“STORIES BEHIND THE SPECIES: ANIMALS AT RISK”

An illustrated presentation by Dr. Scott McRobert, Saint Joseph’s University

Weeknights at the Wagner, Thursday, March 4th, Lecture at 5:30 PM

We are living in the midst of a mass extinction. While the world is seeking solutions to global climate change and searching for new sources of energy, few people realize that animal species are disappearing at an alarming rate. The US Fish and Wildlife Services’ current list of Threatened and Endangered Species has grown to over 1,200 animals. And the World Wildlife Fund’s “Ten to Watch in 2010” which details the most ten most threatened species around the globe includes the Tiger, Polar Bear and Monarch Butterfly.

Dr. Scott McRobert, Professor of Biology at Saint Joseph’s University, has been fascinated by animals all of his life. Through his work as head of the Biodiversity Laboratory at the University he oversees the care of hundreds of rare, exotic and highly endangered animal species. Dr. McRobert points out that while mass extinctions have occurred before, we are living during the first instance in which the activities of humans are responsible for the elevated rates of extinction of species across the entire planet. According to the World Wildlife Fund, the current rate of species extinction is at least 100 to 1,000 times higher than the anticipated natural rate.

On the evening of March 4^th at the Wagner Free Institute of Science, which features some threatened and endangered specimens in its historic collection, Dr. McRobert will provide a general overview of the current causes of extinction. Known for being a dynamic storyteller, Dr. McRobert will also tell tales about amazing animals, some still alive, and some lost forever. One such animal is the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, a critically endangered bird that has not been sighted in the United Stated since the 1940s. Widely thought to be extinct, two of these birds are on view at the Wagner Institute’s Museum, as its collection was completed at the turn of the 20^th century.

Dr. McRobert’s talk is part of the Institute’s evening lecture series, “Weeknights at the Wagner.” He will speak in the historic lecture hall on Thursday, March 4^th, at 5:30 PM. Images of his research will highlight his discussion, and if weather permits, he will bring along some endangered species from his lab. There will be a question and answer session immediately following the talk.

Come early to explore the Wagner’s historic building and its unparalleled collections!

The museum will stay open late (4 – 7 PM) for this event.  The Lecture begins at 5:30 PM.

Dr. Scott McRobert received his bachelor’s degree in biology from Juniata College, his master’s degree and Ph.D. in behavioral genetics from Temple University, and studied pheromone biochemistry as a postdoctoral fellow at Montana State University and the University of Hawaii. As Professor Biology at Saint Joseph’s University, he studies animal behavior, ecology and evolution.

Museum admission is free. A donation of $10 is suggested for ages 12 and up, $5 for students and seniors.

Founded in 1855, the Wagner Free Institute of Science is a museum and educational institution that is nearly unchanged from the nineteenth century.  The museum building, a National Historic Landmark completed in 1865,

houses a natural history collection begun by William Wagner in the early nineteenth century and expanded by the pre-eminent scientist Joseph Leidy in the 1880s.  The collection includes skeletons, fossils, shells, minerals and mounted animals.  The Museum is open to the public Tuesday-Friday, 9 AM to 4 PM.

The Institute’s free public education courses in science are in their 154th year, making them the oldest program devoted to free adult education in the United States. The Institute also has a strong commitment to children’s education.  It offers a range of programs for visiting school groups, and cultivates special partnerships with neighboring schools.

For more information… www.wagnerfreeinstitute.org

Monday, January 11, 6 p.m.

Science on Tap: “The Origin and Evolution of Beer”

Speaker: Dr. Ernie Schuyler: Curator Emeritus of Botany, The Academy of
Natural Sciences, Philadelphia
Location: National Mechanics, 22 South 3rd St., Philadelphia

Summary of talk:
About 10,000 years ago, humans became farmers who cultivated a new kind
of barley and brewed beer from it. Some think that the desire for beer
was the driving force for cultivating grains and therefore the
foundation of civilization. Natural selection favored consumers of beer
for health reasons. It was safer to drink than contaminated water and it
had nutritional value. Over eight millennia after the invention of beer,
a major evolutionary change occurred when hops began to be used in
brewing for its bitterness, flavor, aroma, and preservative properties.
Eventually the role of yeast in fermentation became known and techniques
were devised to control the quality of the final product. Today beer
continues to evolve thanks to the efforts of creative brewers, including
many in and around Philadelphia.

Science on Tap is sponsored by a consortium of five Philadelphia
institutions: The Academy of Natural Sciences, The American
Philosophical Society, Chemical Heritage Foundation, Mütter Museum of
The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, and Wagner Free Institute of
Science.

Science on Tap is a monthly science café for anyone who is interested
in getting together with other people to discuss a range of engaging
science topics. It features a brief, informal presentation by a
scientist or other expert followed by lively conversation.

Science on Tap is held on the second Monday of every month at 6 p.m. It
is for people age 21 or older, but folks under 21 can come with a
chaperone who is older than 25.

Philadelphia Live Arts Festival

Second Thursdays Series

Artists from the Live Arts Festival artist residency program or a guest artist from the region talk about their work process and share their musings, imaginings and ideas that are the inspiration for what will eventually evolve into a new work.

They’ll be casual, intimate gatherings, so anything goes. The artists may perform segments of new work, tell stories about their un-traditional research, or just discuss what they’re currently imagining for their upcoming piece. Your feedback and questions throughout are warmly welcomed and encouraged!

Why you should come:

• Free admission
• Free beer
• You’ll hang with the artists, meet new people, see cool stuff, and be part of amazing conversations (or just listen in if you’d rather!).

When you should come:

• The second Thursday of each month, October – June 7pm

Upcoming featured artists:

• January 14, 2010

• Whit MacLaughlin / New Paradise Laboratories (FATEBOOK, 2009)Dare to take a peek inside the brain of Whit MacLaughlin, the Artistic Director of New Paradise Laboratories and mastermind behind 2009’s FATEBOOK.  Whit will give insight into his latest projects: FREEDOM CLUB (in collaboration with The Riot Group); MORT (the third part ofNPL’s American Party trilogy preceded by BATCH and PROM); and his newest idea, F@#CK COMPUTERS. For more advance details on the new works, visit http://www.princeton.edu/arts/news/archive/freedom-club/.Miro Dance Theatre
• Amanda Miller and Tobin Rothlein of Miro Dance Theatre will be showing a slideshow of their recent trip to India where they performed their newest work, How am I Not Myself?In the work, two classically trained dancers, one in Ballet and the other Bharatnatyam, examine the questions that come with dance, identity, and moving beyond the classical form. At the age of four Amanda Miller and Viji Rao began their classical training on opposite sides of the world. Now, thirty years later, following professional classical careers, they are both engaged in their own unique forms of contemporary dance. In How am I Not Myself? they join with video artist Tobin Rothlein to look at their transition from classical to contemporary with an exciting dialogue of movement and multimedia and a celebration of the contemporary and the unclassifiable.
• Makoto Hirano & Ben Camp
• Ben Camp and Makoto Hirano will be showing a few scenes that may or may not make it into their upcoming work, PunchKapow. PunchKapow is an original devised piece in development by Ben, Alex Torra, Makoto, Charlotte Ford, Mikaal Sulaimon, and Brett Cassidy.  The piece is inspired by representations of violence and how much fun they can be – comic books, action movies, video games, and anime.  People love violence, and we want to dive into the joy of fighting as much as the darkness. This piece is the first for an organization called Team Sunshine Performance Corporation, and will priemere in November.JANUARY PRE-SERIES BONUS EVENT:For this month’s Second Thursdays Series, you’ll enter the Festival studio through AREA 919’s gallery space. Between 6pm and 7pm, visit AREA 919 for a glass of wine and their Antique Collection of 18th and 19th Century works in stone, marble, iron, and wood from Europe, India, China, and America.  For more information: www.area919.com.

• Where it all happens: The Festival Studio , 919 N 5th St Philadelphia, PA 19123, Free onsite parking + abundant neighborhood street parking

A Survey of Contemporary Studio Furniture & Historic Glass

Wexler Gallery presents a survey of contemporary studio furniture including works by Timothy S. Philbrick, Silas Kopf, Tom Huang, Wendy Stayman, John Dunnigan, and more.  Historic pieces by master glass artists such as Mark Peiser and Joel Philip Myers will also be on view.  The show will run from January 4 – February 27, 2010. *An opening reception will take place First Friday, February 5, 2010 from 5 – 8pm.

Timothy S. Philbrick, Window Seat, 1999, Curly maple, upholstered, 25 X 36 X 17”

Wexler Gallery is located at 201 North Third Street in the historical district of Old City Philadelphia.