Partnering with The Field Museum of Chicago, The Wilmette Theatre will present SCIENCE ON SCREEN series, a creative screening program matching classic, cult, and documentary films with scientists from the worlds of science technology and medicine offering related scientific information and leading lively discussion. The theme of the first season will be the study of the environment, evolution and protecting wildlife, particularly endangered species.

Each film serves as a jumping-off point for the expert speaker to explore a related scientific or technological topic in a way that engages general audiences. This program began in 2005 at Coolidge Corner Theatre in Boston and has since expanded to other independent cinemas through a national grant initiative funded by the prestigious Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and administered by the Coolidge. The Wilmette Theatre was one of 35 nonprofit organizations across the United States and the only one in Illinois to receive funding for this initiative in 2016. Each theatre develops its own program selecting the films and developing the scientific portion of the program.

“We are proud to be the only theatre in Illinois to receive this grant,” said Wendy Sharon, Executive Director, of the Wilmette Theatre. “The Theatre was selected because it has a proven track record of building successful program collaborations and providing educational experiences. We believe this program will entertain while enhancing our scientific knowledge. The programs will be geared toward middle school age children through adults.”

The Wilmette Theatre will host three SCIENCE ON SCREEN events beginning February 2017. Each event will pair screenings with presentations and dialogue lead by scientists from The Field Museum.

SCIENCE ON SCREEN: "Jurassic Park"

Special Guest: Dr. Peter Makovicky

Saturday, February 4th at 2:00pm

Dr. Peter Makovicky is the Department Chair of the Department of Geology, The Field Museum. Dr. Makovicky’s research focuses on dinosaurian evolutionary history with a particular emphasis on the clades Ceratopsia (the horned dinosaurs) and Theropoda (carnivorous dinosaurs including birds). He studies broader topics in evolutionary biology such as adaptation and constraint, biochronology, biogeography, and the role of growth and development in evolution.

SCIENCE ON SCREEN: "Anaconda"

Special Guest: Dr. Lesley de Souza

Tuesday, March 28th at 7:00pm

Lesley de Souza is a conservation biologist and explorer helping protect communities biologically and culturally at risk through scientific research and community-based conservation.

Lesley’s mission is to contribute to the preservation of wildlife and human livelihoods, and, more broadly, to inspire humans to rethink our place in the natural world. Lesley’s field work has taken her to Guyana, Brazil, Peru, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama and beyond, where she contributed to research on species including black caiman, boa constrictors, basilisk lizards, eyelash vipers, alligators, snapping turtles, waterdogs, and hellbenders. She has published in peer-reviewed journals including Neotropical Ichthyology, Zootaxa, and Cybium, and described her research experiences in Guyana for the “Scientist at Work” feature of The New York Times and for National Geographiconline.

SCIENCE ON SCREEN: "The Birder’s Guide to Everything"

Special Guest: Mary Hennen

Saturday, April 22 at 2:00pm

Mary Hennen, Director of the Chicago Peregrine Program and Birds Assistant Collections Manager at The Field Museum has worked with the once endangered Peregrine Falcons for the past 30 years. The Peregrine program is an outstanding example of how scientists and the public working together can reverse a species population decline. Although Peregrines still remain endangered in some states, in Illinois, the population has rebounded. In fact, our Peregrine was removed from the Illinois’ State Endangered and Threatened Species list in 2015.

Mary will bring a live Falcon (rescued due to a disability) to the Theatre. One Falcon pair nests at the Evanston Public Library, about 2.5 miles from the Theatre. There is a web cam that monitors the activity and viewing the banding of the nestlings is open to the public.

Tickets for these programs are available online at: www.wilmettetheatre.com