NightSchool: Rocktoberfest

We’re throwing a mini-festival celebrating the ground beneath your feet. Dig into the mineral world with a diverse slate of guests who approach their work via scientific collections, illustration, & geophysics.

See how geologic features have created California’s diverse landscapes and learn about California’s curious lack of dinosaur fossils and the vibrating red rock towers in Utah making literal “rock music.” It’s a night you won’t want to miss. Digital doors are at 7, show starts at… also 7.

• California's geologic setting in the age of dinosaurs is responsible for the dramatic Sierra Nevada, but it turns out that mountain building and tectonic activity (and being mostly underwater) isn’t so great for fossilization. The Academy’s Maricela Abarca shows us what the few lucky dinosaur fossils that are found in California can tell us about the Mesozoic era.
   
• Emily Underwood is an illustrator and science communicator who explores the intersections of art and earth sciences in her work. She shares her self-produced zine centered around the geologic features and processes that have created California’s diverse array of landscapes.
   
• Too minute to be seen by the human eye, vibrations in rock arches are a constant result of energy in the Utahan landscape. Riley Finnegan, PhD candidate at the University of Utah, deploys seismic sensors to record these small vibrations, and better understand how human activity impacts the structural health of these iconic geologic features.

NightSchool is live on the first & third Thursdays of every month.

All NightSchool virtual programming is intended for audiences 21+.

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PAST NIGHTSCHOOL EVENTS

Missed the party? Just want to relive the magic? Watch the recorded livestreams on YouTube!