Sometimes I forget what a cool place I work. And then a lightsaber battle breaks out on the catwalk. Every Thursday the California Academy of Sciences hold our Nightlife party — an adults-only celebration of science and culture with a different theme each night. Last Thursday was our "Feel the Force" Nightlife, one of our …
This Winter, the California Academy of Sciences holiday theme is "Life on Ice." We are featuring a new temporary exhibit in the piazza on how plants and animals have adapted to live in icy environments. Our adorable snowman planetarium dome will be showing a short show on the geometry of snowflakes. But the star of …
I already mentioned the sessions that I was a part of at ASTC 2017. I'm really excited to talk about my work and projects. But I'm even more excited by the many other sessions that my youth programs team at the California Academy of Sciences are going to be leading at ASTC. The Expanded Learning …
My organization the California Academy of Sciences has been incredible in supporting those affected by the devastating wildfires that ripped through much of the North Bay earlier this month. Last week, we opened our doors for free to people directly impacted by the fires, resulting in tens of thousands of visitors getting a welcome respite …
I love this animated gif of the weather station on the living roof of the California Academy of Sciences. There’s something calming and reassuring about it. Weather stations are part of the automated heating and cooling system of the museum. They monitor wind speed, wind direction, rainfall, temperature and humidity. Data is fed into a …
I am thrilled to be returning to the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) conference this year, happening next weekend in San Jose, California. It’s been a couple years since I’ve been to ASTC, one of my favorite science education conventions. And it’s great to have it in our backyard, just a few miles …
Check out this adorable Luristan newt or Kaiser’s spotted newt, native to Zagros mountains in Iran. He’s for the first time on exhibit in the Steinhart aquarium at the California Academy of Sciences. Such a cutie!
On Friday at the museum we are all rushing to finish various tasks before the big holiday weekend. My colleague Lindzy comes by and says, “Hey, Rik, do you have a sec for a nature moment on the balcony?” I walk out to the balcony of our floor facing the ball field behind the …
I had the honor and privilege of visiting the National Museum of African American History and Culture last weekend, and I’m still reeling from the experience. Plan on spending at least 3-4 hours there, to get a decent exposure to the exhibits. I learned and felt so much while I was there. One of the …
Teen Science Night is the world's largest teens-only museum event. Our fifth Teen Science Night on August 11 blew out all of our previous attendance records with over 2,100 teens from across Northern California descending on the California Academy Sciences. During Teen Science Night, young people have free rein to explore the museum, engage in …