Slice of Science Lecture Series

The revamped Slice of Science series will occur monthly on every third Thursday from 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM at Mojave Flea in Yucca Valley. The lectures, curated by the JTNPA Education team, will be designed to make scientific content accessible to the public. 

This is ADA accessible - little to no travel required.

The Slice of Science series bridges the gap between scientific research and the public by disseminating relevant findings and fostering community engagement. The program was developed to meet the presentation requirement of the Marian Huff Tremblay Science Scholarship. We will host a range of desert researchers and scientists for this programming, widening the scope beyond scholarship awardees. 

Desert Institute has a long history of community outreach, providing hundreds of public lectures and events over the past 20 years that elucidate the natural and cultural histories of the Morongo Basin and Coachella Valley. The Slice of Science lecture series features lectures, presentations, demonstrations, and workshops by scientists and researchers who focus their efforts in desert environments.

These lectures are free and open to the public!  

Thursday, September 19, 6:00 - 7:00 PM

Sweet Secrets of Cacti: How Ferocactus Uses Nectar to Survive and Thrive

Allyssa Richards is a Plant Biology PhD Candidate at UC Riverside in the Ecology Lab of Dr. Exequiel Ezcurra. Her research focuses on extrafloral nectaries (EFNs) — nectar-secreting glands located outside of flowers — found in Ferocactus, a genus of barrel cacti. By studying EFNs, Allyssa aims to uncover the role these structures play in plant defense, ecological interactions with desert fauna, and the survival strategies of desert plants. Outside of academia, Allyssa is an avid collector of succulents and cacti and advocates for the ethical collection of these unique plants.

Thursday, October 17, 6:00 - 7:00 PM

How to Survive Environmental Extremes: A Giant Rosette's Guide to the Desert

Gabrielle Moneymaker is a first-year PhD student at the University of California, Riverside. Originally from the mountains of North Carolina, she moved to California to pursue her passion for plant ecophysiology. Gabrielle is fascinated by tough plants, especially the physiological and morphological traits that enable them to thrive in extreme environments. Her current research focuses on Yucca and Nolina in the Mojave Desert, with the goal of expanding her work to other similar genera worldwide.

Thursday, November 21, 6:00 - 7:00 PM

Joshua Trees and the Threat of Wildfire

Lynn Sweet is a plant ecologist at UC Riverside's Center for Conservation Biology, working at the UCR Palm Desert Center on the impacts of climate change and environmental threats to plants and animals in California’s Deserts. Her lab is working on long-term projects investigating Joshua tree vulnerability and recovery after wildfire. 

Thursday, December 19, 6:00 - 7:00 PM

Reconstructing 120 Years of Climate Change Impacts on Joshua Trees' Flowering

Jeremy B. Yoder is an Associate Professor of Biology at California State University Northridge, where he studies how interactions between species have shaped Earth's biodiversity. He is a founding collaborator on the Joshua Tree Genome Project, and he has written for the LA Review of Books, the Awl, and Slate.