›› 2016 Online Application
Teachers - please complete this online form...needed to reserve space for your class in the programs at The College of Charleston.



Event Venues

Brittlebank Park is located on Lockwood Blvd, just south of the Joe Riley Ballpark. Parking is conveniently available.

The School of Science and Math Auditorium, College of Charleston is located at the NW corner of Coming and Calhoun Streets, across from the CofC Library. The Auditorium is Room 129, to yourleft as you enter from Calhoun Street. The closest parking garage is two blocks south, at St. Phillips and George.

The Stern Center Ballroom is located on the third floor of the Stern Student Center, on George Street between Coming & Glebe. Parking is available at the St. Philip Street garage, two blocks east.

A map of the CofC Campus is available online.

The US Science & Engineering Festival
Washington, DC

Citadel STEM Center of Excellence
A collaborative of The Citadel's Schools of Education, Engineering, and Science & Math

S2TEM Centers SC
A network of education specialists focused on economic development through improvement in K-12 STEM Education.

Darwin Week in Charleston
Our parent organization, now in its 15th year!

DarwinDay.org
The International Darwin Day Foundation, celebrating Science and Humanity.

Evolution Weekend
An opportunity for serious discussion on the relationship between religion and science, from The Clergy Letter Project.
 

PICCOLO ARCHIVES
Piccolo Darwin Week 2015
Piccolo Darwin Week 2014

Evolution of the Universe... in a Necklace?

Saturday, Feb 6, 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Brittlebank Park
Activity leader - Ms. Amy Monsky

For all Elementary age children - No reservations required!

A bead for the galaxies, a bead for our solar system, a bead for life, and a bead for us ourselves!  Participants will be able to easily recount the story of life after making a beautiful necklace of beads highlighting the major evolutionary events.  Join Ms. Amy Monsky as she leads a retelling of the origin of the universe from the big bang to you.

Ms. Amy Monsky is a mother of three, Past-president of the Secular Humanists of the Lowcountry, and Camp Director for Camp Quest South Carolina.  She'll once again be leading this popular activity from the College of Charleston tent at the STEM Festival.

A Walk Through Time

Monday, Feb 8,
9:00 - 10:30 AM [100 slots]

Wednesday, Feb 10,
9:00 - 10:30 AM [100 slots]

Friday, Feb 12,
9:00 - 10:30 AM [Waitlisted]

Mace Brown Museum of Natural History
CofC School of Science & Math Building
Department of Geology and Environmental Geosciences Faculty and Students

For Grades 5-12, Reservations Required*

Take a walk through time, as we tour the College of Charleston Mace Brown Museum of Natural History that displays more than 3,000 fossil specimens, including our newest addition, 'Bucky', a sub-adult T. rex. Students will begin with stromatolites, some of the oldest life on Earth, winding through fossils representing billions of years of adaptations and evolutionary change, finishing at the amazing 'Evolution of Whales' exhibit. In addition, we will explore several activities around the study of fossils, including dinosaur bones. You will also get to play in an augmented reality sandbox, creating topography models by shaping real sand. Your sand model is then translated in real time to a 3D colour computer model of hills, valleys and oceans. And finally you will get to make an “impact,” simulating the event that caused the extinction of dinosaurs.

* For event reservations use the Online Application.
[NOTE: Students will be split into groups of 20-25 and rotate through stations.]

Dinosaurs

Tuesday, Feb 9,
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM [200 slots]

CofC Stern Center Ballroom
Drs. Philip Manning and Victoria Egerton

For Grades 6-12, Reservations Required*

There is just something about dinosaurs that excites us both as children and adults. Maybe it’s their enormity, their evolutionary history, or their extinction...but its something most children want to explore. Go back in time with us to explore these fascinating animals.

Dr. Phil Manning is a Professor of Palaeontology in the Department of Geology and Environmental Geosciences at the College of Charleston, and also Professor of Natural History at the University of Manchester (UK). Dr. Manning has authored both children's and popular science books and is a regular contributor to public speaking programs around the world, promoting the public engagement of science. He has written and presented many National Geographic documentaries, including Jurassic CSI, Dino Autopsy, Dino Death Match and T. rex Ultimate Survivor.

Dr. Victoria Egerton is an Adjuct Professor in the Department of Geology and Environmental Geosciences at the College of Charleston, and also holds positions at the University of Manchester and the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. Dr. Egerton’s research focuses on dinosaurs and their environments which has resulted in extensive travel around the world to study their fossils. She has also participated in internationally acclaimed science festivals including the Royal Society Summer Exhibition, Edinburgh Science Festival and the Cheltenham Science Festival.

* For event reservations use the Online Application.

Harry Potter and the Evolution of Fantastic Beasts

Thursday, Feb 11
11:00 AM- 12:30 PM [Waitlisted]
CofC Stern Center Ballroom
Dr. Eric Spana

For Grades 6-12, Reservations Required*

The magic creatures in Harry Potter live on Earth in our time, so they must have evolved in the same way as the other creatures on Earth. We’ll cover where the creatures in Newt Scamander’s book fit on the Tree of Life, how they may have gained or lost traits, and whether they’re magical at all.

Dr. Eric Spana is a Biology faculty member at Duke University who uses common science fiction and fantasy culture to help students understand basic tenets of genetics, genomics, and developmental and molecular biology.

* For event reservations use the Online Application.