What's On At The California Academy of Sciences
Lectures, Programs, Events and Exhibits
August 2003

Exhibits
Information about Academy exhibits follows the event listings.

Arctic National Wildlife: Refuge Seasons of Life and Land Opening Saturday, September 13, 2003

X-Ray Ichthyology Closing August 26, 2003

150 Years of Science Ongoing through December 31, 2003

Skulls Ongoing through December 31, 2003

Village Children Ongoing through December 31, 2003

Dennis Anderson Photos Ongoing through December 31, 2003

-Events-

The California Academy of Sciences 150th Anniversary Festival in Golden Gate Park
Saturday, September 6 and Sunday, September 7, 2003
How does the oldest scientific institution in the West celebrate its 150th Anniversary? With an outdoor street festival in Golden Gate Park. On the same site as the 1894 Midwinter Exposition, the 150-year-old Academy will roll in a 75-foot Ferris wheel to offer birds-eye views of Golden Gate Park Saturday, September 6, and Sunday, September 7, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Throughout the weekend, the Academy will celebrate with free performances on three stages with swing, latin, jazz, and ragtime music, scientific demonstrations, a rolling rainforest, and an eco-maze. Visitors may purchase food, drink and nature inspired gifts, all in the music concourse of Golden Gate Park.
The outdoor festival is free and open to the public, regular admission prices to the Academy will apply. Visitors who ride bikes or take public transit will receive free admission to the museum through out the weekend.

-Free Programs-
Programs are free with museum admission.

Children's Story Time
Saturday, August 2
10:30 am
Stories of ABC & 123. For children ages 3-7.

Make A Skull
Saturday, August 2
12:30-3:30 pm
Examine real skulls and then make a simple machine skull model of your own. All ages

Make A Skull
Sunday, August 3
12:30-3:30 pm
Examine real skulls and then make a simple machine skull model of your own. All ages

Skull Detective
Wednesday, August 6
12:30 pm
Examine skulls for clues that may reveal the owner's lifestyle. See samples of food that may have been eaten when they were alive. All ages

Make A Skull
Saturday, August 9
12:30-3:30 pm
Examine real skulls and then make a simple machine skull model of your own. All ages

Children's Story Time
Saturday, August 9
10:30 am
Stories of ABC & 123. For children ages 3-7.

Welsh Wheat Weaving Workshop
Saturday, August 9
1:00 pm
Jan Southworth will teach participants how to make a simple wheat weaving from soaked wheat stalks. Space is limited.

Make A Skull
Sunday, August 10
12:30-3:30 pm
Examine real skulls and then make a simple machine skull model of your own. All ages

Skull Detective
Wednesday, August 13
12:30 pm
Examine skulls for clues that may reveal the owner's lifestyle. See samples of food that may have been eaten when they were alive. All ages

Children's Story Time
Saturday, August 16
10:30 am
Stories of ABC & 123. For children ages 3-7.

Make A Skull
Saturday, August 16
12:30-3:30 pm
Examine real skulls and then make a simple machine skull model of your own. All ages

Mandolin Orchestra Concert
Saturday, August 16
1:00 pm
The Aurora Mandolin Orchestra plays music from the Mediterranean region, including tangos, boleros, marches, and mazurkas. All ages

Make A Skull
Sunday, August 17
12:30-3:30 pm
Examine real skulls and then make a simple machine skull model of your own. All ages

Skull Sounds
Monday, August 18
11:30 am & 1:00 pm
Discover the strange sounds that animals can make with their skulls, and explore the way your skull affects your voice. All ages

Owl Pellet Forensics
Tuesday, August 19
11:30 am to 12:30 pm
Look for skulls in owl pellets and find out who is on the menu. We'll provide owl pellets, dissecting tools, and skull identification guides. All ages

Skull Detective
Wednesday, August 20
12:30 pm
Examine skulls for clues that may reveal the owner's lifestyle. See samples of food that may have been eaten when they were alive. All ages

How Do They Do That?
Thursday, August 21
11:30 am & 1:00 pm
How do animals locate prey without seeing it or hearing it? Or swallow prey bigger than their heads? Explore animal senses by looking at skulls. All ages

Bird Skulls
Friday, August 22
11:30 am & 1:00 pm
Meet a live toucan, touch real bird skulls and explore avian skull design. All ages

Children's Story Time
Saturday, August 23
10:30 am
Stories of ABC & 123. For children ages 3-7.

Make A Skull
Saturday, August 23
12:30-3:30 pm
Examine real skulls and then make a simple machine skull model of your own. All ages

Nyckelharpa and Hurdy-Gurdy
Saturday, August 23
1:00 pm
Musician Ethan James presents two sorts of "key-fiddles" (the Swedish nyckelharpa and the hurdy-gurdy), discusses their histories, and plays traditional melodies on each. All ages

Make A Skull
Sunday, August 24
12:30-3:30 pm
Examine real skulls and then make a simple machine skull model of your own. All ages

How Do They Do That?
Monday, August 25
11:30 am & 1:00 pm
How do animals locate prey without seeing it or hearing it? Or swallow prey bigger than their heads? Explore animal senses by looking at skulls. All ages

Skull Detective
Wednesday, August 27
12:30 pm
Examine skulls for clues that may reveal the owner's lifestyle. See samples of food that may have been eaten when they were alive. All ages

Skull Sounds
Thursday, August 28
11:30 am & 1:00 pm
Discover the strange sounds that animals can make with their skulls, and explore the way your skull affects your voice. All ages

Bird Skulls
Friday, August 29
11:30 am & 1:00 pm
Meet a live toucan, touch real bird skulls and explore avian skull design. All ages

Children's Story Time
Saturday, August 30
10:30 am
Stories of ABC & 123. For children ages 3-7.

Make A Skull
Saturday, August 30
12:30-3:30 pm
Examine real skulls and then make a simple machine skull model of your own. All ages

Make A Skull
Sunday, August 31
12:30-3:30 pm Examine real skulls and then make a simple machine skull model of your own. All ages

-Lectures-

Dr. Douglas Long
Wednesday, August 13, 2 & 7:30 pm $8
California Academy of Sciences
Saving Prehistory: Bird Conservation in New Zealand
Separated from the rest of the world for millions of years, the birds of New Zealand evolved into many unique and fascinating forms. With colonization, most of the native birds have become extinct or critically endangered. To preserve what is left, New Zealand has developed many radical and highly successful approaches to protecting, conserving, and increasing its bird populations.

Subhankar Banerjee
Thursday, September 18, 7:30 pm $8
California Academy of Sciences
In his book, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Seasons of Life and Land, Subhankar Banerjee's striking photographs are paired with original essays by Peter Matthiessen, David Allen Sibley, and George Schaller, among others, with a foreword by former president Jimmy Carter.

Join Banerjee as he recounts his adventures and insights developed during his time spent in the Refuge. Listen as he shares the stories behind his photography. An exhibit of Banerjee's photos at the Academy, recently opened to the public, will be open for lecture attendees to view. A book-signing will follow the lecture.

Dr. John McCosker
Wednesday, September 10, 2 & 7:30 pm $8
California Academy of Sciences
The Academy's Life Through Time: 150 Years of Discovery
Born in 1853, the Academy is the oldest and, many would say, the most important natural history museum in the West. It is certainly the most colorful, as McCosker relates in his illustrated lecture about its creators and curiosities, its expeditions and eccentrics, and its discoverers and discoveries over the last 150 years.

-Classes, Seminars and Field Trips-

A Magical Tour of the New Universe
Friday, August 8, 6:30-8 pm
$25 adults/$20 children Seminar for Families with Children Ages 6 and Up.
Join the AstroWizard on a lively tour of outer space to learn about the most recent startling discoveries-all in the comfort of Morrison Planetarium. Instructed by astronomer Dave Rodrigues.

Destination: Mars
Saturday, August 23, 6 pm Saturday to 9 am Sunday
View Mars at the closest it's been to Earth in 2,000 years! Using the telescopes at the Academy's Hume Observatory on Pepperwood Preserve in Santa Rosa, view the Red Planet's south polar cap, as well as its darker markings, and much more. Instructed by astronomer Darryl Stanford.

Natural History of the Mono Basin
Friday - Sunday, August 1-3, Adult Trip
9 am Friday-2 pm Sunday
$250 (does not include transportation, accommodations, or meals).
Spend a three-day weekend kayaking past eerily beautiful tufa formations on Mono Lake and hiking Lundy Canyon, one of the Eastern Sierra's most botanically rich and dramatic canyons. Led by naturalist David Wimpfheimer.

Coyote Hills Mudflat Ecology
Saturday, August 2, 11 am-3 pm
Trip for Families with Children Ages 5 and Up
$35 adults/$30 children.
Get your feet wet at one of the most diverse and productive landscapes in all of California: the mudflat marsh! Led by naturalist Chris Giorni.

-Exhibits-

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Seasons of Life and Land
Opening Saturday, September 13, 2003 through December 31, 2003
Polar bears on ice, a Musk Ox with her babies, awe-inspiring views of the northern lights…Seasons of Life and Land shows forty-nine extraordinary, large-format photographs of the indigenous people, mammals, birds, plants, and landscapes of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. Photographer Subhankar Banerjee is the first person to document the life and land of the refuge through four seasons. Banerjee traveled 4000 miles on foot, raft, kayak, snowmobile and small plane. His mission was to show that life pulses abundantly in the refuge during all seasons of the year.

Banerjee's photos have stirred a lot of controversy. They have been lauded by proponents for supporting conservation management of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and vilified by those who wish to see greater utilization of the refuge's resources. The exhibit provides 49 images of striking natural beauty that allow the visitor to make his or her own assessment of the value of our 49th state's natural heritage.

The exhibit is sponsored in its entirety by the California Academy of Sciences.

150 Years of Science: Exploring Nature's Wonders
Ongoing through December 31, 2003
The Academy's 150th Anniversary Exhibit: 150 Years of Science: Exploring Nature's Wonders features an enormous timeline streaming through the Academy's exhibit halls, giving visitors the opportunity to walk through 150 years of history as they learn how world events and major discoveries have shaped the pursuit of science and the Academy. The timeline will lead visitors to further exhibits that detail the Academy's plans for its future.

Skulls
Ongoing through December 31, 2003
Skulls includes almost 1,700 different dead heads -- ranging from monkeys and giraffes to warthogs and rats to bears and dolphins. Created by Academy staff, 860 sea lion skulls are on display in a 93-foot-long undulating display. Skulls shows visitors what the study of human and animal skulls can reveal about behavior, injury, disease, evolutionary adaptation, and more. This strange and stunning display will captivate young and old alike.

X-Ray Ichthyology
Closing August 26, 2003
Prepare to look at fish in a whole new light. X-Ray Ichthyology captures forty-six fish from the Academy's ichthyology collection on X-ray film. Blown up and backlit, these large-format photographs transform scaly swimmers ranging from piranhas to guitarfish into eerie, luminescent works of art.

Village Children
Ongoing through December 31, 2003
See faces of children from around the world, in villages both rural and urban. This collection of photographs is a tribute to communities that allow people to live and work in a space of human dimensions and shared values. Village Children is a traveling exhibit of photographs by the noted photographer Dr. Philip Rasori.

Dennis Anderson Photos
Ongoing through December 31, 2003
Dennis Anderson presents portraits of life on the San Francisco Bay. From glowing undersea creatures and sunset scenes to commercial fisherman and cargo handling, Anderson's work captures the Bay as an intersection of nature and commerce in still photographs. Get a glimpse of San Francisco Bay through Anderson's photography exhibit on display at the Academy in Wild California Hall.

Free Wednesday
The first Wednesday of every month is free, all year long! The museum stays open until 8:45 pm on free Wednesdays - at 5 pm step into Morrison Planetarium for a free half-hour concert. Wednesday, August 6, 9 am - 8:45 pm California Academy of Sciences, Free

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