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Local Scientists on the Global Climate Stage: Stories from the IPCC

With Oregon State University lead authors from the IPCC report: Peter Clark, PhD, Distinguished Professor, College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences (CEOAS); Alan Mix, PhD, Distinguished Professor, CEOAS; Philip Mote, PhD, Former Professor, CEOAS; Former Director, Oregon Climate Change Research Institute, Dean of the Graduate School at Oregon State University; David Wrathall, PhD, Assistant Professor, CEOAS

April 4, 2019 | 7-9PM; Doors Open @ 5PM | All Ages

$5 advance purchase for guaranteed seats; $5 suggested donation at the door. Tickets available online or at the OMSI front desk until midnight the day prior to the event; see below for details.

OMSI Science Pub at the Mission Theater is a ticketed event. To guarantee a seat at this event, please buy tickets online or at the OMSI front desk. Advanced tickets will be available for purchase until 11:59pm on the day prior to the event. Please show your ticket at the theater entrance upon arrival.

If the event sells out, we will update the website and Facebook listings accordingly. If the event does not sell out in advance, attendance will be first-come, first-served at the door and at-the-door admission will remain a suggested donation.

Science Pub Mission is a monthly event that is open to anyone and everyone – no scientific background required. Just bring your curiosity, sense of humor, and appetite for food, drinks and knowledge! For more information or to sign up for our mailing list, email: sciencepub@omsi.edu.

Dinner and drinks will be available throughout the presentation. Please visit the McMenamins Mission Theater website for a dinner menu and venue information.

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Registration is Closed | This event has sold out. Walk-ins are welcome, but seating will not be guaranteed and is based on availability. After the event start time any available seats will be offered to the general public.

Global Warming and Human Migration: Key Dynamics and Policy Choices

With David Wrathall, Assistant Professor in Oregon State University’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences

April 8, 2019 | 6-8PM; Doors open @ 5PM | FREE, RSVP Required

In every region of the planet, there is evidence that climate change is motivating patterns of human migration. As the climate continues to shift, millions of people will need to migrate from vulnerable areas to safer areas. 

The key migration dynamics that unfold under climate change scenarios — the timing of future migrations, likely destinations, and the volume and condition of migrants — are largely dependent on the policy choices that we make today.

In this discussion, Professor Wrathall, geographer and lead author with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), will share his insights as to how we might mitigate the negative impact on people who will inevitably migrate as a result of climate change.

The Science Pub presentation is free and open to the public.

RSVP for the Next Science Pub

Due to the continuing popularity of Science Pub, we are implementing a ticketing/RSVP process. Please read the specifics below.

• Limit of two free tickets per person.
• Registration opens three weeks prior to each Science Pub and is limited to the first 100 tickets.
• Available on a first-come, first-serve basis at the link above or by calling 541-737-4717.
• Advanced registration recommended to guarantee a ticket/seat.
• Only register if you plan on attending please.
• If plans change, please cancel your reservation via your initial confirmation email or by calling 541-737-4717.
• Walk-ins welcome, but seating will not be guaranteed and is based on availability.
• Register for the Science Pub listserv by emailing events@oregonstate.edu or 541-737-4717.

Sponsors of Science Pub include Terra magazine at OSU, the Downtown Corvallis Association and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.
 
For more information or to sign up for our mailing list, email: sciencepub@omsi.edu.

You can also listen to their podcasts at http://communications.oregonstate.edu/podcast.

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Oregon Has Two Dinosaurs

With Gregory J. Retallack, PhD, Professor of Geology at the University of Oregon

April 11, 2019 | 6:30-8:30PM; Doors open @ 5PM | $5 Suggested Donation
 

For many years there have been rumors and informal accounts of Oregon dinosaurs, but until October 2018 no formal account of them in the scientific literature. First to be announced in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology was a toe bone of an ornithopod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous shales near Mitchell in central Oregon. Ornithopods are herbivorous dinosaurs including duckbill dinosaurs, and this one was large at about 17 feet long, but not quite a duckbill. University of Oregon fans will be pleased by the report in the Bulletin of the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science of a genuine duckbill, an lambeosaurine from Late Cretaceous sandstone at Cape Sebastian on the southern Oregon coast. In one month Oregon went from zero to two dinosaur finds. Join Dr. Retallack for a compelling story of serendipidity for one team and persistence for the other team.

Greg Retallack is a professor in the department of geological sciences at the University of Oregon. His doctoral degree was from the University of New England in Australia, and he completed a post-doc at Indiana University before coming to Oregon. His research is dedicated to the study of paleosols: ancient soils buried with fossils in sedimentary and volcanic sequences of the geological past. Paleosols provide new insights into major events in the history of life on land, such as early human evolution in East Africa, major extinctions of life, and evolution of the first forests. In recent years he has found evidence of life in many paleosols predating the Cambrian explosion of life, especially in very ancient rocks of South Africa and Western Australia.

Science Pub Eugene is a monthly event that is open to anyone and everyone. No RSVP or scientific background required. Just bring your curiosity, sense of humor, and appetite for food, drinks, and knowledge! For more information or to sign up for our mailing list, email: sciencepub@omsi.edu.

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Seabirds and Community Science: Unveiling Mysteries of Seabirds to Inform Conservation Efforts on Oregon’s Iconic Coast

With Joe Liebezeit, Staff Scientist and Avian Conservation Program Manager at the Audubon Society of Portland

April 16, 2019 | Doors Open @ 5PM 

$5 advance purchase for guaranteed seats; $5 suggested donation at the door. Tickets will be available online or at the OMSI front desk until 2pm the day of the event; see below for details.

Birds have long been known to act as an indicator of overall health of habitats and ecosystems. Oregon’s coastline supports over 1.3 million nesting seabirds including 13 species and many others that visit our waters from around the world. On the West Coast, Oregon supports over one half of all colonial nesting seabirds in the lower 48 making it a vital breeding ground. Seabirds have also experienced some of the most dramatic population declines of any bird species group over the past half century.  They are challenged with a number of threats ranging from overfishing to impacts associated with a warming ocean including ocean acidification.

In this talk, scientist and conservationist, Joe Liebezeit will describe the wonders of Oregon’s seabirds, as well as another unique coastal bird, the Black Oystercatcher that make their home or visit Oregon’s shores and marine waters. Joe will describe Portland Audubon’s on-going community science projects focused on coastal bird species and report on new findings. These projects rely on participation of members of the public and are helping to inform efforts to conserve, protect, and better understand Oregon’s iconic rocky shoreline and recently designated system of Marine Reserves and Protected Areas.  Learn how you can help too!

Joe has worked for the Audubon Society of Portland since 2013 managing their Community Science and Coastal Conservation Program. Prior to his position with Portland Audubon, Joe worked for the Wildlife Conservation Society for 12 years leveraging on-the-ground science efforts to help protect shorebirds and other wildlife from oil development and climate change impacts in Arctic Alaska. Joe has worked as a field biologist studying birds across the U.S. as well as internationally including Russia and the Republic of Korea. Joe received his Bachelor’s degree in Zoology from the University of New Hampshire and a Master’s Degree in Wildlife Management from Humboldt State University. Joe has lived in the northwest for over 20 years and in Portland since 2005. In his free time Joe enjoys family time with his wife, two daughters, and pets. Joe enjoys playing and listening to music, exploring natural areas, and of course, bird watching.

Photo credit: Haley Crews

OMSI Science Pub at the Empirical Theater is a ticketed event. To guarantee a seat at this event, please buy tickets online or at the OMSI front desk. Advanced tickets will be available for purchase until 2:00pm the day of the event. Please show your ticket at the theater entrance upon arrival.

If the event sells out, we will update the website and Facebook listings accordingly. If the event does not sell out in advance, attendance will be first-come, first-served at the door and at-the-door admission will remain a suggested donation.

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Making Maps for Science: The Cartographic Art of Scientific Discovery

With Greg Miller, PhD, and Betsy Mason, Science Journalists

May 2, 2019 | Doors Open @ 5PM 

Please note: This presentation is on a Thursday and is in addition to the regular Thursday event. OMSI is now host to two Science Pub events per month, on the first Thursday and the third Tuesday.

$5 advance purchase for guaranteed seats; $5 suggested donation at the door. Tickets will be available online or at the OMSI front desk until 2pm the day of the event; see below for details.

Some of the most beautiful scientific visualizations of all time are maps. But maps can be much more than scientific eye candy, they can also be powerful tools of discovery. Scientists have used maps to gain crucial insights into how earthquakes work, how diseases spread, and what other planets are like. Scientific maps have revealed previously unknown patterns in everything from ocean currents to urban poverty. Many of these maps are surprisingly beautiful, and they all reveal something interesting that wouldn't have come to light any other way.

In this talk, science journalists Betsy Mason and Greg Miller will highlight some of the best scientific maps of all time and share stories about how maps have contributed to science—and occasionally led scientists, and the public, astray.

Betsy Mason and Greg Miller are award-winning science journalists and the authors of the book All Over the Map: A Cartographic Odyssey, published by National Geographic (October, 2018). Betsy is a science journalist based in the San Francisco Bay Area who writes about a broad range of topics from animal behavior to particle physics to maps. Previously she was the online science editor at Wired, and before becoming a journalist she earned a master’s degree in geology from Stanford. Greg writes about neuroscience and other areas of biological and behavioral science in addition to cartography. Previously, he was a staff writer at Wired and Science magazines, and he earned a Ph.D. in neuroscience at Stanford before becoming a journalist. He lives in Portland.

OMSI Science Pub at the Empirical Theater is a ticketed event. To guarantee a seat at this event, please buy tickets online or at the OMSI front desk. Advanced tickets will be available for purchase until 2:00pm the day of the event. Please show your ticket at the theater entrance upon arrival.

If the event sells out, we will update the website and Facebook listings accordingly. If the event does not sell out in advance, attendance will be first-come, first-served at the door and at-the-door admission will remain a suggested donation.

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The Gut Microbiome and Human Health: Keeping Up with an Ever-Changing Field

With Hannah Tavalire, MS, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Scholar in the Institute of Ecology and Evolution at the University of Oregon

May 9, 2019 | 6:30-8:30PM; Doors open @ 5PM | $5 Suggested Donation
 

The human microbiome includes all of the microscopic organisms living in and on the body. This can include trillions of bacteria, fungi, and archaea- leading to high variation among individual humans- even in healthy populations. Recent research has correlated imbalances in these microbes to the progression of a multitude of human diseases- from obesity to heart disease, and even mental health challenges. Experiments in animals come closer to determining mechanisms for disease-causing interactions between the microbiome and its host, but definitive evidence for the role of the microbiome in human health is practically and ethically challenging to obtain. The gut microbiome has the potential to play an important role as a target for intervention in personalized medicine moving forward, but human trials for proposed therapies are just beginning. Popular media is covering scientific advances in microbiome research at an unprecedented rate- inundating us with information that may or may not be overstated. Furthermore, commercial companies are popping up, promising personalized diet and lifestyle advice gleaned from a single stool sample. We are only just beginning to understand the complex nature of interactions among microbes and their hosts leading to health or disease. So what does the research really say?

In this talk, research scientist Hannah Tavalire will discuss the evidence surrounding the role of the gut microbiome in human health and the challenges facing researchers- and consumers of information- in a field that is still largely in its infancy. Dr. Tavalire will also discuss her current research focused on determining how much genetics versus environment (nature versus nurture) drives the composition of the gut microbiome in childhood in a human adoption study.   

Hannah started her career as a researcher in a toxicology lab as an undergraduate at Michigan State University. She then went on to complete a Master’s degree working on an invasive species project, and later completed a PhD in Integrative Biology at Oregon State University, where she studied wildlife disease. Hannah transitioned into human research as a postdoctoral scholar at UO in 2017, focusing on genetic and environmental drivers of microbiome composition and the role of stress and immune function in shaping the microbiome in humans and fish.    

Science Pub Eugene is a monthly event that is open to anyone and everyone. No RSVP or scientific background required. Just bring your curiosity, sense of humor, and appetite for food, drinks, and knowledge! For more information or to sign up for our mailing list, email: sciencepub@omsi.edu.

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We Need to Talk About the Death of the Universe

With Paul M. Sutter, PhD, Professor of Astrophysics at Ohio State University

May 30, 2019 | Doors Open @ 5PM 

Please note: this Science Pub is on a Thursday and is in addition to the regular May event.

$5 advance purchase for guaranteed seats; $5 suggested donation at the door. Tickets will be available online or at the OMSI front desk until 2pm the day of the event; see below for details.

We live in a changing universe. That seems simple to say, but it hides a hideous truth: our cosmos has a finite age, and it will eventually die. We need to talk about dark matter. We need to talk about dark energy. We need to talk about the big bang. We need to talk about expansion. We need to talk about star formation. We need to talk about the inevitable heat death of our universe. We need to talk.

An astrophysicist, author, speaker, producer, and on-air host everywhere from podcasts to TV, Paul strives to bring science to new audiences. By breaking down formidable concepts, emphasizing the human and artistic aspects of the scientific process, and making science accessible with his characteristic conversational, humorous approach, Paul is the one and only Agent to the Stars! An established scientist, Paul has authored over 60 academic papers on topics ranging from the earliest moments of the Big Bang, to the emptiest places in the universe, to novel methods for detecting the first stars. He received his PhD in Physics in 2011 as a Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellow, and prior to his current position he held research fellowships in Paris and Italy. He has given over 100 seminars, colloquia, and conference talks at institutions around the world.

OMSI Science Pub at the Empirical Theater is a ticketed event. To guarantee a seat at this event, please buy tickets online or at the OMSI front desk. Advanced tickets will be available for purchase until 2:00pm the day of the event. Please show your ticket at the theater entrance upon arrival.

If the event sells out, we will update the website and Facebook listings accordingly. If the event does not sell out in advance, attendance will be first-come, first-served at the door and at-the-door admission will remain a suggested donation.

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The Last Butterflies: A Scientist’s Quest to Save a Rare and Vanishing Creature

With Nick Haddad, PhD, Professor and Senior Terrestrial Ecologist in the Department of Integrative Biology and the W. K. Kellogg Biological Station at Michigan State University

June 6, 2019 | Doors Open @ 5PM 

Please note: This presentation is on a Thursday and is in addition to the regular Thursday event. OMSI is now host to two Science Pub events per month, on the first Thursday and the third Tuesday.

$5 advance purchase for guaranteed seats; $5 suggested donation at the door. Tickets will be available online or at the OMSI front desk until 2pm the day of the event; see below for details.

An army artillery range is forbidding for people and for nature. Or so it would seem. As it turns out, artillery does not devastate nature. Rather, it can ignite fires that unintentionally restore areas better than people do. This is true for many plants and animals, especially butterflies. The Taylor’s Checkerspot butterfly in the Pacific Northwest and the St. Francis’ Satyr butterfly in North Carolina would be extinct today if not for artillery. Unnatural disturbances like these pop up again and again in the conservation of rare butterflies.

In this talk, conservation biologist Nick Haddad will recount his search for the rarest butterfly in the world. He describes his distress while watching the rarest butterflies, numbering in the hundreds or thousands, as they declined toward possible extinction. As Dr. Haddad tracked these butterflies, he was surprised to learn that some of his conservation efforts were actually harming their populations. Even more surprising: he found that you have to kill some butterflies in order to bring them back from the brink of extinction.

Nick Haddad is an ecologist at the Kellogg Biological Station of Michigan State University. He has worked with butterflies, including very rare butterflies, for three decades. He specializes in large experiments that bring scientific principles to conservation actions, including restoration for rare butterflies. He has lived and worked in rare butterfly hotspots that include south Florida, North Carolina, Michigan, and the Bay Area of California. He has broad interest in conservation, and for three decades has studied the role of landscape corridors in connecting and sustaining ecological systems. He and his family love wilderness camping and canoeing. He lives in a house built in 1840, and somehow became an amateur electrician and plumber to keep the place functional.

Photo Credit: Bay Checkerspot Butterfly © Stu Weiss

OMSI Science Pub at the Empirical Theater is a ticketed event. To guarantee a seat at this event, please buy tickets online or at the OMSI front desk. Advanced tickets will be available for purchase until 2:00pm the day of the event. Please show your ticket at the theater entrance upon arrival.

If the event sells out, we will update the website and Facebook listings accordingly. If the event does not sell out in advance, attendance will be first-come, first-served at the door and at-the-door admission will remain a suggested donation.

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Architecture

With Siobhan Rockcastle, PhD, Assistant Professor of Architecture at the University of Oregon

June 13, 2019 | 6:30-8:30PM; Doors open @ 5PM | $5 Suggested Donation
 

Details coming soon!

Science Pub Eugene is a monthly event that is open to anyone and everyone. No RSVP or scientific background required. Just bring your curiosity, sense of humor, and appetite for food, drinks, and knowledge! For more information or to sign up for our mailing list, email: sciencepub@omsi.edu.

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Plankton: The Importance of Small Things

With Paul North, Polar Expedition Diver & Director of Meet the Ocean

June 18, 2019 | Doors Open @ 5PM 

$5 advance purchase for guaranteed seats; $5 suggested donation at the door. Tickets will be available online or at the OMSI front desk until 2pm the day of the event; see below for details.

The genesis of the marine food web begins at the microscopic level. In this talk, Paul North, director of the educational nonprofit Meet the Ocean will example the variety of minute creatures that exist in the ocean water column and describe the vital role they play in sustaining the life cycles of our planet. Though small and often outside of common consideration, plankton are the engineers of life as we know it. From the food we consume to the air that we breathe, their importance is undeniable.

Paul North is the director of Meet the Ocean - an educational nonprofit devoted to educating the public on the importance of our planet’s saltwater ecosystems. He has logged over 200 dives in the Southern Ocean working as Undersea Specialist with Lindblad Expeditions & National Geographic. His collaboration with scientist Skye Moret - Antarctica: A Chromatic Paradox won the National Science Foundation’s Visualization Challenge and was published in Popular Science magazine in April 2016. Combining storytelling and science, Meet the Ocean releases a monthly podcast, hosted by North, in hopes to mix education with entertainment to awaken audiences to the realities facing our planet.

OMSI Science Pub at the Empirical Theater is a ticketed event. To guarantee a seat at this event, please buy tickets online or at the OMSI front desk. Advanced tickets will be available for purchase until 2:00pm the day of the event. Please show your ticket at the theater entrance upon arrival.

If the event sells out, we will update the website and Facebook listings accordingly. If the event does not sell out in advance, attendance will be first-come, first-served at the door and at-the-door admission will remain a suggested donation.

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Topic: Social Psychology

With Rob Chavez, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Oregon

July 11, 2019 | 6:30-8:30PM; Doors open @ 5PM | $5 Suggested Donation
 

Details coming soon!

Science Pub Eugene is a monthly event that is open to anyone and everyone. No RSVP or scientific background required. Just bring your curiosity, sense of humor, and appetite for food, drinks, and knowledge! For more information or to sign up for our mailing list, email: sciencepub@omsi.edu.

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What Past Earthquakes Tell Us About Future Earthquake Hazard: Facts & Fake Facts

With Susan Hough, PhD, Research Geophysicist at the US Geological Survey in Pasadena, California

July 16, 2019 | Doors Open @ 5PM 

$5 advance purchase for guaranteed seats; $5 suggested donation at the door. Tickets will be available online or at the OMSI front desk until 2pm the day of the event; see below for details.

Seismologists spend their lives working to understand earthquakes, including earthquakes caused by human activities, so that we can understand and mitigate the hazard they pose. Fortunately for us all, large earthquakes do not strike frequently in any one place. Many of the most important past earthquakes occurred before the invention of modern seismometers. To understand these events, scientists draw on sleuthing skills to explore all available sources of data. In this talk, I describe some of the ingenious work that has been done to understand past earthquakes, and the lessons they can teach us about present-day earthquake hazard. I also discuss evidence that, while earthquakes induced by wastewater injection appeared to be a new phenomenon, there is evidence that humans caused earthquakes in a number of places, including Oklahoma and Texas, as far back as the early 20th century.

Susan Hough graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in geophysics in 1982 and received a PhD in Earth sciences from the University of California, San Diego in 1988. Since 1992 she has worked as a research geophysicist at the US Geological Survey in Pasadena. Her research interests include earthquake ground motions, induced earthquakes, historical earthquakes, and seismic hazard. She led deployments of portable seismometers following a number of damaging earthquakes, including the 1989 Loma Prieta, California, and 2010 Haiti earthquakes. She has co-authored over 120 articles, and was elected Fellow of the American Geophysical Union in 2009. She is now serving as President-Elect of the Seismological Society of America. In addition to technical articles, she has a long-standing interest in science communication, having authored five books on earthquake science for a nonspecialist audience as well as numerous popular articles. She has further led USAIDsupported capacity development projects in a number of countries including Nepal, Haiti, and Myanmar.

This lecture is presented by The Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (https://www.iris.edu) and the Seismological Society of America (https://www.seismosoc.org).

OMSI Science Pub at the Empirical Theater is a ticketed event. To guarantee a seat at this event, please buy tickets online or at the OMSI front desk. Advanced tickets will be available for purchase until 2:00pm the day of the event. Please show your ticket at the theater entrance upon arrival.

If the event sells out, we will update the website and Facebook listings accordingly. If the event does not sell out in advance, attendance will be first-come, first-served at the door and at-the-door admission will remain a suggested donation.