Sierra College Natural History Museum

09/25/2022

“Grief is the price we pay for love.”
— Queen Elizabeth II

Oh, how we love and miss you Mike! Can’t believe it’s been a year already.

Many of you may have noticed an absence of our usual scientific posts this past week.
It is with a heavy heart that I share the passing of our natural history factoid content manager, Free Saturday greeter, and beloved Museum volunteer, Michael Price.

We are all stunned and saddened and purposely waited a few days to share with everyone so that his family back home was informed and had some time to grieve.
A few years ago, right before Mike's retirement, SCNHM featured him in our newsletter. Below is the content from that edition. Mike's sense of humor, dedication, and quiet effectiveness will be sorely missed by our entire Museum Family.

JUNE 2019 SCNHM Newsletter, Staff Spotlight:
"He is our favorite “Dino-in-a-Box Wrangler” at Dinosaur Day…the official Free First Saturdays greeter (and visitor counter)…occasional Batman…a proud Midwestern farmboy…the “greenest thumb in Placer County (you should see his office plants!)…and beloved Sierra College Natural History Museum volunteer! He is Mike Price, Sierra College Webmaster, and soon to be retiree.

Mike began volunteering for the Museum in the late 1990s, helping with website pages. Soon, he became a student at Sierra College and began working in the work study program. He would later finish his career in the Marketing Department writing and uploading hundreds of thousands of words of online content for the District. He’s been on thirty some-odd paleontological fieldtrips with the Sierra College Geology Department, subsequently serving on many of the specimen discovery teams. (A memorable fossil dig was when he helped unearth a mastodon jaw!) Mike has volunteered at so many SCNHM Dinosaur Days, we’ve all lost count! We do know that he has never missed a Free First Saturday since the program began in Jan 2018.

When asked what makes our Museum so special, he discussed the unique nature of the specimens at SCNHM, “the exhibits are full of fossils that were found by staff and students.”

Once Mike gets settled into his retirement, (he plans on traveling a lot), he has promised to continue to occasionally volunteer at the Museum, especially during Free First Saturdays. He warmly remarked, “It’s such an opportunity for children to experience and see the Museum as potential future scientists.”

Please join the Museum in congratulating Mike Price on his well-deserved retirement!"

09/24/2022

Today the Museum hosted a (make up session) Docent Training Workshop. It was originally planned for two weeks ago, but campus was impacted by the smoke from the fires and our building was closed because of air quality inside.

So, today was makeup day and we had an incredible turnout! We had 19 of our 21 new interpretive guides explore our Nature Trail, shadow the first school field trip of the season (four tours total) with two Planetarium shows.

They received their learning materials, some SCNHM swag, catered in lunch, and got to preview our digital/Canvas Museum course.

This class of docents is wonderfully diverse: Sierra College students, current District faculty, and a few retired science enthusiasts from our community. ❤️

Our workshop instructors included retired Biology faculty, current Biology and Astronomy faculty, Math and Science managers, instructional assistants from Earth Science and Chemistry, and docent alumni.

We even GPS tagged the Nature Trail for future interpretive signage!

It was a fun and informative workshop that kept everyone super busy—so busy, we forgot to take photos. Not a single one. Ha!!!

The good news is that they will all be invited to attend Sierra College Preview Day October 1, 2022 and we can snap some pics then!

Thank you to all our volunteers and welcome new docents!

09/22/2022

Our friends in Chemistry need some help! ⚗️🧑🏿‍🔬👨🏼‍🔬👩🏽‍🔬

https://www.schooljobs.com/careers/sierracollege/jobs/3722718/instructional-assistant-chemistry?pagetype=jobOpportunitiesJobs&fbclid=IwAR3nKORSo2eT2musR_WywfVkp_oO7RgWFk0uhFG9Vx4Y0KW9XTLC8LOOb4E

You can now apply online by clicking on the job title you are interested in and clicking on the "Apply" link! After viewing the Job Description, click the 'Apply' tab. If this is the first time you are applying using our online job application, you will need to create an account and select a Usernam...

09/09/2022

BOO!seum registrations are full! Wow! Thank you all!

09/06/2022

https://sierracollege.doubleknot.com/event/2022-night-at-the-booseum/2934980

FREE SATURDAY October 29th: Night at the BOO!Seum

There are things that go BUMP in the night… the Museum is full of such things.

{cue Vincent Price laughter}

Discover creatures that Slither, Screech, and Squeak once the sun goes down with our friends from Save the Snakes, WestCoast Falconry, and NorCal Bats. Back by popular demand is the Zombie Kill "axe" throwing station. “Chemistry Casey” will be exploding "Chunks O' Punks" (pumpkins filled with liquid nitrogen) while mad scientists engage in fluorescent fun at the glow-in-the-dark Microscope Magic Lab. Hungry little monsters can also darkly decorate “noxious” Tar Pit Apples. The SCNHM StoryTime presentation will be quite the Grimm Fairytale, while the Planetarium spins a “web” of haunting beauty—stunning out-of-this-world images from the James Webb Space telescope.

Plus, many more spooky science surprises.

Masks are ENCOURAGED but not required.

6:30pm-8:30pm in Sewell Hall + Tents

Recommended audience: ALL AGES (This is a *fun* haunted Halloween event; nothing terrifying or gruesome.) Halloween costumes are encouraged!

09/05/2022

Free First Saturday: My Golden State Scrapbook was so much fun!!

Despite the crazy heat, the Museum hosted right at three hundred registrants for a crafty scavenger hunt and StoryTime.

Inside the exhibit galleries, lecture halls, and laboratories, young Californians discovered the natural, cultural, and historical wonders that make our state so very special.

Visitors were very dedicated to each and every one of the eighteen pages in their scrapbooks; using gold flakes and sequined scales, glue guns and grommets, with photos and fingerprints…future scientists watercolored, riveted, embellished, inked and journaled an unique and educational keepsake.

And since the state fruit is avocado 🥑, a refreshing snack of guacamole on the way out helped cool the rising temps!

Thank you to our incredible student, staff/faculty, and community volunteers!

Join us next month on October 29th, for Night at the BOO!seum.

Free first Saturday event: Natural history symbols of California.

08/25/2022

FREE SATURDAY September 3rd: My Golden State Scrapbook

Currently, there are over thirty-seven natural, cultural, geographical and historical state symbols. Many of these state symbols can be found within the exhibits at Sierra College Natural History Museum.
Join us as we explore the unique plants, animals, rocks, minerals, fossils, discoveries, innovations, and artistic contributions that make our state truly, ‘golden.’ It's a scavenger hunt meets next level scrapbook crafting kind of Saturday! We'll also be sampling some state foods and relaxing during a Storytime presentation of "G is for Golden: A California Alphabet" by David Domeniconi.

Masks are ENCOURAGED but not required.
10am-12pm in Sewell Hall
Recommended audience: ALL AGES

REGISTER:
https://sierracollege.doubleknot.com/event/my-golden-state-scrapbook-natural-history-symbols-of-california/2916067

08/23/2022

🦡🦡🦡🦡🐾

08/22/2022

We are hiring DOCENTS for our K-12 tours and group fieldtrips! $15 per tour. Only on Fridays. Museum-based, content-rich training from docent alumni and faculty emeritus! Snacks, too!

09/09/2022 9AM-12PM

Wear comfy clothes and shoes (We will go out to Nature Trail).

Workshop materials provided.

-Must be enthusiastic about science.
-Available Friday mornings.
-Comfortable speaking to small groups.
-Support the mission of SCNHM.
-Comply with District policies.

*This is an independent contractor position; not benefits eligible. Stipend paid at end of semester.

Register here.
https://scnhm.cervistech.com/acts/console.php?console_id=0165&console_type=event_list&ht=1&event_id=25&res_code=sAKyaX

08/08/2022

A windy summer morning turned into a PERFECT sunny day for Free Saturdays at the Museum!

August’s FFS was “Jaw-esome: Shark Week” and it was very jaw-esome, indeed!
🌊🦈🌊🦈

Families took awesome photos with our Chummy Shark Photo Op, watched an amazing real Dogfish dissection with Professor Holdgate, made shark tooth necklaces, crafted shark fin hats, completed an amazing Eugenie Clark activity booklet, patronized the mini Museum/Dino Store Pop-Up Shop, learned about shark teeth with Professor Dailey, and listened to StoryTime offerings—Shark Lady by Jess Keating!

A special thank you to the amazing Museum staff, volunteers, faculty, and Sierra College students for helping us present such a fun morning of science for our community! I have truly cherished working with you all over the years and wish the museum many more wonderful, science filled events for all ages.- Teniah M.

We would also like to welcome miss Birdie Greve to the museum family! She visited for her first ever museum event with her mother and Museum Director, Rachael and their beautiful family. Thank you for visiting, and Rachael, we can’t wait for you to be back! 🐥💛

08/03/2022

THIS SATURDAY: Shark Week finally is here at SCNHM!🦈🦈🦈

Join us for our Free Saturday Event: “Jaw-esome! Shark Week” on August 6th to learn about our favorite fiercely frightening fish: sharks for Shark Week!
🌊🦈🏝🪸🌊
Come see a real dissection! Make your own shark tooth necklace and shark fin hat! You can take fun pictures at our shark photo booth! We will learn all about famed marine scientist Eugenie Clark. And for Story Time we will be reading Shark Lady by Jess Keating, illustrated by Marta Alvarez Miguens. And more!

Recommended audience: ALL AGES
Masks are ENCOURAGED but not required.
10am-12pm in Sewell Hall
08/06/2022

We will see you there! 🦈

***Please list the number of all participants in your party's reservation, so that we may prepare adequate supplies.

Register to attend here:

8/6/2022 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

07/26/2022

Shark Week is here!🦈
Join us for our Free Saturday Event: “Jaw-esome! Shark Week” on August 6th to learn about our favorite fiercely frightening fish: sharks for Shark Week!
🌊🦈🏝🪸🌊
Come see a real dissection! Make your own shark tooth necklace and shark fin hat! You can take fun pictures at our shark photo booth! We will learn all about famed marine scientist Eugenie Clark. And for Story Time we will be reading Shark Lady by Jess Keating, illustrated by Marta Alvarez Miguens. And more!

Recommended audience: ALL AGES
Masks are ENCOURAGED but not required.
10am-12pm in Sewell Hall
08/06/2022
*We are monitoring air quality conditions, if any changes occur to our event, we will post those changes*

***Please list the number of all participants in your party's reservation, so that we may prepare adequate supplies.
Register to attend here:

8/6/2022 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM