UCLA marine biologist's work featured in new California Science Center exhibit

Paul Barber, UCLA professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, has partnered with the California Science Center and GRAMMY-winning singer Jack Johnson to bring global attention to the Coral Triangle and work being done at UCLA to promote conservation of this highly threatened ecosystem.

The California Science Center, the GRAMMY Museum and Global Wildlife Conservation have created a new exhibit that opened Thursday, "Earth in Concert: Protecting the Planet through Music." The exhibit features multimedia and interactive experiences that fuse the emotional power of music with the new discoveries of science to inform, inspire and reveal how leading musicians are supporting the efforts scientists are taking to preserve our natural world. The artists include Johnson, Sheryl Crow, Ziggy Marley, Willie Nelson, Sting and Pharrell Williams.

“This exhibit demonstrates a remarkable blend of art and science,” said Jeffrey Rudolph, president of the center. “The work of these notable musicians illustrates the need to protect the biodiversity in our natural world.”

The "Earth in Concert" exhibit features Barber's work on marine biodiversity in the Coral Triangle, the global epicenter of marine biodiversity, particularly in Indonesia, and the diversity of species that settle on tropical coral reefs. In 2009, he cofounded the Indonesian Biodiversity Research Center to build biodiversity research capacity and promote sustainability in one of the world’s most endangered ecosystems. He and his research team use molecular genetic techniques to study the evolution and conservation of marine biodiversity worldwide.

Guests at the California Science Center will be able to visit the “Ecosystems” exhibition, where concepts of biodiversity and conservation are introduced through a distinctive blend of live plants and animals, and hands-on science exhibits in 11 immersive environments. From walking through a living kelp forest to experimenting on a polar ice wall, explorers will investigate some of the Earth’s most fascinating ecosystems.

Learn more at Barber's website.