Upcoming Natural Science Exhibits, Walks, and Talks

DR. BOB FIELD, Adjunct Physics Professor and Research Scholar in Residence

and docent at the Morro Bay State Park Museum of Natural History

Darwin in the Garden text posters Bicentennial Poster Display in Fisher Hall cabinet near room 285 based on the Leaning Pine Arboretum evolution walk led by Dr. Bob Field and biology major TJ Eames. Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln were born on the same day in February of 1809. Darwin explored the world, but we can explore Cal Poly’s Leaning Pine Arboretum to learn about relationships that evolved over billions of years. The library poster display is based mostly on photos of the arboretum which features mediterranean gardens from five continents. Explore convergent evolution and adaptive radiation. Investigate relationships involving the land, sea, sky, and the six kingdoms of life that comprise Earth’s ecosystems. (Originally displayed in Kennedy Library Café Gallery February 2009 and available for temporary display in other venues).

Darwin Bicentennial: Geologist and Naturalist Physics Colloquium February 12, 2009 and repeats by request. Charles Darwin explained the formation of volcanic islands, coral reefs, continents, and other ground movements. He emphasized the power of time and repeated and cumulative actions on a small scale. He observed the influence of climate on life, noted the geographic distribution of animals, and recognized the isolating function of land or sea barriers. As a uniformitarian geologist, he rejected Lord Kelvin’s thermodynamic arguments for a young Earth. Born February 12 1809, Darwin circled the globe on the HMS Beagle from 1831 to 1835 observing geology and collecting fossil mammals, modern mammals, birds, fish, and reptiles. On his return, Darwin was no longer an unknown; he was now recognized as a promising naturalist and geologist. He published findings in zoology and geology from 1839 to 1846. He became the secretary of the Geological Society in 1838. He also published “The Origin of Species” 150 years ago. Learn about more upcoming events celebrating the 2009 Year of Darwin.

Exploring Evolution in the Leaning Pine Arboretum February 14, 2009 and repeat walks by request. Celebrate the Darwin bicentennial (Charles Darwin was born on February 12, 1809) by taking a walk in Cal Poly’s Leaning Pine Arboretum and discover the results of billions of years of physical, chemical, and biological evolution. The arboretum features mediterranean gardens from five continents. Investigate relationships among the five kingdoms of life that comprise Earth’s ecosystems. Explore convergent evolution, adaptive radiation, competition, and symbiosis. Meet near the Poly Plant Shop on Via Carta.

Ocean Science Quest Natural Enquirer Tabloid Newspapers: My eight issues of the “Natural Enquirer” and “Daily Sea Star” tabloid newspapers are no longer on display in giant poster format in Cal Poly’s Fisher Hall near room 285 after a five year stint. They are still online and are available for display in other venues.

Unscheduled programs that have been conducted in the past:

Exploring Evolution in the Elfin Forest one mile guided boardwalk two hours was presented Sunday January 18, 2009 for the Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival. Everything you see around the Elfin Forest changes over time - the land, sea, atmosphere, and biosphere. From daily and seasonal cycles to billions of years of physical and biological evolution, it's all about relationships and energy flows. The Elfin Forest website says: "The Elfin Forest is located just off South Bay Boulevard. Walks begin at the north end of 15th Street off of Santa Ysabel in Los Osos. Please park carefully, avoiding driveways and mailboxes. For wheelchair access, please park at the end of 16th St. and proceed to 15th St. along the boardwalk."

Evolution of the Montana de Oro Bluff This walk covers physical and biological evolution. The rugged beauty of the evolving coast reveals the powers of the sea, sky, land, and life itself. Seasonal change and tides may be discussed. Rain cancels. Meet at Bluff Trailhead, 200 yards south of Visitor Center at Montana de Oro State Park. 3 miles 3 hours

Exploring Evolution at Pismo State Beach The rugged beauty of the evolving coast reveals the powers of the sea, sky, land, and life itself. We will walk along the lagoon to the gardens, dunes, and beach. Seasonal change and tides may be discussed. We may visit the Nature Center at the end to examine specimens of local birds, mammals, and aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates. Rain cancels. Meet at Nature Center in Oceano Campground. 2 miles in 2 hours

Exploring Evolution in the Museum Explore five kingdoms of life and five billion years of natural history in a one hour guided tour of the museum exhibits and vistas. We will discuss tides and seasonal changes in four habitats: estuary, rocky shore, dunes, and woodlands. As an option after the one hour tour, we can visit White’s Point for a half hour outdoor adventure near the museum. Meet in the rotunda of the Morro Bay State Park Museum of Natural History. one hour

Internal Structure and Evolution of the Sun This physics colloquium was presented on July 10, 2008 to introduce solar astrophysics to students and faculty and could be repeated for high level audiences like the astronomy club or a college science classroom. The Los Alamos National Lab solar evolution code enables us to quantify the internal structure of Sun-like stars over billions of years of past and future evolution. The Sun’s extreme opacity traps energy for millions of years and maintains the elevated core temperatures that enable protons to overcome repulsive forces frequently enough to sustain slow thermonuclear fusion for billions of years.

Internal Structure and Evolution of the Solid Earth This physics colloquium was presented on October 16, 2008 to highlight research opportunities for physics majors. The Preliminary Reference Earth Model (PREM) enables us to quantify the internal structure of the Earth and investigate its evolution over billions of years. The Earth’s opaque interior traps energy for hundreds of millions of years. The decay of radiogenic elements maintains the elevated internal temperature that has powered mantle convection and plate tectonics for billions of years. This colloquium is intended to introduce Earth systems to students and faculty and could be repeated for high level audiences like a geology club or a college science classroom. It reviews recent Cal Poly physics student projects.

Carbon and Climate TBDThis Cal Poly Research Scholar in Residence talk was presented on October 28, 2008 at the Kennedy Library. The 60 minute PowerPoint slide show explores the abundance and flows of carbon in the solid Earth, oceans, atmosphere, and biosphere and the role of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The long term persistence of liquid oceans on Earth is essential to climate and to life. Carbon has influenced global climate and the water cycle for billions of years. Carbon plays a central role in biogeochemical processes. Carbon traps vital heat as it cycles through the atmosphere. Carbon also forms the backbone of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and even DNA. Fortunately, as the Sun has grown brighter, carbon’s abundance has decreased sharply. Comprising only one or two hundred parts per million in the atmosphere, oceans, and solid Earth, carbon is now concentrated in land and ocean biota and in soils and sediments. This talk is based on two student projects and my preliminary reports are available at carboninthegeobiosphere.htm and at Thermalstructure.htm.

The Violent Birth of Mother Earth past Museum Mind Walk Energy from the radioactive decay of uranium melts rocks, moves continents, makes the Earth's core almost as hot as the surface of the Sun, feeds alien forms of life on the seafloor and deep inside rocks, and maintains life on Earth. What the heck is going on down under and how does it affect the life of the planet?

Father Sun's Fusion Factory past Museum Mind Walk The web of life depends on photosynthesis to store sunlight in molecules. Since thermonuclear fusion in the core of the Sun generates deadly gamma rays, where does sunlight come from? How does the Sun trap heat in its core? Does gravity, the weakest force in nature, trigger the most violent nuclear reactions?

The Origin of Life past Museum Mind Walk Once upon a time, long, long ago, a self replicating molecule inevitably and spontaneously formed in a rich prebiotic soup of naturally occurring organic molecules. “From so simple a beginning”, natural selection produced the first primitive living cells, among whose descendents was the Last Universal Common Ancestor, the mother of all life on Earth. The rest is history – natural history!

The Diversity of Life past Museum Mind Walk Bacteria were the most diverse organisms on Earth for billions of years until algae, fungi, plants, and animals “suddenly” transformed the world in ways that bacteria never could. What was their secret? Prokaryotes are champions at cellular metabolic diversification, but eukaryotes are world champions at multicellularity and cellular differentiation. This should help you answer the question, how does the sea otter resemble the giant kelp?