Newsdesk

Giant panda Bei Bei will depart the Smithsonian’s National Zoo for China Tuesday, Nov. 19. As part of the Zoo’s cooperative breeding agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association, all cubs born at the Zoo move to China when they are 4 years old. Bei Bei turned 4 Aug. 22.

November is Native American Heritage Month. There are 6.6 million Native American and Alaska Native people living in the United States, as well as millions of other Indigenous people living throughout the Western Hemisphere—all with unique traditions, languages, values and histories. Visitors can celebrate the diversity and contributions of these Native cultures at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian with a variety of free public events in Washington, D.C., and New York City. Programs include festivals, performances, talks and family activities. 

Smithsonian Associates will host a special evening with Amy Sherman-Palladino, the creator of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Dan Palladino, an executive producer who also serves as writer and director, Thursday, Dec. 12, at 6:45 p.m. at the National Museum of American History’s Warner Bros. Theater. In celebration of the show’s Dec. 6 season three premiere on Amazon Prime Video, they will discuss their inspiration behind the creation of the show, their wide-ranging careers in television and what it is like to work together on one of today’s most beloved series.

The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum will expand its popular “S.H.E. Can” STEM summer camp to Bentonville, Arkansas, beginning in July 2020. Building on the success of the camp over the past two summers at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia, the museum will pilot the two-week summer camp in northwest Arkansas over the next three years. The camp is designed for students with an interest in aviation and seeks to empower young women to succeed in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines.