On Monday, June 23, Dr. Walter Jahn will cap off the Summer Lecture Series I: The Biodiversity of the Americas with a fascinating exploration of The Geological History and Biological Diversity of the US Southwest.

In the one-hour from 5:30 to 6:30pm, he will give you information through his commentary as well as photographs of places you never knew existed such as Dinosaur National Monument where fossils of dinosaurs that lived 150 million years ago are embedded in rocks. Also, at On Monday, June 23, Dr. Walter Jahn will cap off the Summer Lecture Series I: The Biodiversity of the Americas with a fascinating exploration of The Geological History and Biological Diversity of the US Southwest.

In the one-hour from 5:30 to 6:30pm, he will give you information through his commentary as well as photographs of places you never knew existed such as Dinosaur National Monument where fossils of dinosaurs that lived 150 million years ago are embedded in rocks. Also, at White Sands National Park, white sand dunes composed of gypsum crystals offer visitors a vast place for hiking and sledding. Even on the hottest day of the year, the dunes are cool because gypsum doesn’t absorb heat from the sun.

At Guadalupe Mountains National Park, three internationally significant geological stratotype sections and points and numerous type sections of rock are present. The Guadalupe Mountains are part of a mostly buried 400-mile-long U-shaped fossil reef complex, Capitan Reef, which is a 260-million- to 270-million-years-old reef and is one of the world’s finest examples of an ancient reef system. Carlsbad Caverns National Park is in the Chihuahuan Desert. It features more than 100 caves. The Natural Entrance is a path into the namesake Carlsbad Cavern. Stalactites cling to the roof of the Big Room, a huge underground chamber in the cavern.

And not to be forgotten is the magnificent Grand Canyon National Park where layered bands of red rock reveal millions of years of geological history. Often considered one of the Wonders of the World, the park's central feature is the Grand Canyon, a gorge of the Colorado River.

The venue for this exciting lecture is the Rowley Center for Science and Engineering (RCSE) room 110, SUNY Orange. RCSE is located at GPS: 10 East Conkling Avenue, Middletown. Free parking is available on- street and in college lots. Also, the lectures are available live via zoom. Link: https://sunyorange.zoom.us/j/98282281351

Attendance in-person or virtually is free and open to the public.

Questions may be directed to Cultural Affairs at cultural@sunyorange.edu