Public Programs
The Truhlsen-Marmor Museum of the Eye® hosts events, talks, demonstrations, hands on activities and calls for participation. We work with a range of thematically relevant content providers to produce programs and events for the public.
Upcoming Events
There will be even more to come. Sign up for our mailing list to stay up to date.
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Meet Your Eye Microbiome
Date: April 28
Time: Noon PT / 3 p.m. ET
Where: Online
Cost: Free
Register here for Zoom link
You may be familiar with the idea that your gut and skin are home to a collection of microbes — fungi, bacteria and viruses — all vital for keeping you healthy. But did you know that your eyes also host a unique menagerie of microbes? In this two-part series, we are doing a deep dive to better understand the microbiome of the eye.
First up, Anthony St. Leger, PhD, a professor and researcher at University of Pittsburg’s Ocular Microbiome and Immunity Laboratory, will help us understand the role microbes play in keeping our eyes healthy or diseased. We will be joined by Robert M. Q. Shanks, PhD, from Campbell Eye Microbiology Laboratory, which houses one of the most extensive collections of human ocular bacteria in the country. He will introduce us to a few common eye microbes found on our eyes as well as in their collection. Join us to find out more about your eye microbiome and the usefulness of maintaining such a collection for innovative research.
Image: Immune system cells interacting with bacteria on the ocular surface. (Scanning electron micrograph – pseudocolored), Charles T Campbell Microbiology Laboratory at UPMC.
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The Gut and the Eye
Date: May 26
Time: Noon PT / 3 p.m. ET
Where: Online
Cost: Free
Register here
Recent research is looking into the link between the gut microbiome and ocular disease. How complex is the gut microbiome? An estimated 1,000 species of bacteria alone live in the human digestive system, but only a few of these microbes are understood. It’s as if, in a vast orchestra, only a handful of instruments can be heard. But these early notes may lead to new therapeutic paradigms in which the gut microbiome plays a role in treating eye disease. Join us for this second program in our two-part series exploring the microbiome of the eye.
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Call for Participation
Open Call for Artist: 236 Eyecups
Applications Due May 16, 2021
Learn about applying.
What would you do with hundreds of eyecups? Help spread the word that the Museum of the Eye is looking for a San Francisco Bay Area artist to create a sculpture or installation utilizing this collection. We encourage people who identify as underrepresented minorities to apply. The application deadline is now extended to May 16, 2021.
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Last Call! We’re Collecting Artifacts From 2020
Do you have objects like personal protective equipment, face masks and other items related to the pandemic, protests or environmental happenings of last year? Read the museum’s blog post about how the Museum of the Eye is in search of artifacts.
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Speaker Suggestions
We’re interested in hearing from local historians, medical professionals, scientists, innovators, start-ups and artists who are interested in presenting at our evening talks or our Brown Bag Lunch series. Email your suggestion to museum@aao.org.
Facilitators, Artists and Educators
We host hands-on activities, workshops and demonstrations that relate to the Museum of the Eye’s themes in our Education Center, which seats up to 30. If you have designed an activity that you would like us to consider, send your resumé, examples of your work, and why you’d like to work with us to museum@aao.org
Book-Related Events
Do you have a book to launch or publicize that relates to the Museum of the Eye’s themes? Contact museum@aao.org. Please note that at this time, we do not have a retail space or means to sell books.