VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Air and Space museum|Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum, 7711 E. Academy Blvd., needs volunteers to help at the admissions desk, museum store, and in the museum’s collection of artifacts. The museum’s hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from noon to 5 on Sundays. For information, call Matthew Burchette at 303-360-5360, ext. 103.
Zoo|The Denver Zoo, 2300 Steele St., needs volunteers to assist with special events, to assist zookeepers and to work in the zoo’s membership, education and administration departments. For information, visit www.denverzoo.org or call 303-376-4894.
Dinosaur Ridge|Volunteer tour guides are needed to teach people about the paleontological, geological, natural resources and history of Dinosaur Ridge. Applicants must be at least 18 and complete required training. For information, call 303-697-3466 or visit www.dinoridge.org.
Science Museum|The Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd., needs volunteers to work with visitors in the museum’s diorama halls, galleries and activity areas. Also needed are volunteers to be guides, interpreters, collections assistants and classroom prep assistants. Call the Volunteer Services office for information, 303-370-6419.
Nature Center|Bluff Lake Nature Center, East 30th Avenue and Moline Street, needs volunteer naturalists to work with kids, using games, science experiments and hands-on activities to teach them about nature. No experience is required. For information, call Sue Schafer at 303-468-3245.
Rocky Mountain Field Institute|Volunteers are needed for service programs in November at Garden of the Gods. Register at least two weeks ahead by calling 719-471-7736 or e-mail rmfibox@qwest.net.
Conservation Center|The Plains Conservation Center, 21901 E. Hampden Ave., Aurora, needs volunteer “citizen scientists” to work with PCC naturalists gathering, compiling and mapping information about prairie residents. Survey work will take place on the first Saturday of each month. Training is provided. To register, e-mail Fran Blanchard at fblanchard@plainscenter.org or call 303-693-3621.
Butterfly Pavilion|The Butterfly Pavilion, 6252 W. 104th Ave., Westminster, needs volunteers to work with visitors and to help in its tropical butterfly conservatory, tide pool, touch cart, and garden areas. For information, visit www.butterflies.org or call Kris Desmarais, 720-974-1868.
TWICE WEEKLY
Telescope viewing|Chamberlin Observatory, 2930 E. Warren Ave., University of Denver campus, has astronomy presentations and allows use of the 20-inch Alvan Clark refractor telescope beginning at 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. For information, visit www.thedas.org, or call 303-871-5172.
ONGOING
Science and engineering fair|The Denver Metro Regional Science and Engineering Fair will be Feb. 28, 2006 at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd. For information, e-mail james.stevens@uchsc.edu or call 303-724-3003. Teachers interested in staging a science fair at their school may visit the Central Colorado AHEC website at www2.uchsc.edu/ahec/science/.
Map and compass class|The US Geological Survey hosts a free map, compass and orienteering class at 1 p.m. Fridays in the map department at the Denver Flagship REI, 1416 Platte St. For information, call 303-756-3100.
Mini Med School|The University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center is having a free Mini Med School at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Nov. 9 in the Denver Museum of Nature & Science’s Phipps IMAX Theater, 2001 Colorado Blvd. Nine lectures given by CU School of Medicine professors will cover topics like molecular and cell biology, anatomy and physiology, immunology, cancer, virology, and neurology. Registration is required and is on a first-come first-served basis. For information, visit www.uchsc.edu/minimed or call 303-315-8911.
Mesa Laboratory|The Mesa Lab, a working research laboratory at the west end of Table Mesa Drive in Boulder, has a free visitor center that is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekends. The visitor center has a climate exhibit, an eclipse telescope, working supercomputers, a gravity well, and hands on demonstrations of lightning, tornados and fluid dynamics. For information, call 303-497-1174 or visit www.ucar.edu.
Renewable energy|The US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory Visitors Center, 15013 Denver West Parkway, Golden, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The visitors center features an interactive exhibit hall and DOE public reading room. For information, visit www.nrel.gov/visitors_center/ or call 303-384-6565.
Children’s workshops|The Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd., has many children’s workshops and events for children in kindergarten through sixth grade. For a list, call the Children’s Workshop coordinators at 303-370-8225 or 303-370-8347.
Nature activities|South Suburban Parks and Recreation naturalists lead many outdoor, nature and environmentally related activities and events at Carson Nature Center, 3000 W. Carson Drive, Littleton. For a list of events, visit www.sspr.org or call 303-730-1022.
Wildlife refuge programs|The Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, East 56th Avenue at Havana Street, is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. There are various exhibits at the visitor center, and free nature programs and refuge tours. Call 303-289-0930 for times and reservations, or visit http://rockymountainarsenal.fws.gov.
Natural history seminars|The Rocky Mountain Nature Association offers a series of outdoor seminars on natural history topics in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado State Parks and other locations. For information, call 800-748-7002 or visit www.rmna.org.
Nature programs|The Morrison Nature Center at Star K Ranch, 16002 E. Smith Road, Aurora, offers a variety of nature programs. For a list of events, call 303-739-2428 or visit www.auroragov.org.
Astronomy events|Fiske Planetarium, on the University of Colorado Boulder campus, has a variety of astronomy shows, talks, and family matinees. The evening talks and shows are $6 adults, $5 students with valid I.D., and $3.50 for children and seniors. Saturday family shows are $5 adults, $3.50 children and seniors. Laser shows are $5. For more information, call 303-492-5002 or visit www.colorado.edu/fiske/.
TODAY
Mars program|Amateur astronomer Greg Bell will discuss Mars and, weather permitting, a telescopic viewing of Mars will be available from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Plains Conservation Center, 21901 E. Hampden Ave., Aurora. Dress in warm layers. Cost is free for members, $5 nonmembers. For reservations, call 303-693-3621 or e-mail info@plainscenter.org.
TUESDAY
Archaeological Institute of America-sponsored talk|”Lost Scents: Perfumes and their Containers in Greek Antiquity,” a free lecture by Professor William Biers of the University of Missouri. For information, visit www.aiadenver.org.
WEDNESDAY
Ornithology talk|Bob Righter, author of “Birds of Western Colorado” and “Bird Songs of the Rocky Mountains,” will give a talk and slide presentation on ornithology’s past, including stories of Audubon, Lewis and Clark and others, at 7:30 p.m. at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd. Enter Museum on north side through security and volunteers entrance.
Sensing of cloud and aerosol properties talk|”Remote Sensing of Cloud, Aerosol and Atmospheric Composition From Satellites,” a free lecture by Michael D. King, earth observing system senior project scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, will be at 4 p.m. in Olin Hall room 105 on the University of Denver campus, 2190 E. Iliff Ave.
THURSDAY and FRIDAY
Astronomy talks|”Science and Science Fiction,” a talk by John Weiss of the Cassini Imaging Team, will be at 7:30 p.m. at the Fiske Planetarium on the University of Colorado Boulder campus. The talk will be repeated at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 4. Cost is $6 adults, $5 students with valid I.D., $3.50 children and seniors. For information, call 303-492-5002 or visit www.colorado.edu/fiske.
SATURDAY
“Family Fun” Day|The Wildlife Experience, 10035 S. Peoria St., Parker, is having a Family Fun Day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a variety of cultural and educational activities for children, which may include arts and crafts, storytelling, games and a scavenger hunt. For information, call 720-488-3300 or visit www.thewildlifeexperience.org.
Wild animal rehabilitation program|Urban Wildlife Rescue is presenting a free program about wild animal rehabilitation at 10 a.m. at the Morrison Nature Center at Star K Ranch, 16002 E. Smith Road, Aurora. To register, call 303-739-2428.
Guided hike|Volunteer Park Naturalist Dennis Cook will lead a hike in the East Canyon Preservation Area of Castlewood Canyon State Park, 2989 S. Highway 83, Franktown. The East Canyon Preservation Area is only accessible on naturalist-guided hikes. Take binoculars and walking sticks and wear older footwear to wade the stream. Meet at 3:30 p.m. at the Visitor Center. A $5 daily State Parks pass is required for all vehicles entering the Park. To register, call 303-688-5242.
Nov. 6
Denver Zoo free day|Admission to the Denver Zoo, 2300 Steele St., will be free from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for Colorado residents with proof of residency. For information, visit www.denverzoo.org or call 303-376-4800.
To publicize upcoming events geared toward and open to the public, please mail complete details at least two weeks in advance to Scientifically Speaking, The Denver Post, City Desk, 1560 Broadway, Denver, CO 80202, or e-mail to Scispeak@denverpost.com.
