2021 Festival Schedule

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Masks are required at ALL indoor venues. Participants not wearing masks will be required to leave. Masks are STRONGLY encouraged at ALL outdoor venues. COVID transmission is still high in Grand County so please exercise caution and participate in activities at your own risk.

WEDNESDAY, September 22nd

Bats and Echolocation
6:30 PM ~ Grand Center / Matheson Wetlands 
Scott Gibson of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DNR) will give a presentation about bat biology and echoloaction. Attendees will have a live demonstration of how biologists use high-tech acoustic equipment to survey for bats. Attendance is limited. REGISTER HERE

THURSDAY, September 23rd

Astrobiology, Dr. Martin Fisk, Oregon State University
5:00 PM ~ Star Hall
Our Milky Way Galaxy contains hundreds of billions of stars and planets, many of them like Earth. Why have we never encountered evidence of intelligent life? This talk will offer some resolutions to this paradox. Suggested complimentary reading: Light of the Stars by Adam Frank. Attendance is limited.
REGISTER HERE

Film: Picture a Scientist with Discussion Panel
7:00 PM ~ Star Hall
PICTURE A SCIENTIST chronicles the groundswell of researchers who are writing a new chapter for women scientists. Biologist Nancy Hopkins, chemist Raychelle Burks, and geologist Jane Willenbring lead viewers on a journey deep into their own experiences in the sciences, ranging from brutal harassment to years of subtle slights. Along the way, from cramped laboratories to spectacular field stations, we encounter scientific luminaries – including social scientists, neuroscientists, and psychologists – who provide new perspectives on how to make science itself more diverse, equitable, and open to all. This film presents information of a sensitive nature and is not recommended for younger audiences.

FRIDAY, September 24th

Science Moab – Interview with a Hopi Archaeologist
11:30 AM KZMU ~ 12:00 PM Discussion on Zoom/Facebook Live
“Perspectives from a Hopi Archaeologist: A conversation with Lyle Balenquah” An interview about Hopi perspectives in cultural landscapes and protection of ancestral sites with Indigenous archaeologist Lyle Balenquah.

Interview with Lyle Balenquah from 11:30-12pm MT on KZMU (kzmu.org)
Live Zoom Question & Answer with Lyle from 12 – 12:30pm MT

Please click the link below to join the Q & A:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82762354184

The Q & A will also be livestreamed on the Facebook event page:
https://fb.me/e/2tf9n2qQ0
Made possible by the Society for Science’s STEM Action Grants.

Fire in the La Sals
1:30 PM Star Hall ~ 3 PM Pack Creek Camp Ground
Zachary Lowe (Recreation Specialist) and Daniel Lay (Forest Hydrologist) of the US Forest Service talk about the Pack Creek fire. REGISTER HERE

National Public Lands Day Celebration
4:00 pm ~ Moab Information Center
Leave No Trace, the National Park Service, and other land management agencies will partner with Canyonlands Natural History Association to celebrate National Public Lands Day. Stop by the patio outside for information, live music, and more.

Moab Mingle
5:00 PM ~ Museum of Moab Lawn
This social event will give community members the chance to chit-chat with local and regional science figures all while enjoying light refreshments. In case of rain the event will be moved to the ball field pavilions.

Keynote Presentation Katharine Hayhoe
6:00 PM ~ Star Hall
Katharine Hayhoe (http://www.katharinehayhoe.com) is a climate scientist and professor of political science at Texas Tech University, where she is director of the Climate Science Center. Dr. Hayhoe has spoken to Congress about climate change and is regularly featured in the press, such as the recent article about her in the New Yorker. She is an influential voice in climate science, is Chief Scientist for the Nature Conservancy, and talks eloquently about the challenge of communicating climate change to diverse groups. Her new book, Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World, will be released in September. Please don’t miss this rare chance to hear from her and ask her questions!

Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85640526700
Q&A Link: http://pollev.com/katharine/
Recorded Presentation: https://youtu.be/TIG3d5FrJXY

An Evening Under the Stars
8:30 PM ~ Location available to registrants
Moab Astronomy Tours (Guide Crystal White) Limited to 40 participants, email stargazemoab@gmail.com to register or
REGISTER HERE

SATURDAY, September 25th

Erase Our Trace Volunteer Stewardship Event
8-11:00 am ~ Arches National Park
Saturday morning features a diversity of hikes/activities! From 8-11 am, National Park Service and Leave No Trace have teamed up for the Erase Our Trace Volunteer Stewardship Event: Volunteers will gather during this National Public Lands Day service project to learn about and apply Leave No Trace principles while erasing marks from past visitation, helping return the national park to its natural beauty. Events will include a trash pick-up and mitigating damage from off-trail & off-road travel. For more information, visit Arches National Park’s volunteer calendar or the Leave No Trace Hot Spot Event page.
CLICK HERE to register with LNT

Forest Lichen Walk
9:00 AM ~ La Sals @ Brumley Creek Trail
Whether you’re a lichen aficionado or have no idea what a lichen even is, they can be found all around us and play surprising and complex roles. Join Dr. Steve Leavitt, Assistant Professor and Curator of the Lichen Herbarium at Brigham Young University, to explore rocks, soil and tree bark, to discover how widespread and diverse these miniature ecosystems are. Using lichens, we’ll also explore topics of individuality, the nature of science, and why the small, overlooked components of biodiversity matter. Dr. Leavitt will guide a hike along the Brumley Creek trail, exploring forest lichen ecology, and the impact of fire on lichens. REGISTER HERE

Geology Walk
9:00 AM ~ Powerhouse Lane
William Leggett of the National Park Service will lead a hike along Moab’s Old Mail Trail to discuss how geologic forces forged Moab’s unique landscape.  REGISTER HERE

STEMonstrations
11 AM – 1 PM ~ Sun Court/City Gym
The STEMonstration will include multiple booths and hands-on kid-friendly science activities.  Each booth will be hosted by a different organization or scientist so there will be something for big and little scientists alike! Participants include: BEACON Afterschool Program, Canyon Country Discovery Center, Canyon Country Outdoor Education, Canyon of the Ancients, Grand County EMS, Leave No Trace, Moab Museum, Paul Graham’s Biology of Breathing and Tim Graham’s Famous Insects, and US Geological Survey. Please see the STEMonstrations page for more details.

Kids’ Trivia
1:00-2:00 PM ~ Moab Museum lawn
Bring all your knowledge gained from STEMonstrations and your favorite teammates (and a parent) to answer science questions.

Nature Bingo Walk
2:00-3:00 PM ~ Along Millcreek Parkway to YGP
As you see plants, birds, insects, and lizards along way, mark them off on your bingo card!

Youth Garden Project Harvest Festival 3 -7 PM YGP Grand County High School
3:00-7:00 PM ~ YGP Grand County High School
https://www.youthgardenproject.org/harvestfestival

Utahraptor in Focus
5:00 PM ~ Moab Giants
Learn about Utahraptor from Utah State Paleontologist Jim Kirkland who discovered and named our State Dinosaur. Hear about Utah’s newest state park from Park Manager Joshua Hansen and SE Region Manager Megan Blackwelder. Watch how Utahraptor fossils, from a foot-long claw to a baby jawbone the size of a penny, are extracted from a nine-ton sandstone block found in Grand County. Limited to 35 people,
REGISTER HERE

Food Production on Mars
ALERT!! Now Virtual only
Dr. Bruce Bugbee, Utah State University professor, talks about NASA research for food production in a closed system on Mars. ONLINE VIDEO

SUNDAY, September 26th

Unusual Lichens of Slickrock
11:00 AM ~ Sand Flats
Whether you’re a lichen aficionado or have no idea what a lichen even is, they can be found all around us and play surprising and complex roles. Join Dr. Steve Leavitt, Assistant Professor and Curator of the Lichen Herbarium at Brigham Young University, to explore rocks, soil and tree bark, to discover how widespread and diverse these miniature ecosystems are. Using lichens, we’ll also explore topics of individuality, the nature of science, and why the small, overlooked components of biodiversity matter. Dr. Leavitt will lead a slickrock hike at Sand Flats to look at the amazing diversity of rock and soil lichens in our desert ecosystems; we’ll learn how these minature ecosystems survive on dry bare rock, and their significance in these environments.
REGISTER HERE

Festival Trivia
5:00 PM ~ KZMU
Gather clues throughout the week and compete in the final trivia hosted by Bobby Hollahan.
Tune into KZMU (90.1 FM, 106.7 FM, or kzmu.org) from 5-7pm. Links to answer sheets:
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5