BVM has reopened! Come see what's new!

Voyages to the Bottom of the Sea: Exploring the Deep Ocean in a 3-Person Submersible. Join CSUB marine scientist and oceanographer Dr. Tony Rathburn for a journey to previously unmapped areas of the seafloor and to learn about the creatures that thrive in that perpetually cold and dark environment.

Dr. Anna Doty will present information about one of the most common yet misunderstood animals. Bats are amazing creatures that use their remarkable physical traits to provide many benefits like pollination, seed dispersal, and pest control.

Dr. Matt Herman is a geologist who studies earthquakes. Dr. Herman will present basic information about how geologic processes in the Earth can cause earthquakes. He will explore where the largest earthquakes tend to occur around the world and whether earthquakes can cause other earthquakes to happen. Finally, he will zoom in closer to home and discuss what kinds of earthquakes and risks are found here in Kern county. Dr. Herman is currently Assistant Professor at California State University, Bakersfield. Dr. Herman received his Bachelor's degree in Geology and Physics from Amherst College and his Master's degree in geosciences and Ph.D at Penn State. Matt worked as a postdoctoral scientist at Utrecht University in the Netherlands before starting his work at CSUB.

Dr. Wilkerson will examine the history of geology in film. You will watch selected film clips to learn how the science of geology has developed over the last 117 years alongside a changing American society. Dr. Wilkerson is a geologist and renaissance man with interests in economic geology, mining and mineral development history, military vehicle restoration, archaeology of the Old Testament, and yoga. Dr. Wilkerson received hisB.A.in geology at the University of California at Santa Barbara and his doctorate in geologic science at the University of Texas, El Paso. He has multi-cultural work experience in geology, economic analysis and environmental management including tours of duty at 3 universities,6 mining companies, and 2 government agencies since 1974. He has managed or investigated projects in all western United States, Canada, Mexico, Chili and Honduras.

Dr. Robert Yohe speaks to us a little about mummification in ancient Egypt and elsewhere, and about his research in Egypt where human mummies ranging in age from over 3,000 to 1,500 years old have been recovered Dr. Yohe received his Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from California State University, San Bernardino and his Master's degree and Ph.D. in Anthropology at the University of California, Riverside Dr. Yohe is currently Professor and Program Director of Anthropology & Director of the Laboratory of Archaeological Sciences at California State University, Bakersfield and Associate Director of the Egyptian Tell El-Hibeh Archaeological Project with UC Berkeley.

Dr. Rathburn is a paleontologist who conducts research on tiny fossils from the seafloor. These microfossils, called “foraminifera” tell us about how the environment and climate has changed through time. Foraminifera have been around for at least 500 million years (long before dinosaurs appeared on Earth), and these single-celled creatures are still very abundant in all depths of modern oceans.