March 7, 2005

'Secrets of Nature' lectures March 7, 14, 21

“The Secrets of Nature,” a lecture series featuring UCSC faculty and alumni, will be presented by the Santa Cruz Museum Association in March.

Salamanders are the focus of the first "Secrets of Nature" lecture. Photo: Barry Sinervo

All the lectures will be held on Mondays at 7 p.m. at the Louden Nelson Community Center, 301 Center St., in Santa Cruz.

Salamander secrets are the subject of the first lecture,
“Giants, Toxic Newts, Tigers and Long-toes: A Journey to the Wonderful World of Salamanders” by Barry Sinervo, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology.

Sinervo’s presentation will include discussion of his work on species from the campus, including the campus caves system. Information on Sinervo’s research is available on his web site.

On March 14, plant ecologist and UCSC graduate Jodi M. McGraw will speak on “Secrets of the Sandhills: A Biodiversity Hotspot.” McGraw is a freelance biologist on a variety of endangered species conservation projects in central coastal California, including sandhills preservation and management plans. She is president of the Sandhills Alliance for Natural Diversity (S.A.N.D.), a local conservation organization.

“Slug Secrets: Sex and Speciation,” is the topic of a March 21 lecture by emeritus professor of biology John Pearse and Jan Leonard, a postdoctoral researcher in Pearse’s lab. Pearse delivered the Emeriti Faculty Lecture at UCSC in 2004, and information on his research is available at
http://currents.ucsc.edu/04-05/11-15/pearse.asp and http://bio.classes.ucsc.edu/bio161l/pearse.html.

The cost of attending all three lectures is $15 for Museum Association members and students; nonmembers will be charged $21.

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