The Secret Science Club presents the 5th-annual Carnivorous Nights TAXIDERMY CONTEST, Tuesday, December 7, 8 pm @ the Bell House, $5

The beasts are back! Calling all science geeks, nature freaks, and rogue geniuses!

Your stuffed squirrel got game? Got a beaver in your brownstone? Bring your beloved beast to the Bell House and enter it to win! 

Eligible for prizes: Taxidermy (bought, found, or homemade), biological oddities, articulated skeletons, skulls, jarred specimens—and beyond, way beyond.

The contest will be judged by our panel of savage taxidermy enthusiasts, including Robert Marbury of the Minnesota Association of Rogue Taxidermists; Dorian Devins, co-founder and curator of the Secret Science Club; and beast mistress Melissa Milgrom, author of Still Life: Adventures in Taxidermy.

SPECIAL GUEST: Purveyor of scientific wonders and star of the inimitable new show Oddities on the Discovery Channel, Mike Zohn joins the judging panel and presents an illustrated lecture on (yes!) taxidermy.

Plus!
 --Groove to wildlife-inspired tunes
--Imbibe ferocious specialty drinks!

--More secrets and surprises

Entrants: Contact secretscienceclub@gmail.com to pre-register. Share your taxidermy (and its tale) with the world!

Spectators: Don't miss a beastly second of this wild night!

--Doors and pre-show at 7:30 pm

--Taxidermy Lecture at 8 pm

--TAXIDERMY CONTEST at 8:30 pm

This special edition of the Secret Science Club meets on Tuesday, December 7, 8 pm @ the Bell House, 149 7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn, p: 718.643.6510 Subway: F to 4th Ave; R to 9th St; F or G to Smith/9th

$5 cover charge. Doors open at 7:15 pm. Please bring ID: 21+



Aya Kakeda for the New Yorker



The Secret Science Club Gets Wet and Wild! Melanie Stiassny Explores the Mysterious Depths of the Congo River, Tuesday, November 9, 8 PM @ the Bell House, FREE!

Step into liquid with ichthyologist and explorer Melanie Stiassny as she plunges into the heart of darkness. Described by Joseph Conrad as an “immense snake uncoiled, with its head in the sea . . . and its tail lost in the depths of the land,” the Congo is the deepest river on Earth, home to raging rapids, and hidden submarine canyons. Such mysterious depths shelter astonishingly strange creatures, ranging from blind fishes to truly monstrous needle-toothed carnivores.

Axelrod Research Curator of Fishes at the American Museum of Natural History, a New York Times blogger, and featured scientist on The Colbert Report, Dr. Stiassny researches the evolutionary biology of fishes, focusing on freshwater conservation and Old World tropical systems. She discusses her recent fish-finding expeditions to the Congo and plumbs the river’s amazing biodiversity. Prepare to go deep . . .

Before & After
--Groove to siren song and the murmurs of mermaids
--Imbibe the wet and wild cocktail of the night, the Stiassny Stinger
--Immerse yourself in the fishy Q&A

The Secret Science Club meets Tuesday, November 9 @ the Bell House, 149 7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn, p: 718.643.6510 Subway: F to 4th Ave; R to 9th St; F or G to Smith/9th.

Doors open at 7:15 pm. Please bring ID: 21+. Free!

The Secret Science Club hosts the Imagine Science Film Festival and A NIGHT OF AVANT-GARDE FILMS @ the Bell House, Mon, Oct 18, 8pm FREE!

SPECIAL EVENT: The Secret Science Club is teaming up with the Imagine Science Film Festival to present a selection of science-inspired short films, plus “Dance Your Ph.D.” and live music by neuroscientist rockers, the Amygdaloids, and Balún.

Techno noir. Music Video. Animation. Don’t miss some of the festival’s quirkiest and coolest entries, featuring subjects like murder and meteorites, particles and prescription drugs, and the dark nature of fear. Check out the following films from the USA, Australia, France, Thailand, Canada, Portugal, and the Future: Mind Over Matter, Velvet Cell, Origin of Mass, Breu, Skhizein, and more!

When: Monday, October 18, 8 pm
Where: The Bell House, 149 7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn.

FREE! Just bring your smart self. Doors open at 7:30 PM. 21 and over.

The Imagine Science Film Festival runs from October 15 to 22 at a whole host of venues around the city. Visit here for a complete listing of events.