Blink and you’ll miss it. At least, that used to be the case when studying microorganisms and ancient artifacts. That is, until the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature welcomed in their newest special exhibit, Picturing Science: Museum Scientists and Imaging Technologies.

The exhibit, which comes from the American Museum of Natural History, is the first in the Bishop Museum’s 75th Anniversary year of light.

“When talking about light, we’re talking about the electromagnetic spectrum -that includes visible light, x-ray, infrared, and ultraviolet. Scientists through modern technology can harness this invisible part of the spectrum to initiate further research,” says Ashley Waite, Bishop’s Director of Museum Experience.

The exhibit features 20 sets of large-format images of cultural artifacts and natural phenomena taken from the work of scientists from the American Museum of Natural History and from Bishop Museum of Science. Through the use of scientific imaging technologies, such as X-Ray Imaging, CT Scanning, and Electron Microscopy to name a few, visitors can understand the perspective through which these scientists view and handle their work.

“Everything from using ultraviolet light to distinguish between different species of scorpion to handling delicate Tibetan artifacts with X-Ray Imaging to employing electron microscopes that let us see details at 500 times normal magnification - none of that was possible 100 years ago,” states Waite.

This technology has provided for scientific advances outside of the exhibit. One such display, a 3-D virtual image of a 30 million year old Mesohippus skull - an ancient horse fossil found on one of Bishop Museum's yearly fossil exhibitions to Nebraska - was used as a model for a PhD candidate in Italy studying brain development in mammal skulls.

That same technology has also made for some interesting and unique art. By taking the images and magnifying them into large-format prints, visitors can experience this science on an entirely different spectrum.

“The large scale gives you a sense of awe, but it also turns these images into almost abstract art. A blown-up image of fluorescent coral turns into a crystalline maze. One of my favorites, an enlarged photograph of a Goblin spider, doesn’t evoke the same sense of fear people normally have towards spiders and is instead transformed into a beautiful, captivating piece of art,” recalls Waite.

The special exhibit opened on March 5th and general admission adult tickets are on sale for $23.95.

The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature, 201 10th St., W.Bradenton. 941-746-4131.  

Pictured: Madascar cichlid by John S. Sparks, Associate Curator, Division of Vertebrate Zoology American Museum of Natural History.

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Customers mainly come in with specific order requests regarding Mindfulness and self-help books which is why we’ve folded others of that ilk into the catch all Explanations section at BookStore1 Sarasota. That being said, we do have a number of customers who come in seeking devotional books. One popular author who fits that bill is already in stock! Jennie Allen, (her previous Get Out of Your Head: Stopping the Spiral of Toxic Thoughts was a staff pick of mine), has come out with a new book of equally high caliber entitled Find Your Life: Building Deep Community in a Lonely World.

Much like Together by Vivek Murphy, Jennie Allen details the ubiquitous nature of our dislocated culture. Allen leads us through all of our excuses of why we feel we can’t connect by giving us tough love and biblical fundamentals of why that reasoning is faulty.

Best of all, Allen prescribes specific ways to re-engage and what to do when those plans go awry. It’s a fail-proof book with printable pages you could share with friends with whom you’d like to form a deeper connection.

Having a small family and an introverted nature, I know others will equally appreciate Allen’s calming support and techniques.

Find Your People: Building Deep Community in a Lonely World by Jennie Allen. ISBN 9780593193389. Publication Date: February 22, 2022. 

Find Your People is available now at BookStore1 Sarasota 117 S. Pineapple Ave. Sarasota, FL 34236.

The Sarasota Opera House will be the scene of great celebration on the evening of Saturday, March 26, as the company pays tribute to Maestro DeRenzi’s 40th anniversary. Festivities will begin at 5 PM with a reception of passed hors d’oeuvres and libations under a spacious and elegant tent covering Pineapple Avenue. At 6:15 pm inside the Opera House—in the William E. Schmidt Opera Theatre—attendees will enjoy a Jubilee Concert of arias and heartfelt remembrances of a career that changed the face of opera on the Suncoast. The event will feature soprano Anna Mandina, mezzo-soprano Lisa Chavez, tenor Jonathan Burton, baritone Joshua Benaim, and bass Kevin Short. Special video tributes to the Maestro will include numerous past members of the company and celebrities who have performed with opera companies throughout the world. Tickets for the 6:15 pm Jubilee Concert are $50. Admission to both the concert and the 5:00 pm Grand Reception is $175. A limited number of tickets to the Grand Reception, Jubilee Concert, and Gala Dinner starting at $450 are available until March 11, 2022.  

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Science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) programs have been sweeping the nation and its classrooms, but some teachers are finding that not all students embrace the idea. They have quickly discovered that just because you built it – robots in this case – doesn’t mean students will come. Haitian-American Neirda Thompson-Pemberton founded FUNducation as a way to better inspire students to dive into the STEAM world, help bridge the digital literacy gap, and double down on the “FUN” aspect of her work. Thompson-Pemberton utilizes what she dubs as “educational espionage,” a strategy in which an activity becomes so much fun and engaging that a student doesn’t even realize that they’re learning something. She’s so far utilized hands-on experiences like flying drones, building robots, and puzzles to expose children to mathematics, engineering, and even cybersecurity. FUNducation just became one of the first organizations in the country to get their hands on HADO, an augmented reality game that acts like a virtual kind of dodgeball. FUNducation’s Esports Edu program aims to also engage students in the skills and careers they will find in the multi-billion-dollar industry of video games and esports. They plan to teach children the ins and outs of design, video creation, event planning, online streaming, and even esports law and team management.

FUNducation recently received a $120,000 grant from Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation to expand its work, the largest gift the organization has received to date. The funds will be used to hire more staff and help build more community partnerships. FUNducation plans to team up with Sarasota County Schools and also create a pipeline with local colleges who already have esports programs.

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According to the Florida AHEC (Area Health Education Centers) Network, most adult cigarette smokers want to quit, and more than half of adult cigarette smokers report having made an attempt to quit in the past year. In an effort to help Goodwill team members and community members quit successfully, the Tobacco Free Florida AHEC Cessation Program at Gulfcoast South AHEC has made a grant to Goodwill Manasota, to support tobacco cessation services, and tobacco treatment training of Goodwill staff and volunteers. As part of the agreement, starting in April, Goodwill will offer monthly GSAHEC tobacco cessation groups at the following locations: Ranch Lake (8750 E. State Road 70, Bradenton), Honore (1704 N. Honore Ave., Sarasota) and North Port (14879 Tamiami Tr.); community members can also participate virtually. The dates are: Honore – April 12, May 10 and June 14, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.; Ranch Lake – April 13, May 11 and June 15, 1-3 p.m.; and North Port – April 14, May 12 and June 16, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Groups will include clients or former clients, vendors, volunteers, staff and/or board members, and retail store shoppers. As part of the program, participants would receive a free month’s supply of Nicotine Replacement Therapy. To learn more about the tobacco cessation program or register for a class, call the Gulfcoast South AHEC at 941-361-6602 or visit gsahec.org. 

Pictured: Goodwill Manasota will provide tobacco cessation services, thanks to a grant from the Gulfcoast South Area Health Education Center.