- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
It's about a day of discovery, a day of exploration, and a day to chat with the UC Davis scientists about their work and see their displays.
For students trying to decide on a scientific career, this is the place to be. For adventurers, who love learning, this is the place to be. Plus, it's free and family friendly. You download a map on the website for the locations.
But don't try to make all 11 venues in that one day.
That's great advice from BioDiv coordinator Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator for the Bohart Museum of Entomology.
"I would encourage people to choose two to three places to visit and spend time in each venue," Yang said today. "Then next year for our 15th anniversary, visit two to three different collections. "
"Unfortunately, the Anthropology Museum couldn't participate this year because Young Hall is under renovations, but we are grateful to the Design Museum for opening up their current exhibit to the public on Biodiversity Museum Day. The theme of their exhibit is 'Student Journalling While Abroad.' Journals are important field tools to all the Biodiversity Museum Day collections, so we think it ties in nicely to Biodiversity Museum Day."
The participants:
- Arboretum and Public Garden, Habitat Gardens in the Environmental GATEway, adjacent to the Arboretum Teaching Nursery on Garrod Drive. Hours: noon to 4 p.m.
- Bohart Museum of Entomology, Room 1124 and main hall of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane. Hours: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Botanical Conservatory, the greenhouses along Kleiber Hall Drive. Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- California Raptor Center, 1340 Equine Lane, off Old Davis Road (Located three miles south of the central campus.) Hours: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Center for Plant Diversity, Katherine Esau Science Hall off Kleiber Hall Drive. Hours: 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. Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, Room 1394, Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane. Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Paleontology Collection, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 1309 Earth and Physical Sciences Building, 434 LaRue Road. Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Phaff Yeast Culture Collection, Robert Mondavi Institute Brewery and Food Processing facility, Old Davis Road.Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Visual Journal Exhibit (new), Design Museum at Cruess Hall, Room 124, 375 California Ave. Hours: 1 to 5 p.m.
- Moth Documentary (new), Cruess Hall, Room 100, 375 California Ave. Hours: 2:45 to 5 p.m.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
You can.
The 14th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day, also known as "Super Science Day," is set for Saturday, Feb. 8. It's an opportunity to see displays, engage in scores of activities, and chat with the scientists.
Visitors will see everything from a great-horned owl at the California Raptor Center, dog heartworm specimens at the nematology display, monarch butterfly specimens at the Bohart Museum, and a variety of plants at three places: the Arboretum and Public Garden, the Botanical Conservatory, and the Center for Plant Diversity.
And much, much more, including displays at the Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, the Paleontology Collection and the Phaff Yeast Culture Collection.
It's all free and family friendly. So is the parking.
Your hosts:
- Arboretum and Public Garden, Habitat Gardens in the Environmental GATEway, adjacent to the Arboretum Teaching Nursery on Garrod Drive. Hours: noon to 4 p.m.
- Bohart Museum of Entomology, Room 1124 and main hall of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane. Hours: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Botanical Conservatory, the greenhouses along Kleiber Hall Drive. Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- California Raptor Center, 1340 Equine Lane, off Old Davis Road (Located three miles south of the central campus.) Hours: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Center for Plant Diversity, Katherine Esau Science Hall off Kleiber Hall Drive. Hours: 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. Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, Room 1394, Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane. Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Paleontology Collection, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 1309 Earth and Physical Sciences Building, 434 LaRue Road. Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Phaff Yeast Culture Collection, Robert Mondavi Institute Brewery and Food Processing facility, Old Davis Road. Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Visual Journal Exhibit (new), Design Museum at Cruess Hall, Room 124, 375 California Ave. Hours: 1 to 5 p.m.
- Moth Documentary (new), Cruess Hall, Room 100, 375 California Ave. Hours: 2:45 to 5 p.m.
Committee chair Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator and a co-founder of the Biodiversity Museum Day, points out that "Super Science Day" is an opportunity for youngsters to think about scientific careers.
Mark your calendar! Biodiversity Museum Day is an event you won't want to miss.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
The Bohart Museum of Entomology, University of California, Davis, is gearing up for the new year.
Open houses or special events planned from January through May include:
Saturday, Jan. 11:
General Open House
1 to 4 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 8
14th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day, a Super Science Day on campus
Various times (schedule pending; at least nine museums are expected to participate)
Sunday, March 2
Venomous vs. Poisonous
1 to 4 p.m.
Saturday, April 12
111th annual UC Davis Picnic Day
Bohart Pop-Up Tent at Briggs Hall
Times pending
Sunday, May 18
Open House: Insects, Life Stages
1 to 4 p.m.
The Bohart Museum, located in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, UC Davis, houses a global collection of eight million insect specimens, plus a live petting zoo (featuring Madagascar hissing cockroaches, stick insects and tarantulas) and an insect-themed gift shop stocked with books, posters, jewelry, T-shirts, hoodies, insect-collecting equipment and more.
The public is invited to visit the Bohart Museum on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 1 to 4:30 p.m. Note that admission is always free at the Bohart Museum.
Bohart Museum director is Professor Jason Bond, who is the Evert and Marion Schlinger Endowed Chair in Insect Systematics, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology; and associate dean, UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
The Bohart Museum was founded in 1946 by noted entomologist Richard M. Bohart (1913-2007), professor and chair emeritus of the Department of Entomology. His former doctoral student, Lynn Kimsey, served as the director of the Bohart Museum for 34 years, retiring on Feb. 1, 2024 as a UC Davis distinguished professor emerita. She continues her research and her work as the executive director of the Bohart Museum Society.
More information is available from the website at https://bohart.ucdavis.edu/pr by contacting bmuseum@ucdavis.edu.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
The 14th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day is set for Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025. announced coordinator and co-founder Tabatha Yang, the public education and outreach coordinator for the Bohart Museum of Entomology.
Biodiversity Museum Day. billed as a "Super Science Day," is an opportunity to see displays, engage in activities, and talk to the scientists. Visitors see everything from red-tailed hawks at the California Raptor Center, dog heartworm specimens at the nematology display, butterfly specimens and a live petting zoo at the Bohart Museum, and plants galore at the Arboretum and Public Garden, the Botanical Conservatory, and the Center for Plant Diversity. And much more.
And it's free and family friendly.
Details are progressing, but nine museums or collections--and maybe more--are expected to participate:
- Arboretum and Public Garden, Habitat Gardens in the Environmental GATEway, adjacent to the Arboretum Teaching Nursery on Garrod Drive
- Bohart Museum of Entomology, Room 1124 and main hall of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane
- Botanical Conservatory, the greenhouses along Kleiber Hall Drive
- California Raptor Center, 1340 Equine Lane, off Old Davis Road (Located three miles south of the central campus.)
- Center for Plant Diversity, Katherine Esau Science Hall off Kleiber Hall Drive
- Nematode Collection (part of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology), Katherine Esau Science Hall, off Kleiber Hall Drive
- Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, Room 1394, Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane
- Paleontology Collection, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 1309 Earth and Physical Sciences Building, 434 LaRue Road
- Phaff Yeast Culture Collection, Robert Mondavi Institute Brewery and Food Processing facility, Old Davis Road
Anthropology will not be able to participate due to departmental renovations and some key retirements.
Stay tuned for more information. The 2025 event will take place the day before Super Bowl, so it's Super Science Day on Feb. 8, and Super Bowl on Feb. 9.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
They came. They saw. They held out their hands.
Hands? Yes, to hold Madagascar hissing cockroaches and stick insects (walking sticks).
The Bohart Museum of Entomology greeted some 1400 visitors during the 13th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day, an event held Feb. 10 and showcasing 10 museums or collections across campus.
The Bohart Museum houses a global collection of eight million insect specimens, plus a live petting zoo ("the hissers" and "the sticks") and an insect-themed gift shop stocked with T-shirts, hooded sweatshirts, books, posters, stuffed animals, jewelry and insect-collecting equipment.
The entrance to the Bohart features a 5x6-foot photograph of a cuckoo or emerald wasp, commonly known as "the ruby-tailed wasp." It's the work of noted British photographer Levon Bliss. The microscupture encompasses more than 8,000 separate images.
Inside, Jeff Smith, who curates the Lepidoptera collection, and Bohart associate Greg Kareofelas, answered questions about the butterfly and moth specimens.
New director of the Bohart Museum is professor and arachnologist Jason Bond, the Evert and Marion Schlinger Endowed Chair, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, and associate dean, UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Bond succeeds UC Davis distinguished professor emerita Lynn Kimsey, who served as director from 1999 until Jan. 31, retiring on Feb. 1. Kimsey continues her research and in serving as executive director of the Bohart Museum Society.
The next open house at the Bohart Museum will be from 1 to 4 p.m., Sunday, March 3. The theme: "Grasshoppers,Crickets and Katydids." A talk is planned from 1 to 2 p.m., with the museum open from 2 to 4 p.m.
The Bohart Museum also is planning its annual open house for the annual UC Davis Picnic Day on Saturday, April 20.
Founded in 1946 by UC Davis professor Richard Bohart, the insect museum is located in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane. More information is on its website or by contacting bmuseum@ucdavis.edu.
