The Foreign Service Journal, January-February 2014

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014 45 The Smithsonian Institution has long been central to U.S. participation in international expos and world fairs, starting with the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. tive. The institute’s Gabon Biodiversity Program leverages a part- nership with Shell Gabon to support biodiversity conservation and sustainable development, a model that is also being used in Peru and other biodiverse, resource-rich countries. Projects like the Global Tiger Initiative and the Deep Reef Observation Project unite Smithsonian scientists with the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, while the National Zoo’s pandas are a matter of high-level dip- lomatic, as well as public, interest. Officers training for environ- ment, science, technology and health positions take a behind- the-scenes tour of the Natural History museum to see how historic collections can illuminate modern-day questions related to climate change, biodiversity, conservation and public health. Kenya is another hot spot of past, current and future Smith- sonian activity. Just three weeks after leaving the Oval Office in 1909, Theodore Roosevelt set out for British East Africa on an expedition co-sponsored by the Smithsonian. Many of the big-game specimens he bagged there were destined for the new U.S. National Museum building, today known as the National Museum of Natural History. Roosevelt’s expedition also collected live animals for the National Zoological Park, including a leopard, lions, cheetahs and gazelles. Kenya’s participation in the 2014 Folklife Festival in Wash- ington, D.C., will give the Smithsonian a chance to showcase its long involvement with the country, from historic photos and specimens to Folkways recordings, National Zoo animals and planetarium shows. As for that forest plot in northernThailand I mentioned at the beginning of this article, it turned out to be part of a global network of 48 locations researching tropical and temperate forests. By collecting consistent data over many years, scientists can make direct comparisons between sites. This is an unprec- edented research program in climate and forest science that not only benefits conservation efforts, but builds long-term relation- ships whose value any diplomat can appreciate. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Smithsonian and the opportunity to work with colleagues dedicated to the increase and diffusion of knowledge. While Department of State details at other national institutions, such as the Library of Congress and the National Archives, have come and gone, the sheer number of shared interests between State and the Smithsonian make this position an important investment for both sides. In fact, there is plenty of scope for even closer cooperation between the two entities. The potential for cultural and scien- tific diplomacy through this partnership is, as the Smithsonian’s brand proclaims, “Seriously Amazing.” n Restoring the wall murals at the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Port-au-Prince was part of a cultural recovery project organized by the Smithsonian after the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti in January 2010. Courtesy of the Smithsonian