City College of San Francisco
Biology Seminar Series
Spring 2012
Seminars are held at the Ocean campus and are co-sponsored by the City College Concert and Lecture Series. The lectures are free and open to the public. Seating is limited. For this reason we recommend contacting the seminar organizers listed below to check on seating. Please note: late arrivals may be turned away out of courtesy to speakers.
The Diversity and Evolution of Hummingbirds
Speaker: Joe Morlan, Ornithology Instructor, CCSF
Date: Friday, February 24th
Location: Science 300
Time: Noon-1 pm
Synopsis
This entertaining and informative lecture will focus on the smallest and most acrobatic birds in the world. Mr. Morlan will share his adventures studying and original photographs of these fascinating birds from California, Arizona, Belize, Costa Rica, Trinidad, and Ecuador. Mr. Morlan has co-authored two books on the Birds of Northern California and was the 2010 recipient of the prestigious American Birding Association Ludlow Griscom Award for outstanding contributions in regional ornithology.
Marine Ecology of Monterey Bay
Speaker: Neil Robertson.
Date: Friday, March 2nd
Location: Science 300
Time: noon-1 pm
Synopsis:
Neil Robertson has been diving, taking pictures, and giving lectures on the Marine Ecology of Monterey Bay for over 20 years. This presentation will use some of his best shots to illustrate the lives, loves, and longings of our aquatic neighbors in Monterey Bay and beyond. Neil Robertson is a software developer with an avocation for diving and underwater photography. His wry observations of the life aquatic have lead to numerous guest lecture slots, including CCSF's Marine Biology course.
The Glorious Journey of the Monarch Butterfly - through San Francisco and Beyond
Speaker: Liam O’Brien: Naturalist, Illustrator
Date: Friday, March 9th
Time: noon-1 pm
Location: Science 300
Synopsis:
Our city has had an interesting relationship with the Monarch: historically, with the absence of Milkweed plant from the dune ecosystem, it's never bred here. But this most-celebrated lepidopteran has shown a glorious ability to adapt to the rapid ways humans change things. Do our Monarchs go to Mexico? How many overwinter here? Why are we so drawn to this majestic glider? Come listen to Liam O'Brien -- San Francisco's very busy and enthusiastic lepidopterist -- who has monitored this species for the Xerces Society since 2007. His illustrated trail signs for San Francisco Rec & Parks can be seen throughout the city at Grandview Terrace, Pine Lake and Strawberry Hill in Golden Gate Park. He is the founder of The Green Hairstreak Project, an effort to restore a disappearing butterfly's eco-system out in the Sunset District. Liam’s illustrations have been seen in many major magazines, including Bay Nature, and he is currently finishing up a book on the Butterflies of the Presidio for the Presidio Trust
Current and Future Microorganisms That Make Renewable, Sustainable, Green Chemicals
Speaker: Gregg Whited, PhD. Senior Staff Scientist, Genencor, Dupont Industrial Biosciences.
Date: Friday, March 16th
Time: noon-1 p.m
Location: Science 300
Synopsis:
Metabolic pathway engineering and synthetic biology are currently being used to design microorganisms that convert renewable feedstocks into commodity chemicals that are traditionally made from petroleum. Some of these processes are already commercialized and operate at large scale producing 100's of millions of pounds of green products annually. Many more such processes are in R&D now with the aim of making a serious shift away from petroleum sourced carbon to a greener, more sustainable future. Some of these processes will be discussed including ongoing research to make renewable polymers.
Probiotics in Foods and Beverages: Fact, Fiction and Fantasy
Speaker: Maria Marco, PhD, Assistant Professor, Food Science and Technology, UC Davis
Date: Friday, April 6th
Time: noon-1 pm
Location: Science 300
Synopsis:
Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium bacteria are currently provided in a variety of foods, beverages, and nutritional supplements. Upon consumption, these bacteria enter into the intestine where they are intended to result in health benefits either locally or at other sites in the human body. Although there is considerable potential for these organisms to promote well-being, many questions about the function of probiotics in the digestive tract remain unanswered. By studying of the adaptations of probiotics for growth in foods and the gut and deciphering the interactions of these bacteria with the intestinal epithelium and the >100 trillion other bacterial intestinal residents, probiotic bacteria are providing new insight into the mechanisms by which certain microorganisms can promote rather than diminish human health.
Snakes and Frogs and Parks: Oh My! The Race to Save Two Endangered Species in our Own Backyard
Speakers: Christina Crooker, Restoration Manager, and Sue Gardner, Director of Park Stewardship, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy
Date: Friday April 20th
Time: noon-1 pm
Location: Science 300
Synopsis:
Did you know that there is a national park right here in your back yard? No need to go to Yosemite to learn all about nature and restoration… there are lots of projects and programs right here at home in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area which stretches through San Mateo, San Francisco and Marin Counties. This talk will highlight our project at Mori Point in Pacifica - the restoration of habitat for the endangered San Francisco garter snake and the threatened California red legged frog. Come and learn about the challenges in planning, the obstacles in implementation and the ultimate success in expanding vital habitat for these two species.
Contact the seminar coordinators:
Carole Toebe, PhD.
Biology Department, CCSF
Tel: 415-239-3475 email: carole.toebe@mail.ccsf.edu
Stephanie Lyons.
Coordinator: CCSF Concert Lecture Series
Tel: 415-239-3580 email: slyons@ccsf.edu