Dinosaurs, Tattoos and Space Converge When Smithsonian Experts Take the Stage at thirstDC

The Smithsonian is working alongside thirstDC to bring its unparalleled expertise to the people in a fresh new format. On Oct. 25, the organizations will host their second collaborative event known as thirstDC: Special Smithsonian Edition. Doors open at 7 p.m. at a new location, 915 F St. N.W. in Washington, D.C., and at 8:15 p.m. six Smithsonian experts representing four different museums will take the stage to deliver a short talk on the most fascinating aspects of their research. In between presentations, guests are encouraged to engage directly with the speakers and each other over cocktails and to the sounds of the house DJ.

thirstDC, which just celebrated its one-year anniversary in August, has spent the past year creating and fostering thought leaders both on- and offstage by crafting an informal learning environment where world-renowned experts can socialize, interact with and inspire attendees in a lounge atmosphere. The first time these two organizations combined forces, the result was a special-edition event that sold out 200 seats in merely six days, a record for thirst.

“The response to our first thirstDC: Smithsonian Special Edition event last April was overwhelming,” said Kelly Carnes, press officer for the National Museum of Natural History. “When we saw the Twitter campaign reach more than 10,000 people, and more than 50,000 on Facebook, there was no denying it—the age of the ‘nouveau nerd’ is upon us! We will continue to provide people with learning opportunities that excite them as much as this one does, and are grateful that thirstDC has created the perfect platform for our, so to speak, coming-out party.”

“We knew that The Smithsonian Institution’s experts would rock our stage, but they have shown that not only do they know their science, their craft, their information, but each expert also brings a geeky passion to our event that simply titillates our audience,” said thirstDC’s creative director and chief nerd, Eric Schulze. “We’re even more excited to add our own brand of curated nerdery and entertainment to the stage for an even hotter special-edition thirst on Oct. 25.”

Smithsonian speakers for the special edition include:

• Matt Carrano, dinosaur curator, National Museum of Natural History
• Lars Krutak, tattoo anthropologist, National Museum of Natural History
• Patrick Russell, geoscientist, Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, National Air and Space Museum
• Rajshree Solanki, loan officer, National Museum of the American Indian
• Margaret Weitekamp, curator of Popular Culture in the Space History Division, National Air and Space Museum
• Cedric Yeh, deputy chair, Division of Armed Forces History, National Museum of American History, and curator, “Sweet and Sour: The History of Chinese Food in America”

For more information about the Smithsonian, visit: http://seriouslyamazing.si.edu/.

For more information about thirstDC and to purchase tickets to the event, visit http://thirstdc.com or their Facebook page or Twitter feed: @ThirstDC.

# # #

SI-436-2012