SERC - Smithsonian Environmental Research Center on Chesapeake Bay

Spring Family Day

On Saturday, May 19, SERC will host its first Science on the Bay picnic and outdoor research extravaganza. Due to the large number of participants, we will be closed to the public that Saturday. If you missed online sign-ups for the spring picnic, we're hosting another in the fall on Sept. 15.

Photo of the Week

Yellow-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus). Even in the same nest, cuckoo eggs do not all hatch at the same time. If food is scarce, the father will sometimes remove the youngest chick from the nest. In one case a father dumped a live chick into another cuckoo nest, where the adoptive parents raised it as their own. (Ryan Peters)

News and Research

Find the NEMESIS on your shore

Meet NEMESIS, a database of more than 500 invaders hitting the U.S. Browse maps and photos and find the invaders near you. Up first: tunicates. Up next: crabs. (Photo: Jay Vavra, Encyclopedia of Life)

The Secret to Saving Endangered Orchids

Orchids make up the largest plant family on Earth. But habitat loss is threatening their survival. In a four-year study, SERC ecologists discovered an orchid's fate depends on two critical factors: a forest's age and its fungi.

Smithsonian Internships Ranked in Top 10

Career tracker Vault.com ranked the Smithsonian one of the 10 best places to intern in 2011. Our interns can tell you why better than we can.

Education and Events

NEW! Online Registration System for Fall/Winter 2011-2012 Programs

Click HERE to go to our public calendar.

As of September 1, we have switched to online registration only. For the event you want to register for, simply copy and paste the registration link from the calendar into a separate window and follow the instructions.

Full Calendar of Events

--Saturday, May 19, 9:00AM– 1:00PM
All Ages
"Smithsonian Science on the Bay: Spring Family Day"

--Wednesday, May 23, 10:00AM– 11:00AM
Parent-Child
"Mom n’ Me: Music in Nature"

--Wednesday, May 23, 1:30PM– 2:30PM
Parent-Child
"Mom n’ Me: Music in Nature"

--Saturday, May 26, 9:00AM– 11:30AM
All Ages
"Canoe Excursion"