Special Science Lecture on Birds at Planetarium March 8

Birdwatcher and physicist Jeffrey Bryant to show east central Illinois bird variety

Birdwatchers preparing for the spring migration are invited to attend a special talk at the William M. Staerkel Planetarium at Parkland College.

Jeffrey Bryant presents a James Kaler Science Lecture titled "Birds: It's Not About What but Where" on Wednesday, March 8, at 7 p.m. Tickets for Kaler Lectures are $2 or are free for the Friends of the Staerkel Planetarium.

Bryant frequently travels around east central Illinois to observe and photograph birds. He selected hundreds of photos which will be displayed through the planetarium's Digistar projection system. His wife, planetarium producer Waylena McCully, will display the photos as a gallery across the dome and offer flyover views of the regions where each photo was taken. These birds were seen at various parks and preserves in and around Champaign County.

Bryant earned a B.S. and M.S. in Physics at Ball State University, focusing his research on variable star systems. As part of his work for Wolfram Research, he posts about visualizations of astronomical phenomena using the Wolfram Language.

Please visit parkland.edu/planetarium for the show schedule or call 217/351-2568 for information about booking the dome.