An ambitious programming slate of more than 60 programs from some of the industry's top non-fiction production companies will be the foundation of the Smithsonian Networks when it makes its Video On Demand service available to operators later this spring.

Applications are now available for the 2007 Young Ambassadors, a national leadership program for high school students gifted in the arts developed by the Smithsonian Latino Center to promote Latino culture and identity in the United States. High school seniors are invited to apply at www.latino.si.edu. Online applications must be submitted electronically by March 22, and all other required documents and forms must be postmarked no later than March 22.

The Smithsonian and Corbis, a leading digital media provider, have established a pan-institutional partnership to provide widely recognized digital images from the Smithsonian's collections for editorial and commercial use at www.corbis.com.

The Smithsonian Institution has awarded fellowships to nine artists to conduct research at Smithsonian museums and research facilities as part of a new Artist Research Fellowship Program. The nine artists are Ghada Amer (New York); Sandow Birk (Long Beach, Calif.); Björn Dahlem (Berlin); Terence Gower (New York); Shih Chieh Huang (New York); Nene Humphrey (Brooklyn, N.Y.); Sergio Palleroni (Austin, Texas); Tim Rollins (New York); and Sue Williamson (Cape Town, South Africa).

Charles E. Barber, the sixth chief engraver at the U.S. Mint, designed some of America's most famous and best-loved coins. These included the Liberty Head 5-cent piece and a dime, quarter and half dollar. Less well known, but equally revealing of his style, are his drawings, patterns and commemoratives.

During the 16th century, Portuguese sailors braved international waters to create a global trading network that extended from Europe to Brazil, Africa, the Persian Gulf, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, China and Japan. This naval empire connected civilizations from all the known continents, transforming commerce and initiating unprecedented cultural exchange.

"Clash of Empires: The British, French and Indian War, 1754-1763" opens at the Smithsonian's International Gallery Friday, Dec. 15. The exhibition explores the three-sided struggle for the possession of North America by the British, French and American Indians and its worldwide effects. The Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center organized this exhibition in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution and the Canadian War Museum/Museum of Civilization.

The Hirshhorn Museum announces a new Black Box presentation by Swedish artist Magnus Wallin. The Hirshhorn's Black Box highlights recent film and video works by a diverse range of emerging and established international artists. "Black Box: Magnus Wallin" is on view through May 20, 2007, following the recent presentation of video works by Danish artist Jesper Just.

The Smithsonian's Horticulture Services Division and the U. S. Botanic Garden will open the 13th annual orchid exhibit, "Orchids: Take a Walk on the Wild Side," at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History on Jan. 27, 2007. The exhibit, which depicts a growing trend in ecotourism and research known as a "canopy walk," will feature more than 2,000 of the sought-after plants in 300 varieties. The exhibit will be on display until April 22, 2007.

Featured together in a rare appearance, "The Last Poets," the seminal spoken-word artists from the 1960s and writer "Amiri Baraka," best known for his poetry and theatre, will headline the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum's Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Program: "From Civil Rights to Black Power."