Sidedoor Smithsonian Institution

If you’ve bought a plane ticket recently, you’ve probably had the option to pay a few extra dollars to offset your carbon emissions. That money might go toward planting some trees… but how many trees? Researchers at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute are trying to answer this very question by hand-measuring trees, weighing wood, and climbing to the top of the canopy. We tag along to see how carbon is measured, and why so much ends up in tropical forests.  

Guests:

Joshua Tewksbury, director of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama

Helene Muller-Landau, senior scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute researching tropical forests and ecosystems, leader of ForestGEO Global Carbon Program

David Mitre, research manager for ForestGEO at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Sergio dos Santos, project manager for the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute’s Hydro-Meteorological and Oceanographic Monitoring Program in Panama

Luisa Fernanda Gómez Correa, intern at the Forest Carbon Lab at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Eline De Loore, graduate student at Ghent University conducting research at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

It started as a rumor in the cafeteria of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama: monkeys on an island in the Pacific were doing something no one had ever seen them do before. But when researchers went searching for these elusive capuchin monkeys, they discovered more questions than answers.

Guests:

Claudio Monteza, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute fellow and researcher at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior

Brendan Barrett, researcher at the University of Konstanz and the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior

Meg Crofoot, director of the Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior. Former Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute fellow

Money is power. But who's on our money - or isn’t - can be just as powerful. While Lady Liberty has graced American coins and dollars for most of our history, it wasn’t until the 1970s that a real woman appeared on a circulating American coin. But that's about to change. Congress recently authorized the creation of twenty new quarters featuring American women from history. But how do we decide whose likeness gets engraved in our national story? And who makes these decisions? We’ll follow the money to find out.

Guests:

Jennifer Schneider, former program manager at Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum, current assistant registrar of outgoing and government loans at the Smithsonian American Art Museum

Tey Marianna Nunn, former director of the American Women’s History Initiative at the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum, current associate director for content and interpretation at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino

Ellen Feingold, curator of the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History

Joseph Menna, chief engraver at the United States Mint

Tim Grant, public affairs manager at the United States Mint

Dave Clark, supervisor of blanking annealing and upsetting at the United States Mint

Did you know a person born on February 29 is called a "leapling"? This special episode is hopping with Leap Day trivia! Like, why do we need an extra day every four years anyway? And will I get paid for working an extra day in February? It's the lowdown on Leap Day in an episode that's as off-kilter as the earth's axis.

Guest:

Bob Craddock, Geologist at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum's Center for Earth and Planetary Studies

They say love is eternal. What about heartbreak? This Valentine’s Day, we bring you some of Japanese theater’s most popular tales of scorned lovers seeking vengeance from beyond the grave — with a burning passion.

Guests: 
Frank Feltens, Curator of Japanese Art at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art
Kit Brooks, Japan Foundation Assistant Curator of Japanese Art at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art

From brontosauruses with bronchitis to birds on a wire to flying space rocks and a botched heist at 20 thousand feet. In this episode, Lizzie and Sidedoor producer James run all around the Smithsonian to answer listeners' questions from the Sidedoor mailbag.

Guests:

Lynn Heidelbaugh, curator at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum

Sara Hallager, curator of birds at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

Jim Nollman, composer and pioneer of the “interspecies music” genre, conceptual artist, and environmental activist

Cari Corrigan, research geologist at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and curator of the Antarctic Meteorite Collection

Sharon Bryant, marketing specialist at the Smithsonian’s Office of Communications and External Affairs

Matthew Carrano, research geologist and curator of Dinosauria at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History