Smithsonian scientists work alongside community members in Northwestern Virginia to evaluate the impacts of land-use change on wildlife, ecosystem services and community health.
Northwestern Virginia that surrounds Shenandoah National Park and borders George Washington
Several inches of snowfall kept the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute closed to visitors, but the animals and their caretakers still had a good time!
Giant Pandas It was the first major snowfall in the Washington, D.C. area for the
Erika Paulson is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s Center for Species Survival. Paulson’s research employs both embryo and cell culture techniques and molecular biology techniques for the study of preimplantation embryos and embryo implantation in mammals. She is particularly interested in the changes in gene expression and molecular events necessary for successful implantation of embryos in a receptive endometrium.
Pierre Comizzoli’s laboratory at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C
This gallery of photos and stories highlights Smithsonian efforts to save wildlife species from extinction and to train future generations of conservation scientists.
research programs at SCBI headquarters in Front Royal, Virginia, here at the Zoo in Washington
Our work broadly focuses on the ecology, evolution and conservation of migratory birds.
Founded in 1991, we are located at the Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park in Washington
Michael Lefenfeld is president and chief executive officer at Hexion Inc. and serves as a member of the board of managers for ASP Resins Holdings LP.
from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Washington
Fernando G. Lopez is a conservation ecologist at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. He is interested in breeding ecology, migration behavior, and citizen science using raptors as study modelers. Lopez collaborates closely with his colleagues at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
He lives in Washington D.C., and in his free time, he likes to spend time with his
Olga Amelkina is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s Center for Species Survival. Amelkina’s research employs transcriptomic technologies to investigate the gonadal tissue response to various preservation protocols. She uses the functional networks created from transcriptomic data to better understand the complex response of tissue to non-physiological stresses and to provide directions for studies and improvements of biobanking techniques that can be used in conservation efforts of endangered species.
Pierre Comizzoli’s laboratory at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C
Learn about the program to teach schoolchildren about birds while connecting them with students from across the hemisphere.
Migratory Birds for Grades 2 to 4� which was introduced in 2016 for teachers in Washington
National Bison Day is the first Saturday in November and the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute has a big reason to celebrate these iconic animals! Wallow in the autumn leaves with the Zoo’s bison, Lucy and Gally, and animal keeper Regina Bakely, as she shares her stories and the institution’s history of caring for American bison.
conservation efforts to save bison resulted in a small herd on the National Mall in Washington
