All speaker series are hosted at Cranbrook Institute of Science.
Dr. Paul Sereno, Hunting Feathered Dinosaurs and Colossal Crocs
University of Chicago Professor and National Geographic Explorer | April 25, 2024 | 6:00 - 9:00pm
Discover the spectacular journey of an explorer who has discovered dinosaurs on five continents. Meet sail-backed meat-eaters, toothy fern-mowers, weird crocs, and soaring pterosaurs, as Sereno paints a vivid picture of the extinct castaways he has unearthed on drifting continents.
Paul Sereno, Professor and National Geographic Explorer, works in his Fossil Lab at the University of Chicago, resurrecting creatures long extinct. His field exploits began in the foothills of the Andes in Argentina, where Sereno discovered the earliest dinosaurs. Other expeditions have explored the Sahara and Gobi Deserts, India’s Thar Desert, and remote valleys in Tibet. A menagerie of spectacular crocodiles and dinosaurs have been unveiled, including giant 50-foot long predators, digging raptors, head-butting dwarfs, and a 40-foot-long SuperCroc. His latest discovery is a human graveyard in the Sahara predating the Egyptian pyramids. Featured in many National Geographic magazine stories and NOVA documentaries, Sereno was named Teacher of the Year by the Chicago Tribune, given the University Medal for Excellence by Columbia University. His efforts to foster up-and-coming scientists among urban youth earned the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring from President Obama in the White House.
Program Schedule:
6:00pm: Doors open. Guests can enjoy museum experiences, including our traveling exhibit, Galileo
7:00 - 8:00pm: Lecture and Q&A
8:00 - 9:00pm: Galleries open
Tickets are $15 for adult members; $10 for children members. For non-members, adult tickets are $20; $15 for children. All children under age 2 are free.
This event is geared toward ages 12 and up.
Dr. Cathy Olkin: NASA’s Lucy Mission to Explore the Trojan Asteroids
Women in Science Speaker Series | May 8, 2024 | 5:00 - 8:00pm
NASA’s Lucy mission was the first spacecraft to visit asteroids sharing an orbit with Jupiter—the Trojan Asteroids, remnants from planetary formation that hold clues to understanding the formation and evolution of our solar system. Over the course of 12 years, the Lucy spacecraft will visit 11 asteroids. Join Dr. Cathy Olkin to learn about the mission and hear the initial results from the Lucy mission’s first flyby of a small main belt asteroid.
From 2014 to 2022, Dr. Olkin was Deputy Principal Investigator of NASA’s Lucy mission. Dr. Olkin worked to ensure that the flight system can achieve the mission’s scientific objectives like understanding the asteroids’ geology, surface composition, bulk properties, and thermal properties. Additionally, Dr. Olkin was an Institute Scientist at Southwest Research Institute where she served as the Deputy Project Scientist for NASA’s New Horizons mission. She was the Instrument Principal Investigator for its Ralph instrument, a color camera and infrared imaging spectrometer that provided information on the color and composition of Pluto’s surface.
Now, as a Principal Scientist at Muon Space, she strives to develop a constellation of satellites to detect and monitor fires across the globe. Her work aims to provide firefighters with high-quality, low-latency information for the management of fire responses, and to provide scientists with data to both model fires and understand the climate impacts. Cathy holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT and Stanford respectively. She earned a PhD in Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences from MIT with studies of Triton’s atmosphere from the Kuiper Airborne Observatory and other ground-based facilities. Cathy is passionate about the next generation of engineers and scientists and serves as a mentor through programs like FIRST Robotics and the L’SPACE Academy.
Program Schedule:
5:00pm: Doors open. Guests can enjoy museum exhibits, including our traveling exhibit, Galileo, along with light refreshments. Plus, receive 10% off in the science shop!
6:00 - 7:00pm: Lecture and Q&A
7:00 - 8:00pm: Galleries open
Tickets are $10 for adult members; $5 for children members. For non-members, adult tickets are $15; $10 for children. All children under age 2 are free.
A portion of this event is sponsored by the Women Rock Science experience.
This event is geared toward ages 12 and up.
John Hartig, Rouge River Revived: How People are Bringing Their River Back to Life
May 30, 2024 | 5:00 - 8:00pm
The Rouge River was long known as one of the most polluted rivers in the United States. A mid-1980s tipping point awakened watershed residents that raw sewage was overwhelming their river. Today, people have overcome apathy and are working together to bring their river back to life.
John Hartig is a Visiting Scholar at the University of Windsor’s Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research and on the Board of Directors for the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy. For 14 years, he served as Refuge Manager for the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge. John has received numerous awards for his work, including a 2022 Crain’s Detroit Business’ Notable Leader in Sustainability, the 2015 Conservationist of the Year Award from the John Muir Association, and a 2010 Green Leaders Award from the Detroit Free Press. He has authored or co-authored over 150 publications on the environment, including eight books. John’s recent book titled Waterfront Porch won a 2020 Next Generation Indie Book Award in the “nature/environment” category.
Program Schedule:
5:00pm: Doors open. Guests can enjoy museum experiences, including our traveling exhibit, Galileo
6:00 - 7:00pm: Lecture and Q&A
7:00 - 8:00pm: Galleries open Ticket Prices:
Tickets are $10 for adult members; $5 for children members. For non-members, adult tickets are $15; $10 for children. All children under age 2 are free.
This event is geared toward ages 16 and up.