Earth Day 2022 Webinars
Earth Day 2022
Celebrating Women in Science Tracking Species
This Earth Day, join the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute and the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center for a three-part virtual program series all about tracking animals! This series, called "Women on the Move: Technology and Animal Tracking," highlights the stories of women in science who save species by using technology to track animals across sea, sky and land.
Designed for grades 3-8 but open to all. All programs include ASL interpretation and live captioning in English and Spanish.
This project received support from the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative.
Format
Programs are free but require registration. All three programs are hosted live via Zoom webinar and are 45 minutes long with an additional 15 minutes for student Q&A. Participants are not visible to the speaker and moderators but are encouraged to engage by answering polls, reacting with emojis and submitting questions in writing through a Q&A.
Virtual Programs
![Saving coral such as Elkhorn coral from extinction will buffer shorelines, helping protect people and their homes from the kinds of damaging storms that have been increasing in intensity in recent years. (Photo by Roshan Patel, Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute) An aerial shot of a curving shoreline in Curacao with clear blue water and a grassy and sandy landscape](/sites/default/files/styles/max_1300x1300/public/newsroom/dji_0010.jpg?itok=3ElVRFPQ)
Animal Tracking Part 1: Fish and Whales
April 18 at 1 p.m. ET
Meet Kim Richie and Sarah Mallette, researchers with the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. Learn how they track animals in water — from herring to whales.
Grades: 3-8
Standards: Supports NGSS 3-LS4-4, 3-5-ETS1-1, 3-5-ETS1-2, 3-5-ETS1-3, 4-LS1-1, 4-LS1-2, 5-ESS2-1, 5-ESS3-1, MS-LS2-2, MS-LS2-4, MS-ESS3-3, MS-ESS3-4, MS-ETS1-1, MS-ETS1-2, MS-ETS1-3, MS-ETS1-4
![The first brown pelican capture, ready to receive a GPS tag and share its migration secrets! A scientist standing on a grassy island holding a brown pelican under her arm. Birds fly in the background.](/sites/default/files/styles/max_1300x1300/public/newsroom/scientist-pelican-banding.jpg?itok=IU-x3L8c)
Animal Tracking Part 2: Birds
April 20 at 1 p.m. ET
Meet Autumn-Lynn Harrison, Ph.D., scientist at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. Learn how she studies bird migration using various devices to track shorebirds and sea birds.
Grades: 3-8
Standards: Supports NGSS 3-LS4-4, 4-LS1-1, 5-ESS3-1, 3-5-ETS1-1, 3-5-ETS1-2, MS-LS2-2
![A scimitar-horned oryx wearing a tracking collar](/sites/default/files/styles/max_1300x1300/public/20151031-1054dr.jpg?itok=4idBOpOs)
Animal Tracking Part 3: Land Mammals
April 22 at 1 p.m. ET
Meet Melissa Songer, Ph.D., conservation biologist at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. Learn how she uses tracking information to help scimitar-horned oryx, elephants and more!
Grades: 3-8
Standards: Supports NGSS 3-LS4-4, 5-ESS3-1, 3-5-ETS1-1, 3-5-ETS1-2, MS-LS2-2, MS-ESS3-4
Supplemental Resources
Meet the Scientists
![two blue fish silhouettes](/sites/default/files/styles/max_1300x1300/public/illustration-fish.jpg?itok=SHs-OP1A)
![yellow pelican silhouette](/sites/default/files/styles/max_1300x1300/public/illustration-pelican.jpg?itok=SxmtPdgG)
![Red oryx silhouette](/sites/default/files/styles/max_1300x1300/public/illustration-oryx.jpg?itok=hsaYH6HP)
Meet the Scientists!
Meet Mel and Katherine, scientists who track oryx, elephants and more!
Archive
Learn how scientists at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center use technology to track aquatic animals like fish and whales.
Original Air Date: April 18, 2022
Learn how scientists at the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute use technology to track migratory shorebirds and seabirds.
Original Air Date: April 20, 2022
Learn how scientists at the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute use technology to track land mammals like oryx and elephants.
Original Air Date: April 22, 2022