2010 - John Muir: Naturalist and Scientist

University of the Pacific's John Muir Center hosted its seventh conference focused on John Muir at the Stockton campus of University of the Pacific on April 21 - 24, 2010.

Presentations this year focused on Muir's scientific accomplishments, including Muir's botanical studies in Yosemite and Calaveras Big Trees Park and Muir's glacier research and its meaning for today. But art, film, adventure, and even Muir's "religion of nature" were also well-represented, with presentations by a Muir impersonator, a film director, a legendary mountain climber, and historian Donald Worster.

For the first time in the history of the Muir Symposium, undergraduate students participated in the program. Students from University of the Pacific's Dr. Bill Swagerty's "John Muir's World" class (HIST 052), many of whom are Environmental Studies majors, shared their research on Muir. Each student briefly summarized his or her research topic and described source materials used - including those from Pacific's special collection of John Muir's works housed in the University's Holt-Atherton library. While shorter than traditional academic presentations, many of these featured some of the most fascinating topics of the Symposium.

The second day focused on John Muir's legacy for environmental education and its impact at the University of the Pacific, in the United Kingdom, and on the World Wide Web. The latter presentation was made by Harold Wood, webmaster of the John Muir Exhibit, on the topic of "Keeping John Muir Relevant Through the World Wide Web," and focused on the power and impact of social media and features of "Web 2.0" and even "Web 3.0."

Delicious Scottish fare spiced up the conference on Friday, and a 19th century California theme lunch was served on Saturday featuring foods that would have been familiar to John Muir and his family from the gardens and orchards at their Martinez ranch, including fig empanadas, chicken mole ranchero, and peach cobbler.

The conference ended on April 24 with the unveiling of a large panoramic photo of Muir Woods by Stephen Joseph, a Bay Area-based professional landscape photographer who has been honored as the Centennial photographer for Muir Woods National Monument.

Pacific's Powell Scholars dedicated this piece of art, which hangs in the library, to President Pamela Eibeck.