Campus and Community

Charlie Bamforth from UC, Davis talks about the “Beauty, Bounty and Benefits of Beer.” Photo by Michael Barnes, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution

Robin Rosetta, a research entomologist, tests the audience’s insect knowledge during her discussion on common pests found in gardens.

Photo by J.B. Weilepp, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution

Deana McDonagh talks about “Empathetic Design Research Strategy.” A young listener discusses his ideas on how to make better toilets.

Photo by J.B. Weilepp, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution

Deana McDonagh talks about “Jack Horner, paleontologist from Montana State University, discusses “destructive analysis,” a method of extracting biological information from dinosaur bones.

Photo by J.B. Weilepp, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution

Jack Horner, paleontologist, explains the different ways research is changing our ideas about dinosaurs.

Photo by J.B. Weilepp, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution

The Smithsonian U tent featured master educators offering short informative talks for general audiences. Borrowing its design from a typical university classroom, the tent featured a lectern and classroom-style seating. The space was low-tech and intimate in order to encourage casual conversations between the presenters (many of them scientists and university professors) and visitors, an uncommon experience in today’s world of digital presentations and distance learning.

Developed in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and with participation from many land-grant universities, the Smithsonian U presentations covered a broad range of topics—including USDA entomologists describing edible insects, USDA Forest Service biologists on urban forests, University of Montana paleontologists on dinosaur research, University of California, Davis, brewmasters on the value of beer, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, engineers on the benefits of solar-powered houses, and University of Illinois students reflecting upon their disabilities through poetry.