By Tim Hauserman

While Tahoe visitors come here for the beauty of the lake and the outdoor recreation opportunities, a lot of cultural and mind enhancing opportunities are available at the lake as well. One of the best places to find those is at the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) on the campus of Sierra Nevada College in Incline Village.

At TERC you will find the Tahoe Science Center, which provides interactive exhibits on the Tahoe basin ecology. Exhibits include a mockup of the TERC research vessel which is based in Tahoe City, a virtual lab, and an interactive sandbox to allow you to shape watersheds. You can also watch an award-winning 3D movie, “Lake Tahoe in Depth.”

TERC is also home to a series of public events that explore interesting areas of science. Over the last six months TERC has presented a wide range of topics including: State of the Lake Report, by TERC Director Geoff Schladow; An Evening with Janet Napolitano, How Safe are We?; The future of our forests by Dr. Patricia Maloney; US Human Spaceflight: Past, present and future, Dr. Stephen Robinson. There were also several presentations that would have appealed to the Sunnyside Lodge clientele: Beautiful Beer by Dr. Charlie Bamforth, and The Science of Cocktails.

Next up on September 12th is “Mission Architectures for the Moon, Deep Space and Mars.” It’s a presentation by Dr. Darlene Lim a geobiologist and limnologist at the NASA Ames Research Center.

Her focus is on studying the earth’s oceans to determine what they can teach us about life in space. She is using that information to help design future space missions to the moon, deep space and Mars.

Admission to the September 12 show is $5 in advance and $10 at the door. Refreshments and a no-host bar will be available from 5:30 – 6 p.m. The lecture will begin at 6 p.m. at 291 Country Club Drive in Incline Village (between Tahoe Boulevard/SR 28 and Lakeshore Blvd.) on the campus of Sierra Nevada College.

For more information call 775-881-7566, or visit http://tahoe.ucdavis.edu/events/. While there, sign up for email updates to get the scoop on upcoming events.