Monsanto helps Girls-in-Science expand at Fontbonne
The two-week Girls-in-Science Research Program at Fontbonne University will grow from 12 to 25 girls, thanks to a $14,000 grant from Monsanto Fund. Open to girls in seventh through ninth grades, the free summer camp will run Monday, June 19, to Thursday, June 30. In its third year, Girls-in-Science was developed by Kelly Lane-deGraaf, assistant professor of biology and director of Fontbonne's One Health program. During camp, junior high-aged girls explore the sciences, working directly with Lane-deGraaf to learn and practice basic biology skills, in diverse fields such as genetics, parasitology, animal behavior and more. The grant will cover a variety of program costs, including transportation options for participants who otherwise wouldn't be able to participate. Additionally, it will allow for two undergraduate women in science to join the program. For more information, visit www.fontbonne.edu.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Local history
A three-part program focusing on history will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16, at the Marianist Retreat and Conference Center, 4000 Highway 109 in Eureka. Curtis Ballenger, a 40-year resident of Wildwood, will discuss the early history of the Meramec River basin from Valley Park to Glencoe and beyond. It will focus on the early settlers, the "Clubhouse Era" when the Meramec valley was the spring and summer playground for St. Lousians before air conditioning and paved roads. Msgr. Michael Witt, author of "The Story of Catholic Evangelization of America's Heartland," will discuss early exploration and settlement of America's heartland, particularly the central role played by St Louis Catholics. Father Joseph Uvietta, SM, and Sister Paulette Patritti, OP, will highlight the history of the Marianist ministry at the retreat center.
Faith, science redux
Postponed due to inclement weather in January, St. Louis University's January First Friday Mass and Speaker Series has been rescheduled for noon, Friday, Feb. 17. Daniel Finucane, associate professor of systematic theology at SLU, will present Science and Faith: Friends or Foes. The free event will be at Jesuit Hall (3601 Lindell Blvd.). Registration is requested at www.stlouisreview.com/bpa
Valentine's Sober Paint
The Good Shepherd Gallery will host another Sober Paint, themed for Valentine's Day, 7-9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17. The cost is $15. Space is limited, with a registration deadline of 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 13. Register at (314) 522-1155 or [email protected]. In addition, Tuesday, Feb. 14 through Saturday, Feb. 18 mark the final days of the exhibit featuring the oil paintings of Gary Lang, who describes his art as "a prayer, an experiment, and an expression of my interior life." The "Corporal Works of Mercy" exhibit, a collaboration by second-, fourth- and sixth-grade students of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Ferguson), St. Cletus (St. Charles) and Incarnate Word (Chesterfield), will begin Saturday, March 5. The gallery, at 252 South Florissant Road in Ferguson, is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday. It's closed on Sunday and Monday.
Free concert "From the Heart"
Our Lady of the Presentation Parish debuts the Presentation Arts Center in its former convent, with "From the Heart" Saturday, Feb. 18. The free concert starts at 7 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. The concert features easy listening, jazz and blues music; art pieces and quilts also will be on display as the parish showcases the arts center's faculty, students and volunteers.
Seminary open house
Join the seminarians at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, 5200 Glennon Drive in Shrewsbury, for an open house from 1-4 p.m. Sunday, March 5. This is an opportunity to meet the seminarians, tour the campus, learn about seminary life and pray in the Chapel of St. Joseph. Visit www.kenrick.edu/open-house for more information.
Women's retreat
"Praying the Psalms: Opening to Mercy When the Heart Cries for Justice" is the topic of the St. Alban Parish Women's Retreat to be held the weekend of March 25-26 at the Marianist Retreat and Conference Center, 4000 Highway 109 in Eureka. Susan Yanos, spiritual director and author of "Woman, You Are Free: A Spirituality for Women in Luke," is the presenter. The retreat center has private rooms with bath. Cost for one night, including meals, is $135; two nights is $160; and commuter, $80, which includes three meals. The registration form is at www.stalbanroe.org. For information, call Kathi Danna at (636) 458-3109 or Chris Zerr at (636) 273-1253.
Women for Christ
The 2017 Catholic Women for Christ Conference will be held Saturday, March 25, at the Touhill Performing Arts Center at the University of Missouri-St. Louis in Normandy. Doors open at 7:30 a.m. and the event ends after Mass at 4 p.m. Presenters will include Sonja Corbitt, Carol Razza and Msgr. Eugene Morris. For information, call (314) 792-7183. Register at www.catholicwomenforchrist.org.