Science Seminar

everyone is welcome!


April 11, 2014

Gary Belvin

Cryptography: The Science of Secrets

Have you ever wondered what's going on behind the little lock icon in your browser? Have you ever been mystified by secret codes? Welcome to the fascinating world of cryptography, the science of secrets. We'll learn how you 1) make sure you're whispering to the right person in the dark, 2) say something private while everybody's listening 3) and make sure your frenemies don't rewrite your secrets while you're not looking. Mysteries will be solved, math will be beautiful, and secrets alternately revealed and obscured to save the world - or your Facebook account.


April 18, 2014

Arun Jhaveri

Carbon Reduction Strategies

During the past ten years, Global Climate Change has devastated many regions of the world with unexpected and unpredictable havocs caused by such disasters as hurricanes & typhoons, forest fires, flooding, droughts, polar snow melts, rising seas/oceans, and displacing many of the established rural, urban, and/or agricultural lands & communities. What are strategies we can use to address this issue?


April 25, 2014

Neil Andrews

Wolfram|Alpha

Attendees with no prior experience will learn how to get started with Mathematica, thanks to improvements like free-form input and the new Predictive Interface, which anticipates your next steps and helps you quickly build up a series of calculations. Advanced users report that they learn quite a few timesaving tips and tricks from the seminar. All attendees will receive an electronic copy of the examples, which can be used as is or adapted to individual projects.


May 2, 2014

John Pfeffer

Fixated on Fonts II (or The Pixel Strikes Back)

This video is not available.


May 9, 2014

Eric Baer

The Oso Landslide

The March 2014 landslide engulfed 49 homes just 90 minutes from Highline in Oso, WA. It also dammed the river, causing extensive flooding upstream. Excluding landslides caused by volcanic eruptions, earthquakes or dam collapses, the Oso slide is the deadliest single landslide event in United States history.


May 16, 2014

Dr. Jerry Freilich

The Elwha Dam Removal Project

Until recently, the Elwha River was the site of two hydroelectric dams built a hundred years ago. Back then, long before the establishment of Olympic National Park, the dams furnished electricity for paper mills in Port Angeles. Now, a century later, the two dams produce so little power that their value is negligible; most of the paper mills are closed, and modernizing the dams to meet current legal requirements would have cost millions if it were even possible.

The Elwha Restoration Act of 1992 set in motion the current effort to remove the two dams and to restore the river and its five salmon species. Today's talk will survey the history of how the dam removals went from planning to implementation and will give latest updates on the restoration effort. The Elwha restoration is the world's largest-ever dam removal project. This is a historical effort with wide-ranging implications for other dams and other ecosystems.




May 23, 2014

Erik Scott

The Essence of Space

Describing that which we cannot see. What is the shape of the universe? Is time the fourth dimension? How are these related to Amazon.com's purchase recommendations? Erik will take attendees on a tour of the mathematical ideas that allow us to make sense of the questions above. No mathematical expertise is needed - just bring your curiosity (and maybe a doughnut).


May 30, 2014

Amelia Phillips

Cyber Safety in the "Internet of Things"

In this time of constant data breaches, people's web cams taking videos of them without their knowledge, being able to set the temperature of your home with your smart phone – how far do we go to protect ourselves? Your financial credit rating, personally identifiable information and even your life can be impacted by these devices that we all seem to do. Come to a discussion of what is out there and practical steps you can take to ensure the safety of yourself and your loved ones as technology slowly seeps into every aspect of our lives. Learn what is going on behind the scenes.


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