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Join us for the launch of UCSB Library’s new speaker series AI in Action Conversations with UCSB Researchers. The event features short presentations by Tobias Fischer (Director, Earth Research Institute), Ben Halpern (Executive Director, National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis) and Rebecca Vega Thurber (Director, Marine Science Institute) on innovative applications of AI in their research, followed by a 30-minute discussion on broader trends, challenges, and ethical considerations, and a reception.

Fischer will present an overview of the use of AI in the Earth Research Institute (ERI) with examples on how AI is used in research projects.

In his presentation titled “Using AI Effectively and Responsibly in Environmental Data Science and Synthesis,” Halpern will share a few highlights of applications and lessons learned on how AI is changing the nature of research projects at NCEAS, and how we can continue to use AI responsibly.

In her presentation titled “Using Deep Learning/AI to explore System Agnostic Microbiome Measures,” Thurber will discuss her work using advanced bioinformatics and deep learning to compare microbiome studies and identify unifying principles of how microbiomes function and thus contribute to animal health. This work aims to synthesize numerous studies on animal microbiomes, revealing system independent microbiome features that transcend hosts. Such work will ideally pinpoint critical aspects of host-microbiome interactions and how they can be used to advance animal health, ecosystem resilience, and resource management.

This event may be photographed or recorded.

Advance registration is recommended as space is limited.

Our guest speaker, Dr. Myra Finkelstein, is an Adjunct Professor in the Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology Department at the University of California Santa Cruz. Her lecture, “Why are California condors still dying from lead (it’s complicated): A summary of what we know about condor lead poisoning risk post AB711” will be in the Topping Room at the Ventura Public Library located at 651 E. Main St. from 2:00 to 3:00 pm on Saturday, January 31, 2026.

A brand-new Rudie-DeCarlo Family Theatre Musical in which not one, not two, but three Dorothys come face to face with the Wizard, the Queen of Hearts, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, the White Rabbit, Fairygodmother, and – well, but we don’t want to give away all the surprises.

“You won’t find more professional theatre – for children or adults – anywhere in Los Angeles!” LA PARENT

Did you know that all Fairytale Portals connect directly to the land of OZ? Did you know that the Ozian witches of the East, North, South and West have a fifth sister? Did you know that Emerald City isn’t always in the same place, and only there at all when you need to find it? The three Dorothys – Dorie, Dotty and Dorotea – didn’t know it either. And oh, what an adventure awaits them, and you, on this wonderful musical journey.

“One of LA’s most respected theatre companies!” The Hollywood Reporter

Not just for girls, all ages will delight in this interactive theatre experience as they help guide our Dorothys from a little farm in Kansas along the yellow brick road to a royal destiny in Emerald City. Featuring Actors’ Repertory Theatre members Holly Gibson, Shravana Karthekiyan, Isabel Lindley, Michala Peltz, with Cydne Moore and Joseph Perez, this delightful musical comedy is written and directed by Playhouse Co-Artistic Directors Chris DeCarlo and Evelyn Rudie. Magical multi-media FX by James Cooper and sparkling costume design by the award-winning Ashley Hayes make this the perfect weekend afternoon outing for the whole family to enjoy together.

“Best Parties in LA!” CBS.COM

Birthday parties, hosted by gaily costumed fairy tale characters, are available for every performance

Santa Monica Playhouse programs are supported in part by generous grants from the We Are Santa Monica Fund, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, the City of Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Arts Commission, the Ahmanson Foundation and Playhouse PALS.

Start the New Year with a comedy clash! We’ll drop two improv teams into a friendly fight for your laughs—no scripts, no mercy, all fun. You judge who crushes it, who cracks, and who snags the first bragging rights of 2026.

Tickets are $10 online or $15 at the door.

Passionate about fostering creativity and community through top-notch improv education and electrifying performances, Ventura Improv Company has been bringing side-splitting laughter to Ventura County since 1989. Join us and experience a night of comedic magic you’ll be talking about for weeks!

More info: venturaimprov.com
Ventura Improv Company is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

Join the KIDZ BOP Kids for a larger-than-life concert adventure featuring today’s biggest hits, including “APT.,” “Pink Pony Club,” and more. Get ready to sing, dance, and celebrate together as the theatre turns into your family’s very own dance floor. Experience all the fun of the KIDZ BOP LIVE tour on the big screen, plus exclusive behind-the-scenes moments you won’t see anywhere else. 

Filmed live on tour, this movie captures the excitement, lights, and energy of the real KIDZ BOP LIVE show, with high-energy choreography, amazing special effects, and iconic costumes that light up the stage. 

For all participating theatres and showtimes visit: https://bit.ly/49kMkJO

UC Santa Barbara Library invites you to a reception celebrating the new exhibition Elena Yu: Weaving Ephemera – 30 Years of the Ethnic and Gender Studies Collection at UCSB Library. Meet artist Elena Yu and learn how she reinterpreted book dust jackets and other materials she found in the Library’s Ethnic and Gender Studies Collection space to make curtains for the exhibition. By abstracting, enlarging, and translating the materials onto curtains, Yu extended the lifespan of both the objects and the histories they remain connected to.

The event will include remarks from Yu, Professor Ralph Armbruster-Sandoval (Chicana and Chicano Studies) and UCSB librarians. Light refreshments will be provided.

The event is free and open to the public. Please note this event may be photographed or recorded.

The Good Good Show is Santa Barbara's longest running monthly stand up comedy show featuring the hottest comedians working today that you've seen or heard on Comedy Central, HBO Max, Hulu, The Late Late Show, FX, VICE, Fuse, Jimmy Kimmel, Sirius XM and more.


FEATURING: Troy Walker, Babs Gray, Jeff Frame, Natalie McGill and Julie Weidmann


Tickets are ONLY $10 so come have some laughs with us and enjoy a delicious craft beer (wine available too)!


7:30 p.m. $10


Show is 21+

Across the nation, the boundaries of free speech are being tested. From challenges facing journalism, higher education, and peaceful protest to debates over academic freedom and viewpoint diveristy, questions about the First Amendment are taking on new urgency. How can we make sense of these shifts and protect the core freedoms that systain a democratic society?

This luncheon, sponsored by American Association of University Women Interbranch Council (Camarillo, Thousand Oaks, and Simi Valley, will feature a panel of faculty and students from The Colleges of Law in Ventura and Santa Barbara that will discuss the topic. Led by Dean and Chief Academic Officer, Brandy Price, JD, the panel will address these questions and more.

Tickets are $40 for buffet Italian lunch and program. Register by January 12th to ensure your spot.

Since our founding in 1932, collecting and preserving the material and written history of the Santa Barbara area has been at the core of our institution’s purpose and that task is on-going to this day. Every year the Historical Museum adds to the ever-growing collections to better illuminate and share this rich history.
This exhibition highlights just some of the gifts we have added in recent years thanks to the generosity of our community.

Through May 2026

Free Admission
Open Wednesday-Sunday 12:00-5:00pm, Thursday 12:00-7:00pm

Santa Barbara Historical Museum
136 E De la Guerra Street, Santa Barbara 93101
www.sbhistorical.org
805-966-1601

Image
Our Lady of Atocha, c. 1800
Collection Santa Barbara Historical Museum

We had a lot of fun with this topic in November. So once again, at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, January 13th, the Ventura County Interfaith Community will explore what three faiths have to say about the animal kingdom. Join us at Alma Via Senior Living Center (2500 N Ponderosa Dr, Camarillo, CA 93010) and discover how the Jewish community, Muslims, and Hindus view their relationship to animals. Speakers will take questions from the audience.

Admission is free, and all are welcome. Please invite friends and family for what promises to be a fascinating evening.