation and Evolution”

Dr. Jorgenson will discuss her research using the largest optical telescopes in the world to find and study the first galaxies to form in the early Universe. These “baby galaxies” contain the bulk of hydrogen gas across cosmic time and are likely to be the progenitors of large spiral galaxies like our own Milky Way Galaxy.

Dr. Mario Motta

Tuesday, August 30

“Human and Environmental Effects of Light at Night”

All of humanity is awed by the spectacular night sky, but with ever increasing outdoor lighting, few in the world see the sky anymore in all its splendor. This has led to a movement to limit and control excessive outdoor lighting. In 2008, the WHO declared melatonin suppression from night lighting a cancer risk. Dr. Motta will explain the effects of light pollution and will describe best practices for the change over to efficient LED lighting.

Seth Engelbourg

Wednesday, August 31

“What’s All the Buzz: Using Drones for Environmental Conservation”

This presentation will analyze the scientific applications of using unmanned aircraft systems (often referred to as drones or UAS) for environmental conservation purposes.

Full Science Speaker Series schedule here.

Reminder

Starlight Express Schedule

Take a Ride on "The Starlight Express"

Have you always wanted to come to an Open Night, but didn't know how to get there? Well, now there is an easy way!

Thanks to The Community Foundation for Nantucket's ReMain Nantucket Fund, the Maria Mitchell Association will be operating a FREE shuttle on Friday nights from downtown Nantucket to Loines Observatory beginning June 17th.

Be Our Friend, Follower, or Fan

A Day at Camp

We like to capture what our counselors and campers are doing throughout their camp day and share them on social media! Look for #SummerCamp on our Instagram and Facebook