about local, national, and Smithsonian examples of the 

 museum community's involvement in school reform. 



May 6 



m Children's Program Children with visual impair- 

 ments were encouraged to experience works of art at the 

 Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in a "Young 

 at Art" family workshop. During the year, eighr "Young 

 at Art" programs enthralled more than 160 six-to-eleven 

 year olds and their parents. 



May 6 



■ New Research Facility A major field station for ma- 

 rine biological research in the Caribbean was opened in 

 the Cayos Cochinos Biological Reserve by a consortium 

 of private partners in Honduras and Switzerland, the 

 Honduras Coral Reef Foundation, and a partnership of 

 the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the 

 Honduran government. 



May 8 



■ Electronic Outreach The Office of Public Affairs 

 helped open the Smithsonian's home page 

 (http://www.si.edu), which instantly became one of the 

 most popular sites on the World Wide Web. The cere- 

 mony to launch the site was held in the office of the 

 Speaker of the House of Representatives. The opening 

 demonstration included the online exhibitions "Ocean 

 Planet" and "White House Collection of American 

 Crafts"; services such as what to see in the museums and 

 what to buy in the shops; information on everything 

 from dinosaurs to sculptures; 3,000 images; and a sam- 

 pling of recordings from the Smithsonian collection. 



May 8 



■ Electronic Outreach The Smithsonian Institution Trav- 

 eling Exhibition Service entered cyberspace on the 

 Smithsonian's World Wide Web home page, which 

 makes available a list of SITES exhibitions currently 

 traveling around the country. 



May 6-7 



m Conference In conjunction with the Anacostia 

 Museum's exhibition "Black Mosaic: Community, Race, 

 and Ethnicity among Black Immigrants in Washington, 

 D.C.," a two-day conference focused on Caribbean 

 music in Washington. Promoters, performers, deejays, 

 producers, and media personalities participated in panel 

 discussions and musical demonstrations. 



May 7 



■ Public program Visitors of all ages to the Arthut M. 

 Sackler Gallery had the opportunity to explore the bio- 

 logical, literary, musical, artistic, and even culinary asso- 

 ciations of bamboo during the first "Spirit of Bamboo" 

 family day. The program, presented during the exhibi- 

 tion "A Basketmaker in Rural Japan," was repeated 

 three times during the month. 



May 7-11 



■ Workshop The National Science Resources Center 

 and the New York City Urban Systemic Initiative co- 

 sponsored a Science Education Leadership Institute for 

 New York City public school teachers. More than 70 

 participants representing kindergarten through I2th 

 grade attended the week-long institute. 



May 8 



■ Electronic Outreach The National Portrait Gallery 

 launched its virtual museum as part of the 

 Smithsonian's home page on the World Wide Web and 

 the Smithsonian Online educational service on America 

 Online. Previews of exhibitions, current events, high- 

 lights of the permanent collection, brochures, educa- 

 tional programs, and publications are available on both 

 services. On the Fourth of July holiday, America Online 

 featured an image of Rembrandt Peale's famous "Porr- 

 hole" portrait of George Washington; users downloaded 

 the image nearly 1,400 times. 



May 8 



■ Electronic Outreach The National Museum of Natural 

 History's home page made its debut on the World Wide 

 Web. Museum information available to Internet users 

 now includes the mission statement, the visitors' guide, 

 the quarterly calendar of events, and an online version of 

 the "Ocean Planet" exhibition. Information about each 

 of the research departments and many specialized publi- 

 cations and collections is also provided. 



May 8 



■ Symposium The Smithsonian Corporate Membership 

 Program hosted its annual luncheon program, "The 



M 



