A Special Launch Celebration: MCC's Hall of Human Origins

A Special Launch Celebration: MCC's Hall of Human Origins

Friday, November 8, 2024, 5-8:30 p.m.

Free, but reservations are required.

Join us for an unforgettable night as the Liebman Institute for Science Innovation (LISI) unveils its much-anticipated Hall of Human Origins. This unique event blends science, art, and technology to reflect on our place in the universe and what it means to be human.

Program

5–5:30 p.m.
Reception/Meet and Greet, Hors d’oeuvres and Beverages, MCC Commons, Building B
5:30–6:30 p.m.
Welcome, Luecht Auditorium
Keynote, John Gurche: Art Fuels Science Fuels Art, Luecht Auditorium
6:30–6:45 p.m.
Refreshment Break
6:45–7:15 p.m.
Presentation, Dr. John Hawks: Homo naledi: A Journey into the Dark, Luecht Auditorium
7:30-8:30 p.m.
Unveiling of MCC’s Hall of Human Origins, Desserts and Drinks, Liebman Science Center, Building F 

Keynote: Art Fuels Science Fuels Art

John Gurche

The blend of art and science is intoxicating. Visions that can arise in making art are fueled by the potent revealer of worlds that is science. In the keynote address, paleoartist John Gurche will discuss how art and science are interwoven in his work bringing human ancestors back to life.

  • About John Gurche
    John Gurche

    John Gurche’s work has been featured in thirteen issues of National Geographic Magazine, with four covers. He has fifteen sculptures in the Smithsonian’s Hall of Human Origins, and his reconstructions can be seen in museums worldwide, from South Africa to the Republic of Georgia. He has made trips to Africa nine times to study the fossil remains of our ancestors and has been out in the field in northern Kenya with the Leakey family as they searched for ancient humans there. For nine years, he co-taught a course in human origins at Cornell University. In the early 1990s, he co-led a tour of prehistoric art caves in France and Spain. He has been a guest on Science Friday and has been interviewed by National Geographic and others for videos available online. He has lectured at universities and museums around the world. He has authored two books: Shaping Humanity: How Science, Art and Imagination Help us Understand our Origins and Lost Anatomies: The Evolution of the Human Form.


Homo naledi: A Journey into the Dark

Dr. John Hawks

Ten years ago, our team discovered an unexpected species in South Africa. Deep in the Rising Star cave system, the fossil bones posed many mysteries. How was this unknown relative related to us? How did it survive alongside our own evolving species more than 200,000 years ago? Most mysterious: Why were so many of its bodies deep within this cave? I will share the latest scientific discoveries about Homo naledi, which are helping us to understand more about this species and the lives of the individuals we have uncovered. The work is raising new questions about how our species evolved.

  • About Dr. John Hawks
    John Hawks

    John Hawks is an internationally recognized expert on human evolution and genetics. He has been at the University of Wisconsin-Madison since 2002. He is presently the Vilas-Borghesi Distinguished Achievement Professor of Anthropology and a visiting professor at the University of the Witwatersrand. In addition to his work on Homo naledi at Rising Star, and other fossil sites in South Africa, he is known for his work on the genetics of humans our ancient relatives. His work has shown the rapid evolution of modern humans in the last phase of our evolution and has emphasized the genetic connections between Neanderthals and recent people. He has done fieldwork in Africa, Asia, and Europe, combining skeletal evidence from fossils with new information from genetics to uncover how humans evolved.

    Hawks’ work has been featured in documentaries from PBS Nova, PBS Secrets of the Dead, National Geographic Channel, Science Channel, and the BBC. Print coverage of his work has included cover and feature articles in Discover, Scientific American, Archaeology, Science News, New Scientist, coverage in the New York Times, USA Today, Time, Der Spiegel, and many others. He lives outside of Madison, Wisconsin, with his wife, Gretchen, and their four children.


Exhibitions, Tours, and Special Features

  • Grand Reveal: MCC Hall of Human Origins
    • Explore our new museum-quality exhibits, featuring replica hominin skulls by BoneClones, Inc. and reconstructions by renowned paleo artist John Gurche.
  • Special Guest: Jill E. Scott
    • Meet Jill Scott, an MCC alum and anthropologist who was part of the team that described Homo naledi to science.
  • Interactive Opportunities:
    • Engage with preeminent scientists and experience the planetarium show, "Lucy's Cradle." 
    • Learn about the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry @ MCC partnership.
  • Special Features:
    • Novelty event-themed gifts engineered and manufactured by our Foglia Center for Advanced Technology and Innovation and the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry.
    • Complimentary ticket to a future live planetarium show, including our grand reopening in February, featuring a state-of-the-art projection system.

If you need an accommodation or a sign language interpreter, contact the Access and Disability Services department at (815) 455-8766 or disabilityservices@mchenry.edu.

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