Science Saturday is our monthly science presentation, usually on the second Saturday of each month. Our guest speakers lead us on interesting science journeys, and we always learn something new! Free and open to the public at the Belle Isle Aquarium. Plan ahead: see our coming attractions.
Most recent Science Saturday
Dennis Long
President: Metro-Detroit Pond & Garden Club
"Joy with Koi: A pond and garden expert shares his experience"
RETURN TO THIS SITE FOR FUTURE ANNOUNCEMENTS WHEN SCIENCE SATURDAY IS RESUMED.
Dennis Long
President: Metro-Detroit Pond & Garden Club
"Joy with Koi: A pond and garden expert shares his experience"
RETURN TO THIS SITE FOR FUTURE ANNOUNCEMENTS WHEN SCIENCE SATURDAY IS RESUMED.
May 13, 2017
"Joy with Koi: A pond and garden expert shares his experience"
Who: Dennis Long, President: Metro-Detroit Pond & Garden Club
When: SATURDAY, May 13, 2017
20 min talks at noon, 1 pm and 2 pm
Where: Belle Isle Aquarium Classroom (located near the front entrance)
"Joy with Koi: A pond and garden expert shares his experience"
Who: Dennis Long, President: Metro-Detroit Pond & Garden Club
When: SATURDAY, May 13, 2017
20 min talks at noon, 1 pm and 2 pm
Where: Belle Isle Aquarium Classroom (located near the front entrance)
PAST PRESENTATIONS
April 22, 2017
Science Saturday was celebrated by Earth Day activities at the Aquarium
Science Saturday was celebrated by Earth Day activities at the Aquarium
March 11, 2017
Can Fish Catch a Cold? Fish Health in the Great Lakes
Who: Thomas P. Loch, Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory, Michigan State University
When: SATURDAY, March 11, 2017
20 min talks at noon, 1 pm and 2 pm
Where: Belle Isle Aquarium Classroom (located near the front entrance)
Can Fish Catch a Cold? Fish Health in the Great Lakes
Who: Thomas P. Loch, Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory, Michigan State University
When: SATURDAY, March 11, 2017
20 min talks at noon, 1 pm and 2 pm
Where: Belle Isle Aquarium Classroom (located near the front entrance)
February 12, 2017 (Darwin's Birthday)
Darwin's fishes: a twisted tale from the fossil record of flounders
Who: Matt Friedman, Museum of Paleontology and Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Michigan
When: SUNDAY(!), February 12, 2017
20 min talks at noon, 1 pm and 2 pm
Where: Belle Isle Aquarium Classroom (located near the front entrance)
Darwin's fishes: a twisted tale from the fossil record of flounders
Who: Matt Friedman, Museum of Paleontology and Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Michigan
When: SUNDAY(!), February 12, 2017
20 min talks at noon, 1 pm and 2 pm
Where: Belle Isle Aquarium Classroom (located near the front entrance)
January 14, 2017:
Fishing for invaders and viruses in the Great Lakes
Who: Nathaniel Marshall (presenter) and Carol Stepien, Lake Erie Center, University of Toledo
When: SATURDAY, January 14, 2017
20 min talks at 1 pm and 2 pm
Where: Belle Isle Aquarium Classroom (located near the front entrance)
Fishing for invaders and viruses in the Great Lakes
Who: Nathaniel Marshall (presenter) and Carol Stepien, Lake Erie Center, University of Toledo
When: SATURDAY, January 14, 2017
20 min talks at 1 pm and 2 pm
Where: Belle Isle Aquarium Classroom (located near the front entrance)
December 10, 2016:
Climate change and turtles: No more males?
Who: Jeanine Refsnider, University of Toledos
When: SATURDAY, December 10, 2016
20 min talks at 12 noon, 1 pm, and 2 pm
Where: Belle Isle Aquarium Classroom (located near the front entrance)
November 12, 2016:
Who: Jason Smith, Researcher for
Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians
What, where, and when: Three presentations
12:00 noon: A talk at the Belle Isle Nature Zoo, on
"Language and Meaning in Conservation"
1:00 pm: In the Belle Isle Aquarium Classroom (located near the front entrance):
"The Little Traverse Bay Bands' Role in Otoonapii (Cisco) Restoration"
2:00 pm: In the Belle Isle Aquarium gallery, near the sea lampreys (half way back on the left side of the Aquarium):
"A conversation about the Otoonapli (Cisco) fishery" with Jason Smith and a video exhibit. Meet a fish restoration researcher, and learn about Cisco.
Who: Jason Smith, Researcher for
Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians
What, where, and when: Three presentations
12:00 noon: A talk at the Belle Isle Nature Zoo, on
"Language and Meaning in Conservation"
1:00 pm: In the Belle Isle Aquarium Classroom (located near the front entrance):
"The Little Traverse Bay Bands' Role in Otoonapii (Cisco) Restoration"
2:00 pm: In the Belle Isle Aquarium gallery, near the sea lampreys (half way back on the left side of the Aquarium):
"A conversation about the Otoonapli (Cisco) fishery" with Jason Smith and a video exhibit. Meet a fish restoration researcher, and learn about Cisco.
October 8, 2016:
Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake: A Belle Isle Native
Who: Steven Parrish, University of Michigan Matthaei Botanical Gardens
When: SATURDAY, October 8, 2016
20 min talks at 12 noon, 1 pm, and 2 pm
Where: Belle Isle Aquarium Classroom (Located near the front entrance)
Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake: A Belle Isle Native
Who: Steven Parrish, University of Michigan Matthaei Botanical Gardens
When: SATURDAY, October 8, 2016
20 min talks at 12 noon, 1 pm, and 2 pm
Where: Belle Isle Aquarium Classroom (Located near the front entrance)
September 10, 2016:
Zebrafish 101: Fishy studies for human and aquatic health
Who: Tracie Baker, Wayne State University professor
When: SATURDAY, September 10, 2016
20 min talks at 12 noon, 1 pm, and 2 pm
Where: Belle Isle Aquarium Classroom (Located near the front entrance)
August 13, 2016: Ali Shakoor,
Wayne State University grad student and championship fisherman
"Tracking Walleye in the Great Lakes" Where: Belle Isle Aquarium Classroom (Located near the front entrance)
August 13, 2016: Ali Shakoor,
Wayne State University grad student and championship fisherman
"Tracking Walleye in the Great Lakes" Where: Belle Isle Aquarium Classroom (Located near the front entrance)
July 9, 2016:
Why are male walleye more contaminated than females?
Who: Charles Madenjian, U.S. Geological Survey - Great Lakes Science Center
When: SATURDAY, July 9, 2016
20 min talks at 12 noon, 1 pm, and 2 pm
Where: Belle Isle Aquarium Classroom (Located near the front entrance)
June 11, 2016:
#itsnottheriver: The health of the Flint River in light of the City of Flint drinking water crisis
Who: Rebecca Fedewa, Executive Director, Flint River Watershed Coalition
When: SATURDAY, June 11, 2016
20 min talks at 12 noon, 1 pm, and 2 pm
Where: Belle Isle Aquarium Classroom (Located near the front entrance)
#itsnottheriver: The health of the Flint River in light of the City of Flint drinking water crisis
Who: Rebecca Fedewa, Executive Director, Flint River Watershed Coalition
When: SATURDAY, June 11, 2016
20 min talks at 12 noon, 1 pm, and 2 pm
Where: Belle Isle Aquarium Classroom (Located near the front entrance)
Photo Credit: http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/imgdec99/mite.gif
Logo image: by Justin Brockle
|
May 14, 2016
Terrifying Tentacles or Awesome Arms? Octopuses and their Relatives Who: Elizabeth Nitz, Belle Isle Aquarium volunteer and teacher When: SATURDAY, May 14, 2016 20 min talks at 12 noon, 1 pm, and 2 pm Where: Belle Isle Aquarium Classroom (Located near the front entrance) What: A full day (11:00 am - 4:00 pm) of speakers and posters on topics ranging from detecting gar populations, to understanding the spread of invasive species, and building new relationships between people, animals, water and land to restore the balance of life on Earth.
When: SATURDAY, April 9, 2016, all day. Where: Talks in the Belle Isle Aquarium Classroom (Located near the front entrance) and posters and their presenters in the main galleries. Keynote speaker: Jason Smith, Great Lakes Researcher for the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, speaking at 1:45 pm "Tribal Natural Resources Conservation: Building Respectful Relationships" March 12, 2016 Mighty Mites of the Great Lakes Who: Milad Qazazi, Wayne State University Undergraduate Student When: SATURDAY, March 12, 2016 20 min talks at 12 noon, 1 pm, and 2 pm Where: Belle Isle Aquarium Classroom (Located near the front entrance) February 13, 2016 Super Salmon For Supper Who: Mitchel Dender, Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research University of Windsor, Windsor, ONT Canada When: SATURDAY, February 13, 2016 20 min talks at 12 noon, 1 pm, and 2 pm Where: Belle Isle Aquarium Classroom (Located near the front entrance) JANUARY 9, 2016 Electric Eel Display Who: Ronda Safadi, Wayne State University Engineering Undergraduate When: SATURDAY, January 9, 2016 20 min talks at 12 pm, 1 pm, and 2 pm Where: Belle Isle Aquarium Classroom (Located near the front entrance) DECEMBER 12, 2015 Stingrays in Medical Research Who: Dr. Gregory Grabowski, University of Detroit Mercy When: 20 min talks at 12 noon, 1 pm, and 2 pm Where: Belle Isle Aquarium Classroom (Located near the front entrance) |
Image by Carol E. Lee
|
NOVEMBER 14, 2015 Rapid Evolution of Invasive Species in the Great Lakes Who: Dr. Carol Eunmi Lee, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI When: 20 min talks at 12 noon, 1 pm, and 2 pm on Saturday, October 10th Where: Belle Isle Aquarium Classroom (Located near the front entrance) OCTOBER 10, 2015 Quagga Mussels: Macomb Community College/Wayne State University Innovative Research Who: Cody Dembinski, Macomb Community College When: 20 min talks at 12 noon, 1 pm, and 2 pm on Saturday, October 10th Where: Belle Isle Aquarium Classroom (Located near the front entrance) |
|
SEPTEMBER 12, 2015
Ice, Penguins, and Leopard Seals: The Ecology of Antarctica Who: Orin Gelderloos, University of Michigan - Dearborn When: 20 min talks at 12 noon, 1 pm, and 2 pm on Saturday, September 12th Where: Belle Isle Aquarium Classroom (Located near the front entrance) JULY 11, 2015 Zebra Mussels: How do they make choices? Who: Dr. Jerry H. Kavouras, Chair, Department of Biology, Lewis University Where: Belle Isle Aquarium Classroom (Located near the front entrance) JUNE 13, 2015 "Road Deicers and the Dynamics of Urban Lakes" Who: Dr. Carla Koretsky, Dean of the Lee Honors College at Western Michigan University Where: Belle Isle Aquarium Classroom (Located near the front entrance) MAY 9, 2015
"Asian carp: Why should we care, anyway?" Who: Tammy J. Newcomb, Ph.D., Senior Water Policy Advisor, Michigan Department of Natural Resources Where: Belle Isle Aquarium Classroom (Located near the front entrance) APRIL 11, 2015
Conservation Day Symposium "Conservation in Cities” Who: John Hartig, Manager, Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge: Other talks by David Zanatta, Jamie Baker, Jim Bull, Juliet Slutzker, Stokes Baker, and Felice Sprerone Where: Belle Isle Aquarium Classroom (Located near the front entrance) MARCH 14, 2015 "Great Lakes restoration: Lessons Learned from Atlantic Salmon & Lake Sturgeon" Who: Professor Trevor E. Pitcher, PhD & Ms. Jennifer Smith from the University of Windsor |
|
February 14, 2015 "PLASTIC WATERS" BY KHALIL LIGON, from ALLIANCE FOR THE GREAT LAKES Who: Our guest speaker, Khalil Ligon, serves as the Southeast Michigan Outreach Coordinator for the Alliance for the Great Lakes. The presentation for Science Saturdays highlighted the Alliance’s work in metro Detroit, the Cranbrook Science Institute's "Plastic Waters: from the Great Lakes to the Oceans" exhibit and an interactive discussion on what participants can do about plastic pollution. Where: Belle Isle Aquarium Classroom (Located near the front entrance) |
|
January 10, 2015 Who: Adrian Vasquez, aquatic ecologist at Wayne State University School of Medicine, visited with the presentation, "It's a Zoo out there! Biodiversity of Great Lakes Zooplankton" Where: Belle Isle Aquarium Classroom (Located near the front entrance) |
|
December 2014 Who: Dr. Thomas Dowling visited us from Wayne State University to present "A Fish-Eye View of Biodiversity: The Impact of Invasive Species in the Desert Southwest" Where: Belle Isle Aquarium Classroom (Located near the front entrance) |
|
November 2014 Who: Professor Aaron Stoler from Oakland University visited with the presentation, "The Impact of Autumn Leaves on Aquatic Systems" Where: Belle Isle Aquarium Classroom (Located near the front entrance) |
Past Science Saturday presentations, prior to November 2014:
October 11, 2014: Steven Chang, University of Detroit, Mercy, "Sea Lampreys: Vampire Fish of the Great Lakes"
August 2, 2014: Jeffrey Schaeffer, US Geological Survey, "Great Lakes, Great Rivers, Great Fishing"
July 5, 2014: Max Acheson, Rollins College, "Air Breathing Fish"
June 7, 2014: Zachary Reynolds/George, various Aquarium stores, "How to Set Up and Maintain a Home Aquarium"
May 3, 2014: Sam Lovall, Friends of the Detroit River, "Habitat Restoration on Belle Isle"
April 5, 2014: Jason Gallant, Michigan State University, "Electric Fish in the Era of Genome Sequencing"
March 1, 2014: Barbara Zielinski, University of Windsor, "The Sea Lamprey: Controlling a Great Lakes Invader"
February 1, 2014 (Shiver on the River): Jeffrey Ram, Wayne State University"Education at the Belle Isle Aquarium"
January 4, 2014: Bob Muller, Friends of the Rouge and UM Dearborn: “The Amazing Fish of River Rouge”
December 7, 2013: David Pitts, Wayne State University, “Emerging contaminants: What are they and why the concern?”
November 2, 2013: Lindsay Chadderton, The Nature Conservancy, “ Invasive species in the Great Lakes”
October 5, 2013: Masanori Fujimoto, Wayne State University,“Algae Ecology of the Great Lakes”
September 7, 2013: Rachelle Belanger, University of Detroit Mercy: “Fish: Our nosey neighbors”
August 2, 2013: Doug Sweet, former curator of the Belle Isle Aquarium curator, "The Case of the Virgin Birth at the Belle Isle Aquarium and Other Quirky Fish Reproduction Tactics"
July 6, 2013: Masanori Fujimoto, Wayne State University: “Lake Sturgeon Ecology”
May 4, 2013: Mary Bohling, Michigan Sea Grant, “What’s Great about the Great Lakes?”
October 11, 2014: Steven Chang, University of Detroit, Mercy, "Sea Lampreys: Vampire Fish of the Great Lakes"
August 2, 2014: Jeffrey Schaeffer, US Geological Survey, "Great Lakes, Great Rivers, Great Fishing"
July 5, 2014: Max Acheson, Rollins College, "Air Breathing Fish"
June 7, 2014: Zachary Reynolds/George, various Aquarium stores, "How to Set Up and Maintain a Home Aquarium"
May 3, 2014: Sam Lovall, Friends of the Detroit River, "Habitat Restoration on Belle Isle"
April 5, 2014: Jason Gallant, Michigan State University, "Electric Fish in the Era of Genome Sequencing"
March 1, 2014: Barbara Zielinski, University of Windsor, "The Sea Lamprey: Controlling a Great Lakes Invader"
February 1, 2014 (Shiver on the River): Jeffrey Ram, Wayne State University"Education at the Belle Isle Aquarium"
January 4, 2014: Bob Muller, Friends of the Rouge and UM Dearborn: “The Amazing Fish of River Rouge”
December 7, 2013: David Pitts, Wayne State University, “Emerging contaminants: What are they and why the concern?”
November 2, 2013: Lindsay Chadderton, The Nature Conservancy, “ Invasive species in the Great Lakes”
October 5, 2013: Masanori Fujimoto, Wayne State University,“Algae Ecology of the Great Lakes”
September 7, 2013: Rachelle Belanger, University of Detroit Mercy: “Fish: Our nosey neighbors”
August 2, 2013: Doug Sweet, former curator of the Belle Isle Aquarium curator, "The Case of the Virgin Birth at the Belle Isle Aquarium and Other Quirky Fish Reproduction Tactics"
July 6, 2013: Masanori Fujimoto, Wayne State University: “Lake Sturgeon Ecology”
May 4, 2013: Mary Bohling, Michigan Sea Grant, “What’s Great about the Great Lakes?”
