April 2, 2010
Anne Whitson
Why we need to get sick
No description.
Posted on April 26, 2010
April 9, 2010
Teri Trillo
Sleep deprivation
Why is sleep important? How much sleep do you really need? What can you do to improve the quality/quantity of your sleep?
Posted on April 26, 2010
April 16, 2010
Steven Swope
Living With Asthma
Asthma affects about 7% of the U.S. population, and some reports indicate up to a quarter of all urban children suffer from this inflammation of lung tissue. About 4,000 people in the US die from asthma each year. Come find out more about this disease which seemingly used to be rare and is now one of the great health threats in developed nations.
Posted on May 7, 2010
April 20, 2010
Eric Baer
Fire and Ice: The ongoing eruption of Eyjafjallajokull volcano
Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland has been causing havoc for 5 days. Why is a little ash such a big problem for airplanes? How much longer will the eruption go on? Why are volcanologists worried about the eruption getting worse? And most importantly, can Eric say “Eyjafjallajokull”?
Not Available
April 23, 2010
Rus Higley
Ocean Acidification: An Emerging Problem for the World’s Oceans
The evil twin of climate change, ocean acidification is a potential global catastrophe. With local effects, including the imminent collapse of the Washington oyster industry, as well as enormous global effects on food supply, we must try to mediate and solve this crisis. Join us for this special Earth-Week Science Seminar!
Posted on May 7, 2010
April 30, 2010
Woody Moses
Human Ecology of Belize
Belize is a unique specimen in Central America: an English-speaking ex-colony staking it’s future on ecotourism while trying to shed its old colonial bonds. It is blessed with the world’s second largest barrier reef and has more of its land in protection than almost any other country in the world. But with more than 30% of the population living below the poverty line, will it be able to preserve these resources? And how do we from the United States fit into its new identity while promoting a sustainable future for Belize and threatened natural resources it possess? Come learn about this fascinating nation and what Highline students are doing to learn more about the newest democracy in the Western Hemisphere.
Posted on May 7, 2010
May 7, 2010
Dusty Wilson
Certainty, Mystery, and the Classroom
What is mathematics? Where does it come from? What is its purpose? Each educator
has a philosophy of mathematics that impacts teaching. Most are unaware of assumptions
passed on to students. Could the philosophy of mathematics be what is missing in
efforts to breathe life back into community college mathematics?
Posted on May 7, 2010
May 14, 2010
Andy Piacsek
Sonic Booms, Skulls, and Tsunamis: Some Examples from the Wide World of Wave Physics
The universe is awash in waves: light waves, sound waves, seismic waves... even gravity
waves. Because they are such a universal phenomenon, waves are a fundamental part of
every physicist's education. Andy Piacsek, from Central Washington University will present
a few examples of current
research at CWU in the area of wave physics, including contributions by undergraduate
students.
Posted on May 24, 2010
May 21, 2010
Kevin Stanley and James Peyton
Homo Economicus: What we have learned from experimental economics
Economic models are built on the assumption that economic behavior is rational – that you and
I weigh the costs and benefits of different actions and then chose that action which maximizes
individual welfare. Homo Economicus is both self-interested and calculating. Recently, behavioral
economics has used experiments to challenge the validity of this basic rationality assumption.
This seminar will explore findings from experimental economics including issues of fairness,
endowments, expectations and cheating.
May 24, 2010
May 28, 2010
Gloria Rose Koepping
Science or Politics? Controversial Changes in the DSM-5
If you’ve always wondered about how a person’s problems receive a mental health diagnosis, come and learn how
the psychiatrists decide what is healthy and what is not. Sex, death, relationships, it is all in there.
Conceptual trends of what constitutes mental health change over time or at least how some professionals view
them. Come see what all the fuss is about! Our own psychologist, Gloria Rose Koepping will explain and
critique proposed or possible changes in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual- 5. Sounds boring? Trust me,
it’s not.
June 4, 2010
Shelley Kunasek
The Ice Cores’ Story of Climate Change
Humans have only measured temperature and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere for a few centuries, an extremely
short period compared to the billions of years of Earth’s history. Our short measurement records tell us that
human activity since the Industrial Revolution has increased carbon dioxide and methane concentrations by over
30%. A small global mean temperature change (<0.5°C) is also observed. How can we determine whether these
changes are significantly different than natural changes Earth’s climate? Polar ice cores extend our records
nearly 1 million years into the past, offering a detailed look at Earth’s climate and greenhouse gas abundance
long before humans discovered fossil fuels.
