Science / Medicine : Bird Exhibit Takes Wing at Museum

A new interactive exhibit featuring three walk-through habitats filled with the sounds of animated birds opens Jan. 21 at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

The Ralph W. Schreiber Hall of Birds, named for the late curator of ornithology at the museum, offers 27 interactive learning stations and state-of-the-art exhibitions to give visitors insight into all aspects of birds and their environment.

Highlighted in the hall are full-scale habitats including a tropical rain forest display, modeled on a rain forest in central Peru, the California mountain condor habitat and the Canadian prairie marsh exhibit.

Schreiber Hall will teach visitors about the complex ecological frameworks of various habitats and the necessity of preserving these areas.

There is also a full schedule of classes, workshops and lectures planned to complement the exhibits, including a talk by Paul MacCready, inventor of the Gossamer Albatross, on the evolution of natural and artificial flight at 2:30 p.m. Jan. 20, followed by a preview reception of the new hall.

Reservations are required for the lecture and reception. Call (213) 744-3534.

BOTANY

The identity and ecology of local hillside plants will be the subject of an introductory field trip to La Jolla Canyon by the Sierra Club’s natural science section Jan. 26 at 9:30 a.m. Call (805) 967-0593.

SCIENCE FOR KIDS

Wildlife on Wheels visits the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County with live birds from Alaska, including a raven, an American bald eagle and a great horned owl for children to see at 1:30 p.m. Jan. 26.

Also at the museum Jan. 26, children and adults can learn about Alaskan Tlingit and Haida masks in workshops at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. For reservations call (213) 744-3534.

In a repeat of a popular summer class, children ages 7 to 10 can learn about plants from different parts of the world and the habitats they thrive in at the Los Angeles State and County Arboretum at 9:30 a.m. Jan. 21. For reservation information call (818) 447-8207.

Children ages 4 and up and their families can see and learn about the brilliant orange monarch butterfly in morning walks sponsored by the Westside Arts Center to explore the winter home in the local mountains on Jan. 26 and Feb. 2 at 10:30 a.m. Pre-registration is required. Call (213) 395-1443.

MEDICINE/HEALTH

“Computer-Related Injuries, the Occupational Disease of the 1990s” is the focus of a one-day seminar featuring speakers on repetitive strain injuries, electromagnetic computer emissions, employer obligations and workers’ rights at the Sheraton Plaza La Reina Hotel at Los Angeles International Airport on Jan. 24. Call (213) 207-1653.

The newest techniques in orthopedic medicine, including sports injury and back pain prevention, will be discussed by physicians in a forum at St. John’s Hospital and Health Center on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. For reservations, call (213) 829-8453.

Breast Cancer Recovery Plus will be holding a post-holiday discussion group to explore some of the feelings that may have emerged during the holiday season on Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Security Pacific Bank in West Los Angeles. Call (213) 478-9463 or 452-0200.

SCIENCE POLICY

Nobel Laureate Hans Bethe will discuss “The Need for Nuclear Power” in the Watson Centennial Lecture Series at Caltech’s Beckman Auditorium on Wednesday at 8 p.m. Call (818) 356-4652 or (800) 423-8849.