As you know if you follow The Naturalist's Notebook's Facebook page, Pamelia and I are in California meeting with top scientists, naturalists and creative artists for Notebook installations and collaborations. We aren't even halfway through the trip yet but have already had so many great meetings with so many smart, inventive people that our brains are whirring nonstop. You'll be learning more about all of these collaborators (and ones we're scheduled to see in the days ahead) at the Notebook this year, and also on Facebook and the blog.
We began our trip in San Diego, and not because of the sunny, 70-degree weather. Though its climate gets most of the attention, San Diego should be better known as one of the world's leading centers of scientific research and innovation, especially in biotechnology. We are lucky enough to be friends with Gary Robbins, who covers science, technology and defense for the San Diego Union-Tribune, and he has opened doors for us at some of the top institutions in the area. (Those of you who were in Maine last summer may have seen Gary's engaging talk at the Asticou Inn as part of the MDI Biological Lab's Science Cafe lecture series.) We've seen researchers working with unimaginably small subatomic particles and mind-bogglingly sensitive superconductor sensors and talked with an astrophysicist who's studying the overwhelming vastness of the universe and and its origins 13.7 billion years ago. We've delved into oceanography, moon missions, primate research and even how the digital revolution is affecting how children learn.
Oh, yeah, and we've gone to the beach and explored tide pools and stared at the ocean. It's essential, I think, when you're on the California coast to regularly study how the sun sets.
I'll get back soon to our ongoing science-stories-of-the-year countdown, the latest news on our 13.7-billion-year interactive timeline installation at a school in Connecticut, the Puzzler quizzes, and other blog features, but for now, here's a peek at some of what we've been seeing and doing. Our next stop will be Berkeley.