Smithsonian Associates Presents August Program Highlights

The August issue of the Smithsonian Associates’ program guide features a variety of educational and cultural programs, including seminars, lectures, studio arts classes, performances for adults and children and local and regional study tours. Highlights this month include:

Secrets of Dwarf Planets

Wednesday, Aug. 3; 6:45 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.

Smithsonian’s S. Dillon Ripley Center

Should people view Pluto’s reclassification from planet to dwarf planet as a demotion? Not at all, says Jim Zimbelman, a geologist at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. He uncovers why Pluto has plenty of fascinating company in the outer solar system, where startling new discoveries are being made. He also gives the audience a glimpse into what other surprises may await future discovery in the Kuiper Belt, a zone of the solar system beyond the orbit of Neptune. 

America’s First Ladies: Shaping a Role, Shaping History

Wednesday, Aug. 10; 6:45 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.

Smithsonian’s S. Dillon Ripley Center

Andrew Och spent a year visiting sites associated with every first lady from Martha Washington to Michelle Obama to document their lives for the 44-part C-Span series First Ladies: Influence and Image, which aired in from 2013 to 2014. His new book, Unusual for Their Time: On the Road with America’s First Ladies, gives insights on the women who spent time serving in Washington’s most visible and powerful unelected position.

Gelato and Sorbetto: A Cool History

Wednesday, Aug. 17; 6:45 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum

Food historian Francine Segan digs into some delicious gelato, starting with the fascinating history of Italian ices and sorbets and ending with a taste of some of the scrumptious frozen desserts that made even Alexander the Great’s mouth water. After the program, the audience will enjoy a tasting of gelato and “lolly,” Italy’s lemon-shaped sorbetto on a stick.

Harry Potter and the Wizarding Gene: Scientific Fact and Fantasy Fiction

Tuesday, Aug. 23; 6:45 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.

Smithsonian’s S. Dillon Ripley Center

Using principles of genetics and genomics, Eric Spana of Duke University’s biology department casts a scientific eye on the world of J.K. Rowling’s beloved Harry Potter books to explain the legacy of the wizarding gene, the pattern by which magical characteristics are passed on in the world of the novels. This entertaining and informative program might just be Harry Potter fans’ goblet of Gillywater.

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