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Public programs
UCMP's annual short course
Each year, typically in the spring, UCMP hosts a short course on topics in paleontology for general audiences. This page describes short courses offered in recent years. Activities take place in Berkeley, California. Registration is required, and space is limited. Dates for upcoming short courses can be found in our list of Upcoming Events two to three months in advance.
If you are interested in receiving e-mail notification of short courses and lectures, please e-mail Judy Scotchmoor.
| 2009 |
Darwin: the man, his science, and his legacy
Charles Darwin was born on February 12, 1809. His birthday was an opportunity to celebrate his contribution to science and its influence in such diverse academic fields as biology, anthropology, and medicine. To kick off the multiple celebrations that were to take place in the Bay Area, UCMP offered an opportunity to join historians and evolutionary biologists as they discussed the extraordinary life of Charles Darwin, his contributions, his legacy, and our current understandings of evolutionary theory. Speakers included Keith Thomson, Kipling Will, Kevin Padian, and Eugenie Scott. As an added bonus, a teacher workshop on evolution was presented by UCMP, the California Academy of Sciences, Human Evolution Research Center, KQED QUEST, SETI, and the National Center for Science Education the following day. The workshop, held in 2063 VLSB, included behind-the-scenes tours of the Human Evolution Research Center.
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| 2008 |
Global Climate Change and Its Influence on Evolution
Five speakers discussed how climate has affected life (and vice versa) through time: how the terrestrial biota has responded to periods of warming and cooling throughout Earth's history; how climate has (or has not) affected human evolution; how plants both affect and respond to climate change; how modern plants and animals are responding to climate change and what we can expect to see in the future; and human-caused climate change.
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| 2007 |
The Implications of Evolution: Evidence and Applications
Speakers shared their current research in evolutionary biology: a discussion of how all complex organisms have come to rely upon coevolved relationships to survive and reproduce; new research on the strike functions of mantis shrimp (right) and their amazing visual and communications systems; paleontological and genetic studies of a baboon colony that provide insights into how animals have evolved over time; research on aerial behaviors in ant workers of the tropical rain forest canopy; a discussion of current antievolution strategies, the intelligent design movement, and recent legal decisions concerning the teaching of evolution.
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| 2006 |
California on Shaky Ground
Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the short course began with geologists and seismologists discussing the Bay Area's seismic history, advances in earthquake science, the threat of tsunamis, and what's being done to better understand how earthquakes work. On Sunday, a special workshop for teachers included a series of practical, standards-based, hands-on activities appropriate for grades six and higher. Teachers also took a campus tour to see evidence of movement on the Hayward Fault, such as this crack in Memorial Stadium (right).
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| 2005 |
Revisiting the Uniqueness that is California
Due to the popularity of 2004's short course theme, we decided to stay with it. New speakers spoke on new topics, such as California's seismic origins, dinosaurs, sharks, terrestrial vertebrates, and redwood ecology. On Sunday, Jere Lipps explained the major geological processes responsible for producing our local landforms and the diverse biological communities that they support during a geologic tour of the Bay Area.
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| 2004 |
The Uniqueness that is California
This course featured a one-day series of speakers, each sharing their research as it relates to the uniqueness of California — its geology, paleontology, biodiversity, and peoples. An optional field trip led by David Howell of the USGS gave an interesting perspective on the connections between geology and climate and the production of the wonderful wines of the Napa Valley.
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| 2003 |
The Evolution Solution
This course focused on a series of case studies illustrating the importance of evolution in our understanding of biodiversity and behavior, as well as its relevance to our society. Topics ranged from the evolutionary "baggage" exemplified by marine mammals, to evolutionary strategies used by plants to cope with changing CO2 levels, and the origin of modern humans and the evolution of their behavioral advances.
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| 2002 |
Back to the Future: The History of the San Francisco Bay
This two-day course focused on the past, present, and future of the San Francisco Bay, including geology, ecology, and human impacts. Saturday's lecutures touched on sea level fluctuations, geologic processes, and much more. A Sunday cruise on the Bay offered participants an opportunity to see many of the features discussed during the lectures.
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| 2000 |
Tracking the Course of Evolution
About 200 participants enjoyed a comprehensive look at the evolution of life on Earth. Saturday's lectures, for a general audience, covered a variety of topics from microbes to plants to evolution and systematics. Sunday's presentations targeted classroom teachers, including a discussion with scientists, teaching strategies and hands-on activities.
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| 1999 |
"Original" Thoughts: Interpreting the Evidence for Origins and Evolution
This two-day short course focused on a series of lectures on Saturday covering the origins of life, the Cambrian Explosions, the challenges of terrestriality, novel structures, adaptation, and the origin of human social bonds. Sunday provided a series of hands-on activities appropriate for grades 6-12 on associated subjects. (Offered in March)
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| 1997 |
Our Pleistocene Heritage
This two-day short course focused on a series of lectures on Saturday covering the geology, fauna and flora of California 1.8 million to 11,000 years ago. This was followed by a Sunday field trip viewing Pleistocene sites in both Marin and Sonoma counties. (Offered in February)
Biodiversity, Past and Present
A series of lectures on different perspectives on diversity that went beyond the buzzwords, the tree-hugging, the sloganeering, and the doomsaying — to the science itself. Topics included: diversity through time, extinctions as a natural process, the myth of stability of communities, conservation decisions and case studies. (Offered in November)
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| 1996 |
UCMP Anniversary Lecture Series
• Our Earliest Ancestors: New Discoveries from the Middle Awash, Ethiopia — Professor Tim White (October)
• Keeping House and Minding the Store: Seashells, Museums and How they Contribute to Our Understanding of Economics — Professor Geerat Vermeij (November)
• The Decline of Reason: Science, Pseudoscience and Antiscience in America — Professor Jere H. Lipps (December)
A Symposium on Origins
This series of lectures focused on origins and evolution — from that of the Universe, to the Solar System and the Earth, and then to the origin of life in general, animals, plants, humans, and even life beyond Earth. (Offered in December)
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| 1995 |
Tracking the Course of Evolution
This inaugural two-day short course focused on a series of lectures on both Saturday and Sunday covering the Precambrian life, adaptations, dinosaur evolution and extinction, origin of mammals and the evolution of humankind. The lectures were interspersed with tours of the collections, slide shows, demonstrations of web-based resources, and hands-on activities. (Offered in December) |
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