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Research at the Smithsonian Institution—Exciting the Learning in Everyone

James Smithson (1765-1829) bequeathed his estate to the United States to found “at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution anthe Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.”1829: Smithson dies

1835: President Jackson announces bequest to Congress1836: Congress accepts the legacy1846: Congress passes the act

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• 769 facilities, 12 million square feet• Land: 19,000 acres• 6,000 staff + 6,500 volunteers

• 19 museums (soon to be 20) and the National Zoo• Numerous research centers• Numerous research centers• 20 libraries• 137 million objects in collections

• Located in 8 states, Washington, D.C., Panama, Chile, Belize

• Active in nearly 100 countries around the world

Totals Research

Proposals◦ 357 submissions

Proposals◦ 231 submissions

(Not including Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory)

◦ $91,264,524

Awards◦ 272 awards◦ $74,910,358

◦ $54,460,252

Awards◦ 163 awards◦ $42,412,313

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Anacostia Community MuseumCooper-Hewitt National Design Museum (New York)

NASM Udvar-Hazy Center (Virginia)National Museum of African ArtNational M se m ofYork)

Freer-Sackler GalleriesHirshhorn Museum and Sculpture GardenNational Air and Space Museum

National Museum of American HistoryNational Museum of the American IndianNMAI Heye Center (New York)

NMAI Cultural Resource Center (Maryland)National Portrait GalleryN ti l P t l

Renwick GalleryCenter for Folklife and Cultural HeritageSI Scholarly PressS ith i T liNational Postal

MuseumNational Zoological ParkSmithsonian American Art Museum and

Smithsonian Traveling Exhibitions

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Grand ChallengesResearch Centers, Networks, &

InitiativesFellowships, Internships, &

AffiliationsEducation

Developed as part of the Institution’s 2010-2015 strategic plan and funded through a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates FoundationFour major focus areasW b htt // i d / tiWeb: http://www.si.edu/consortia

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Plan, build, and open the National Museum of African American History and Culture by 2015Strengthen the treatment of American scientific innovation, design, and invention as essential aspects of the American experience past andaspects of the American experience—past and futureBroaden and expand the collection of American stories through family, community, and biographical/individual oral histories and other materials. Create greater access to documentary materials and collections through digitization (cont)

…of collections and other methods of sharing and through analysis and research of collected materials.Create richer physical and virtual collections, exhibitions and educational material in theexhibitions, and educational material in the American Experience and strengthen partnerships, collaborations and research with African American, Latino, American Indian, and Asian Pacific communities to tell more complete stories of the American experience and engage broader audiences.

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After the Return: Digital Repatriation & the Revitalization & Circulation of Indigenous KnowledgeIndiGEO: Long TermIndiGEO: Long-Term Monitoring of Cultural & Biological Diversity on Tribal Lands

Age of PlasticsReclaiming the Edge: The Anacostia River, Urban Waterways, and Civic EngagementThe Immigration Initiative: E l i d P tiExploring and Presenting America’s Cultural History of Migration and Immigration (Americans All; http://americanhistory.si.edu/americansall/)

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Expand Smithsonian influence on global museum practices and cultural or species preservation. Create new opportunities for content sharing & program enrichment through the creation of international training programs and global partnerships/collaborations in cultural and scientific preservation and heritage.Through exhibitions, collections, and research, expand historical and contemporary knowledge of connections and impacts of globalism on America & American perspectives.

Channel Islands Bio-Cultural Diversity Working GroupTaíno Legacy InitiativeRecovering Voices

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Develop studies of the origin and evolution of the Earth and the Solar System in support of understanding and discovering extra-solar planetary systems.Play a leading role in the development andPlay a leading role in the development and operation of the Giant Magellan Telescope, the next-generation optical/infrared telescope.Understand the origin and development of life in the cosmos.

Quantifying Volcanic EmissionsEarth Analogs for Large Volume Ash Deposits on MarsA New Method for Studying Interstellar D st Ret rned bInterstellar Dust Returned by NASA’s STARDUST Mission: Searching for the Building Blocks of the Universe

(Image courtesy of NASA’s Johnson Space Center)

Understanding and Sustaining a Understanding and Sustaining a BiodiverseBiodiversePlanetPlanet

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Enhance the Smithsonian platform for long-term research on biodiversity and ecosystems, particularly the Smithsonian Global Earth Observatories (SIGEO).Design a Marine Global Earth Observatory (Marine GEO).Enhance SI’s position as a global leader in species conservation and wildlife sustainability.Establish Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) capability institution-wide.Develop partnerships with Tribal Nations for long-term biodiversity and cultural observations.

Developing the Virtual Global BiorepositoryPacific Island InitiativeThe Development of a Remote En ironmental Monitoring Obser atorEnvironmental Monitoring ObservatoryTropical Vertebrate Diversity Loss and the Emergence of Tick-Borne DiseasesNext-Generation Sequencing

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http://www.si.edu/ResearchCentersArchives of American Art (http://www.aaa.si.edu/)Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI)— National Zoo and Front Royal, VA (htt // ti l i d /SCBI/)(http://nationalzoo.si.edu/SCBI/)Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC)— Edgewater, MD (http://serc.si.edu/)Marine Station, Fort Pierce, FL (http://www.sms.si.edu/)

Museum Conservation Institute (MCI), Suitland, MD (http://si.edu/mci/)Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO)—

Cambridge, MA (http://www cfa harvard edu/sao/)(http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/sao/)Smithsonian Institution Archives (http://siarchives.si.edu/)Smithsonian Institution Libraries (http://www.sil.si.edu/)Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI)—

Panama (http://www.stri.si.edu/index.php)

Center for Tropical Forest Science (http://www.ctfs.si.edu/)Smithsonian Institution Global Earth Observatories (SIGEO; http://www.sigeo.si.edu/)S ith i M i S i N t kSmithsonian Marine Science Network (http://www.si.edu/marinescience/)Center for Earth and Planetary Studies (http://www.nasm.si.edu/research/ceps/?hp=m)Arctic Studies Center (http://www.mnh.si.edu/arctic/index.html)

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The Smithsonian offers research and study appointments to visiting scientists, scholars, and students. Appointees are provided access to the Institution’s facilities, staff specialties, and reference resources.272 academic appointees in residence (visiting scientists, scholars, and fellows: not including interns) across the Institution in 2011.Website: http://siofg.si.edu/ and http://www.si.edu/internsE-mail: siofg@si.edu

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Smithsonian Institution Fellowship ProgramMolecular Evolution Fellowship ProgramLatino Studies Fellowship ProgramMinority Awards ProgramNative American Awards ProgramSmithsonian Artist Research Fellowship ProgramShort-Term Visitor ProgramResearch AssociatesScholarly Studies Program

“Smithsonian in Your Neighborhood”Currently 169 affiliated museums and organizations (40 states, Puerto Rico, Panama)WebWeb: https://affiliations.si.edu/MainPage.Asp

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Resources for educators, families, and studentsLesson plans and resources (aligned with state standards) for art & design, science & technology, history & culture, and language artsW bWeb: http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/index.html

Established 1985 by SI and the National AcademiesMission: To improve learning and teaching of science for all students in the U.S. and throughout the worldthe world.“Learning Science by Doing Science”Resources for school districts, teachers & administrators (professional development, curricular materials), students and parents.Web: http://www.nsrconline.org/

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Michael J. SpiresProposal Development SpecialistOffice of Sponsored ProjectsSmithsonian InstitutionMRC 1205 P O Box 37012MRC 1205, P.O. Box 37012Washington, DC 20013-7012Email: spiresm@si.eduTelephone: (202) 633-7436