U.S. federal support for human origins research may be over The field is generating more new discoveries than ever, but significant setbacks for students and many researchers.

The National Science Foundation has proposed eliminating the directorate that includes most of the federal funding for fieldwork and research in human origins. It's a sudden acceleration of a decades-long trend. I comment on what this means.

www.johnhawks.net/p/us-federal...

When biodiversity data is digitized, scientists & policymakers can quickly analyze species distributions, population trends & threats. Supporting smarter conservation strategies, especially for endangered species & fragile ecosystems.
#scistarter #OpenScienceForAll #globaltcn #zooniverse

Congratulations!

A Year After DOGE Cuts, GSA Now Plans to Hire Hundreds of Employees The General Services Administration is hiring “approximately 400 positions,” according to an internal email viewed by WIRED. Last year the agency lost thousands of workers as part of DOGE’s rampage.

The General Services Administration is hiring “approximately 400 positions,” according to an internal email viewed by WIRED. Last year the agency lost thousands of workers as part of DOGE’s rampage.

Some personnel news Thanks to you, we’re hiring two journalists — and looking for one more.

I'm thrilled to be *officially* joining @51st.news as Managing Editor this summer (and that @samdelgado.bsky.social is joining our team!). Plus, we're hiring! Know a talented D.C. reporter passionate about community-driven local news? Is that you? Get in touch!!
51st.news/51st-hiring-...

All Smithsonian museums are free. Museums count separately but Institution also takes a collective count. You are certainly correct about the drop in tourism to the US.

Digital Scholar, a nonprofit organization that sustains open-source tools and platforms for digital scholarship, publishing, and cultural heritage (including Omeka, Zotero, Tropy, PressForward, and Sourcery) to become organizational home for RightsStatements.org

One wonders where the Smithsonian museums would have landed if the Institution hadn't been subject to a 43 day government shutdown in the Fall of 2025.

"Explore all known artworks by Georgia O'Keeffe along with art, archive, and historic home collections .... Built on Linked Art/linked data. Dive into a new kind of digital catalogue raisonné..."

The Smithsonian Curator Who Loved Frogs As the first woman curator of the National Museum of Natural History’s collection of amphibians and reptiles, Doris Cochran shaped herpetology at the museum and beyond

The Smithsonian has a long history of women working in various natural history fields.

Culture of, by, and for the People For the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding, the Smithsonian comes to you

In honor of the nation's 250th anniversary, this year's Smithsonian's Folklife Festival will host festivals around the country.

Learning from the Connective Power of Orchids A horticulturist reflects on the new Smithsonian-U.S. Botanic Gardens collaborative exhibition as it connects stories, scholarship, and art to this extraordinary species

This is a small gem of an exhibit @ the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American HIstory and Culture.

Jobs

"Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art is seeking a curator to lead our curatorial department."
africa.si.edu/about/jobs-a...

“The Invisible White House” - PoPville "Dear PoPville, I was going passed the White House to see the cherry blossoms on Friday and I saw one tourist after another asking Secret Service and cops where they could get a good view of the White...

“The Invisible White House” www.popville.com/2026/03/the-...

Roy Rosenzweig Prize for Creativity in Digital History – AHA This prize is awarded annually to honor and support work on a creative and freely available new media project, and in particular for work that reflects thoughtful, critical, and rigorous engagement wi...

The Roy Rosenzweig Prize for Creativity in Digital History is award honors & supports work on a creative & freely available new media project, & work that reflects thoughtful, critical, & rigorous engagement w/ technology & the practice of history. $4,000 prize; deadline for consideration: 05/15

CNI Fall 2025 Lightning Round Models, Contexts, and Protocols: Who Controls the Data? Peter Brantley, University of California, Davis Starts at: https://youtu.be/q43MlCVcttY?si=cQsxcgQmUrhQDWeR&t=98 Project Update:…

How can libraries tackle digital accessibility at scale? In this CNI talk, Cory Tressler from Ohio State University Libraries walks through their cost-effective workflow and digital accessibility tools that use LLMs to generate alt text for documents & images—making collections more accessible.

DSG Global

The J. Paul Getty Trust is looking for a new Director of the Getty Foundation. With a $28M budget, & exemplary programs, the Foundation strengthens the global arts ecosystem in museums, archives, and communities through strategic philanthropy. Salary: $525K-$550K. Los Angeles area residency req'd.

D.C. cherry blossoms burst into peak bloom, earlier than normal yet again The seventh straight early bloom fits a long-term trend driven by human-caused climate change.

NEW: National Park Service has declared PEAK BLOOM. 🌸🌸🌸

Incredibly, 7th straight earlier than normal peak, propelled by March temps 5f above average. Trend toward early blooms is climate-change driven. Long-term average peak bloom date: 4/2.

Bloom should last 3-7 days.

Awesome New Sculpture Outside the Eastern Market Metro by Jay Coleman - PoPville Thanks to planetwaves for sharing with us: "a new sculpture was installed yesterday in front of the eastern market Metro." "Jay Coleman is a Washington, D.C. based artist specializing in realistic and...

Awesome New Sculpture Outside the Eastern Market Metro by Jay Coleman - Cool: www.popville.com/2026/03/love...

"Beam me up Scotty" zone

Did you know that the US Army has an outstanding photography collection? Check out a portrait of a young Omar Bradley; a rare photograph of Hilary R. Johnson, & a portrait of Clarence Muse. But this collection is understudied…nothing about the photographer, studio, or context.

Are you curious yet?

Curating Connection - Lou Barton, Manifesto | Museums + Tech 2025 YouTube video by Museums Computer Group

Revisiting Museums+Tech 2025 🎥
First up — Manifesto's Lou Barton on transforming audience engagement for resilience in the cultural sector. Great watch if you're thinking about digital strategy and audiences!
#musetech2025
www.youtube.com/watch?v=92B3...

Paul Evan Peters Scholarship We are now accepting applications for the 2026-27 academic year The Paul Evan Peters Scholarship was established to honor and perpetuate the memory of Paul Evan Peters (1947-1996), founding executi…

⏳ Reminder: The deadline to apply for the CNI Paul Evan Peters Scholarship is April 24.

Graduate students in information sciences, librarianship, or a related field—this one's for you. Two scholarships available for the 2026–27 academic year.
Learn more →

Anthropic's Claude Can Now Control Your Computer The developer is boosting Claude's agentic capabilities in an apparent effort to compete with platforms like OpenClaw.

Like handing a toddler a shotgun www.cnet.com/tech/service...

Illustration of a polar bear in an icy landscape above a webinar banner 'climate change education through cultural heritage. Join this webinar and help learners connect with climate issues.'

Are you an educator, GLAM professional or climate advocate interested in helping learners connect with climate issues?

Join our Education and Climate Action Communities for a webinar on using #CulturalHeritage as a resource for teaching about #ClimateChange!

🗓️ 8 April
📍 Online
🔗 bit.ly/4bTWOB4