|
What's on at the California Academy of Sciences
Exhibits, Lectures, Programs and Events
March 2002
-Exhibits-
Skulls
OPENING: March 30 2002 through 2003
Don't miss this chance to get inside our heads! Skulls - a thrilling exploration
of the architecture and function of the skull - is coming to The California
Academy of Sciences on March 30, 2002. This exhibit, created by Academy
staff, will show visitors what the study of human and animal skulls can
reveal about behavior, injury and disease, evolutionary adaptation, and
more. Hundreds of skulls from around the world will be featured in this
strange and stunning display.
Powers of Ten
OPENING: March 30, 2002 through January 2003 - Please note change in opening
date
Come visit a place where the farthest reaches of the Universe and the
familiar features of your own back yard are just a few steps - and a few
zeros - apart. Powers of Ten, an exhibit based on the landmark film by
Charles and Ray Eames, will bring this exponential journey through time
and space to The California Academy of Sciences on March 30, 2002.
-Special Events-
Nigerian Sculpture Artist In Residence
For three months, Nigerian artist Geoffrey Nwogu will be at the Academy
working on a sculpture installation on the public floor. Mr. Nwogu will
create a family of three deity figures modeled from mud clay, positioned
in a decorative structure consisting of platform and backdrop. The finished
work will resemble a typical mbari house, customarily built as a ritual
offering to the gods in villages in Igboland, Southeastern Nigeria. Wednesdays
through Saturdays, March 1-March 30 10 am - 4 pm
This program is funded by the Creative Work Fund in San Francisco, which
supports collaborations between local artists and non-profit institutions.
The Academy was one of six recipients awarded grants in the Traditional
Arts category in 2001.
Kevin Keller Trio - Concert Across the Sky
You and your family are invited to share in this special concert celebration
with the Kevin Keller Trio. Well known to Bay Area audiences for their
blend of beautiful music and state-of-the-art visuals, cellist Tania Simoncelli,
bassist Mark Fassett, and keyboardist Kevin Keller, return to the planetarium
with an exciting new show called "Across the Sky."
Sunday, March 24 8 pm
Morrison Planetarium
$12 members and seniors / $15 non members
-Lectures-
The Leakey Speaker Series on Human Origins
The Academy of Sciences and the LSB Leakey Foundation are pleased to continue
the Leakey Speaker Series on Human Origins with the following two lectures.
Women Who Hunt with Fire
Anthropology professor Dr. Rebecca Bird will be speaking about mosaic
burning in the arid zone of Australia, which is commonly assumed to be
a hunting and land management strategy closely tied to men's ritual imperatives.
Knowing why men and women of contemporary foragers hunt differently may
illuminate our understanding of the evolutionary origins of the sexual
division of labor. Research with contemporary aboriginal foragers, the
Mardu, in Australia's Great Sandy Desert shows that women, more often
than men use fire as a hunting strategy. Dr. Bird explores these strategies
and explains their implications for understanding the ecology of gender
differences among contemporary hunter-gatherers.
Thursday, February 28 7:30 pm
$8 members/$12 non-members
Becoming Human
Join Dr. Ian Tattersall as he traces the fascinating major events in human
physical and cognitive evolution over the last four million years, pondering
the question, "How and when did we become fully human?" Our
evolution was not a gradual linear process; rather, it was an eventful
story of experimentation, with new species constantly generated and extinctions
regularly taking place. In light of this, it is an unusual for us to be
the lone hominid in the world today.
Thursday, March 21 7:30 pm
$8 members/$12 non-members
Scientific Conversations: Luis Baptista and Beyond
This evening's lecturer, Claudia Dreifus, has made a career out of talking
to some of the most interesting, intelligent people the world has to offer.
She has interviewed celebrities, world leaders, political dissidents¾and
most important for this lecture, cutting-edge scientists. In this lecture,
she will be joined a special guest who also appears in her book and specializes
in Forensic Math--Charles Brenner. The interview format of this lecture
promises to be lively and informative, as Claudia Dreifus explores the
mind and spirit of this great scientist.
Wednesday, March 13 2 pm & 7:30 pm
Free for members/ $12 for non-members
Lifting the Cosmic Veil Through Infrared Astronomy
Dr. Michael D. Bicay, Assistant Director for Community & Public Affairs,
SIRTF Science Center, California Institute of Technology, discusses how
infrared light provides a probe into regions that are otherwise obscured
from our view by dust. He will summarize the most important scientific
results obtained since the first infrared satellite surveyed the cosmos
in 1983. He will provide a glimpse into the next 15 years, when infrared
light will be exploited to discover the birth remnants of new planetary
systems, to directly image planets around nearby stars, and to search
for spectroscopic signatures of terrestrial-size planets capable of sustaining
life.
Tuesday, March 19 7:30 p.m.
$3 for all
Conversations at the Herbst Theater 2002
The Academy of Sciences is pleased to announce the 2002 Conversations
at the Herbst Theater series presented in conjunction with City Arts and
Lectures.
Peter Matthiessen & Gary Snyder in Conversation with Peter Coyote
Writer explorer, poet and actor activist come together for an evening
of enlightening and intriguing conversation in conjunction with City Arts
and Lectures.
Monday, March 25 8 pm
$16 members/$18 non-members
Robert Sapolsky:
Wednesday April 24 8 pm
E.O. Wilson: The Annual Claire Matzger Lilienthal Distinguished Lecturer
In conversation with Penny Nelson
Thursday May 9 8 pm
Tony Hillerman In conversation with Roy Eisenhardt
Wednesday, May 29 8 pm
Gretel Ehrlich & Michael Pollan
Wednesday, June 5 8 pm
Luis Baptista Memorial Concert
Pianist Jeffrey Kahane will be joined by distinguished chamber musicians
Peter Wyrick, Eric Wyrick, and Laura Flax in Olivier Messiaen's monumental
Quartet for the End of Time.
Wednesday, May 22 8 pm
-Classes & Field Trips-
Chandra's Universe
Adult Seminar
What is Chandra telling us about galaxies? What is Galileo discovering
about Europa? How will Cassini expand our knowledge of Saturn? Find out
how these and other space probes are expanding our knowledge of our solar
system and universe.
Darryl Stanford
Monday, March 11 7-9 pm
$20 members/$25 non-members
-Public Programs & Events-
Free Wednesday
The first Wednesday of every month is free, all year long! The museum
stays open until 8:45 pm on Free Wednesdays - come and enjoy the extended
hours!
Wednesday, March 6 10 am - 8:45 pm
California Academy of Sciences
The American A Cappella Tradition
The Richter Scales are a "bevy of gentlemen songsters," who
perform in a variety of styles. Most of these singers were trained in
the collegiate a cappella tradition. Today's program, which focuses on
American standards, will also include a discussion of the contemporary
a cappella scene.
Saturday, March 2 1 pm
Free with museum admission
A Cappella Harmonies with SoVoSo
From the Soul to the Voice to the Song members of SoVoSo will demonstrate
their dynamic and inspirational "voices only" music making and
group improvisation. The singers also will lead the audience in a lively
session of "circlesinging", initiating rhythmic, repeated melodic
phrases or sounds, in three or more interlocking parts to build a spontaneous
vocal invention.
Wednesday, March 6 1 & 2:30 pm
Morrison Auditorium
Mesoamerican Musical Instruments
Artist and musician Ernesto Hernández Olmos offers a demonstration
of the making and playing of pre-Columbian instruments from Mesoamerica.
Join us in learning how to make maracas, rainsticks, guiros, drums or
other indigenous instruments
Saturday, March 9 1 pm
Free with museum admission
Wushu: Chinese Martial Arts
The Chinese practice of wushu, or martial arts, dates back more than 6000
years. Originally a means of self defense, wushu today is practiced as
both a cultural endeavor and a sport it may eventually be an Olympic sport--if
the Chinese have their way. Wushu, which promotes health and enhances
strength and concentration, has thousands of forms. Today's program features
members of the San Francisco Wushu Team.
Saturday, March 16 1 pm
Free with museum admission
Rebuilding Australopithecus
See the facial reconstruction of our ancient ancestor the 'Taung Child'
and learn how modern forensic technology is applied to the skull reconstruction
process in an australopithecine cranium. Natural history and biological
sculptor Gloria Louise Nusse will be working onsite explaining the process
to visitors.
Saturday & Sunday March 30-1 11:30 am & 1:30 pm
Free with museum admission
Skull Detective
Join Academy naturalist Juan-Carlos Solis and examine the skulls of various
vertebrates as we look for clues that may reveal how the animal lived.
We'll explore shark, whale, and bird skulls and see samples of the food
they may have eaten when they were alive.
March 30 12:30 & 2:30 pm
Free with museum admission
- Kids: Places To Go -
Steinhart Aquarium
Come watch live sharks, alligators, penguins hundreds of fish and a living
coral reef at the Steinhart Aquarium. The Steinhart houses over 600 varieties
of aquatic life in 165 individual tanks. Open ocean fish swim around you
in the 100,000-gallon fish roundabout (feedings take place at 1:30 pm
daily). Penguin feedings take place at
11:30 am and 4 pm each day.
California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park
Open 365 days of the year
- Kids: Things To Do -
Expanded Junior Academy Offerings - Spring Break
To accommodate various school schedules, we've expanded our spring holiday
classes. This year, enjoy two weeks of fun-filled, hands-on activities
for kids 6 to 15 years old. Come investigate fossils, take a tour of the
universe, or be a field scientist for a day. Our Spring/Summer 2002 Course
Catalog is includes more details and registration information.
Tuesday-Thursday, March 26-28 & April 2-4, 9 am-noon & 1-4 pm
Nature Discovery - ongoing
Each year the California Academy of Sciences offers children, families
and adults more than 200 field trips, workshops and classes focusing on
science and the natural world. Explore tide pools in Marin, discover birds
in Golden Gate Park or learn how to draw and paint animals in Steinhart
Aquarium.
Children's Story Time - ongoing
Story Time takes place near the T-rex at the front entrance of The California
Academy of Sciences each Saturday at 10:30 am.
Free with museum admission
# # # #
|
