PAST EVENTS from 2022

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

Career panel discussion

Career panel discussion- Thursday April 21 during UCSC Alumni Week, from 4:30-5:30
How does a passion for natural history translate into a career? Join the conversation April 21 from 4:30-5:30 with fellow alumni who are working in various natural history-related fields. This hour is for folks at any career stage - whether you're just starting out and seeking advice, curious about potential next steps, or reaching retirement and wondering how to pay it forward. We'll feature a panel of alumni and follow it up with breakout rooms. Bring your burning questions and your experiences to share!

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