Report to the Regents

Second Quarter, Fiscal Year 2012

Scores of people, including President Barack Obama, gathered on the National Mallon February 22, 

2012, to celebrate the historic groundbreaking for the National Museum of African American History 

and Culture. Pictured, from left to right, are Museum Council Cochair Richard D. Parsons, Board Vice 

Chair Patricia Q. Stonesifer, former First Lady Laura Bush, Smithsonian Secretary G. Wayne Clough, 

Museum Director Lonnie Bunch; Under Secretary for History, Art, and Culture Richard Kurin, Board 

Chair France Córdova, and Museum Council Cochair Linda Johnson Rice.
Broadening Access: Visitation Summary

Th rough the second quarter of fi scal year 2012, the 

Smithsonian counted approximately 10.6 million visits to 

its museums and exhibition venues in Washington, D.C., 

and New York, plus the National Zoological Park and 

Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. Th is was similar to the 

fi gure for the fi rst two quarters of fi scal year 2011. 

Th e Smithsonian also counted about 40 million unique 

visitors to its websites and approximately 2 million visitors 

to traveling exhibitions mounted by the Smithsonian 

Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. Th e Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition 

Service’s Jim Henson’s Fantastic World at the Museum 

of the Moving Image 

0

500,000

1,000,000

1,500,000

2,000,000

2,500,000

3,000,000

Cooper-Hewitt-NY

Anacostia

Renwick

Postal

Heye Center-NY

African Art

Ripley Center

Hirshhorn

Udvar-Hazy

Reynolds Center

Freer/Sackler

SI Castle

American Indian

National Zoo

American History

Air and Space

Natural History

FY 2010

FY 2011

FY 2012

Visits to Smithsonian Venues

First Two Quarters, Fiscal Years 2010, 2011, and 2012

Report to the Regents, June 2012 1
Grand Challenges Highlights 

Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet

Research: Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC)

In this quarter, SERC researchers 

published 26 papers in 20 peerreviewed journals. 

When it comes to conserving 

endangered orchids, not all 

forests are equal, because orchids 

need fungi to sustain them. In a 

Molecular Ecology paper, SERC’s 

Melissa McCormick reported on 

results that indicated orchid seeds 

germinate only where the fungi they 

need are abundant, and that the 

required fungi prefer older forests. 

Th is implies that to save endangered orchids, planting new forests may not be enough; if the forests are 

not old enough or do not have the right fungi, orchids may not return quickly, or perhaps at all. 

SERC hosted a Chesapeake Bay science seminar with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration (NOAA). SERC Ecologist Rob Aguilar outlined the threat of invasive blue catfi sh, SERC 

Director Tuck Hines explained the potential problems of an imbalance between female and male blue 

crabs, and other research organizations discussed their projects in the region. Maryland Senator Ben 

Cardin also voiced his support for the research. 

Research: National Museum of Natural History (NMNH)

From tiny lizards to giant crocodiles, reptile 

populations everywhere are changing, yet decisions 

about their conservation are often based on 

inadequate data. Reptile Biodiversity: Standard 

Methods for Inventory and Monitoring (University 

of California Press), a new book coedited by 

Roy W. McDiarmid and Mercedes S. Foster 

(both of NMNH) and three colleagues, fills 

this gap with contributions from 70 specialists 

and a comprehensive guide to best practices for 

standardized surveys of these creatures. 

Catalogue of Seed Plants of the West Indies (Smithsonian Contributions to Botany, 98), a new volume from 

the Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press edited by NMNH’s Pedro Acevedo-Rodríguez and Mark 

T. Strong, represents the first modern effort to catalog the scientific and vernacular names of seed plants 

from the Bahamas and the Greater and Lesser Antilles. It is accompanied by a searchable website.

Blue crabs and endangered orchids are subjects of SERC research

2 Report to the Regents, June 2012
NMNH Paleobiologist Hans Sues coauthored a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of 

Sciences, reporting on the discovery in South Africa of a dinosaur nesting site from the Early Jurassic 

period that predates any previously known site by some 100 million years. The new find vastly extends 

our knowledge of the biology of dinosaurs from this era, and provides the first detailed look at dinosaur 

reproduction early in their evolutionary history.

In a paper published in the Journal of Biogeography, Seán G. Brady of the NMNH Entomology 

Department and his colleagues analyze the diversification and biogeography of pollinator bees. Their 

findings show ancient connections between South American and Australian bees, dating back to the 

Cretaceous and Eocene epochs, when Antarctica connected the two continents. 

Research: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) 

In this quarter, 88 new scientifi c publications were added to the 

STRI bibliography. 

STRI Director Eldredge Bermingham and Staff Scientist Héctor 

Guzmán joined Mission Blue aboard the submersible DeepSee 

to survey the Hannibal Bank seamount, an undersea feature of 

Panama’s Coiba National Park, at depths from 60 to 340 meters. 

Founded by oceanographer and environmentalist Sylvia Earle, 

Mission Blue seeks to identify aquatic “Hope Spots”—areas of great 

undersea biodiversity. 

In a paper published online in the journal Naturwissenschaften, 

researchers at STRI and the University of Costa Rica asked why spiders do not stick to their own webs. 

Repeating previous but poorly documented studies with modern techniques, they discovered that spiders’ 

legs are protected by a covering of branching hairs and a non-stick chemical coating, and that spiders 

carefully move their legs to minimize adhesive forces. 

Research: National Zoological Park (NZP) 

Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI)

As part of a study led by the Great Ape Heart Project, two NZP 

male gorillas, Kwame and Kojo, had Implantable Loop Recorders 

(ILRs) implanted beneath the skin between their shoulders, where 

the devices will record electrocardiogram waves and provide data on 

heart rates, rhythms, and pulses. Th is will help veterinarians better 

detect and treat heart disease, which is the leading cause of death 

among male gorillas in human care. 

As published in the American Journal of Primatology, a study 

of marmosets by researchers, including SCBI’s Michael Power, 

indicates that obesity in these small monkeys begins early in 

life, and suggests that marmosets may be a helpful model for 

understanding human childhood obesity. Unlike most animals, 

which are born with little fat, normal marmoset and human babies 

are quite fat at birth. Studies like this could help identify indicators 

of vulnerability to obesity in small children. 

DeepSee

Kojo in surgery

Report to the Regents, June 2012 3
Broadening Access 

In 2009, the Smithsonian Tropical 

Research Institute’s Carlos Jaramillo and 

his team discovered a trove of amazing 

fossils from the fi rst South American 

rainforests 60 million years ago, including 

fossils of the titanoboa—the largest snake 

ever. In this quarter, the titanoboa story 

reached the public in a big way: 

• Th e Smithsonian Institution 

Traveling Exhibition Service

exhibit Titanoboa: Monster Snake, 

had a media preview at Grand 

Central Station in New York 

City before opening at the National Museum of Natural History

(March 30, 2012–January 6, 2013). It features a full-scale model of 

this giant prehistoric serpent. 

• Th e Smithsonian Channel documentary fi lm Titanoboa: Monster 

Snake, which tells the story of Jaramillo’s spectacular fi nd, premiered 

at the National Museum of Natural History. In conjunction 

with the fi lm’s release, the Smithsonian’s newsdesk.edu received 

over 400 information requests, primarily from the press, as well as 

an unprecedented 56,000 unique page views on its news site and 

10,000 unique page views on the Smithsonian Science site.

Th e Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s Tiger Conservation 

Partnership led a regional “Smart Patrol” training course for frontline staff 

from tiger reserves in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, China, and Russia. 

Participants were taught strategies to combat poaching and address other 

threats to tigers. Senior offi cials from the Smithsonian, Government of 

Nepal, World Bank, and other partners participated in the opening of the 

course at Chitwan National Park in Nepal. 

Two visually arresting exhibitions went on display at the National Museum 

of Natural History:

• X-Ray Vision: Fish Inside Out, an exhibition developed by the 

Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, opened in 

the Museum’s Sant Ocean Hall Focus Gallery (February 4–August 5, 

2012). It highlights research conducted by Smithsonian scientists 

and radiographic images of specimens from the Museum’s fish 

collection. 

• The 2012 Nature’s Best Photography exhibition of winners of the 

Windland Smith Rice International Awards went on display (March 

30, 2012–January 6, 2013). The stunning collection of 48 largeformat prints showcased here was selected from more than 20,000 

submitted images. 

Th e Titanoboa comes to Grand Central Station

Images from Nature’s Best 

Photography (top) and X-Ray 

Vision (bottom)

4 Report to the Regents, June 2012
Th is quarter marked important developments for the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL), an openaccess digitization consortium including the Smithsonian Institution Libraries (SIL). 

• SIL Director Nancy E. Gwinn and Associate Director for Digital Services Martin R. Kalfatovic 

were appointed Chair of the BHL Steering Committee and BHL Program Director, respectively. 

• BHL was named one of the Best Free Online Reference Resources of 2011 by Library Journal, 

and it launched eight collections of selected content on iTunes U. 

Th e Smithsonian Environmental Research Center launched NEMESIS (the National Exotic Marine 

and Estuarine Species Information System), an online public database that tracks roughly 500 marine 

invaders around the country, providing information on how, when, and where the invasions occurred, 

and what is known about their impacts. 

The Consortium for Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet presented a symposium, 

“Perspectives on Limits to Growth: Challenges to Building a Sustainable Planet,” to mark the 40th 

anniversary of the landmark report Limits to Growth, published by the symposium’s cosponsor, the Club 

of Rome. 

Th e Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute plays an important role in training the next generation 

of tropical biologists. In this quarter, it brought students and faculty from Northeastern University, 

Princeton University, McGill University, Madison University, St. Norbert College, Harvard University, 

Ohio State University, and the University of Wisconsin to Panama. 

Unlocking the Mysteries of the Universe

Research: Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO)

Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) 

In this quarter, SAO scientists’ research appeared in 136 

peer-reviewed papers and 108 non-peer-reviewed papers at 

conferences and other venues. Among the scientifi c journals 

carrying SAO research results were the leading journals Nature 

(fi ve articles) and Science (two articles). 

SAO astronomers completed an infrared survey of star 

formation in the Cygnus OB2 super cluster, one of the largest 

and most active giant molecular cloud complexes in our galaxy. 

Th e team used the infrared camera on the SAO-led Spitzer 

Space Telescope, which allowed it to peer inside the opaque 

clouds of dust and gas to identify more than a thousand young 

stars in the earliest stages of formation. 

Th e 10-meter South Pole Telescope (SPT) obtained new 

support for the most widely accepted explanation of “dark 

energy”—the mysterious force responsible for the accelerating 

expansion of the universe. SAO astronomers report that recent 

SPT results support Einstein’s model of dark energy and the socalled “cosmological constant.” Th e SPT operates at millimeter 

and submillimeter wavelengths, and is situated at the South 

Pole because of the transparent atmosphere there. 

Th e star-forming region in Cygnus

Th e South Pole Telescope

Report to the Regents, June 2012 5
Black holes are irresistible sinks for matter and 

energy. Th ey are commonly ringed by disks of 

matter, and if material from a nearby star falls 

onto the disk, X-rays and powerful jets of charged 

particles can be ejected. CfA astronomers have now 

found convincing direct evidence that these jets are 

driven by the spin of the black hole.

Construction workers have begun to blast three 

million cubic feet of rock from a mountaintop in 

the Chilean Andes to make room for SAO’s highest 

long-term research priority: the Giant Magellan 

Telescope, which at 25 meters in diameter will be 

the world’s largest telescope when completed near the 

end of this decade. 

Among CfA highlights this year are a number of extrasolar planet discoveries, including: 

• A Sun-like star with three sub-Neptune-size planets and two Earth-size candidates;

• A planet around a Sun-like star within the habitable zone (the distance from a star where 

temperatures allow water to take liquid form); 

• A planet enshrouded by a thick, steamy atmosphere of water;

• A small star with a hot, Jupiter-like planet in an inner orbit and another in an outer orbit; 

• Two new circumbinary planetary systems (planets that orbit two stars rather than one);

CfA researchers are also investigating the possibility that some planets have escaped their star’s gravity and 

been ejected into space, occasionally to be captured by another stellar system.

Research: National Air and Space Museum (NASM)

Center for Earth and Planetary Studies (CEPS) 

CEPS scientists authored or coauthored 33 abstracts for the 43rd Lunar and Planetary Science 

Conference in March 2012—the largest and most important planetary science meeting held annually.

CEPS Chair Tom Watters was the lead author of a paper in Nature Geoscience that reports the discovery, 

made using high-resolution images from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance 

Orbiter, of tectonic landforms on the moon that indicate the lunar 

crust has expanded in some locations. The story attracted a lot of 

media attention, with 82 stories appearing in various media outlets in 

the week after the article’s publication.

Broadening Access 

National Air and Space Museum Curator Michael Neufeld’s definitive, 

awarding-winning biography of rocket science pioneer Wernher von 

Braun, Von Braun: Dreamer of Space/Engineer of War, was published in 

its third foreign language; it is now available in Danish, German, and 

Polish. In this quarter, Neufeld spoke at three events in Germany and 

Austria to mark the 100th anniversary of von Braun’ birth.

Clearing the site of the Giant Magellan Telescope

Wernher von Braun

6 Report to the Regents, June 2012
Research results from the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) were featured in two New York 

Times news articles this quarter, and the SAO-administered Astrophysics Data System website, which 

provides open access to the astronomy and astrophysics literature, had over 330 million hits. 

Understanding the American Experience 

Research 

East-West Interchanges in American Art: A Long and Tumultuous Relationship, a volume of conference 

proceedings edited by Lee Glazer of the Freer and Sackler Galleries and Cynthia Mills and Amelia 

Goerlitz, both of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, was published by the Smithsonian 

Institution Scholarly Press.

Broadening Access

In a moving ceremony on the 

National Mall on February 22, 

the Smithsonian broke ground for 

its 19th museum, the National 

Museum of African American 

History and Culture. President 

Barack Obama was among the 

speakers, and other honored guests 

included First Lady Michelle 

Obama, former First Lady Laura 

Bush, U.S. Representative John 

Lewis, and Kansas Governor Sam 

Brownback. The ceremony took 

place on the Museum’s five-acre 

site adjacent to the Washington 

Monument.

At a ceremony marking the opening of the Warner Bros. Theater 

at the National Museum of American History, the Smithsonian 

presented Clint Eastwood with the James Smithson Bicentennial 

Medal in honor of his contributions to the American experience in 

six decades as an award-winning film actor and director.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture 

partnered with Monticello to unveil Slavery at Jefferson’s Monticello: 

Paradox of Liberty (January 27–October 14, 2012) at the National 

Museum of American History, an exhibition that introduces 

visitors to six slave families on Jefferson’s plantation. 

To commemorate the signing of Executive Order 9066 that decreed the internment of Japanese 

Americans during World War II, the Asian Pacific American Program hosted a panel discussion at 

the National Museum of American History with keynote speaker General Eric Shinseki, Secretary of 

Veterans Affairs. 

President Obama spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony for the National Museum of 

African American History and Culture

Clint Eastwood

Report to the Regents, June 2012 7
The Jazz Times added Smithsonian Folkways’ Jazz: 

The Smithsonian Anthology to its 10 Best Historical 

Releases list. Susan Rice, U.S. Ambassador to the 

United Nations, selected the Anthology as her symbolic 

gift to the other members of the Security Council; 

by tradition, new Council presidents present an item 

representative of their country to the other members.

Two highly-anticipated exhibitions opened at the 

Smithsonian American Art Museum:

• The opening of The Art of Video Games

(March 16–September 30, 2012) coincided with “GameFest,” one of the Museum’s most 

ambitious series of public programs for an exhibition, consisting of three days of talks, panel 

discussions, movies, game playing, music, and more. 

• Annie Leibovitz: Pilgrimage (January 20–May 20, 2012) featured a new body of work by one of 

America’s best-known living photographers. During its opening week, the artist gave a talk and 

attended a public reception promoting her Pilgrimage book.

The opening of the exhibition Fly Marines! The Centennial of 

Marine Corps Aviation: 1912–2012 (January 14, 2012–January 6, 

2013) kicked off the National Air and Space Museum’s year-long 

observance of the first century of Marine Corps aviation. The 

exhibition features 91 works of art from the National Museum of the 

Marine Corps, most of which were created in combat situations.

On Presidents’ Day, the National Museum of American History 

presented a preview of segments from the PBS fi lm Clinton, the 16th 

episode in the American Experience Presidential Biography Series, to 

a full house in the new Warner Brothers Th eater. Th e screening was 

followed by a panel discussion, led by Acting Director Marc Pachter, 

with the fi lm’s director Barak Goodman, Clinton advisor Don Baer, 

Clinton White House Deputy Chief of Staff Harold Ickes, and 

Politico Editor-in-Chief John Harris. 

The Archives of American Art exhibition Memories Arrested in 

Space: A Centennial Tribute to Jackson Pollock went on display in the 

Lawrence A. Fleischman Gallery at the Reynolds Center (January 28–

June 4, 2012) to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Pollock’s birthday. 

It presents Pollock’s enduring legacy through family photographs, 

correspondence, rare printed material, and writings. 

The International Association of Art Critics awarded the National 

Portrait Gallery exhibition Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in 

American Portraiture its prize for best national thematic show. The 

Hide/Seek catalogue also received an award in the 2012 Stonewall 

Book Awards of the American Library Association, while the 

catalogue for the Gallery’s exhibition Seeing Gertrude Stein: Five 

Stories was a runner-up.

Artwork from Fly Marines!

Jackson Pollock

Th e Art of Video Games

8 Report to the Regents, June 2012
Several exhibitions and installations opened at the National Portrait Gallery:

• In Vibrant Color: Celebrity Portraits from the Harry Warnecke Studio 

(March 2–September 9, 2012) features the work of a pioneering 

photographer who created richly-hued portraits for the New York 

Daily News’ Sunday magazine long before color reproductions 

became commonplace. 

• The Confederate Sketches of Adalbert Volk (March 30–January 20, 

2012) and Mathew Brady’s Photographs of Union Generals (March 30, 

2012–May 31, 2015), the latest in a series of installations to mark 

the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, went on view. 

• Juliette Gordon Low and the 100th Anniversary of Girl Scouts (January 

13, 2012–May 2013) commemorates the founder of the Girl Scouts. 

• A Will of Their Own: Judith Sargent Murray and Women of Achievement in the Early Republic 

(April 20, 2012–September 2, 2013) tells the story of eight remarkable women from the early 

days of the United States; it is on view within the permanent exhibition American Origins.

• In the permanent The Struggle for Justice gallery, the Gallery installed two photographs of 

Fred Korematsu, who initiated a legal challenge to, and eventually prevailed against, the U.S. 

Government’s mass internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. 

The Anacostia Community Museum hosted its 27th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Program in the 

Baird Auditorium of the National Museum of Natural History. Harry E. Johnson Sr., President and 

CEO of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, was the featured speaker. 

Valuing World Cultures 

Research 

Who were the first humans in North America? According to a now-familiar 

story, hunters of the Clovis culture came to the continent about 12,000 

years ago via a land bridge across the Bering Sea. In their new book Across 

Atlantic Ice: The Origins of America’s Clovis Culture, Dennis J. Stanford of the 

National Museum of Natural History and Bruce A. Bradley challenge this 

narrative, suggesting that the first Americans crossed the Atlantic by boat and 

arrived earlier than previously thought. 

Peruvians were eating popcorn 2,000 years earlier than hitherto believed, 

according to a paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences coauthored by Dolores Piperno, 

Curator of Archaeology at the National Museum of Natural History and Emeritus Staff Scientist at the 

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Piperno unearthed some of the oldest known corncobs, dating 

from 6,700 to 3,000 years ago, at two sites on Peru’s northern coast. 

Christine Mullen Kreamer of the National Museum of African Art was one of six scholars invited by 

the National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka, to present a paper at the conference “Exhibiting Africa: 

Contemporary Perspectives on the Representation of Cultures in Museums.”

A Smithsonian Folkways Recordings research team traveled to Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela, to record the 

iconic Venezuelan folk music group Serenata Guayanesa, which recently celebrated its 40th anniversary 

and was declared a national treasure by the Venezuelan legislature. 

Orson Welles, from the 

Harry Warnecke Studio

Report to the Regents, June 2012 9
The Freer and Sackler Galleries hosted a two-day 

workshop on the art and archeology of Samarra, Iraq, for 

international scholars and museum personnel. The goal 

was to define a collaborative research project that draws on 

archival materials held by the Galleries and site materials 

held in various museums around the world.

Broadening Access

The National Museum of the American Indian offered a 

number of exhibitions, festivals, and displays: 

• Northwest Coast Native artist David Boxley 

spent a week carving a totem pole in the Potomac 

Atrium for permanent installation at the Museum. 

It is 22 feet long and carved from a red cedar log 

weighing 3,000 pounds. An article on it appeared 

on the front page of the Washington Post.

• The Vochol—a Volkswagen Beetle covered with 

over two million glass beads—was on display. It 

took eight Wixaritari artists more than 9,000 

hours to decorate the car. 

• The popular annual “Power of Chocolate” festival 

featured food, hands-on activities, dance performances, and family activities, plus a presentation 

by Catherine Kwik-Uribe of Mars Botanical on the health benefits of chocolate. 

• The exhibition Behind the Scenes: The Real Story of the Quileute Wolves (January 13–May 9, 2012) 

brought together rare works of Quileute art, along with historic drawings created by Quileute 

youth who attended the Quileute Day School at Mora, Washington, from 1905 through 1908.

Several exhibitions opened at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery:

• Hokusai: 36 Views of Mount Fuji (March 24–June 

17, 2012) featured works from the most acclaimed 

print series by Japan’s most famous artist, 

Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849), including 

Under the Wave off Kanagawa (better known as 

The Great Wave). 

• Masters of Mercy: Buddha’s Amazing Disciples 

(March 10–July 8, 2012) features works from 

Kano Kazunobu (1816–1863) that depict 

miraculous activities of the 500 disciples of the 

Buddha. These are regarded as some of the most 

impressive works of Buddhist iconography from the Edo period (1615–1868).

• Two smaller installations went on display. Goryeo Buddhist Paintings: A Closer Look (February 

25–May 28, 2012) presents three icons from the Galleries’ collections that had never before been 

displayed together. The new permanent display Feast Your Eyes: A Taste for Luxury in Ancient Iran 

offers visitors a look at the Galleries’ fine collection of Iranian metalwork. 

David Boxley at work

Th e Vochol

Th e Great Wave

10 Report to the Regents, June 2012
The George Gustav Heye Center of the National Museum of the American 

Indian opened the exhibition IndiVisible: African-Native American Lives in 

the Americas (February 9–August 31, 2012). The exhibition was previously 

on display at the Museum’s facility on the National Mall. 

Releases from Smithsonian Folkways garnered 14 nominations for the 2012 

Independent Music Awards in a wide variety of genres and categories. 

The exhibition The Beautiful Time: The Photography of Sammy Baloji 

(January 7, 2012–January 6, 2013) in the African Voices Focus Gallery 

of the National Museum of Natural History documents the colonial-era 

“beautiful time” when the Congolese built a flourishing copper mining 

industry, only to see it decline following independence in the 1960s under 

the mismanagement of corrupt governments.

Crossing Boundaries 

Research 

In this quarter, the Museum Conservation Institute (MCI) worked on over 60 projects with 23 

Smithsonian units, plus external organizations such as the National Institute of Standards and 

Technology, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of State. 

National Air and Space Museum Aeronautics Division Curator Von Hardesty published the book Red 

Phoenix Rising: The Soviet Air Force in World War II, with coauthor Ilya Grinberg. 

As part of Women’s History Month, Smithsonian Institution Archives (SIA) hosted “She Blinded Me 

with Science: Smithsonian Women in Science Edit-a-Thon” to improve Smithsonian-related content 

on Wikipedia. Ten Wikipedian participants worked with SIA archivists, online finding aids, and 

biographical data to broaden the coverage of Smithsonian history on Wikipedia, particularly with respect 

to women scientists associated with the Institution.

Broadening Access 

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden displayed Doug Aiken: SONG 1, a monumental, 

360-degree projection on the exterior surface of the Museum by internationally renowned artist 

Doug Aiken. This unique commissioned 

work, which was shown daily from sunset 

to midnight between March 22 and May 

20, melded art, architecture, music, film, 

and technology. 

It received an 

extraordinary 

amount of local, 

national, and 

international media 

attention, including 

on the front page of 

the Washington Post.

IndiVisible

Doug Aiken: Song 1

Report to the Regents, June 2012 11
The Hirshhorn also offered the exhibitions 

Suprasensorial: Experiments in Light, Color, 

and Space (February 23–August 12, 2012), 

a tribute to the Latin American Light and 

Space Movement that consists of immersive 

environments by five artists; and Dark Matters: 

Selections from the Collection (February 3–May 

13, 2012), which brought together works from 

the Museum’s own collection that deal with the 

theme of darkness. 

Owney the dog is a lovable figure in mail-service 

history and a friend to National Postal Museum visitors. This historic pooch is now featured in Owney: 

Tales from the Rails, a new free eBook performed by country singer Trace Adkins and available two 

ways—online and as an Apple iPad app. 

Also at the National Postal Museum, a new exhibit, Fire & Ice: Hindenburg 

and Titanic (March 22, 2012–January 6, 2014), brings together two 

marvels of transportation that both met tragic ends. In addition to the 

onboard opulence these vessels provided passengers, the Titanic was the 

world’s largest floating post office in its day and the Hindenburg still holds 

the record as the largest flying post office. 

Liz Diller, the internationally renowned architect of the Hirshhorn’s 

proposed Seasonal Inflatable Structure, presented the design concepts for 

the structure at the 2012 conference of TED, a non-profit devoted to 

“ideas worth spreading.” Diller’s talk has been posted on the TEDTalks 

video site where it will potentially reach millions of people. 

Young visitors to the exhibition MathAlive!, which launched its national 

tour at the Smithsonian’s S. Dillon Ripley Center, learned 

that mathematics are a part of many of the things they 

love. From March 10 to June 3, the exhibition drew huge, 

enthusiastic crowds to the wealth of interactive stations and 

immersive environments in its six themed galleries.

The Asian Pacific American Program hosted an advance 

look at its HomeSpun: Smithsonian Indian American 

Heritage Project exhibition at a reception hosted by the 

Indian Embassy. India’s Ambassador to the United States, 

Nirupama Rao, provided the welcoming remarks. 

A Social Impact Design Summit at the Rockefeller 

Foundation gave individuals and organizations with innovative approaches to socially responsible design 

a chance to discuss the challenges of this developing fi eld. Th e Summit was planned by Cooper-Hewitt, 

National Design Museum, the Lemelson Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Bill’s Design Talks, a series moderated by Cooper-Hewitt Director Bill Moggridge, resumed in February 

at the Jerome L. Greene Performance Space at New York Public Radio. Programs this quarter included 

a tribute to Eva Zeisel with art critic Jed Perl and designers James Klein and David Reid, and discussions 

with Robert Wong of Google Creative Labs and graphic designer Emily Oberman. 

Suprasensorial

Watch belonging to a mail 

clerk on the Titanic

Math Alive!

12 Report to the Regents, June 2012
Strengthening Collections

A 448.64 carat morganite gem from Minas Gerais, Brazil, was 

donated to the National Gem and Mineral Collection of the 

National Museum of Natural History by Tricia and Michael 

Berns, members of the Smithsonian Gemstone Collectors. This 

specimen is the finest and largest morganite (pink beryl) in the 

Collection to date. 

Four maned wolf pups were born at the Smithsonian 

Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI). Maned wolves are 

diffi cult to breed under human care; researchers believe that the 

reproductive challenges are caused, in part, by gastrointestinal 

disorders that may be linked to diet. SCBI is one of 19 

institutions participating in a study to determine whether a diet 

that more closely simulates that of maned wolves in the wild 

boosts reproductive rates. 

With partners Pixar Studios and NASA, the National Air and 

Space Museum hosted an event for the ceremonial donation of a 

unique object: an action figure of the “Buzz Lightyear” character 

from Pixar’s animated Toy Story franchise that flew on the Space 

Shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station. The Chief 

Creative Officer of Pixar, John Lasseter, presented the figure to 

Museum Director Jack Dailey.

The Smithsonian American Art Museum

accessioned four major artworks this 

quarter: 

• Nathan Hale (1890), a sculpture by 

Frederick MacMonnies.

• Two paintings by Benny Andrews, 

The Long Rows (1966) and Portrait 

of Black Madonna (1987). 

• Maria’s Great Expedition (1995–

1996), a series of six photographs 

and an inkjet print by Christina 

Fernandez.

Nathan Hale Maria’s Great Expedition

Report to the Regents, June 2012 13
Broadening Access: Education and Outreach

The Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies (SCEMS) launched the second year of its 

Shout environmental webinar series for educators and students. “Water Matters” focuses on human use 

of oceans, rivers, lakes, and other water resources. Half of its six days of programming will be broadcast 

from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. 

SCEMS and its partners also presented major family days for Black History Month and Women’s History 

Month at the Reynolds Center. 

The National Science Resources Center (NSRC) remained active in promoting reform in the teaching 

of science in the nation’s schools and beyond. Events sponsored by the NSRC in this quarter brought 

together educators and educational leaders from elementary and middle schools in the Houston, 

Texas, Independent School District and from 13 districts and three private schools in Orange County, 

California, to explore innovative approaches to science instruction. 

Smithsonian Affiliations off ers museums and other organizations access to the Institution’s collections 

and other resources. At the end of the second quarter, there were 171 Affi liates in 40 states, Panama, and 

Puerto Rico, and 1,245 Smithsonian artifacts were on view at Affi liates. In this quarter: 

• Th e Smithsonian welcomed three new Affi liates: the Springfi eld Museum of Art (Springfi eld, 

Ohio); Ohio Historical Society (Columbus, Ohio); and Fort Worth Museum of Science and 

History (Fort Worth, Texas).

• Th irteen Smithsonian staff participated in programs with 

Affi liates.

• Th e Smithsonian loaned 28 artifacts to Affi liates. 

Along with the Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center, Affiliations 

sponsored a National Symposium on Early Learning to lay the 

groundwork for future Smithsonian innovations in this area. 

Th e Desert to Rainforest Initiative, a partnership including Arizona State 

University, Audubon Arizona, Audubon Panama, Panama’s Ministry 

of Education, and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, seeks 

to give children in Phoenix and Panama greater opportunities to learn 

about biodiversity and increase their cultural awareness. 

In March, an extremely rare and valuable 1933 Saint-Gaudens Double 

Eagle $20 coin from the National Numismatic Collection of the 

National Museum of American History traveled to seven European 

countries on a 28-day tour that attracted huge audiences. More than 

100 million households across Europe learned the story of this legendary 

U.S. coin through television, print, radio, and online interviews with the 

Smithsonian staff who traveled with it.

In the fi rst two quarters of fi scal year 2012, the Smithsonian Institution 

Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) circulated 46 exhibitions to 129 

venues in 37 states, plus the District of Columbia and Guam, where they 

were viewed by approximately 2 million visitors. 

A young participant in the Desert to 

Rainforest Initiative

Th e 1933 Double Eagle

14 Report to the Regents, June 2012
Via mobile outreach, the Smithsonian Latino Center launched a beta version of Chequea esto!, a series of 

animated shorts focusing on Latino youth and science-technology-engineering-math (STEM) careers. 

The National Museum of the American Indian pilot project “Reporting from Indian Country” provided 

five Native schools with equipment and training to produce short video pieces on environmental issues 

important to their tribes. 

Th e Discovery Th eater of The Smithsonian Associates (TSA) welcomed Ojibwe artist Th irza Defoe to 

the Rasmusson Auditorium of the National Museum of the American Indian for a special Women’s 

History Month program, “Sacagawea’s Sisters.” 

TSA also presented a panel discussion with legendary major league baseball player and manager Joe 

Torre, attended by an audience of 1,500. Joining Torre were Mike Wise of the Washington Post; Johnny 

Holliday from Nats Xtra; Phil Wood of the Washington Examiner, and moderator Phil Hochberg, former 

Washington Senators stadium announcer. 

Museum Conservation Institute (MCI) staff offered a variety of undergraduate, graduate, and 

professional studies opportunities in the areas of museum studies, conservation, and materials science: 

• Research Scientist Christine France and six MCI 

senior personnel were awarded a three-year NSF 

Research Experiences for Undergraduates grant to 

support short-term opportunities for undergraduates 

to work on research projects with MCI scientific staff. 

• Furniture Conservator Don Williams hosted and 

co-taught a course on the “Technology of Historic 

Furniture Making” as part of the Smithsonian/George 

Mason University Master’s Program in the History of 

the Decorative Arts. 

• In collaboration with the State Department, 

Department of Homeland Security, and Smithsonian Office of International Relations, MCI 

organized its sixth training workshop for Homeland Security agents tasked with preventing the 

illicit trade in art and antiquities. These courses have trained over 150 agents thus far.

Organizational Excellence

Leadership

Cristián Samper announced he will be leaving the Smithsonian 

to become President and CEO of the Wildlife Conservation 

Society in New York City. Samper began at the Smithsonian 

in 2001 as Deputy Director of the Smithsonian Tropical 

Research Institute. Two years later, he became the Director 

of the National Museum of Natural History, where he led 

a number of successful initiatives to enhance research and 

outreach. He served as Acting Secretary of the Smithsonian 

from 2007–2008.

MCI intern sampling paint from an object

Cristián Samper (r) tours the Sant Ocean Hall with 

Secretary Clough, Chancellor John Roberts, and 

President George W. Bush 

Report to the Regents, June 2012 15
Christopher Liedel was named President of Smithsonian Enterprises. Liedel 

comes to the Smithsonian after 16 years at the National Geographic Society, 

where he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Offi cer. 

Scott S. Dahl was named Inspector General for the 

Smithsonian. Previously, Dahl served as Deputy 

Inspector General at the U.S. Department of 

Commerce (2010–2012), Inspector General for the 

Offi ce of the Director of National Intelligence (2007–

2010), and senior counsel to the Inspector General at 

the Department of Justice (2003–2007). 

Deron Burba took over the position of Chief Information Offi cer, to which he 

brings more than 20 years of IT experience. Since 2001, he has served as head 

of the Smithsonian’s Offi ce of System Modernization, where he directed the 

implementation of Smithsonian-wide IT systems supporting collections, digital 

assets, business operations, and facilities. 

Information Technology

Th e Digitization Program Office held a one-day workshop, “Let’s Talk About Rapid Capture,” 

to promote effi cient digitization at the Smithsonian. Internal case studies showcased work at the 

Smithsonian, and presentations by outside experts focused on cutting-edge processes and equipment. 

Th e Smithsonian Online Academic Appointment System (SOLAA), a Smithsonian-wide automated 

system for managing internships, fellowships, and other scholarly appointments and programs, was 

upgraded to include a new online review process. 

Phase I of EVANS (Every Volunteer Accounted for in Samaritan)—an enterprise-wide system using 

software from Samaritan Technologies—has been deployed to units including the National Museum of 

Natural History, National Museum of American History, National Museum of the American Indian, 

National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian American Art Museum, National Museum of African 

Art, and National Postal Museum. Th e goal for EVANS is to serve as a pan-Institutional human 

resources management system for volunteer labor. 

Major Construction, Renovation, and Facilities Projects

National Zoological Park, Asia Trail II: Elephant Trails

$52.3 million estimated total project and program cost

Th e second phase of the Asia Trail project has a current budget of $52.3 million—$40.47 million Federal 

(received in fi scal years 2006–2012) and $11.84 million Trust. Construction of the new elephant barn 

and two of three outdoor habitats is complete. Work on the elephant community center was 60 percent 

complete at the end of the second quarter, and additional private funding is being sought to expand the 

fi nal habitat. Th e project is scheduled to be fi nished in 2013.

16 Report to the Regents, June 2012
National Zoological Park, General Services Building and North Road Retaining Wall

$37.3 million total estimated project cost

Th e $8.3 million Phase I of the project, funded over fi scal years 2004–2011, is complete. It included 

immediate repairs to the General Services Building (GSB), design of permanent upgrades, and relocation 

of the Vehicle Maintenance Branch to Suitland, Maryland. Phase II includes $29.0 million for GSB 

construction and replacement of an adjacent retaining wall. A supplemental environmental assessment 

for the retaining wall began in May 2011 and was completed in March 2012. Federal funding has been 

requested in fi scal years 2012–2014 for Phase II construction.

National Zoological Park, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute

Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation

$37.47 million total estimated project cost

Construction of joint Smithsonian-Mason program facilities is well under way in Front Royal, Virginia. 

George Mason University is building facilities funded through a $20 million state bond, while the 

Smithsonian is renovating and expanding an existing building to house a new education center. A 

construction contract for the education center and utility upgrades was awarded in May 2011; work was 

approximately 60 percent complete at the end of the second quarter of fi scal year 2012. Th e total cost of 

this work is $15.6 million—$10.6 million in Federal funds in fi scal years 2010–2012, and $5 million in 

private funds. All facilities are projected to be complete for the start of the fall 2012 semester.

National Zoological Park, Seal / Sea Lion Exhibit—Th e American Trail

$40.6 million total estimated project cost

Th e Zoo’s Seal/Sea Lion exhibit is being revitalized to meet standards for animal care and to improve 

accessibility. Th e project also includes an upgrade of underground utilities in what was formerly called 

Beaver Valley (and was recently renamed Th e American Trail). Construction was approximately 75 

percent complete at the end of the second quarter, and is projected to be fi nished in mid-June 2012. 

A grand reopening is planned for September 2012. Th e non-capital, interpretive component of the 

project will be funded with more than $1 million in Trust funds, while the Federal capital contribution is 

approximately $39.6 million in fi scal years 2009–2012.

National Museum of African American History and Culture

$500 million total estimated project cost

Th e fi rst construction package for mobilization and site 

utilities was awarded to a construction manager, Clark 

Smoot Russell Joint Venture, and work commenced in 

January 2012. Fast-track construction packages continue 

to be delivered by the design team, and excavation will 

be the next award, with a spring 2012 start expected. 

Th e Museum continues to develop exhibit design and is 

looking forward to a schematic design delivery in spring 

2012. Total project costs are to be shared evenly, with 

$250 million from Federal capital funds and $250 million 

from non-Federal sources.

Report to the Regents, June 2012 17
Arts and Industries Building (AIB)

$52.8 million estimated cost for shell only

Construction on the AIB shell revitalization 

project (structural upgrades and replacement of 

the roof and windows) was 44 percent complete 

at the end of the second quarter, and is expected 

to be fi nished by spring 2013. Major portions 

of the old roof have been removed, and work on 

steel framing that replicates the appearance of the 

original iron trusses continues. Project funding 

consists of $30 million from the Federal Legacy 

Fund, $15 million from Federal facilities capital 

funds, and the rest from private gifts. 

National Postal Museum, New Program Space

$18.8 million total estimated project cost

Th e National Postal Museum, located in the historic Washington, D.C., City Post Offi ce Building, has 

been given 12,000 square feet of space and use of a central hall by the U.S. Postal Service. Using funds 

primarily from non-Federal sources, this new space will be transformed into a philatelic center and a 

visitor orientation space. Design was completed in late summer 2011. A $2.9 million exhibit fabrication 

contract was awarded in March 2012, and a $6.6 million infrastructure contract was awarded in May 

2012. Th e new facility’s opening is scheduled for September 2013.

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Gamboa Laboratory Facilities

$23.4 million total estimated project cost

Th e Smithsonian Tropical Research 

Institute is building a new terrestrial 

science lab on its recently acquired Gamboa 

site to replace outdated facilities, funded 

with $19.94 million in Federal and 

$3.46 million in Trust funds. In February 

2012, 22 members of the Smithsonian 

National Board, along with their spouses, 

special guests and alumni, joined Secretary 

Clough, Under Secretary for Science Eva 

Pell, Director of Advancement Ginny Clark, 

and representatives of the Government of 

Panama to celebrate the groundbreaking for 

this facility. Project completion is expected 

in 2014.

18 Report to the Regents, June 2012
National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center

Revitalization of west wing public spaces, package III: $74.9 million total project cost

Th e third phase of renovation at the National Museum of American History will focus on three west 

wing public spaces and replacement of windows; the relocation of a Calder sculpture near the work area 

will be added to the scope of this project. Solicitation for construction is scheduled for spring 2012, with 

construction to begin in fall 2012. Th e Federal appropriation for design and initial construction 

($26.3 million) was received in fi scal years 2009–2012, with the remainder ($41.7 million) requested for 

fi scal years 2013–2014. An additional $6.9 million is expected in private funding for exhibit space.

Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Mathias Replacement Laboratory Project

$50.66 million total estimated project cost

Th e Smithsonian Environmental Research Center is 

eliminating trailers that house lab space and offi ces; 

renovating and reconfi guring the Mathias Lab; and 

creating replacement labs that meet national standards. 

Th e 95,000-square-foot project employs sustainable 

technologies and building materials that will yield 

substantial reductions in energy and maintenance costs. 

Following a groundbreaking ceremony in May 2011, 

construction began in June 2011 and is expected to be 

complete by mid-2014.

National Museum of Natural History, Main Building Ground Floor and Mezzanine

$24.0 million total project cost

Th e entire north ground fl oor of the main Natural History Building is under renovation. Th e 

15,500-square-foot west end of the fl oor will become a new education center, and the 27,600-squarefoot east end will house an expanded Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center, renovated Smithsonian 

Institution Libraries facilities, a paleobiology laboratory, and a consolidated facility support operations 

center. Th e project should be completed in summer 2012.

Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum

$59.9 million total estimated project cost

Th e renovation of the Fox-Miller townhouses is complete. Design for the Carnegie Mansion renovation 

was completed in April 2011, with a construction contract awarded in December 2011. Th e contractor 

started construction in March 2012, with completion scheduled for early 2014. Total project costs 

include $27.3 million in Federal funds and $32.6 million in private funds. 

Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture

$19.5 million total estimated project cost

Th e Smithsonian will complete the renovation of the Reynolds Center with the reconstruction of the 

F Street stairs and the addition of landscaping and security. Costs are estimated at $9.5 million in 

Federal funds and $10.0 million in Trust funds.

Report to the Regents, June 2012 19
Museum Support Center of the National Museum of Natural History, Pod 3

$38.5 million total estimated project cost

Renovations have been completed on Pod 3 in Suitland, Maryland, which provides consolidated storage 

space for several types of collections. Transfer of collections from four museums is under way and is 

expected to be complete by June 2012 at a cost of almost $2 million.

Permanent Physical Security Barriers

$55 million total project cost

Security barriers at the National Air and Space Museum, National Museum of American History, 

and National Museum of Natural History are now in place. Design of barriers for the Castle and 

Quadrangle will be part of future renovations for each facility, and work on barriers for off -Mall facilities 

will follow in order of priority.

Sustainability

Th e National Museum of Natural History’s restaurant operations have received a 3-Star Certifi cation 

from the Green Restaurant Association. Certifi cation points are awarded in the areas of energy, waste, 

water, sustainable food, sustainable furnishings and building materials, disposables, and pollution and 

chemical reduction. 

To investigate possible energy conservation measures at the Smithsonian’s Suitland, Maryland, 

Collections Center, a preliminary assessment for an energy-savings performance contract was submitted. 

It identifi es savings opportunities in the areas of equipment upgrades, operational improvements, and 

onsite renewable energy systems. Th e next step will be an Investment Grade Audit to guarantee savings 

in these areas and secure funding for implementation. 

20 Report to the Regents, June 2012
Prepared by 

Offi ce of Policy and Analysis