Off-campus Outings
In partnership with various organizations, the Death Studies Research Group organizes occasional trips to events or exhibitions off of the Northwestern Campus. Registration is usually required for these events and space may be limited.
Past Events
May 27: Death is Not Silent: Meet the Flesh-eating Beetles of the Field Museum
Join artist Mel Keiser and media historian Jacob Smith on a behind-the-scenes tour of the flesh-eating beetle room at the Field Museum of Chicago, where we will listen to the sound of life consuming death.
We will meet with Field Museum Assistant Collections Manager Mary Hennen to learn about the role of the flesh-eating beetles in preparing animal specimens for the museum's collection, why these specimens are important, and how they are used by scientists for conservation and research. Then, as part of this truly unique opportunity, we will experience five minutes of "silence" with the flesh-eating beetles. After this tour, we will wander through the mammal and bird halls of the Field Museum, and consider the ways these silent animals speak to us, even in death.
We will offer participants from north campus transportation to the Field Museum and back to Evanston. Participants from south campus can meet us at the Field Museum for the tour at 1:00 pm. We will provide transportation from the museum that returns to Evanston by 4:00pm. Participants will also be welcome to stay at the museum and explore on their own if they would like to find their own transportation home.
We will meet with Field Museum Assistant Collections Manager Mary Hennen to learn about the role of the flesh-eating beetles in preparing animal specimens for the museum's collection, why these specimens are important, and how they are used by scientists for conservation and research. Then, as part of this truly unique opportunity, we will experience five minutes of "silence" with the flesh-eating beetles. After this tour, we will wander through the mammal and bird halls of the Field Museum, and consider the ways these silent animals speak to us, even in death.
We will offer participants from north campus transportation to the Field Museum and back to Evanston. Participants from south campus can meet us at the Field Museum for the tour at 1:00 pm. We will provide transportation from the museum that returns to Evanston by 4:00pm. Participants will also be welcome to stay at the museum and explore on their own if they would like to find their own transportation home.