Spring Semester 2008

About the Environmental Events Calendar

The Environmental Events Calendar is compiled weekly during the academic year by the Department of Forest Resources, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, at the University of Minnesota.  It promotes environmentally related events of interest to students, faculty, staff, and the public.  The events include seminars, lectures, and related activities offered by many different departments and programs at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Campus.  These events are open to all.

The calendar for the coming week is posted every Friday on this website.  To have your University-sponsored event included in the calendar, send a complete description by Wednesday noon for events taking place the following week.  Include sponsor, title, speaker and affiliation, location, and time.  Email your information to enviro-events@lists.umn.edu

Every effort will be made to include all appropriate events with a direct connection to the University of Minnesota, but some will inevitably be missed because information about them was never received or received too late to be included.

How to Subscribe/Unsubscribe

The Environmental Events Calendar is available directly by email. A calendar of events for the coming week is sent every Friday during the academic year. Email your information to enviro-events@lists.umn.edu.

Weekly Events Calendar:

Special Events and Programs
(includes non-University Events)

Thursday, 7:00 p.m., June 5, 2008, Dakota Lodge, Thompson County Park, 360 Butler Avenue East, West St. Paul
MINNESOTA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY
“Music of the Leaves: How Plants Arrange Their Leaves for Most Efficient Photosynthesis,” Dr. Clarence L. Lehman, Adjunct Professor, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota
More info and map: http://www.mnnps.org

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Bell Museum of Natural History
Calendar of Events
Museum info: 612-624-7083
Registration: 612-624-9050
www.bellmuseum.org

EXHIBITS
The Lion’s Mane: Science in the Serengeti
May 10–August 31
West Gallery
Why does a lion have a mane? Does the King of Beasts need his mane for protection, or is it a signal of his power and fitness? University of Minnesota researchers Craig Packer and Peyton West were the first to test these two theories—and their research reveals surprising facts about the mane’s true purpose and its role in attracting a mate.

Mysteries in the Mud: Climate Change in the Big Woods
Through August 31
West Gallery
Minnesota’s Big Woods has thrived for hundreds of years in a region dominated by prairies. University of Minnesota geologist Bryan Shuman is discovering that changes in the climate a long time ago may have given trees an advantage over prairies. Tag along into the field and then enter a research lab to discover climate change clues in the layers of mud from the bottom of a lake.

Behind the Diorama Glass
Through August 31
Lobby Gallery
The Bell Museum is recognized as one of the great treasure houses of diorama art, with examples that trace the historical development of the diorama from its beginnings in the early 20th century to its peak in the 1940s and 1950s. Using historic images, artifacts, and film, this exhibition takes visitors behind the glass to see the people, processes, and cultural environment that led to the popularity of diorama exhibits.

CAFÉ SCIENTIFIQUE
Can Darwin Make You Healthy?
May 20, 7 p.m.
Bryant-Lake Bowl, Uptown
$5–$10 (pay what you can)
Darwin wrote about the competition between individuals that results in the survival of the fittest. But what about competitions within individuals, between the cells inside our bodies? In that struggle, cancer cells could be considered the most successful since they are the most prolific. Can Darwin provide us with a novel approach to understanding cancer? How might Darwin explain the degenerative diseases of old age? Some biologists suspect that evolution actually favors diseases of old age. In fact, an evolutionary approach to studying longevity, scrutinizing the lowly roundworm, may yield secrets to a long and vigorous life. Explore these and other medical applications of Darwinism in a discussion with Mark Decker, an evolutionary biologist in the University’s Biology Program.

SCIENCE TRIVIA
May 21, 8 p.m.
Nomad World Pub, 501 Cedar Ave. S.
$10 per team
Do you keep up with science news? Did you know that a cockroach can live nine days without a head? Do you own copies of “Blade Runner” or watch “Star Trek” reruns? Join Nomad World Pub and the Bell Museum of Natural History for Science Trivia, hosted by Doomtree MC and self-professed science geek Dessa.

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The Environmental Events Calendar is published weekly from October to June by the Department of Forest Resources, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, University of Minnesota. It lists events offered by many departments and programs at the University's Twin Cities Campus.