January 11, 2008
John Pfeffer
Absolute Zero
You thought it was cold last night. Well today it was -30F in Northern Alaska. But of course in Antarctica, it can
get to -100F. Of course you could also go to Triton, where the temperature was once measured as -390F. But amazingly, that is not
the coldest place in our solar system. There is somewhere even colder, and it is here on Earth... In one little spot it is below
-450F. Come find out where and why the coldest spot in the entire solar system (and maybe the universe!) is in Massachusetts.
Posted on January 18, 2008
January 18, 2008
Igor Glozman
Astrotheology: The Birth of Gods and Myths
Why do so many religions practiced by presumably unrelated cultures have so many elements in common? Which mainstream religion of
today evolved from ancient sun worship? What was the significance of the cross thousands of years before Christianity? Why is
Christmas celebrated at the end of December? Why did Jesus have 12 disciples? The answers to these questions and more.
Posted on January 25, 2008
January 25, 2008
Amelia Phillips
Computer/Digital Forensics: No Dead Bodies Allowed
Ever wonder what happens when you delete a file? How about all those computers that are seized when
criminals are arrested? What do the police do with them? Come see how the professionals retrieve
data from computers! Hidden files, deleted files, deleted email, and much more can be retrieved
from a hard drive or even your cell phone. Forget CSI – we’ve got the real thing!
Posted on February 1, 2008
February 1, 2008
Ed Morris
Explore the beauty of M. C. Escher's Art of Vanishing Patterns
How did Escher created those wonderful works of art where things get smaller and smaller and smaller and smaller......?
Posted on February 5, 2008
February 8, 2008
Elise Muller-Lindgren
Providing humanitarian medical aid with non-profit Medical Teams
Join us for a special science seminar by one of our nursing faculty who also has been helping in refugee camps. Elise
Muller-Lindgren traveled with Northwest Medical Teams to northern Uganda in May and June of 2006. The camps she visited
and assisted in have a population of 20-30,000 for which the team was the sole source of professional medical care. She
found rampant disease, an average life expectancy of 35 and an infant mortality rate of 4 in 10. She then returned in August 2007.
Posted on February 20, 2008
February 15, 2008
Charles Stores
Darwin and His Dangerous Ideas
Charles Darwin may be one of the most polemic characters in modern society. His ideas remain a critical source of conflict within our
society, as anyone who saw the presidential candidate debates saw when the candidates were forced to answer if they believed in
evolution. Who was the man? Was he evil? A genius? And why are his ideas the source of continuing widespread debate 299 years
after his birth?
Posted on March 20, 2008
February 22, 2008
Ravi Manghani
Are Clean Energy Technologies Sustainable?
It seems like every few months a news story pops up about the latest breakthrough to weed us off of oil and save the planet from the
imminent perils of global climate change. Yet, we are still filling up at the gas-station, burning natural gas, and generating
electricity with coal. Are any of the promises of clean energy likely to come true? And if they do, could we really replace our
fossil fuel consumption?
Posted on April 2, 2008
February 29, 2008
Eric Baer
Forecasting Earthquakes: A Hands-on Activity
Earthquakes, in principle are relatively simple things. The plates that make up the surface of the Earth are always pushing on one
another. This pressure (stress) builds up until the rocks break – a fault. When the fault breaks, shaking occurs and building
s fall down. Think of breaking a stick - you push and push until SNAP! the stick breaks in two. If earthquakes are so simple, why
are they so hard to predict? The answer is all in a brick, a piece of sandpaper, and a bungee cord. And you can help us test three
hypotheses for how earthquakes work and how well we can predict earthquakes.
Posted on March 5, 2008
March 7, 2008
Kurt Giessel and Kyle Evans
Cryptography
pelcgbtencul (sebz gur terrx xelcgb zrnavat "uvqqra" naq gur ireo tensb "gb jevgr") vf gur cenpgvpr naq fghql bs uvqvat vasbezngvba. va zbqrea gvzrf, pelcgbtencul vf pbafvqrerq gb or n oenapu bs obgu zngurzngvpf naq pbzchgre fpvrapr. guvf frzvane jvyy pbire n oevrs uvfgbel bs pelcgbtencul sebz gur napvrag rtlcgvnaf naq ebznaf, gb gur jjvv trezna ravtzn gb zbqrea qnl nflapuebabhf rapelcgvba.
Bring this message decrypted to the seminar to be entered into a drawing for a USB drive.
Video - Not Available
March 14, 2008
Eric Baer
You’ve got the whole world in your hands: Google Earth as a Learning Tool
Google Earth is a free program that allows you to look at satellite imagery on your computer. But it is much more and many are
unaware of its awesome capabilities. It is a miniature geographic information system, where you can display, analyze and synthesize
all sorts of information. Come for a hands-on demonstration of this tool and then explore where it can take you!
NOTE: This Science Seminar will be held in 29-309.
Posted on April 15, 2008
