The Wayne Theatre presents its monthly free Science Talk lecture on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The talk will feature Hayden Bassett, Ph.D., the Virginia Museum of Natural History assistant curator of archaeology and director of the Cultural Heritage Monitoring Lab.
The lecture will talk about the lab’s current efforts in Ukraine, where his team is monitoring more than 28,000 cultural sites on a daily basis using advance satellite technologies.
The lab is a collaborative effort with the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative.
This innovative lab monitors cultural heritage around the globe that is threatened by armed conflict and natural disaster. Among other technologies, the lab uses infrared sensors and high-resolution satellite imagery to rapidly identify destructive events and active threats to monuments, museums, archives, historic buildings, archaeological sites and landscapes in near real time.
Through its partnership with The Smithsonian Institute, the lab serves government and NGO stakeholders around the world.
Bassett holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from William & Mary. He became the VMNH assistant curator of archaeology and director of the Cultural Heritage Monitoring Lab after serving as an archaeologist for the United States Department of Defense, surveying cultural sites from around the world.
The lecture is free but advance tickets are available. Donations are welcome.