At a time when science and science education are central to major political and social debates, providing the general public with tools to think broadly and critically about scientific research and the role science plays in society is essential, and also one of the most rewarding things we do! 

Programs at the California Academy of Sciences

Breakfast Club + Night School. These series launched in response to the museum closing to the public in 2020 due to the global pandemic. Every week, scientists and other experts share discoveries, expeditions, and stories from their work through presentations that are live streamed on the Academy’s social media channels. The current lineup and recent episodes are available here and here.

NightLife. The museum is open “after hours” on Thursday nights for guests 21+ to explore the museum, enjoy cocktails, and learn about science related to the weekly theme. Bell Lab members can interact one-on-one with the public through “pop-up” exhibits and activities that communicate their research goals and results.

Youth Engagement. The Careers in Science program is a multi-year, year-round, paid internship for youth underrepresented in the sciences that live in San Francisco. Interns gain a variety of work experiences through hands on projects across the museum, including research alongside Academy scientists.

Publications for General Audiences

Frog Vision eBook. As part of our NSF-NERC research grant, the Frog Vision Team published a free interactive eBook that provides an introduction to optics and vision biology, and includes results from our research on the diversity and evolution of frog visual systems. The book can be downloaded here and is only fully interactive on apple platforms (iPhone, iPad, Mac computers) but we are more than happy to share original illustrations and animations for teaching purposes!

Banner photo: Students in São Tomé learning about their endemic avifauna and testing out their new binoculars (photo by Andrew Stanbridge).