Image from our MMA Discovery Camps by Camp Alumnus, Henry Michaelis
Dear Friends –
Some think January is the longest month of the year, I always see it as a new beginning or a clean slate. It’s time for dreaming and goal setting, hibernating and finding some quiet time in nature. Early in January,
I travelled to the American Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting in Washington, DC where our class or 2024 NSF-REU Interns presented their projects. It was an extremely proud moment watching them represent the MMA amongst an outstanding field of future astronomers and physicists. While I was there, I was able to visit the Dark Skies exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, and was inspired to bring a version of that back here to Nantucket. We will work on that over the winter and install it at the Hinchman House Natural Science Museum in late spring. We’ve been focused on reporting on and establishing a baseline darkness for Nantucket. Through our collaboration with Nantucket Lights, we’ve been working on the Nantucket Night Sky Quality Monitoring (SQM) project since 2022, and we’ve just completed our first report. You can find that here, and learn about how we measure the darkness of the Nantucket skies. A big thank you to Gail Walker of Nantucket Lights for all her advocacy and leadership.
Nantucket Pack 92 Cub Scouts also deserve a shout out – they built two new enclosures for our tortoises – Melvin and Mzee. Thank you for your contribution of time and talent and for making these new homes just perfect.
Image of The Nantucket Pack 92 Cub Scouts Courtesy of Christy Baker.
We are off to Palm Beach next week for our first friend-raising trip ever to the Sunshine State! We will be hosted at LeBar by Ann DeRuisseaux and David and Suzanne Frisbie. We will be sharing our plans for 33 Washington Street and our vision for the future, and we look forward to seeing our Florida friends. Then we head to Boston where we will be teaching you how to make Sailors' Valentine’s at The Kartal, hosted by Elizabeth Markel and highlighting our summer events and programs. Our intention is to spread the word about our programs, our initiatives, and our future Aquarium and Discovery Center. If you’d like to join us in Palm Beach or Boston, drop us a note.
Thank you for your continued support, your ideas, and your energy – we look forward to a successful 2025!
Joanna Roche, MMA Executive Director
MMA Summer Discovery Camps
We are thrilled for another summer of Discovery Camps at the
Maria Mitchell Association. Come explore with us!
Registration is available to all MMA Family Memberships
This means you must belong to our Family or Year-Round Island Family Membership in order to register.
Learning Labs, a new MMA-led series offering in-depth exploration of science, nature, and community topics by local experts designed to spark curiosity.
This month, Ginger Andrews, the MMA's Field Ornithologist, will host an in-person introduction to birding workshop. During this workshop, you will learn observation techniques through specimen sketching and utilizing field guides. After the indoor portion, participants will go into the field to put some new skills to work at identifying birds in the wild.
Join the Nantucket Conservation Foundation (NCF), the Nantucket Land and Water Council (NLWC), the Maria Mitchell Association (MMA), the Nantucket Land Bank, and Fairwinds for a fun and FREE community series. This is a wonderful opportunity to get outdoors during our quiet season to enjoy Nantucket's natural environment together.
These engaging walks will last approximately 45 – 60 minutesand will be led by staff from the organizations. At the start of each walk, a representative from Fairwinds, Nantucket’s behavioral health center, will give a brief introduction and background on their services.
February 15: Hither Creek, 27 Massachusetts Avenue; Maria Mitchell Association.
March 8: Beechwood Farm, 44 Almanack Pond Road; Nantucket Land Bank.
A favorite Nantucket location for kids, adults, and everyone in between, the Natural Science Museum is a cross between a classic natural history museum, a zoo, and a science center, and is a great place to learn about the plants, animals, and birds of Nantucket.
Visit us to learn how Nantucket came to be an island, explore hands on activities, see live animals, and discover more about Nantucket’s biodiversity!
View our calendar for Natural Science Museum program days and times.
Image of Nantucket pajamas by our friends at Erica Wilson.
Pajama Storytime!
An evening story-time where pajamas are encouraged but not required.
Hinchman House Natural Science Museum, 7 Milk Street
Fridays | 6:30 - 7:15pm
Enjoy this program designed to delight children of all ages. During each session, a MMA educator will read science-based children's stories and lead activities that promote discovery and imagination. This program encourages children to develop a lifelong love of nature, reading and learning and introduces them to the culture of reading. A story related craft is included.
Hinchman House Natural Science Museum, 7 Milk Street
Fridays | 2 - 3pm
Saturdays, Sundays | 9 - 9:45am
Enjoy this program designed to delight children of all ages. During each session, a MMA educator will read science-based children's stories and lead activities that promote discovery and imagination. This program encourages children to develop a lifelong love of nature, reading and learning and introduces them to the culture of reading. A story related craft is included.
Hinchman House Natural Science Museum, 7 Milk Street
Fridays | 5 - 5:45pm
Saturdays, Sundays | 2 - 2:45pm
Enjoy this program designed to delight children of all ages. During each session, a MMA educator will read science-based children's stories and lead activities that promote discovery and imagination. This program encourages children to develop a lifelong love of nature, reading and learning and introduces them to the culture of reading. A story related craft is included.
Hinchman House Natural Science Museum, 7 Milk Street
Saturdays, Sundays | 11 - 11:45am
Enjoy this program designed for the young explorer in your family! During each session, a MMA educator will read a nature or science themed book, introduce you to one of the MMA's animal friends, and will finish up with an activity related to the story. This is a recurring program, but the specific focus and materials provided will change each week.
Wednesday, Feb. 12, March 12, and April 9 are NPS Early Release Days and we offer free programming from 12 - 3pm. More information here.
Winter Break Discovery Camp
February 24 - 28 | 8:45am - 2pm
On island for February Break? Join the MMA for our Winter Break Discovery program happening this week. This series of programming is DAY SPECIFIC and explores Nantucket Island. Registration sign-up is per day, and the cost is $75 per day.
School might be out, but the curiosity never stops!
“If you don’t look, you don’t see. You have to go and look."
-Edith Andrews
What could be more invigorating than the winter ocean? Photo by Ginger Andrews.
Keep Calm and Bird On February 2025!
by Ginger Andrews
Thus far this winter has actually been, well, undeniably… wintry. After three years without a hard freeze, it takes a bit of getting used to. And who would venture out if they didn’t have to? Birders, that’s who. Birds are not sitting home watching TV, they are still out there. And Nantucket’s winter bird life looks as different from summer’s as the human crowds of July and August are from bundled-up Islanders.
There is no better time to find unusual gulls, alcids, or sea ducks. True, a telescope vastly improves ocean birding. But, perhaps you might be lucky enough to find “Gull Soup.” This is an unpredictable condition where a near-shore sandbar collects masses of seaweed, plankton, small crustaceans, shrimp, and fish. It draws winter birds like the Juice Bar draws summer humans, and pulls seabirds into easy view.
But what if motivation is lacking? It’s cold. Just replace that word with “invigorating” and keep moving. Wear down clothing, insulated boots, wind-proof hats, and gloves with hand-warmers. Pick your location according to the wind. If blowing strong from the north, you can often find a lee from a south shore dune. Use your car as a windbreak, or do car-birding if the wind blows from every quarter.
But, if nothing works but an easy chair with a hot cuppa and a cozy fire, take advantage of inside time to improve your birding skills. Spend time looking at field guides. Browse possibilities and note what birds catch your eye, your imagination. Look at the field marks. Read about the birds, turn on your Merlin app and listen to them, look at the maps. See where they were, where they are, where they—maybe—will be. Whether you decide to brave the cold, plan a trip, or just wait for summer, study will make you a better birder.
MMA February Events
MMA News and Updates
MMA 2024 REU-NSF Interns from left to right: Naija Bruckner, Sophia Davis, Joanna Roche (MMA Executive Director), Fiona Lopez, Gada Tefera, Nicolas Mazziotti, and Jillian Epstein.
The MMA REU-NSF Interns Attend the 245th American Astronomical Society Meeting in Washington D.C.
The 2024 National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU-NSF) Interns from the MMA made the journey to Washington D.C. in mid-January to represent the MMA and present their research. Building on the legacy of Maria Mitchell. the first female astronomer, the MMA offers STEAM research and education opportunities to interns from across the country via their paid internship programs.
The MMA’s Maria Mitchell Observatory has operated the NSF-REU program each summer for decades. The program is funded by a generous grant from the National Science Foundation, which allows the MMA to bring six top undergraduate students to the MMA each summer who are selected out of a pool of approximately 380 applicants from around the United States.
The MMA’s Summer 2024 NSF-REU interns presented their research on fascinating subjects, from finding baby stars, to understanding how galaxies grow over time, and how dark matter influences galaxy cluster collisions. MMA Executive Director, Joanna Roche, attended the conference and presented each student with a bound book of their cohort’s papers. She stated, “The research and projects that this year’s REU interns presented are as fascinating as they are well done. We are so proud to continue the tradition of nurturing young scientists through our REU program.”
Image of the planetary lineup by Sky & Telescope.
For the next month, all of the planets (except Pluto) will be in the sky at the same time. Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Venus are easy to see with the naked eye. Mercury can be seen but is difficult because it is only visible near the horizon at sunset. For Uranus and Neptune, binoculars or a telescope are needed. The planets seem to line up because they all follow the ecliptic which is the Sun’s path through the sky.
Listen to “The Star Report” written and presented by the MMA Astronomy Department's Interim Astronomy Director, Geoff Clayton, featuring more on the fascinating occurrence in our night sky this month.
“The Nature of Nantucket” and "Maria Mitchell's Attic”
Check out our own podcast, "The Nature of Nantucket," brought to you by 97.7 ACKFM. This program airs on 97.7 every Sunday at 7:20am. This week, Joanna Roche talks with Zoe Barry. From Wall Street to being a racecar driver to being the founder and CEO of Zingeroo. She chats with Joanna and tells her about what brought her to Nantucket, her exciting background and about making an impact in more traditionally male-dominated industries. Listen to full episodes on Apple or Spotify. Listen here!
Learn more about Maria Mitchell and the MMA with "Maria Mitchell's Attic," a blog written by MMA Deputy Director and Curator, Jascin Leonardo Finger. In the most recent blog, “At Rest," Jascin reflects on the blanket of cold and peace of winter and the Old North Cemetery. Read here!
MMA Paid Internships - Summer 2025
We Are Accepting Summer 2025 Internship Applications!
Applications close at the end of this month! We invite students studying marine biology, natural sciences, astronomy, education, history/art, historic preservation, non-profit development, and communications/marketing to apply.
The MMA Aquarium and Sea Shop, 32 Washington Street:
Closed for the season. See you in June 2025.
The Historic Mitchell House, 1 Vestal Street:
Closed for the season. See you in June 2025.
Vote for the MMA for the “Best Museum” or “Best Family Activity” in the “Nantucket” section of the 2025 Best of Cape Cod & the Islands. Please consider us and help spread the love!
The Maria Mitchell Association creates opportunities for all to develop a life-long passion for science, through education, research, and first-hand exploration of the sky, land, and sea of Nantucket Island.
