4:00 p.m. Arboretum Weird and Wild Plant Walk — Poison and Thorns and Carnivory

Join the Ambler Arboretum and learn why plants have adapted to have thorns, poison and even meat-eating qualities as we take a garden walk looking at (but not touching) some of the scariest plants in the gardens. 

4:45 p.m. Academy of Natural Sciences Stream Walk

The Academy of Natural Sciences Stream Walk will travel a short way to Tannery Run Creek located on campus to explore the essential micro- and macroinvertebrates living within the stream.

Elmwood Park Zoo

The Elmwood Park Zoo was founded in 1924. In 1985, the Norristown Zoological Society became an official non-profit organization and assumed control of Elmwood Park Zoo from the Borough of Norristown. Elmwood Park Zoo is dedicated to providing the community with varied learning experiences that encourage people to play an active role in wildlife and environmental conservation activities. Through the work of its Education Department, the zoo strives to empower its guests with the skills, knowledge and resources that may influence them to lead environmentally healthy lives. The Zoo’s mission is to foster an appreciation for wildlife and the environment that will inspire active participation in conservation. The Zoo participates in programs and initiatives that help save wildlife, and it teaches others how they can help prevent species extinction and resource depletion.

Academy of Natural Sciences

Founded in 1812, the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University is a leading natural history museum dedicated to advancing research, education, and public engagement in biodiversity and environmental science. Visitors to the Academy have the opportunity to get face-to-face with towering dinosaurs, meet live animals, and explore a tropical garden filled with live butterflies. The Academy’s collections contain more than 18 million specimens and archival treasures and rate among the world’s most significant in terms of geographic, biological, and historical depth and breadth.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 3 (Mid-Atlantic) 

The EPA Mid-Atlantic office serves Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, the District of Columbia and seven Tribal Nations. Experience the Mid-Atlantic Region’s significant strides in protecting our air, water, land, and public health through videos, mapping, stories, and personal accounts. Learn more about these success stories. The EPA also provides extensive resources on a wide variety of environmental topics, from water and greener living to air and health. 

Girl Scout Troop 71558

Often underappreciated and sometimes downright feared, the world’s insects are on the decline. Why is that so scary? Without insects, life as we know it today would be unrecognizable in the future.  That's because these tiny creatures serve BIG roles as foundations of the food chain, pollinators, decomposers, and more. Concerned, Girl Scout Troop 71558 is doing their Bronze Award Project centering on the very important bee, particularly highlighting native bees that don’t often share the spotlight with their honeybee cousins. Through displays and activities, they’ll show visitors simple yet important things you can do at home that can make a big impact not only on bees but the insect world in general. They’ll also go in depth on the popular “bee hotel” trend, exhibiting a variety of solitary bee hotels while cutting through the information (and misinformation) to point out the pros and cons of each style, how properly to install and maintain them, and what to do once your tiny guests move in. Play our game for a chance to win your very own bee hotel to take home!

Cordes Laboratory

In the Cordes Laboratory, research is focused on the ecology of deep-sea ecosystems at all levels of biological organization. The Lab is interested in how organisms shape their environment by creating habitat heterogeneity and altering biochemical cycles on the seafloor. These interests touch on ecosystem level processes, patterns of community assembly, population dynamics, individual habitat preference, physiological responses to changing environments, genetic regulation of metabolic processes, and microbial processes that govern biogeochemistry. 

Cordes Lab is also interested in the conservation of deep water habitats, and the lab has been actively investigating the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on deepwater coral communities, as well as monitoring ongoing ocean acidification in the deep Gulf of Mexico. Integrating research across these disciplines has led to the development of a wide variety of capabilities in the Lab as well as a large network of national and international collaborators.

Tyler School of Art and Architecture Greenhouse Education and Research Complex

The Tyler School of Art and Architecture Greenhouse Education and Research Complex at Temple Ambler consists of the Main Greenhouse, the Headhouse, the Research Garden, the Shade House and the Hoop House.

Constructed in 2000, the Main Greenhouse features 3,700 square feet of climate-controlled growing space for various projects, including faculty and student research, class projects, and plant forcing for our annual display at the Philadelphia Flower Show. This space also houses a large percentage of our permanent teaching and research plant collection, which includes some wonderfully weird, rare and in some cases endangered specimens.

The Greenhouse also has the capability to capture and store rainwater from the 6,600 square feet of roof surface on the Greenhouse and Headhouse buildings. This water is stored in two underground cisterns with a combined holding capacity of 12,000 gallons and can be pumped into the Greenhouse for plant irrigation.

Temple Biology Department and the Sewall Lab

The Department of Biology at Temple University is a diverse department that teaches about 1,500 undergraduate majors, runs multiple graduate programs including a Ph.D. program in biology with research emphases in computational evolutionary genomics (computational biology), ecology, neuroscience, and cell/molecular biology. The department has also developed an exciting new PhD in Bioinformatics program with interdisciplinary tracks that span biology, chemistry, and computer science. 

At Science of Scary, the Biology Department and the Sewall Lab in partnership with the Temple Ambler Field Station will showcase important information about the essential important of bats on ongoing research into the destructive Spotted Lanternfly. Learn more about Biology Assistant Professor Dr. Brent Sewall and the Sewall Lab's ongoing bat research with our Science of Scary online content. Research in the Sewall Lab centers on conservation biology and population and community ecology. The Lab combines intensive field research with advanced statistical analysis and modeling to understand key drivers of stability in ecological communities, evaluate impacts of important threats to biodiversity, and develop practical conservation strategies for threatened species and ecosystems.

Sarah Howard and Her Menagerie of Tarantulas

Some people are dog people. Others are cat people. Still others have a marvelous menagerie of furry, feathery and scaly friends. Sarah Howard, a Certified Investigator Trainer at Temple University Harrisburg, took a decidedly different path. Her passion is arachnids and insects. Her first eight-legged pet? A rose-haired tarantula (Grammostola porteri) named Doris, who is still with her today, along with more than 80 other friends! Read about Sarah and her collection here. Learn more about tarantulas from Sarah Howard through our Science of Scary online content!

Master Beekeeper Dr. Vincent Aloyo and Horticulture Alumnus Frankie Napoli

Take a bite out of a succulent Georgia peach. Enjoy a tall, cool glass of orange juice with breakfast. Taste the sweet mess of a watermelon at your next picnic. Now thank the honey bee for all of the hard work she has put into pollinating one third of all of the food crops that we consume in the United States. Honey bees are an essential part of our ecological sustainability. Honey bees, however, are disappearing at an alarming rate. One way to help honey bees make a comeback is through backyard beekeeping. At Science of Scary, join Horticulture alumnus Frankie Napoli as he shares information about the vital roles honeybees play in our planetary ecosystem from apiculture educator and master beekeeper Dr. Vincent Aloyo. Learn more about honeybees from Dr. Aloyo through our Science of Scary online content.

Ambler Student Life Board

Join the Ambler Student Life Board for hands-on Science of Scary crafts! The Ambler Student Life Board is Temple Ambler's team of students who create and host fun events for students to stay engaged!

Temple Ambler Library

Do you know where you can find more information about insects, spiders, sharks, scorpions, birds of prey, monsters of the deep, lions, and tigers and bears (oh my!) and more fascinating (and sometimes scary) creatures? At a library of course! The Ambler Campus Library has a bunch of recommendations to continue your journey of discovery and adventure! At Science of Scary, the library will have several examples of further reading possibilities with their Pop-up Library!