Format
Webinars are free, and registration is not required. Webinars are hosted live via Zoom and are between 30 and 60 minutes long. Students will not be visible to the speaker and moderators, but they will be able to submit questions in writing through a Q&A. Teachers and families, please help students under the age of 13 join the webinar. You may be prompted to enter an attendee name and email. For the attendee's name, please use only the student's first name and for the email address, please enter an adult's email address.
Webinars are live captioned. If you need any additional services, please contact nzp-education@si.edu.
Size
Webinars are best enjoyed by students in grades 3-8, but are open to all on a first-come, first-served basis, with a program cap of 1,000 students.
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. Webinars will be recorded and archived on this page for those who cannot attend the live programs.
Smithsonian Science How
In January, the Zoo is teaming up with the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History to explore science careers in the Smithsonian Science How webinars! Connect your students to Smithsonian science experts in this weekly series of free live, interactive webinars. Hosted by Smithsonian educators, this series connects students to authentic science, discoveries and collections while inviting them to participate in live polls and to ask and answer questions throughout. Optimized for students in Grades 3-5, but open to everyone. Real-time captioning provided.
Registration is requested, but not required. For more information, visit naturalhistory.si.edu/education/distance-learning.
Coral Lab Virtual Tour | Friday, Jan. 22, 2021 at 1 p.m. ET
45 minutes scheduled with up to 15 minutes added for extended student Q&A
Join Thomas Wippenbeck from the Smithsonian’s National Zoo on a virtual field trip to the Zoo’s Amazonia Science Gallery, where he manages and keeps several tanks of live corals! Thomas will explain what a coral is, why these animals are important and how he keeps them alive at the Zoo. Thomas will also share how he got interested in a science career and how his work at the Zoo is important for coral and coral reef conservation.
Reptile Discovery Center Virtual Tour | Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021 at 1 p.m. ET
45 minutes scheduled with up to 15 minutes added for extended student Q&A
Join Kyle Miller from the Smithsonian’s National Zoo on a virtual field trip to meet lizards at the Zoo’s Reptile Discovery Center! Kyle will teach students about lizards’ special adaptations for survival, and then students will have the chance to virtually meet a skink, a gecko and a baby Komodo dragon! Kyle will share with students how he got interested in science, how science is important in caring for the lizards and reptiles at the Zoo, and what students can do if they also want to work with animals one day.
Wild Side of STEAM
Get a glimpse of some un-ZOO-sual careers at the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. Join us every month as we meet some of the faces behind saving species and explore the variety of unique careers available in science, technology, engineering, arts and math.
Meet a Landscape Architect | Friday, Feb. 5, 2021 at 10 a.m. ET
30 minutes scheduled with up to 15 minutes added for extended student Q&A
In February's webinar, we'll meet Matthew Sellers, a landscape architect at the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. Matthew works with a team of designers, engineers, horticulturalists, animal experts and scientists to create great environments for the zoo’s animals and guests.
Registration is requested, but not required. Register.
Webinar Archive
Take a minute to let us know what you thought of the Wild Side of STEAM webinar series with this short survey.
Meet Zoo web developer, Mohammed, and then try coding using the October Wild Side Wrap-up activity.
Original Air Date: Oct. 9, 2020
Meet Zoo media producer, Roshan, and then try using his B-roll videos to tell your own story in the December Wild Side Wrap-up activity.
Original Air Date: Dec. 4, 2020
Meet Zoo veterinary technician, Jessica, and then try a virtual animal exam using the November Wild Side Wrap-up activity.
Original Air Date: Nov. 6, 2020
Meet Zoo population biologist, Kate, and then try finding the best animal matches in the January Wild Side Wrap-up activity.
Original Air Date: Jan. 8, 2021
Questions?
Contact the Zoo's Center for Learning Innovation at nzp-education@si.edu.