Arlington, VA/Washington DC
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Launched 2006 |
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General Information
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Where : |
The Front Page,
4201 Wilson
Blvd, Arlington VA
Located near Ballston Metro on the ground floor of the NSF building.
Parking is available under the NSF Building or at Ballston Common
Mall.
(DC - will vary) |
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When : |
First
Tuesday of the month, 6:15 to 8PM |
| Web
Site: |
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| Contact:
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Kaye |
ABOUT THIS
CAFE: The Ballston Science and Technology Alliance, a nonprofit
organization, is the sponsor of Café Scientifique
Arlington. Since April 2006, the goal of Café Scientifique has
been to make science more accessible and accountable by
featuring speakers whose expertise spans the sciences and who
can talk in plain English. Café is generally held each month on
first Tuesdays at the Front Page in Arlington.
We welcome your input -
register on
line, or email Kaye.
TO
FIND OUT MORE:
visit our
website,
contact
Kaye Breen, join us on
twitter:
or
facebook
, or our
blog
Upcoming Events
(Previous
events)
|
Date: |
Tuesday 5th January 2010 |
|
Title: |
Climate change policy
at home and abroad |
|
Speaker: |
Nikki Roy, Vice President of Federal Government Outreach for the Pew
Center on Global Climate Change
President Obama, Governors of both parties around the country, and key
international allies have made addressing climate change a top priority. This
cafe will discuss the state-of-play in the development of US and international
climate change policy. |
|
Date: |
Tuesday 2nd February 2010 |
|
Title: |
The square kilometre
array |
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Speaker: |
Learn about the Square Kilometer Array (SKA), the most powerful radio telescope
ever. SKA will be built in the Karoo region of South Africa. With the SKA, radio
astronomers hope to be able to detect radio emission from the earliest galaxies.
South Africa is building an SKA technology pathfinder telescope, the Karoo Array
Telescope (known as MeerKAT). |
Previous
events
|
Date: |
Tuesday 9th September |
|
Title: |
Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles: The second coming of
the electric car! |
|
Speaker: |
Bob Gibson, Senior
Program Manager, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Cooperative Research
Network, NRECA
Learn why plug-in hybrid cars (PHEV) hold such great promise as a means to
reduce the costs of driving, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce our
national reliance on petroleum. What are current PHEV drivers experiencing (the
good and the not-so-good) and what are the barriers to bringing PHEV’s to
market. Plug-in
hybrid passenger vehicles are not yet in production, but
what we might expect to see from automotive companies in the next few years.
The term
"plug-in hybrid" has come to mean a hybrid vehicle that can be charged from a
standard electrical wall socket. |
|
Date: |
Tuesday 7th October |
|
Title: |
Bats: Myth & Reality |
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Speaker: |
Dr. Don Wilson,
Smithsonian Institution
Do bats fly in your hair?
Are they blind? Do they carry rabies? Are they hateful little creatures of
the night, or charismatic critters, critical to the functioning of ecosystems
around the world? Find out the truth about bats from the Author of “Bats in
Question”, who will discuss these and other interesting facts about bats
worldwide. Poorly known and routinely misunderstood, bats need friends, and
this is your chance to learn more about them and their importance.
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|
Date: |
Wednesday
5th November |
|
Title: |
What
will be the role of Science and Technology in the New Administration?
|
|
Speaker: |
Al Teich, AAAS;
Michael Waring, University of Michigan; and Richard Van Atta, Science
and Technology Policy Institute. Moderator: Dr. Chris Hill, GMU
During the next four years
the new administration will be facing many important issues including pollution
of air and water, climate change, renewable energy research, global diseases and
pandemics, bioethical issues such as stem cell research, how to use scientific
innovation to stimulate economic growth, how to improve science education and
how to maintain our science competitive edge. Now that the American people have
decided who will be President, what role will science and technology play in
policy decisions? How will this new administration interact with the science
community? What can be expected in the way of new programs or funding
proposals? These and other issues will be discussed by the distinguished panel. |
|
Date: |
Tuesday 2nd December |
|
Title: |
Energy Efficiency Programs and Technologies |
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Speaker: |
Brian Sloboda,
NRECA |
Previous
events
|
Date: |
Tuesday 5th August |
|
Title: |
Blackout? What Blackout? Fuel Cells: A
Reliable Choice for Mission-Critical Applications |
|
Speaker: |
Robert Rose, U.S.
Fuel Cell Council/Fuel Cells 2000, Christy Cooper, U.S. Department of
Energy Hydrogen Program
Be it the Internet, your
computer, cell phone or wireless PDA, communication networks are increasing at
an exponential rate and the need for more reliable, premium power is greater
than ever before. U.S. businesses lose $29 billion annually from computer
failures due to power outages and are now looking to fuel cells – which can be
up to 99.999% (five nines) reliable – to help prevent not only loss of power,
but also loss of dollars. Mission-critical locations such as hospitals, data
centers, hotels, telecommunications/radio towers, airports, and even police
stations use fuel cells for consistent energy, with the added benefit of
substantially reduced greenhouse gas emissions. At this presentation you will
not only learn about what a fuel cell is and why they are such an integral tool
for creating an energy-efficient future, you’ll hear about cutting-edge fuel
cell innovations and applications besides the highly anticipated fuel cell
vehicle. A representative from the U.S. Department of Energy will also be on
hand to discuss how the federal government is working to bring this innovative
technology to real-life installations and demonstrations – today! |
|
Date: |
Tuesday 1st July |
|
Title: |
Latitude – The World’s First Scientific
Expedition to Measure the Earth, 1735-1744 |
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Speaker: |
Science Historian Dr. Larrie D. Ferreiro, consultant to
the BBC’s “Voyages of Discovery” series
The story of Longitude is an inspiring tale of an
individual’s heroic struggle to solve a scientific problem. But at exactly the
same time as Harrison invented his chronometer, a major international scientific
expedition, sponsored by the French government, went to the Equator to settle
the burning question of the Earth’s shape – was it flattened at the poles or
shaped like an egg? Their measurements and subsequent discoveries not only
solidified our understanding of navigation, it opened the eyes of Europe to the
richness of South America, and was the direct inspiration for the subsequent
voyages of Humboldt and Darwin. This presentation describes importance and
impact of this little-known Geodesic Mission, which became the model for how
government-sponsored scientific cooperation among nations could work. The
Ambassador of Ecuador Luis Gallegos and the French Scientific Counselor Michel
Israël will participate in the discussions. |
|
Date: |
Tuesday, November 6 |
|
Title: |
Where Energy and Global Warming Meet |
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Speaker: |
Dennis Dimick,
Executive Editor, National Geographic Magazine
A
slide show and discussion on the reasons why we are seeing warming (our use
of coal, oil, and gas), an extensive range of on-ground examples of change
we are seeing as temperatures rise and a range of potential solutions we
need to begin implementing to reduce our carbon pollution, and hence the
damage from human-induced climate warming. |
|
Date: |
Tuesday, October 2 |
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Title: |
What's Math Got To Do With It? |
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Speaker: |
Tony Chan, Assistant Director, Mathematics & Physical Sciences, NSF
Mathematics, and mathematics research, is often viewed by the general public
as inscrutable and irrelevant (beyond balancing their checkbooks). In fact,
Math is ubiquitous and indispensable in our everyday life. I'll give some
examples including GPS, Internet searches (Google), medical imaging and
movies. |
|
Date: |
Tuesday, September 11 |
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Title: |
The Science of Security: A Maritime Perspective |
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Speaker: |
Guy Thomas, Science & Technology Advisor
to US Coast Guard |
|
Date: |
Tuesday, August 7 |
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Title: |
Storm World: Hurricanes,
Politics and the Battle over Global Warming |
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Speaker: |
Chris Mooney,
Author of "Storm World" and Washington, DC correspondent for Seed Magazine.
Are hurricanes getting stronger or more frequent? What role does climate
change play in the weather patterns that shape them? Join us as science
journalist Chris Mooney, author of a new book on the subject, explores those
questions and the scientific and political issues that surround them. |
|
Date: |
Tuesday, July 10 |
|
Title: |
Computer Conundrum: Whither
the Future |
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Speaker: |
George Strawn, Computer Scientist and
Nancy Forbes, Author
A reminder that due to the holiday, our next Cafe Scientifique Arlington
will be on July 10 (the second Tuesday of the month) instead of July 3.
As a very special event, the bluegrass band "Don't Tell
Bob" will provide live music with a science theme!
Don't miss it! |
|
Date: |
Tuesday, June 12 |
|
Title: |
The Emergence of Humans:
What makes us different? |
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Speaker: |
Rick Potts -
Human Origins Expert, National Museum of Natural History
How did humans evolve into our present form?
Who are our ancestors, and how far back do they go? And just what makes us
different from other mammals? As Director of the Human Origins Program and
Curator of Anthropology at the National Museum of Natural History, Potts
asks - and helps to answer - these and related questions. Come to hear
what's new at the cutting edge of paleoanthropology.
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|
Date: |
Tuesday, May 1 |
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Title: |
Backyard Science Survey: A Buggy Bonanza
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Speaker: |
Gary Hevel -
Entomologist, National Museum of Natural History |
|
Date: |
Tuesday April 3 |
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Title: |
See the light! What
makes lasers so cool?
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Speaker: |
Guy Beadie -
Optical Physicist, Naval research Laboratory |
|
Date: |
Tuesday March 6 |
|
Title: |
The
"Shocking" Science
behind Electric Cars
Electric cars on display to
see and touch! |
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Speaker: |
David Goldstein - President, Electric
Vehicle Association |
|
Date: |
Tuesday February 6 |
|
Title: |
The
Science of Breast Cancer - Making it Personal |
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Speaker: |
Robert Clarke
and Minetta Liu
(Cancer
Researchers, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University) |
|
Date: |
Tuesday January 9 2007
(Note: This event is held on 2nd Tuesday, rather than the usual 1st
Tuesday, due to New Year's holiday.) |
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Title: |
How Bones Talk to Us: Clues From Forensic Science |
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Speaker: |
Doug Ubelaker (Anthropologist, National Museum of Natural History)
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|
Date: |
Tuesday,
December 5, 2006 |
|
Title: |
Amazing Polymers & Plastics: From Electronics to
Life Itself
|
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Speaker: |
Andy Lovinger,
Materials Scientist
|
|
Date: |
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Note - second Tuesday, to
avoid election day AND DIFFERENT VENUE -
Bailey's Pub & Grill -
Ballston Common Mall - Level 1 (under Macy's Furniture). For directions,
click
here. |
|
Title: |
The
science of educational testing - what really happens behind the scenes |
|
Speaker: |
Ray Brogan (educational psychologist) |
|
Date: |
Tuesday, October 3, 2006 |
|
Title: |
Spring Vacation 2050: The Science Behind Climate
Change |
|
Speaker: |
David Evans
(Smithsonian Under Secretary for Science) and Margaret Leinen (NSF
Assistant Director for Geosciences) |
|
Date: |
Tuesday 7 September 2006 |
|
Title: |
Quacks, Charlatans and Scientists: How to
Distinguish Between Hocus-Pocus and Sound Advice |
|
Speaker: |
Joe Schwarcz |
|
Date: |
Tuesday 1 August 2006 |
|
|
Title: |
From dust to us:
a brief history of the Earth and Moon |
|
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Speaker:
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Tom Wagner |
|
|
Date: |
Tuesday 6 June 2006 |
|
|
Title: |
Your Phantasmagorical Brain |
|
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Speaker: |
Kathie Olsen, Neuroscientist &
Deputy Director, National Science Foundation |
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Date: |
Tuesday 2 May 2006 |
|
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Title: |
Are We All Martians? |
|
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Speaker: |
Kathy Sawyer, science journalist;
Mike Meyer, NASA Mars Exploration Lead Scientist |
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Date: |
Tuesday 4 April |
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Title: |
Before the Big Bang |
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Speaker: |
Mike Turner, Astrophysicist |
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