Smithsonian’s Kirk Johnson to Deliver Lecture at Dickinson College Exploring the Role of Museums in Advancing Science
Kirk Johnson
The 22nd Annual Potter Lecture
by Craig Layne
Dickinson will welcome Kirk Johnson of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History as the featured speaker for the 22nd annual Potter Lecture on Monday, Oct. 27, at 7 p.m. in Althouse Hall, Room 106. The event is free and open to the public and will also be livestreamed on YouTube.
Johnson will present a talk, “Museums, Science, Nature and the Future,” exploring the evolving role of museums in advancing science and public understanding of the natural world.
A geologist and paleobotanist, Johnson has served as the Sant Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History since 2012. His research focuses on fossil plants and the extinction of the dinosaurs, including extensive fieldwork around the world. In addition to his scholarly contributions, Johnson is widely recognized for his efforts to bring science to broad audiences through books, museum exhibitions and television documentaries.
His recent PBS programs include Making North America (2015), Polar Extremes (2019), Ice Age Footprints (2022), and Walrus: Life on Thin Ice (2025). His books include Cruisin’ the Fossil Coastline: The Travels of an Artist and a Scientist along the Shores of the Prehistoric Pacific (2018), Visions of Lost Worlds: The Art of Jay Matternes (2019), Trees Are Made of Gas: The Story of Carbon and Climate (2021), Cruisin’ the Fossil Freeway (2024) and Alaska Dinosaurs, Mammoths, and More (2025).
The Potter Lecture series was established in 2004 by alumni, colleagues, and friends to honor Emeritus Professor Noel Potter, who retired from Dickinson in 2005. The annual lecture brings distinguished scientists to campus to engage students and the public in timely discussions of geoscience and its impact on society.
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Published October 24, 2025