Houston Science Enthusiasts

ONLINE: "Seaside Chats is an annual speaker series about ocean science and conservation topics associated with Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary."

February 4, 6:30-7:30 p.m. (CT) - Stitching It Together: Photogrammetry and Photomosaics

Coral reef monitoring through photography is a long-standing tradition at Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, with data collected for over 30 years. As technology advances, the sanctuary’s research team is introducing modeling methods through photogrammetry to enhance their long-term monitoring efforts. Donavon French is leading up the effort to better understand the health of the reef by stitching photos together to get a 3-D view and larger-scale 2-D images of the reef. (Photos courtesy of Donavon French)

Presented by Donavon French, Research Specialist, Cardinal Point Captains for Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary
Webinar Registration

Full Seaside Chats schedule: https://flowergarden.noaa.gov/education/seasidechats.html

ONLINE: The Houston Astronomical Society presents
Rich Wilbourn in a presentation titled “Our Universe - The Big Picture."

Description: "Exactly what is the structure of the solar system, the galaxy, the universe? We've all been there, trying to make sense of the terminology and the immense scale of it all. In this presentation, we'll start with an updated view of the solar system and zoom out to the very edge. We'll see where life might exist in our solar system and around other stars. We'll catalog the components of galaxies. We'll see how galaxies string together in vast sheets across incredible distances. Don't miss this chance to better understand the Big Picture."

Speaker: Rich Wilborn is a retired IT/Project Manager with a lifelong interest in space and astronomy. As a teenager, he started an astronomy club in his hometown of Jackson, Mississippi, ground the mirror for his own 10" reflector telescope and was even appointed to the Planetarium Planning Commission for the new Jackson planetarium. Rich studied astronomy at the University of Texas in Austin where he spent two summers working at McDonald Observatory. A HAS club member since the 90's, his interests have evolved from visual observing to astrophotography. You can see his images on Instagram at @rwilbourn.

This meeting will be held virtually via Zoom. To attend, you must register for the meeting. You can use the link below. You will receive an email with the details of the meeting and a link that will allow you to join in.

Register here.
You only need to register once!

Join us on Thursday, February 5th, at 7:00 pm CT. See you then!

Top image credit: NASA/ESA

HYBRID: The Johnson Space Center Astronomical Society will hold a meeting featuring a presentation by Gerry Campbell on "Gravitational Wave Astronomy."

The meeting at will be held at the University of Houston-Clear Lake STEM Building, Room 1203 starting at 7:30 p.m.. People should arrive between 7 and 7:15 p.m. Attendees should park in Parking Lots D3 or D4 no earlier than 7 p.m.

Please see the UHCL Map here -- Please park in lots D3 and D4. The STEM building is building #5 on the map. Come in from the east side and go left. When you come to the end of hallway, you should find the auditorium where the meeting will be.

The meeting can be accessed by going to the JSCAS YouTube Channel at the link: https://www.youtube.com/c/JSCAstronomicalSociety

Also, the JSCAS YouTube Channel link will be posted on the JSCAS web page: http://www.jscas.net

To submit questions for our presenters during the meeting, please either enter your questions as a YouTube comment (if you have an account that will allow doing so) or send your questions to: jscaslive@gmail.com

JSCAS is open to anyone who wants to learn about astronomy and membership is free. After joining, you’ll have access to our amazing Astronomy DVD Library with 100’s of choices to learn from (from Astronomy Magazine, NASA, The Great Courses, Discovery Channel, etc.).

Top image: C. Henze/NASA Ames Research Center

ONLINE: "Seaside Chats is an annual speaker series about ocean science and conservation topics associated with Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary."

February 18, 6:30-7:30 p.m. (CT) - Successful Partnerships: How to Remove 1,700 Pounds of Marine Debris from the Twilight Zone
Something unique happened in 2025 at the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, a first of its kind effort and a new page in the marine debris removal playbook—how to successfully remove 1,700 pounds of marine debris from the seafloor 180 feet below. This is a partnership story of a federal agency, zoo and aquarium, not-for-profit, and marine salvage and response group of companies joining forces to not only complete their mission but also lay the groundwork for these areas to recover. Join us for a journey into the heavy lift of commercial diving in a national marine sanctuary, and learn about additional projects underway to support the health of our oceans for future generations. (Photos courtesy of Jake Emmert/Moody Gardens and Sierra Sarkis/NOAA)

Presented by Jake Emmert, Director of Marine Operations, Moody Gardens
Webinar Registration

Full Seaside Chats schedule: https://flowergarden.noaa.gov/education/seasidechats.html