- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
News flash: This year, at the 13th annual Biodiversity Museum Day, set Saturday, Feb. 10, visitors are bound to marvel at "A Bird's Eye View."
It's an epic large-scale ceramic-mosaic of raptors (and insects) that's newly installed on an outside wall of the visitors' center. It pays tribute to "the interactions between insects and birds," said UC Davis distinguished professor Diane Ullman, an internationally recognized entomologist and artist with the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.
It's primarily the work of UC Davis students in the Entomology 001 course, "Art, Science and the World of Insects," a general education class taught by Ullman and supported by the department.
Ullman and Gale Okumura, a visual communicator and a retired faculty member in the UC Davis Department of Design, led the project and created pieces, as did others from UC Davis and members of the community.
Ullman describes "A Bird's Eye View" as "an epic large-scale mural, 8-feet tall and 22-feet wide, made of more than 1300 handmade ceramic relief artworks, tiles and trim pieces."
"The mural celebrates 11 key raptor species found in California and 84 insect species that are either parasites of these raptors or eaten by them," Ullman said.
More information--illustrated with photos--will be posted next week on the UC Davis Entomology and Nematology website (and on Bug Squad blog).
The Raptor Center will be open from 9 a.m. 3 p.m., Feb. 10 during the UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day. ""Our non-releasable ambassador raptors can be seen on exhibit, and several of our glove-trained ambassador raptors will be out with their handlers throughout the day," said Julie Cotton, co-manager of operations. "Visitors will have the opportunity to see multiple native raptor species up close and talk to our experts. We are happy to answer questions about birds of prey! Our small on-site museum will also be open with taxidermy specimens and interactive raptor-related activities."
Meanwhile, what is the UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day? It's like a Super Science Day. This year 10 museums and collections will be featured. It's a great opportunity to talk to UC Davis scientists and see their work, and it's free and family friendly.
- Anthropology Museum, 328 Young Hall and grounds, open from noon to 4 p.m.
- Arboretum and Public Garden, Habitat Gardens in the Environmental GATEway, adjacent to the Arboretum Teaching Nursery on Garrod Drive, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Bohart Museum of Entomology, Room 1124 and main hall of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Botanical Conservatory, the greenhouses along Kleiber Hall Drive, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- California Raptor Center, 1340 Equine Lane, off Old Davis Road, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Located three miles south of the central campus.)
- Center for Plant Diversity, Katherine Esau Science Hall off Kleiber Hall Drive, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Nematode Collection (part of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology), Katherine Esau Science Hall, off Kleiber Hall Drive, 10 am. to 2 p.m.
- Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, Room 1394, Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Paleontology Collection, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 1309 Earth and Physical Sciences Building, 434 LaRue Road, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Phaff Yeast Culture Collection, Robert Mondavi Institute Brewery and Food Processing facility, Old Davis Road, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
See Biodiversity Museum Day website for more information and to download a map, which shows the locations, where food purchases are available, and free parking lots. The map points out grayed-out parking lots that may require paid parking.
Last year's Biodiversity Museum Day drew some 4000 people, said chair and co-founder Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator for the Bohart of Museum of Entomology. See Biodiversity Museum Day website for more information and to download a map, which shows the locations, where food purchases are available, and free parking lots. The map points out grayed-out parking lots that may require paid parking.
And when you visit the California Raptor Center (part of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine) be sure to see the "Bird's Eye View." Absolutely incredible!
![This is the newly installed mural, This is the newly installed mural,](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/104781.jpg)
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Plans are underway for the 13th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day, a free "Super Science Day" for the public to see science in action and learn about 10 UC Davis museums and collections.
The event is set for Saturday, Feb. 10, the weekend before Presidents' Day weekend.
Participating will be:
- Anthropology Museum, 328 Young Hall and grounds, open from noon to 4 p.m.
- Arboretum and Public Garden, Habitat Gardens in the Environmental GATEway, adjacent to the Arboretum Teaching Nursery on Garrod Drive, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Bohart Museum of Entomology, Room 1124 and main hall of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Botanical Conservatory, the greenhouses along Kleiber Hall Drive, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- California Raptor Center, 1340 Equine Lane, off Old Davis Road, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Center for Plant Diversity, Katherine Esau Science Hall off Kleiber Hall Drive, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Nematode Collection, Katherine Esau Science Hall, off Kleiber Hall Drive, 10 am. to 2 p.m..
- Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, Room 1394, Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Paleontology Collection, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 1309 Earth and Physical Sciences Building, 434 LaRue Road, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Phaff Yeast Culture Collection, Robert Mondavi Institute Brewery and Food Processing facility, Old Davis Road, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Each year more than 200 volunteers--students, staff and faculty--from across campus help more 4,000 visitors--including other UC Davis students, staff and faculty--"learn about biodiversity through our amazing biological collections," said UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day chair Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator for the Bohart Museum of Entomology.
![Entomologist Jeff Smith, who curates the Lepidoptera collection at the Bohart Museum of Entomology, shows butterfly specimens to guests. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) Entomologist Jeff Smith, who curates the Lepidoptera collection at the Bohart Museum of Entomology, shows butterfly specimens to guests. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/104193.jpg)
![Billy Thein of the California Raptor Center introduces a golden eagle to the crowd at a recent UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) Billy Thein of the California Raptor Center introduces a golden eagle to the crowd at a recent UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/104196.jpg)
![The Center for Plant Diversity creates a The Center for Plant Diversity creates a](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/104197.jpg)
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Other sounds will include the "sound of silence" at still-life displays, but not really, as questions and answers will flow, says Biodiversity Museum chair,Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator at the Bohart Museum of Entomology.
Billed as a Super Science Day--a day in which visitors can chat with scientists and see their work--the event is free and family friendly.
The insects are housed in the Bohart Museum of Entomology's petting zoo; the raptors at the California Raptor Center; and the yeast in the Phaff Yeast Collection, which will be shown in the Robert Mondavi Institute Brewery and Food Processing facility.
The Biodiversity Museum Day will showcase 11 museums or collections:
- Anthropology Museum, 328 Young Hall and grounds, noon to 4 p.m.
- Arboretum and Public Garden, Habitat Gardens in the Environmental GATEway, adjacent to the Arboretum Teaching Nursery on Garrod Drive, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Bohart Museum of Entomology, Room 1124 and main hall of the Academic Surge Building, Crocker Lane, 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m.
- Botanical Conservatory, the greenhouses along Kleiber Hall Drive, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- California Raptor Center, 1340 Equine Lane, off Old Davis Road, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Center for Plant Diversity, Sciences Laboratory Building/Esau Science Hall, off Kleiber Hall Drive, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Nematode Collection, Sciences Laboratory Building/Esau Science Hall, off Kleiber Hall Drive, 9 am. to 3 p.m..
- Marine Invertebrate Collection, Sciences Laboratory Building/Esau Science Hall, off Kleiber Hall Drive, 9 am. to 3 p.m.
- Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, Room 1394, Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Paleontology Collection, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 1309 Earth and Physical Sciences Building, 434 LaRue Road, 12 noon to 4 p.m.
- Phaff Yeast Culture Collection, Robert Mondavi Institute Brewery and Food Processing facility, Old Davis Road, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (See news story)
Maps are available online and also will be handed out at the Biodiversity Museum Day. Yang said visitors can purchase food at the assorted food trucks. Parking, she added, is also free. Those who wish to donate can do so by accessing this page.
![A Madagascar hissing cockroach is also called a A Madagascar hissing cockroach is also called a](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/97691.jpg)
![Peruvian stick insects are popular at the Bohart Museum of Entomology's petting zoo. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) Peruvian stick insects are popular at the Bohart Museum of Entomology's petting zoo. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/97692.jpg)
![This is Jack, a red-tailed hawk ambassador at the California Raptor Center on Old Davis Road, UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) This is Jack, a red-tailed hawk ambassador at the California Raptor Center on Old Davis Road, UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/97693.jpg)
![Research microbiologist Kyria Boundy-Mills, curator of the Phaff Yeast Culture Collection, is ready to answer questions. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) Research microbiologist Kyria Boundy-Mills, curator of the Phaff Yeast Culture Collection, is ready to answer questions. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/97694.jpg)
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
The web page, Live Talks and Demonstrations, provides more information and the Zoom links. All presentations are free and family friendly.
Here's what's on tap from Feb. 13 through Feb. 24:
Saturday, Feb. 13, 10 a.m. to noon:
Live Demonstration: Museum Bird Preparation
Irene Engilis collections manager of the Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, and a team of students and staff will show how to prepare a dead bird as a scientifically valuable museum specimen. They will answer questions about the process and how they study birds both in the museum and in the wild.
Access this link to obtain the Zoom link, http://biodiversitymuseumday.ucdavis.edu/live-programs.html
Saturday, Feb. 13, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Live Talk: All About Yeasts
This will include a 20 minute pre-recorded presentation from 10 a.m. to 10:20, followed by a live question-and-answer session. Emeritus Professor Marc-André Lachance, recently retired from Western University in Ontario, Canada and a UC Davis alumnus, will talk about his global yeast-collecting expeditions.
Access this link to obtain the Zoom link, http://biodiversitymuseumday.ucdavis.edu/live-programs.html
Saturday, Feb. 13, 11 a.m. to noon
Live Talk and Questions and Answers: All About Ants
Doctoral students Jill Oberski and Ziv Lieberman of the Phil Ward lab, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, will discuss ants and host a question-and-answer session, followed by a 15-minute talk by doctoral student Zach Griebenow about his research on ant evolution.
Access this link to obtain the Zoom link, http://biodiversitymuseumday.ucdavis.edu/live-programs.html
Saturday, Feb. 13, Noon to 2 p.m.
Live Demonstration: Museum Bird Preparation by Irene Engilis collections manager of the Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, and a team of students and staff will show how to prepare a dead bird as a scientifically valuable museum specimen. They will answer questions about the process and how they study birds both in the museum and in the wild.
Access this link to obtain the Zoom link, http://biodiversitymuseumday.ucdavis.edu/live-programs.html
Saturday, Feb. 13, 1 to 2 p.m.
Live Talk: Raptor Diversity
Julie Cotton, education director of the California Raptor Center, will answer questions and discuss birds of prey, wildlife rehabilitation and the diversity of raptors.
Access this link to obtain the Zoom link, http://biodiversitymuseumday.ucdavis.edu/live-programs.html
Saturday, Feb. 13, 2 to 4 p.m.
Live Talks: Anthropology and Ask an Anthropologist
- Faculty and staff from the Department of Anthropology will present a series of talks. Questions are encouraged throughout the event, and there will also be a special time at the end to "Ask An Anthropologist."
- 2 to 2:15: "Animal Ecology in Precontact California"--Jelmer Eerkens
- 2:15 to 2:30: "Gorillas, Poop, and Nematodes--Neetha Iyer
- 2:30 to 2:45: "Reconstructing Human Evolution: A 3-D Jigsaw Puzzle--Mayowa Adegboyega,
- 2:45 to 3 p.m: "Paleolithic Stone Tool Technology at Nihewan Basin, P.R. China"--Corey Johnson
- 3 to 3:15 p.m. "Zoonotic Disease and Andean Camelid Domestication"--Kathy Morucci https://www.youtube.com/watch/Q4076iRb9tk
- 3:15 to 3:30: Netting Dovekies in NW Greenland--Erika Ebel
- 3:30 to 3:45, "Spirits of the Animals: Precontact and Contemporary Inuit Art"-- Christyann Darwent
- 3:45-4:00 p.m. Ask an Anthropologist
Access this link to obtain the Zoom link, http://biodiversitymuseumday.ucdavis.edu/live-programs.html
Monday, Feb. 15, noon to 1 p.m.
Live Talk: All About Heliconius Butterflies (Repeat by popular demand)
UC Davis postdoctoral fellow Kathy Darragh will deliver her second live talk on Heliconius butterflies, answering questions about these tropical butterflies. She earlier presented a talk on Feb. 7. Click here for the presentation in Spanish. She holds a bachelor's degree in zoology and a doctorate from the University of Cambridge (England). During her Ph.D. she studied in the lab of Chris Jiggins, investigating the pheromones of Heliconius butterflies, focusing on chemical ecology, behavior and genetics.
Access this link to obtain the Zoom link, http://biodiversitymuseumday.ucdavis.edu/live-programs.html
Thursday, Feb. 18, 1 to 2 p.m.
Live Talk: 'Murder Hornets' with Lynn Kimsey
Professor Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, will discuss Asian giant hornets (Vespa mandarinia), recently discovered in Canada and Washington State. The news media has nicknamed them "murder hornets." Says Kimsey: "l will focus on the biology of common pest paper wasps, like western yellowjacket, European paper wasp and the bald-faced hornet and of course, true hornets and whether they're a threat to California."
Access this link to obtain the Zoom link, http://biodiversitymuseumday.ucdavis.edu/live-programs.html
Saturday, Feb. 20, 11 a.m. to noon
Live Talk, Questions and Answers: All About Ants, Part II
Entomology professor Phil Ward will host a fun and lively question-and-answer session, "All About Ants," based on his many years collecting and studying ants from around the world.
Access this link to obtain the Zoom link, http://biodiversitymuseumday.ucdavis.edu/live-programs.html
Tuesday, Feb. 23, 12:15 to 12:45
Live Talk: All About Bees and Gardens
This will be a live question-and-answer session with Christine Casey, manager of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology's Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven. She will discuss what's blooming in the Davis garden and what bees are active.
Access this link to obtain the Zoom link, http://biodiversitymuseumday.ucdavis.edu/live-programs.html
Wednesday, Feb. 24, 1 to 2 p.m. (postponed)
Live Talk: Botanical Conservatory in Spanish
Ernesto Sandoval, collections manager will spotlight the Botanical Conservatory. He earlier presented a program in English.
Access this link to obtain the Zoom link, http://biodiversitymuseumday.ucdavis.edu/live-programs.html
About UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Month
The 10th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Month program is all virtual this year via live talks and demonstrations, and pre-recorded presentations. It's being celebrated throughout the month of February. The science-based event traditionally occurs on only one day--the Saturday of Presidents' Weekend, when families and friends gather on campus to learn first-hand about the UC Davis museums and collections. The 2020 event drew more than 4000 to the campus.
This year's biodiversity event is featuring 12 museums or collections:
- Anthropology Museum
- Arboretum and Public Garden
- Bohart Museum of Entomology
- Botanical Conservatory
- California Raptor Center
- Center for Plant Diversity
- Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven
- Nematode Collection
- Marine Invertebrate Collection
- Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology
- Paleontology Collection
- Phaff Yeast Culture Collection
For more information and the schedule, access these two formats on the UC Davis Biodiversity program website: (1) live talks and demonstrations and (2) pre-recorded talks and activities. Information on the biodiversity museum events also appear on social media, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, @BioDivDay.
To help support the Biodiversity Museum event, contributions are being accepted through a month-long crowdfunding campaign program at https://crowdfund.ucdavis.edu/project/24310.
![The Asian giant hornet, Vespa mandarinia, will be the topic of a UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Month program at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 18 when Professor Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, presents a live talk. (Photo courtesy of the Washington State Department of Agriculture) The Asian giant hornet, Vespa mandarinia, will be the topic of a UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Month program at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 18 when Professor Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, presents a live talk. (Photo courtesy of the Washington State Department of Agriculture)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/78064.jpg)
![Carpenter ants, Camponotus semitestaceus, in Alamo Creek Park, Vacaville. Members of the Phil Ward lab will discuss a variety of ants at two presentations: one on Feb. 13 and on Feb. 20.(Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) Carpenter ants, Camponotus semitestaceus, in Alamo Creek Park, Vacaville. Members of the Phil Ward lab will discuss a variety of ants at two presentations: one on Feb. 13 and on Feb. 20.(Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/78066.jpg)
![A honey bee and a yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenki, sharing a purple coneflower. Christine Casey, manager of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology's Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, will engage in a live question-and-answer session on Tuesday, Feb. 23 from 12:15 to 12:45. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) A honey bee and a yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenki, sharing a purple coneflower. Christine Casey, manager of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology's Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, will engage in a live question-and-answer session on Tuesday, Feb. 23 from 12:15 to 12:45. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/78067.jpg)
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
No? Ever watched scientists prepare a bobcat specimen for display? Or taken a selfie with a red-tailed hawk? Or petted a stick insect or a pine cone? How about kombucha tea--ever tasted it?
You can do that and more at the eighth annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day, set from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 16. The free, family friendly event will feature 13 museums or collections. All are within walking distance except for the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven on Bee Biology Road and the Raptor Center on Old Davis Road. The hours vary from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from noon to 4 p.m.
The science-based event, exploring the diversity of life, drew more than 4000 visitors to the campus last year, according to Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator for the Bohart Museum of Entomology.
New this year is the Marine Invertebrate Collection in the Sciences Laboratory Building, off Kleiber Hall Drive. “Visitors can expect to see specimens collected from Oahu and Baja California, and live corals,” said spokesperson Ivani Li. “There will be a touch tank. At some point there will be a brief presentation about squids where we will be showing off our Humboldt Squid or jumbo squid.”
The UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day, always held the Saturday of Presidents' Day weekend, is billed as a “free, educational event for the community where visitors get to meet and talk with UC Davis scientists from undergraduate students to staff to emeritus professors and see amazing objects and organisms from the world around us.” Parking is also free. Maps are available on the Biodiversity Museum Day website at http://biodiversitymuseumday.ucdavis.edu/.
These seven collections will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.:
- Arboretum and Public Garden, Good Life Garden, next to the Robert Mondavi Institute, 392 Old Davis Road, on campus
- Bohart Museum of Entomology, Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, Crocker Lane
- California Raptor Center, 340 Equine Lane, off Old Davis Road
- Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, Room 1394, Academic Surge Building, Crocker Lane
- Paleontology Collection, Earth and Physical Sciences Building, 434 LaRue Road
- Phaff Yeast Culture Collection, Robert Mondavi Institute of Wine and Food Science, 392 Old Davis Road, on campus
- Viticulture and Enology Culture Collection, Robert Mondavi Institute of Wine and Food Science, 392 Old Davis Road, on campus
The following will be open from noon to 4 p.m.:
- Anthropology Museum, 328 Young Hall and grounds
- Botanical Conservatory, Greenhouses along Kleiber Hall Drive
- Center for Plant Diversity, Sciences Laboratory Building, off Kleiber Hall Drive
- Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, Bee Biology Road, off Hopkins Road (take West Hutchison Drive to Hopkins)
- Nematode Collection, Sciences Laboratory Building, off Kleiber Hall Drive
- Marine Invertebrate Collection, Sciences Laboratory Building, off Kleiber Hall Drive
All participating museums and collections have active education and outreach programs, Yang said, but the collections are not always accessible to the public. Maps, signs and guides will be available at all the collections, and also online at http://biodiversitymuseumday.edu, and on social media, including Facebook and Twitter, @BioDivDay.
Capsule information on each:
Arboretum and Public Garden
The Arboretum and Public Garden will present “investigation stations” from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Good Life Garden, next to the Robert Mondavi Institute, 392 Old Davis Road, on campus. Visitors will learn about the importance of bees, hummingbirds and moths as pollinators. They can play fun games, and color and craft their own pollinator pets.
Bohart Museum of Entomology
The Bohart Museum of Entomology, located in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building on Crocker Lane, will be open from 9 a.m. to noon, The Bohart is the home of a world-class collection of nearly 8 million insect specimens. Insect scientists will meet with the public to help them explore insects and spiders (arachnids). Highlights will include the 500,000-specimen butterfly/moth collection, curated by entomologist Jeff Smith. The Bohart maintains a live “petting zoo,” comprised of Madagascar hissing cockroaches, walking sticks and tarantulas.
California Raptor Center
The California Raptor Center, located at 1340 Equine Lane, Davis, just off Old Davis Road, will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Visitors will see a living collection of non-releasable raptors, including hawks, owls and a golden eagle. The center's educational ambassador birds will be out "on the fist", so visitors can get a close look and talk to the volunteers about the birds of prey that live in this area.
Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology
The Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, located in Room 1394 of the Academic Surge Building, Crocker Lane (off LaRue Road) will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. “We're planning an action packed morning with displays highlighting carnivores, bats, reptiles and fish,” said director Andrew Engilis Jr. “There will be specimen preparation demos (bobcat and raptors) as well as a kid crafts table.”
Paleontology Collection
The Paleontology Collection, located in the Earth and Physical Sciences Building, 434 LaRue Road, will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Visitors can view fossil specimens dating from as old as 550 million years ago to more recent animal skeletons. Paleontology graduate students in invertebrate and vertebrate paleontology will answer questions and provide interesting factoids.
Phaff Yeast Culture Collection and Viticulture and Enology Culture Collection
These collections will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Robert Mondavi Institute,392 Old Davis Road, on campus. Visitors can learn about the importance of microbes in research, biotechnology, and food and beverages, and about the proud history of two of the world's prominent microbe collections.
Visitors can
- Tour the UC Davis teaching winery and brewery
- See and smell dozens of yeast species
- Use microscopes to look at yeast cultures
- Learn how yeasts and bacteria are important for making fermented foods and beverages
- Taste vegemite, marmite, and kombucha tea
- Hear how to make clothes from yeast and bacteria
- Hear about cutting edge research using these microbe collections and
- Listen to yeast jokes
Anthropology Museum
The Department of Anthropology Museum, located in 328 Young Hall, will be open from noon to 4 p.m. The Anthropology Museum curates collections of archaeological, ethnographic, biological and archival materials. Visitors will:
- See how different peoples around the world incorporate biodiversity into personal adornment
- Learn about how the native peoples of the Central Valley made use of the area's biodiversity
- Find out what our hominin ancestors looked like
- Explore the anatomical diversity of our primate relatives
- Learn to throw a spear with an atlatl or use a Peruvian sling shot to hit your target
- Learn how to make stone tools by flintknapping
- Explore how archaeologists identify the various animals people used for food, tools, and clothing
The Botanical Conservatory
The greenhouses in the Botanical Conservatory on Kleiber Hall Drive will be open from noon to 4 p.m. Visitors can expect to see carnivorous plants; a chocolate tree loaded with fruit; succulents and other desert plants including the Madagascan spine forest plants that lemurs climb on; the giant leaves of the Titan arum plant, and Mimosa pudica aka sensitive plant whose leaves fold up when touched, said collections manager Ernesto Sandoval. “And, weather permitting, we'll encourage visitors to stroll the paths of the Biological Orchard and Gardens--an outdoor extension of Botanical Conservatory's role in undergraduate education at UC Davis.”
Center for Plant Diversity Herbarium
The Center for Plant Diversity Herbarium, located in Room 1026 of the Sciences Laboratory Building, central campus (off Kleiber Hall Drive), will be open from noon to 4 p.m.. Curator Ellen Dean said visitors can tour the collection area, see plant pressing and mounting demonstrations, “pet our plant zoo” (a table showcasing the diversity of plants, including mosses, pine cones, ferns and flowering plants); look and plants under a microscope, and view oak exhibit. The children's activity? Making herbarium specimens.
Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven
Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, a half-acre bee demonstration garden located next to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, Bee Biology Road, will be open from noon to 4 p.m. "At the Honey Bee Haven, visitors can learn about bees and see the plants they use," said manager Christine Casey. "We'll have tips for identifying bees in gardens, and our catch and release bee vacuums will be available so folks can safely catch and observe bees up close. We'll also be doing an almond tasting event to coincide with the start of California's most economically important crop pollination season." A six-foot long sculpture of a worker bee by artist Donna Billick of Davis anchors the haven, which was planted in the fall of 2009.
Nematode Collection
The nematode collection will open from noon to 4 p.m. in the Science Laboratory Building, (off Kleiber Hall Drive. It will feature both live and slide-mounted nematodes, as well as jars of larger parasites. Nematodes, also called worms, are described as “elongated cylindrical worms parasitic in animals or plants or free-living in soil or water. They exist in almost every known environment.”
Marine Invertebrate Collection
The Marine Invertebrate Collection will open from noon to 4 p.m. in the Science Laboratory Building, off Kleiber Hall Drive. Visitors can view specimens collected from Oahu and Baja California, and live corals. There also will be a touch tank and Humboldt squid presentation.
![The Bohart Museum of Entomology is home to nearly eight million specimens in its worldwide collection. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) The Bohart Museum of Entomology is home to nearly eight million specimens in its worldwide collection. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/58012.jpg)
![Youths catch and release bees at the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) Youths catch and release bees at the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/58013.jpg)
![Kyria Boundy-Mills, Phaff collection curator and specialist, UC Davis Food Science and Technology, talks to visitors at UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) Kyria Boundy-Mills, Phaff collection curator and specialist, UC Davis Food Science and Technology, talks to visitors at UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/58014.jpg)
![Ernesto Sandoval, collections manager of the UC Davis Botanical Conservatory on Kleiber Hall Drive, talks to visitors. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) Ernesto Sandoval, collections manager of the UC Davis Botanical Conservatory on Kleiber Hall Drive, talks to visitors. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/58015.jpg)
![A lion specimen in the UC Davis Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, Academic Surge Building. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) A lion specimen in the UC Davis Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, Academic Surge Building. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/58016.jpg)
![Raptor Center volunteer Billy Thein of Dixon shows a golden eagle named Sullivan at a UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) Raptor Center volunteer Billy Thein of Dixon shows a golden eagle named Sullivan at a UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/58017.jpg)
![Graduate student and nematologist Christopher Pagan talks to the crowd at UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day. (Photo by Kathy keatley Garvey) Graduate student and nematologist Christopher Pagan talks to the crowd at UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day. (Photo by Kathy keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/58018.jpg)