The Human Place on EarthMaster ClassIn-Person
Tuesday, Feb 11, 2025
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
The American Museum of Natural History is one of the world’s preeminent scientific and cultural institutions. Since its founding in 1869, the Museum has advanced its global mission to discover, interpret, and disseminate information about human cultures, the natural world, and the universe through a wide-ranging program of scientific research, education, and exhibition.
In this master class, we will explore humans’ place among other animals, the cognitive and emotional capacities of the creatures with whom we share a planet, our sense of responsibility toward living things (or lack thereof), and what it all really means in the big picture. There will be time for reflection and expression, and perhaps a little writing. The setting will be in what Dr. Safina calls “that great cathedral of Life on Earth,” the American Museum of Natural History. We will tour the Hall of Biodiversity and the Hall of Ocean Life as Dr. Safina speaks of what the setting and the life forms mean to him, and perhaps to all of us.
ECOLOGY, CONSERVATION, EARTH SCIENCES
Carl Safina
Carl Safina is an ecologist, author, and founding president of the Safina Center. He is the first Endowed Professor for Nature and Humanity at Stony Brook University. His work centers on animal psychology and the relationship between humans and nature. His newest book, Alfie & Me: What Owls Know, What Humans Believe, is a moving account of raising, then freeing, an orphaned screech owl, whose lasting friendship with him illuminates humanity’s relationship with the natural world.