April Science Cafe: Dr. Robert Williams, President of the International Astronomical Union

Rochester’s Science Café will take an insider’s look through the Hubble Space Telescope during a talk by Robert Williams, head of the International Astronomical Union, the association that reclassified Pluto as a “dwarf planet” in 2006.

Williams, a distinguished research scholar and a former director of the Space Telescope Science Institute, will present “Our Spectacular Cosmos: How a Hubble Astronomer Looks at the Universe,” at 7 p.m. April 22 at the Pittsford Plaza Barnes & Noble’s Community Room. Rochester Science Café—sponsored by Rochester Institute of Technology and University of Rochester—is a series of free talks and discussions intended for a general audience.

While serving as director of the Space Telescope Science Institute, Williams influenced the science program and operation of the Hubble Space Telescope. The institute and Goddard Space Flight Center operate the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope for NASA.

In 1999, NASA awarded Williams the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal for his leadership of the Hubble Deep Field project. The two-week project, involving more than 50 scientists, revealed thousands of galaxies. Williams other research interests include novae, or exploding stars, spectroscopy and nebular gas clouds.

Williams will also present “The New Universe Revealed by the Hubble Space Telescope” at 2 p.m. April 23 at the RIT Inn & Conference Center as part of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute’s Arts and Letters program.

Science Cafe Rochester - February Cafe

On February 23, at 7:00pm, Science Cafe Rochester is proud to present a talk and discussion on "The H1N1 influenza pandemic: Implications for the future", by Mark Treanor, M.D. of the University of Rochester. Dr. Treanor is a member of the Departments of Medicine and Microbiology & Immunology.

The talk will begin at 7:00 sharp at the Pittsford Plaza Barnes and Noble, 3349 Monroe Avenue, Rochester, NY 14618. Seating may be limited, so please arrive promptly. ASL interpretation services will be provided. Refreshments will be provided thanks to a grant from NASA.

Our March talk will be on the 23rd at the same time and location. Dr. Badri Krishnan of the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute), will speak about "Gravitational waves: Lighting up the darkest corners of our universe".

Science Cafe Rochester: November Cafe

On November 24, at 7:00pm, Science Cafe Rochester is proud to present a talk and discussion on "Energy for the 21st century and beyond", by Prof. Philippe Fauchet of the University of Rochester. Dr. Fauchet was the chair of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department and the founding director of the Center for Future Health. Presently, he is the director of the University of Rochester's Energy Research Initiative, a Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering, a Professor at the Institute of Optics, in the Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Physics & Astronomy, a professor in the Materials Science program, and a senior scientist at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics.

The talk will begin at 7:00 sharp at the Pittsford Plaza Barnes and Noble, 3349 Monroe Avenue, Rochester, NY 14618. Seating may be limited, so please arrive promptly. ASL interpretation services will be provided. Refreshments will be provided thanks to a grant from NASA.

Pictures from the October Science Cafe

Prof. Mark Noble's talk on "Stem Cell Medicine: The next medical revolution" drew over 50 people for a thoughtful discussion, fascinating updates on cutting-edge medicine, and a very interactive Q&A session.

A video of the talk will be posted soon, so keep an eye out for it.

Science Cafe Rochester: October Cafe

On October 27, Science Cafe Rochester will host Prof. Mark Noble, as he speaks about "Stem Cell Medicine: The next medical revolution". Join us at the Pittsford Plaza Barnes and Noble, 3349 Monroe Ave, Rochester, NY, at 7pm in the community room on the second floor. All are welcome, but seating may be limited. ASL interpretation will be provided.