Smithsonian.com

Exhibit Specialist Stoy Popovich is building a traditional Greenland Kayak for an upcoming exhibition at the National Museum of Natural History

Stoy Popovich never has ridden a kayak before, but that isn’t stopping him from building one.

As the National Museum of Natural History’s exhibit specialist, he creates displays and builds objects needed for the museum’s exhibitions, and when he learned the museum wanted a model of a traditional kayak used by Native hunters in Greenland, he jumped at the opportunity to piece one together.

“The project excited me because it was something new, something I’ve never done before,” he says.

The museum plans to suspend the completed kayak alongside Phoenix, its iconic model of a right whale for the reopening of “Living on an Ocean Planet,” an exhibition in the museum’s Ocean Hall about humanity’s evolving relationship with the world’s oceans. Greenland’s Inuit populations have built kayaks for thousands of years because their sleek, stealthy design makes them ideal for sneaking up on prey like seals, walruses and whales while navigating mazes of icy water.

While today the boats are most commonly used for recreation and competitions, some communities in northern Greenland continue to rely on them for hunting. Unlike popular plastic and synthetic models, Greenland’s traditional kayaks are made of a skeletal wooden frame lashed together with seal sinew and covered in sealskin. These materials make the boats light and pliable, so they are easy to cart around and capable of withstanding blows in tumultuous seas.

Popovich began the project in the winter by poking around online for instructional videos and booklets about traditional kayak building. He also consulted with Maligiaq Padilla, a Greenland National Kayaking Champion who made and donated a kayak to Smithsonian in 2005 (exhibit the kayak is problematic because it is susceptible to fluctuations in humidity).

With limited funds for the project, Popovich got creative, scavenging  supplies from around his shop. For the frame, he found sheets of ash, a highly malleable wood; to tie everything together, he dug up some high tension string. He has yet to choose a fabric for the kayak’s exterior (sealskin wouldn’t be an option even if it were lying around the museum because of ethical concerns).

To build the kayak’s frame, Popovich chose ash, a heavy but malleable wood

The materials may not be authentic, but the process certainly is. Northern Greenland doesn’t have too many trees, Popovich points out, so Native hunters spent centuries before global commerce building their kayaks from whatever wood washed ashore around their homes—usually conifers like cedar, which is harder to mold than ash but lighter and more durable.

“We’re following that tradition,” Popovich says. “This has been a grassroots, pick-myself-up-by-my-bootstraps, how-the-heck-do-I-do-this kind of endeavor.”

While an experienced builder would need less than a week to make a kayak, he has taken his time, working around other projects and making sure everything is done correctly. “Every step I stop and think, okay, what’s the best way to get through this?” he says.

Popovich stitched the wooden pieces together with high tension string, then reinforced some connections with nails. In the Arctic, Native hunters lash their kayaks together with seal sinew, making the boats flexible to survive the ocean’s waves

So far, he has nearly completed the frame by setting the keel (the straight wooden piece that runs along the kayak’s underside), soaking and molding the ribs, shaping the gunnels (the uppermost side pieces) and lashing everything together with the high tension string. The frame is customized to Popovich’s own dimensions, as practiced in the Arctic to ensure a tight seal around the opening in  the kayak to fit the person’s body to keep from water coming in and to ensure optimal control.

“These things are made by the person who’s going to be paddling it, because when you’re in it, you actually become part of the kayak. Your legs and your body work with the kayak to maneuver it,” he explains.

His next major step will be “skinning” it with whichever material he chooses.

William Fitzhugh, director of the museum’s Arctic Studies Center, says the kayak will contribute to an increased anthropological focus in the exhibit, where it will be on display with a full-scale mannequin riding it. The exhibition will emphasize how connected we are to the oceans, and how greatly we can effect them with pollution and over-fishing.

“The kayak is the perfect representation of sophisticated technology developed by people who lived in a very harsh environment. They developed a craft that would be suitable for sustaining their cultures over thousands of years,” Fitzhugh says. “It’s a very small, fragile thing, but it’s very adaptable. It was one of the most ingenious watercraft ever developed anywhere in the world.”

Popovich, who considers himself a wood specialist, has been building things for the Smithsonian in different jobs for more than 25 years. He still gets a deep satisfaction out of completing projects, though, and couldn’t hide a grin as he moved the kayak around the shop for photographs. “When it’s finished, it will be a beautiful thing,” he says.

Popovich doesn’t know if he will be allowed to test the finished boat in water, but he says he certainly would like to

“Genome: Unlocking Life’s Code,” a new exhibition about developments in genomic research, opened at the Natural History Museum today. All photos: Donald E. Hurlbert and James Di Loreto, Smithsonian

Today, the National Museum of Natural History opens a new multimedia exhibition that’s all about the stuff that makes you you.

“Genome: Unlocking Life’s Code” examines the instruction manual built into all living things: the genome, an organism’s hereditary material bundled up in the nuclei of every one of its cells.

The exhibition, which was created in collaboration with National Human Genome Research Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, covers 4,400 square feet with interactive games, 3D models, DNA sequencing equipment and videos of real-life stories. It aims to show the relevance of modern genomic research to everyday life as genetic sequencing becomes increasingly accessible.

Marking the 10th anniversary of the completion of the Human Genome Project as well as the 60th anniversary of Watson and Crick’s discovery of DNA’s double helix structure, the exhibition traces the major advances in human health, disease studies, ancestry and other natural sciences that have occurred since the genome project’s completion. It also looks ahead to how genomics will influence our lives as genetic sequencing becomes increasingly easy and inexpensive.

“Genomics is highly relevant, because it’s in the news every day, so people have a broad awareness of this topic, but almost no specific knowledge,” says Kirk Johnson, the Sant Director of the National Museum of Natural History. “You read the paper, and there it is, boom, but what does it mean when the police have my DNA? This exhibition helps to answer questions like this.”

The 4,400 square-foot exhibition includes interactive games, 3D models, DNA sequencing equipment and videos of real-life stories

In just the past few weeks, the Supreme Court ruled on two major decisions on genomic research: On June 3, the court ruled law enforcement could collect DNA from anyone who has been arrested. On Thursday, it then ruled naturally occurring human DNA could not be patented. Additionally, Angelina Jolie recently decided to get a preventative double mastectomy based on her predisposition to breast cancer as identified by genetic sequencing.

Genomics’ future raises major ethical questions surrounding human cloning, genetic engineering and prenatal genetic testing.

Visitors explore one of the exhibition’s many interactive displays

To address the array of complicated issues surrounding genomic research, the exhibition features four themed areas that cover what the genome is, how it relates to medicine and health, how it connects humans to all life and how it is part of each persona’s individual story. The displays are designed to be adaptable, with physical pieces and digital content that can be rearranged and replaced so that the displays can change as the field advances.

Johnson stresses the exhibition’s capacity to inspire the next generation of scientists who will have to come up with answers to genomics’ big questions. “Out of the millions of teenagers that will visit this exhibition,” he says, “some are going to walk in and go, you know, this is cool. We’re at the edge of this major biomedical revolution, and eighth graders, in 20 years, are going to be 32 -year-olds, and they’re going to be the ones prescribing our medicine. Science is often perceived as hard and boring in classrooms, so we want to break through that stereotype by making things fun and interesting.”

Eric Green, director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, believes the exhibition also will help assuage fears of genomics’ future. “Much of what people fear about genomic research is what they don’t understand,” he says. “So this exhibition gives visitors a foundation to think critically and in a more sophisticated way.”

“Genome: Unlocking Life’s Code” will be open in the Natural History Museum through September 1, 2014, after which it will travel around North America for about five years. To learn more about genomics, visit the exhibition’s website and check out Smithsonian Magazine’s own special report on the topic.

Baltimore’s waste-to-energy station creates energy by incinerating waste. Learn about whether or not this process is right for DC in a talk at the Anacostia Community Center on Tuesday. Photo courtesy of Flickr user spike55151

Tuesday, June 11: Waste-to-Energy in DC

DC, like any city, produces a ton of waste. Environmentally-minded city residents recycle and compost, but is that enough? “Waste-to-energy” is the process of creating energy by incineration. Americans can be skeptical about the effectiveness of this process, but there is evidence of its success in Europe. Is waste-to-energy is right for DC? Have an opinion or just want to know more? Stop by the Anacostia Community Museum this evening to learn the facts and discuss! Free. 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Anacostia Community Museum.

Wednesday, June 12: National History Day Contest

From June 9 to 13, roughly 2,400 6th- to 12th-grade students from all 50 states are gathering at the University of Maryland, College Park, for the Kenneth E. Behring National History Day Contest. The students, who competed at state and regional levels to reach the national stage, have completed tabletop exhibits, dramatic presentations, video documentaries, papers and websites based on historical research around this year’s theme, “Turning Points in History: People, Ideas, Events.” Today, the contestants are making a trip to Smithsonian to show off their work, so visit the Museum to see the country’s best history students! Free. 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. American History Museum.

Thursday, June 13: Nature’s Best Photography Awards 2012

Step 1: Preview these jaw-dropping photos of animals and places. Step 2: Go see them in person! The pictures are the winners in various categories of the 2012 Nature’s Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards, annual honors given to the best amateur and professional nature photographers in the world. They just went on display last week, and will be on view through early 2014. Free. 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Natural History Museum.

Also, check out our Visitors Guide App. Get the most out of your trip to Washington, D.C. and the National Mall with this selection of custom-built tours, based on your available time and passions. From the editors of Smithsonian magazine, the app is packed with handy navigational tools, maps, museum floor plans and museum information including ‘Greatest Hits’ for each Smithsonian museum.

For a complete listing of Smithsonian events and exhibitions visit the goSmithsonian Visitors Guide. Additional reporting by Michelle Strange.

Knowlton on a research dive. The Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structure (ARMS) is in the foreground. Photo by Michael Berumen, courtesy of Nancy Knowlton

Dr. Nancy Knowlton is the Sant Chair for Marine Science at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and a scientific leader of the Census of Marine Life.

World Oceans Day often prompts reminders of all the terrible things that have already happened to the ocean and the even scarier prospects for the future. While there’s no doubt that all is not A-OK when it comes to ocean health, it’s worth remembering that when people have come together to make things better, they often succeed. These success stories span the globe and the gamut of marine habitats and organisms.

One of the biggest impacts people have had on Planet Ocean is through fishing and hunting. The Steller’s sea cow was exterminated a mere 27 years after its discovery in the North Pacific. Fortunately, protections have been put in place for many marine organisms, albeit sometimes just in the nick of time. North Atlantic right whale numbers are increasing, and the sea otter brings oohs and aahs from admiring tourists in northern California. Fish numbers have also often increased with protection, either through careful controls on harvesting methods and amounts or through the establishment of marine protected areas.

Sometimes our harvesting has destroyed the very habitat that the creatures we like to eat create. Oyster reefs once dominated shallow waters along much of the east coast of the U.S. But massive dredging efforts left muddy bottoms that new oysters can’t colonize, leading to a collapse of the populations of these magnificent bivalves who not only nourish us, but through their filtering clean the water where they live. In these cases, active restoration rather than simple protection has been required. This is sometimes harder than one might expect, but here progress is also being made.

Hunting and fishing are not the only things we do that can harm marine life. Declining water quality and other forms of pollution, such as the giant dead zone that forms off the mouth of the Mississippi each year, can also be a big problem. Once again, however, restrictions on what can be dumped into our waterways have resulted in dramatic turnarounds. Over a century ago, Monterey Bay was a mess, polluted by the industrial waste from the canneries on its shoreline. But now its ecosystem is restored—sustained and even thriving as a standout example of how public education programs and healthy tourism can have great impact. We still have a long way to go with plastic pollution, but communities around the world have started phasing out the use of plastic bags. China’s five-year anniversary of its ban on plastic bags has reportedly reduced consumption by 67 billion bags.

Ocean warming and ocean acidification loom as larger threats over the long term, and here successes are  proving harder to achieve. But one of the important lessons of the last decade is that reducing local stressors can make a big difference, building the resilience of ocean ecosystems and buying us invaluable time as we figure out how to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide going into the atmosphere.

Bottom line? We need to think and act both locally and globally if we want to pass on a healthy ocean to future generations. In an era when catastrophes get much of the coverage, it’s important to remember that we can still make a difference. There are many successes to celebrate. Ocean conservation is working and we can learn from our successes.  But there is plenty of work still to do.

From May 17 to July 4, 1863, Ulysses S. Grant and the Union Army placed the city of Vicksburg, MS under siege to defeat Confederate troops. Hear the play-by-play of this turning point in the Civil War in a talk by best-selling author Jeff Shaara on Wednesday. Photo courtesy of Flickr user Paul Lowry

Tuesday, June 4: On the Water

Over centuries, Africans were traded for goods into slavery and shipped across the Atlantic to the New World. Millions of Africans were forced to endure this overseas journey, and it is estimated that more than two million did not survive it—some succumbing to sickness or killed, others by self-starvation or jumping from the ship in resistance. Learn about these Africans who traveled across the Atlantic and Smithsonian’s efforts to recover their stories at “On the Water,” an all-ages, hands-on cart demonstration. Free. 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. American History Museum.

Wednesday, June 5: Jeff Shaara on the Battle of Vicksburg

Grant vs. Pemberton. Sherman vs. Johnson. The Battle of Vicksburg, one of the Civil War’s most pivotal battles, pitted some of the Union’s and Confederacy’s best commanders against each other after Union troops crossed the Mississippi River and eventually forced the Confederacy’s soldiers into the Mississippi city, which Grant and Sherman besieged for six weeks until the Southerners surrendered. This evening, Jeff Shaara, best-selling author of the Battle-of-Vicksburg-based historical novel A Chain of Thunder, breaks down each commanders’ key actions and decisions in this Civil War turning point. A book signing follows the talk. $42 general admission, $30 member, $28 senior member. 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Ripley Center.

Thursday, June 6: Whale Research at the Smithsonian

For more than 150 years, the Smithsonian has assembled one of the world’s best collections of whale-related objects. In addition to fossils, the collection includes, tools used for collecting specimens, scientific illustrations by Sydney Prentice, scientific articles and printing blocks used for creating books on the sea creatures. Today, in an extended panel discussion, scholars R. Ewan Fordyce (University of Otago, New Zealand), D. Graham Burnett (Princeton University), Steven Godfrey (Calvert Marine Museum, Solomons, Maryland) and Nick Pyenson (National Museum of Natural History) talk about the Smithsonian whale collection’s legacy and future. Free, registration required (e-mail silrsvp@si.edu or call 202 633-1699). 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Natural History Museum.

Also, check out our Visitors Guide App. Get the most out of your trip to Washington, D.C. and the National Mall with this selection of custom-built tours, based on your available time and passions. From the editors of Smithsonian magazine, the app is packed with handy navigational tools, maps, museum floor plans and museum information including ‘Greatest Hits’ for each Smithsonian museum.

For a complete listing of Smithsonian events and exhibitions visit the goSmithsonian Visitors Guide. Additional reporting by Michelle Strange.