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What's On At The California Academy of Sciences
Exhibits, Lectures, Programs and Events
June 2003
150 Years of Science Ongoing through December 31, 2003
Skulls Ongoing through December 31, 2003
X-Ray Ichthyology Ongoing through December 31, 2003
Village Children Ongoing through December 31, 2003
Dennis Anderson Photos Ongoing through December 31, 2003
Summer Hours Begin May 24, 2003
The California Academy of Sciences once again extends its regular hours
open to the public for summer. Beginning May 24, 2003 and continuing through
Labor Day, Monday, September 1, 2003 the Academy will be open from 9 am
to 6 pm. After September 1, the Academy will return to regular business
hours from 10 am to 5 pm. The Academy is open every day.
-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' Ferris wheel to offer birds eye views of Golden Gate Park
Saturday, September 6, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday, September 7,
from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Throughout the weekend, the Academy will celebrate
its birthday with musical and children's entertainment, scientific demonstrations,
street festival foods and free cake.
Before Cable Cars, Golden Gate Park, the Pony Express, or the Transcontinental
Rail Road was the California Academy of Sciences. Founded in 1853, the
Academy is celebrating 150 years with a special exhibit, 150 Years: Exploring
Nature's Wonders, lectures, programs and activities. More information
on the Academy's 150th Anniversary is available online at www.calacademy.org
The Festival is free and open to the public, admission to the museum will
remain $8.50 for adults, $5.50 for youth ages 11- 17, $2.00 for children
ages 4-11 and free for children ages 3 and under. Visitors who ride bikes
or take public transit will receive free admission to the museum.
-Free Programs-
Bare Bones
Take a crash course on recognizing animals by their skulls alone. Examine
human, hyena, turtle and rodent skulls, learning important details used
by experts to compare species. Wednesday, June 4 and Wednesday, June 11,
11:30 am & 1:30 pm; FREE with museum admission
Skull Sounds
Discover the strange sounds that animals can make with their skulls, and
explore the way your skull affects your voice. Thursday, June 5, 11:30
am & 1:30 pm; FREE with museum admission
Children's Story Time
Stories from the Seashore. Saturday, June 7, Saturday, June 14, Saturday,
June 21, and Saturday, June 28, for ages 3-7. 10:30 am; FREE with museum
admission
How Do They Do That?
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.
Saturday, June 7 and Thursday, June 19, 11:30 am & 1:30 pm; FREE with
museum admission
Bird Skulls
Meet a live toucan, touch real bird skulls and explore avian skull design.
Sunday, June 8, and Wednesday June 18, 11:30 am & 1:30 pm; FREE with
museum admission
Make A Skull
Examine real skulls and then make a simple machine skull model of your
own. All ages. Thursday, June 12, Sunday, June 15, Saturday, June 21,
Sunday, June 22, Wednesday, June 25, Thursday, June 26 and Saturday, June
28, 12:30-3:30 pm; FREE with museum admission
Mysterious Victims
Examine the hunting technique of hawks, eagles and other flying predators.
Saturday, June 14, 11:30 am and 1:30 pm; FREE with museum admission
A Social History of Juggling
Juggler Andrew Conway will discuss the social contexts surrounding the
traditional art of juggling. His presentation will be illustrated with
lively demonstrations of various styles of juggling and the use of such
diverse props as clubs, balls, rings, devilsticks, diabolos, and cigar
boxes. Saturday, June 14, 1 pm; FREE with museum admission
Owl Pellet Forensics
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.
Tuesday, June 17 11:30 am-12:30 pm; FREE with museum admission
Oral Improvisation Workshop
Improvisation-the art of on-the-spot creation-is central to the oral traditions
of many societies. In Eastern Europe, Central and Southeast Asia, Africa
and elsewhere, the verbal dexterity required to compose oral verse is
a valued skill. In this workshop, poet and storyteller Tureeda Mikell
offers you the chance to develop your own skills in the creation of oral
poetry. Saturday, June 21, 1 pm; FREE with museum admission
Chinese Dance
Diana Ming Chan and the Heritage Dancers perform songs and dances from
the folk and classical traditions of China. Saturday, June 28, 1 pm; FREE
with museum admission
-Lectures-
Botox Nation: When Human Faces Loose Their Humanity
Nina Jablonski, Ph.D.
Botox cosmetic procedures have become a popular and relatively painless
way to reduce the severity of frown lines and make the face look younger.
Join Jablonski for this lecture as she explores how the use of Botox,
by immobilizing the muscles in the face, may lead to miscommunication
of feelings and intentions. Wednesday, June 11, 2 & 7:30 pm $8 members;
California Academy of Sciences
Black Holes, Jets and Einstein's Dream
Active galaxies shine more brightly than regular galaxies due to increases
in the mass of enormous black holes at their centers as gravity causes
the collection of surrounding interstellar gases and other objects. Some
produce jets moving at nearly the speed of light, leading to several illusions
predicted by Einstein. Phenomena that Einstein only imagined are now observed
in many places in our Universe. Dr. Meg Urry from Yale University will
discuss these fascinating objects in the final lecture of the spring Dean
series. Tuesday, June 10, 7:30-9 pm, $3. Tickets may be purchased at the
door 415-750-7127. California Academy of Sciences
Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the First Ascent of Everest
Peter Hillary
Peter Hillary is an excellent alpinist who-like his father, legendary
explorer Sir Edmund Hillary-has climbed Mt. Everest and traversed Antarctica
to the South Pole. In this lecture, Hillary presents with photos the value
and the impact of adventure travel on remote eco-systems and cultures
throughout the world, the science of high-altitude climbs, and combines
heart-stopping and humorous stories of challenge, perseverance, and achievement
that are at once both inspirational and entertaining. Author of five books
and many articles, Hillary will also be signing his latest book, In the
Ghost Country. Thursday, June 12, 7:30 pm $8. California
Academy of Sciences.
-Classes, Seminars and Field Trips-
Fossil Impressions
Capture fleeting impressions of ancient life forms by using stamps to
transfer beautiful fossil patterns onto a shirt. Instructed by enthusiast
Ralph Miller III. Workshop for Families with Children Ages 6 and up-Sunday,
June 1, 1-4 pm $40 adults/$35 children.
Botany of the Bay Area: Coastal Communities
Discover the unique mechanisms the Bay Area's coastal plants have developed
to live in harsh coastal communities. Instructed by botanist Glenn Keator.
Adult Seminar and Field Trip-three Wednesdays, June 11, 18 & 25, 7-9
pm, & three Sundays, June 15, 22 & 29, 10 am-3 pm; $110 Registration
required
Biological Illustration in Color
Learn to create brilliant images of flowers, seashells, butterflies, and
other creatures using the layered-burnished colored pencil technique.
Instructed by zoologist and artist Charles Stasek. Adult Workshop-Sunday,
June 8, 9:30 am-4:30 pm $65.
Pepperwood Adventurers
The Academy's Pepperwood Preserve, located in Sonoma County, serves as
base camp and laboratory for this exciting outdoor-education adventure.
Spend three days exploring its many interesting habitats, where cool coyotes,
fun frogs, and pesky pigs roam. Instructed by Academy staff. Camp Academy
for Children Ages 10-12-Orientation: Monday, June 16, 1-3 pm; Field Trip:
Tuesday-Thursday, June 17-19, 8:45 am Tuesday-5:00 Thursday $375. Scholarships
are available.
Botanical Illustration: Cacti and Other Succulents
Celebrate the summer solstice by using graphite pencils to draw the various
succulents in Strybing Arboretum & Botanical Gardens. Instructed by
artist Carolynne Griffin. Adult Workshop-Saturday, June 21, 10 am-4 pm
$65.
The Secret Lives of Birds
Discover the unexpected places birds build their nests, the materials
they use, and the variety of parenting skills they employ in Golden Gate
Park and in your own backyard. Instructed by Academy ornithologist Moe
Flannery. Field Trip for Families with Children Ages 6 and up. Saturday,
June 28, 9 am to noon $35 adults/$30 children, registration required
-Exhibits-
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, this exhibit is festooned with 860 sea lion heads 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
Ongoing through December 31, 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, June 4, 10 am - 8:45
pm California Academy of Sciences, Free
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