Spring 2023 Schedule
Welcome to 2023 and we hope you are ready for some fantastic talks this spring! Please mark your calendars for our four splendid speakers presenting cool biology on the second Thursday of every month:
- February 9: Becca Carden – Fight fire with fire: What are catastrophic wildfires and what can we do about them?
- March 9: Tristan Kubik – Fermented fantasia: A leavenly evening sure to spoil you rotten
- April 13: Erik Iverson – How animals adapt to climate change, and how can kids help them?
- May 11: Damla Cinoglu – Mysteries from the Neotropics: Trees, lianas and others
Science Under the Stars is a free public outreach lecture series in Austin, Texas. Events are held outdoors at Brackenridge Field Laboratory, 2907 Lake Austin Blvd, Austin, Texas 78703. Due to the pandemic, we may change to a virtual venue to keep our attendees and organizers safe, depending on advice from our epidemiologist colleagues. Please keep an eye on the specific event announcements to determine if they will be held in person or on zoom!
Note: We will post the precise schedules and links for each event in a separate, event-specific post. Subscribe to this blog, our Instagram, Twitter, YouTube channel, Facebook page, or send us emails to get event notifications.
March 9th, Tristan Kubik
Fermented Fantasia: A leavenly evening sure to spoil you rotten
Planet Earth is infested with germs. They coat everything from the surface of our skin to the machines we use, and yes, even the food we eat. Some of these germs can make us sick, some disgust us with their putrid byproducts, while still others poison the very air we breathe. But hiding amidst these tales of illness and foul decomposition is a love story of epic proportions. Amidst the fray of villainous viruses, bad bacteria, and insidious fungi are a few unsung heroes and gifted culinary artisans. What happens when animals break bread with these good microorganisms? What possibilities are unlocked when two unlikely allies team up and turn terrible into terribly wonderful. Together we’ll embark on an unexpectedly delicious adventure. Please join Tristan Kubik at 7pm, March 9, for a leavenly evening as he relates one of the world’s lesser-known love stories, a tale of deliberate food spoilage we affectionately refer to as fermentation!
Arrive at 6pm for kids’ table, natural history displays, and a BFL tour before the talk!
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Science Under the Stars is now on Instagram and Twitter! Please give us a follow for information on upcoming events and event photos!
February 9th, Becca Carden
Fight Fire with Fire: what are catastrophic wildfires and what can we do about them?
Becca Carden with orchids 
Lick Fire in Umatilla National Forest, OR in 2021. Photo Credit: USFS Pacific Northwest Region 
Wildflowers after a fire in Glacier National Park, MT in 2017. Photo Credit: Gillfoto 
Two Texas National Guard CH-46 Black Hawks fly over the flames to dump their water filled Bambi Buckets. Texas National Guard crews launched out of the Austin Army Aviation Facility to fight wild fires threatening homes and property near Bastrop, Texas, Sept. 6, 2011. Photo Credit: Staff Sgt. Malcolm McClendon, TX National Guard
Please join us for our first SUTS talk of the spring semester in person or virtually at 7pm, Feb 9, with Becca Carden! Arrive at 6pm for kids’ table and natural history displays before the talk!
Catastrophic wildfires are becoming more common all over the western United States, including right here in central Texas. These fires are scary, destructive, and very expensive to put out. But did you know that fire is actually beneficial for some plants and animals? In this SUTS talk, we will learn about plant and animal adaptations to fire, and how we can use tools like prescribed fire to conserve fire adapted species while also reducing the chance of dangerous catastrophic wildfires.
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Science Under the Stars is now on Instagram and Twitter! Please give us a follow for information on upcoming events and event photos!
December 8th, Pete Golightly
Deep Diving into Microbes
When you think of microbes, what are the first things that come to mind? Disease, pathogens, the same old boring things, but microbes are so much more than that! They produce the air that we breathe and the food that we eat. They live as high as our upper atmosphere and as low as the depths of the ocean, and everywhere in between. In this talk, we will take a deep dive into the incredible diversity and ecological importance that microbes have to offer, with an emphasis on the ocean!
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***ANNOUNCEMENTS***
We are moving the talk to 7 pm because of the daylight savings time change! Kid’s table and natural history table will start at 6 pm. Looking forward to seeing y’all this Thursday, 12/8!
Science Under the Stars is now on Instagram and Twitter! Please give us a follow for information on upcoming events and event photos!
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Science Under the Stars is a free public outreach lecture series in Austin, Texas. The talk will be held outdoors at Brackenridge Field Laboratory, 2907 Lake Austin Blvd, Austin, Texas 78703.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we request that visitors follow CDC and UT Austin-recommended guidelines to ensure the safety of all in attendance:
- Before attending the event, take the CDC’s online Coronavirus Self-Checker to ensure you are not experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms. If you are experiencing symptoms, please get tested and stay home.
- We highly recommend being up to date on vaccines and booster shots, and provides further protection.
- At this time, we will not be providing food or drinks; please plan accordingly.
- Maintain a physical distance of at least six feet between yourself and others, seating will be spaced appropriately.
- Use the provided hand sanitizer and wash your hands (for at least 20 seconds) frequently.
For those who still prefer to attend virtually, we will be streaming the talk live on our YouTube channel. Please tune in at 7pm CDT. We ask for your patience in case of technological difficulties as we try out this new hybrid format. Feel free to post questions for the speaker in the comments and email scienceunderthestars@gmail.com with any issues.
Though we currently plan to have in-person presentations, we may be forced to return to an online zoom format at any time, including for inclement weather. **Please subscribe to our emails, our blog, our YouTube channel, or our Facebook page for the most up-to-day event notifications.**
First time visitor? Please read our pet policy & field station rules here, and find parking info and directions here. Please note that parking permit requirements are not enforced during our events.
November 10th, Xinyi Yan
The Power of the Unseen Majority – How Soil Microbes Shape the Nature We See
Xinyi extracting soil microbial DNA. By Elena Leander. 
Indeterminate nodules growing on the roots of Medicago italica. By Ninjatacoshell 
The roots of up to 90 per cent of the trees in a forest can be colonized by many fungal species, the mycelia of which form ectomycorrhizal networks. By Sir David Read, FRS 
Plasmodial slime mold threads on rotting wood. By C. Vecchio 
Spinifex grass rings. By Ken Griffiths, Getty 
Wood Ear. By Curtis E. Young, OSU, Bugwood.org
Do you like mushrooms or beans? Have you heard of companion planting or intercropping?
The common theme uniting these two seemingly unrelated questions is soil microbes. You have (likely) not seen them, but they are everywhere and play a crucial role in shaping nature and everyone’s life. We probably have learned to think of microbes as pathogens, but that is a totally incomplete picture! Come and learn about the multiple ways soil microbes influence growth of individual plants, assembly of plant communities, and our daily life.
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***ANNOUNCEMENTS***
We are moving the talk to 7 pm because of the daylight savings time change! Kid’s table and natural history table will start at 6 pm. Looking forward to seeing y’all on Thursday!
Science Under the Stars is now on Instagram and Twitter! Please give us a follow for information on upcoming events and event photos!
————————————————
Science Under the Stars is a free public outreach lecture series in Austin, Texas. The talk will be held outdoors at Brackenridge Field Laboratory, 2907 Lake Austin Blvd, Austin, Texas 78703.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we request that visitors follow CDC and UT Austin-recommended guidelines to ensure the safety of all in attendance:
- Before attending the event, take the CDC’s online Coronavirus Self-Checker to ensure you are not experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms. If you are experiencing symptoms, please get tested and stay home.
- We highly recommend being up to date on vaccines and booster shots, and provides further protection.
- At this time, we will not be providing food or drinks; please plan accordingly.
- Maintain a physical distance of at least six feet between yourself and others, seating will be spaced appropriately.
- Use the provided hand sanitizer and wash your hands (for at least 20 seconds) frequently.
For those who still prefer to attend virtually, we will be streaming the talk live on our YouTube channel. Please tune in at 7pm CDT. We ask for your patience in case of technological difficulties as we try out this new hybrid format. Feel free to post questions for the speaker in the comments and email scienceunderthestars@gmail.com with any issues.
Though we currently plan to have in-person presentations, we may be forced to return to an online zoom format at any time, including for inclement weather. **Please subscribe to our emails, our blog, our YouTube channel, or our Facebook page for the most up-to-day event notifications.**
Here’s the schedule for this month’s event:
- 6:00 pm: Kid’s activities and natural history displays of local animals and plants found at Brackenridge Field Laboratory
- 6:15 pm-6:45 pm: Guided tour of the field lab (wear sturdy shoes and bring water)!
- 7:00 pm: Settle in, because the talk begins now!
- 7:45 pm: Q&A with the speaker
First time visitor? Please read our pet policy & field station rules here, and find parking info and directions here. Please note that parking permit requirements are not enforced during our events.
Science Under The Stars 