First Friday: Nautical Navigation

This is an event you will NAUT want to miss!
Think you have what it takes to survive on the seven seas? What will you eat? What will you wear? And, perhaps most importantly, how will you get there? Test your skills in a nautical navigation choose-your-own-adventure game!
Traveling merchants and explorers throughout time have developed several ways to navigate, from the sun and stars to globes and sextants to Google Maps! Join our museum educators as they shine some light on the ancient navigation tools used in the past.
Innovation happens across time and across cultures. Check out our library’s new acquisitions focused on indigenous scientists and the importance of oral traditions.
Othmer Library Tours
We are now giving public tours of our research library every First Friday! Come by before the event at 4pm to get a behind-the-scenes look upstairs at the resources and archives available to all scientifically curious minds. Registration is not required, but space is limited. Learn more here.
About First Fridays
Spark your curiosity while exploring the exhibits after hours! First Fridays bring together a myriad of activities covering everyday science, historical oddities, and everything in between. Grab your friends, and kick off an evening of discovery, surprise, and a little nerdy fun.
First Fridays at the Institute are always free and open to the public. Attendees will receive a 10% discount to National Mechanics restaurant.
Featured image: Figure 57: Torpedo Boat Attacking a Large War Vessel, part of Chemistry, Developed by Facts and Principles Drawn Chiefly from the Non-Metals, 1884.
More events
Stories of Science: Spooky Science
Join us in our museum EVERY SATURDAY for a family-friendly program that highlights strange and surprising stories from the history of science!
National Chemistry Week: The Hidden Life of Spices
Discover how spices get their flavors from their chemical makeup at the American Chemical Society’s family-friendly festival.
Beyond Frankenstein: Transplant Science and Lifesaving Pig Organs
This virtual panel will discuss how transplant decision making walks the fine line between what is morally valid for the extension of life and the range of technologies that could test our definition of what it means to be human.