15th Annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day: Super Science Day

There’s so much to do and see that those attending the 15th Annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day on Saturday, Feb. 21 shouldn't try to visit all 12 museums and collections within the 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. time frame, but single out several.

"We recommend you decide on several museums and collections and concentrate on them," said committee chair Tabatha Yang, the Bohart Museum of Entomology's education and outreach coordinator.

"If you attended the BioDiv Day last year, expand your horizons and select some other museums or collections you didn't visit to learn more about biodiversity," Yang suggested. "We have experts in their fields who have dedicated their lives to science. What better way than to learn from scientists who are passionate about their work and eager to talk to visitors?"

The Biodiversity Museum Day, a free and family friendly event, is also known as  "Super Science Day." It's a hands-on day to "Discover, Explore and Connect."

 "It is so collaborative and connected," Yang said. "You can talk to the bird, soil, bug and plant people--everyone--and learn what they do." More than 300 faculty, students and staff will greet visitors, discuss their projects, and answer questions.

The UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology (ENT) will showcase the work of three entities: the Bohart Museum in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building on Crocker Lane; The Bee Haven, a half-acre pollinator demonstration garden at 1 Biology Road, off Hopkins Road; and the Nematode Collection in the Katherine Esau Science Hall, 505 Hutchison Drive.

The Bohart Museum, home of eight million specimens, will feature moths, butterflies, bees and beetles, among others. Visitors can hold the petting zoo tenants, including Madagascar hissing cockroaches and stick insects. The Academic Surge hallway will spotlight the work of several labs. Among them: native bees from the Rachel Vannette, Neal Williams and Felicity Muth labs; spiders from the Jason Bond lab; and orchid bees from the Santiago Ramirez lab. Faculty and graduate students and postdoctoral fellows will staff the stations. 

Rodolfo da Silva Probst Lab to Display Ants

New to BioDiv Day is Rodolfo da Silva Probst, who will join the ENT faculty March 1. His station in the Academic Surge Hallway, outside the home of the Bohart Museum, will display ants. His research program research program investigates the evolutionary and genomic mechanisms that shape mutualistic interactions, with a particular focus on ant–plant symbioses and the comparative genomics of Formicinae ants.

This year’s list of participating museums and collections:

• Anthropology Museum, temporarily housed in Wickson Hall, West Entrance, while Young Hall is undergoing renovations. Hours: 12 noon to 4 p.m.
• Arboretum and Public Garden, Habitat Gardens in the Environmental GATEway, west end of the Arboretum, near the Environmental Horticulture Building on Arboretum Drive. Hours: 12 noon to 4 p.m.
• Bee Haven, 1 Bee Biology Road, off Hopkins Road.  Hours: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Bohart Museum of Entomology, Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building and hallway, 455 Crocker Lane. Hours: 12 noon to 4 p.m.
• Botanical Conservatory, Kleiber Hall Drive. Hours: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• California Raptor Center, 1340 Equine Lane. Hours: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Center for Plant Diversity Herbarium, 1026 Katherine Esau Science Hall, 505 Hutchison Drive. Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Design Museum, 124 Cruess Hall, 375 California Ave. Hours: 12 Noon to 4 p.m.
• Nematode Collection, 1026 Katherine Esau Science Hall, 505 Hutchison Drive. Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane. Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Paleontology Collection, Earth and Planetary Sciences Building, Room 1309, Crocker Lane. Hours: 12 noon to 4 p.m.
• Phaff Yeast Culture Collection, Robert Mondavi Institute Brewery and Food Processing Facility, 392 Old Davis Road. Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

Speakers' Series

In addition, there will be a speakers' series from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Silverado Vineyards' Sensory Theatre, Sensory Building, Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science, 392 Old Davis Road. The speakers, topics and times are:

• 4 p.m.: Pallavi Shakya, doctoral candidate, lab of nematologist Shahid Siddique, "Into the Nematode World."
• 4:15 p.m.: Samantha "Sam" Murray, education and garden coordinator of The Bee Haven and member of the bee lab of Elina Niño, who will present "Creating Your Own Pollinator Haven"
• 4:30 p.m.: Tracy Thomson, PhD, UC Davis Earth and Planetary Sciences, research assistant, "Hobnobbing in the Cretaceous: What's Up With Dinosaur Forelimbs?" He will present a new hypothesis about the function of alvarezsaurid or long-legged dinosaurs.
• 4:45 p.m.: Kyria Boundy-Mills, PhD, collection curator and research microbiologist, Phaff Yeast Collection. "Creative Uses of Yeasts." 

The event is billed as a day when "Science comes to life at this exciting, hands-on event spanning 12 campus museums!" according to the website. "This is your chance to connect with UC Davis scientists and experts, participate in dynamic exhibits, and get an up-close look at amazing animals, fascinating plants, and the wonders of our natural world. With something for everyone, it’s a free day of discovery you won’t want to miss!"

From Owl to 'Chocolate' Tree

Some of the activities: meet, greet and photograph a great-horned owl at the Raptor Center; handle dinosaur fossils; see a "chocolate" (cacao) tree in the Botanical Conservatory touch a pine cone in the "petting zoo" of the Center for Plant Diversity Herbarium; and learn how UC Davis researchers use yeasts to make new discoveries. Activities at the Arboretum will include "Build Your Own Climate-Ready Garden" (design your dream garden in our interactive game, learning which plants work best to support biodiversity and withstand the challenges of our changing climate and "Find your Fauna Friend Quiz" (find out what creature in the Arboretum you most resemble by taking our personality quiz. Wear a sticker of your fauna friend like a badge of honor as you visit the plant they love the most.")

Maps can be downloaded from the website and also will be available during BioDiv Day. Patrons can order food from the various trucks be parked at the Katherine Esau Science Hall. Parking is free.