Live Presentation

Guest Research Presentation

Visiting scientists from laboratories and universities across the country present updates on their latest areas of research and experimentation. Get a chance to meet these researchers in person and ask them your questions.

Guests include biologists, engineers, astronomers, meteorologists, and more!

Check frequently for upcoming presentations.

The Caterpillar Lab: Looking Deeper into the Whole Story of Lepidopteran Lives

Gordon Current Science & Technology Center, Blue Wing, Level 1
Saturday, August 11, 12:30 pm

Presenter: Samuel Jaffe

Through an image and video rich slideshow, explore surprising stories of metamorphosis, mutualism, and parasitism with director of The Caterpillar Lab, Samuel Jaffe. This talk will act as a great supplement to The Caterpillar Lab's concurrently running live caterpillar exploration exhibit.

Caterpillars and Ants: Best of Friends; Worst of Enemies

Gordon Current Science & Technology Center, Blue Wing, Level 1
Saturday, August 11, 2:30 pm

Presenter: Naomi Pierce

Caterpillars of “Blue” butterflies have relationships with ants that range from symbioses where caterpillars produce food rewards for ants in exchange for protection against their enemies, to complex parasitisms where caterpillars chemically fool ants into taking them into their nests where they become predators of the helpless ant brood.

An Unusual Butterfly Journey

Gordon Current Science & Technology Center, Blue Wing, Level 1
Sunday, August 12, 12:30 pm

Presenter: Dr. Loree Griffin Burns

Dr. Loree Griffin Burns is the author of several award-winning science books for children. Handle with Care: An Unusual Butterfly Journey, shares the story of butterfly farms and the path that butterflies take from farm to exhibit.

Butterfly Biology 101

Gordon Current Science & Technology Center, Blue Wing, Level 1
Sunday, August 12, 2:30 pm

Presenter: Sean Mullen

Dr. Mullen will introduce the audience to the basic biology of moths and butterflies. Topics will include the butterfly life-cycle, butterfly morphology, butterfly biodiversity, and an introduction to the major lineages of butterfly families.

The Alligator Water Dance

Gordon Current Science & Technology Center, Blue Wing, Level 1
Wednesday, August 15

Presenter: Dr. Glynn Holt

The ‘Water Dance” of the American Alligator is an amazing mating display replete with roars and splashes. We will unravel the mechanical mystery and describe how alligators perform this dance using the three scientific ideas of resonance, Faraday waves and mode-locking. After the talk until 2:30 pm, Dr. Holt and his students will have table activities to explore these three phenomena with several all-ages, hands-on demonstrations of physical acoustics using air, sand, salt and water. Some mild splashing can be expected as you unleash your inner alligator!

Polymers All Around Us

Gordon Current Science & Technology Center, Blue Wing, Level 1
Saturday, September 1, 12:30 pm

Many of the everyday objects around us are made from polymers. Some are rigid, some are flexible, some are bouncy, some have memory. Marcus Cole, a graduate student in Materials Research Science at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, gives us a glimpse into the prevalence of polymers and how they may be improved and used in the future. UMass Amherst graduate students will have table activities from 12:00 -2:30 pm in the Gordon Current Science & Technology Center. Come and play with polymers!