University of Alaska Anchorage
01/13/2026 | News release | Distributed by Public on 01/13/2026 16:07
Alaska artist Ray Troll and Smithsonian paleontologist Kirk Johnson live, Feb. 26
Alaska artist Ray Troll and Smithsonian paleontologist Kirk Johnson are coming to town for the next installment of the College of Arts and Sciences' Community Lecture Series!
From Ketchikan, Ray Troll creates humorous, science-inspired artwork found in museums, magazines and books-and on posters, hoodies and literally millions of T-shirts. He has created a dozen books and numerous traveling exhibits, co-hosts the popular Paleo Nerds podcast and headlines his band, The Ratfish Wranglers. Ray has received wide acclaim, but it's hard to beat the fact that Hydrolagus trolli, a newly discovered species of ratfish, was named in his honor. Ray and his wife Michelle live and work in Ketchikan, Alaska, and operate the Prairie Sea Gallery in Lindsborg, Kansas.
Kirk Johnson is known for his research on the extinction of dinosaurs and plant life. Through PBS documentaries and his popular books, Kirk has brought deep-time science to broad audiences. He is also the Sant Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, where he oversees the world's largest natural history collection. A new species of fossil parasol tree was recently named Macaranga kirkjohnsoni in his honor.
Hear Kirk and Ray share stories about their wild travels across North America at the PAC Discovery Theatre on Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. Tickets are available online.
Event location - Discovery Theatre
Event date - Feb. 26, 2026
Event start time - 7 p.m.
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