Harvard Museums of Science & Culture

06/17/2026

It's not common that Father's Day and the Solstice coincide on the same day. Celebrate both on Sunday, June 21, at our annual, free Summer Solstice event. Watch science demos, performances from The Revels, make a flower crown, and more. See more details here: https://tinyurl.com/Solstice2026

Photo ⓒ Tony Rinaldo

06/11/2026

Celebrate the beginning of summer, Pride Month 🏳️‍🌈, and Father’s Day at our annual FREE Summer Solstice Celebration!

Enjoy Pride-themed activities like a dance party, street chalking, and temporary tattoos. The Revels will present lively music, dance performances, and lead the Procession of the Sun! ☀️Visitors will also be able to observe science demos, make a signature flower crown, and more. 🌼

See here for more details on parking, giveaways, exhibitions, and food offerings: https://tinyurl.com/HMSCSolstice2026


𝘚𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘮𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 & 𝘊𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘴, 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘚𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮. 𝘗𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰 © 𝘛𝘰𝘯𝘺 𝘙𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘥𝘰.

06/11/2026

A collection of late 18th-century instruments that powered early America are featured in a new exhibit on view at the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments. “Revolutionary Technology” is open through 2026.

The show includes a cabinetful of instruments associated with Harvard benefactor Benjamin Franklin. Some objects, like a brass conductor, represent the founding father’s popular experiments with electricity. Symbolizing the innovation that spared countless households from fiery ruin is a miniature profile of a simple wooden cottage topped by a spiky lightning rod — a lifesaving technology introduced by Franklin in 1752. Read more in the Gazette: https://tinyurl.com/RevTechGazette

Exhibit at Harvard's Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments showcases the tools that powered Revolutionary America.

06/04/2026

The Boston Globe says “one look, and you keep looking” at the photos in the new exhibit From Iran: A Visual Testimony, by artist Azadeh Akhlaghi. Read the article:
https://tinyurl.com/BostonGlobeFromIran

Azadeh's stages and photographs pivotal moments from Iran's tumultuous 20th-century history for which no visual records exist. Drawing on meticulous archival research and a background in cinema, Akhlaghi directs professional and nonprofessional actors to recreate these historical events as complex, dramatic tableaux. Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/FromIranExhibit

Credit: Detail from The First Iranian Women’s Movement, Dr. Kahhal’s Office, Tehran | December 1, 1911.

06/04/2026

On June 24, attend a free evening talk from Thomas Lowe Fleischner, Ph.D., Senior Advisor and Founding Director, Natural History Institute ; Faculty Emeritus of Environmental Studies, Prescott College . Fleischner’s new book, 𝐴𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝐵𝑒𝑎𝑢𝑡𝑦 (Torrey House Press) is part reflection, part guide, calling for a life lived with care, presence, and respect for the wild beauty that surrounds us. With stories from the Alaskan Arctic to the Amazon, Fleischner will reveal how we can deepen our connection with the land and its creatures.

Copies of the book will be available for purchase. Advance registration is recommended: https://tinyurl.com/AstonishedbyBeauty

Leaping Bottlenose Dolphin, Gulf of California; photo ⓒ Thomas Fleischner

06/03/2026

Being bilingual boosts your brain and connects you to people and cultures from around the world. Join bilingual museum educator, Javier Marin, for ¡Ser Súper Is Super! The Power of Bilingualism! on Saturday, June 6. Javier will lead a storybook reading in both English and Spanish.

After, kids and caregivers will have the chance to participate in a craft workshop, practice their Spanish, and build community together! Recommended for ages 3—8. Regular admission rates apply. Leer en español and register: https://tinyurl.com/SerSuperJune2026

05/28/2026

Happy Harvard Commencement day! Congrats to graduate Ashwin Sivakumar 26'. Ashwin's thesis focused on bird wing evolution, working off of CT scans taken in the Edwards Lab, The Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology at Harvard.

He's also been an integral member of the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture student board, presenting Song Sparrow specimens at Visitas and helping host the annual Zagmuk party at the Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East.

Ashwin Sivakumar ’26 wanted to understand how birds evolved such a diversity of wing shapes. Working with the Edwards Lab, led by Alexander Agassiz Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Scott V. Edwards, Sivakumar used CT technology to scan a variety of wings. The results, outlined in h...

05/27/2026

Meet Luis-Daniel Beauchamp, a second-year Harvard graduate student focusing on Caribbean history and the Taíno history of Borikén/Puerto Rico. Drawn to the Peabody Museum by the realization that so many objects from his homeland are here in Cambridge, Luis-Daniel describes his research in three words: tradition, ancestral, and powerful.

One of the most magnificent—yet less known—parts of the collection he wishes everyone knew about are the Taíno stone collars. Carved with incredible skill, these stone rings were worn as "regalia by caciques (chiefs) during important ceremonies,” he says. “They would make a great addition to exhibitions, although they are quite heavy!”

By centering Borikén Taíno objects, his work sheds light on a region of Indigenous history, creating a vital resource for modern descendants seeking to reconnect with their ancestral heritage.

“Historically, museums in North America have paid less attention to objects from South America and the Caribbean, and I think by studying Boriken Taíno objects one can learn so much about a part of the United States that few people think about."

Luis-Daniel portrait by Tony Rinaldo; 76-27-30/9580 Gift of the Smithsonian Institution.

05/21/2026

A famous American fashion statement helps bring Revolutionary history to life.

05/18/2026

Rubies are now on view in the Harvard Museum of Natural History!

Now open! Rubies is a new, intimate collection of stunning minerals, gemstones, and jewelry on display in the Earth & Planetary Sciences Gallery.

Ruby, the red variety of the mineral corundum, owes its vibrant color to trace amounts of chromium in its crystal structure. This element also gives many rubies a striking fluorescence, glowing bright crimson under ultraviolet light. Ruby’s internal world—its inclusions, growth zoning, and rutile “silk” needles—records its geological journey and can reveal its origin, making ruby a gemstone of extraordinary beauty and a rich source of scientific insight. Visit 9am-5pm ET: https://tinyurl.com/VisitRubiesHMNH.

Shown here:《 The Soul of Flame II 》 Brooch, The Ikhor Collection