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.