Live Presentation

Guest Research Presentation

Visiting scientists from laboratories and universities across the country present updates on their latest areas of research and experimentation. Get a chance to meet these researchers in person and ask them your questions.

Guests include biologists, engineers, astronomers, meteorologists, and more!

Check frequently for upcoming presentations.

BioSuit – The Future of Spacewear

Gordon Current Science & Technology Center Stage, Blue Wing, Level 1

Friday July 19; 11:00 am

Modern spacesuits are bulky and can severely restrict an astronaut’s mobility. MIT’s Dava Newman and her lab have come up with a solution – a skin-tight pressure suit that is stronger, safer, and allows far more freedom of movement.

Engineering a Lunar Landing

Gordon Current Science & Technology Center Stage, Blue Wing, Level 1

Friday July 19; 12:30 pm

Take a look inside the moon landings with Apollo engineer Don Eyles, author of Sunburst and Luminary: An Apollo Memoir, and hear a first-hand account of the technology development that allowed humans to safely land on another world.

How Did We Get a Moon?

Gordon Current Science & Technology Center Stage, Blue Wing, Level 1

Friday July 19; 2:30 pm

The Moon features in the stories we tell, helps us keep track of time, and makes going to the beach fun, but how did it get there? Columbia University graduate student Moiya McTier explores the deep origins of the moon by looking at its beginnings billions of years ago. I’ll give you a hint: it started with a bang!

The Collaborative Engineer

Gordon Current Science & Technology Center Stage, Blue Wing, Level 1

Saturday July 20; 11:00 am

Hear all about the spacecraft systems developed for the Apollo landers from an engineer who helped design them. Bruce McCoy will talk about how a massive collaboration was required among hundreds of engineers to write the guidance program and train the astronauts to use it.

Food Science and Technology for Extended Space Missions

Gordon Current Science & Technology Center Stage, Blue Wing, Level 1

Saturday July 20; 2:30 pm

Feeding astronauts on long space journeys is a major challenge, as space food must meet many requirements such as being compact and long-lasting. Join Michelle Richardson, Senior Food Technologist at the US Army Natick Soldier Systems Center, to find out how food for long-duration missions is being developed right here in Massachusetts.

Archaeology from Space

Gordon Current Science & Technology Center Stage, Blue Wing, Level 1

Tuesday July 23; 12:30 pm

Anthropologist Sarah Parcak form the University of Alabama at Birmingham has identified previously unknown archeological dig sites on four continents. Hear all about how using satellites to enhance the field of anthropology has helped us to preserve the world’s ancient treasures.

Axolotls: Limb-Regenerating Super Amphibians!

Gordon Current Science & Technology Center Stage, Blue Wing, Level 1

Saturday August 3; 11:00 am

Axolotls are small amphibious salamanders that possess the amazing capability to fully regenerate lost body parts such as limbs. Fallon Durant from Harvard University’s Whited Lab will share the latest research into understanding the axolotl’s superpowers and how they might one day be applied to human medicine.

The Caterpillar Lab – Looking Deeper into the Whole Story of Lepidopteran Lives

Gordon Current Science & Technology Center Stage, Blue Wing, Level 1

Saturday August 17; 11:00 am

Through an image and video rich slideshow, explore surprising stories of metamorphosis, mutualism, and parasitism with director of The Caterpillar Lab, Samuel Jaffe. This talk will act as a great supplement to The Caterpillar Lab's concurrently running live caterpillar exploration exhibit.

Butterfly Biology 101

Gordon Current Science & Technology Center Stage, Blue Wing, Level 1

Saturday August 17; 2:30 pm

The biology and diversity of moths and butterflies is a fascinating area of study. Dr. Sean Mullen, Associate Professor of Biology at Boston University, will discuss butterfly life cycles, morphology, and lineages of butterfly families.

An Unusual Butterfly Journey

Gordon Current Science & Technology Center Stage, Blue Wing, Level 1

Sunday August 18; 11:00 am

Dr. Loree Griffin Burns is the author of six award-winning science books for children. Handle with Care: An Unusual Butterfly Journey, set right here in Boston's Museum of Science, invites readers into the surprising early lives of the tropical insects in our Butterfly Garden.

The Coolness of Silk Moth Cocoon Spinning Behavior

Gordon Current Science & Technology Center Stage, Blue Wing, Level 1

Sunday August 18; 2:30 pm

The caterpillar of the cecropia moth uses an innate behavioral program to build an architecturally complex, silken cocoon. Dr. Steve Reppert, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Neurobiology at UMass Medical School, will explore how cocoons serve as important overwintering housing for the pupal stage of the silk moth life cycle.