Calendar
Science-related events in the Pacific NorthwestSubmit an event to the calendar
The week's events
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Science on Tap - Palm Oil 101: Is your chocolate harming orangutans? How to have your cake and forests too! Science on Tap - Palm Oil 101: Is your chocolate harming orangutans? How to have your cake and forests too!
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June 24, 2024"Palm Oil 101: Is your chocolate harming orangutans? How to have your cake and forests too!"
Monica Hinckley
Conservation Administrator, Woodland Park Zoo
June 24, 2024 7PM
***Note: event starts at 7pm, but please come at 6pm for food and good seats -- please see details below***
Please note the timing! Cafe Arta is open on Monday only for the SoT event. Events are from 7-8pm, but seats go quickly so arrive early. Food can be ordered starting at 5:30pm, we encourage diners order prior to 6:30pm to receive food on time. Seating is limited and is first come, first served. We hope to see you there!
Ravenna Third Place Books6504 20th Ave NE.Seattle, WA 98115 -
Meet Seattle’s Amphibians! Meet Seattle’s Amphibians!
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June 25, 2024Campus location Douglas Research Conservatory (DRC) Accessibility Contact urbhort@uw.edu Presenter Jasmine Baker Contact Information bakerj28@miamioh.edu Ticket Link apps.ideal-logic.com… Description The Pacific Northwest has an amazing array of amphibians due to the high precipitation received. These fascinating animals can be bio-indicators of environmental health, including if there are invaders present: on the micro or macro scale. Can you tell a Northern Salamander from a Long-toed Salamander? Which features leave a wetland vulnerable to invasion from a giant from the east coast? Join Jasmine Baker, Project Dragonfly graduate student, to learn more about these mucus-membrane skinned animals that are still found throughout the greater Seattle area, how Woodland Park Zoo is working with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to monitor their populations and how you can support amphibians in your neighborhood.
Jasmine Baker, M. Ed, is a veteran middle school science teacher, who volunteers with Woodland Park Zoo's Amphibian Monitoring Project. Currently, Jasmine is completing her second Master's degree with Project Dragonfly through Miami University. She is passionate about connecting people to the small, less popular aspects of the natural world and revealing their amazing role in the ecosystem. Slimy, strange and small biological wonders are some of the most fascinating in her eyes. This class is a proactive response to her dive into the history and ecology of the Union Bay Natural Area, which revealed how intensely the invasive American Bullfrog had depressed native amphibians. Her goal is to educate the public on local species, threats, and actions they can take to support amphibian biodiversity. In addition to her coursework, she enjoys documenting insect observations on iNaturalist, hiking, and exploring Washington with her husband and dog.
Cost: $25
Financial aid slots availableLink apps.ideal-logic.com… Center for Urban HorticultureBook talk: Ferris Jabr in Conversation With Emma Marris Book talk: Ferris Jabr in Conversation With Emma Marris
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June 25, 2024Sponsored by Powell's City of Books
One of humanity's oldest beliefs is that our world is alive. Though once ridiculed by some scientists, the idea of Earth as a vast interconnected living system has gained acceptance in recent decades. We, and all living things, are more than inhabitants of Earth — we are Earth, an outgrowth of its structure and an engine of its evolution. Life and its environment have coevolved for billions of years, transforming a lump of orbiting rock into a cosmic oasis — a planet that breathes, metabolizes, and regulates its climate. Acclaimed science writer Ferris Jabr reveals a radical new vision of Earth where lush forests spew water, pollen, and bacteria to summon rain; giant animals engineer the very landscapes they roam; microbes chew rock to shape continents; and microscopic plankton, some as glittering as carved jewels, remake the air and sea. Humans are one of the most extreme examples of life transforming Earth. Through fossil fuel consumption, agriculture, and pollution, we have altered more layers of the planet in less time than any other species, pushing Earth into a crisis. But we are also uniquely able to understand and protect the planet's wondrous ecology and self-stabilizing processes. Jabr introduces us to a diverse cast of fascinating people who have devoted themselves to this vital work. Becoming Earth (Random House) is an exhilarating journey through the hidden workings of our planetary symphony — its players, its instruments, and the music of life that emerges — and an invitation to reexamine our place in it. How well we play our part will determine what kind of Earth our descendants inherit for millennia to come. Jabr will be joined in conversation by Emma Marris, author of Wild Souls.
Powell's City of Books1005 w. burnside st.Portland, OR 97209 -
Living with Wildfire: Perspectives From a Former Firefighter Living with Wildfire: Perspectives From a Former Firefighter
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June 26, 2024What’s it like to work on the front lines of a wildfire?
How and why are wildfires changing in the Northwest?This talk will jump into both of these topics, while also expanding on how you can prepare for a future of fire in the Northwest.
Amanda Monthei spent four years working as a wildland firefighter—including two years as a US Forest Service hotshot (a highly-trained team) based in the Mt. Hood National Forest. Her work gave her a first-hand glimpse at the way PNW ecosystems are shifting and how both wildfire and climate change play a critical role. This talk will give you an inside glimpse at what this unique job entails, as well as the challenges facing wildland firefighters right now.
She’ll also address why our temperate rainforests no longer feel like the wildfire-safe haven they once were. Believe it or not, fire belongs in these “wet side” ecosystems! But while infrequent, these fires tend to be catastrophically large and fast-moving – take the Labor Day fires of 2020 as an example of how these ecosystems can burn. Explore why this relationship is expected to grow more tenuous as climate change brings more extended drought and other climactic changes to the Northwest.
Amanda Monthei left firefighting in 2019 and found a niche career in writing about wildfire, including for outlets like The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Deseret News, Patagonia and NBC News. She also produces and hosts a podcast, Life with Fire, which examines our relationship with wildfires and how we can better coexist with them. She lives in Bellingham, WA.
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Venue
Alberta Rose Theatre
Alberta Rose Theatre3000 NE Alberta StPortland, ORBook talk: Ferris Jabr with Dr. Suzanne Simard Book talk: Ferris Jabr with Dr. Suzanne Simard
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June 26, 2024Hosted by Town Hall Seattle
Ferris Jabr with Dr. Suzanne Simard
Bringing the Earth to Life
How much of our own planet do we actually understand? One of humanity’s oldest beliefs is that our world is alive. Though once ridiculed by some scientists, the idea of Earth as a vast interconnected living system has gained acceptance in recent decades.
In author Ferris Jabr’s new book Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life, Jabr examines the connections between life and geology through the many ways that living creatures, including our own species, have transformed the atmosphere, oceans, and continents throughout the planet’s history. Becoming Earth explores ecosystems, discussing plants, weather, animal engineering, the microscopic and the microbial. Additionally, Jabr scrutinizes the human impact on Earth, noting the ways that people have altered existence through fossil fuel consumption, agriculture, and pollution.
Drawing on recent scientific insights, the book reexamines the ancient idea that Earth itself is alive and investigates how this holistic perspective can help us restore longstanding ecological rhythms and possibly mitigate some of the worst outcomes of the climate crisis. From an experimental nature reserve in remote Siberia, to the heart of the Amazon rainforest, to a gold mine-turned-research lab a mile below the Earth’s surface, Jabr invites readers to journey around the world to better understand our planet and our role in it.
Ferris Jabr is a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine. He has also written for The New Yorker, Harper’s, The Atlantic, National Geographic, and Scientific American. He is the recipient of a Whiting Foundation Creative Nonfiction Grant and fellowships from UC Berkeley and MIT. His work has been anthologized in several editions of Best American Science and Nature Writing. Ferris Jabr lives in Portland, Oregon, with his husband, Ryan, their dog, Jack, and more plants than they can count.
Dr. Suzanne Simard is a Professor of Forest Ecology at the University of British Columbia and leader of both The Mother Tree Project and Mother Tree Network. She is known worldwide for her pioneering research on how trees interact with one another and communicate using below-ground fungal networks. Her NYT-bestselling memoir, Finding The Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest, won the 2023 Lewis Thomas Prize in recognition of its innovative fusion of science and the humanities. Most recently, Time magazine named her one of the most influential people of 2024.
Town Hall Seattle1119 8th Ave.Seattle, WA 98101
Please note: NSWA provides these event details as a courtesy to science-related organizations throughout the Pacific Northwest. Please confirm event details with the sponsoring organization before attending.