Night at the Museum

Minerals on display at the Harvard Museum of Natural History

Whenever scientists get together to talk about, well, science, it's tradition to hold a conference dinner. Of course every event is different, but some conventions do hold. Conference dinners are usually up-scale affairs, and they're held in the most unique location available. I remember my first conference dinner, in 2010, when I ate ox meat with a green, creamy sauce at the Senckenberg Museum of Natural History. I've had conference dinners at yacht clubs and fancy restaurants by the sea. I've seen participants remain reserved, and I've seen them walk home barefoot, arm-in-arm. But dear friends, before today, I had never had a conference dinner at Harvard.

We were ushered into the Harvard Museum of Natural History, opened exclusively for DESCEND-2 participants after hours. We were instructed to hang our coats, help ourselves to hors d'oeuvres, and explore the open exhibits. I was personally fascinated by the museum's collection of minerals - elements, gems, precious stones, and everyday rocks originating from all parts of the world. They ranged in size from miniature to colossal, all displayed in glass cases with meticulous labels. The collection was truly impressive.

Dinner in the Romer Hall of Vertebrate Paleontology

The reception eventually moved into the large mammal hall, where giraffes, apes, antelope, and bison eyed us from behind plate glass while whale skeletons loomed overhead. Even a rare specimen of a Steller sea cow, extinct since the 18th century, hung peacefully from the ceiling. Just one room away, dinner tables stood adjacent to a few specimens of their own, in the Romer Hall of Vertebrate Paleontology. A triceratops skull, a massive kronosaurus, and the once-deemed-extinct ceolacanth surrounded us as we ate.

I've had dinner at Harvard, my friends. It was unique night at the museum.