Earth Day, Science and Technology Week Festivities at NCAR Will Delight Young and Old

BOULDER -- Cockroaches that spit, a giant jigsaw puzzle, and an obstacle course for trout are just some of the sights to see at "A Celebration of Earth and Atmosphere," the Earth Day celebration on Saturday, April 18, at the Mesa Laboratory of the National Center for Atmospheric Research. NCAR and the Collage Children's Museum have organized the event, which is funded by the metropolitan Denver Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD). In addition to activities on April 18, several exhibits continue through the rest of April, as noted below. The public (all ages) are invited to attend the free event. The Mesa Lab is located at the west end of Table Mesa Drive in Boulder.

April 18 activities (9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.)

• The arthropod zoo from the Wild Bear Science School, a new facility in Nederland, features spitting cockroaches, African millipedes, and plenty of other bugs.

• A mammoth jigsaw puzzle (8 by 12 feet) with an earth sustainability theme is an Eco-Cycle-sponsored project requiring a group effort to assemble. Each participant will add artistic touches to his or her own piece before fitting it into the puzzle.

• The city of Boulder will exhibit its "trout obstacle course," an interactive demonstration of what it's like to deal with polluted water and other hazards from a trout's point of view.

• Boulder artist Karen Schuster will demonstrate her eco-friendly printing process, which uses recycled clay and all-natural pigments.

• NCAR's Atmospheric Chemistry Division will offer tours of the Frost Phytotron, a facility for plant research at the Mesa Lab.

• Oakleigh Thorne, Boulder ecologist and science educator, will lead a nature walk along the Walter Orr Roberts Weather Trail and the Mesa Trail, just behind the Mesa Lab.

• The first NCAR Earth Day 1K run will close the celebration. Children and parents are invited to sign up earlier in the day for the 2:00 p.m. start and then join in the fun run around the Mesa Lab parking lot overlooking Boulder.

Special exhibits in April

• A new exhibit, "Diversity Endangered," will be in place in the Mesa Lab lobby through April 30. The loss of plant and animal diversity due to industrialization and global environmental change is the theme of this display, produced by the Smithsonian Institution.

• Student art from schools throughout Boulder County will be showcased in Gallery I and Gallery II of the Mesa Lab through the end of April. The juried show of work by students in elementary through high school is sponsored by the Friends of UCAR and the SCFD in honor of Earth Day and National Science and Technology Week. The NCAR Art Calendar provides a preview on the Web.

Science and Technology Week lecture (April 27, 7:00 p.m.)

• NCAR scientist Lee Klinger kicks off the National Science and Technology Week lecture series at the University of Colorado at Boulder on Monday, April 27. Klinger will discuss the importance of polar regions to the earth's self-regulation from a Gaia-theory perspective. The free lecture begins at 7:00 p.m. in CU's Duane Physics and Astrophysics building, room 2020. "Polar Connections" is the theme for the week, which is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

Milton, an African millipede, is one of many bugs who'll be on view at NCAR's Earth Day festivities on Saturday, April 18. (Photo by Carlye Calvin, National Center for Atmospheric Research.)