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Inside Science, Smithsonian Associates Science Literacy

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Expand your knowledge and understanding of science in all its forms!

About Inside Science

Inside Science is an ongoing series of expert-led programming. It is also a community of like-minded participants who have the opportunity to participate in a lively online learning exchange.

Whether you're a science fan or curious about the world around you, Inside Science offers a valuable and rewarding way to better understand science in the context of our lives.

What is "science literacy"?

According to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, science literacy is the “understanding of scientific processes and practices, familiarity with how science and scientists work, a capacity to weigh and evaluate the products of science, and an ability to engage in civic decisions about the value of science.”

We believe that everyone has the capacity to be a “science person,” and that when empowered with information, individuals can feel comfortable with scientific concepts and apply their knowledge to the world around them. Smithsonian Associates programs offer opportunities to expand and deepen your scientific literacy.


Topic Areas & Programs

There are ten science topic areas of interest for you to use as a guideline with Inside Science programming. These categories will assist you in viewing upcoming programs.

All upcoming programs

Programs 1 to 10 of 14
Thursday, February 20, 2025 - 6:45 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET

We are fascinated with Mars, our neighbor in space so like Earth in some ways, and so utterly different in others. Two of NASA’s robotic rovers continue their decade-long quest for evidence that Mars was once much warmer, wetter, and more hospitable to life than it is today. J. Kelly Beatty, senior editor for Sky & Telescope magazine, leads an examination of the Red Planet from afar and up close, offering the latest updates on our current and future exploration of Mars and delving into the real odds of finding life there.


Monday, March 3, 2025 - 6:45 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. ET

What do people living near or in several towns in California, Greece, Japan, Costa Rica, and Sardinia have in common? The people who reside in these “Blue Zones” live longer than the average person. Find out what you can do to better align your lifestyle with those of Blue Zone inhabitants without having to relocate. John Whyte, WebMD’s chief medical officer, shares practical tips for longer lives—in your zone and beyond.


Thursday, March 6, 2025 - 6:45 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. ET

What do an annoying house fly, the nearly endangered Mexican long-tongued bat, and a poop-eating butterfly have in common? Each creature, respectively, is the reason we can enjoy a bite of chocolate, a nip of a tequila, or the calming scent of lavender. Naturalist and educator Liana Vitali of Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary in Maryland offers an entertaining glimpse into the lives of pollinating winged marvels—and how our lives depend largely on their unique and wild ways.


Wednesday, March 12, 2025 - 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. ET

Join naturalist Keith Tomlinson on a virtual Great Western adventure that extends from the Badlands of South Dakota to the mighty heights of Yellowstone National Park. He highlights geology, wildlife, biogeography, conservation initiatives, native peoples, and recreational opportunities along the way.


Friday, March 21, 2025 - 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET

The icy continent of Antarctica has a fiery volcanic past—and some volcanoes there remain active. Volcanologist Samuel Mitchell highlights them and their effects. Go back in time with Mitchell to see how volcanic and magmatic activity shaped the continent and how tectonic plate movement doomed Antarctica to its frozen fate for millions of years.


Friday, April 4, 2025 - 12:00 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. ET

The human brain is constantly working to maintain balance, adapting to life’s turbulence in ways that shape our mental health. But what happens when this balance falters? Neuroscientist Camilla Nord delves into the science of mental health, exploring how our brains strive for equilibrium and how approaches as varied as placebos, recreational drugs, and talk therapy work to restore balance and resilience, as well as how the brain and body interact to foster both physical and mental well-being.


Monday, April 7, 2025 - 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. ET

Explore spectacular scenery and a geologic overview of Iceland in a virtual field trip led by volcanologist Kirt Kempter. Geologic highlights include the boundary between North American and Eurasian plates; unusual volcanoes that form beneath vast glaciers; famous volcanic eruptions including those of the small island of Heimaey in 1973 and ice-capped Eyjafjallajökull in 2010; and older historic eruptions that impacted global climate and human populations.


Thursday, April 10, 2025 - 6:45 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET

Every day the average person draws in 2,000 gallons of air—and with it, thousands of living things. The bacteria, fungi, algae, and other organisms that inhabit the air constitute an invisible ecosystem known as the aerobiome, one of the last great frontiers of science. New York Times columnist and author Carl Zimmer draws on his new book, Air-Borne, to explore how the aerobiome is an essential part of a living world—a highway through the sky for many species—of which we become a part with every breath we take.


Wednesday, April 16, 2025 - 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET

What do the music of J.S. Bach, the fundamental forces of nature, Rubik’s Cube, and the selection of mates have in common? They are all characterized by certain symmetries— the concept that bridges science and art. Astrophysicist and author Mario Livio explains how symmetry underlies not only some of the most important phenomena in our lives and in the evolution of humans, but also the laws governing our universe.


Friday, April 18, 2025 - 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET

The 2,650-acre campus of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) in Edgewater, Maryland, encompasses a mix of forests, farmland, wetlands, and shoreline and is home to some of the world’s most enduring environmental research projects. Spend the day with SERC’s expert staff as you explore this environmental research hub and learn about its cutting-edge ecological studies.


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