The UC Center for Public Engagement with Science (PEWS) is back with its monthly feature, Cincinnati Science Roundup. Check out events and news related to science happening in January from PEWS, our collaborators, and community partners around Greater Cincinnati!
Herpetology Lecture Series: Hopping with Frogs & Toads
Friday, January 9th, 7:00-8:00pm. Sharon Woods/Sharon Center, 11450 Lebanon Road Sharonville, OH 45241.
Join Great Parks each week for thrilling and informative explorations of amphibians and reptiles. Discover the unique behaviors of these remarkable creatures and gain a deeper understanding of their importance in our ecosystem. This week, learn about your favorite frogs and toads and meet some up close.
Birding through the Seasons: Winter—A Matter of Survival (an Online Program at Cincinnati Nature Center)
Sunday, January 11th, 3:00-4:30pm. Online.
Join Cincinnati Nature Center for this online program to learn about our local birds while enhancing your birding skills. In this program, we’ll present an overview of basic bird structure with emphasis on key points for identification. Other topics will include winter challenges and adaptations that birds use for survival. We’ll concentrate on local sparrows, finches, woodpeckers, and raptors. Register here!
Houseplant How-to Series
Various dates throughout January. The Civic Garden Center: 2715 Reading Rd, Cincinnati.
Houseplants are wonderful additions to any indoor décor, whether it be at home, the office or a favorite restaurant. Caring for these indoor gardens can be a bit tricky, but once you have the know-how, you can enjoy growing a diverse array of plants indoors through any season! Each class in the Civic Garden Center’s Houseplant How-To series will include a deep dive into specific indoor plant species, their unique characteristics and growing needs, common problems associated with their long-term care and the best ways to propagate them.
Houseplants for Beginners – Tuesday, January 13th, 6:00-7:30pm
In Houseplants for Beginners, we’ll demystify the challenge of growing houseplants as we explore the basics. You’ll learn what houseplants need to thrive and how to grow more to add to your collection.
Cacti and Succulents – Tuesday, January 20th, 6:00-7:30pm
In Cacti & Succulents, we’ll explore these fleshy, typically drought-tolerant plants that are ubiquitous in houseplant culture. Some growers have no issues with them, but they can be tricky for others.
Indoor Jungles – Tuesday, January 27th, 6:00-7:30pm
In Indoor Jungles, we’ll cover the color foliage, vibrant vines and indoor trees that can give a home that tropical feel even in the coldest days of winter.
Coffee, Catalogs, Seeds & Shenanigans
Saturday, January 17th, 10:00am-12:00pm The Civic Garden Center: 2715 Reading Rd, Cincinnati.
Do you love seed catalog season as much as we do?? Then join the Civic Garden Center for Coffee, Catalogs, Seeds & Shenanigans: a seed catalog party and seed swap! On this January morning, we’ll enjoy warm beverages and potluck-style snacks while we swap seeds and peruse our seed catalogs in community. It’s the time of year when all of us gardeners have our noses buried in our favorite companies’ latest offerings anyway, so we might as well geek out together (with refreshments!). You just might discover a new variety or two to try in 2026. You’re also welcome to bring vegetable, herb or flower seeds to share. Register here!
2026 Hauck Concert Series: Percussive By Nature
Sunday, January 25th, 3:00-4:00pm. The Civic Garden Center: 2715 Reading Rd, Cincinnati.
Nature reverberates with percussion–from rain on the roof to cicadas in the trees to a woodpecker hammering away in the distance. For this first performance in the 2026 Hauck Concert Series, we’ll explore the interplay between human-made and natural percussion through unique works that range from literal to philosophical.
Recent CCM graduate Jacob Ottmer will perform works such as Elainie Lillios’s “After Long Drought,” in which different implements and electronic effects are used on the vibraphone to simulate being entrenched in a rainstorm; “Syntax of Snow” by Matthew Burtner, which combines amplified snow, a glockenspiel and an ambient soundtrack to evoke feelings of meditation in the composer’s home state of Alaska; and John Cage’s “Child of Tree,” which features amplified plant matter and symbolically represents Cage’s idea that all things come from natural beginnings. Get your ticket here!
Birding through the Seasons: Spring and Fall—Miracle of Migration (an Online Program at Cincinnati Nature Center)
Sunday, January 25th, 3:00-4:30pm. Online.
Join Cincinnati Nature Center to learn about our local birds while enhancing your birding skills. In this program, we’ll present an overview of flight and molting with emphasis on key points for identification. Other topics will include the science of bird migration, including where they go and why. We’ll concentrate on warblers, flycatchers, thrushes, and waterbirds. Register here!
Little Sprouts
Mondays, January 12th and 26th, 10:00-11:30am. The auditorium at the Civic Garden Center, 2715 Reading Rd., Cincinnati.
Join the Civic Garden Center to connect with the outdoors and further your knowledge of plants. These drop in sessions are meant for children aged 3 to 8 and their caregivers. These sessions are free to attend and no registration is required. Learn more about Little Sprouts here!
Sustainability@UC Week 2026
Monday, January 26th- Saturday, January 31st. University of Cincinnati and surrounding locations.
Join the University of Cincinnati for a week full of sustainability-related events and activities for students, researchers, educators, staff, and the public. This week is organized by the UC Office of Sustainability, the School of Environment and Sustainability (SEaS), Student Government, and the Center for Public Engagement with Science (PEWS). All events are free of charge unless otherwise indicated. You can see the full event calendar here!
The week will include a public keynote on Thursday, January 29th, from 7:30-9:00pm, sponsored by PEWS and SEaS. Dr. Teresa Mares, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Vermont and Director for the Graduate Program in Food Systems, will be presenting on labor and social sustainability in the US food system. The talk will be preceded by the Sustainability Awards (from 6:30-7:15pm) and a student poster session and community tabling event (5:00-6:30pm). Reception included!
Registration now open: Online Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist Course
Register today!
Course runs Tuesday, January 13th – Thursday, February 26th. Online.
Become an Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist! Cincinnati Nature Center is proud to be a host site and partner with Ohio State University Extension for this 40-hour course that encompasses the fundamentals of Ohio’s ecology, preparing you to become part of a statewide network of dedicated volunteers working to protect Ohio’s natural treasures.
- Apply your passion to protecting, restoring, and understanding Ohio’s natural treasures
- Learn from experts in a variety of fields about the biology, ecology, and natural history of Ohio, and how to share the knowledge with others
- Meet like-minded new friends
- Take your commitment to nature a step further
This fully online course schedule offers a lot of flexibility and can be done from anywhere in the state. The evening lectures are live on Zoom, where you can talk with presenters and classmates in the comfort of your home. The required 12 hours of homework will get you outside, anywhere you choose in Ohio!
In addition to helping to sustain the CGC’s work, membership comes with the following exclusive benefits:
- Early-access Friday night shopping for our annual GrowFest plant sale
- First dibs on registration for select popular CGC classes, garden tours and events
- Ten Monday night Native Plant Support Group meetings per year
- Six Wednesday night Game Nights per year, May through October
- Four full moon Herb Circle meetings per year
- At least two surprise member-exclusive events or perks per year
