PAST EVENTS

10th Anniversary Norris Center Natural History Symposium

Building Community Through Natural History

The Norris Center Art and Research Symposium

Saturday, Feb 24th, 2024 at the UCSC Hay Barn
Norris Center's 10th anniversary Natural History Symposium! Theme of "Building Community Through Natural History", 

Keynote speaker: 
Dr. Justin Cummings is a UCSC Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Ph.D. alum now serving as Third District Supervisor in Santa Cruz County. He will be joining us during this year’s symposium to speak on his background and the many experiences and connections he's made that have contributed to his path as a community environmental leader. His keynote speech is titled: “Preparing Yourself To Preserve Our Environment".

Justin grew up on the South Side of Chicago and attended Eastern Illinois University where he received a B.A. in Spanish and Biology. In 2007, Justin moved to Santa Cruz to pursue a Ph.D. at UCSC where his research focused on invasive species management and tropical forest restoration in Panama. In 2020, Justin was the first Black man appointed to serve as Mayor of Santa Cruz. As a renter, environmental scientist, and young professional in Santa Cruz, Justin has placed diversity, equity, inclusion, and environmental protection at the forefront of the decision-making process.
Justin Cumming-Santa Cruz County website
UCSC Newsletter


Faculty speaker: 
Dr. Lily Balloffet is an Associate Professor of Latin American and Latino Studies at UCSC. She teaches and writes about moving beings, ideas, and things in our hemisphere. Her current book project is titled American Venom: Animals, Science, & Hemispheric Relations, and gives a historically grounded account of venomous snakebite - one of the world’s most critical neglected tropical diseases according to the World Health Organization. This research brings to light the humans and animals involved in over a century of antivenom pharmaceutical production in Latin America. At this year’s symposium, Lily will be joining us through a speech titled: “From The Ground Up: Snakes, Science, And History.”

Gradute Student speaker: 
Maddie McNelis is a PhD Student in the Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Department, Maddie is in the Mehta Lab. Maddie is interested in lactation, and the organs that make the magic of milk happen. Maddie was first introduced to the Norris Center as a Mammalogy TA, and loved working with students and the museum. Maddie will be working as a graduate assistant in the Norris Center next quarter!

Student speaker: 
Ty Brown has worked with the Norris Center since the summer of 2024. Ty was the one of the Norris Centers CAMINO interns. Ty created the spectacular 2024 pollinator calendar! Ty is now a Norris Center student curator focusing on art-science. Ty’s talk titled: “Timing is Everything”, is about the making of the 2024 pollinator calendar!

Norris Center Art and Research Symposium, 2023

We had student presentations, displays, a guest talk by Dr. Winifred Frick and an art workshop!

Guest speaker: Dr. Winifred Frick Title: Discovering a lost bat species in Africa: How natural history and collaborative science are saving Hill’s horseshoe bat in Rwanda Description: The story of the re-discovery of Hill’s horseshoe bat in Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda showcases the importance of collaborative conservation and the formative role of natural history to inform effective conservation efforts. 

Career panel discussion- Thursday April 21 during UCSC Alumni Week

Featured Alums at the Career panel discussion were:

Jodi McGraw is the Principal of Jodi McGraw Consulting—a small, woman-owned firm that assists private and public clients with projects primarily designed to protect rare and endangered species and conserve biodiversity. Although her firm’s projects occur throughout Central Coastal California, Jodi specializes in projects to protect the Santa Cruz Sandhills—a unique community found only in Santa Cruz County. Jodi received her Bachelor’s degree in Biology and Environmental Studies from Rachel Carson College in 1995, and her Doctorate in Integrative Biology from UC Berkeley in 2004.Contact: jodi@jodimcgrawconsulting.com
 
Eric Medina-Can is a first-generation college graduate from UC Santa Cruz with a BS in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and a BA in Latin American Latino Studies. After graduating in 2019 Eric completed a post-baccalaureate program at Yale University studying bacteriophage and has worked for several non-profits helping coordinate food distributions and bridging spanish speaking families to legal and financial resources. Most recently he has returned to Santa Cruz to work as the Restoration and Education Steward of Younger Lagoon Reserve where he works in the field alongside students and community members.
Contact: eimedina@ucsc.edu

Emily Cobar is the Community Program Manager at Los Angeles Audubon Society, a nonprofit organization that focuses on wildlife conservation through research, education, recreation, and habitat restoration. Emily leads many environmental education programs for varying audiences from inner-city elementary school students to high school students to community college students. She enjoys teaching about the natural history of Los Angeles, including topics such as water conservation, plant communities, urban wildlife, geology, and more.
Contact: emilycobar@gmail.com

Susan Monheit has recently retired from a 30 year career in the environmental field which included experience in both public and private sector work. Areas of experience/expertise include: Water quality, contaminated soils, Ecological and Human Health Risk Assessments, environmental toxicology, regulatory compliance, hydropower relicensing, salmonid habitat restoration, endangered species conservation, and environmental contamination cleanup. She has worked for Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, ChemRisk, Levine-Fricke, California Department of Food and Agriculture, State Water Resources Control Board, and the US Geological Survey. Susan is now involved in creating a sustainable, off-grid, permaculture, Ayurvedic, Eco-retreat center on an island in Bocas, Panama. She is interested in mentoring young and upcoming environmental students to take the reins and guide stewardship of our planet.
Contact: smonheit74@gmail.com

Aldo Lopez is the Land Programs Coordinator with the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County. Born and raised in Oxnard, CA, Aldo’s love for the outdoors began with time spent at Lake Cachuma and Gaviota Beach. With a Master’s degree from the University of San Francisco in Environmental Management and a concentration in ecology, Aldo worked throughout California gaining restoration and forestry experience, most recently for Watsonville Wetlands Watch. Aldo engages a more diverse community in Santa Barbara County’s amazing and biodiverse ecosystems. When Aldo isn’t working on restoration projects or program development, he is taking long road trips to National and State parks, hiking with his dogs, and enjoying concerts and football games. Contact: alopez9272@gmail.com

Day of the Dead: Honoring Our Scientific Ancestors

November 2, 2022 starting at 3pm, Day of the Dead: Honoring Our Scientific Ancestors Celebrate with friends, snacks, and activities. We will then walk down to the Quarry to join El Centro's main Day of the Dead event.  Join us as we learn about various scientists, naturalists and elders. Such as Rachel Carson, George Washington Carver, Fabian Garcia, Ken Norris, Randell Morgan, and others. We will also have snacks, and activities such as Papel Picado and paper flowering building, among other activities.

Art show opening- Visualizing the the Origins of Life on the Early Earth

November 4, 2022, Art show opening- Visualizing the the Origins of Life on the Early Earth. Art and Science merge to help visualize the birth of eukaryotic cells and the origin of life on the early Earth. A collaborative project between artist Shoshanah Dubiner and scientist Dave Deamer.  

Pocket-Sized Landscapes in Watercolor

May 28, 2022 10am-1pm Pocket-Sized Landscapes in Watercolor. 
Join us at UCSC and learn how to paint miniature landscapes from life in this morning workshop from 10am-1pm outside the ARC Center near the McHenry Library at UCSC. We’ll practice techniques for distilling the landscape down to its essential components and learn how to compose a scene with UCSC’s tree lined meadows for inspiration. We’ll cover brush handling, color mixing and various watercolor techniques so you’ll have the tools you need for painting landscapes on the go. This quick and loose practice is great for hiking, traveling, journaling, and recording the landscape when you don’t have a lot of time. The pocket landscapes can serve as inspiration for larger paintings back home and often are beautiful little gems on their own. All art supplies provided. No experience required. Instructor: Erika Perloff www.erikaperloff.com Cost: $20 for current UCSC students and $60 for all other community members. 

Years of Wonder weekend celebration gathering

June 3-5, 2022 50 Years of Wonder weekend celebration gathering
This is the fourth and final event celebrating 50 years of natural history education and research here at UCSC. Join us and the greater UCSC natural history community for a fun, inspirational weekend of seeing old friends, networking with new ones, learning and sharing our skills as naturalists, and celebrating as a community (live music, dancing, and more!)

Norris Center Natural History Symposium 2022

Norris Center Natural History Symposium at the UCSC Arboretum- March 6th
Join us in-person at the UCSC Arboretum on Sunday March 6 from 1-5pm. Come to mingle with our current cohort of undergraduate students, hear several short talks from students working on a diversity of different natural history-related projects, explore the life at the arboretum on your choice of guided tours, and participate in a keynote presentation and follow-up discussion led by new Environmental Studies faculty member Dr. Natalia Ocampo-Penuela. Light snacks will be provided. Please register in advance as we can only accommodate a limited number at this event. Please come expecting to follow current campus COVID protocols.

The title of Dr. Natalia Ocampo-Penuela talk is "The invisible naturalist: Mrs. Elizabeth Kerr". In the talk Dr. Natalia Ocampo-Penuela will explore the "Natural history expeditions in the 20th century were mostly led and carried out by men, and it was a huge surprise when our expedition team discovered a woman collector who worked in Colombia in the 1900s. Her name was Mrs. Elizabeth Kerr and most of her legacy to natural history remained unknown and unrecognized. I will tell the story of how we found Mrs. Kerr, what her legacy means for Colombian science, and how she served as a role model and inspiration for a modern all-female bird expedition in Colombia, the country with the highest bird diversity globally. A tale of old and modern expeditioners through the lens of a field female ecologist" Event Flyer

Speaker: Author and wildlife biologist Dr. J. Drew Lanham

On Monday January 31, 2022. The Norris Center for Natural History invited author and wildlife biologist Dr. J. Drew Lanham to speak to the UC Santa Cruz natural history community about the convergence of the environmental and social justice movements. Dr. Lanham spoke about this and other related ideas in his recent essay “A Convergent Imagining”. This event is part of the 50 years of Wonder Events, celebrating 50 years of natural history education at UC Santa Cruz.

See Dr. Drew Lanham's talk here.

Natural History Symposium

On Sunday March 6, 2022, the Norris Center for hosted the Natural History Symposium at the UCSC Arboretum. Undergraduate students gave short talks about their work on different natural history-related projects, participants explored the life at the arboretum on guided tours, and participated in a discussion led by new Environmental Studies faculty member Dr. Natalia Ocampo-Penuela, following her talk,  "The invisible naturalist: Mrs. Elizabeth Kerr". In the talk Dr. Natalia Ocampo-Penuela  spoke about Mrs. Elizabeth Kerr and how most of her legacy to natural history remained unknown and unrecognized. She told the story of how they found Mrs. Kerr, what her legacy means for Colombian science, and how she served as a role model and inspiration for a modern all-female bird expedition in Colombia, the country with the highest bird diversity globally. A tale of old and modern expeditioners through the lens of a field female ecologist.

 Look, Act, Inspire

Look. Act. Inspire: Sustaining & Expanding the Community of Naturalists in Santa Cruz County