Event Calendar

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April 2025

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Chesapeake Water Watch Hydrocolor Training at ShoreRivers
Participatory Science
Workshop

Chesapeake Water Watch Hydrocolor Training at ShoreRivers

Join us for an in-person water quality monitoring training!

Wednesday, April 2, 2025 - 6:00pm
Event Location
114 S Washington St Suite 301, Easton, MD 21601

Join us to learn how to use the free smart phone app Hydrocolor to collect water quality data with the Chesapeake Water Watch!

The data you collect will not only help monitor the Chesapeake Bay, but also calibrate NASA remote sensing satellites for a future of better water quality monitoring. 

Let us know you're coming! Register Here.
View Event Details
6:00pm
 
 
 
 
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America 250: The Road to Independence Lecture Series
Talk

America 250: The Road to Independence Lecture Series

Free monthly lecture series at the Woodlawn History Center

Saturday, February 1, 2025 - 2:00pm - 3:00pm Saturday, March 1, 2025 - 2:00pm - 3:00pm Saturday, April 12, 2025 - 2:00pm - 3:00pm Saturday, May 3, 2025 - 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Event Location
Woodlawn History Center (647 Contees Wharf Road, Edgewater, Maryland 21037)

Join us for one or all free talks in this series! In anticipation of America's 250th anniversary, we invite you to join us for talks that examine our country's road to revolution and then independence. Presentations will be hosted by the Environmental Archaeology Lab and take place in person at SERC's 1735 Woodlawn History Center. Come for the talk and stay for the exhibits in this historic home. 

Register
View Event Details
2:00pm - 3:00pm
 
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Chesapeake Water Watch: Satellites & Samples
Participatory Science

Chesapeake Water Watch: Satellites & Samples

Join us for a special day of water quality data collection!

Monday, April 14, 2025 - 9:00am - 3:00pm
Event Location
There are 4 collection hubs (listed in the event details)

Attention outdoor enthusiasts and volunteer scientists! We need your help to get as many water samples from the Chesapeake Bay as possible on Monday, April 14th.

There will be two high-resolution satellites, Landsat-9 and Sentinel-2a, gracing the skies above the Chesapeake Bay. We can use your water samples to improve the water quality monitoring algorithms for not one but two satellites. Your small act can still make a big impact in safeguarding our coastal ecosystems. Don't miss out on the fun!

View Event Details
9:00am - 3:00pm
 
Creating a Homegrown National Park® in Your Home or Community
Talk

Creating a Homegrown National Park® in Your Home or Community

Tuesday, April 15, 2025 - 7:00pm - 8:30pm

Speaker: Alison Milligan, Master Naturalist and Watershed Steward

Sign up on Zoom
View Event Details
7:00pm - 8:30pm
 
 
 
 
 
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Environmental Archaeology Dig Day
Participatory Science
Family Program

Environmental Archaeology Dig Day

Join us for a day of archaeological fun!

Saturday, April 26, 2025 - 9:30am - 3:00pm
Event Location
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, 647 Contees Wharf Road, Edgewater, MD 21037

Join us for a dig day with the Environmental Archaeology Lab! Help us look for evidence of a structure near the Java Ruins on our campus in Edgewater, Maryland. You'll have the chance to work together and with researchers to do a variety of tasks, including sieving sediment and washing/sorting artifacts.

Register
View Event Details
9:30am - 3:00pm
 
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Feb 1, 2025, Mar 1, 2025, Apr 12, 2025, May 3, 2025

  • America 250: The Road to Independence Lecture Series

    America 250: The Road to Independence Lecture Series

    Free monthly lecture series at the Woodlawn History Center

    Saturday, February 1, 2025 - 2:00pm - 3:00pm Saturday, March 1, 2025 - 2:00pm - 3:00pm Saturday, April 12, 2025 - 2:00pm - 3:00pm Saturday, May 3, 2025 - 2:00pm - 3:00pm
    Event Location
    Woodlawn History Center (647 Contees Wharf Road, Edgewater, Maryland 21037)
    Advance Registration Required
    No
    Register

    Event Details

    Join us for one or all free talks in this series! In anticipation of America's 250th anniversary, we invite you to join us for talks that examine our country's road to revolution and then independence. Presentations will be hosted by the Environmental Archaeology Lab and take place in person in SERC's 1735 Woodlawn History Center. Come for the talk and stay for the exhibits in this historic home. 

    This is a family-friendly event. Anyone 12 years and older is welcome to attend, whether you are passionate about archaeology or just looking to learn something new! We ask that all minors (anyone under the age of 18) be accompanied by an adult. 

    Registration is encouraged, but not required. By registering, you help us plan ahead of time.

    The space is set-up with 35 foldable chairs, benches, and some standing space as well. Register today on Signup Genius

    Topics:

    • January 4: Maryland on the Eve of the Seven Years' War
    • February 1: The French & Indian War (1754-1763)
    • March 1: The French & Indian War, Part 2
    • April 12: Parliament and Taxes (1764-1774)
    • May 3: Topic TBD
    2:00pm - 3:00pm

Apr 14, 2025

  • Chesapeake Water Watch: Satellites & Samples

    Chesapeake Water Watch: Satellites & Samples

    Join us for a special day of water quality data collection!

    Monday, April 14, 2025 - 9:00am - 3:00pm
    Event Location
    There are 4 collection hubs (listed in the event details)
    Advance Registration Required
    No

    Event Details

    Attention outdoor enthusiasts and volunteer scientists! We need your help to get as many water samples from the Chesapeake Bay as possible on Monday, April 14th.

    There will be two high-resolution satellites, Landsat-9 and Sentinel-2a, gracing the skies above the Chesapeake Bay. We can use your water samples to improve the water quality monitoring algorithms for not one but two satellites. 

    Here's how you can participate:

    1. Collect a water and/or HydroColor sample from the Bay or from any tidal river that flows into the Bay
    2. Fill out a quick datasheet
    3. Drop off your water sample and datasheet at a nearby collection hub

    Your small act can make a big impact in monitoring our coastal ecosystems. Don't miss out on the fun!

    Time

    The drop-off window varies by collection hub, so be sure to check where you would like to drop off your sample. 

    Samples must be dropped off at the collection hubs by the end time indicated to ensure we have enough time to transport and process the samples.

    What You'll Need

    An empty plastic water bottle

    A smartphone/device to record GPS coordinates

    CWW data sheet (or piece of paper to record data)

    Print

    A rubber band (or something similar) to attach datasheet to sample bottle

    Collection Hubs

    *Check Collection Hub Details Before Dropping Off Your Sample *

    Please note: During collection events, most "self-testing" sites become drop-off locations.

    Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

    Day-of contact: Ray Terracina (TerracinaR@si.edu).

    647 Contees Wharf Road,
    Edgewater, MD 21037

    Drop-off window: 8AM - 3PM

    Press red button above cooler to notify of drop-off.

    Map

    Anne Arundel Community College

    Day-of contact: Tammy Domanski (tldomanski@aacc.edu)

    101 College Parkway,
    Arnold, MD 21012

    (443) 994-9236

    Drop-off window: 9AM - 3PM

    Scan QR code to notify drop-off.

    Map

    Marshy Point Nature Center

    Day-of contact: Ray Terracina (TerracinaR@si.edu)

    7130 Marshy Point Rd,
    Middle River, MD 21220

    Drop-off window: 9AM - 4:30PM

    Enter the classroom on the left, walk to the back corner with cabinets to find the CWW machines and protocol binder. If you need to fill out a datasheet, you can find them in the binder. Rubberband your datasheet to the binder and place sample in the cabinet. 

    Map

    The Ryan Resilience Lab

    Day-of contact: Ray Terracina (TerracinaR@si.edu)

    4610 Colley Ave.  

    Norfolk, VA, 23508

    Drop-off window: 9AM - 4PM

    * Cooler will be near the front door. Scan QR code to notify drop-off.

     

    How To

    Water Sampling Protocol
    Click on the image to view the PDF version

    CWW Virtual Training: Collecting a Water Sample

    For drop-off locations that are not at SERC, you may stop the video at 1:44.

    Get GPS Coordinates on Google Maps and Apple Maps

    This is very important! Accurate GPS points are required for successful data analysis. No GPS location = We can’t use the data!

    Google Maps app icon

    Google Maps

    Android

    1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google Maps app Maps.
    2. Touch and hold an area of the map that isn’t labeled to drop a red pin.
    3. In the search box, you can find the coordinates.

    iPhone or iPad

    1. On your iPhone or iPad, open the Google Maps app Maps.
    2. Touch and hold an area of the map that isn’t labeled to drop a red pin.
    3. At the bottom, tap Dropped pin to find the coordinates.
    Apple Maps app icon

    Apple Maps

    Get GPS Coordinates in Maps on iPhone and iPad

    Open Maps on your iPhone or iPad and then follow these steps to get your current location’s GPS coordinates.

    1. Tap the current location button on the top right.
    2. When the blue circle for your spot appears on the map, tap it.
    3. Swipe up from the bottom to view full details for your location and you’ll see the Latitude and Longitude.
    get-gps-coordinates-in-maps-on-iphone-and-ipad.png
    Credit: AppleToolBox

    Not sure where to go?

    Find a public dock to collect a sample near you!

    Collection Tips

    • Your safety is our #1 priority. If weather does not permit for collection, that’s okay! We will have more events and ways to get involved in the future.
    • Be sure to write clearly on your data sheet! We need to be able to match up the water sample to the data on your datasheet. Without both, we won’t be able to use your sample!
    • Try to take a water sample as far from the shore as possible. If it’s too close to shore, wave action may contaminate the sample and not give us an accurate representation of the overall body of water.
    • Transport your water sample in a cooler or thick bag. Some of the measurements we get from water samples can be affected by heat and light. 
    FAQs

    The Satellites

    Landsat-9 OLI

    Sentinel 2A MSI
    9:00am - 3:00pm

Apr 15, 2025

  • Creating a Homegrown National Park® in Your Home or Community

    Creating a Homegrown National Park® in Your Home or Community

    Tuesday, April 15, 2025 - 7:00pm - 8:30pm
    Advance Registration Required
    Yes
    Sign up on Zoom

    Event Details

    Alison Milligan, a woman with light brown hair in a white shirt, crouches in a rocky, ankle-deep river.
    Alison Milligan (Credit: Michael Milligan)

    Interested in creating a Homegrown National Park? Not sure why it matters, how to begin…or what a “Homegrown National Park” even is? On April 15, Master Naturalist and Watershed Steward Alison Milligan will explain how this grassroots movement is bringing the life-preserving powers of national parks to communities across the country. She’ll outline how they can solve common landscaping problems while protecting the watershed, restoring biodiversity and adding value to your home. Using plants native to the Mid-Atlantic, she’ll walk through multiple before-and-after examples that illustrate the beauty of native flora and fauna. Part of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center’s 60th anniversary webinar series.

    This event will be hosted entirely online, and it will be recorded! Closed captions will be available at the live event and on the recording. By signing up on Zoom, you'll be able to watch live and receive a link to the recording a few days after the event.

    Sign up on Zoom to watch live or on demand

    See past and upcoming science talks
    7:00pm - 8:30pm

Apr 26, 2025

  • Environmental Archaeology Dig Day

    Environmental Archaeology Dig Day

    Join us for a day of archaeological fun!

    Saturday, April 26, 2025 - 9:30am - 3:00pm
    Event Location
    Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, 647 Contees Wharf Road, Edgewater, MD 21037
    Advance Registration Required
    Yes
    Register

    Event Details

    A group of people under pop-up tents against a backdrop of fields and forest shovel dirt into buckets and look through it using raised screens.

     

    Who can participate? 

    This is a family-friendly event and we welcome volunteers age 14+.

    • All volunteers under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a participating adult.  
    • Volunteers younger than 14 may be accepted on a case-by-case basis.
    • All volunteers' names must be included in the sign up.

    What to expect? 

    No prior experience or training required! All training and materials will be provided at the start of the event. There are two sessions (a morning and afternoon), and we welcome to you stay as long as you would like. There is no pressure to stay for your whole time slot. 

    The general activities depend on the weather. The dig day will be happening rain or shine, but we will keep an eye on the conditions and change activities accordingly if the weather does not look safe for outside activities. Regardless, close-toed shoes are required and we encourage you to dress comfortably, in layers that can get dirty.

    • If we are at the dig site, the terrain is uneven and activities include digging, sieving sediment, brushing or scraping the soil.
    • If we are inside, activities include a tour of the Woodlawn History Center and then washing/sorting/cataloging artifacts. 

    Bathrooms: 

    • If we are at the dig site by the Java Ruins, there are two solar-powered porta potties that can be accessed down a relatively steep grassy hill.
    • If we are inside, there are single-, gender-neutral options as well as multi-stall options that are both wheel-chair accessible. 

    Important notes

    • Specific directions and additional details will be sent via email two days before the date to those who sign-up.  

    • If you have any questions or access needs, please contact Rachael Mady (MadyR@si.edu), who is the SERC Participatory Science Coordinator. 
    9:30am - 3:00pm

Event Types

Participatory Science
Talk
Tour
Workshop
Family Program