Illustrated Lecture with Erin Chapman, New Media Specialist at the American Museum of Natural History
Time: Tuesday, August 26th
Date: 8pm
Admission: $8 ( Tickets here )

Giant squid tentacles… Comet dust… An Egyptian lizard mummy… Plot elements in a Lovecraftian tale of horror? Even better—they’re all specimens in the research collection at the American Museum of Natural History. Erin Chapman, New Media Specialist at the Museum, has been reconnoitering behind the scenes to unearth fascinating tales from history, science, and the history of science. In this talk we’ll examine how scientific collections evolved, introduce some of the compelling personalities behind their creation (aristocracy! insanity! blackmail!), and discuss the colossal importance of collections in contemporary scientific research.

Erin Chapman is the New Media Specialist at the American Museum of Natural History. Her current project is an in-depth exploration of the Museum’s collections—the basement halls, attic rooms, and storage spaces housing everything from hippo skulls to termite nests—for an upcoming digital series. In a former life, she was a journalist and Emmy-nominated producer at PBS, focused largely on science and the environment. When not bothering collection managers for another look at the coelacanth, Erin is also the co-creator and editor of The American Guide, a revival of the Depression-era travel series from the Federal Writers Project.