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Showing posts from 2008

Get Ready to Blast Off . . . into 2009

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Happy holidays to all you brainiacs from the Secret Science Club! Polish up your anti-gravity boots and prepare to float into the new year with our first lecture of 2009 on Tuesday, January 13 @ Union Hall. We promise it will be "elevating." And stay tuned for more news of upcoming lectures and special events, including the Carnivorous Nights Taxidermy Contest. Cheers!

The Secret Science Club presents Neuroscientist Carl Hart on Wednesday, December 3 at 8 pm

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Wednesday, December 3 @ 8 pm at Union Hall Neuroscientist Carl Hart lectures on "Methamphetamine: A Good Drug Gone Bad" Carl Hart is an Associate Professor of Psychology in the Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry at Columbia University, and Director of the Methamphetamine Research Laboratory at the New York State Psychiatric Institute . Dr. Hart’s NIH-funded research focuses on understanding neurobehavioral and physiological effects of psychoactive drugs in humans. He is the author or co-author of dozens of peer-reviewed scientific articles, co-author of the influential textbook, Drugs, Society, and Human Behavior , and a member of a NIH review group. Before & After --Groove to dopamine-spiked tunes and video in Union Hall’s subterranean grotto --Stick around for the scintillating Q&A --Cocktail alert! Enjoy the Brain-Boggling Libation of the Night —the Synapse Sling!! The “Secret Science Club” meets December 3 at 8 pm in the basement @ Union Hall , 702 Union

The Secret Science Club presents Biologist and Biosphere Expert Tyler Volk at the Bell House on Wednesday, November 5 at 8 pm FREE!

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Secret Science Alert: This month, the Secret Science Club will be meeting at the Bell House , an all-new all-awesome venue in Gowanus, Brooklyn, created by the owners of Union Hall (our lovely hosts). Where will you be on the night after the presidential election? The Secret Science Club is “ready on day one” with more Earth-shattering lectures, flaming cocktails, and scorching-hot sounds. Wednesday, November 5 @ 8 pm at the Bell House Tyler Volk of New York University lectures on the State of the Earth: “ CO2 Rising: The World’s Greatest Environmental Challenge ” Without carbon, we are nothing. The fourth most abundant element in the Universe , carbon is in the soil, the air, the oceans, the cells of every living thing—and unfortunately in the fossil fuels we burn. As fossil fuels are combusted, they release carbon atoms that have been locked underground for millions of years, causing gigatons of CO2 to enter the global carbon cycle. Biologist Tyler Volk is science director of the

Union Hall’s “Secret Science Club” is teaming up with the Imagine Science Film Festival for a night of science-lovin’ films! Wed, Oct 22 at 7 PM FREE!

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Calling All Brainiacs . . . and Cine-maniacs Comedy. Techno thriller. Documentary. Science Noir. On Wednesday, October 22 at 7 PM, we’ll be showing a selection of short films that are in competition for big prizes sponsored by Nature magazine and the Imagine Science Film Festival . You get to contribute to the judging—AND meet some of the filmmakers. The first-ever Imagine Science Film Festival is the brainchild of SSC resident scientist/filmmaker, Alexis Gambis—he’ll be on-hand to answer your brainiest questions and oversee the mixing of the cocktail of the night: the Lab Rat. But wait, there’s even more filmic fun to be had . . . The Imagine Science Film Festival runs from October 16 to 25 at a whole host of venues around town. Don’t miss the festival’s opening night kickoff party at the New York Academy of Sciences on Thursday, October 16 at 7 pm —which is sponsored by our pals at Science & the City. For $25 ($15 for students), you get: --a panel discussion on science, film a

The Secret Science Club Has Got Your Number @ the Bell House on Wednesday, October 1st at 8 PM with Cosmologist and Math Lover Tony Rothman!

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Secret Science Alert: This month, we will be meeting at the Bell House , an all-new all-awesome venue in Gowanus, Brooklyn, created by the owners of Union Hall (our lovely hosts). Move over Sudoku! Cosmologist Tony Rothman of Princeton University lectures on SACRED MATHEMATICS!!!! At work, Tony Rothman studies the Big Bang and the early Universe. He also researches black holes on the verge of becoming naked singularities. But what does he do for fun? He does sangaku —clever math puzzles that decorated Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines in 17th-century Japan. Wha—?? He even wrote a book about it: Sacred Mathematics: Japanese Temple Geometry . It all adds up! Don't forget to bring your slide rules and pocket protectors!! Before and After --Groove to an ever-multiplying collection of science-loving tunes and videos --Stick around for the calculating Q&A and to get a signed copy of Dr. Rothman's new book! --Sample our cocktail of the night, the Bamboozler . (It’s a conun

The Secret Science Club presents Neuroscientist (and Smell-ologist) Leslie Vosshall of Rockefeller University on Wednesday, September 3 @ 8 PM

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Smell is the most primitive of senses. The world is filled with scents that suggest danger, the presence of food—and mating opportunities. Humans can detect about 10,000 different odors —while insects can perceive only those that are essential for their survival. Dr. Leslie Vosshall, head of the Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Behavior at Rockefeller University and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator , probes the brains and neural networks of creatures from fruit flies to Homo sapiens . She asks: Is love in the eye of the beholder—or in the schnoz? How do different animals detect smell? How do sweet and stinky scents influence behavior? And why does camembert cheese smell like heaven to some people and offal to others? Some of Vosshall’s current investigations include: Sexual attraction. Are ovulating women drawn to (or repulsed by) androstenon, a possible pheromone produced by men’s sweat glands? Global health. Could millions of lives be saved by scent research? Mala

Calling All Filmmakers . . . Send in Your Science-Loving Film Now!!

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The first-ever Imagine Science Film Festival runs from October 16 to October 25 in NYC. And the deadline for submitting original films--- Tuesday, August 26 ---is fast approaching. Drama. Comedy. Techno thriller. Animation. Music video . . . As long as your theme is science-oriented , your film is eligible. Click here for a complete set of festival submission guidelines, and submit your film today to: Imagine Science Films Corp., 1230 York Avenue, Box #252, New York, NY 10021 Once entered, your film is up for 2 awards, both sponsored by the science journal, Nature . The $2,500 Nature Scientific Merit Award will go to the film that most accurately portrays science. The $2,500 Nature People’s Choice Award will go to the film voted the best by audience members . For updates on the Imagine Science Film Festival, click here . And stay tuned . . .

The Secret Science Club Presents Award-winning Cancer Researcher Scott Lowe of Cold Spring Harbor Lab on Wednesday, August 6 at 8:30 pm

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Hold onto your wigs and key, ladies and gents, Dr. Scott Lowe is taking the Secret Science Club on a fantastic voyage through inner space to explore the microscopic machinery of the cell… Scott Lowe explores “apoptosis”—the programmed death of damaged cells—a process necessary for organisms to properly develop and survive. He asks: How do cancer cells thwart the apoptotic machinery , enabling them to proliferate uncontrollably? What mutations may affect tumor development and responses to cancer therapies? If cancer genes are “switched off,” can cancer be cured? Deputy Director of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Cancer Center and an investigator for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute , Scott Lowe has developed mouse models and genomic technologies to study the complexities of tumor evolution and resistance to chemotherapy. He is also involved in the search for the human cancer genome —“a comprehensive collection of the genetic alterations responsible for major cancers.” The recipi

Union Hall & the Secret Science Club perform Mind-Bending Experiments on Wed., Aug. 6 @ Brooklyn Bridge Park

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All awesome—all FREE. Science. Live Bands. Comedy. The Secret Science Club opens Union Hall’s “Music at the Bridge” show with experimenter extraordinaire David Maiullo and his hair-raising “traveling physics road show.” Maiullo and his liquid nitrogen will shatter all your expectations… Plus three live bands—the French Kicks, Tiny Masters of Today, and Headlights—with comedian Dave Hill!! WHERE: Under the tent in the historic Tobacco Warehouse @ Brooklyn Bridge Park SPECS: Gates open at 6 pm. Rain or Shine. HOW DO YOU GET TO THE SHOW? It’s easy! Click here for directions to Brooklyn Bridge Park. CAN’T GET ENOUGH SCIENCE? Head over to Park Slope’s Union Hall (702 Union St. @ 5th Ave.) for a secret science lecture the very same evening. The doors of Union Hall's subterranean grotto will open at 8 pm. Pocket protectors suggested.

Characteristics of the History of Science in America, with Some Programmatic Notes on Unity

Clark A.Elliott, Belmont, Massachusetts (An essay in the " What's American About the History of Science in America? " series) The study of science in America has a history of its own and is relevant background to a discussion of the general topic. At the beginning of the post-World War II era and the related growth of history of science as a field of study, the focus was on European developments and, arguably, the emphasis was on so-called “internalist” history. American science was a side show to what had taken place across the Atlantic. The early generation of Americanists, for the most part, were (1) not disciplinary historians and (2) were especially interested in the nineteenth century. Given these conditions, the focus of Americanist interest was on the historic development of an infrastructure in support of scientific work, the emergence and character of a multi-layered scientific community, the development of a social and political ideology that granted scienc

The History of American Science: A Field Finds Itself

Hamilton Cravens, Iowa State University (An essay in the " What's American About the History of Science in America? " series) I became an Americanist for practical reasons. I thought that the entire world was interesting, but it seemed to me that if I wanted to do any research and writing in history, it was far easier to specialize in American history than in, say, modern European or classical history (two fields that tugged at me as an undergraduate). Yet I have retained my interest in European history and read widely in that vast terrain, especially in the history of France and of Germany. America, then, was to be my focus. More was involved, however. I also gravitated toward intellectual history, and the history of science and of religion (by contrast, I found political history as then practiced not to my liking). Among the influences on me at the University of Washington in these areas were the American colonial historian Max Savelle, whose Seeds of Liberty (1948) I

Science Knows No Boundaries

Alan I. Marcus, Mississippi State University (An essay in the " What's American About the History of Science in America " series.) Like virtually all historians of science before me, I entered the field from science; I had been a chemist. But unlike most science historians, I was never fully steeped in the scientific method as the only way of knowing or viewing natural phenomenon. I was too much of a sixties kid for that. Everything seemed more complex than what I had learned. Perspective seemed up for grabs. So when I was told that science knows no national borders, that scientific knowledge was an accumulation of data and facts that led to somewhere, I naturally felt dis-ease. I thought it quite cool how various practitioners of science in the past had figured things out, how they did whatever they did, but I never took it as a model for action, a model to be employed in some project to make the world a better place or to manufacture additional or new science. In that s

What’s American about the History of Science in America? Restrospective and Prospective

The Forum is pleased to announce a new essay series on what it means to study science in an American context (broadly defined). Does awareness of the Americas as a place where science is practiced influence our understanding of that science? We are soliciting brief essays and comments (anywhere from 500-3,500 words) from scholars at all stages of their careers working any relevant discipline (not just history). Senior scholars might choose to reflect on how their understanding of science in America has changed over the years, if it has, while graduate students and recent Ph.D.s might discuss the relevance (or lack thereof) of the idea of American science to their research. Thirty years ago, the field of history of science was oriented almost entirely toward Europe. At about that time, a number of scholars consciously identified themselves as historians of science in America. During the years between then and now, research that was once marginal to the discipline has become central,

BONES! Join paleoanthropologist William Jungers at the Secret Science Club on Wednesday, July 2 @ 8 pm

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Set the dial on the "Wayback Machine," Sherman. We’re heading for the Paleolithic—and beyond. One of the world’s most eminent evolutionary morphologists, Dr. William Jungers asks: How have hominids changed over the last 6 million years? What do we know about the behavior of our human ancestors? When (and why) did some primates start walking upright? Are the little people of Flores ( Homo floresiensis )—whose 18,000-year-old Hobbit-like bones were discovered in Indonesia in 2004—really a new species of early human? And what happened to the giant lemurs of Madagascar? Chair of the Department of Anatomical Sciences at Stony Brook University’s School of Medicine, Dr. Jungers investigates the function and structure of living and fossil primates. His research focuses on the evolution of human locomotion, body size, and biomechanical scaling, as well as vertebrate paleontology. The former editor of the Journal of Human Evolution , Dr. Jungers has authored more than 100 scienti

The Secret Science Club Presents Genomics Expert Rob DeSalle on Wednesday, June 4 @ 8 pm

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At the molecular level, Homo sapiens shares a common genetic heritage with all animals. Even a fly has more than one-third the same genes as a human being. Want to know more? Step into our miraculous shrinking machine and explore inner space as micronaut and genetic sleuth Rob DeSalle lectures on the incredible diversity of life, what molecular evolution tells us about disease, and how DNA research is helping save endangered species. Curator at the American Museum of Natural History and research scientist at the Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics , Dr. DeSalle leads an international group of scientists working on molecular systematics, molecular evolution, population and conservation genetics, and evolutionary genomics of a wide array of life forms ranging from viruses, bacteria, corals, and plants to insects, reptiles, and mammals. PLUS! --Don’t miss our special screening of Dr. Funque and His Petri Dish , directed by scientist/filmmaker Alexis Gambis of IMAGINAL DISC (Sci

The Secret Science Club Presents "IT'S GETTING HOT IN HERE!" on Wednesday, May 7 @ 8 pm

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One of the most important contributors to our understanding of climate change, Earth scientist Wallace Broecker lectures on our increasingly hot planet —and what we can do about it. “The Earth’s climate system is an angry beast ,” says Dr. Broecker. “And we’re poking it by adding greenhouse gases.” Every day, 60 to 70 million metric tons of carbon dioxide are dumped into the atmosphere. And even if a well-meaning fairy godmother were to turn all the world’s citizens into energy-saving paragons overnight, the resulting reduction in CO2 emissions could not stop the great warming tide headed our way. The Newberry Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Columbia University, a longtime researcher at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory , and author of the just-released book Fixing Climate: What Past Climate Change Reveals about the Current Threat—And How to Counter It, Dr. Broecker has been investigating the link between ocean chemistry and global warming for more than 40 years.

Does American Science have a "paranoid style"?

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David Engber explores this question in a three-part series for Slate magazine that may be of interest to FHSA members.  Engber traces the manufacture of uncertainty about science through a number of examples, ranging from intelligent design, industry-sponsored research, and environmental activism.  He connects this trend to Richard Hofstadter's discussion of the "paranoid style in American politics."   Sage Ross has an interesting assessment of moderate versus immoderate doubt about science from a history of science perspective.  

Darwin's Reach Conference Call for Papers

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Hofstra University announces an interdisciplinary conference titled, "Darwin's Reach: A Celebration of Darwin's Legacy across Academic Disciplines," to be held March 12-14, 2009.  Historians of science and those working in all areas of academic inquiry related to Darwin and evolution are invited to submit abstracts.  200-word abstracts are requested for a June 16, 2008 deadline.  The full call for papers, with further information and instructions, is available at Hofstra's event website .  Hofstra University is in Hempstead, New York, 20 miles east of Manhattan.

American Science Live!

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The history of American science as a field has certainly grown by leaps and bounds since the 1970s, but how much has that history filtered into the public consciousness?  I've been pondering this question because Isaac Newton just came to my small town as part of his latest FMA Live tour.  Who knew that "Newt" was so cool?  His website is great fun, including a brief history of Newton's career that ends with "Thanks, Newt.  Props to you for being the Man Behind the Motion!"  This program is sponsored by Honeywell and is aimed at getting middle-schoolers excited about science.  My question, then, for members of FHSA, is which American scientist should be next to go on tour?  Ben Franklin?  Rachel Carson? Alexander Dallas Bache? T.H. Morgan? Maria Mitchell?

The Secret Science Club Presents Astrophysicist Ben Oppenheimer and His Quest for New Worlds on Wednesday, April 2 @ 8 pm

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Fuel up your flying saucer . . . the Secret Science Club is blasting off with astrophysicist Ben Oppenheimer , the principal investigator of the Lyot Project , an ambitious mission to discover and record images of planets outside our solar system. He’ll discuss the challenges scientists face in probing for exoplanets and reveal some of the Lyot team’s latest results. An astrophysicist at the American Museum of Natural History, Ben Oppenheimer was the subject of a recent New York Times article “ Star’s Dust May Hold Clue to New Planet ,” documenting the observation that a gap in dust circling a young star in the constellation Auriga may be a planet in the making. Dr. Oppenheimer also studies brown dwarfs , white dwarfs and galactic structure. He served on NASA’s Terrestrial Planet Finder Science and Technology Definition Team, and has been appointed to several National Research Council Panels, as well as numerous NASA and NSF committees. Before and After --Groove to space-age tunes

The Secret Science Club recommends . . .

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Check out this cerebral event: The Neuroscience of the Groove! Neuroscientists Dave Sulzer (a.k.a. composer Dave Soldier) and John Krakauer discuss the brain activity that makes us groove to music. Krakauer co-directs Columbia University's Motor Performance Laboratory and Sulzer/Soldier investigates synaptic connections that underlie memory, learning, and behavior. This event features the premiere of Soldier's "Quartet for percussion and brain waves," a live performance/experiment with drummers and electroencephalographs. (And its sponsored by our pals at CUNY’s Science & the Arts program.) When: Monday, March 24 at 6:30 pm Where: CUNY Grad Center , 365 Fifth Avenue (at 34th Street), NYC FREE! Pre-registering holds your seat until 15 minutes before curtain; then seating is first come, first served. Pre-register by phone or email: 212-817-8215 or continuinged@gc.cuny.edu

March Madness! Union Hall's "Secret Science Club" Presents TWO Extraordinary Events

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Nobel Prize-Winning Biologist Paul Nurse lectures on Wednesday, March 5 @ 8 pm. British biochemist Paul Nurse has it ALL going on. --Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his service to humanity --Co-host of the science series on PBS’s Charlie Rose Show -- Winner of the Nobel Prize for illuminating the process by which cells copy themselves—and furthering our understanding of growth, development, and cancer. -- And to top everything off, Sir Paul is now officially a New Yorker! (He’s president of NYC’s prestigious Rockefeller University.) Break out your test tubes and get ready to bust out of the winter doldrums, as Paul Nurse takes us on a whirlwind tour of life’s most basic unit: the cell. Before and After --Screen the special bio-video by scientist/film-maker Alexis Gambis: A Fruit Fly in New York --Groove to science-inspired tunes --Stick around for the Q&A --Sample the cocktail of the night— the Night Nurse . It will fluff your pillow! The “Secret Science Club” meets @ Union Ha

New Journal-Call for Papers

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The Museum History Journal is currently seeking submissions.  This new, peer-reviewed, semi-annual journal has just published its inaugural issue for Spring 2008.  Articles that appear in the first issue that may be of interest to historians of science in America include: Charlotte Porter, "Natural History Discourse and Collections: The Roles of Collectors in the Southeastern Colonies of North America" Mary Anne Andrei, "The Duty to Conserve: The Importance of Natural History Museums as Exemplars of Conservation Ethics" William S. Walker, "John C. Ewers and the Problem of Cultural History: Displaying American Indians at the Smithsonian in the Fifties"

Dissertation Development grants

The Social Science Research Council is currently accepting applications for their Dissertation Proposal Development Fellowship.  Each year the SSRC offers these fellowships in certain research fields.  Each research field is led by tenured professors who serve as research directors, leading a team of graduate students.  The fellowship entails two workshops and the availability of up to $5000 in research funds. Research fields for 2008 include: Animal Studie s (Janet Browne, Harriet Ritvo) and Critical Studies of Science and Technology Policy (Sheila Jasanoff, Clark Miller).  The deadline is February 8th.

Opportunity for recent PhDs

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Lawrence University is accepting applications for their 2008-2009 Fellows in the Liberal Arts and Sciences postdoctoral program.  Historians who will have their PhDs in hand by August 2008 or who  have received their degree within the past five years are encouraged to apply.  Fellows will teach at Lawrence for two years, with salary and research support.  Lawrence University is a highly selective liberal arts college in beautiful Appleton, Wisconsin .

The Secret Science Club Presents "GO CELLULAR!" on Wednesday, February 6 @ 8 PM

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DNA Sleuth Bruce Stillman Lectures on the Future of Molecular Medicine @ 8 pm President of New York’s prestigious Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory , Dr. Bruce Stillman take us to the frontlines of cancer and disease research. Get ready to go cellular as Dr. Stillman asks: Where will the latest discoveries in genetics take us? Will it be possible to live with cancer one day? What are the most promising new technologies for biomedical researchers? How can we employ the latest breakthroughs in science to benefit public health? A recipient of the Curtin Medal for Excellence in Medical Research, a Fellow of the Royal Society, and a Member of the National Academy of Sciences, Dr. Stillman focuses his research on DNA replication. In addition to serving as Cold Spring Harbor's president, he is the director of the laboratory's cancer center. BEFORE AND AFTER --Groove to science-inspired tunes and self-replicating bio-video --stick around for the Q&A --sample the cocktail of the ni