- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Some 2000 visitors fan into the Academic Surge Building, home of the Bohart Museum and the Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology.
The Bohart Museum is the home of a global collection of eight million insect specimens. It's seventh insect collection in North America.
On BioDivDay, 15 Bohart activity stations lined the hallway. Bug enthusiasts learned about spiders, ants, flies, bees, butterflies, moths and more. They held tenants from the live petting zoo--Madagascar hissing cockroaches and stick insects (walking sticks)--and took cell phone images.
A neon poster next to the spider display read:
"Ask us questions.
SPIDERS.
And 8-legged friends.
Arachnology.
Bond lab."
"Museum Guidelines. Be curious! Avoid saying:
Ewww!
Ick!
Gross!
Yuck!"
Nobody said "ick, gross, yuck or ewww" (at least within our earshot). The crowd came curious. Some wore football attire in preparation for the Super Bowl the following day. All wore smiles or inquisitive expressions.
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 as executive director of the Bohart Museum Society.
The Bohart Musuem participated in the Biodiversity Day with Anthropology Museum, Arboretum and Public Garden, Bohart Museum of Entomology, Botanical Conservatory, California Raptor Center, Center for Plant Diversity, Nematode Collection, Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, Paleontology Collection, and Phaff Yeast Culture Collection. Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator of the Bohart Museum, chaired the Bioddiversity Museum Day Committee.
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.
- 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!
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
"Super Science Day" at the University of California, Davis, is a day before the Super Bowl.
The 13th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day, set Saturday, Feb. 10, is a free and family friendly event showcasing 10 museums or collections.
What's to see? What's to do? Should you plan to attend all of them? What would interest toddlers, teenagers and senior citizens?
Tabatha Yang, who chairs the annual event and is a co-founder and serves as the education and outreach coordinator for the Bohart Museum of Entomology, provides the answers on the Biodiversity Museum Day website:
What is the best way to experience Biodiversity Museum Day? We would suggest picking several collections to visit this year and then return next year to see the others. We intend for people to spend time at each collection instead of racing between them.
I have a toddler. Which collections are suitable for this age group? The Arboretum is outside and a great space for young visitors to explore. The Raptor Center is also outside and has live birds to observe. The Bohart has live insects to pet and the Botanical Conservatory has plants everywhere, but their greenhouses have narrow aisles. Holding or carrying your toddler through the greenhouses is an enjoyable way to take in that collection.
I have a teenager. Which collections are suitable for this age group? Anthropology is open into the afternoon and they have flint knapping and atl-atl throwing. The Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology is also a favorite as they deal with birds, mammals, fish and reptiles and amphibians. The Botanical Conservatory also has a great carnivorous plant collection.
Hidden gems? This is the one day the Phaff Yeast Collection and the Nematode Collection are showcased to the general public. They also have some of the smallest, but mightiest organisms. These scientists are so enthusiastic that you will want to become a microbiologist or a nematologist.
I will be visiting with 9-year-olds to 90-year-olds. Which collections are crowd pleasers? While all of them are, one can never go wrong with fossils at Paleontology and the pressed plants at the Center for Plant Diversity.
Where can we grab a bite to eat? The event map has some options for eating. The dining halls have a set fee and then it is all-you-can-eat. For your convenience there will be a few hot trucks at this event and you are welcome to bring your own food or explore Downtown Davis for other options.
Download the Map! Before you go on campus, download the map, which lists the location of the main information booth, the 10 museums and collections and their hours, the food locations (dining halls and food trucks) are, and the free-to-park parking lots. Sites that are grayed out on the map may not be free. TAPS (Transportation Services) controls the parking, which can be especially busy near the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts at 523 Mrak Hall and the UC Davis Health Stadium, known as the football stadium, Health Sciences Drive.)
Here's the list of the 10 museums and collections and brief information from the spokespersons:
Anthropology Museum, noon to 4 p.m.
Located in 328 Young Hall and grounds.
"Anthropology is the study of what makes us human, and it includes understanding our evolutionary history from both a biological and a cultural perspective. Try your hand at flint knapping and learn how our ancestors made stone tools, or you can test your skills at spear throwing using an atlatl. Learn about prehistoric art from caves in France by making your own block print of the animal images. Then take a tour of our museum collections, and our biological anthropology and archaeology labs. Meet our paleoanthropologists and archaeologists working in Alaska, Germany, Belgium, France, South Africa, and Peru. Learn about our archaeological field school on historical cattle ranching."
Habitat Gardens in the Environmental GATEway, adjacent to the Arboretum Teaching Nursery on Garrod Drive, open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
"Participate in the Meet Your Garden Neighbor personality quiz. Receive a sticker of your wildlife garden neighbor and search the garden for a partner plant that will support that neighbor. Participate in the Habitat Scavenger Hunt. Tour the garden to discover different ways we can provide habitat for urban wildlife in our gardens. Binoculars and hand lens available for observations."
Bohart Museum of Entomology
Room 1124 and main hall of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
"Home of a global collection of eight million insect specimens. Includes a live petting zoo (Madagascar hissing cockroaches, stick insects, tarantulas and more), and an insect-themed gift shop stocked with t-shirts, hooded sweatshirts, jewelry, books, posters, pens and insect collecting equipment. See the beautiful butterfly specimens from all over the world."
Botanical Conservatory
The greenhouses along Kleiber Hall Drive, open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
"The Botanical Conservatory houses approximately 4000 different species from all over the world. Included in the collection are carnivorous plants, succulents, tropicals including the corpse plant, and vanilla vine and chocolate tree."
1340 Equine Lane, off Old Davis Road, open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (three miles away from central campus)
"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. 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."
Center for Plant Diversity (Herbarium) Katherine Esau Science Hall off Kleiber Hall Drive, open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
"We will have plant pressing and mounting demonstrations, looking at flowers under a microscope, an exhibit on plants used for making tea, and collection room tours."
Nematode Collection, Katherine Esau Science Hall, off Kleiber Hall Drive, open 10 am. to 2 p.m.
"We will have preserved specimens of common crops and plants you see in your garden infected with nematodes. We also plan to have live C. elegans to watch how they move through the environment. Come talk to experts in the field and see why worms are cool and you will receive a cool magic worm to take home as well! Our collection will highlight both animal and plant parasitic nematodes,” said graduate student Alison Blundell of the Siddique lab. “We will have mostly all preserved specimens from our nematode collection for the community to look at, and some live free-living (good nematodes) under the microscope for viewing. We hope to inspire people to understand what a nematode is and how they can impact their own lives!"
Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, Room 1394, Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
"We are offering an in-depth behind-the scenes look at how a specimen goes from a whole carcass to cataloged specimen. Museum staff and interns will be demonstrating specimen preparation curation, cataloging, and bone numbering. A variety of specimen types will be on display and there will be some exhibits with specimens in the main hallway for visitors to enjoy and explore with ourPutah Creek biologists and docents."
Paleontology Collection, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 1309 Earth and Physical Sciences Building, 434 LaRue Road, open 10 a.m. to 2 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."
"The Phaff Yeast Culture Collection exhibits will be in the Brewery, Winery and Food Processing (BWF) facility. Come hear about our latest discoveries using more than 1,500 yeast species in the Phaff collection, see and smell many species of yeast, look at yeasts under the microscope, taste kombucha and vegemite, tour the teaching winery and the teaching brewery, and talk with students and scientists who are maintaining and performing research using this world-famous yeast collection. Parking is available in the lots near the Mondavi Center, and signs will direct you to the BWF building."
Special prizes: Jakob Lopes, a third-year animal major at UC Davis and a Bohart intern, will be making 15 to 20 crocheted triceratops and hide them around some of the buildings for folks to find and treasure. A tag reads: "CONGRATS, you found me. Now please take care of me.--Happy Biodiversity Day 2024."
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
You'll see specimens and get to talk to nematologists during the 13th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day on Saturday, Feb. 10. The free and family friendly event, known as “Super Science Day," will showcase 10 museums or collections.
The nematode collection, headed by Shahid Siddique, associate professor, Department of Entomology and Nematology, will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.. in the Katherine Esau Science Hall, off Kleiber Hall Drive.
“Our collection will highlight both animal and plant parasitic nematodes,” said graduate student Alison Blundell of the Siddique lab. “We will have mostly all preserved specimens from our nematode collection for the community to look at, and some live free-living (good nematodes) under the microscope for viewing. We hope to inspire people to understand what a nematode is and how they can impact their own lives!”
“We will have preserved specimens of common crops and plants you see in your garden infected with nematodes,” she added. “We also plan to have live C. elegans (Caenorhabditis elegans) to watch how they move through the environment. Come talk to experts in the field and see why worms are cool and you will receive a cool magic worm to take home as well!”
What visitors can expect to see:
- 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 (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.
Last year's Biodiversity Museum Day drew some 4000 people, said chair Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator for the Bohart of Museum of Entomology who co-founded the event.
"Traditionally UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day is a free, educational event for the community where visitors get to connect with UC Davis scientists from undergraduate students to staff to emeritus professors," Yang posted on the website. "In 2021, we pivoted to a month-long, virtual program. In 2022, also because of COVID regulations, we held the event in the UC Davis Conference Center as an 'expo.' In 2023 and again this year in 2024 we continued to maintain that spirit and were excited to have the event in our near our home departments."
See Biodiversity Museum Day website for more information and to download a map, which shows free parking spaces.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
When Distinguished Professor Walter Leal celebrates the newest UC Davis faculty retirees with a special program at the International Center on Wednesday, Feb. 7, he'll pay tribute to 73 emeriti faculty in the cohort. Ten will serve as speakers.
The event, titled "Celebrating Our NewestEmeriti," takes place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 643 California Ave., Davis. Seating is already sold out, but folks can see the program via Zoom, saidLeal of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and former chair of the Department of Entomology andNematology (ENT). See link at http://tinyurl.com/54ve646n.
Access the Zoom registration at http://tinyurl.com/54ve646n.
The event will have a permanent "home" on YouTube.
Of the 73 in the cohort, only one is from ENT: Professor Emerita Sharon Lawler. She continues her involvement with UC Davis via an active research project, mentoring students, and public service on occasional committees. (See news story). Numerous others from the department plan to attend, including UC Davis Distinguished Professor Emerita Lynn Kimsey, former director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology. She will be part of the next cohort.
"The cut-off time is July 1st," Leal said. "Anyone retiring after that goes to the next year's cohort."
Former ENT faculty member Arthur Shapiro, a UC Davis Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Department of Evolution and Ecology, will be among the speakers.
- Anne Britt, Professor Emerita, College of Biological Sciences (CBS), "Maintenance, Mutation, and Manipulation"
- Simon Cherry, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, College of Engineering (COE) and School of Medicine (SOM), "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words--The World of Medical Imaging"
- Paul Gepts, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CA&ES), "Biocultural Agro-Diversity: From Before the Origins of Agriculture to a Future under Climate Change"
- Inés Hernández-Ávila, Professor Emerita, College of Letters and Science (L&S), "Engaging the Indigenous Hemisphere: Research, Relationship Building & Indigenous Futurities"
- Jay Lund, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, COE, "Thoughts on the Uses and Abuses of Universities and How to Improve a Few of Them"
- Isaac Pessah, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM), "Intersection of Natural Products and Industrial Chemicals in Discovery"
- Subhash Risbud, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, COE, "A Career Spent working with STUFF: Ceramic Materials on our Earth and Maybe Out There, Too?"
- Andres Sciolla, M.D., Professor Emeritus, SOM, "Structural Determinants of Health Professions Students' Mental Health: Implications for Institutions of Higher Education"
- Arthur Shapiro, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, CBS, "It is the Year that Bears, Not the Field!" He maintains a butterfly research site at https://butterfly.ucdavis.edu.
- Ronald Tjeerdema, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, CAES, "Chemical Risk: Four Decades of Protecting Public Health and the Environment"
President Suad Joseph of the UC Davis Emeriti Association (UCDEA) will welcome the new retirees. Provost Mary Croughan will deliver the closing remarks.
As an ongoing public service project launched in 2022, Leal organizes and hosts celebrations honoring new UC Davis emeriti, their accomplishments, and their transition to the next chapter of their lives. Leal, a leading global scientist and inventor in the field of insect olfaction and communication, is internationally known for his impact in the fields of molecular, cellular biology and entomology. A member of the UC Davis faculty since 2000, he chaired the UC Davis Department of Entomology in 2006-2008 before accepting a position in 2008 as professor of biochemistry in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology. (See news story)