About
USGS Science in Action
Public Lecture Series
The USGS Science in Action public lecture series in Reston, VA will be a monthly event. These evening events are free to the public and intended for a general audience to familiarize them with science issues that are meaningful to our daily lives.
The USGS speakers are selected for their ability and enthusiasm to share their expertise with an audience that may be unfamiliar with the topic.
The USGS lecture series will provide the public an opportunity to interact with scientists and ask questions about recent developments in biology, geography, geology, water resources, climate change, energy and more.
Ultimately, the goal is to create a better understanding of the importance and value of USGS Science in Action.
Lecture Schedule (PDF of Flyer 1.3 MB)
All lectures will be held the first Wednesday of every month. For additional information please contact the USGS Visitor Center in Reston Virginia at 703-648-4748.
Lectures are held at the USGS in the Dallas Peck Auditorium, on the first floor of the USGS Building in Reston, Virginia.
Archive of Past Lectures
Wednesday, May 6, 2009, 7:00 PM
Title: "Watching Nature's Clock: A Citizen-Scientist Effort to Track Seasonal Signs of Climate Change"
By Dr. Jake Weltzin
A new USGS program, the USA National Phenology Network, is recruiting tens of thousands of volunteers to team up with scientists to help track the effects of climate on seasonal patterns of plant and animal behavior. Come learn how you can contribute to this new national effort, by getting outside, and observing and recording flowering, fruiting and other seasonal events. Scientists and resource managers will use your observations to help track effects of climate change on the Earth’s life-support systems.
For more information on this topic visit:
USA National Phenology Network Web site
USA National Phenology Network fact sheet (PDF)
Ways to participate |
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Wednesday, June 3, 2009, 7:00 PM
Title: A Field Trip to the Congo--Hydroacoustic measurements in "the river that swallows all rivers."
By John M. Shelton, Associate Director-Hydrologic Data South Carolina Water Science Center
Imagine yourself in central Africa, in a dugout canoe crossing the lower Congo River's rapids and whirlpools. USGS scientist John Shelton found himself there this past summer, measuring places where the waters reached a depth of over 700 feet. His measurements indicate that the Congo River is perhaps the deepest river in the world! This discovery was made during data collection to describe the River’s conditions and understand its extraordinarily diverse richness of fish species. In this effort, Shelton worked with a team of scientists from the American Museum of Natural History.
For more information on this topic visit:
The American Museum of Natural History
National Geographic--Monster Fish of the Congo |
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Wednesday, July 1, 2009 7:00 PM
Title: Hurricanes and Our Changing Coasts
By Dr. Asbury (Abby) Sallenger
In September 2008, Hurricane Ike destroyed nearly every house in the Gulf-front community of Gilchrist, just north of Galveston Texas. In addition to storm surge and battering waves, the land on which the houses were built contributed to the disaster by changing in shape and elevation. Dr. Sallenger will explain how the coast changes during extreme storms -- such as Hurricanes Isabel, Katrina, and Ike -- and what this means for our coastal developments today and in the future.
For more information on this topic visit:
Coastal Change Hazards: Hurricanes and Extreme Storms
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| Oblique aerial photography of Bolivar Peninsula, TX, on September 9, 2008 (top) and September 15, 2008, two days after landfall of Hurricane Ike (bottom). Yellow arrows mark features that appear in each image. In addition to the loss of houses, the evidence of inundation here includes eroded dune face and sand deposited well inland of the shoreline. (Full size, high resolution image) |
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USGS National Building Entrance
Follow signs from the Visitors Parking. All visitors must enter at the Visitors Entrance and pass through a security screening process. All packages, briefcases, handbags, etc. will be scanned. Visitors must present picture identification, such as a State driver's license.
Requests for accommodations (i.e., sign language interpreting) require notice at least two weeks before the event. Please e-mail Joan Corley at jcorley@usgs.gov or contact the Office of Equal Opportunity at 703-648-7770.
Video of each talk will be accessible following each lecture on-line through the USGS Multimedia Gallery.
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U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey
