Wagner Free Institute of Science

Come join us IN-PERSON at the Wagner for an evening talk with Dr. Kate Goodrich to learn about the pollination ecology of the native Pawpaw!WEEKNIGHTS AT THE WAGNER: Flowers, Flies and Fermentation: the Pollination Ecology of Pawpaw With Dr. Kate GoodrichThe pawpaw (Asimina triloba) is a fascinating local tree that produces the largest native fruits in North America. It was widely known and consumed by indigenous people and early colonists, but it is less well-known today. Pawpaws bloom in early spring with small, maroon, yeasty-smelling flowers. The oddly-scented flowers attract a collection of flies normally associated with fermenting fruits or

Come join us IN-PERSON for an evening talk with Dr. Rana Hogarth to learn about the medical and scientific construction of race.WEEKNIGHTS AT THE WAGNER: The Myth of Innate Racial Difference: From the Era of Slavery to the Era of Eugenics With Dr. Rana HogarthThis talk examines claims about the supposed peculiarities of Black people’s bodies that have shaped the contours of medical knowledge production during the era of slavery and beyond. These claims were features, not aberrations, in the production of Western biomedical knowledge. The talk will demonstrate how, over centuries and across the distinct geographies of the plantation

Explore the Wagner museum and the collections, and learn all about our beautifully illustrated collection of conchology books. JOIN US FOR DECEMBER'S FIRST SATURDAY OPEN HOUSE: THE SCIENCE & ART OF HISTORIC CONCHOLOGY TEXTS Explore the Wagner's museum and library during December’s Open House! The Exhibit Hall will be open for self-guided exploration of the natural history collection throughout the day. Rare books from the historic library collections will be on display. Come by and be wowed by what you see! From 1 to 3pm, the Wagner’s Special Collections Librarian, Lynn Dorwaldt, will host a show and tell in the

Welcome to the Wagner!Visit The Wagner This Winter & Spring! Come see our landmark building and historic museum collections, including rocks, minerals, fossils, taxidermy animals, mounted skeletons, and more! The exhibit hall is self-guided, allowing visitors to explore and learn at their own pace. For first-time visitors and anyone preferring a little more direction, we have scavenger hunts to guide you and knowledgeable staff on hand to answer any questions. We are open: Tuesday through Friday 9:30 to 4:30PM & on the 1st Saturday of the month from 12 to 4PM (September through May). Check our website for our schedule

Come join us IN-PERSON at the Wagner for an evening talk with paleontologist Jason Downs to learn about the ongoing evolution of taxonomy!WEEKNIGHTS AT THE WAGNERBeyond Linnaeus: Pennsylvania Paleontology and the Surprising Power of a (Biological) Name With Dr. Jason DownsWhat’s in a name? Shakespeare may have dismissed the relevance of names but there is an entire biological discipline focused squarely on the science of names: taxonomy. For nearly 300 years, a single system, or taxonomic code, has provided the ruleset for the names given to species and groups of species. With the first edition of Systema Naturæ in 1735,

Learn all about foraging & mushrooms plus explore the Wagner museum and the collections.MAY'S FIRST SATURDAY OPEN HOUSEForaging Frenzy!This month our theme is Foraging Frenzy! Check out our new mushroom display in the Exhibit Hall with dried specimens and papier-mâché mushroom models that date back to the 1800s. Get a lesson in mushrooms from The Philadelphia Mycology Club! And learn how to find the best mushrooms in the field and which ones to avoid, with fresh specimens to view.We'll have arts & crafts activities inspired by the foraging theme too. Make your own "spore print" or press and dry some

Welcome to the Wagner!Visit The Wagner! Come see our landmark building and historic museum collections, including rocks, minerals, fossils, taxidermy animals, mounted skeletons, and more! The exhibit hall is self-guided, allowing visitors to explore and learn at their own pace. For first-time visitors and anyone preferring a little more direction, we have scavenger hunts to guide you and knowledgeable staff on hand to answer any questions. We are open: Tuesday through Friday 9:30 to 4:30PM & on the 1st Saturday of the month from 12 to 4PM (September through May). Check our website for our schedule of evening programs and

Learn about turtles, worms and science research plus explore the museum and the collection at our June Open House!JUNE'S FIRST SATURDAY OPEN HOUSESleeping Worms, Nesting TurtlesWhat can microscopic worms tell us about our need for sleep? How does turtle nesting behavior give insight into climate change and evolutionary adaptation? Do fish know what they look like?Join us for this special Open House featuring professors and students from Saint Joseph's University, our longtime partner in the GeoKids LINKS program for local schools. Through hands-on activities, live demonstrations and short talks in our Lecture Hall, they'll share some of the interesting research

Join us IN-PERSON at the Wagner for an evening lecture with historian Michael J. Lewis, followed by our annual member reception.WEEKNIGHTS AT THE WAGNERBuilding for Books: A History of Philadelphia's Libraries with Michael J. Lewis, Williams CollegeArchitectural Historian Michael J. Lewis will trace the roots and development of Philadelphia’s private and public libraries.The Quakers who founded Philadelphia believed in universal literacy and were great creators of libraries. The first was the Library Company, which Benjamin Franklin helped establish in 1731 and which was America’s first subscription library. But Quakers also believed that knowledge should be useful, and gave their libraries

FALL COURSE: ZOOLOGY SERIES with Professor Greg Cowper at the Parkway Central LibraryWAGNER FREE INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE – FALL 2023 COURSE: ZOOLOGY SERIESHail the Mighty Insects! with Professor Greg Cowper6 Wednesdays from October 4 - November 8, 6:30 - 8:00pmLocation: at the Parkway Central Library, Free Library of Philadelphia, 1901 Vine Street (between 19th and 20th streets), Philadelphia. This course meets in the Science and Wellness department (room 202).This course requires pre-registration. Separate registration is required for each student. Sign up here or call 215-763-6529 x14 for assistance. Course DescriptionThis course is an introduction to general Entomology, the study of insects. Insects

Explore the Wagner museum and the collections, and learn all about birds and their migration patterns!OCTOBER'S FIRST SATURDAY OPEN HOUSEFlightFest: All About Birds!Caw-Caw: Our theme this month is FlightFest: All About Birds! Our October Open House falls in the middle of the annual migration of birds south for the winter. Philadelphia is in the Atlantic Flyway so millions of migratory birds pass through the city between August and November. This event will focus on migratory birds and the challenges they face on their travels. Among other activities, Bird Safe Philly will be on hand to discuss ways to take action

The Philadelphia Lantern Slide Salon is back!Philadelphia Lantern Slide SalonThursday, October 19, 2023, 6 to 7:30 pm - in the Wagner's lecture hallCelebrate Archives Month Philly at the Wagner Free Institute of Science as we showcase glass lantern slides from the special collections of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, the American Philosophical Society, The Historical Society of Frankford, the Penn Museum, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, and the Wagner Free Institute of Science during the annual Philadelphia Lantern Slide Salon.In the spirit of lantern exhibition culture, this salon will bring together unique and rarely-seen images presented in the

Join us for a "Soapy Saturday " in our historic, Victorian building!NOVEMBER'S FIRST SATURDAY OPEN HOUSEThe Chemistry of Clean: Art & Science of Soap MakingNovember's Open House is all about soap! What does pH balanced mean? Why are there shells in my soap? Join Dr. Thomas Twardowski, Thomas Jefferson University, as he shares with all the suds and surfactants of soap. Consider how designs in nature act to clean organisms and how humans mastered the chemistry of botanical materials to use shells, oils and wood ash to make soap. Everyone will get to make and take their own soap as

Explore the Wagner museum and the collections, and peek into our archives to see how science was taught 170 years ago!DECEMBER'S FIRST SATURDAY OPEN HOUSEA Peek into the ArchivesExplore the Wagner's museum AND its archives during December’s Open House! This Open House will feature early teaching materials from our archives, including examples of William Wagner's meticulous hand-written lectures from the 1850s, lantern slides that illustrated courses in the 1890s and early 1900s, and ink and water-color teaching charts made by Joseph Leidy for his students. Learn about how the Wagner taught and shared science with the public more than 100

Welcome to the Wagner - a National Historic Landmark natural history museum in Philadelphia!Visit The Wagner!Come see our landmark building and historic museum collections, including rocks, minerals, fossils, taxidermy animals, mounted skeletons, and more! The exhibit hall is self-guided, allowing visitors to explore and learn at their own pace. For first-time visitors and anyone preferring a little more direction, we have scavenger hunts to guide you and knowledgeable staff on hand to answer any questions.We are open: Tuesday through Friday 9:30 to 4:30PM & on the 1st Saturday of the month from 12 to 4PM (September through May). Check our

WINTER COURSE: BOTANY SERIES - Free course with Professor Karen Snetselaar at the Philadelphia Horticultural SocietyWAGNER FREE INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE – WINTER 2024 COURSE: BOTANY SERIESAll About Trees with Professor Karen Snetselaar6 Tuesdays from January 16 - February 20, 6:30 - 7:30 PMLocation: This course meets at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, located at 100 N. 20th Street in Philadelphia.This course requires pre-registration. Separate registration is required for each student. Sign up here or call 215-763-6529 x14 for assistance.Course DescriptionThis course will explore several fundamental properties of trees and their importance in our world. Each week the class will consider what

Explore the Wagner museum and the collections, and learn all about endangered species!FEBRUARY'S FIRST SATURDAY OPEN HOUSEEndangered Species, with artist and author Allen CrawfordDid you know that the Endangered Species Act passed 50 years ago? This landmark legislation has protected hundreds of endangered and critically threatened species since 1973. Among the species it helped recover from near-extinction are the peregrine falcon and the humpback whale. But many species remain in danger and some have been lost forever.The theme of our February First Saturday is protecting endangered animals. We will be joined by acclaimed artist and author Allen Crawford, whose most

Welcome to the Wagner - a National Historic Landmark natural history museum in Philadelphia!

Welcome to the Wagner - a National Historic Landmark natural history museum in Philadelphia!

Welcome to the Wagner - a National Historic Landmark natural history museum in Philadelphia!

Welcome to the Wagner - a National Historic Landmark natural history museum in Philadelphia!

Welcome to the Wagner - a National Historic Landmark natural history museum in Philadelphia!

Welcome to the Wagner - a National Historic Landmark natural history museum in Philadelphia!

Welcome to the Wagner - a National Historic Landmark natural history museum in Philadelphia!

Welcome to the Wagner - a National Historic Landmark natural history museum in Philadelphia!

Learn about conchology (the study of shells) and the role of mollusks in our ecosystem, and explore the Wagner's extensive shell collection!MARCH'S FIRST SATURDAY OPEN HOUSEThe Science of ShellsJoin us at this month’s Saturday Open House and dive right in to the world of Conchology - the study of Mollusk shells. Our founder, William Wagner, collected shells throughout his life and travels, leaving behind a vast collection of diverse specimens from around the world! On display you’ll find a wide variety of shells in all colors, shapes and sizes. But mollusks are not just important for their beautiful shells -

Welcome to the Wagner - a National Historic Landmark natural history museum in Philadelphia!

Welcome to the Wagner - a National Historic Landmark natural history museum in Philadelphia!

Welcome to the Wagner - a National Historic Landmark natural history museum in Philadelphia!

Join us in-person for a sweeping discussion of the many facets of Ralph Waldo Emerson with authors James Marcus and Robert Sullivan.WEEKNIGHTS AT THE WAGNERThe Transparent Eye of Ralph Waldo Emerson: Science, Politics, and Poetry with Authors James Marcus and Robert SullivanThe philosopher and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), known as the leader of the Transcendentalist movement, is often viewed as a mystic. Yet this visionary figure was inspired by science and the interconnectedness he saw in the natural world. He immersed himself in geology, botany, zoology, and astronomy – arguing that urban life would be improved if a telescope

Welcome to the Wagner - a National Historic Landmark natural history museum in Philadelphia!

Welcome to the Wagner - a National Historic Landmark natural history museum in Philadelphia!

Welcome to the Wagner - a National Historic Landmark natural history museum in Philadelphia!

Welcome to the Wagner - a National Historic Landmark natural history museum in Philadelphia!

Welcome to the Wagner - a National Historic Landmark natural history museum in Philadelphia!Visit The Wagner!Come see our landmark building and historic museum collections, including rocks, minerals, fossils, taxidermy animals, mounted skeletons, and more! The exhibit hall is self-guided, allowing visitors to explore and learn at their own pace. For first-time visitors and anyone preferring a little more direction, we have scavenger hunts to guide you and knowledgeable staff on hand to answer any questions.We are open: Tuesday through Friday 9:30 to 4:30PM & on the 1st Saturday of the month from 12 to 4PM (September through May). Check our

Welcome to the Wagner - a National Historic Landmark natural history museum in Philadelphia!

Join the Wagner community for this special solar eclipse celebration!Total Eclipse of the Sun 2024:A FREE Solar Eclipse Viewing PartyMonday, April 8, 12:30-4:30pm (Eclipse from 2:08-4:35pm)In 2017 a solar eclipse passed over a large portion of the US, bringing with it astronomical excitement, plenty of celebration, and a stunning display in Philadelphia. On April 8 this phenomenon returns, and the Wagner welcomes you in marking the occasion! Join us for activities and multiple opportunities to view the eclipse for astronomers of all ages.Caused by the shadow of the Moon lining up to temporarily blot out the Sun, solar eclipses have

Welcome to the Wagner - a National Historic Landmark natural history museum in Philadelphia!

Welcome to the Wagner - a National Historic Landmark natural history museum in Philadelphia!

Welcome to the Wagner - a National Historic Landmark natural history museum in Philadelphia!

Welcome to the Wagner - a National Historic Landmark natural history museum in Philadelphia!

Welcome to the Wagner - a National Historic Landmark natural history museum in Philadelphia!