January 20, 2017
Bob Baugher
1,000 Infections/wk--Are we close to curing AIDS?
It's true, you don't hear about AIDS anymore; but did you know that 1,000 Americans still become infected with HIV every week? Join us as we look at where we've been, where we are and what it will take to cure a disease that has killed more than 70 million people.
January 27, 2017
Eric Baer
Your Local Superfund Sites
What is that grassy field over by Lowe's? Should I be worried about arsenic in my soil? What is leaking into the Green River? Come find the answer to these and other question as we look at 3 highly contaminated sites within a half-mile of Highline…. https://www.epa.gov/superfund
February 3, 2017
Lindsay Holladay
Exploring the Deep Sea with Technology
Much of our world ocean remains unexplored. Even the Cascadia Margin off the coast of Washington and Oregon remains vastly unmapped in high resolution. The exploration vessel Nautilus set out last summer with a crew of educators, scientists, engineers and two remotely operated vehicles to gather clues about west coast methane seeps, a WWII ship-wreck in the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, a rare glass sponge reef and a mysterious cold-water coral habitat.
February 10, 2017
David Sommerfeld
The Mystery of the Tiger Tooth Necklace
Museums serve as a depository for our cultural and technological heritage. When an item enters a collection we become obligated to care for that object as best we can given the resources at hand. This is the tale of one such item, a "Naga" tiger tooth necklace from the collection of the Anthropology Department at Durham University (England). What became central to this tale was the role that chemistry played within the conservation process for this necklace: from identifying the material components to guiding the methods used to conserve the necklace. Use of the term "Naga" was deliberate since, in the end, knowing what the necklace was made from helped define it and its role within the collection.
February 17, 2017
Justin Taillon
Last Chance Tourism
Last chance tourism is known as visitation by tourists to see something that will likely disappear during our lifetimes. For example, global warming is altering the polar landscape. Visitation to the North Pole to view the landscape, polar bears, and environment before they disappear is known as last chance tourism. This talk is based upon Justin's research in the Peruvian Amazon to work with the Ese'Eja, Kenya to work with the Samburu, Jeju Island to work with the Haenyo, and even various communities in Texas whose small town life may be facing issues (e.g. Bandera, Rockport-Fulton, Calvert). The talk will provide case studies of how local populations have used hospitality and tourism skills to combat socio-cultural extinction.
March 3, 2017
Chun Yu
U.S. Hacking Capability
The purpose of this seminar is to share a few Internet technologies used by U.S. government to monitor and disrupt foreign country’s communication and the cyber weapons used to cripple Iranian’s nuclear ambition.
March 10, 2017
Gregory Reinemer
Have you used a laser yet today? Chances are you have.
The laser is arguably among the most important inventions of the 20th century. Lasers allows us to measure accurately, they are a carrier for digital information, a heat source for welding metal and delicate surgery, a reader of information, and have a variety of recreational and commercial applications from laser pointers to laser light shows. Yet for most of us this is just a cool light. This Science Seminar is the product of a professional leave and shares the theory and how to build a particular type of science and information technology laser. Join me to see how this works and to see the laser in action.
