TORONTO.- On Friday, March 6, 2009, the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) welcomes all to the 30th Annual ROM Research Colloquium and Vaughan Lecture, a thought-provoking one-day event highlighting the ROM�s ongoing research and recent discoveries. Fifteen-minute presentations delivered by ROM curatorial staff feature a wide array of topics, including sea spiders, Russian and Japanese warships, Chinese teapots, and scorpion fossils found in Ontario. This free program begins at 9:15 am in the ROM�s Signy & Cl�oph�e Eaton Theatre. Attendees should enter though the Loblaws Entrance on the south side of the building. Museum admission is not included.

Christian Dior: History & Modernity, featured as this year�s annual Vaughan Lecture, takes place at 5:30 pm. Delivered by Dr. Alexandra Palmer, the Nora E. Vaughan Fashion Costume Curator of the ROM�s Department of World Cultures, the lecture delves into the fascinating history of Christian Dior and his impact on modern fashion.