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BEHIND THE SCENES: SCIENCE AND

EDUCATION AT THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION

HEARING

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON RESEARCH AND SCIENCE 

EDUCATION 

COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND 

TECHNOLOGY 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS

SECOND SESSION

JULY 21, 2010

Serial No. 111–107

Printed for the use of the Committee on Science and Technology

(

Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.science.house.gov 
(II)

COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 

HON. BART GORDON, Tennessee, Chair 

JERRY F. COSTELLO, Illinois 

EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas 

LYNN C. WOOLSEY, California 

DAVID WU, Oregon 

BRIAN BAIRD, Washington 

BRAD MILLER, North Carolina 

DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois 

GABRIELLE GIFFORDS, Arizona 

DONNA F. EDWARDS, Maryland 

MARCIA L. FUDGE, Ohio 

BEN R. LUJA ́ N, New Mexico 

PAUL D. TONKO, New York 

STEVEN R. ROTHMAN, New Jersey 

JIM MATHESON, Utah 

LINCOLN DAVIS, Tennessee 

BEN CHANDLER, Kentucky 

RUSS CARNAHAN, Missouri 

BARON P. HILL, Indiana 

HARRY E. MITCHELL, Arizona 

CHARLES A. WILSON, Ohio 

KATHLEEN DAHLKEMPER, Pennsylvania 

ALAN GRAYSON, Florida 

SUZANNE M. KOSMAS, Florida 

GARY C. PETERS, Michigan 

JOHN GARAMENDI, California 

VACANCY 

RALPH M. HALL, Texas 

F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER JR., 

Wisconsin 

LAMAR S. SMITH, Texas 

DANA ROHRABACHER, California 

ROSCOE G. BARTLETT, Maryland 

VERNON J. EHLERS, Michigan 

FRANK D. LUCAS, Oklahoma 

JUDY BIGGERT, Illinois 

W. TODD AKIN, Missouri 

RANDY NEUGEBAUER, Texas 

BOB INGLIS, South Carolina 

MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas 

MARIO DIAZ-BALART, Florida 

BRIAN P. BILBRAY, California 

ADRIAN SMITH, Nebraska 

PAUL C. BROUN, Georgia 

PETE OLSON, Texas 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON RESEARCH AND SCIENCE EDUCATION

HON. DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois, Chair 

EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas 

BRIAN BAIRD, Washington 

MARCIA L. FUDGE, Ohio 

PAUL D. TONKO, New York 

RUSS CARNAHAN, Missouri 

VACANCY 

BART GORDON, Tennessee 

VERNON J. EHLERS, Michigan 

RANDY NEUGEBAUER, Texas 

BOB INGLIS, South Carolina 

BRIAN P. BILBRAY, California 

RALPH M. HALL, Texas 

DAHLIA SOKOLOV Subcommittee Staff Director 

MELE ́ WILLIAMS Republican Professional Staff Member 

MARCY GALLO Democratic Professional Staff Member 

BESS CAUGHRAN Democratic Professional Staff Member 

MOLLY O’ROURKE Research Assistant 
(III)

C O N T E N T S 

July 21, 2010

Page 

Witness List ............................................................................................................. 2

Hearing Charter ...................................................................................................... 3

Opening Statements

Statement by Representative Daniel Lipinski, Chairman, Subcommittee on 

Research and Science Education, Committee on Science and Technology, 

U.S. House of Representatives ............................................................................ 8

Written Statement ............................................................................................ 9

Statement by Representative Vernon J. Ehlers, Minority Ranking Member, 

Subcommittee on Research and Science Education, Committee on Science 

and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives ............................................... 10

Written Statement ............................................................................................ 11

Witnesses:

Dr. G. Wayne Clough, Secretary, Smithsonian Institution 

Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 12

Written Statement ............................................................................................ 14

Biography .......................................................................................................... 19

Ms. Claudine Brown, Director of Education, Smithsonian Institution 

Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 20

Written Statement ............................................................................................ 22

Biography .......................................................................................................... 27

Dr. Eldredge ‘‘Biff’’ Bermingham, Director, Smithsonian Tropical Research 

Institute, Smithsonian Institution 

Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 28

Written Statement ............................................................................................ 30

Biography .......................................................................................................... 35

Ms. Shari Werb, Assistant Director of Education, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution 

Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 36

Written Statement ............................................................................................ 38

Biography .......................................................................................................... 40

(1)

BEHIND THE SCENES: SCIENCE AND EDUCATION AT THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 

WEDNESDAY, JULY 21, 2010

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON RESEARCH AND SCIENCE EDUCATION

COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Washington, DC.

The Subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 2:50 p.m., in Room 

2318 of the Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Daniel Lipinski 

[Chairman of the Subcommittee] presiding.
2
3

HEARING CHARTER

COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

SUBCOMMITTEE ON RESEARCH AND SCIENCE 

EDUCATION

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

Behind the Scenes: Science and Education

at the Smithsonian Institution 

JULY 21, 2010

2:00 P.M.–4:00 P.M.

2318 RAYBURN HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING

1. Purpose: 

The purpose of the hearing is to examine the Smithsonian Institution’s research 

activities, educational programs, and management of scientific collections, as well as 

the intersection between those missions.

2. Witnesses:

• Dr. G. Wayne Clough, Secretary, Smithsonian Institution

• Ms. Claudine Brown, Director of Education, Smithsonian Institution

• Dr. Eldredge ‘‘Biff’’ Bermingham, Director, Smithsonian Tropical Research 

Institute, Smithsonian Institution

• Ms. Shari Werb, Assistant Director of Education at the National Museum 

of Natural History

3. Overarching Questions:

1. In what areas of research does the Smithsonian Institution (SI) play a prominent role? In what areas of research does SI play a unique role relative to 

other Federal agencies? How does SI coordinate its own research priorities 

and programs with those of other Federal agencies, including the National 

Science Foundation? How does SI collaborate or coordinate with non-profit 

research organizations, including universities, and with foreign research 

agencies and organizations?

2. What is the Smithsonian Institution’s role in science, technology, engineering 

and mathematics (STEM) education? What kinds of programs does SI support and for what levels of education? How does SI take advantage of its museums and research institutes to carry out its programs? How is SI’s education mission similar to or unique from that of other Federal research agencies, and how, if at all, does the SI coordinate or collaborate with other agencies and with non-governmental entities to achieve its mission? What is the 

intended role of SI’s new Director of Education?

3. What is the Smithsonian Institution’s plan for long term management of its 

scientific collections? In particular, how does SI intend to implement the 

2008 recommendations of the Interagency Working Group on Scientific Collections? What are the greatest challenges to long-term preservation and access to scientific collections?

4. Background: 

The Smithsonian Institution (SI) was founded in 1846 by the United States Congress in response to a bequest of $500,000 by British scientist James Smithson, donated ‘‘to the United States of America, to found at Washington, an establishment 

for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men.’’ The original Smithsonian 

‘Castle’ contained a library, lecture halls, exhibits and demonstrations, laboratories, 

and scientific artifact collections. In the last 160 years, SI has expanded to include 

19 museums and galleries and nine research facilities, and 168 other museums 

around the country are now affiliated with the Smithsonian. SI employs over 6,000 

people and has as many volunteers, and publishes Smithsonian and Air & Space
4

magazines in addition to other scholarly works. The Smithsonian collections include 

over 137 million objects, specimens, and works of art. In 2009, SI museums and the 

National Zoo welcomed over 30 million visitors, while Smithsonian websites had 

over 188 million hits. The Smithsonian is currently the largest museum and research complex in the world.

Governance and oversight 

Originally established by an Act of Congress, the Smithsonian is technically a 

‘federal trust instrumentality’ and is not part of the executive branch. The 17-member Board of Regents acts as the Smithsonian’s internal governing body. Traditionally, the Chief Justice of the United States is elected Chancellor, with the Vice 

President and Chief Justice both serving as ex-officio members of the Board. The 

rest of the board is composed of three Members each from the House and Senate, 

and nine citizen members authorized by a joint resolution of Congress. The Secretary is elected by the Board, as are the members of the Executive Committee. The 

current Secretary, Dr. G. Wayne Clough, was named to the position on March 15, 

2008, and assumed office on July 1 of that year. 

Currently, in the House of Representatives, the Committee on House Administration has legislative jurisdiction, with the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure having oversight of construction projects. In the Senate, the Committee on 

Rules and Administration has full legislative jurisdiction. Federal funding falls 

under the Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies on the 

House and Senate Appropriations Committees. 

In this Congress, the above Committees have held hearings on Smithsonian budget requests, stimulus-funded projects, asbestos management, GAO recommendations, and broader projects related to specific Smithsonian research activities, but 

no hearings have been held to examine the overall research agenda and activities 

at the Smithsonian Institution or focused on SI’s educational programs or collections.

Funding 

Smithsonian has an annual budget of slightly more than $1 billion, of which about 

three quarters comes from direct federal appropriations. The remainder is held in 

general trust funds, separate from federal appropriations in SI’s own budget, including revenue from museum and publication sales and licensing as managed by 

Smithsonian Enterprises, from private donations, and from both federal and nonfederal grants and contracts. More than half of the total budget is allocated to salaries and benefits for Smithsonian employees, including researchers and scientists directly employed by the Institution. The Institution is also designated as a 501(c)(3) 

tax-exempt non-profit organization by the Internal Revenue Service. 

For FY 2011, Smithsonian designed its budget around four ‘‘grand challenges,’’ 

which provide the central strategy for planning and framing its efforts: Unlocking 

the Mysteries of the Universe, Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet, 

Valuing World Cultures, and Understanding the American Experience. In this hearing, we will focus on the museums and research centers that fall under the Under 

Secretary of Science, fitting into three broad categories: astrophysics (HarvardSmithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Air and Space Museum), ecology and environmental science (National Zoo/Conservation Biology Institute, Environmental Research Center, Tropical Research Institute, Museum of Natural History) and museum research, conservation, and collections (Museum of Natural History, Museum 

Conservation Institute, Smithsonian Libraries). 

The Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 request for Congressional appropriations totals 

$797,600,000. This is roughly a four percent increase over FY 2010 levels, with the 

largest increases in discretionary funds requested for research on biodiversity (+$2 

million) and climate change (+$4 million), digitization and web support (+$1.5 million), and collections care (+$2.45 million). For the first time, in FY 2011, the Smithsonian research appropriations request is large enough to be listed as an individual 

line item on the Administration’s Research and Development budget summary; in 

the past, the request was too small and fell under ‘‘Other’’ R&D.

Research 

In the early years of the Smithsonian Institution, its focus was largely on the 

science itself. Its first Secretary, American scientist Joseph Henry, focused on research and the ‘‘increase of knowledge’’ rather than its ‘‘diffusion,’’ and was 

unenthusiastic about museums. Although the Institution has evolved to have a 

strong focus on cultural and historic knowledge as well, the first two of its ‘‘Grand 

Challenges’’ are directly related to scientific discovery and understanding. SI is a 
5

world leader in many areas of scientific research, and houses some of the largest 

and most acclaimed research programs in their respective fields. 

The science-based research centers, as well as several of the Smithsonian’s museums and the National Zoo, are overseen by the Smithsonian’s Under Secretary for 

Science, a post currently held by Dr. Eva Pell, while other museums and programs 

fall under the Under Secretary for History, Art, and Culture.

• Center for Earth and Planetary Studies (CEPS)

The Center for Earth and Planetary Studies is the research unit of the National 

Air and Space Museum, located in the museum complex in DC. and at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia. The Center focuses specifically on planetary and terrestrial geology and geophysics using remote sensing data, with 

ongoing research programs examining Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, and the 

moon.

• Conservation Biology Institute (CBI)

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute includes conservation biology 

and research programs at the National Zoo and at CBI’s Front Royal, VA headquarters, previously known as the National Zoo’s Conservation and Research 

Center. Dedicated to preserving and promoting biodiversity, the Institute has 

centers for animal care, conservation ecology, conservation education and sustainability, conservation and evolutionary genetics, migratory birds and species 

survival.

• Environmental Research Center (SERC)

The newest of SI’s research institutes, the Environmental Research Center is 

located on 3,000 acres of land bordering the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, and 

conducts both research and education programs on the Chesapeake Bay and its 

watershed. Its research is distinguished from other Chesapeake research facilities by including terrestrial elements in its research, rather than focusing solely 

on the Bay. SERC scientists also have comparative and interdisciplinary research programs comparing their own coastal ecosystems to others around the 

world.

• Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA)

The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics is the result of a collaboration between the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the Harvard College Observatory, headquartered in Cambridge, MA, with major research sites 

in Arizona and Hawaii. It is one of the world’s largest astrophysical institutions 

and owns and operates a number of observatories around the world, including 

at the South Pole, as well as several satellite observatories. CfA also has an active Science Education Department conducting research on outcome-based 

teaching and assessments.

• Museum Conservation Institute (MCI)

Formerly known as the Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education, the Museum Conservation Institute is a leader in the field of collections 

care and preservation. MCI also conducts technical and interpretational research on museum specimens, including anthropological analyses, and provides 

consultation to both federal agencies and outside institutions in addition to 

working closely with the 19 Smithsonian museums. Located in Suitland, MD, 

the Museum Conservation Institute employs materials scientists, chemists, and 

specialists in museum conservation and technology.

• Museum of Natural History (NMNH)

The Museum of Natural History is the largest of the Smithsonian research centers and houses the scientific research departments of Anthropology, Botany, 

Entomology, Invertebrate Zoology, Mineral Sciences, Paleobiology, and 

Vertebrate Zoology. The Museum’s research division places a major emphasis on 

interdisciplinary research, housing programs on the Evolution of Terrestrial 

Ecosystems, Archaeobiology, Arctic Studies, Human Origins, and Paleoindian 

studies in addition to discipline-specific research. NMNH also runs several external research facilities, including the Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort 

Pierce, FL, which conducts research on ecosystems and marine biodiversity, and 

the Caribbean Coral Reef Ecosystems Program at the Carrie Bow Marine Field 

Station on Belize’s Meso-American Barrier Reef.

• Tropical Research Institute (STRI)

Located in Panama, the Tropical Research Institute has conducted research on 

tropical land- and marine-based ecosystems since 1923. It is the only SI bureau 

not based in the United States. STRI also hosts a number of research programs 
6

in collaboration with outside universities and government institutions, including 

the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, the Panama Canal Authority, Panama’s Environmental Authority, and Brazil’s National Institute for 

Amazonian Research. It is one of the largest research centers for tropical biology in the world.

A significant portion of the Smithsonian’s research is funded by its own direct appropriations. SI researchers are staff scientists with their own research budgets, reviewed periodically for progress, but do not have to go through a standard competitive process. In this way, they are more similar to federal scientists at mission agencies than to their academic counterparts. The National Research Council (NRC) reviewed this funding mechanism in 2003 and found that SI’s non-competitive funding 

mechanisms are especially critical for SI’s environmental and large-scale research 

activities. These often span over long periods of time and would be impractical 

under a standard three-year competitive grant cycle. 

In many cases, Smithsonian scientists also compete for funding from other federal 

grant-making agencies, including NASA, NIH, DOD, and NSF. The Smithsonian’s 

scientific community includes many of the top experts in their respective fields, and 

they are very competitive when applying for outside funds from agencies or private 

grant making organizations.

Education and outreach programs 

The Smithsonian’s museums and research centers are known for their commitment to education and outreach as well as scientific discovery. There are 32 

museum- or research center-level education offices throughout the Institution, offering hands-on workshops for K–12 students as well as lectures and seminars at a 

more advanced level, in addition to on-site exhibits. More than 150,000 K–12 students and teachers visit the education centers each year. Many have formal, ongoing 

relationships with school districts, integrating field trips into the schools’ existing 

curricula. Museums and research centers are also increasingly making their educational resources available online and developing ‘hands-on’ internet activities to 

reach students in communities across the country. In addition to its education programs, SI regularly publishes its own scholarly articles and books, and has designed 

numerous online encyclopedias and portals designed to support all levels of learning, 

indicating that education and outreach—James Smithson’s ‘‘diffusion’’ of knowledge—are significant priorities for the Institution. 

On June 20, Claudine Brown joined the Smithsonian as its first ever Director of 

Education, reporting directly to the Secretary. She oversees the two major educational entities at SI—the Center for Education and Museum Studies and the National Science Resource Center—in addition to coordinating the 32 individual education offices. Brown will also be responsible for developing a comprehensive education plan for SI’s education and outreach activities. 

The Smithsonian’s Center for Education and Museum Studies provides educational information on museum visits as well as numerous educational resources 

for teachers, parents and students through its website. The National Science Resources Center (NSRC) is jointly operated by the Smithsonian and the National 

Academies; its mission is to improve the teaching and learning of science, provide 

professional development opportunities for science teachers, and develop and disseminate research-based curricula. 

The Smithsonian’s museums, research centers, and education, outreach, administrative and policy offices offer hundreds of internships and research fellowships each 

year, reaching students from the high school to the post-doctoral level. Most institutions manage their own internships and fellowships, augmented by its equal opportunity and cultural diversity programs for minorities, Native Americans, and persons with disabilities. 

The Smithsonian Institution Libraries system (SIL) serves both the research and 

education communities, and is the largest museum library system in the world. SIL 

manages 20 museum- and discipline-specific libraries in D.C., Maryland, New York 

and Panama. SIL is designed as an academic and public library system, in addition 

to its primary mission of supporting Smithsonian Institution staff and research missions. There are also two Smithsonian-affiliated publishing companies—the Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press, which publishes scholarly works written by 

Smithsonian researchers and museum curators, and Smithsonian Books and Harper 

Collins, publishing books by both SI-affiliated and outside authors.

Scientific Collections 

The Smithsonian also has the one of the largest federal object-based scientific collections, serving as a resource for Smithsonian’s own research and museum display 
7

1 National Science and Technology Council, Committee on Science, Interagency Working 

Group on Scientific Collections. Scientific Collections: Mission-Critical Infrastructure for Federal 

Science Agencies. Office of Science and Technology Policy, Washington, D.C., 2009. 2Smithsonian Institution. Inspiring Generations Through Knowledge and Discovery: Strategic 

Plan. Washington, D.C., 2009. 5.

purposes and for other federal and academic scientists as well. In particular, its natural history collection is the largest in the world, composing about 92 percent of the 

Smithsonian’s 137 million total specimens collected over more than 150 years. Many 

of the Smithsonian’s collections are also available to outside scientists not directly 

affiliated with SI. Some federal employees from other agencies work out of the 

NMNH to reduce duplication of collections and to take advantage of the 

Smithsonian’s resources, and those partnerships represent a significant financial 

contribution to the Museum’s collections budget. There are also hundreds of ongoing 

digital imaging projects aimed at putting collections online and making them available to the public. The Smithsonian’s websites receive eight times as many visitors 

as the museums, making digitization of Smithsonian collections an integral part of 

SI’s greater education and outreach initiatives. 

Other federal departments and agencies also have large scientific collections, such 

as USDA’s collections of plants, insects, diseases, and other agriculture-related 

specimens, or NIST’s calibration collections, used to define and calculate accurate 

weights and measurements. Some of the Smithsonian’s own collections are also 

shared or maintained with other agencies; the Zoo’s collaboration with the U.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service is one example. The Smithsonian is believed to have the most 

individual specimens and artifacts of any collection in the world. 

In 2005, the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC)’s Committee on 

Science created an Interagency Working Group on Scientific Collections (IWGSC) to 

‘‘examine the current state of Federal scientific collections and to make recommendations for their management and use’’ 1 at the urging of OMB and the Office 

of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Co-chaired by the Smithsonian Institution 

and the Department of Agriculture, the IWGSC’s report, Scientific Collections: Mission-Critical Infrastructure for Federal Science Agencies, noted both the importance 

and the lack of adequate staffing, funding, and documentation of federal collections. 

The working group had several recommendations related to cost projections, documentation, agency responsibilities, creation of an online clearinghouse, periodic reports, and improved long-term coordination of federal collections. In the America 

COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010, the Committee on Science and Technology 

included a provision requiring OSTP and the science agencies to implement several 

of the key recommendations in the 2009 report. 

Strategic Plan 

In SI’s 2010–2015 Strategic Plan, three questions were proposed to measure the 

success of the Smithsonian’s efforts and initiatives:

Has the Smithsonian:

1. ‘‘Made leading contributions to national and global efforts to unlock the mysteries of the universe, understand and sustain a biodiverse planet, value 

world cultures, and understand the American experience, through collaborative efforts among 19 museums, nine research centers, and numerous outreach and education programs?

2. ‘‘Harnessed the power of technology to grow and share the Institution’s 

knowledge and collections through exhibition, education, and outreach, and 

to triple the number of meaningful learning experiences we offer daily?

3. Increased the number of visitors, employees, and key partners and stakeholders who rate us as an excellent organization in which to invest, work, 

and learn, through new and more efficient ways of working and increased 

collaboration, accountability, and financial stability? 2

This hearing will examine these same questions, and attempt to identify areas of 

growth and improvement among Smithsonian research, education, and collections 

activities.
8

Chairman LIPINSKI. This hearing will now come to order. The 

Chair will recognize himself for five minutes for an opening statement. 

Good afternoon. Welcome to today’s Research and Science Education Subcommittee hearing on Science and Education at the 

Smithsonian Institution. When most Americans think of the Smithsonian, they think about the famous museums and the castle along 

the National Mall. Some that know a little more might also think 

of the National Zoo. But most people do not know that the Smithsonian Institution receives nearly $800 million a year in federal appropriations or that over $200 million of that goes toward basic scientific research and dedicated Smithsonian research facilities. 

In spite of receiving almost $1 billion a year in taxpayer funds, 

the Smithsonian is not actually part of any branch of government. 

Although it began with a bequest from British scientist James 

Smithson, it is technically a ‘federal trust instrumentality,’ established by an act of Congress in 1846. As such, it is appropriate and 

necessary for the Congress to take a more active roll in oversight 

of the Institution’s activities and long-term plans. 

This hearing will focus on the Smithsonian’s contributions to scientific research and education and its vast scientific collections, 

and on how the Institution collaborates with federal agencies. I am 

looking forward to learning what goes on behind the scenes at their 

19 museums and nine research centers and how they share expertise with 168 affiliated museums from around the country. 

I am particularly interested in hearing from the Smithsonian’s 

first ever Director of Education and about her plans for improving 

education, outreach, and access programs. Informal science education has been a passion of mine on this subcommittee, probably 

because I know how my early experiences at the Museum of 

Science and Industry, Field Museum, and other museums in Chicago really influenced my interests in science and engineering. I 

hope both Director Brown and Secretary Clough will explain how 

the new position fits into the Smithsonian’s strategy in the strategic plan, and what its role is and what it should be in federal 

STEM education programs. 

The Smithsonian Institution’s research centers stretch from the 

Tropical Research Institute in Panama to the Harvard-Smithsonian 

Center for Astrophysics. These facilities, which are home to some 

of the world’s foremost scientific experts, are almost unknown to 

the general public. The Center for Astrophysics, for example, has 

300 scientists and 12 telescopes on land and in the sky, but most 

of us have never heard of the Center or its work. 

The Smithsonian is especially active in the life sciences, including ecology, with four of the research centers and the National Zoo 

focusing in these areas. As one of the co-chairs of the Congressional 

Zoo and Aquarium Caucus, I am particularly interested in learning 

about the Zoo’s efforts to repopulate endangered species. 

Finally, I would like to hear how the Smithsonian works with 

other federal agencies, including through coordinating bodies like 

the Office of Science and Technology Policy and the National 

Science and Technology Council. Although federal coordination is a 

bit more complicated because the Smithsonian is not a part of the 

Executive Branch, working with other science and education agen-
9

cies is extremely important if we want to maximize the impact of 

federal spending. 

One area where it is especially important to coordinate between 

agencies is in managing and sharing scientific collections. The 

Smithsonian has one of the largest collections in the world, including over 137 million individual specimens and artifacts used for scientific research and museum displays. In 2005, the Smithsonian 

and the Department of Agriculture co-chaired an interagency working group that released a report highlighting the importance of improving collections management. I am looking forward to learning 

more about the Smithsonian’s plans for implementing the recommendations in this report. 

I would like to thank all of our witnesses for joining us, and I 

look forward to their testimony. 

[The prepared statement of Chairman Lipinski follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN DANIEL LIPINSKI

Good afternoon and welcome to today’s Research and Science Education Subcommittee hearing on Science and Education at the Smithsonian Institution. 

When most Americans think of the Smithsonian, they think about the famous museums and the castle along the National Mall. Some that know a little more might 

also think of the National Zoo. But most people do not know that the Smithsonian 

Institution receives nearly $800 million a year in federal appropriations, or that 

over $200 million of that goes toward basic scientific research and dedicated Smithsonian research facilities. 

In spite of receiving almost a billion dollars a year in taxpayer funds, the Smithsonian is not actually part of any branch of government. Although it began with a 

bequest from British scientist James Smithson, it is technically a ‘‘federal trust instrumentality,’’ established by an Act of Congress in 1846. As such, it is appropriate 

and necessary for the Congress to take a more active role in oversight of the Institution’s activities and long-term plans. 

This hearing will focus on the Smithsonian’s contributions to scientific research 

and education, on its vast scientific collections, and how the Institution collaborates 

with federal agencies. I’m looking forward to learning what goes on behind the 

scenes at their 19 museums and nine research centers, and how they share expertise with the 168 affiliated museums from around the country. 

I’m particularly interested in hearing from the Smithsonian’s first-ever Director 

of Education, and about her plans for improving education, outreach, and access 

programs. Informal science education has been a passion of mine on this subcommittee, probably because I know how my own early experiences at the Museum 

of Science and Industry and the Field Museum in Chicago influenced my interest 

in science and engineering. I hope both Director Brown and Secretary Clough will 

explain how the new position fits into the Smithsonian’s strategic plan and what 

its role is, and should be, in federal STEM education programs. 

The Smithsonian Institution’s research centers stretch from the Tropical Research 

Institute in Panama to the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. These facilities, which are home to some of the world’s foremost scientific experts, are almost 

unknown to the general public. The Center for Astrophysics, for example, has 300 

scientists and 12 telescopes on land and in the sky, but most of us have never heard 

of the Center or its work. The Smithsonian is especially active in the life sciences, 

including ecology, with four of the research centers and the National Zoo focusing 

in these areas. As one of the Co-chairs of the Congressional Zoo and Aquarium Caucus, I am particularly interested in learning about the Zoo’s efforts to repopulate 

endangered species. 

Finally, I would like to hear how the Smithsonian works with other federal agencies, including through coordinating bodies like the Office of Science and Technology 

Policy and the National Science and Technology Council. Although federal coordination is a bit more complicated because the Smithsonian is not a part of the Executive Branch, working with other science and education agencies is extremely important if we want to maximize the impact of federal spending. 

One area where it is especially important to coordinate between agencies is in 

managing and sharing scientific collections. The Smithsonian has one of the largest 

collections in the world, including over 137 million individual specimens and arti-
10

facts used for scientific research and museum displays. In 2005, the Smithsonian 

and the Department of Agriculture co-chaired an interagency working group that released a report highlighting the importance of improving collections management. 

I’m looking forward to learning more about the Smithsonian’s plans for implementing the recommendations in this report. 

I would like to thank all of our witnesses for joining us and look forward to their 

testimony.

Chairman LIPINSKI. And with that the Chairman will recognize 

Dr. Ehlers for an opening statement. 

Mr. EHLERS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I am sorry I held 

things up, but unfortunately, the Education Committee was holding votes, and as you know, votes come before statements. 

Thank you, Chairman Lipinski. I am pleased the Committee is 

holding this important hearing today. The Smithsonian is one of 

my favorite enterprises. I was involved in it in a couple of different 

roles. One is on this committee and subcommittee, but also in the 

old days when I chaired the House Administration Committee we 

had to worry about animals dying in the zoo and various things 

like that. So I have somewhat of a history with the Smithsonian, 

and I think it is an absolutely marvelous institution. 

I am also pleased that as director of the House Administration 

Committee, we were able to clear up some of the problems that had 

developed over the years. And we now have a superb leader hiding 

behind a pseudo beard, but he is someone I have known for a number of years from those years at Georgia Tech as well. I am just 

delighted that he was—accepted the position of the Smithsonian, 

and we are looking to great things from all of you. 

The main thing the Smithsonian needs is money, and that is 

true, of course, of every government agency, but it is unique with 

the Smithsonian because it is not quite a government agency. It is 

an entity unto itself, and we should do whatever we can to help 

them in their fundraising efforts. 

And I sincerely hope that we are able to develop excellent fundraising methods. The Smithsonian has so much to offer this Nation, 

and frankly if I had my way, I would like to provide a two-way fare 

for every citizen to come here and spend a few days in the Smithsonian. I don’t think I could get that to pass, however. 

The Smithsonian has a unique role in science and education. I 

did my best to learn everything I could about the Smithsonian’s 

various research entities, and especially its work to improve STEM 

education. A number of years ago I took a trip with the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to Central and South America. We were worried about security on shipments into the United 

States, and Panama, of course, is a major center of commerce, so 

we spent some time there. While I was there, I saw a sign for the 

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institution and decided to stop by. 

You can imagine the pleasure and dismay of the workers at the Institution to suddenly have two congressmen appear in the door and 

ask if we could look around. They did a great job of explaining the 

function of the Tropical Research Institution, and I was very impressed with the work they do. I would love to spend a few more 

days there, and unfortunately, we were on a Transportation airplane rather than Smithsonian airplane. I don’t think you even 

have one, do you? 
11

But at any rate, it was a very worthwhile trip. The staff there 

was extremely gracious in explaining their work and sharing their 

excitement for discovery. 

I believe the Smithsonian has resources and insights unlike any 

other organization. It has subject matter experts who are also committed to public service. Hearing from the world’s largest museum 

and research complex seems wise as we determine how to manage 

our diverse federal efforts in science education and research. 

I look forward to hearing about this topic from our witnesses 

today. 

With that I yield back. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Ehlers follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF REPRESENTATIVE VERNON J. EHLERS

Thank you, Chairman Lipinski. I am pleased that the Committee is holding this 

important hearing today. 

The Smithsonian has a unique role in science and education. When I served on 

the Committee on House Administration, my colleagues and I were responsible for 

overseeing this important institution. I did my best to learn everything I could 

about Smithsonian’s various research entities, and especially its work to improve 

STEM education. 

A number of years ago I took a trip with the Transportation and Infrastructure 

Committee to Panama, and while I was there I saw a sign for the Smithsonian 

Tropical Research Institution and decided to stop by. Despite the fact that I arrived 

unexpectedly, the staff there was extremely gracious in explaining their work and 

sharing their excitement for discovery. 

I believe the Smithsonian has resources and insights unlike any other organization. It has subject matter experts who are also committed to public service. Hearing 

from the world’s largest museum and research complex seems wise as we determine 

how to manage our diverse federal efforts in science, education and research. 

I look forward to hearing about this topic from our witnesses.

Chairman LIPINSKI. Thank you, Dr. Ehlers, and I was on a different Transportation Committee trip down to Panama, and I 

didn’t even have enough time other than for them to point out the 

window and say there is a Smithsonian building over there. I didn’t 

get a chance to scare the people there by slipping in for a few minutes. 

If there are Members who wish to submit additional opening 

statements, your statements will be added to the record at this 

point. 

And at this time I want to introduce our witnesses. We have Dr. 

Wayne Clough, who is the Secretary and CEO of the Smithsonian 

Institution, and I am very happy that he is also a civil engineer, 

and former President of Georgia Tech. Ms. Claudine Brown is the 

Director of Education at the Smithsonian Institution. Dr. Biff 

Bermingham is the Director of the Smithsonian Tropical Research 

Institute, and Ms. Shari Werb is the Assistant Director of Education at the National Museum of Natural History. 

As our witnesses should know, you will each have five minutes 

for your spoken testimony. Your written testimony will be included 

in the record for the hearing. When you get—if you do pass five 

minutes, I will start giving you a signal with the easy end of the 

gavel, and if you get past six, then you will hear the other end of 

the gavel just to let you know that—give you a little warning there. 

We are hoping we will have enough time. We are going to have 

votes again coming up, another series of votes coming up, so hopefully we will have time to go through your testimony and questions 
12

before that. But when you have all then completed your testimony, 

we will have the questions, and each Member will have five minutes to ask any question of the panel. 

And so we will start now with Dr. Clough. Dr. Clough, you are 

recognized for five minutes. 

STATEMENT OF G. WAYNE CLOUGH, SECRETARY, 

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 

Dr. CLOUGH. Thank you, Chairman Lipinski and Dr. Ehlers and 

Members of the Committee for having us here and giving us this 

opportunity. 

Before I read my statement, I would like to introduce you to a 

couple of the objects that I have here on the table. On the far ends 

of the table are objects that have been collected from the Gulf and 

near the site of the Deep Horizon oil spill and problem. They represent the so-called ‘voucher collections’ for the Gulf, and the 

Smithsonian maintains these for the country, and they represent 

the baseline of the ecosystem for the entire Gulf and Atlantic side 

so that when the time comes to establish the damage that has been 

done and the ability to clean up the damage, we will have to use 

these voucher collections. This just illustrates the value of collections and having them and maintaining the importance of them. 

In front of me, here on pins, are a group of mosquitoes, different 

types, some malaria bearing, others not so. We maintain collections 

of insects, entomological collections that are very useful, particularly for our military, and they venture into some of these dangerous areas to determine the types of insects that might be—the 

types of things that will create problems for our military. These collections are used in concert with other agencies to make those 

kinds of evaluations. 

And finally, in front of me in this small orb is an object from 

Mars, a little piece of Mars. This is called a Mars meteorite, and 

it occurred as a result of a meteorite impact on Mars that freed up 

a piece of Mars, came through the Martian atmosphere and ended 

up on Earth. It is estimated that this object is four billion years 

old, so essentially the age of our Earth, and it is from Mars based 

on the chemical analysis that has been done of it. The Smithsonian 

keeps the meteorite collection, the National Meteorite Collection, 

for our country, and it is an interesting one. We invite you to come 

see those some time when you have the opportunity. 

So just a little bit about myself. My career has focused on education and research, with much of this related to science and engineering, first as a university faculty member and subsequently to 

be fortunate to be named President of my alma mater, Georgia 

Tech. It is now a great honor for me to serve as Secretary of the 

Smithsonian, with wonderful colleagues that you will hear from 

later, and the passionate people who work there. 

When I started at the Smithsonian, I felt we needed to re-energize our efforts in science and education so that we would have a 

much greater effect on what we did for our country. I am excited 

about the future of the Smithsonian. We have a new strategic plan 

and a commitment to create new approaches using our existing resources to work across disciplines, to attack big problems our country faces. 
13

We are going to do that by building partnerships. Not by ourselves, but building partnerships with universities, NGOs, and federal agencies so we can leverage what we and they do rather than 

creating duplication. 

As to education, the Smithsonian has always been an educational 

institution, so we will honor and enhance the traditional visits to 

our museums, while digitally, we will also reach people where they 

live and learn. This will be a new aspect of the Smithsonian. In 

doing so, we believe we can help revitalize K–12 education in our 

Nation. 

We just hired a new Director of Education, Claudine Brown, to 

coordinate and to enhance our efforts, and you will hear from Shari 

Werb, who works on the front line of delivering education at our 

Museum of Natural History. 

Smithsonian science has a storied history that goes back to the 

founding of the Institution in 1846. As the reach of our sciences 

grew over time, it became geographically distributed as those activities tended to move away from the Mall, since they didn’t have 

to be here. 

For example, we have a Conservation Biology Institute for the 

National Zoo that deals with endangered species that is located in 

Front Royal, Virginia; the Smithsonian Environmental Research 

Center is located in Edgewater, Maryland, 3,000 acres on the 

Chesapeake Bay; the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in 

Panama; and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 

These units, combined with the Mall-based Natural History Museum and the great Air and Space Museum, comprise a remarkable 

and uniquely-positioned national science enterprise. 

Of course, it really all comes down to people, and I have learned 

much by personally going to meet our scientists in their laboratories as well as their field sites in places like Chile, Kenya, Panama, Antarctica, and the far reaches of Alaska, most recently. I can 

assure you our scientists are passionate about what they do. They 

are committed public servants, and they are enormously talented. 

The Smithsonian science is really a diverse enterprise, and I 

want to take just a moment to attempt to define our role and the 

uniqueness of it. First, who are we? Today more than 500 Smithsonian staff scientists work in fields such as astronomy, biology, botany, zoology, entomology, paleontology, and earth sciences. The 

quality of their work is demonstrated, if you look over the last decade, by hundreds of publications in the most prestigious science 

publications, like Nature and Science magazines. Among our research staff, 17 are members of the National Academies, and we 

have one Nobel laureate. 

The Smithsonian is exceptional and distinctive in conducting 

long-term studies that require large data gathering exercises, 

something that is critical in understanding these processes, and 

you see some of that evidence here on the table. 

We have the largest and most used natural history collection on 

earth; 126 million of 137 million objects are natural history collections. They are used by almost all the federal agencies for their 

work. We have an ambitious idea to create a ‘‘Digital Smithsonian’’ 
14

to deliver what we do here on the Mall out to people where they 

work and they live. 

What do we do now? We believe we examine some of the most 

complex and time-sensitive problems that our Nation faces. Our 

scientists assess the consequences of climate change, we keep aircraft safe from bird strikes, we document and control invasive species, and assist our Armed Forces in keeping them safe from insectborne disease. 

What are we going to do differently in the future? Our strategic 

plan lays that out. We shape the future by preserving our heritage, 

discovering new knowledge, and sharing our resources with the 

world. We have a series of ‘‘Grand Challenges,’’ and two of these 

deal specifically with our science mission. 

First, ‘‘Understanding and Sustaining a Bio-diverse Planet,’’ 

which is critical to the survival of our species. We have unmatched 

capacity to tackle this task. As an example, the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Earth Observatories Network observes trees, millions of trees and forests around the world. You will hear more of 

that from Biff Bermingham. 

And second, ‘‘Unlocking the Mysteries of the Universe,’’ particularly based in our work at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, one of the world’s great physical observatories. 

Thanks to the help of Congress and the American people, the 

Smithsonian will continue to strive to enhance our relevance to the 

Nation by improving scientific literacy, providing information that 

is important to our policymakers, inspiring students, and insuring 

a brighter future for us all. 

Thank you for this opportunity to be with you today. 

[The prepared statement of Dr. Clough follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF G. WAYNE CLOUGH

Introduction 

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee -

It is my privilege to appear before the Subcommittee to testify about the science 

research and education programs conducted at the Smithsonian Institution. Over 

the next decade, the Smithsonian is committed to using its resources to become 

more engaged than ever before with the great issues of our day and to energize our 

work with a new spirit, capitalizing on the passion of the people of the Smithsonian 

for their work. The Institution completed a year-long inclusive process resulting in 

a Strategic Plan that is interdisciplinary and entrepreneurial, and which has been 

embraced by both internal and external stakeholders. It calls for us to broaden access and reach new audiences by bringing the resources of our museums and research centers to people where they learn and live. Our goal is to serve not only 

the millions of people who visit our museums, but to reach those who are not able 

to come or who are not aware of the opportunities for learning that we offer. The 

plan also brings focus to our future efforts in science, creating new opportunities 

through crossdisciplinary and collaborative approaches within the Smithsonian itself 

as well as with partners who share our commitment and complement our strengths. 

Every day, in every corner of the globe, Smithsonian science examines some of the 

world’s most complex—and time-sensitive—problems. Whether they are protecting 

ecosystems that are threatened, assessing the consequences of climate change or 

keeping aircraft safe from bird strikes, Smithsonian scientists apply what they learn 

to improve the quality—and quantity—of life on Earth. Their work addresses some 

of our most pressing issues, including education about the impacts of volcanic eruptions, discovery of new planets, minimizing the growing effects of invasive species 

and setting the baseline for damage from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. 

Today, more than 500 Smithsonian staff scientists, augmented by an equal number of fellows and hundreds of international collaborators, conduct research in field 

stations and laboratories on all seven continents and serve as national and international experts in a wide range of disciplines. Over a thousand students intern 
15

with us each year and work with our scholars, and many more learn by visiting our 

field stations, museums and the National Zoo. They come to be part of our exciting 

science agenda and we welcome the opportunity to help them grow to be the next 

generation of scientists for our nation. 

The home of the Smithsonian science agenda is found in a group of key facilities 

and units, many historical and with long and distinguished histories.

Museums 

The Smithsonian is home to the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), 

the National Air and Space Museum (on the Mall and at Dulles International Airport), the National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C., and the Zoo’s world-class 

biological conservation facility in Front Royal, Virginia. The NMNH opened one 

hundred years ago this year, and not only is a premier museum visited by 7.5 million people a year, but home to world class science in botany, biology, zoology, paleontology, anthropology, archeology, ornithology, earth sciences, and vulcanology. Its 

collections, with 126 million specimens and objects, are the largest in the world and 

are increasingly available to scholars and citizens alike around the world through 

digital access. 

Combined, our science museums and the National Zoo host upwards of 15 million 

visitors annually, offering the largest single opportunity in the world to educate the 

public about science. The science research done by the Smithsonian informs museum exhibits and Zoo exhibits and insures that the extensive educational outreach 

that emanates from them is up-to-date and cutting edge.

Smithsonian Centers of Research 

The nature and scope of Smithsonian science is built on a world stage, involving 

activities in over 80 countries. In addition to the museums, Smithsonian science is 

driven by a group of leading research centers that allow focus on crosscutting topics 

or build on physical platforms not found in the museums.

Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC), Edgewater, MD

SERC is the leading national research center for understanding environmental 

issues in the coastal zone. Its scientists engage in interdisciplinary studies that address issues such as global climate change, watershed pollution, the maintenance 

of productive fisheries, the changes wrought by invasive species and the ecology of 

fragile wetlands and woodlands. The reach of the SERC efforts on land/water ecosystems includes not only the Chesapeake Bay, but the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and 

Pacific coasts.

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), Panama

STRI is the world’s premier tropical biology research institute, and is celebrating 

its 100th anniversary this year. Originated because of the construction of the Panama Canal, it has grown to become a world leader in preserving tropical forests and 

the ecosystems found there. Dedicated to increasing our understanding of the past, 

present and future of tropical biodiversity and its relevance to human welfare 

through studies in marine biology, terrestrial ecology and paleontology, STRI’s facilities provide a unique opportunity for long-term ecological studies in the tropics and 

are used extensively by both Smithsonian scientists and hundreds of visiting scientists from around the world. STRI works with SERC on projects relating to carbon 

sequestration and invasive species. My colleague Biff Bermingham is here with us 

to give you additional information on STRI’s activities.

Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO), Cambridge, MA

SAO is arguably the largest and most diverse astrophysical institution in the 

world, where scientists carry out a broad program of research in astronomy, astrophysics, earth and space sciences and science education. The Observatory’s mission 

is to advance our knowledge and understanding of the universe through research 

and education in astronomy and astrophysics. Its scientists are among the best in 

the world, and it also builds the remarkable instruments needed for astrophysical 

work and operates larger land- and space-based telescopes.

National Zoological Park (NZP)/Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI), Washington, D.C. and Front Royal, VA

National Zoo scientists are based at the Zoo in Washington, D.C., the Smithsonian 

Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, VA and at field sites around the 

world. They conduct research to aid in the survival or recovery of species and their 

habitats and ensure the health and well-being of animals in captivity and in the 

wild. During the past 28 years, more than 4,300 people from 109 countries have 

been trained through the Zoo’s professional programs in conservation biology and 
16

zoological medicine. In addition, the Zoo cares for more than 2,000 animals representing 400 difference species.

National Air and Space Museum (NASM), Washington, D.C.

Scientists at NASM’s Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, a NASA-supported 

program, study a variety of geological processes, such as volcanism, floods, crater 

formation, tectonics and sand movement. Many of the studies also address topics of 

concern for climate change. The scope of research activities includes work on Mercury, Venus, the Moon, Mars, asteroids and some satellites of the outer solar system.

Museum Conservation Institute (MCI), Suitland, MD

Researchers use state-of-the-art instrumentation and scientific techniques to provide technical research studies and interpretation of art, as well as anthropological 

and historical objects. Their work assists scientists, art historians and conservators 

as they place objects within a culture and a time period, look for new cultural influences within societies and compare cultural and technological change across different periods and geographic areas. The Institute is the only Smithsonian resource 

for technical studies and analyses for the majority of Smithsonian collections. 

Many of the most important issues facing our nation and our world cross disciplines and call for a new approach that melds the strengths of units and entities. 

Our new strategic plan lays the groundwork for the Smithsonian to lead in such 

efforts. While much is yet to come, we are on our way with a number of exciting 

efforts that involve not only multiple units at the Smithsonian but also in collaboration with other museums and universities. We have active involvements with universities like Harvard, George Mason, Yale, Arizona State, Maryland and George 

Washington and we work in partnership with the National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration (NASA), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Office of Science and Technology 

Policy (OSTP), the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture. 

These collaborations avoid duplication of effort and facilities bring teams together 

that can solve issues in ways that would not be the case otherwise.

Commitment to Long-term Research and Large Scale Science Platforms 

The Smithsonian is exceptional in its ability to undertake long-term studies that 

require large-scale data gathering. Research carried out over years and even decades is now recognized as fundamental and vital, both to scientific understanding 

and to society’s ability to make informed policy choices about such issues as ocean 

conservation. Many ecological processes vary over extended periods—something 

short-term observations may not detect. The Smithsonian has managed study sites 

for decades, obtaining valuable data on such long-term trends. The Smithsonian provides researchers with access to its unique network of scientists, collections, laboratories, field sites and past research. The Smithsonian also collaborates with universities and museums across the globe to tackle projects too complex for any one institution to undertake alone.

Promoting Science Literacy and Careers in Science 

Through fellowships and internships in every science unit, the Smithsonian mentors and trains the next generation of researchers. But our interaction with nascent 

scientists starts even earlier. The National Science Resources Center (NSRC) was 

established in 1985 jointly by the Smithsonian Institution and the National Academies to improve science education in America’s schools—a critical indicator of our 

nation’s ability to lead in the future. NSRC improves the teaching and learning of 

science with K–12 science programs in more than 1200 school districts representing 

30% of the U.S. student population in 48 states and more than nine countries. The 

Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies (SCEMS) provides curriculum materials to teachers so they can incorporate museums, exhibits and collections into their work. SCEMS also conducts Internet webinars on various topics that 

attract 20,000 participants from across the United States and 100 countries. More 

will come as the Smithsonian mobilizes its pan-institutional educational programs, 

which is underway with the hiring of our first Director of Education, Claudine 

Brown, who is also here with me today. The Smithsonian is uniquely equipped to 

help with the important issue of scientific literacy, a growing challenge as the world 

of science moves faster and becomes ever more complicated.

National Collections 

Scientific collections are an essential component of the national scientific infrastructure, as documented in the 2009 report of the Interagency Working Group on 
17

Scientific Collections (OSTP, 2009). Irreplaceable and comprehensive, the Smithsonian has the richest, largest and most-used natural history collection on Earth. Tens 

of millions of artifacts and specimens, some as old as the Earth itself, serve as a 

baseline against which to measure change; they are a reference for Smithsonian scientists and those in other federal agencies as well as scientists around the world 

who study processes that have modified Earth and shaped the human environment. 

They reflect a legacy of more than 150 years of research, exploration, discovery and 

conservation, and they inform Smithsonian publication, education and exhibition. 

Universities have researchers, but not extensive collections—our collections set us 

apart from all other research and scholarly institutions. 

The Smithsonian has developed an ambitious plan to create a ‘‘Digital Smithsonian’’—to digitize the resources of the Institution, including much of its collection, 

for the widest possible use by current and future generations. This will broaden access to those treasures, safeguard them for future generations, speed research, add 

meaning, encourage collaboration, and integrate our holdings across museums and 

programs. Our collections have been used repeatedly to answer basic and historical 

questions regarding many significant issues of the day. For example, regarding the 

impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, knowing what the conditions were like 

before the event is essential. The Smithsonian is committed to long-term studies of 

ecosystems and biodiversity, and the data and collections that have resulted can 

play a crucial role in situations such as that posed by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. 

This spill already has been described by many experts as the worst man-made ecological disaster in U.S. history. The extent of the ecological impact, its geographic 

extent, and possibilities for remediation at this point are only estimates, not known 

facts. Given the likely economic impacts of the spill and future costs, the accuracy 

of before and after comparisons is important. The NMNH collections contain hundreds of thousands of specimens collected by the Department of Interior’s Bureau 

of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement and others since 1974 

at different depths and locations in the Gulf over many years. 

My staff recently estimated that fully 58% of publicly available specimen-based 

records from the Gulf of Mexico are housed at the Smithsonian. I would like to emphasize that many marine research institutions around the Gulf and elsewhere will 

play key roles in assessing damage and measuring remediation and recovery in the 

years ahead. The Smithsonian is ready to collaborate and support that work in any 

way it can. 

Other efforts in regard to responding to the oil spill include coordinating with the 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to send four veterinarians from the National Zoo to 

the Gulf Region to work in conjunction with other federal agency vets. The vets from 

the National Zoo will work on a rotating basis for the next eight weeks; each of the 

four vets will serve for two week intervals at an incident command center in 

Houma, Louisiana in a mostly strategic basis coordinating relief efforts. The vets 

will oversee the logistics and release of recovering wildlife—primarily birds—from 

the affected region. The first vet, Dr. Judilee Marrow, was deployed, Sunday, July 

11.

The Strategic Plan and Focus on Grand Challenges for Science

Unlocking the Mysteries of the Universe 

Since the late 1800s the Smithsonian has played a lead role in developing the understanding of the fundamental nature of the universe, dark matter and galaxy formation. The Smithsonian, particularly the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, 

the National Air and Space Museum and the National Museum of Natural History 

will focus on applying the integrative research of their scientists to today’s big questions regarding the origin and evolution of the Earth, planets, stars, galaxies, and 

the universe, thereby harnessing the collaborative energy of scientists, scholars, and 

cultural experts. 

Areas of specific focus will be the study of the origin and evolution of the Earth 

and solar system; the effects of geologic and meteoric phenomena on Earth’s atmosphere and biosphere; research into the discovery and characterization of exo-planets 

in the habitable zone; research using our rich collections, including the national meteorite collection; and research into the next generation of ground- and space-based 

astronomical telescope mirrors and instrumentation that will enable the next generation of research. 

The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) is a prime example of the way 

in which the Smithsonian collaborates with other organizations. SAO’s partnership 

with Harvard University to form the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics 

has, since 1973, grown to be the most powerful astronomical observatory in the 

world. SAO’s pioneering efforts in the development of orbiting observatories and 
18

large ground-based telescopes, in the application of computers to astrophysical problems, and in the integration of laboratory measurements, theoretical astrophysics 

and observations across the electromagnetic spectrum have contributed greatly to 

unveiling the secrets of the universe. These efforts have principally been supported 

by competitively awarded contracts and grants from NASA and NSF. From studying 

planets around other stars to charting galaxies moving at almost the speed of light, 

SAO scientists remain dedicated to the increase of knowledge about those physical 

processes that shape the natural world, and to the diffusion of this knowledge to 

the scientific community, to teachers and students and to the general public.

Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet 

Research will focus on such questions as: how to sustain a biologically diverse 

Earth; how does this diversity change across geography and through time; and how 

do we better understand the life-sustaining services of ecosystems and best sustain 

their contributions to human well-being locally and globally? 

The Smithsonian’s research supports many strands of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) by providing baseline data, measurements and monitoring of change in the biosphere and atmosphere. The Smithsonian’s observation 

and monitoring capabilities ensure a long-term, high-quality and high-resolution 

record of the state of natural variability and change in climate; improve our understanding of the natural and human-induced forces of change; and increase the accuracy of environmental models and projections of future conditions. This includes a 

focus on forests through the expansion and sustainment of the Smithsonian Institution Global Earth Observatories (SIGEO) network. SIGEO is a leader in the world 

in forming international partnerships involving 21 countries that have joined together to promote large-scale environmental monitoring and maintain banks of data 

allowing for sophisticated analyses. 

The Smithsonian is also a leader in DNA barcoding which includes leadership in 

an international initiative devoted to developing a global standard for the identification of biological species. The new technique uses a short DNA sequence from a 

standardized position in the genome as a molecular diagnostic for species identification. As the recognized U.S. leader in DNA barcoding, the Smithsonian seeks to increase its capacity in research and training. These activities directly support the 

biodiversity theme of our Strategic Plan, and also link to access initiatives, such as 

the Encyclopedia of Life and SIGEO. 

The Encyclopedia of Life, (EOL at www.eol.org) is an ambitious project at the National Museum of Natural History that will become a key repository of scientific information about virtually every form of life on Earth. The EOL is a Web-based, online database that has financial, logistical and research support from numerous 

partners including private foundations. It is expected to encompass the 1.9 million 

known species of animals, plants, and other life forms in about ten years. The database will be configurable for all types of audiences, from students and scientists to 

policy makers and the general public, and is intended to allow free access to all. 

The NMNH is uniquely positioned to contribute to this global effort of documenting 

every known species currently living on Earth, through its extensive and broad collections as well as through the scientific staff who provide the context for these 

specimens. The specimens require scientific expertise to provide related ecological 

and evolutionary information. 

EOL is an unprecedented research initiative that is designed to broaden access 

to Smithsonian collections and knowledge, and share these resources with America 

and the world. It includes collaboration with other parts of the Smithsonian and 

leading institutions across the country and abroad. The first phase of this initiative 

was developed with support from the MacArthur and Sloan Foundations, and currently provides access to 180,000 species pages, as well as 20 million pages of literature related to biological diversity, through the Biodiversity Heritage Library. 

The next phase of this project will expand information to 500,000 species pages and 

some 50 million pages of literature, as well as develop resources for students and 

teachers across the Nation over the next three years. 

Another example of the Smithsonian’s external collaborations is looking at the 

amphibian extinction crisis. A systematic global assessment of all 5,743 known amphibian species has found that one-third of them are in danger of elimination at an 

alarming rate by a pathogen known as the chytrid fungus, according to the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In May of last year, eight institutions joined together to save amphibians from the brink of extinction in the eastern 

region of Panama—an area rich with diverse amphibian species. Experts from the 

Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Africam [sic] Safari Park, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Defenders of Wildlife, 

the Houston Zoo and the Zoo New England have pooled their energy and resources 
19

to form the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project to protect a number of species from complete loss. The project consists of three distinct and complementary parts: the ongoing operation of El Valle Amphibian Conservation Center 

in western Panama, run by the Houston Zoo; the Amphibian Chytrid Cure Research 

Program initiated at the National Zoo in collaboration with Vanderbilt University; 

and the construction and operation of the new Summit Park Amphibian Rescue 

Center in Panama.

The Future 

To maintain its cutting-edge research in the years to come, the Smithsonian needs 

to be attuned to where it can best contribute to solving complex scientific issues and 

adjust its unique resources accordingly. In the coming months, through both the 

strategic plan and deeper discussions scheduled for the Board of Regents early next 

year, these issues will be examined:

• Increasing capabilities for interdisciplinary research.

• Connecting important scientific assets to create more synergy.

• Developing a clear vision for science education, which my colleague Claudine 

Brown will address in her testimony.

• Addressing the national needs for scientific literacy.

• Finding additional key partners within the federal and university sectors.

With the help of our 6,000 employees, hundreds of volunteers and extensive collections, and through internal and external collaborations, the Smithsonian strives to 

address important issues in science today, improve scientific literacy and ensure a 

brighter future for us all. 

In conclusion, thank you for this opportunity to share with you some of the unique 

aspects of the Smithsonian Institution’s science research and the various ways in 

which we contribute to the world’s understanding of complex and important issues.

BIOGRAPHY FOR G. WAYNE CLOUGH

Wayne Clough is the 12th Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, leading the 

world’s largest museum and research complex with 19 museums, nine research centers, the National Zoo and research activities in more than 90 countries. 

Clough envisions a new era for the 164-year-old Institution, expanding the 

Smithsonian’s global relevance and helping the Nation shape its future through research, education and scientific discovery on major topics of the day. One of his first 

initiatives led to a new strategic plan that speaks to four grand challenges that will 

bring together the diverse resources of the Smithsonian’s museums and science centers through interdisciplinary approaches. 

Ensuring that the Institution’s vast collection is accessible and available to everyone is a priority for Clough and the new strategic plan. Efforts are underway to 

digitize much of the Smithsonian’s 137 million objects in the collection and use the 

World Wide Web and Smithsonian experts and scholars to reach out to new audiences in the United States and around the world. 

Since Clough began as Secretary in July 2008, he has overseen several major 

openings at the Smithsonian, including the reopening of the National Museum of 

American History, the David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins and Sant Ocean Hall 

at the National Museum of Natural History. 

Before his appointment to the Smithsonian, Clough was president of the Georgia 

Institute of Technology for 14 years. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees 

in civil engineering from Georgia Tech in 1964 and 1965 and a doctorate in 1969 

in civil engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. 

Clough has been a professor at Duke University, Stanford University and Virginia 

Tech. He served as head of the department of civil engineering and dean of the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech, and as provost at the University of Washington. 

The Georgia Tech campus served as the Olympic Village for the 1996 Centennial 

Olympics while Clough was president. Research expenditures increased from $212 

million to $425 million and student enrollments from 13,000 to 18,000. More than 

1.5 billion dollars was raised in private gifts, and campus operations were opened 

in Savannah, Ga., Ireland, Singapore and Shanghai. 

Clough completed a building program of more than $1 billion that incorporated 

sustainable design. Georgia Tech was also ranked among the top 10 public universities by U.S. News and World Report during his tenure. The publication Diverse 

Issues in Higher Education cited Georgia Tech as the top producer of African Amer-
20

ican engineers, and Hispanic Business magazine named the school among the top 

institutions for study by Hispanic students. 

Clough was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in April 2010. 

In March 2009, he was inducted into the Technology Hall of Fame of Georgia, and 

in February 2009, he received the Joseph M. Pettit Alumni Distinguished Service 

Award that recognizes a lifetime of leadership, achievement and service to Georgia 

Tech. In 20l2, Georgia Tech is scheduled to open the G. Wayne Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons building to honor his commitment to undergraduate 

students. 

Clough received nine national awards from the American Society of Civil Engineers, including the 2004 OPAL lifetime award for contributions to education. He 

is one of 14 civil engineers to have been twice awarded civil engineering’s oldest recognition, the Norman Medal, in 1982 and in 1996. He received the George Westinghouse Award from the American Society of Engineering Education in 1986 for outstanding teaching and research. In 1990, he was elected to the National Academy 

of Engineering (NAE), and in 2008 was recognized with the NAE Bueche Award for 

his efforts in public policy. He was awarded the 2002 National Engineering Award 

by the American Association of Engineering Societies and in 2004 was named as a 

Distinguished Alumnus from the College of Engineering at U.C. Berkeley. 

In summer 2010, Clough received honorary Doctor of Science degrees from 

Oglethorpe University in Atlanta; University of Maryland, Baltimore County; and 

Williams College in Williamstown, Mass. He is also a recipient of honorary doctorates from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Florida Southern College and the University of South Carolina. 

Clough chaired of the National Research Council Committee on New Orleans Regional Hurricane Protection Projects and serves as a member of the National 

Science Board. He served on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and 

Technology (2001–08) and as co-chair of the 2004 National Innovation Initiative and 

University vice chair of the U.S. Council on Competitiveness; he chaired the Engineer of 2020 Project for the NAE and served as a member of the National Governors 

Association Innovate America Task Force (2006–07). 

He served on the boards of Noro-Moseley Partners and TSYS Corp. as well as the 

International Advisory Board of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. 

Clough’s interests include science, technology and higher-education policy, sustainability, international programs, museums and history. His civil engineering specialty is in geotechnical and earthquake engineering. He has published more than 

130 papers and reports and six book chapters and has co-written numerous committee reports. Clough was born in Douglas, Ga., Sept. 24, 1941.

Chairman LIPINSKI. Thank you, Dr. Clough, and I figured I 

would give you a little extra time there because you were doing a 

good job of going through exactly what you are doing, a very good 

explanation. Of course, the only thing I keep thinking, though, is 

I am going to have nightmares of that thing that you have sitting 

there in front of you as I am sitting there, sitting here watching 

you, listening to you give your testimony. 

But the Chair now recognizes Ms. Brown for five minutes. 

STATEMENT OF CLAUDINE BROWN, DIRECTOR OF 

EDUCATION, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 

Ms. BROWN. Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee, 

it is my great pleasure to appear before the Subcommittee to testify 

about science education at the Smithsonian Institution. I was recently named the Director of Education for the Smithsonian, and 

prior to this I served for more than a decade as the Director of the 

Arts and Culture Program at the Nathan Cummings Foundation in 

New York City. 

This is not my first tour of duty at the Smithsonian Institution. 

I also served as the Director of the National African-American Museum Project and was at one time the Deputy Assistant Secretary 

for Arts and Humanities. 
21

Secretary Clough has made it clear that the Smithsonian will be 

focused on education. The Smithsonian has a long history of serving educators by providing extensive informal and formal education 

for learners of all ages. During this time in our history, when we 

are, of necessity, considering our world holistically, encyclopedic institutions like the Smithsonian are uniquely suited to help learners 

understand the connections between the sciences, the arts, and the 

humanities. We believe that the Smithsonian is essential in helping educators better understand and explain our complex and 

inter-connected world. 

As the Director of Education, I have been tasked with the development of an Institution-wide plan for educational initiatives, the 

implementation of assessment strategies that will measure our impact on the field, and securing support for projects that will benefit 

K–12 students. In this capacity I will also oversee the 

Smithsonian’s education organizations, and I will coordinate the efforts of 32 education-based offices in museums and scientific institutions throughout the entire museum complex. 

Currently, many of the Smithsonian museums, research centers, 

and outreach offices work with educators on both the local and national level to enhance the teaching of science through the use of 

our collections and our research. We assist school administrators 

with the development of strategic plans that lead to the implementation of research-based science education programs in their districts. 

We provide traditional curricula and digital teaching tools so 

that we can enhance school-based learning. We also train teachers 

throughout the country who use our curricula to teach science in 

innovative ways. We continue to be well respected for offering timely and engaging on-site programs that give educators and students 

direct access to primary source materials and expose them to concrete examples of natural phenomena and scientific innovations. 

One of my challenges will be to unify our many education initiatives and help the Smithsonian become a greater national resource 

for students and teachers, especially those who will never be able 

to participate in on-site programming on the Mall. 

An excellent example of the Smithsonian’s ability to bring science 

literacy to learners of all ages is the research and programming 

around the National Museum of Natural History’s Oceans Initiative. Based on extensive research in marine science, the Museum 

developed a major exhibition that reaches families, individuals, and 

school groups. There is a publication, ‘‘Oceans: Our Water, Our 

World,’’ a teacher’s guide, and the family guide. The website, Ocean 

Portal, provides information that is available in the exhibition as 

well as current news about oceans, including stories on the Gulf oil 

spill and sustainable seafood. 

I was with a group of teachers last evening who work in rural 

communities who had just been through that exhibition, and they 

were most excited about the Portal, which would allow them to 

teach lessons in their home communities. The Portal also encourages members of the public to submit essays and share their opinions on a blog, through videos, photographs, and polls. 
22

The Smithsonian online conference on climate change also included research on coral reefs. More than 20,000 learners of all 

ages have participated in the Smithsonian’s online conferences. 

The Smithsonian’s museums, zoo, libraries, and scientific research centers offer hands-on learning experiences that can play an 

important role in transforming education in our Nation. The lessons that we are learning from teaching science on-site are rapidly 

being translated into digital forms that can be broadly disseminated. We are living in the moment when the convergence of the 

intellectual and creative capital of the Smithsonian Institution and 

the opportunities made possible by the digital revolution can lead 

to broad and engaging points of access for learners of all ages. 

Technology presents us with an opportunity to reshape the future of education. It is no longer acceptable for us to share only a 

small percentage of our 137 million specimens and artifacts in an 

age when the internet and technology have made it possible to 

share it all. 

Our job is to authenticate and inform the significance of the collections, not to control access to them. In doing this, the relevance 

of the Smithsonian to education can be greatly enhanced, as we 

learn—from learners—new applications for our scholarships. 

Thank you for the opportunity to testify. 

[The prepared statement of Ms. Brown follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF CLAUDINE BROWN

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee -

It is my great pleasure to appear before the Subcommittee to testify about science 

education at the Smithsonian Institution. I was recently named the director of education for the Smithsonian. Prior to this position, I served for more than a decade 

as the director of the arts and culture program at the Nathan Cummings Foundation in New York. Although I have been away for awhile, I am not new to the 

Smithsonian. In 1990, I was the Smithsonian’s director of the National AfricanAmerican Museum Project. In this position, I coordinated the efforts of advisory 

committees that considered the role of the Smithsonian in the development of a national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, 

art, history and culture. In 1991, I was the deputy assistant secretary for the arts 

and humanities and developed policy for many Smithsonian museums. It is good to 

be back at the Smithsonian, especially at such a pivotal time in its history, a time 

when our education offerings will reach new audiences on the Mall in Washington, 

DC, throughout the country and the world. 

As early as his installation ceremony, Secretary Clough made it clear that the 

Smithsonian would be focused on education. The Smithsonian has a long history of 

serving educators by providing extensive informal and formal education for learners 

of all ages. During this time in our history when we are of necessity considering 

our world holistically, encyclopedic institutions like the Smithsonian are uniquely 

suited to help learners understand the connections between the sciences, arts and 

humanities. We believe that the Smithsonian is essential in helping educators better 

understand and explain our complex and interconnected world. The Smithsonian 

looks forward to partnering with more educators in schools and institutions of higher education to provide access to resources that will help prepare students for the 

future. The Smithsonian’s new strategic plan referenced by Secretary Clough in his 

remarks has already begun to make important inroads regarding our educational 

outreach as we address our four Grand Challenges. 

As the director of education, I will be responsible for defining the Smithsonian’s 

education program and will report directly to the Secretary. I have been tasked with 

the development of an Institution-wide plan for educational initiatives, the implementation of assessment strategies that will measure our impact on the field and 

securing support for projects that will benefit K–12 students. In this capacity, I will 

also oversee two of the Smithsonian’s educational organizations—the National 

Science Resources Center, the Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies and hope to oversee the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, 
23

the Smithsonian Associates, and the Smithsonian Affiliates program as well. I will 

also coordinate the efforts of 32 education-based offices in museums and science centers throughout the Smithsonian. 

Currently, many of the Smithsonian museums, research centers, and outreach offices work with educators on both a local and national level to enhance the teaching 

of science through the use of our collections and research. We assist school administrators with the development of strategic plans that lead to the implementation of 

research-based science education programs in their districts. We provide traditional 

curricula, and digital teaching tools so that we can enhance school based learning. 

We also train teachers throughout the country who use our curriculum to teach 

science in innovative ways. We continue to be well-respected for offering timely and 

engaging on-site programs that give educators and students direct access to primary 

source materials and expose them to concrete examples of natural phenomena and 

scientific innovations. One of my challenges will be to unify our many education initiatives and help the Smithsonian become a greater resource for students and teachers across the country—especially those who don’t have the opportunity to participate in on-site programming. 

High-quality, inquiry-oriented science instruction is essential for effective science 

education programs. Museums, zoos, our 20 libraries, botanic gardens and other 

sites that offer hands-on learning can play an important role in transforming education in our nation. The lessons that we learn from teaching science in our museums and research centers are rapidly being translated into digital forms that can 

be broadly disseminated. 

We are living in a moment when the convergence of the intellectual and creative 

capital of the Smithsonian Institution and the opportunities made possible by the 

digital revolution lead to broad and engaging points of access for learners of all 

ages. By using new technology extensively, we will reach new generations and audiences and make it easier for them to reach us. The social networks that did not 

exist until recently such as blogs, Twitter, YouTube, Wikipedia, podcasts, and Web 

cams are quickly becoming transformative for the Smithsonian. 

Technology presents a new opportunity to shape the future of education. It is no 

longer acceptable for us to share only a small percentage of our 137 million specimens and artifacts in an age when the Internet and technology have made it possible to share it all. In addition to technology, we need to continue our focus on education programs—which are areas of profound strength at the Smithsonian. We 

need to make our collections, talented scholars, researchers, and educators accessible worldwide by providing additional platforms, opportunities, and creative vehicles for educating and inspiring people of all ages and cultural backgrounds. Our 

job is to authenticate and inform the significance of the collections, not to control 

access to them. In doing this, the relevance of the Smithsonian to education can be 

greatly enhanced as we learn from learners new applications for our scholarship. By 

focusing on these areas, we can inspire people on a national and international basis. 

The Smithsonian is playing a key role in advancing science education across the 

country. I would like to take a few minutes to highlight some of the many Smithsonian educational programs that have a direct impact on science education.

Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies 

The Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies (SCEMS) has made 

great use of technology by hosting a number of virtual conferences. People from 

around the world join Smithsonian scientists, curators, and educators in real time 

as together they explore Smithsonian research and collections. In addition to live 

interactive sessions, the conferences include moderated forums, demonstrations of 

educational resources and strategies, virtual exhibit hall presentations, podcasts, social networking, and gaming/simulations. All sessions are closed captioned and 

archived for future viewing. 

To date these conferences have included 34 hours of live programming, 20,000 

participants from 100 countries, all U.S. states and territories, more than 3,000 cities, and 6 continents. Audiences have included K–12 teachers and students, university and community/technical college faculty and students; librarians; congressional 

staff members; Girl Scout troops, tribal councils; and staff members of congressional 

offices and government agencies, non-governmental organizations, museums, corporations, as well as the general public. 

SCEMS also uses technology to take Smithsonian experts and collections into our 

nation’s classrooms. Educators search by state standards from a database of over 

1,700 educational resources on SmithsonianEducation.org. Teachers and their students participate in interactive Smithsonian online conferences—making predictions, asking questions, and posting ideas of their own. Students play simulations 

and games and complete community-based missions inspired by Smithsonian re-
24

search. In Smithsonian workshops, teachers and teens create their own games, scavenger hunts, blogs and podcasts and share them through social networks. Recent 

topics for the Centers programs have included climate change, understanding spatial relations in the universe, and problem solving methods across disciplines.

National Science Resources Center 

As part of its mission, to insure ‘‘the increase and diffusion of knowledge,’’ the 

Smithsonian is committed to scientific literacy for learners of all ages. The National 

Science Resources Center (NSRC) was established in 1985 by the Smithsonian Institution and the National Academies to improve the learning and teaching of science 

for all students in the United States and throughout the world. To achieve the 

Smithsonian’s and the Center’s missions, NSRC has, for more than two decades, leveraged the research and expertise of the Smithsonian, the National Academies and 

other institutions to develop science education programs in partnership with dozens 

of government agencies, academic institutions, corporations and museums. 

The Smithsonian, through the auspices of the NSRC is committed to helping leaders learn how to implement a systemic approach to science education by connecting 

educators and decision makers to the vast resources and research of the Smithsonian Institution and the National Academies. NSRC programs are now in K–12 

science programs in more than 1,200 school districts representing 30% of the U.S. 

student population in 48 states as well as overseas in nine countries. More than 

90% of the school districts with which NSRC works have made long-term improvements in the way they teach science, resulting in significant gains in student 

achievement.

Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics 

The Smithsonian is fortunate to have a national program known as the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO). SAO’s mission is to advance the public’s 

knowledge and understanding of the universe through research and education in astronomy and astrophysics. SAO engages in cutting-edge research in areas ranging 

from small, individual projects to major partnerships with other government organizations and academic institutions. Founded in 1890, SAO is the largest and most 

diverse astrophysical institution in the world. It has pioneered the development of 

orbiting observatories and large, ground-based telescopes; the application of computers to study astrophysical problems; and the integration of laboratory measurements and theoretical astrophysics. Observational data are gathered at SAO’s premier facilities including the Sub millimeter Array (SMA) observatory on Mauna Kea 

Hawaii. 

The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) brings the resources and 

research facilities of the Harvard College Observatory and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory under a single director to pursue studies of basic physical 

processes that determine the nature and evolution of the universe. CfA is involved 

in many aspects of education and public outreach, from major museum exhibits to 

curriculum development to education research. CfA’s Science Education Department 

is a leadership organization that provides professional development in astronomy 

and basic science for teachers and curricula for grades K–12.

Smithsonian Environmental Research Center 

Established in 1965, the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) is 

the leading national research center for understanding environmental issues in the 

coastal zone. The site encompasses 3,000 acres of land and 14 miles of protected 

shoreline on the Chesapeake Bay that serve as a natural laboratory for long-term 

ecological research. The unique location provides valuable opportunities to study the 

interactions of aquatic, terrestrial and atmospheric components of complex landscapes. Through interdisciplinary, experimental research, SERC scientists are working to understand how ecosystems interact and are linked in this critical zone where 

the land meets the sea, and how physical and chemical processes sustain life on 

Earth. 

Education and outreach are major components of the Smithsonian Environmental 

Research Center (SERC). SERC offers a broad array of opportunities for people of 

all ages to learn about the ecology of the Chesapeake Bay area and to increase their 

appreciation for the environment. SERC offers on-site K–12 programs, distance 

learning, public programs and professional training. 

SERC has been a prime location for groups to get hands-on experience with environmental science and ecology. Recently, SERC has dramatically increased its efforts to educate a larger population about the Bay and its watershed by providing 
25

distance learning and web-based education programs for K–12 students and adults. 

These new programs are designed to complement, not replace, the existing handson education programs, by expanding our reach and offering students nationwide an 

opportunity to learn about an important ecosystem, and visit behind the scenes at 

SERC where conventional visitors are unable to go. Geographic distance, cost, and 

limited time can prevent members of the public, especially schoolteachers and students, from making the trip. Communication technologies developed for distance 

learning, however, have connected students and teachers from across the country 

to Smithsonian scientists who study the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. SERC’s 

Education Program is committed to broadening society’s understanding of the environment, communicating an awareness of how human activities influence ecosystems, and training future generations of environmental scientists.

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute 

The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama is dedicated to 

fostering a greater understanding of biological diversity issues. The training of future generations of tropical biologists has been identified as a priority among the 

goals for scientific excellence in STRI’s strategic plan. Fellowships are the primary 

goal of scientific training at STRI, but other strategies include internships, field 

courses, seminars and workshops. STRI in collaboration with McGill University developed an interdisciplinary and inter-institutional graduate program based in Panama. Recently, the Smithsonian joined Arizona State University in an innovative 

education and science partnership aimed at sustaining a biodiverse planet. The 

partnership will create opportunities for ASU undergraduates, graduate students 

and faculty to participate in fieldwork at Smithsonian facilities in Panama, as well 

as for the development of virtual global classrooms that center on current research 

in tropical ecosystems. Smithsonian scientists will also participate in ASU degree 

programs.

Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute 

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) is a program of the 

Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park. It is one of the world’s most extensive programs of conservation biology research. SCBI works directly with teachers, students, 

and their parents to develop awareness of and appreciation for the need to preserve 

biodiversity at home and abroad. Hands-on methods of teacher training and student 

involvement in conservation education are used at SCBI. National Zoo staff and research associates have offered training courses in the United States and at more 

than 20 international locations on a variety of topics for over three decades. During 

this time, more than 5,000 individuals from more than 85 countries have taken part 

in such efforts. 

In October 2008, the Smithsonian and George Mason University created a new, 

comprehensive academic program, the Smithsonian-Mason Global Conservation 

Education Program. This new program incorporates multidisciplinary faculty from 

the Zoo’s Center for Conservation Education and Sustainability and George Mason 

University’s Center for Conservation Studies and will train students to help avert 

and treat the looming biodiversity crisis. The program will provide academic opportunities for as many as 50 undergraduate students per semester, and an additional 

60 professional or graduate students.

National Air and Space Museum 

The National Air and Space Museum (NASM) offers a variety of free educational 

programs for school groups and organized youth groups. The museum has developed 

teaching posters and guides for students in grades K–12 that will advance their 

knowledge of science and technology. Areas of focus for curricula include: Living and 

Working in Space, which introduces students to the environmental conditions in 

space, the challenges that must be overcome to live and work there, and advances 

in spacesuit technology; Embracing The Impossible: Popular Response to the Aerial 

Age exposes students to primary source materials that help them understand how 

people felt about the new technology of flying in the early 1900s; Reflections on 

Earth: Biodiversity and Remote Sensing includes lessons for interpreting satellite 

images and field studies; Students learn to measure and monitor forest biodiversity 

on a local, regional, and global scale; and Destiny in Space is a guide that examines 

our future prospects for space exploration. NASM’s activities, information, and resources cover a range of topics including: muscle response to weightlessness, robotic 

guides, suiting up for space, communication and gardening in space. 

Students may also interact with the National Air and Space Museum without 

leaving the classroom! The museum offers Interactive Videoconferencing programs 
26

featuring the museum’s staff and docent volunteers. NASM also offers Electronic 

Field Trips (two-way distance learning interactions) as well as occasional webcast 

educational programs. Use of the unique National Air and Space Museum collection 

and the universally-engaging nature of aviation and space make these programs relevant and exciting. These interactive electronic experiences augment teacher lesson 

plans.

National Museum of Natural History 

As one of the largest science classrooms in the world, the National Museum of 

Natural History supports the work of teachers who seek to explore the natural 

world through the Museum’s exhibits, and online resources. The Museum’s work is 

built on a foundation of scientific research by the Museum’s staff of over 150 scientists and curators as well as the national and international community of scientists. There are more than 126 million artifacts and specimens in its collections. 

The Museum provides both field-trip-related and non-field-trip-related lesson plans, 

web-based activities for students, and other resources that can help teach a range 

of science and natural history topics. 

A visit to exhibitions such as the O. Orkin Insect Zoo and the Butterfly Pavilion 

bring the natural world up close and personal with the opportunity to interact with 

living creatures. Venues such as the Discovery Room and the Naturalist Center 

offer a hands-on approach to learning, using artifacts and specimens from the Museum’s collections to make science and scientific processes real. The museum’s goal is 

to educate and inspire the next generation and encourage respect for the natural 

world. The museum’s programs are designed to address these goals. Two of its key 

professional development programs are Dig it: Secrets of Soil and Project Archaeology: Investigating Shelter-Archaeology of the Colonial Chesapeake. Lesson plans 

cover such topics as Measuring Biodiversity Across North America, Anthropology, 

Ecosystems, and Lewis and Clark as Naturalists.

National Zoological Park (NZP) and Friends of the National Zoo (FONZ) 

The Smithsonian’s NZP and FONZ offer a wide variety of programs, resources, 

internships and volunteer opportunities for students of all ages. Each year thousands of school groups, individual students, and teachers use the Zoo as a living 

classroom. They come to gain a better understanding of the natural world in which 

we live, to enjoy beautiful animals in an outdoor oasis, and to engage in exciting, 

hands-on science. On average, the National Zoo reaches 5,800 DC students and 

trains 75 teachers in workshops each year. Uncounted thousands more students 

enjoy the Zoo during field trips. There are many exciting programs at the Zoo that 

teach about science for example, Bridging the Americas/Unidos por las Aves is a 

cross-cultural environmental education program that partners elementary and middle school classes in the DC Metro area with classes in Latin America and the Caribbean. Partnered classes learn about the migratory birds that connect these two 

regions of the hemisphere. The program is designed to instill an appreciation for migratory birds and the need to protect the habitats they depend on throughout the 

year, as well as to stimulate an interest in learning about other countries and their 

cultures. Teachers are provided with content, materials, and support that enable 

them to use birds as a theme for teaching required standards and beyond in multiple subject areas.

Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service 

In its nearly 60 years of delivering Smithsonian exhibitions to museums and 

science centers across the nation, SITES has devoted fully one third of its program 

to science. From projects that bring North American visitors close to the wonders 

of the tropical rainforests in the southern hemisphere to tracking the elusive giant 

squid, the work of Smithsonian scientists and researchers is always on exhibit somewhere in the United States. SITES exhibitions invite its audiences to explore anthropology, astronomy, biology and environmental studies, entomology, geology, paleontology, ichthyology, oceanography, polar studies, vertebrate biology and veterinary studies. Current offerings include a close-up look at the fascinating world of 

ants, satellite images of Earth seen from space, insights into the scientific research 

at McMurdoe Station in Antarctica and x-rays of spacesuits along with rarely exhibited astronaut gear. Future projects include an interactive exhibition about diseases 

that pass from animals to humans and back again and a careful assessment of 

invasive species.
27

The Smithsonian Associates 

The Smithsonian Associates (TSA) provides science education as a part of GEAR 

UP through the U.S. Department of Education. Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) encourages middle and high school 

students to consider pursuing higher education. GEAR UP is a federal program that 

grants funding to states and partnerships that provide programs and services for 

increasing low-income students’ preparation for postsecondary education. GEAR UP 

programs serve cohorts of students before they begin seventh grade and supports 

them through high school. 

TSA is working with the Lafayette Parish School System in Louisiana on a six 

year effort to engage teachers and students from 6th to 12th grade in science learning. Smithsonian scholars will deliver 11 programs for the duration of the GEAR 

UP grant. TSA’s upcoming informal science education programs include: Time and 

the Brain; Our Asymmetrical, Imperfect and Gloriously Messy Universe; Northern 

Lights; A Message from the Sun; and Dark Matter and Dark Energy: Cutting-Edge 

Findings. 

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to testify. I look forward to working with 

the committee and Members of Congress in providing the Smithsonian’s insight, experience and expertise regarding science education. I know that the Smithsonian 

can continue to play an important role as a resource for change in the current 

science education paradigm. I would be pleased to answer any questions you might 

have.

BIOGRAPHY FOR CLAUDINE BROWN

Claudine Kinard Brown began her professional career as an art and drama teacher in New York City Public Schools. In 1976 she joined the staff of the Brooklyn 

Museum where she served for thirteen years in several capacities. She began her 

career in Brooklyn, as a museum educator. In 1984 she served as Manager of School 

and Community Programs and in 1985 she became the Museum’s Assistant Director 

for Government and Community Relations. 

Brown left the Brooklyn Museum in 1990 to direct the Smithsonian Institution’s 

initiative to create a National African American Museum. Her responsibilities included: conducting a needs assessment, developing a vision statement and program 

plan, and opening a Center for African American History & Culture pending passage of authorizing legislation to create a museum. In 1991, she added to her responsibilities by concurrently assuming the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary 

for Museums. She developed policy for 13 national arts and humanities museums, 

and reviewed their long-range plans and assisted in prioritizing institution-wide 

budget requests, which were presented to Congress. 

Brown was the Director of the Arts and Culture Program at the Nathan 

Cummings Foundation from 1995 to 2010. Over the course of fifteen years she developed funding initiatives that have strengthened and stabilized community-based 

arts institutions. Beginning in 2001, she worked to build the field of practitioners 

and funders who are committed to art and community building, art and social justice and art and civic engagement. She is a co-founder of the Art and Social Justice 

Funders Working Group and she has supported efforts to research, map and document the work of the field. 

In 2010 she became Director of Education for the Smithsonian Institution. As the 

director of education, Brown will be responsible for defining the Smithsonian’s education program and will report directly to Smithsonian Secretary Wayne Clough. 

She will develop an Institution-wide plan for educational initiatives, assessment 

strategies and funding for students in the K–12 range. Brown will oversee five of 

the Smithsonian’s educational organizations—the National Science Resources Center, the Resident Associates, the National Affiliates, the Smithsonian Institution 

Traveling Exhibition Service and the Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies—and coordinate the efforts of 32 education-based offices in museums 

and science centers. 

Claudine K. Brown has served on several nonprofit boards, including the American Association of Museums, the National Museum of African American History 

and Culture Plan for Action Presidential Commission, the Association of Black 

Foundation Executives and as President of the Board of Grantmakers in the Arts. 

She has taught graduate courses in the Arts Administration program at New York 

University, and the Museum Leadership Program at Bank Street College. Claudine 

Brown has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Pratt Institute, a Masters of Science 

degree in Museum Education from Bank Street College and a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from Brooklyn Law School.
28

Chairman LIPINSKI. Thank you, Ms. Brown. 

I turn now to Dr. Bermingham. 

STATEMENT OF ELDREDGE ‘‘BIFF’’ BERMINGHAM, DIRECTOR, 

SMITHSONIAN TROPICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 

Dr. BERMINGHAM. Thank you, Chairman Lipinski, Dr. Ehlers, 

Mr. Baird, and Members of the Subcommittee for the opportunity 

to provide testimony today. You are all invited to STRI in Panama, 

announced or unannounced. 

My name is Biff Bermingham. I am the Director of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute or STRI. I have been at STRI for 

20 years, first as a staff scientist, during which time I published 

more than 140 articles and books on tropical bio-diversity. For the 

past seven years I have served as Deputy Director and now Director of STRI. I am responsible for 40 Ph.D. staff and 350 technical 

staff. 

Located in the Republic of Panama, STRI is the only bureau of 

the Smithsonian Institution located outside the United States. We 

serve as custodians for the Barro Colorado Nature Monument, 

which sits in the middle of the Panama Canal. The monument is 

the only mainland tropical forest reserve in the world under U.S. 

stewardship. 

This year, we begin celebrations of 100 years of Smithsonian 

science on the Isthmus of Panama, a history tracing back to the 

1910–1912 Smithsonian expeditions to Panama—authorized by 

President William H. Taft—to provide data on tropical biological diversity in light of the Panama Canal construction effort. Tropical 

diseases and their insect vectors defeated the French in their effort 

to construct a canal across Panama, and the Smithsonian expedition aimed to provide detailed biological understanding of tropical 

bio-diversity to ensure U.S. success. 

With laboratories on both coasts of Panama, STRI is the only institute in the Americas providing direct research access to both the 

Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The recurring two-ocean theme in 

science education and marine science at STRI has resulted in landmark studies of the evolution and ecology of tropical marine species 

and communities, as well as research funded by the National 

Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health for ecologically-guided discovery of novel pharmaceutical compounds. 

Immediate access to two oceans makes STRI a critical U.S. resource for studying the impact of climate change and ocean acidification on near-shore coral reefs, sea grasses, and mangroves. 

And given the Gulf oil spill, it is worth noting that the first ever 

study of the impact of an oil spill in tropical marine ecosystems 

was financed by the Mineral Management Services and carried out 

at STRI more than 20 years ago. 

The STRI mission is superbly well-aligned to the Smithsonian 

grand challenge ‘‘Understanding and Sustaining a Bio-diverse 

Planet.’’ This challenge requires integrating information across different biological scales and different fields of scientific inquiry. 

Towards this end, STRI administers the Smithsonian Institution 

Global Earth Observatories, or SIGEO, a global network of 40 

large-scale forest plots in 21 countries. The first observatory in the 
29

network was established 30 years ago at STRI, and the forest survey methodology we developed was unprecedented in scale and 

scope. Over the years the standard census methods developed at 

STRI to address complex questions about tropical biodiversity have 

also proved to be a powerful approach to studying the impact of 

global climate change on forest ecosystems. To date we have made 

more than 11 million measurements representing 8,500 tree species around the world. 

Given scientific uncertainty and the importance of new research 

regarding forest response to climate change, the network is expanding rapidly. In the United States alone, and supported by a $1.25 

million increase to the Smithsonian fiscal year 2010 budget, we 

have added new forest plots in Maryland, Virginia, Wisconsin, 

Washington, California, and Hawaii. More than 200 university and 

government scientists have published research based on results 

from the Smithsonian Forest Observatories. This week’s cover article in Science, our Nation’s premiere science magazine, is a recent, 

high-profile example of the critical importance of long-term data for 

understanding a forest change through time. 

As we look to the future, forest remediation in the developing 

world will take on increasing prominence as we consider food and 

water security and human migration associated with landscape 

degradation and sea level rise. Research and science education in 

this light is critical, a need that the Smithsonian is addressing 

with the Panama Canal Watershed Experiment. This experiment 

will run for at least 25 years and is designed to be a global example for understanding the relationship between land use decisions, 

climate change, and biological diversity. It is a powerful example 

given the impressive list of ecosystem services provided by the Panama Canal watershed. To name just a few, regulation of water supply to the canal in order to reduce risk of flooding and infrastructure damage while ensuring sufficient water to operate the locks; 

avoided deforestation, reforestation, and carbon sequestration, 

which couple to represent an important research agenda for the 

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change; provision of habitat for endangered species; and regulation of disease 

vectors. 

STRI has recently been awarded a $3.8 million National Science 

Foundation International Partnership in Research and Education 

grant to study new fossils and geology exposed by the excavations 

of the multi-billion dollar expansion of the Panama Canal. This 

massive excavation provides researchers an unparalleled opportunity to strengthen our understanding of the role the Isthmus of 

Panama has played with regard to climate and bio-diversity change 

through time, and a unique perspective on how increasing carbon 

dioxide levels may shape the forests of the future. 

In closing, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of the 

Smithsonian’s commitment to long-term research and education. 

With our research perspective, sustained effort, and long-term data 

sets and educational assets, we are uniquely positioned to assess, 

identify, understand, and predict environmental threats to bio-diversity and incorporate rigorous science into resource management 

and stewardship decisions. 

Thank you very much. 
30

[The prepared statement of Dr. Bermingham follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF ELDREDGE BERMINGHAM

Introduction 

Thank you, Chairman Lipinski and distinguished members of the Subcommittee 

for the opportunity to provide testimony today. My name is Eldredge Bermingham. 

I am the Director of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, or STRI, located 

on the banks of the Panama Canal in the Republic of Panama, the only bureau of 

the Smithsonian Institution located outside the United States. I hold a Ph.D. degree 

in Genetics. I have spent 20 years guiding molecular genetics research programs at 

STRI and have published more than 140 scientific articles. For the past seven years 

I have served as Deputy Director and now Director of STRI, where I oversee about 

40 Ph.D. scientists and 350 technical staff. I participate on the Smithsonian’s steering committee for its Marine Science Network, and on Secretary Clough’s strategic 

planning teams responsible for the 2010–2015 Strategic Vision for the Smithsonian. 

I have played the lead role over the past five years transforming the Center for 

Tropical Forest Science that began in Panama more than thirty years ago into the 

pan institutional Smithsonian Institution Global Earth Observatories (SIGEO). 

SIGEO is a global network of 40 large-scale forest dynamics plots in 21 countries. 

The network is a U.S.-led resource that investigates forest dynamics and the response of forests and the ecosystem services they provide—carbon storage, water 

provision and biodiversity conservation—to climate change. National and international science education, training and capacity building are core missions of STRI 

and SIGEO. 

My purpose today is to use my experience at STRI to summarize the main themes 

and importance of post-secondary STEM education at the Smithsonian. At STRI we 

host more than 1000 visiting undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral researchers. 

Our approach is to partner outstanding scientists with outstanding young scholars. 

At STRI, we apply state-of-the-science technologies to understand the nature and 

origins of biodiversity, the causes and consequences of climate change, the interconnectedness of global ecosystems, and the cultural heritage of Native American 

peoples. We mix the necessary, more traditional long-term measurement and observations about the natural world with innovative, new analytic techniques and approaches. At each of the science research units at the Smithsonian the contribution 

to training the next generation of scientists is impressive and the Institution is recognized at the national and international level for producing scientific leaders. Outstanding examples include education in tropical biology (STRI), astronomy and astrophysics (Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory), species survival biology (National Zoological Park), biodiversity (National Museum of Natural History) and 

invasive species biology and coastal zone processes (Smithsonian Environmental Research Center). And the Smithsonian partners with the National Academy of 

Sciences to develop award-winning science curricula through the National Science 

Resources Center. We are a remarkable U.S. resource responsible for training the 

next generation of scientists. 

Background: 

What has made STRI such an important resource for educating the next generation of scientists? The answer is long-term federal investment in world-class resident scientists supported by superb research facilities located adjacent to tropical 

forests and coral reefs. This year, 2010, the Smithsonian marks a century of research in Panama, tracing back to the 1910–1912 Smithsonian Expeditions to Panama authorized by President William H. Taft. From the humble beginning of a single research station on Barro Colorado Island (BCI) located in the middle of the 

Panama Canal, STRI has developed dramatically. STRI is an international focal 

point for scientists and students interested in the ecological and evolutionary processes that underlie the extraordinary biological diversity of rain forest and coral reef 

ecosystems. These processes are palpable on an isthmus that formed three million 

years ago and transformed our planet by joining the continents of South and North 

America, and separating the Caribbean Sea from the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Longterm environmental research is a STRI trademark, more than eighty years in the 

case of the forests on Barro Colorado Nature Monument (BCNM), protected under 

the terms of the Convention on Nature Protection and Wildlife Preservation in the 

Western Hemisphere, ratified by the U.S. Senate in 1941. The BCNM is the only 

mainland tropical forest reserve in the world under U.S. stewardship. 

The long-term research conducted by STRI scientists, collaborators and students 

is a critical contribution to the Smithsonian Institution’s 2010–2015 strategic plan 

‘‘A Smithsonian for the Twenty-First Century’’ set forth in 2009, particularly 

through its contributions to the Grand Challenge, Understanding and Sustaining a 
31

Biodiverse Planet, but STRI also contributes through its Paleontology program to 

Unlocking the Mysteries of the Universe, and through its Anthropology and Archeology programs to Valuing World Cultures. As noted in the Smithsonian’s strategic 

vision, the importance of long-term assessment and analysis of forests and ecosystem function in a world marked by significant biodiversity loss and climate 

change led to the establishment of the BCI 50 hectare forest plot in 1980, a model 

that has now been replicated at 40 sites around the world including six in the 

United States providing an innovation platform for new observation technologies. 

With laboratories on both coasts of Panama, STRI is the only institute in the 

Americas providing direct research access to both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. 

The two-ocean stage provided by STRI marine facilities permits scientists and their 

students to move between experiments in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean in a 

few hours, and represents a principal component of the Smithsonian Marine Science 

Network extending from the Chesapeake to Florida, Belize and Panama. The recurring two-ocean theme in marine science at STRI has resulted in landmark studies 

of the evolution and ecology of tropical marine species and communities, as well as 

research funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for ecologically guided discovery of novel pharmaceutical compounds, and research funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for discovery of novel agrochemicals from nature. Marine facilities with easy access to two 

oceans take on increased importance as an experimental platform for studying the 

impact of climate change and ocean acidification on near shore coral reefs, sea 

grasses, and mangroves. 

In addition, BCI and STRI represent important facility resources for other federal 

agencies, and serve as the base for tsunami monitoring equipment installed by the 

U.S. Geological Survey; and as sites to monitor mosquitoes and their role as disease 

vectors by the Environmental Protection Agency, or survey wildlife that could be 

carriers of avian influenza and other animal-borne diseases in projects funded by 

NIH. 

Thus extraordinary science facilities, the unique geography of Panama and the 

country’s long-term and strongly positive association with the United States, and a 

world-class group of 40 resident scientists has led STRI to play a key role in the 

education of tropical biologists. It is fair to say that nearly all tropical biologists 

pass through STRI at some point in their careers—many in the formative stages of 

their development.

Science/Technology/Engineering/Math Education at STRI—General: 

STRI’s research excellence is a function of our ability to attract and nurture the 

best and brightest young researchers. Indeed, supporting and training promising 

young scholars is a cornerstone of STRI science and builds our capacity to understand a biologically diverse planet and solve Earth’s most challenging environmental 

problems. STRI actively participates in science, technology, engineering and math 

(STEM) training: directly by supporting interns, Ph.D. students and postdoctoral 

scholars, and indirectly by partnering with universities concerned with tropical research and education. Both education avenues foster transformational science by 

connecting researchers and students with diverse backgrounds, experiences and 

skills. STRI also partners with institutions in Panama to develop STEM training 

for Panamanian students at our facilities. 

Education at STRI is strongly assisted by mentors of exceptional ability. The relevance, quality, and performance of STRI scientists as mentors of the next generation of tropical biologists is top tier, as evaluated by a Visiting Committee of outside 

experts. In a recent review, the Visiting Committee used National Research Council 

criteria to measure the productivity and impact of STRI science compared to 142 

of the best university research departments in the United States; STRI scientists 

ranked first in all measures of scientific relevance (e.g., publication citations), quality (e.g., scientific honors), and productivity (e.g., publication numbers). Furthermore, the number of young scientists who choose STRI as the base for their graduate and postgraduate research training provides an annual measure of the relevance and quality of STRI science to the future of tropical biology and policy. 2009 

marked the fifth year in a row that the number of visiting scientists and students 

choosing to base their research at STRI has increased, from the previous year, to 

the point that STRI now participates in the training of more than 1000 scientists 

annually. 

The extraordinary hallmark of STEM education at STRI is the mentor-directed 

research training provided at the undergraduate level to research interns, and at 

the graduate level to Master’s and Ph.D. candidates, and to postdoctoral researchers 

carrying out independent or collaborative research. Over the past five years NSF 

grants have directly supported 81 undergraduate students, 97 graduate students 
32

and a remarkable 71 postdoctoral scholars at STRI facilities. For the same period 

57 university faculty spent time at STRI on NSF-supported research. 

The numbers that I have provided for NSF-associated scholars are exceeded by 

the numbers in each category of young investigators supported by Smithsonian 

funds, non-NSF grants and contracts and donations. For example, we received a 

$1.5 million dollar donation from a private citizen to fund three five-year 

postdoctoral positions in tropical neurobiology. The idea behind the donation is to 

use the remarkable biological diversity found in the tropics to inform new approaches to nanotechnology by understanding how insects carry out complex behaviors as brains decrease over evolutionary time to very small sizes. In 2007, we received an $8 million dollar grant from the Hong Kong Shanghai Bank (HSBC) to 

establish a regional training center at SERC in Maryland in collaboration with the 

environmental organization Earthwatch Institute in order to promote science education and citizen involvement in climate change science. The HSBC grant funds citizen scientists, undergraduate research interns, graduate students and postdoctoral 

researchers to study how climate change impacts carbon fluxes across SIGEO forest 

dynamic sites in Maryland and Virginia as well as across companion training centers located in Brazil, United Kingdom, China and India. 

To provide a sense of the resonance associated with the educating of scientists at 

STRI, it is useful to highlight the experience of Dr. Phyllis Coley, a Ph.D. student 

at STRI in the 1980s. Dr. Coley went on to a career as professor of biology at the 

University of Utah, and then supported by NSF continued her groundbreaking studies of herbivory and plant defenses in the field in Panama. In the late 1990s Dr. 

Coley’s insights into chemically mediated plant defenses led her to develop a Panama International Cooperative Biodiversity Group (ICBG) grant. The ICBG program 

is a unique effort that addresses the interdependent issues of biological exploration 

and discovery, socioeconomic benefits, and biodiversity conservation. Dr. Coley was 

successful with her application and the Panama ICBG is now in its third round of 

funding by NIH, NSF, and now includes funding from USDA as well. Twelve years 

later the program has trained 21 students—including 10 Ph.D.s and 2 MD’s—representing 19 U.S. universities. The program has also educated 135 Panamanian students and 15 young investigators from other nations in the study of ecology and natural products chemistry. But the true resonance comes from the fact that four recent Panama ICBG Ph.D.s and postdoctoral researchers are continuing with their 

Panama-based research as beginning faculty in departments of Chemistry or Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of California, Santa Cruz, University of Connecticut, York College of Pennsylvania and Oregon State University. 

STRI also maintains robust partnerships with a number of universities that offer 

degree-granting, semester-abroad, capstone or collaborative research programs. 

These partnerships provide students, teachers, and policy makers with an up-close 

and personal experience with biological diversity at our field stations across Panama, and an increased understanding of global threats to tropical ecosystems. To 

provide some numbers, in the past five years alone STRI has hosted 43 U.S. universities offering 65 different courses in tropical biology and anthropology. These 

courses have utilized STRI facilities, STRI staff scientists and the knowledge of the 

tropics gleaned across a century of study to educate 825 undergraduate students. 

Princeton University has run a semester abroad at STRI every year since 1998. 

Courses range from forest ecology, marine ecology, tropical evolution, tropical conservation, tropical landscape ecology, tropical paleontology, Mesoamerica anthropology and archeology, conservation genetics and tropical environmental policy. 

Courses are typically run from STRI facilities at our Gamboa campus and BCI in 

the midst of tropical lowland forest, and our Bocas del Toro marine laboratory adjacent to mangrove, sea grass and coral reef ecosystems, in addition to a tropical cloud 

forest field site at La Fortuna and archeological excavations at Cerro Juan Diaz and 

El Can ̃ o.

STEM Education at STRI—The SIGEO model: 

A major goal of the 2010–2015 strategic plan for the Smithsonian is headlined 

‘‘Crossing Boundaries,’’ which refers to the implementation of interdisciplinary consortia aimed at sparking innovative research and education programs, and 

brokering partnerships. These consortia are being established in recognition of the 

fact that solving the grand challenge of Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse 

Planet requires integrating information across different biological scales (i.e. from 

cells to individuals to ecosystems) and different fields of scientific inquiry. Key to 

these challenges is training scientists to: 1) work comfortably across research disciplines and biological scales, 2) interact synergistically, 3) incorporate new and innovative technologies, and 4) participate in larger national and international collaborations. 
33

Presently, SIGEO is the best example of an interdisciplinary center and boundary-crossing training opportunities at SI. Global climate systems and life on the 

planet are in flux. Policy-makers and scientists need long-term data on the fluctuations in primary productivity of forests around the globe, as well as changes in the 

abundance and distribution of biological diversity, to distinguish the components of 

global change that can be ascribed to planetary processes from those that may be 

caused by human activity. The Smithsonian Institution is building on its unique research and science education infrastructure to provide the required data by expanding its global network of long-term tropical forest dynamic plots into the temperate 

zone and by collecting additional data on vertebrates, insects and soil microorganisms, in addition to the trees that we have monitored for three decades. It is the 

students being educated by the Smithsonian that will answer the following questions: Does climate change significantly alter forest biomass, and does the rate of 

carbon sequestration by forests vary with latitude, hydrological condition and soil 

fertility? How are the diversity and the relative abundance of forest organisms 

changing over time and space? What components of observed changes are due to 

human activities? How can we modify our behavior and economies? 

SIGEO promotes large-scale environmental monitoring and maintains enormous 

banks of data and metadata, which help galvanize advanced data networks and sophisticated analyses, extending from single forest plots to the remote sensing of forests at landscape scales monitored from space-based observatories. The result—big 

data sets, global comparisons and research and policy opportunities to investigate 

the impact of climate change on forest function—attract top-caliber students and 

provide extraordinary opportunities in science education. Thus it is little wonder 

that students attracted to the long-term data of SIGEO go on to big things. Dr. Helene Muller-Landau, for example, went on from her Princeton University Ph.D. dissertation research on seed dispersal and community dynamics of the BCI SIGEO 

forest plot to a position as an Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota. 

In quick turn, Dr. Muller-Landau was honored with an $875K Packard Fellowship 

for Science and Engineering—one of 16 new faculty members selected out of 100 national nominees by university presidents across the U.S. Dr. Muller-Landau is now 

the lead scientist for the SIGEO Global Forest Carbon Research Initiative. 

The Global Forest Carbon Initiative provides in situ measures of above- and 

below-ground carbon and its change over time in response to rising levels of carbon 

dioxide. Two recent and high profile publications by young scholars associated with 

the SIGEO network provide direct evidence of the quality of science education based 

from the network. In the first study a Ph.D. student using 25 years worth of data 

from two forest plots (BCI, Panama and Pasoh, Malaysia) has shown that, despite 

increased atmospheric carbon fertilization, the growth rates of trees have decreased 

in at least some tropical forests, perhaps in response to global warming. On the 

other hand, research led by a SIGEO postdoctoral investigator using 30 years of 

data on long-term changes in species survival and growth in mapped plots of tens 

of thousands of trees at SERC on the Rhode River in Maryland, has demonstrated 

that that the rate of carbon sequestration is increasing in the Maryland sample of 

temperate forests. These two studies demonstrate the need for objective long-term 

data, and the utility of the global network of forest plots to provide opportunities 

for educating scientists and for the critical empirical data needed for modeling carbon dynamics and directly measuring the response of global forests to environmental change. Young scholars play a direct role in the network’s overall aim to 

forecast the consequences of global climate change on forest function and biodiversity in tropical and temperate forests, and to provide objective and rigorous scientific data quickly via the World Wide Web to scientists, policy makers, and people 

around the world. 

It is worth emphasizing that students and scientists like Dr. Mueller-Landau play 

a major role for STRI and SIGEO in directly supporting U.S. government goals in 

the environmental sciences. Such activities send an international message regarding 

the U.S. commitment to the provision of objective, long-term data needed for understanding the consequences of climate change. As one of the premier U.S.-led international partnerships, SIGEO integrates the SI network of forest dynamics plots 

with the U.S. Group on Earth Observations (USGEO), and promotes an international Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) to further advance 

the progress of science and science education across borders. In the context of Global 

Earth Observatories, the Smithsonian collaborates with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), United States Geological Survey (USGS), U.S. Department of 

Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and 

NSF’s National Ecological Observation Network (NEON). NEON and SIGEO sites 

are co-located in Virginia/Maryland (Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute/
34

SERC), the Harvard Forest, MA, and the Wind River Experimental Forest, WA, providing a tremendous opportunity for cross-fertilization and synergy between the two 

earth observation networks. 

Moreover, SIGEO extends globally beyond the Smithsonian and direct partners. 

As an educational resource, the SIGEO network leverages huge intellectual horsepower, much of that from Ph.D. students and postdoctoral fellows. The network is 

extremely well used by independent, university-associated faculty, students and network partners. More than 200 scientists have published research from the SIGEO 

data sets, many of them students, attesting to the broad usability and science education benefits of the network. One measure of this effective leveraging is the large 

number of NSF-funded research projects based within the network. As one example, 

Dr. Stephen Hubbell, currently a UCLA professor of biology and originator of the 

first 50 hectare forest plot on BCI 30 years ago, has directed approximately $7 million dollars in NSF support to his studies of forest dynamics. In the process Dr. 

Hubbell has chaired the Ph.D. committees of 19 students currently found on the faculties of Stanford University, University of Minnesota, Ohio State University, Louisiana State University, Taiwan University and others, and as science leaders on 

the staff of SAS Institute, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, National 

Park Service of Portugal and The Nature Conservancy. Dr. Hubbell has also trained 

9 postdoctoral researchers on the faculties of the University of Illinois, University 

of Pittsburgh, STRI and others, who carry on the tradition of STRI-based science 

education. The tradition of science education is so profound across the SIGEO network, that Harvard and Yale universities have provided $9 million over five years 

to support the network and its science education and policy initiatives.

STEM education at STRI—looking forward: 

The long-term, cross-disciplinary, multicultural and collaborative nature of STRI 

science provides unique STEM training opportunities for the leaders of tomorrow. 

As we look to the future, landscape transformation and remediation in the developing world will take on increasing prominence as we consider food and water security and human migration associated with sea level rise and desertification. Science 

education in this light is critical, a need that the Smithsonian is addressing with 

the Panama Canal Watershed Experiment, a collaboration between the Panama 

Canal Authority, Panama National Environmental Authority, the HSBC Climate 

Partnership and universities around the world. The experiment is large-scale and 

aims to quantify the diverse set of ecological, social, and economic services provided 

by tropical forests and alternative land use in the Panama Canal Watershed. The 

project is a remarkable science education tool that takes advantage of the Panama 

Canal’s central role in world commerce to focus global attention on ecosystem services provided by tropical forests. 

The Panama Canal Watershed Experiment is also an extraordinary research and 

education opportunity. The experiment provides scaling opportunities across the 

300,000-hectare Panama Canal watershed using remote sensing technologies. These 

studies are carried out in conjunction with students and postdoctoral researchers at 

the Carnegie Global Ecology Institute at Stanford University. It is also important 

to note that climate variation in the Panama Canal Watershed, particularly El Nin ̃ o and La Nina events, provide experimental results that can be used to build models 

permitting the forecasting of ecosystem services under different climate change scenarios. In addition to studying services delivered locally, the experiment takes specific aim on ecosystem services that affect people at some distance. For example, the 

Panama Canal shortens shipping routes and reduces carbon emissions associated 

with transportation, thus extending the benefits of water management in the Panama Canal watershed from local to global. 

The list of ecosystem services that the Panama Canal watershed provides and different opportunities for science and engineering education is impressive: 1) regulation of water supply to the canal—ensuring sufficient water to run the locks and 

reduction of the risk of floods; 2) regulation of drinking water quality for more that 

50% of the population of Panama; 3) hydropower; 4) regulation of soil erosion and 

siltation in the Panama Canal; 5) avoided deforestation, reforestation and carbon sequestration, which couple to represent a low-risk opportunity for the United Nations 

Framework Convention on Climate Change Reduced Emissions from Deforestation 

and Degradation approaches; 6) timber and food production; 7) provision of ecosystem processes and habitat for endangered species; 8) regulation of disease vectors; and 9) ecotourism. 

We also continue to build on our record of research and training excellence 

through increased partnerships with U.S. universities. Recently, the Smithsonian 

has established research and training partnerships with the University of Maryland, George Mason University and Arizona State University (ASU). The ASU part-
35

nership, in particular, seeks to connect undergraduate and graduate students interested in global environmental change to the tropical ecosystems where environmental transformation is the most pronounced. Student researchers are also using 

information about past tropical environments to inform our interpretation of earth’s 

response to climate change. The University of Florida and STRI, led by paleontologist Carlos Jaramillo, have recently been awarded $3.8 million dollar NSF International Partnership in Research and Education (PIRE) grant to study new fossils 

and geology exposed by the excavations of the multi-billion dollar expansion of the 

Panama Canal. This massive excavation provides PIRE undergraduate and graduate students with an unparalleled opportunity to strengthen our understanding of 

the role the Isthmus of Panama has played with regard to climate and biodiversity 

change through time, and a unique perspective on how increasing CO2 levels may 

shape the forests of the future. 

Lastly, STRI is in the process of developing new relationships aimed at utilizing 

STRI’s scientific legacy and position in the tropics to increase STEM education for 

an increasingly diverse student community. As a concrete step in this direction, 

STRI established the new position of Academic Dean in late 2009—a first for the 

Institution. The role of the Dean is to further align STRI science with education and 

training opportunities, and immediate results are new relationships with: 1) NSF 

Tree of Life, Encyclopedia of Life and taxonomy workshops focused on the marine 

biology of Bocas del Toro; 2) Louisiana State University to create a NSF/Louis 

Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Center for International Research (funding pending); 3) University of Texas at Austin to establish a NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates collaboration (application in development); and 4) University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to develop a NSF Integrative Graduate Education 

and Research Traineeship (IGERT) program (application for full proposal to NSF 

approved June 2010). Reviewers of the IGERT pre-proposal favorably recognized the 

strengths that STRI brings to the collaboration, and to a science education model 

that aligns emerging genomic technologies with intimate knowledge of the organisms themselves.

Conclusions:

(1) The unique combination of top-notch resident research scientists, excellent 

laboratories and field stations, and geographical position adjacent to tropical 

lowland rainforests and coral reefs has led to an extraordinary long-term 

knowledge base at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, and has established an exceptional resource for 21st century innovation and education.

(2) The STRI knowledge base and resident scientific staff has served as a magnet for educating scientists at the undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral 

levels, financed in order of amount by U.S. federal funds awarded through 

Smithsonian fellowships and grants, NSF PI-led grants, NIH–NSF ICBG 

grants, NSF PIRE grant, NSF predoctoral fellowships, NSF Dissertation Improvement grants, NSF International Fellowships, NSF workshop grants, 

and NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates grants. The U.S. federal 

investment in science education at STRI is nearly matched by non-government grants and contracts, EU fellowships and private fellowship donations.

(3) STRI serves as one example of post-secondary STEM education at the 

Smithsonian, but the Smithsonian formula of long-term investment in topflight resident scientists and science facilities has led to similar excellence 

and educational success at all the science units at the Smithsonian.

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of the Smithsonian’s commitment to 

long-term research and education. With our research perspective, sustained effort 

and long-term data sets, we are uniquely positioned to assess, identify, understand 

and predict environmental threats to biodiversity and incorporate rigorous science 

into resource management and stewardship decisions. We will continue to work with 

academic institutions, government agencies, and the public to educate and cultivate 

the science leaders of tomorrow. 

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today and I look forward to answering 

any questions you may have.

BIOGRAPHY FOR ELDREDGE BERMINGHAM

Eldredge Bermingham is the director of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute a unit of the Smithsonian Institution headquartered in Panama City, Panama, 

since September 2008. He joined the institute’s scientific staff in 1989 and has 

served as director since 2007. 
36

As STRI’s director, Bermingham oversees one of the world’s premier biological research institutes, dedicated to increasing the understanding of the past, present and 

future of tropical biodiversity and its relevance to human welfare. STRI promotes 

research conducted primarily in tropical forest and coral reef ecosystems. STRI scientists discover new species, test scientific explanations for ecological adaptation 

and evolutionary innovation, develop methods to restore degraded ecosystems, promote the conservation of tropical ecosystems, and train the next generation of tropical scientists. One of STRI’s programs, the Smithsonian Institution Global Earth 

Observatories [SIGEO], which evolved from STRI’s Center for Tropical Forest 

Science, encompasses 40 forest plots in 20 countries around the globe, and represents the best observational platform in the world for evaluating the impact of 

global change, including climate, on the ecosystem function of forests. Bermingham 

has been a strong proponent of cross-unit and intergovernmental collaborations at 

the Smithsonian, encouraging the development of projects through the Smithsonian 

Marine Science Network, the Smithsonian Barcode of Life Initiative, and the Smithsonian Global Earth Observatories. 

Bermingham’s laboratory has advanced knowledge of range expansion of organisms across the land bridge formed as the Isthmus of Panama rose to connect 

North and South America 3 million years ago, and has informed understanding of 

contemporary biological invasions. His analyses of bird populations on the islands 

of the Lesser Antilles contribute to the understanding of extinction, and his studies 

of marine organisms separated by the Isthmus of Panama has refined understanding of molecular clocks and their use in the study of evolution. 

Bermingham has published over 140 peer-reviewed articles; edited the book Tropical Rainforests: Past, Present and Future published by the University of Chicago 

Press in 2005; has sponsored more than 20 postdoctoral students; advised over 30 

predoctoral students, and served on the committee of 17 of the latter. Bermingham 

earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Cornell University in 1977 and a doctorate degree in genetics from the University of Georgia in 1986.

Chairman LIPINSKI. Thank you, Dr. Bermingham. 

I now recognize Ms. Werb. 

STATEMENT OF SHARI WERB, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 

Ms. WERB. Chairman Lipinski and other distinguished Members 

of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify before 

you on the science education activities of the Smithsonian. I have 

been the Director of Education and Outreach at the National Museum of Natural History for about two years. Before I arrived, my 

knowledge and experience of the museum was that of a DC resident, a mother of two boys, and 18 years as a museum professional. 

I now fully appreciate that the scientific resources at the museum 

are an incredible treasure trove. 

The museum has more than 200 active scientists and hundreds 

of experts, including conservators, collection specialists, and educators, who bring to their work research, deep knowledge, passion, 

and great stories. There are more than 126 million objects that represent a unique collection of evidence about the universe, the 

Earth, life on this planet, and human culture. With more than 

seven million visitors on-site and tens of millions more online, and 

as a national science museum, we have both a unique responsibility and an opportunity to further science, literacy, and public engagement around science. 

This especially resonated when President Obama launched the 

‘‘Educate to Innovate’’ campaign for excellence in STEM education, 

challenging the Nation to strengthen America’s role as the world’s 

engine of scientific discovery in the 21st century. 
37

The National Museum of Natural History is itself an engine of 

scientific discovery. Its mission is to inspire curiosity, discovery, 

and learning about nature and culture through research, collections, exhibitions, and education. The museum plays an important 

role in the Smithsonian Institution’s new strategic plan, helping to 

meet the plan’s ‘‘Grand Challenges’’ as referenced in the Secretary’s 

testimony. 

Visitors to the Museum, both on-site and online, are exposed to 

ongoing research which enhances their critical thinking skills. Students of all ages are being invited to actively participate in science. 

For example, a family may visit the Sant Ocean Hall with an invertebrate zoologist examining a newly-identified jellyfish species 

at the ‘‘Scientist Is In’’ station. 

I have included more detailed examples of these programs in my 

submitted testimony, but will focus my remarks on one creative 

program that illustrates how the museum is bringing science to 

students. This program is the Youth Engagement through Science, 

or Y.E.S.! program, which provides access to educational and career 

development opportunities in science to minority youth in the 

Washington, DC region. This summer we have 15 rising tenth and 

eleventh grade students. During this six-month program students 

explore natural history and pursue meaningful research projects 

with the museum’s best scientists in the biological, geological, and 

anthropological disciplines. 

Y.E.S.! provides a curriculum to enhance the students’ communications skills and support their college preparation activities. 

This component is crucial, because tenth grade is the year when 

students need to prepare for college. Y.E.S.! ensures that as students experience scientific careers as viable, they are also engaged 

in college preparation. That planning includes improving critical 

reading, writing, and mathematical skills, as well as understanding 

the college entrance process. By the end of their Y.E.S.! experience 

the participants will have been engaged in important research with 

world-class scientists, started planning for college, and produced a 

project based on what they have learned. 

Here is an excerpt from a letter one of our participants wrote to 

her grandparents. ‘‘I started my internship at the Museum of Natural History, and I absolutely love it. My assigned project is fossilized charcoal where I am going to work with 73-million-year-old 

objects. The Museum is not only a tourist attraction. It is actually 

a major research facility and education center. We are not only 

learning the facts of the Museum, but we are going to be doing research alongside scientists. These first days have been fun, and I 

am excited to work with them for the next six months. I definitely 

want to study science. I can’t wait to see what we will be doing tomorrow. Camille.’’

The museum is having a major impact in minority communities 

by using our tremendous science resources to train students in research at the undergraduate and high school level, providing valuable experiences that will prepare them to compete for positions. 

In addition to the 400 interns and fellows that the museum hosts 

each year, we have also launched the Natural History Research Experiences program. These summer internships pair undergraduates 

with mentors on the Museum’s research and collection staff, pro-
38

viding a hands-on introduction to research. The program provides 

participants with a stipend, travel allotment, housing and funds for 

a research proposal. This summer we are hosting 18 students, 40 

percent of whom are from under-represented groups. 

These are just a few examples of how the Museum is providing 

access to its scientific assets to engage and educate the public. 

Again, thank you for giving me the opportunity to testify. I am 

happy to answer any questions you may have. 

[The prepared statement of Ms. Werb follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF SHARI WERB

Chairman Lipinski and other distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, thank 

you for giving me the opportunity to testify before you today on some of the science 

education activities of the Smithsonian. I have been the Director of Education and 

Outreach at the National Museum of Natural History for a little more than two 

years. Before I arrived, my knowledge and experience of the Museum was that of 

a District of Columbia resident, a mother of two boys, and a Museum professional 

(I had been working at the Holocaust Museum for 18 years prior to coming). However, I had no idea of the incredible treasure trove of scientific resources hidden behind the scenes at the Museum. Out of reach of most visitors are more than 200 

active scientists, hundreds of other experts including conservators, preparators, collections specialists and educators, and their research, their deep knowledge, their 

passion and their great stories. Behind the scenes and out of reach of most visitors 

are the more than 126 million objects and specimens that represent a unique collection of evidence about the universe, the Earth, life on this planet and human culture. With these assets, with more than 7 million visitors onsite and tens of millions 

more to its website, and as a National science museum the Natural History Museum 

has both a unique responsibility and an opportunity to further scientific literacy and 

public engagement and dialogue around science. This especially resonated when 

President Obama launched the Educate to Innovate Campaign for Excellence in 

Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Education, challenging the Nation to strengthen America’s role as the world’s engine of scientific discovery in the 

21st Century. 

The National Museum of Natural History is itself an engine of scientific discovery. 

Its mission is to inspire curiosity, discovery and learning about nature and culture 

through outstanding research, collections, exhibitions and education. The Museum 

plays an important role in the Smithsonian Institution’s new Strategic Plan, helping 

to meet the Plan’s Grand Challenges of Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse 

Planet, Valuing World Cultures and Unlocking the Mysteries of the Universe. Specifically, our education programs are designed to further the Plan’s priorities of 

Broadening Access and Revitalizing Education, with exciting offerings for learners 

of all ages everywhere. 

Through education and outreach programs, visitors to the Museum (both onsite 

and online) are becoming exposed to ongoing research and discovery and are enhancing their critical thinking skills. Regardless of how much time they have, students of all ages are being invited to actively participate in authentic science. For 

example, a family on a short visit may spend time in the Sant Ocean Hall with an 

invertebrate zoologist closely examining a newly identified jellyfish species at the 

‘‘Scientist Is In’’ station. Teenagers doing an assignment on human evolution may 

spend hours on the new Human Origins website manipulating and comparing 3-dimensional early human skulls—one of our new collections- and evidence-based 

websites for the public. Latino and other minority students may spend six months 

with Youth Engagement through Science (Y.E.S.!), an in-depth program at the Museum that provides access and opportunities for underrepresented minorities. 

The following are three examples of education and outreach programs that have 

connected the public with the Museum’s authentic science and collections. Eighteen 

months ago, in partnership with the Museum’s forensic anthropologists, the Education and Outreach Office opened its very popular Forensic Anthropology Lab, an 

experimental hands-on, interactive, educational space embedded in the Museum’s 

exhibition Written in Bone: Forensic Files of the 17th Century. The Lab provides students and the public with a unique opportunity to explore the past first-hand by 

examining bones and artifacts ‘‘found’’ at realistic research sites based on actual 

Smithsonian Forensic Anthropology cases. Through these activities, students learn 

to use the tools, technology, techniques and problem solving skills of forensic anthropologists. During the investigation, students collect evidence at six stations, exam-
39

ining real human bones and artifacts as well as reference materials, such as charts, 

graphs and databases. When the students finish collecting data, they analyze and 

synthesize it to form a conclusion about the person whose bones are part of the case. 

There are also other activities at which visitors can learn about anatomy, for example by using x-rays to examine bones and teeth. Already approximately 125,000 people have participated in these authentic science programs. 

While the Forensic Anthropology lab is a temporary educational space connected 

with a temporary exhibition, the Museum is planning to open a much larger permanent laboratory experience in late 2012. The Museum’s vast scientific assets and its 

educational resources will be brought out from behind closed doors so that hundreds 

of visitors each day will be able to engage actively and enter into dialogue with the 

Museum’s world-class team of scientists and experts and the largest natural history 

collection in the Western Hemisphere. It will function as a physical learning center 

at NMNH, as a virtual learning space on the Museum’s website, and as an open 

collaborative laboratory for the study and investigation of learning natural history 

science. 

With the Museum’s Sant Ocean Hall welcoming more than 5 million visitors each 

year and with the assets of the Smithsonian’s active and extensive marine science 

research and collections program, the Museum fulfilled its commitment to Ocean 

Education by recently launching the Smithsonian Ocean Portal (www.ocean.si.edu) 

designed to inspire awareness, understanding and stewardship of the world’s ocean 

through exploration of the Smithsonian’s collections, science and variety of online 

ocean adventures, educational quests and teacher lesson plans. This project was led 

by the Natural History Museum in collaboration with other Smithsonian units as 

well as with more than 20 organizations including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Encyclopedia of Life (EOL), National Geographic, 

and the Ocean Conservancy. The Ocean Portal is already providing access to the 

Museum’s collections that serve as a record of life in the Gulf of Mexico before the 

recent Gulf of Mexico oil spill. In the ‘‘For Educators’’ section of the Ocean Portal, 

there are a number of lesson plans to support teachers’ efforts to communicate the 

impact of the spill on the ocean. 

The Museum’s commitment to bringing its scientific assets to students is being 

realized through the new Youth Engagement through Science (Y.E.S!) program. This 

program provides access to educational and career development opportunities in 

science to Latino and other minority youth in the Washington DC. region with the 

first year generously funded by the Smithsonian Latino Center and the Marpat 

Foundation. This summer from approximately 50 applications, we have selected 15 

rising 10th and 11th grade students who have already had one year of science instruction laying the foundation for their research activities in Y.E.S! 

During this six-month program students will explore natural history science and 

pursue meaningful authentic research projects with the Museum’s best research scientists in the biological, geological and anthropological disciplines. It will also provide a curriculum to enhance the students’ communication skills and support their 

college preparation activities through a partnership with the Center for Minority 

Achievement in Science and Technology (CMAST). This component is crucial because 10th grade is the year during which students begin to prepare in earnest for 

postsecondary education (e.g. PSATs, college visits). Y.E.S! will ensure that as students experience scientific careers as viable options for their future, they are also 

preparing for that future through college preparation planning. That planning will 

include improving critical reading, writing and mathematical skills, as well as understanding the college entrance process. By the end of their Y.E.S.! experience the 

youth involved in the program will have participated in important research with 

world-class scientists; started planning for college; and produced a project based on 

what they have learned. Students will share these projects, and NMNH will promote what the students have accomplished. 

The Museum can have a great impact in Latino and other minority communities 

by using its tremendous science resources to train students in scientific research activities, at both the undergraduate and high school level, providing valuable experiences that will prepare these students to compete for positions outside the Smithsonian. 

In closing, let me briefly mention one more program at the Museum that illustrates our strong commitment to training the next generation of scientists at the 

undergraduate level. In addition to the 400 interns and fellows that the Museum 

hosts each year, this year we have launched the Natural History Research Experiences (NHRE) program. NHRE summer internships pair undergraduates with members of the Museum research and collections staff, providing a hands-on introduction 

to scientific research and a scientific mentor from one of the Museum’s research departments. NHRE provides successful candidates with a stipend, travel allotment, 
40

housing and funds for a research proposal. Students are being provided with behindthe-scenes events and tours of the Museum and all research departments. This summer we are hosting 18 students, and 40% of them are from under-represented 

groups. We are currently in discussions with the National Science Foundation to 

jointly host this effort in the future. 

These are just a few examples of how the Museum is providing access to its scientific assets to engage and educate the public in furtherance of the Smithsonian’s 

Strategic Plan, develop programs to train the next generation of scientists, and answer President Obama’s call to action to join with him in a national campaign to 

engage young people in the STEM fields. 

Again, thank you for giving me the opportunity to testify. I am happy to answer 

any questions you might have.

BIOGRAPHY FOR SHARI WERB

Shari Rosenstein Werb joined the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural 

History in April 2008 as the Assistant Director for Education and Outreach. During 

her tenure she has brought the Museum’s rich ‘‘behind-the-scenes’’ resources to the 

fore by encouraging the personal involvement of scientists and increasing the presence of scientific research in all educational offerings (programs and websites). She 

has also fostered innovation and leadership in programs, technology and social 

media; expanded and professionalized the Museum’s volunteer corps; and elevated 

the role of research and reflective practice in all education and outreach projects. 

Under Ms Werb’s leadership, the Education and Outreach Staff have won several 

awards for original web projects and have been awarded grants for innovative programs. In January 2010, Ms Werb was selected to participate in the Federal Executive Institute’s month long Leadership for a Democratic Society program. 

Prior to her current position, Ms Werb worked for 18 years at the United States 

Holocaust Memorial Museum. She held a number of different positions there including Director of Institutional Outreach, where she developed strategic partnerships 

to engage new audiences and produced programs that helped inspire the public to 

make connections between the Holocaust and today’s world. She also served as Director of Educational and Public Programs and proudly identifies as one of the Museum’s founding staff members. She co-authored a chapter, ‘‘Transforming Practice: 

Disability Perspectives and the Museum,’’ published in Re-Presenting Disability: Activism and Agency in the Museum in 2010, and also contributed the chapter ‘‘Using 

Art to Teach about the Holocaust,’’ to the publication Teaching and Studying the 

Holocaust. Ms Werb participated in an International Partnerships among Museums 

(IPAM) exchange program in Croatia in 2005, assisting in the development of a new 

education center on the grounds of Jasenovac, a former concentration camp site. She 

has also served as an educational advisor to several museums. 

Shari Werb has a Masters of Science degree focusing on Leadership in Museum 

Education from Bank Street College of Education and a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Art History from Boston University. She is married and is the mother 

of two boys ages 14 and 9. She is an enthusiastic kayaker and loves to travel.
41

Mr. BAIRD. [Presiding] I thank the witnesses. Our Chairman will 

return shortly. I will recognize myself for five minutes, and then 

we will proceed to Dr. Ehlers. With the last name of Baird it was 

mandatory that I attend the hearing on the Smithsonian, but it is 

also a delight. 

A couple of issues I hope you will just expand on a little bit. First 

of all, I was thrilled to see the opening of the oceans exhibit. Many 

of us on this committee have worked very hard to raise awareness, 

and it is a spectacular exhibit. It really does a good job. 

I am also very interested in the issue of science diplomacy, and 

the international presence of the Smithsonian elsewhere I think 

speaks well to that, but I wonder if you could talk about how the 

Smithsonian fits into international efforts to educate the public 

about science and to fit into our mission, or opportunity, rather, to 

build relationships. I have been to the Library of Alexandria, for 

example, and I understand the origin of the meaning of the word 

‘museum’ actually traces back to that. 

So, anyway, talk to us a little bit about what the Smithsonian 

is doing internationally that can help build relationships internationally. 

Dr. Clough. 

Dr. CLOUGH. I will go first and then maybe others want to comment. We are in about 90 different countries in terms of the things 

and activities that we do. I mentioned some of the countries that 

I have visited. I haven’t been to 90 countries, but it is fascinating 

to be there, and I think science is really a language that is a global 

language and helps people understand. The problem of the environment is something that affects every nation, not just one nation. 

So I think that our science work is global to begin with. Our scientists are very much known globally. I think the Smithsonian is 

pretty unique in that activity. For example, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute would be open to scientists from other countries coming to work there and learn from us. They certainly can 

visit us, and many do visit the Natural History Museum to use the 

collections that are quite unique. And we do see technology as a 

way of improving that, because rather than coming over at a particular time to see a particular object, they might be able to see—

if it is digitized, they can see it digitally. They can do their work 

at home and then spend much more effective time when they come 

see us. 

We are visited continuously by people who want help from us, 

and we do the best job we can. We have just created a program 

called an International Museum Studies program to help countries 

in other places, and we had a visitor from Egypt not long ago because they want to build a new science museum, and they would 

love to get advice from us in terms of those kinds of activities. So 

I think we generously give advice, we offer access to our collections, 

we invite their scholars to come here, and then through a multiple 

range of activities, then, we are active in that regard. 

Mr. BAIRD. Anyone else wish to comment on that? 

Dr. BERMINGHAM. I would be happy to say something very quickly. At STRI we host about 1,000 visiting scientists a year, of which 

about four out of every ten—six out of every ten are from the U.S., 

four out of ten are international. So we play a remarkable role in 
42

providing science opportunity for both researchers and students 

from around the world. 

In addition, I mentioned SIGEO, which is this global network in 

21 countries, and with support from National Science Foundation 

and others we provide analytical workshops. And I think it is always important to remember that all of the world’s great universities are in the developed world, and I think what we do is we provide up and coming young scientists in the developing or emerging 

economies the opportunity to learn from some of the best. So we 

are very proud of what we have done in that way. Phenomenal. 

Mr. BAIRD. Please, Dr. 

Dr. CLOUGH. To add one other different note on that, I just got 

back from Haiti last week, and we are working with the State Department and with the White House on helping with recovery efforts down there. Now, our efforts there are related to art and historical documents, which are today lying in the ruins of their museums and their great buildings and their universities. And so we 

have a team down there who are working with the Haitians to help 

train them on how you recover this art and save these precious documents before they get lost. 

The reason it comes back to science is a lot of it has to do with 

materials science. We are working on saving murals. You’ve got to 

have the materials scientists there who understand how these 

things adhere to the surface. If you are going to maintain the integrity of some of the frames and some of the documents, again, it is 

a scientific matter. And so the Smithsonian brings that to the 

table. So that is another example of cultural diplomacy through 

science. 

Mr. BAIRD. Those are all great examples. 

Very last, and briefly, talk to us very briefly about the funding 

for the research aspect of Smithsonian and then briefly if you care 

to allude to it, Dr., the—my understanding—Smithsonian had a 

fairly significant infrastructure backlog. I don’t know if that—the 

status of that. Maybe briefly address both of those. 

Dr. CLOUGH. Sure. Well, the Smithsonian is a trust, as was alluded to I think earlier, and about 65 percent of our funding comes 

from federal appropriations. The rest of it we ‘‘earn’’ ourselves, 

some of which we actually compete for, grants from federal agencies, where that is allowed. We do a lot of work with NASA. We 

operate the Chandra X-ray satellite telescope, and so we are reimbursed from NASA for that service. We also build telescopes for 

NASA and others, and so we are in that business as well. 

So there are the competitive grants. Then we also compete on—

we get philanthropic grants for a lot of the science that we do. Dr. 

Bermingham just came back from England, where the HSBC, the 

banking corporation, has provided almost $10 million to do documentation with the SIGEO effort. 

So we try to be on top and get the funding where it makes sense 

to get the funding to do the work that we do, and so you will find 

that to be—but there is always a challenge. As Congressman 

Ehlers alluded, there is really not enough money to do the work we 

need to do, given the opportunities that we have. And so there is 

a constant struggle. 
43

In addition, it is very important, and I think Congress has 

been—particularly lately—more aware of the importance of maintaining collections. That is not—if you want to use the word, ‘sexy’ 

research, but it is very necessary and very important, and so that 

is the sustaining kind of support we need to get from Congress. We 

really can’t get a donor to support those kinds of activities. 

Now, you mentioned the business of the infrastructure issues 

that we face. Like any great institution with lots of buildings—we 

have 770 all total around in our different operations—we do have 

some challenges in terms of maintenance, and I do like to make the 

point that the Smithsonian museums are open every day of the 

year but Christmas. We have upwards of 30 million people going 

through our buildings, so that is a tremendous load on those buildings, a tremendous wear and tear on those buildings, and that is 

where Congress, I think, really has to help us in that public service 

effort that we have. 

Now, we roughly need, our calculation suggests, and you could 

use industrial standards and things of that sort, guidelines, about 

$150 million a year based on our cost of our infrastructure to revitalize the museums and then secondarily about $100 million a year 

to upkeep and do maintenance. So that is about 250 million a year 

annually. We are running probably around 180 in that total. Congress has been generous again. One hundred and eighty is not 250, 

and so there is always a little fall back, but we are working very 

hard to try to stay on top of the most critical maintenance and revitalization issues that we have, and we try to use your funds as leverage, so we work with donors in many cases to raise funds over 

and above what the Federal Government would give us to supplement those activities so we can make major renovation. 

Mr. BAIRD. Thank you very much. 

I recognize Dr. Ehlers. 

Mr. EHLERS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and the buzzing I assume means we have a vote coming up very soon, so I will try to 

be fairly brief. 

The Smithsonian is an absolutely wonderful institution. There is 

just no question about it. Nothing like it in the world, especially 

given its history, its origin. Out of anger against another nation, 

and its success and everything it has done. 

At the same time I probably worry more about the Smithsonian 

than I do most federal institutions because you are quite different 

and your funding pattern is quite different, and it seems to me that 

one of your big problems is, of course, fundraising. You are one of 

the few federal institutions that has to go out and raise a very substantial part of its budget. That is an opportunity, but it is also a 

burden on you, especially Dr. Clough, but also on the whole staff. 

They are all aware of it. 

I think another problem is that you are first and foremost an 

education and research organization, and yet I don’t believe you 

are treated that way very well in the budgetary process. It is, you 

know, you are looked at more as a museum for the public, I think, 

and rightfully so because you do that very well, and you have huge 

attendance figures. But even so, NASA has set an example, I think, 

for government agencies, in how to reach out to the schools. They, 

of course, have more money to do that than you do, but I think that 
44

sets a good pattern that you should try to emulate if you can only 

extract the same amount of money from the Congress and perhaps 

from donors that NASA does. 

So—and I am rambling here a bit, but maybe it is because I feel 

so strongly about the Smithsonian, and I have been involved with 

you not recently but prior to that to a great extent, and I really 

think we—it is not just your problem to solve. I think the Congress 

has to address this in a more direct fashion, and I would like to 

see you in the elementary and secondary schools as much as NASA 

is, but you can’t possibly do it without appropriate funding. 

And so there is so much to be done and so little money to do it 

at this point. I think there really has to be a strong awakening, 

perhaps even a reawakening, among both the public and the Congress about the Smithsonian, what it does, what it can do, what 

it could do with more money, and so forth. 

I suspect you don’t disagree with me on that, but I guess what 

I am really trying to do is lead up to the fact that I think you need 

a workforce of some sort, a task force to examine those issues, but 

there has to be something happening at the Congressional level as 

well and working with you, and I don’t see a framework for that. 

That is what frustrated me with the House Administration Committee, which really had very little to do with the Smithsonian, but 

yet we got called in constantly to solve problems which we didn’t 

create and which we in many cases were not suitably able to solve 

given the resources and the assignment we have. 

So I would think it would be beneficial to try to really reexamine 

the role the Smithsonian plays in science in this Nation, and also 

in terms of education and helping all the museums across the country, many of which are also in dire fiscal straits. 

So I have rambled on a bit, but I would appreciate your reaction 

to that. 

Dr. CLOUGH. Sure, and my colleagues, again, may want to join 

in. I think you hit the nail right on the head, and one of the problems that I do get frustrated about is when people think of us as 

a museum. Now, it is lovely that we have these fabulous museums, 

but people don’t understand what it takes to make them work, 

make them tick, and that they are educational institutions, they 

are research institutions, and they have 100 new exhibits every 

year. You don’t do that without a tremendous amount of effort and 

work for—directed towards education. 

To me, I think the breakthrough for us, really, is the digital revolution and the fact that we can now take collections that are largely unseen, we can take researchers who are fabulous people that, 

I mean, this probably represents that type of person on this panel 

more than anyone else, but I love to be with Terry Erwin, who 

knows more about beetles than anybody in the world. He is a fascinating person, and we have dozens of people who just are really 

remarkable scientists, and with web technology we can get these 

folks out, and as we get—penetrate into the schools, there will be 

a lot more visibility of the Smithsonian and what we actually do 

and what we actually stand for. 

We had a conference with Secretary Duncan this morning on 

rural education, and our online programs that Claudine has referred to have penetrated into the rural sector. I grew up in a rural 
45

community, and I have made sure that our educational programs 

get to Douglas, Georgia, whenever we do that. And the fact of the 

matter is, they are more—they are so profoundly meaningful there 

because those communities don’t have the great cultural assets of 

the big cities, and they value what we bring to them, and right now 

they don’t know we exist. And the more we can get out there, we 

can reach people where they live, work, and play, and have a more 

profound impact on young people, the better off we will be. 

But we are working very much on this line to get Smithsonian 

science and education known out there by folks so they will understand us better. Clearly additional funding would be a tremendous 

help to us to take advantage of the opportunities we have to serve 

the American people in a much more profound way. 

Mr. EHLERS. If I may just add one note to that, and perhaps I 

should have been more diligent in educating my colleagues about 

doing this, but we speak in schools a lot, and whenever I speak in 

a school, particularly elementary school, I tell the children, now, 

when you go home tonight, you talk to your dad and mom and tell 

them that you want to go to Washington, DC, and you don’t just 

want to see flags and monuments and parades but that you want 

to go to the Smithsonian museums, and you tell them that they 

will never find a better deal for vacation because everything is free. 

That is a lot cheaper than Disneyland, even when you take into account the excess of lodging cost here. 

But I really give them the sale pitch nice, and now, you go home 

and tell your parents you want to go to Washington, you know, the 

whole family go, you want to visit the Smithsonian, and it is not 

going to cost them a cent except for a place to stay, and you are 

willing to camp. 

So at any rate, I think you really need a sales pitch like that to 

get more of the young people interested. 

Thank you. 

Chairman LIPINSKI. Thank you, Dr. Ehlers. 

I just want to ask Mr. Bilbray, are you going to have questions? 

Okay. Let me go——

Mr. BILBRAY. Let me just make just a short statement because 

I am going to be coming back in touch base. 

Chairman LIPINSKI. Okay, because I want to wrap this up, and 

there is six minutes left in the vote. 

Mr. BILBRAY. Okay. Just very short. 

Chairman LIPINSKI. I will recognize Mr. Bilbray. 

Mr. BILBRAY. I appreciate that. I just have to say to Dr. Biff, 

sorry I missed you in Panama, and let me just say, Mr. Chairman, 

I think that, no offense to the other Members, but one of the things 

that—the opportunities that the Smithsonian provides is very diverse. The research facility in Panama shows you just exactly how 

diverse. I really would love to get Vernon and Dana Rohrabacher 

over to the Smithsonian in Panama because I think that is the way 

that research facility’s working out some ideas, there is something 

for everybody and enough to raise everyone to be not so sure of 

their conclusions today. 

I think that is one of the fresh things about research is that you 

got to be brave enough to really do proper, I mean, to be brave 

enough to do it right, you got to be brave enough to question as-
46

sumptions and be willing to chance being proven wrong, and that 

is one thing this town doesn’t ever like to do. 

So hopefully we will be able to talk about tapping into that, and 

Biff, just tell—I hope that I can take Mr. Herzog out and teach him 

surfing because he obviously does not understand inter-coastal 

tides appropriately yet, and a little more time in the salt water 

might be better than him sitting in those lakes over there. Okay? 

Dr. BERMINGHAM. I would be delighted to. It will be a true honor, 

and I agree with what you say. I think what is really setting STRI 

and all the Smithsonian science apart from others right now is the 

long-term attitude we take and we serve as honest brokers for 

data. I mean, we are there to collect high-quality data over the long 

term and not to politicize it. 

I would just like to also say that I think that in terms of funding, 

and we need the funding, there is no question about it, but Dr. 

Clough referenced the HSBC association we have, but I think what 

we are going to find—and I think one of the reasons that we were 

successful in getting additional funding from HSBC was the strong 

support that we get from the Federal Government, recognizing that 

what they give us in addition to that will be carried on because of 

the federal investment. 

But at the same time I think you are going to find corporate 

America—but also beyond our borders more and more—interested 

in investing in the type of science that the Smithsonian does, because they recognize that to predict the future, they need that type 

of science. 

But I am looking forward to getting you back to Panama. 

Mr. BILBRAY. Well, Dr., if it is possible, before you leave I would 

like to be able to discuss something with you in a secure environment that is time sensitive that specifically affects your opportunities of expansion in the Panama region. So we need to talk about 

that whenever you get a chance. My office is on this floor. I have 

got to go vote, but I will be available as soon as possible if possible. 

Okay? 

Dr. BERMINGHAM. I will be there. 

Mr. BILBRAY. Okay. 

Chairman LIPINSKI. Thank you, Mr. Bilbray, and the Chair recognizes himself for five minutes, although I don’t think we will 

have five minutes. 

I just wanted to echo Dr. Ehlers’ comments about education and 

thank him for—we agree about Members going out and promoting 

the Smithsonian. 

What I want to ask is, Dr. Clough, you were a President of a university, Georgia Tech. How does—as a former assistant professor, 

I wanted to ask you how do the—what is the comparison between 

researchers at the Smithsonian and those at a, you know, in academe? How are—how do people get their positions? How do things 

work differently? We have, you know, tenure in academe. So can 

you just give me a comparison? 

Dr. CLOUGH. There are many similarities, of course, because both 

types of individuals love research, they are passionate about what 

they do. Both are interested in translating their research into education. So that is the similarity. 
47

The differences comes back to this long-term issue. The Smithsonian tends to be in things for the long haul. Universities tend to 

be driven by grant cycles. They will work on a series of issues for 

a while while there is grant money, and if the grant money moves 

over here, they move over here. And so universities tend not to be 

as long-term focused as the Smithsonian would be. 

STRI has been in the business for 100 years. We are fortunate, 

for example, in some of the climate change work we have done with 

fossils that we have done for probably 30 years, and you wouldn’t 

see that at a university. We also do collections-based research. Universities can’t afford to have collections anymore, and so the Smithsonian has this marvelous set of collections which even today are 

being used with new techniques of DNA studies to discover new 

species without leaving Washington, DC, but simply going to our 

collections center and finding new species by virtue of DNA research. 

I think there is a strong component of service-based research at 

the Smithsonian When the Hudson River incident occurred and the 

plane went down and the remains of the birds were brought down 

here, we were the ones who identified what those birds were, what 

the sex of the birds were, and where they came from, and we were 

able to point out they were Canada geese, of course. They were 

from Canada because we knew where they had been feeding based 

on the analysis of the feathers and the remains. And so that gave 

the folks in New York a good handle on how to begin to deal with 

the bird issues around airports. 

There is a lot of service-based focus at the Smithsonian. You 

don’t see quite as much of that at a university. Universities, of 

course, teach, and therefore, they have direct impact on large numbers of students. The Smithsonian has a large number of interns, 

but ours are more short-term internships and connections there. 

And I do think in the future we will find the Smithsonian particularly able to deliver its research to the K–12 community in a 

more effective way than universities can. 

Chairman LIPINSKI. And what do you do in terms of fellowships? 

Dr. CLOUGH. We have our own fellowship sources, so we have 

funding from—even though James Smithson’s money is long gone, 

we do have an endowment of almost $1 billion, and much of that 

has been given, like at the universities, for specific purposes. And 

so, for example, recently Mr. Peter Buck, who is on the Natural 

History Museum Board, who is himself a physicist, gave $20 million to the Smithsonian for fellowships, and it is a wonderful gift. 

So it allows young people from universities and other entities go 

come to the Smithsonian and study with us in the sense of a graduate student, if you will, or a post-doc, here at the Smithsonian. 

Now, in addition, we have another pool of funds we use for interns, and that would be for young undergraduates who come to 

the Smithsonian and study here. Some universities—Smith, being 

one, has its own endowment from an alumnus for 13 of their students to come here and spend a year at the Smithsonian each year. 

And so we are trying to build those relationships, we are signing 

MOUs [Memorandums of Understanding] with universities, we are 

working with universities so we have more direct connections with 
48

them in terms of our research, and that is something I have been 

able to use my former experience to good effect with. 

For example, with George Mason, we offer a joint degree in conservation biology, which has been—now, they will have the—they 

have the admissions department and all the degree granting ability, but we share responsibility for the degree. The students study 

at the Zoo and in Front Royal there. So we have facilities they 

don’t have. We can use that to help educate students in a different 

way than they can. 

Chairman LIPINSKI. I have a bill to try to increase the collaboration between museums and national labs. Is there any collaboration with the Smithsonian and national labs, if you can answer 

that in 30 seconds or less? 

Dr. CLOUGH. Uh-huh. We do have connections with national labs, 

particularly, you know, with the different agencies, typically 

though the agencies more than the national labs. A lot of the national labs are energy related, and we don’t do energy research per 

se. Now, we do research that informs energy through, for example, 

climate change. We have had discussions with Dr. Chu and with 

a number of the people—Biff, I know you met recently with the Department of Energy, because they are looking for ways to begin to 

quantify the beneficial effects of carbon sequestration. We can do 

that when we work with them, and we are working with the Department of Energy and with the Arizona State University because 

we don’t have an economics department, and they do have one that 

focuses on that activity. 

So we are looking to partner with groups where we have something in common and we can have good—we are working with 

Battelle on education, and I know Claudine has been talking to 

them as well. They are very interested in inter-city education, as 

we are, and so we are going to be working with Battelle on delivery, particularly in the DC school systems, I think, fairly soon 

about that. 

I don’t know if you would want to speak to that, Claudine. 

Chairman LIPINSKI. I am sorry. I would love to hear about it, but 

unfortunately, we are out of time. There is a vote on the floor. We 

still have some—a good number of Members out. We will be able 

to make it there, but I am going to need to bring this hearing to 

a close. 

I want to—before that, I want to thank all of our witnesses for 

testifying. The record is going to remain open for two weeks for additional statements from the Members and for answers to any follow-up questions the Committee may ask of the witnesses. 

And, again, I want to thank the witnesses for their testimony 

today and their work with the Smithsonian, and with that the witnesses are excused, and the hearing is now adjourned. 

[Whereupon, at 3:57 p.m., the Subcommittee was adjourned.]

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