Learn more about the topics you’ll explore and the problems you’ll solve together with Smithsonian experts.
The conference sessions span the arts, history, science, and culture, and are organized around four key themes. All sessions below took place live online — with participation and interaction directly from logged in audience members. Each session is recorded and posted for on-demand access.
Click the session title below to access each recording and related resources.
Day One: Understanding the American Experience
Recorded Tuesday, 13 April 2010
VIDEO: Day 1 Welcome Message
Betsy Broun, Director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
How do we change a stereotype?
What can science tell us about American history?
What does clothing communicate?
Day Two: Valuing World Cultures
Recorded Wednesday, 14 April 2010
VIDEO: Day 2 Welcome Message
James Counts Early, Director, Cultural Heritage Policy, Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
What happens when a people meets its past?
How does design solve everyday problems?
Day Three: Unlocking the Mysteries of the Universe
Recorded Wednesday, 28 April 201
VIDEO: Day 3 Welcome Message
Charles Alcock, Director of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Are there other worlds out there?
How have we imagined other worlds?
How do we grasp the vastness of the universe?
Day Four: Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet
Recorded Thursday, 29 April 2010
VIDEO: Day 4 Welcome Message
Cristián Samper, Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
What do modern animal bones tell us about biodiversity?
How can we learn about nature’s most elusive animals?
How (and why) do we count living things?
