Illuminating Growth: The Story of Light and Plants

Is light just a source of energy for plants, or does it play a more intricate role in plant development? Curious about how light regulate every aspect of plant growth? Join Yanan Bai, graduate student in Plant Biology, on April 10th to discover the hidden secrets of how light shapes the life of plants.

Lecture Schedule

• 7:00 pm: Kid’s activities and natural history displays
• 7:15 pm – 7:45 pm: Guided tour of the Brackenridge Field Laboratory (sturdy shoes and water recommended!)
• 8:00 pm: The talk begins!
• 8:45 pm: Q&A with the speaker

📍 Location: Brackenridge Field Laboratory, 2907 Lake Austin Blvd, Austin, Texas 78703
💡 No RSVP is required – just show up and enjoy!
🅿️ Free parking is available at BFL for all lecture events!
🌦️ While we aim to host all events outdoors, sometimes weather conditions or volunteer capacity may require that we move the event inside the laboratory building.

Important Note About Parking

At our last SUTS event, a few of our visitors received parking tickets from UT PTS. We sincerely apologize for this inconvenience and ask that those who received tickets dispute them with PTS. We ask that visitors please park east of the entrance to BFL. For more information and assistance please contact Brackenridge Field Laboratory Manager Jason Lawson.

Jason Lawson
832-722-9447
Jlawson3413@utexas.edu

Follow us on our Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, or email us to stay updated on event-specific details. We look forward to seeing you at our events! ✨

Picking Your Poison: How Plant Chemical Traits Defend Against Herbivores, Attract Pollinators, and Influence Toxic Butterflies

Have you ever wondered why coffee plants make caffeine? Or why peppers evolved to be spicy? 🌶️ Join us on March 13th as PhD candidate Fiona MacNeill explores plant chemistry, the relationships between plants and their partners—like pollinators and insect herbivores—and how plant chemicals manipulate interactions with other species. Plus, why this matters for people too! 🌼🐝

Lecture Schedule

• 7:00 pm: Kid’s activities and natural history displays
• 7:15 pm – 7:45 pm: Guided tour of the Brackenridge Field Laboratory (sturdy shoes and water recommended!)
• 8:00 pm: The talk begins!
• 8:45 pm: Q&A with the speaker

📍 Location: Brackenridge Field Laboratory, 2907 Lake Austin Blvd, Austin, Texas 78703
💡 No RSVP is required – just show up and enjoy!
🅿️ Free parking is available at BFL for all lecture events!
🌦️ While we aim to host all events outdoors, sometimes weather conditions or volunteer capacity may require that we move the event inside the laboratory building.

Follow us on our Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, or email us to stay updated on event-specific details. We look forward to seeing you at our events! ✨

Today’s STEM Girl Day was a huge success!

✨Hundreds of K-8 future scientists stopped by our table to explore the wonders of nature. Our natural history collection featuring mammal skeletons, bird specimens, and wet specimens of reptiles and amphibians sparked so much curiosity and excitement that we ran through 400 gloves!

💡Our “What Nature Topic Excites You Most?” board was covered in sticky notes with amazing ideas for future talks. The Science Under The Stars coloring books disappeared in no time, and we handed out a ton of stickers! 

⭐️None of this would have been possible without our incredible volunteers. From answering questions to keeping everything running smoothly, they made this event happen. Huge shoutout to our team for sharing their passion for nature and inspiring the next generation of scientists!

🐝Up next: Join us this Thursday (2/27) for a Science Under The Star event all about bees! We are teaming up with the Texas Science Festival for a buzzing good time. We’ve restocked our stickers and T-shirts, and we’ll have the brand-new coloring books——free to grab! Hope to see you there!

Buzzworthy Behaviors and the Sting of Anthropogenic Stressors

How do bees learn to navigate the dazzling variety of flowers — and how do plants ensure their pollinators do the job? Join PhD candidate Leeah Richardson on February 27th as we dive into the intricate world of bee foraging. Explore how bees process floral diversity, from colors and scents to shapes, and how their behavior is shaped by farming practices, landscapes, and pesticides. Learn how these tiny pollinators help sustain ecosystems — and how human actions impact their ability to do so.

Lecture Schedule

• 7:00 pm: Kid’s activities and natural history displays
• 7:15 pm – 7:45 pm: Guided tour of the Brackenridge Field Laboratory (sturdy shoes and water recommended!)
• 8:00 pm: The talk begins!
• 8:45 pm: Q&A with the speaker

This event is part of the 2025 Texas Science Festival. Check out the other amazing events hosted by College of Natural Sciences at UT Austin!

📍 Location: Brackenridge Field Laboratory, 2907 Lake Austin Blvd, Austin, Texas 78703
💡 No RSVP is required – just show up and enjoy!
🅿️ Free parking is available at BFL for all lecture events!
🌦️ While we aim to host all events outdoors, sometimes weather conditions or volunteer capacity may require that we move the event inside the laboratory building.

Follow us on our Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, or email us to stay updated on event-specific details. We look forward to seeing you at our events! ✨

🎨 Join us at STEM Girl Day at UT Austin on February 22! We’ll have a table featuring our activity: Coloring, Creatures, and Curiosity. Explore fascinating Austin animals, get creative with coloring, and ask UT biologists anything you’re curious about. Don’t forget to register for STEM Girl Day 2025!

Leafcutter Ants: The Amazing Fungus Farmers

After last month’s delay, our first talk of the Spring 2025 SUTS season is this week on Thursday! Join Juju Dessert, Molecular Biology PhD candidate at UT Austin, on February 6th to explore the fascinating world of leafcutter ants! These ants aren’t eating the leaves they carry—they use plant matter to cultivate a special fungus in their underground chambers. It’s like farming, but instead of growing vegetables, they grow the fungus that serves as their food. Juju’s research delves into the incredible partnership between these ants and their fungus, focusing on the special enzymes they use to break down tough plant material. Discover how this unique collaboration works and why it’s so important to our ecosystems!

Lecture Schedule

• 7:00 pm: Kid’s activities and natural history displays
• 7:15 pm – 7:45 pm: Guided tour of the Brackenridge Field Laboratory (sturdy shoes and water recommended!)
• 8:00 pm: The talk begins!
• 8:45 pm: Q&A with the speaker

📍 Location: Brackenridge Field Laboratory, 2907 Lake Austin Blvd, Austin, Texas 78703
💡 No RSVP is required – just show up and enjoy!
🌦️ While we aim to host all events outdoors, sometimes weather conditions or volunteer capacity may require that we move the event inside the laboratory building.
🅿️ Free parking is available at BFL for all lecture events!

Follow us on our Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, or email us to stay updated on event-specific details. We look forward to seeing you at our events! ✨

🎨 Join us at STEM Girl Day at UT Austin on February 22! We’ll have a table featuring our activity: Coloring, Creatures, and Curiosity. Explore fascinating Austin animals, get creative with coloring, and ask UT biologists anything you’re curious about. Don’t forget to register for STEM Girl Day 2025!