Fall 2016 series announced - Our eighth year!

Hi everyone,
   The Rochester Science Cafe will soon be starting its eighth year as Rochester's premier venue for free and open public discussion of science with leading researchers performing some of the most exciting work in the field today.  Even better, we are expanding!

For the first time, the Rochester Science Cafe is is very pleased to announce a new Saturday Series, with a focus on Women in Science, spanning everything from current advances in breast cancer care  toteaching students at the high school level.  This new series will run on the second Saturday of each month, at 2pm, as always at our standard location, the Community Room of the Pittsford Plaza Barnes and Noble. Talks will continue to be free and open to the public, though we are particularly hoping that the Saturday time will make the new talk series more accessible for women, high school teachers and teenagers, as well as anyone who can't easily make our Tuesday night series.

Speaking of Tuesday nights, those will continue as well, with talks already lined up for September - November as well as January. For all of the talks, refreshments (as well as the sound system) will be provided, courtesy of the UofR Department of Biology's U-ROC Fund, which is always welcoming contributions.

Without further ado, the talk schedule:

• Saturday, September 10, 2pm
  “How does noise damage hearing?”
  
  Dr. Patricia White, Ph.D.
  Assistant Professor
  Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy
  University of Rochester, School of Medicine and Dentistry


• Tuesday, September 27, 7pm
  “Peering into Earth using Earthquakes and Volcanoes”
Dr. Cynthia Ebinger, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
University of Rochester


• Saturday, October 8, 2pm
  “Using Technology to Boost Inquiry in the Science Classroom” 
  Dave Miller, MBA, Ed.D.
  
  Clinical Assistant Professor and Program Advisor - Online Teaching and Learning
  University of Rochester, Warner School of Education
  and
  Jason McMurray, M.S.
  Teacher, Mentor and STAR Discovery Educator
  Eastridge High School, East Irondequoit Central School District


• Tuesday, October 25, 7pm
  “Cancer Immunotherapy: Basic science to clinical success”
  Dr. John Frelinger, Ph.D.
  Professor
  Department of Microbiology and Immunology
  Wilmot Cancer Institute
  University of Rochester Medical Center


• Saturday, November 12, 2pm
  “Radiation Oncology – The Science of Breast Cancer Care”
  Dr. Marilyn Ling, M.D.
  Associate Professor of Clinical Radiation Oncology
  Department of Radiation Oncology
  University of Rochester Medical Center


• Tuesday, November 22, 7pm
  “Neurorestoration: Devices, Drugs, and Stem Cells”
  Dr. Bradford C. Berk, M.D. Ph.D.
  Distinguished University Professor in Medicine, Neurology,
  Pathology, and Pharmacology & Physiology
  Director, University of Rochester Neurorestoration Institute
  University of Rochester Medical Center


• Tuesday, January 24, 7pm
  “Nanomaterials for drug and cell delivery to promote tissue regeneration”
  Dr. Danielle S.W. Benoit, Ph.D.
  Associate Professor
  Department of Biomedical Engineering
  Center for Musculoskeletal Research
  Departments of Chemical Engineering
  University of Rochester

We look forward to seeing everyone there.  As always, to join our mailing list, please send an email to jafsma (the at symbol) rit.edu, and I'll be happy to add you.

May Science Cafe: 5/24, 7pm -- Dr. Kara Maki (RIT) -- "A Mathematician's Perspective on Dry Eye Disease"

Tomorrow, Tuesday May 24, the Rochester Science Cafe will be holding our final cafe of our Spring 2016 series. Please join us at 7pm at the Pittsford Plaza Barnes and Noble, upstairs in the community room, for:


Dr. Kara Maki
Asst. Professor, School of Mathematical Sciences +
Center for Applied and Computational Mathematics
RIT


"A Mathematician's Perspective on Dry Eye Disease"

Dry eye syndrome is recognized to be a collection of problems associated with an insufficient or malfunctioning tear film, which may include increased evaporation. Dry eye accounts for a high percentage of visits to ophthalmologists with an estimated 4.9 million cases of moderate to severe dry eye patients age 50 and older in the United States. To date, there is no cure. In this talk, I explain how the ocular and applied mathematics communities are working together to better understand the causes of dry eye.

For more info on her research, feel free to also check out her website.  

We look forward to seeing you tomorrow. While our regular monthly cafes will take their usual summer break, we do plan to return in September to begin our eighth year as Rochester's pre-eminent venue for free public scientific discussions. There may also be some exciting new programs we begin, and we'll keep you informed as we go.

April Science Cafe: 4/26: Dr. Michael Zemcov (RIT): Measuring the Largest Structures in the Universe with the Smallest Telescopes in Space

The Rochester Science Cafe is pleased to remind you that our April Cafe will be this coming Tuesday, April 26, at 7pm in the Community Room of the Pittsford Plaza Barnes and Noble. The speaker will be Dr. Michael Zemcov, from RIT's School of Physics and Astronomy/Center for Detectors. The talk:

Measuring the Largest Structures in the Universe with the Smallest Telescopes in Space

Observational astrophysics has always been driven by the race to build telescopes with larger and larger apertures. However, in cosmology (which is the study of the universe on the largest scales and most ancient times), telescopes with very small apertures can perform measurements as important as their larger siblings. In this talk, I will give a brief review of modern cosmological measurements and present examples of small, space-based experiments that are providing us unique views of the past, present and future of the universe.

For more on his research, including podcasts, papers and more, you may want to look at his website. In honor of Passover, we'll be providing macaroons in additional to the usual cookies.

Our Spring 2016 series will conclude in May with the following talk:

May 24: Dr. Kara Maki (RIT) -- A Mathematician's Perception on Dry Eye Disease

We'll resume in the Fall with another session of talks, and keep your eyes out for more exciting announcements about some new initiatives this summer.

March Science Cafe: March 22 -- "Gravitational waves: opening a new window on the universe", by Dr. Richard O'Shaughnessy (RIT)

Hi everyone, the Rochester Science Cafe is pleased to remind you that our March Cafe will be this coming Tuesday, March 22, at 7pm in the Community Room of the Pittsford Plaza Barnes and Noble. The speaker will be Dr. Richard O'Shaughnessy, from RIT's School of Mathematical Sciences/Center for Computational Relativity and Gravitation. While his talk will not be the first we've had about gravitational waves, it will be, as you may have heard, the first since the science community's first-ever detection of actual gravitational waves, in what was described as the most precise scientific measurement of anything, ever, in the history of mankind.

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Gravitational waves: opening a new window on the universe

Abstract:

Last September, LIGO, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory, detected ripples in the fabric of the universe -- gravitational waves -- produced when, roughly one billion years ago, two binary blacks holes coalesced. But that's only the tip of the iceberg. Gravitational waves from more black holes and other objects will be found, soon. These ripples will unveil a new window on the universe, giving us access to the most luminous, exotic, and mysterious phenomena in astrophysics. In this talk I'll discuss how Einstein's legacy will enable a new perspective into our universe, opening up a new field of astronomy that complements all of our historical efforts to date that focused on electromagnetic astronomy (visible light, radio, x-rays, etc.). I'll also discuss how these new observations will allow us to understand the densest and most energetic objects in the universe, particularly neutron stars and black holes, in ways that were previously inaccessible.

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For more on the announcement of the first detection of gravitational waves, you can consult the detection paper, the LIGO website, or RIT's own Center for Computational Relativity and Gravitation webpages. For more news coverage of the detection:

http://news.discovery.com/space/astronomy/gravitational-waves-spying-the-universes-dark-side-160229.htm

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/5-reasons-you-should-care-about-the-discovery-of-gravitational-waves/

http://www.space.com/32098-gravitational-waves-ligo-congress-hearing.html

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Our Spring 2016 series will continue on through May with the following talks:

April 26: Dr. Michael Zemcov (RIT) -- Building Detectors for Cosmology

May 24: Dr. Kara Maki (RIT) -- A Mathematician's Perception on Dry Eye Disease

January Science Cafe (1/26, 7pm): Dr. Stephen Dewhurst (UofR): "Viruses: From Emerging Diseases and Outbreaks to New Genetic Tools and Vaccines"

This Tuesday, January 26, at 7pm in the Community Room at the Pittsford PLaza Barnes and Noble, the Rochester Science Cafe will begin its Spring 2016 series with the following talk:

 Viruses: From Emerging Diseases and Outbreaks to New Genetic Tools and Vaccines
Dr. Stephen Dewhurst, Ph.D.
Vice Dean for Research Professor and Chair, Microbiology & Immunology
University of Rochester School of Medicine

Dr. Dewhurst is Dean's Professor and Chair of Microbiology & Immunology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry (URSMD). He received his Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska Medical Center in 1987, and performed postdoctoral training at Columbia University and at the Harvard School of Public Health, under the direction of Dr. Jim Mullins. His doctoral and postdoctoral work focussed on the pathogenesis of human and simian immunodeficiency viruses. He has been a member of the faculty at the University of Rochester since 1990, and served as Senior Associate Dean for Basic Research at the URSMD from 2007 to 2009.

More information about the February-May cafes will be announced on Tuesday.

October Science cafe (10/27, 7pm) -- Dr. Mihail Barbosu (RIT): "Common Core, Uncommon Core: Math Education in the United States and worldwide"

The Rochester Science Cafe is pleased to announce that our next talk will be tomorrow evening, October 27, at 7pm in the Pittsford Plaza Barnes and Noble (in the community room on the second level, as always). 

"Common Core, Uncommon Core: Math Education in the United States and worldwide"

Dr. Mihail Barbosu

Professor and Head,

School of Mathematical Sciences

Rochester institute of Technology

The Common Core State Standards are a set of pre-college education benchmarks that cover two areas of study: Mathematics and English. The standards were released in 2010, but lately they have become a very controversial subject, involving teachers, parents, students, politicians and … comedians. The latest polls show that after the implementation of these standards, even previous supporters of the Common Core have started to reconsider their views.
In this talk we will discuss the value of the Common Core and the debate surrounding this topic. We will address questions like:

• What are Common Core Standards and what is the need for such standards?
• What were the issues that lead to the current controversy?
• How does the US system of education compare with other systems of education?
• How common are common standards in other countries and how are they handled?

This presentation will address many other related questions and will serve as an invitation to a meaningful and engaging conversation on the Common Core.

We look forward to seeing everyone there!

TWO September Science Cafes!

  The Rochester Science Cafe organizers would like to welcome you to the Fall 2015 Science Cafe series, as we begin our seventh year of exciting talks, brilliant scientists, and the best audience in Rochester (along with coffee and cookies, of course!).

This September, we are happy to announce a first: TWO CAFES!  

On Tuesday, September 22, in our usual fourth Tuesday slot, we will have a talk on the University of Rochester's new $600 million photonics institute.  For more on that, you can follow this tinyurl link to the UofR website: http://tinyurl.com/puebuhz.

The next day, on Wednesday, September 23, we will have a special cafe:

"Mercury in fish, mercury in us: how do we deal with it?”
Dr. Matt Rand
Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester


Mercury (Hg), a naturally occurring element that can be found in soil, water and air, is perhaps best known for its infamous role as a toxicant.  Methylmercury (MeHg), a naturally-derived organic form of Hg, can occur at elevated levels in some fish species that are consumed by people.  Decades of research have explored MeHg’s toxic potential including bio-magnification in large predatory fish, a long half-life in the body and a preference to attack the developing nervous system.  Despite these threatening features, studies have reported mixed results on the health effects of MeHg in people who consume large amounts of fish. Some of the key research on this topic has been conducted among people living in the Seychelles islands in the Indian Ocean by researchers here in Rochester. In this talk I will discuss the toxicology behind understanding how the human body deals with MeHg exposure.  I will first talk about the fate of MeHg in the body following a fish meal. Next, I will discuss current research efforts aimed at understanding how diet and genetics might influence the toxic potential of MeHg in different individuals.

https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/people/28154044-matthew-d-rand 

As always, the talks will be 7:00pm at the Pittsford Plaza Barnes and Noble, upstairs in the Community Room.  Our regular fourth Tuesday talks will continue for the rest of the Fall and Spring.

We look forward to seeing everyone there as we kick off another exciting new year of the Rochester Science Cafe!