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Texas Science Festival: FREE Activity Fair and Plant Biology Talk
Enjoy a hands-on science activity fair for all ages, followed by an exploration of how Indigenous knowledge and ecological science come together, as part of the 2026 Jean Andrews Plant Biology celebration.
Event entry is FREE, courtesy of the Texas Science Festival.
Join the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and UT Austin’s Department of Integrative Biology for the annual Jean Andrews Plant Biology Seminar and science activity fair. Enjoy demos and activities at an all-ages science-themed fair, celebrating discovery and the natural world for the first part of the event.
Then hear research ecologist and cultural fire practitioner, Dr. Frank Kanawha Lake’s science talk, “Indigenous Fire Stewardship, Pollinators and Eco-Cultural Restoration.” Seating is limited. RSVPs are encouraged.
Details and Schedule:
- 11:30 am—2 pm: Science activity fair with biodiversity collections, free native plants and snacks
- 2—3 pm: “Indigenous Fire Stewardship, Pollinators and Eco-Cultural Restoration,” science talk from Dr. Frank Kanawha Lake
- For free admission, upon arrival notify staff at the Wildflower Center welcome kiosk that you are attending the Texas Science Festival/Jean Andrews event
- Free parking is available at the Wildflower Center. If the parking lot is full, there are additional spots along La Crosse Avenue (back-in angle parking only, please).
About the Talk
Dr. Frank Kanawha Lake will explore Indigenous fire stewardship through the lens of his Karuk and Yurok family teachings and his work as a research ecologist. Drawing on Indigenous knowledge and western science, the talk will explore questions such as:
- How can fire help forests, plants and animals stay healthy?
- What can we learn from Indigenous peoples about caring for the land?
- How do plants and pollinators work together after a fire?
- How can people help restore ecosystems and protect nature for the future?
The Jean Andrews Smith Centennial Visiting Professorship in Tropical and Economic Botany was established by the Board of Regents of The University of Texas System in 1983, with support from Jean Andrews, Ph.D. of Austin, Texas, a 1944 graduate of The University of Texas at Austin and its College of Natural Sciences.
Dr. Frank Kanawha Lake
Dr. Frank Kanawha Lake is a research scientist and cultural fire practitioner whose research involves wildland fire effects, indigenous knowledge, tribal agroforestry, climate change, and ethno-ecology with an emphasis on cultural management and fire ecology of forest, shrub, grassland, and riparian environments in the Klamath-Siskiyou and Pacific Northwest regions. Frank is a Fire Line Qualified Resource Advisor (REAF) who works directly on wildland fires with agencies and tribes. He also mentors and serves as a graduate committee member for several students working on tribal food security, wildland fire, and forest management. Frank is of mixed North American Indigenous and European ancestry. He grew up learning the cultural practices and teaching of his Karuk and Yurok family in northwestern California. These cultural teachings, and western academic and professional experience as a researcher, inform his Indigenous Fire Stewardship and knowledge of fire ecology. His passion for Indigenous Agroforestry and Fire Stewardship/Cultural Burning comes from personal responsibility. Frank is also a tribal artist and regalia maker who participates in subsistence and ceremonial practices. He serves on several international wildland fire boards and advisory committees focusing on Indigenous Fire-Dependent Cultures. He lives in Humboldt County, Klamath River region.
