Tune in from near and far to learn about animals, conservation and careers along with educators at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.
Don’t miss the series UnZOOsual Careers, designed for grades 6-8, where students can meet staff with lesser-known or “unzoosual” careers in science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM). And new this year are our assembly programs, webinar-variations of our NGSS-aligned virtual school programs for grades K-5 that explore various habitats, animal adaptations, lifecycles and more!
Format
Webinars are free, and registration is requested but not required. Webinars are hosted live via Zoom and are approximately 45 minutes long with an additional 15 minutes for Q&A. Students will not be visible to the speaker and moderators, but they will be able to engage through polls and submit questions in writing through a Q&A.
Webinars will be live captioned. If you need any additional services, please contact nzp-education@si.edu.
Size
Webinars are open to individuals and groups of all sizes. To request a private webinar for your school or group, contact nzp-education@si.edu (special requests are not guaranteed). If you are seeking a private program for a class or group of 10-100 students, visit the school programs page for more information.
Upcoming Webinars
Check the virtual programs calendar for a complete list of upcoming webinars and other distance learning programs. Most webinars will be recorded and archived on this page for those who cannot attend the live programs.
UnZOOsual Careers
Dec. 3 at 1 p.m. ET
Meet Ashlie Baker whose unZOOsual career as park manager requires her to wear many hats to ensure a smooth and safe zoo operation. This program is free, live captioned and ASL interpreted.
Grades: 6-8
Suited for Survival
Dec. 8 at 1 p.m. ET
Learn how adaptations help animals thrive. From camouflaging sand cats to armored armadillos, each unique adaptation serves an important purpose. This program is free, live captioned and ASL interpreted.
Grades: K-5
UnZOOsual Careers Archives
To watch the latest episode of UnZOOsual Careers, click the play button below. For more episodes, visit the UnZOOsual Careers playlist to choose from our full list of featured careers.
Other Webinar Archives
Join Juan Rodriguez on a virtual field trip to meet and learn about clouded leopards!
Original Air Date: January 13, 2021.
Join Thomas Wippenbeck on a virtual field trip to the Zoo’s Amazonia Science Gallery, where he manages and keeps several tanks of live corals!
Original Air Date: January 22, 2021.
Join Kyle Miller from the Smithsonian’s National Zoo on a virtual field trip to meet lizards at the Zoo’s Reptile Discovery Center!
Original Air Date: January 27, 2021.
Learn how animal care staff at SCBI care for black-footed ferrets and how ecologists in the field conserve species in the American Great Plains.
Original Air Date: Apr. 22, 2021
In this backyard bird banding webinar, bird ecologist Brian Evans demonstrates how scientists band birds and explains how we can make habitats more bird friendly.
Original Air Date: May 5, 2021
Questions?
Contact the Zoo's Center for Learning Innovation at nzp-education@si.edu.