Plan to visit nearby Modesto Junior College this fall on several Wednesday afternoons starting September 14th. The Science Colloquium is back for in-person gatherings.

The program will be held from 3:15 pm to 4:15 pm in Room 115, Modesto Junior College West Campus.

This is the first in-person speaking return since March 2020. The talk will also be recorded on the Science Colloquium YouTube site for later viewing.

Here is a list of upcoming fall programs that are open to all.

September 14: Denise Godbout-Avant, Stanislaus County Master Gardener. All about bees. Honey bees are fascinating insects that are important agricultural pollinators. Learn about the anatomy of a bee, her stage of life, the types and habits of bees, why they are in trouble and how we can help.

September 28: Christine Gemperle, Almond Farmer, Gemperle Orchards. She grows almonds and finds balance in the face of the challenges posed by climate change. California’s multi-billion dollar almond industry must adapt to climate change. Gemperle is a leader in these efforts. She discusses how her practice naturally enriches soil, conserves water, and sequesters carbon.

October 12thBy: Heidi Fernandez Meyer, Professor of Mathematics, Modesto Junior College. John Napier: His Life and Early Computing Devices. John Napier, a 16th-century Scottish mathematician, scientist, and inventor, is known for his invention and magical powers of logarithms. The philosopher David Hume called Napier “the greatest man his country ever produced”, and the mathematician Laplace said that Napier “extends the life of an astronomer to his life” by making calculations easier. We doubled it,” he said. In this talk, you will hear stories about Napier’s life. You’ll also learn how to use two of his beautifully simple computing devices: Napier’s Rod and Positional Arithmetic.