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What does the Facebook-using writer want to project? Photo by Molly Roberts

I had to update my Facebook profile picture today. My hair no longer falls past my nose and I’ve got a new vest from Target. Plus, the last one was taken over two weeks ago. So much has changed in my life since then. As I look at the previous photograph, I don’t recognize myself. I’ve lost a bit of the cockiness I had felt at that moment.

Why do Facebook users choose to represent themselves the way they do? On good days, we post pictures of ourselves smiling, arms around the shoulders of our best friends or partners. On bad days, that smile is updated to become a vacant look, a simple acknowledgment that the camera is capturing our image.

Click!, an innovative new Website by the Smithsonian Photography Initiative, might answer that question. Photographs are powerful objects for change. They change who we are, what we remember, what we see, where we go, what we want and what we do, oftentimes in subtle ways.

Our Facebook portraits are like three-dimensional mirrors. Our image doesn’t just stare back at us—we now have the power to manipulate it. How many times have you struck a pose intended for your Facebook page? The photograph that the social media user posts is essentially an act of reflection. It says, “This is who I see myself to be.”

As that picture becomes public, that self-definition then becomes a shared conversation. The images are given additional meanings as our friends (and frenemies) inquire, “Are you ok…?”, compliment, “You look beautiful ”, or criticize, “You are ridiculous!” Our photos become items of analysis, further shaping our online identities.

Click! by the Smithsonian Photography Initiative is an innovative way for the public to give photography (especially their own) a social context.

Click! invites the public to consider and share how photographs have changed their lives. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and this experiment will prove it. To contribute to Click! submit an image, along with a short essay on how that photo changed you, influenced you, inspired you, or reflects a broader social-historical trend. Whether that image is a Facebook profile picture, on old birthday snapshot, a portrait from the 1800s, proof that you didn’t deserve that parking ticket, or a close-up on the stars or a snowflake, it has significance. Click! leaves it up to contributors to find it.

Now, this isn’t LOLcats. It’s a Web 2.0 project with slightly higher standards, but the Click! staff will help shape your entry, sending back suggestions, and the best will be published on the site. The current content is already insightful and interesting, and is a great way to start thinking of ideas. To guide contributers, Click! also features themed submissions, such as March’s focus on Women’s History Month and an upcoming Astronomy theme.

The site had me thinking metaphysically about how I’ve come to regard the question: “Who am I?” Once a difficult subject, I can now just send people a link to my Facebook profile. The picture and information may be ever-changing, but at least it’s accurate moment to moment. It’s not much different from the yearly school or family portrait of decades past. What’s changed with the Web and digital technology is the frequency we can create and share these representations.

Wow, all this critiquing has me worn out. Guess it’s time to change my profile picture. I’ll try to smile this time.

To join the photo-analytical fun or get inspired, sign up for the Click! e-newsletter or follow “The Bigger Picture” blog.

"The Scientist is In" takes place Wednesday afternoons at the Sant Ocean Hall.

“It’s Dory from Finding Nemo!” squeaks the middle-school girl as she passes the coral reef exhibit in the Natural History Museum’s Sant Ocean Hall.

Ahead of her, in a convex glass bubble, dozens of small tropical fish peek out through the rocks, entertaining visitors with their colors and curiosity.

Also enjoying the spectacle is Ian Macintyre, the museum’s curator of carbonate sedimentology, and a leading researcher of how coral reefs form. He’s in the Ocean Hall on a Wednesday afternoon to chat with visitors about his work, part of the weekly “The Scientist is In” program.

“It’s about the only opportunity I get to speak to the public,” says Macintyre, who has participated three times since the Ocean Hall opened last September. “Most of my conversations are with scientists.”

Ian Macintyre, Curator of Carbonate Sedimentology at the Natural History Museum, chatted with guests as part of "The Scientist is In" program.

As he stands next to his kiosk, the museum visitors are not shy. They approach, ask Macintyre who he is, and listen as he explains the human impact on reefs. A few feet away from the showy fish in a healthy coral ecosystem is an example of a decaying Costa Rican reef, overtaken by algae and sediment. The most common question Macintyre receives is “How can it be fixed?”

Unfortunately, there are no easy answers, but Macintyre does his best to explain. Some visitors never knew there was a problem. Others are curious to learn more about Macintyre’s research, and he shows off the first submersible hydraulic drill bit he developed to study reef history. “It’s quite rewarding,” Macintyre says, “They’re very positive.”

There are some surprises as well—like the 5-year-old who was interested in cyanobacteria, (meaning blue-green alga). There was also a little boy who wanted to be a botanist. To these kids and other visitors, Macintyre was the first scientist they’d ever met.

“The Scientist is In” program features a weekly rotation of scientists from coral reef researchers to marine mammal experts. The program is unique to the Ocean Hall. It is loosely based on the Lucy character from Charlie Brown and her “The Doctor is In” booth, where she offered psychiatric help for five cents—luckily, scientific knowledge is free. Because of the enthusiasm from both scientists and guests, the museum’s education department is now experimenting with the idea in the Dinosaur Hall and African Voices Hall.

Macintyre is all for guests getting behind-the-scenes experiences. He even gave his business card to two teachers who wanted to come back with their children and learn more about his research. “You never know how you might influence people,” he says.

“The Scientist is In” takes place Wednesdays from 1 to 3 p.m. at the National Museum of Natural History. To plan your visit, check out GoSmithsonian.com.

Concept design submitted by Diller Scofidio + Renfro in association with Kling Stubbins.

The Smithsonian Institution has revealed the six architectural designs vying to become the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The concepts—from boxy to spiral-shaped (like the inside of a conch shell, really), geometric to organic—certainly run the gamut. And there’s no shortage of special features, like outdoor amphitheaters, panoramic windows showcasing views of other monuments and roof gardens. (See photo gallery) The designs, photographs and models are on display at the Smithsonian Castle until April 16.

A jury, headed by the museum’s director Lonnie Bunch, will be selecting the winning design in mid-April. Construction of the museum, which will be located on a five-acre plot near the National Museum of American History and the Washington Monument, is scheduled to begin in 2012 and be completed by 2015.

In the meantime, we want to hear what you think. View the designs and let us know your favorite in the poll below.

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Dumbo (1975) by Merry Moor Winnett. When Walt Disney and physicist Werner Von Braun collaborated in the 1950s to promote space exploration, I wonder if they ever considered doing it by way of flying elephant. Image courtesy of the American Art Museum.

Monday, March 30: 2009 National Sciences Bowl Competition

Come see high school students show off their oceanographic know how in this Jeopardy-style trivia challenge. Free. National Museum of Natural History, 10:45 AM

Tuesday, March 31: Spartacus: The True Story

Yeah, we all know of Spartacus. At some point or another I’m sure you or someone you know have rattled off “I am Spartacus” (or some deviation thereon). But how much do you know about the historical character, the slave-turned gladiator who sparked a massive revolt against the Roman Empire? Historial Barry Strauss, professor of history and classics at Cornell University, uses recent archaeological discoveries and his own on-site investigations to explore this timeless folk hero. Tickets are required. Rates are: $25 general admission; $15 members. Call 202-633-3030 to reserve your ticket today. S. Dillon Ripley Center, 6:45 PM

Wednesday, April 1: Selling Space in the 1950s: The Disney/Von Braun Space Station Model

In the late 1950s, physicist Werner Von Braun wanted to pique the American public’s interest in space exploration. So, he wished upon a star and teamed up with Walt Disney and their collaboration resulted in products like the “Man in Space” episode of the “Disneyland” television series as well as a model for a space station. This latter artifact will be discussed by Michael Neufeld of the Space History Division in a lunchtime lecture. Free. National Air and Space Museum, 12:00 PM

Thursday, April 2: Anatomy of a Murder: An Ellington Classic Reconsidered

April is Jazz Appreciation Month and Archives Center curator Reuben Jackson discusses Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn’s Academy Award-winning score to Otto Preminger’s Anatomy of a Murder. Free. American History Museum, 12:00 PM

Friday, April 3: Jazz Appreciation Month Special Tour

A docent will lead you around the American Art Museum on a tour that highlights the jazz-related works in the collection. Free. American Art Museum, 2:00 PM

Boy with Kite II (1962) by Jacob Kainen. Image courtesy of the American Art Museum.

Saturday, March 28: 43rd Annual Kite Festival

Oh, let’s go fly a kite, up to the highest heights! And how could you pass up an afternoon enjoying this perfect springtime hobby? This year’s Smithsonian Kite Festival will be focusing on going green and the importance of natural resources. Come out and create a kite of your own and send it soaring—and compete against your fellow kite enthusiasts! This event is contingent on fair weather, so, in the event of rain, the kite festival will be held on March 29. If you wish to fly your kite competitively, please arrive on the mall with your kite and register between 10 AM and 12:30 PM. For more detailed information, go to the Smithsonian Kite Festival website. Free. National Mall by the Washington Monument, 10 AM

Sunday, March 29: Anime Artist Workshop

So, did you enjoy Spirited Away and are you a Pokémon fanatic? Come out to the Sackler gallery and learn how modern anime artists draw on age-old Japanese aesthetic sensibilities to create pieces of animated eye candy. Event is for persons ages 8-14. Event is first come, first served. Free. Sackler Gallery, 2:00 PM