Smithsonian Voices

From the Smithsonian Museums

Raven Capone Benko

Raven Capone Benko is a science communicator specializing in marine systems, climate change, and the human-nature relationship. She has worked for the Smithsonian several times, first as a science writing intern, then as a government relations fellow focusing on science policy, and again as a media specialist for the Pettibone Legacy Project in the NMNH Department of Invertebrate Zoology. She finished her master’s in 2021 at the University of Washington studying how different groups of people engage with climate change science and policies. In her free time, she teaches partner dancing and reads as many fun and frivolous books that she can get her hands on.

Marian Pettibone with short grey hair and glasses sits at a lab bench in front of a microscope. There are files and specimen bottle on shelves behind her.

Dr. Marian Pettibone Discovered and Described New Forms of Oceanic Life

The first female curator in the National Museum of Natural History Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Dr. Pettibone described 172 species and fought for the recognition of women in science.

A colorful worm is lit up against a black background

How 3D Worms Provide a Peek Into Historic Smithsonian Collection

Staring into the mouth of flooded cave passages on the islands of the Turks and Caicos. Hidden cave pools are illuminated by dive lights and photo flash. (Joost Daniels, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute)

Scientists Brave One of the Darkest Places on Earth for Rare Predatory Worm

Dr. Suzan Murray, Program Director for the Smithsonian’s Global Health Program, reading her testimony at the House Science Subcommittee’s Coronaviruses: understanding the Spread of Infectious Diseases and Mobilizing Innovative Solutions hearing that occurred in March 2020.

Science, Policy, and Pandemics

Karen Osborn, invertebrate zoologist and curator at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, uses photography to help people connect with the hard-to-see marine animals she studies, like this deep-sea jellyfish (Voragonema pedunculata). (Karen Osborn, Smithsonian)

Why Science Needs Art

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Excluded from National Leadership, Black Women Were the Backbone of the Civil Rights Movement

Dr. Marian Pettibone Discovered and Described New Forms of Oceanic Life

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