Feb. 8 is UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day: A Super Science Day

The UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day scientists and volunteers will be wearing purple T-shirts that feature the nine museums or collections.

You can.

The 14th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day, also known as "Super Science Day," is set for Saturday, Feb. 8. It's an opportunity to see displays, engage in scores of activities, and chat with the scientists.

Visitors will see everything from a great-horned owl at the California Raptor Center, dog heartworm specimens at the nematology display, monarch butterfly specimens at the Bohart Museum, and a variety of plants at three places: the Arboretum and Public Garden, the Botanical Conservatory, and the Center for Plant Diversity. 

And much, much more, including displays at the Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, the Paleontology Collection and the Phaff Yeast Culture Collection.

It's all free and family friendly. So is the parking.

Your hosts: 

• Arboretum and Public Garden, Habitat Gardens in the Environmental GATEway, adjacent to the Arboretum Teaching Nursery on Garrod Drive. Hours: noon to 4 p.m.
• Bohart Museum of Entomology, Room 1124 and main hall of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane. Hours: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Botanical Conservatory, the greenhouses along Kleiber Hall Drive. Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• California Raptor Center, 1340 Equine Lane, off Old Davis Road (Located three miles south of the central campus.) Hours: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Center for Plant Diversity, Katherine Esau Science Hall off Kleiber Hall Drive. Hours: 10 a.m. to  2 p.m.
• Nematode Collection (part of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology), Katherine Esau Science Hall, off Kleiber Hall Drive. Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, Room 1394, Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane. Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Paleontology Collection, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 1309 Earth and Physical Sciences Building, 434 LaRue Road. Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Phaff Yeast Culture Collection, Robert Mondavi Institute Brewery and Food Processing facility, Old Davis Road. Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Visual Journal Exhibit (new), Design Museum at Cruess Hall, Room 124, 375 California Ave.  Hours: 1 to 5 p.m.
• Moth Documentary (new), Cruess Hall, Room 100, 375 California Ave. Hours: 2:45 to 5 p.m.

Committee chair Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator and a co-founder of the Biodiversity Museum Day, points out that "Super Science Day" is an opportunity for youngsters to think about scientific careers. 

Mark your calendar! Biodiversity Museum Day is an event you won't want to miss.