Exhibits – Sciences Library News

Feb 14 2020

Iowa City Darwin Day 2020

Posted on February 14, 2020February 19, 2020 by Laurie Neuerburg

Iowa City Darwin Day, a grand celebration of science, will be held February 21-22 featuring speakers Carin Bondar, John Novembre, and Anya Prince. There will also be a talk by Elizabeth Yale “Illustrated Natural History in Victorian Britain: How Darwin and his contemporaries shared knowledge in books,” a free teacher workshop “Playing with Fire? How we perpetuate biological beliefs about race in the classroom and how we can avoid it,” a free workshop open to all “The Groundwater Approach: Building a practical understanding of structural racism,” and a screening of The Fly at FilmScene on the Ped Mall. All Iowa City Darwin Day events are free and open to the public.

The Iowa City Darwin Day 2020 guide offers additional books and media to accompany this year’s celebration! Visit the Sciences Library to see our new Iowa City Darwin Day Exhibit! Chauncey is wearing his favorite Iowa City Darwin Day t-shirt and hanging out with the finches, coral, and iguana on display! In addition to books by and about Darwin, we have books authored by Carin Bondar. A biologist and science communicator from the University of the Fraser Valley, Bondar is host of several TV series including Worlds Oddest Animal Couples (Animal Planet, Netflix), Stephen Hawking’s Brave New World (Discovery World HD, National Geographic) and Outrageous Acts of Science (The Science Channel). Bondar’s talk “Evolution and the Modern Mom: The unique conundrum of Homo sapiens” will be at noon on Sat, Feb 22 in Macbride Auditorium, Macbride Hall. At 3 PM at Prairie Lights, she will read from her book Wild Sex: The Science Behind Mating in the Animal Kingdom.

Many thanks to the University of Iowa Museum of Natural History and Earth and Environmental Sciences Special Collections for loaning us their specimens!

Dec 16 2019

Vote for your favorite gingerbread house!

Posted on December 16, 2019 by Laurie Neuerburg

From pretzel siding to a peppermint walkway, you will love seeing the architectural features of our new Gingerbread House exhibit at the Sciences Library! All of our houses were created by Sciences Library staff and friends. Now it’s time for you to vote for your favorite Gingerbread House! The top two houses will receive prizes!

CubeSats deployed from International Space Station

May 21 2019

Space Flight Exhibit at the Sciences Library!

Posted on May 21, 2019May 21, 2019 by Laurie Neuerburg

As the HaloSat satellite flies hundreds of miles above us orbiting the Earth, it’s a short trip to the Sciences Library to see a life-sized model of the HaloSat in our new exhibit! In addition to the 3D model of the HaloSat satellite, there are two gold boxes that have traveled into space and a prototype of the plasma wave instrument that operates on the Geotail mission!

After being released into orbit from the International Space Station, HaloSat takes measurements of the Milky Way’s halo that will help scientists find out if it contains the missing matter expected from observations of the early universe. The gold boxes on display actually flew on the space shuttles Columbia and Challenger, and these flight sensors were the first objects to be moved around in space by a robotic arm. The plasma wave instrument that is based on the prototype shown in our exhibit traveled into space on Geotail in 1992 over 27 years ago and continues to send back valuable data from space to this day!

HaloSat and another CubeSat released from the International Space Station. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Image of gold flight hardware — Flight sensor (one of two gold boxes) that traveled into space

Image of plasma wave instrument prototype — Prototype of the plasma wave instrument

Thank you to the Physics and Astronomy Department for loaning us their models, prototypes, and flight hardware!

Learn more about space exploration, physics, and astronomy at the University of Iowa Libraries. We have numerous books, articles, videos, and even Manga comics! If you would like to find out more, contact Laurie Neuerburg (laurie-neuerburg@uiowa.edu or 319-467-0216) or Leo Clougherty (leo-clougherty@uiowa.edu or 319-335-3083) for help.

Image of bismuth crystals in multiple colors

Mar 08 2019

Celebrating the International Year of the Periodic Table

Posted on March 8, 2019 by Laurie Neuerburg

Colored bismuth crystals, bright copper, silicon circuits, and more shine in our new exhibit celebrating 2019: The International Year of the Periodic Table! One hundred and fifty years ago, Dmitri Mendeleev published a draft of the first Periodic Table. Mendeleev also wrote “Knowing how contented, free and joyful is life in the realms of science, one fervently wishes that many would enter their portals” in his text Principles of Chemistry. Enter the portal to the Sciences Library to test your knowledge of the elements present in household items, to view our humorous periodic tables, and to see several elements in their pure form! Thank you to Dr. Lou Messerle for loaning us his collection of element samples!

Dec 13 2018

Snowflakes & Snow Exhibit

Posted on December 13, 2018December 31, 2018 by Laurie Neuerburg

It’s fun to catch snowflakes on your tongue, cut out paper snowflakes, and shovel snowflakes—oops, no. Starting again—it’s fun to catch snowflakes on your tongue, cut out paper snowflakes, and we’re featuring scientist snowflakes in our new exhibit!

Can you find the following scientists hidden in the snowflakes?

Marie Curie
Thomas Edison
Benjamin Franklin
Rosalind Franklin
Jane Goodall
Stephen Hawking
Katherine Johnson
Nikola Tesla
Dorothy Vaughan

If you would like to cut out your own scientist snowflakes, you can find the patterns from the Franklin Institute!

We have supplies on hand at the Sciences Library so you can add your own snowflake design to our service desk.

Brush up on snow ecology, building snow shelters, and the science of snow with Snow, Ice and Other Wonders of Water: A Tribute to the Hydrogen Bond & other books in our Snowflakes & Snow exhibit!

Jun 05 2018

Beekeeping 101 Exhibit at the Sciences Library

Posted on June 5, 2018June 7, 2018 by Laurie Neuerburg

Swing by the Sciences Library to see our new exhibit, Beekeeping 101! It features a real honeycomb, wooden bee houses, smoker can, and protective suit. The exhibit includes resources for learning more about beekeeping as well as bee conservation. Thank you to Jim Davis and Jeremy Richardson for sharing their beekeeping supplies with us!

Mar 29 2018

Chemists Celebrate Earth Day at the Sciences Library!

Posted on March 29, 2018April 30, 2018 by Sara Scheib

Join us at the Sciences Library on Friday, April 20th from 2-4 PM as we celebrate Earth Day! Explore climate science through hands-on experiments with chemists from Dr. Stone’s research group!

Did you ever wonder…

Why do some gases warm the atmosphere?
How do particles cool the earth?
How do clouds form?
Why are the oceans becoming more acidic?
What is albedo and how does it affect climate?

Activities for all ages. Bring your questions and join us for refreshments!

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Laurie Neuerburg in advance at 319-467-0216.

Mar 01 2018

Climate for Change Exhibit

Posted on March 1, 2018March 2, 2018 by Sara Scheib

To celebrate this semester’s theme: Climate for Change, check out the Sciences Library’s new exhibit on climate change and sustainability!

In an interactive experiment, learn about the albedo effect: How light and dark colored surfaces, and their ability to reflect or absorb light and heat from the sun, can change the temperature.

In our climate change display, learn what is (and is not) a greenhouse gas, how researchers use air samplers to collect information about air pollution, and about some of the effects of climate change.

In our sustainability display, you can learn about some of the steps you can take as an individual, and the steps we’re taking as a campus, to become more sustainable.

Many thanks to the Office of Sustainability and the Stone and Hornbuckle Research Groups for their assistance and for loaning materials and equipment to us for this exhibit.

Nov 30 2017

Winter Exhibit

Posted on November 30, 2017November 30, 2017 by Sara Scheib

Stop by the Sciences Library to see our new winter exhibit: Colors of Winter.

We normally think of the colors of winter as rather dull and drab, at least until the first snowfall. But the plumage of birds and coats of small mammals often change dramatically during the winter months, allowing them to blend in better with their surroundings.

In our cases, you’ll find birds and other animals in their winter colors, and their summer colors for comparison. Come check it out! And as always, many thanks to the Museum of Natural History for loaning us several specimens from their collections.