Gillespie Museum Science Cafe logo

Science Café

Science Cafés help to promote scientific literacy by encouraging relaxed, open conversations among scientists and nonscientists of all ages.

Join us at the museum for snacks/socials at 5:30 p.m., with presentations beginning in the RELC at 6:00 p.m.

The RELC was built, in part, by the Volusia County ECHO Program in 2007 with a generous grant of $325,000. This ECHO-supported facility is used as a classroom, lecture hall, and activity space for our monthly public events (Science Saturdays and Science Cafes) and K-12 school and other tour group programming; it also includes a small exhibit and exploration gallery called The Nature Nook which is open to the public during regular museum hours at no cost to visitors.

To receive email updates about our Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 season programs, we invite you to sign up for our mailing list!

Dates at a Glance

Fall 2025

  • September 18 - Rescuing the River of Grass with Eve Samples, Director, Friends of the Everglades
  • October 16 - Fantastic Fungi! with Scott Ostuni, DNA Sequence Validator, Fungal Diversity Survey
  • November 6 - Climate Change and Green Infrastructure Adaptation with Dr. Jason Evans, Director, Stetson's IWER

Spring 2026

  • February 19 - Florida Natural History Highlights with Dr. Martin Main, Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Professor, and Florida Master Naturalist Program Leader, University of Florida
  • March 12 - Strange Creatures from the Ice Age with Katie Wedderstrand, Educator at the Museum of Arts & Sciences (MOAS), Daytona
  • April 9 - Minerals of the Tristate Mining District with Dr. Sam Upchurch, Professional Geologist and former Professor and Chairman of the Geology Department at the University of South Florida

Fall 2025

Eve Samples profile picture

September 18

Rescuing the River of Grass with Eve Samples, Executive Director, Friends of the Everglades; 6 p.m. in the RELC adjacent to the museum, 5:30 for snacks/social. More info (reservations encouraged!) Cultural Credit is available for Stetson undergraduates.

Scott Ostuni profile picture

October 16

Fantastic Fungi! with Scott Ostuni, DNA Sequence Validator, Fungal Diversity Survey; 6 p.m. in the RELC adjacent to the museum, 5:30 for snacks/social. More info (reservations encouraged!) Cultural Credit is available for Stetson undergraduates.

Jason Evans IWER

November 6

Climate Change and Green Infrastructure Adaptation with Dr. Jason Evans, Executive Director, Stetson's Institute for Water & Environmental Resilience (IWER); 6 p.m. in the RELC adjacent to the museum, 5:30 for snacks/social. More info (reservations encouraged!) Cultural Credit is available for Stetson undergraduates.

Spring 2026

Martin Main

February 19

Florida Natural History Highlights with Dr. Martin Main, Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Professor, and Florida Master Naturalist Program Leader, University of Florida; 6 p.m. in the RELC adjacent to the museum, 5:30 for snacks/social. Reservations Encouraged - Read More & RSVP Today!

Cultural Credit is available for Stetson undergraduates.

Katie Wedderstrand

March 12

Strange Creatures from the Ice Age with Katie Wedderstrand, Educator at the Museum of Arts & Sciences (MOAS), Daytona; 6 p.m. in the RELC adjacent to the Gillespie Museum, 5:30 for snacks/social. Reservations Encouraged - Read More & RSVP Today!

Cultural Credit is available for Stetson undergraduates.

Sam Upchurch

April 9

Minerals of the Tristate Mining District with Dr. Sam Upchurch, Professional Geologist and former Professor and Chairman of the Geology Department at the University of South Florida - Join us for the exhibit opening reception, followed by a presentation by the exhibit’s curator and collector, Dr. Upchurch; 5:30 p.m. in the the museum. Reservations Encouraged - Read More & RSVP Today!

Cultural Credit is available for Stetson undergraduates.

Archived Videos

Spring 2021 - Armchair Geology - event recordings now available