Calendar
Science Pub Portland: Earthquakes
Induced Earthquakes: Experimenting Unintentionally
With Katie Keranen, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences at Cornell University
October 4, 2018 | 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.
Induced earthquakes are triggered by humans, either by injecting fluid into the ground, extracting it, or impounding it behind dams. Induced earthquakes have occurred for a century, but in the past decade have become more prevalent in locations such as Oklahoma than natural earthquakes along most plate boundaries. These earthquakes create a new hazard and bring public attention, but they also create opportunities to study earthquake processes at atypical rates. In this presentation, Dr. Keranen discusses the sudden rise in induced seismicity, the relationship to oil and gas production including wastewater disposal and hydraulic fracturing, mitigation efforts, and new scientific advances made possible by this unintended experiment.
Katie Keranen is an assistant professor at Cornell University. Keranen wants to understand how the world works, and to that end, studies earthquakes, volcanoes, and plate motion to understand deformation of the earth at slow and rapid rates. Keranen has a BS from Michigan Technological University, a PhD from Stanford University, and completed postdoctoral research with the USGS Geological Survey. Before arriving at Cornell, Keranen was an assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma, and began studying induced seismicity when her house began shaking.
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.
Science Pub Eugene: Life Cycle Assessments
Life Cycle Assessments: Evaluating the Environmental Impacts and Comparing the Sustainability of the Products We Use Every Day
With David Tyler, PhD, Charles J. and M. Monteith Jacobs Professor of Chemistry at the University of Oregon
October 11, 2018 | 6:30-8:30PM; Doors open @ 5PM | $5 Suggested Donation
As a consumer have you ever wished there was a reliable guide to choosing the most environmentally sustainable product? Or, maybe you are confused by all the contradictory information about the most sustainable way to carry out a task. Fortunately, reliable information about environmental impacts is becoming available in the form of life cycle assessments (LCAs). This talk will introduce the concept of life cycle assessments and then give examples of LCAs relevant to everyday life. What will make this talk fun is that the results of LCAs are frequently counterintuitive and therefore thought-provoking. For example, LCAs sometimes tell us that government or corporate decisions to ban certain items actually end up doing more harm than good. Both fun and serious examples of recent LCAs will be presented with an emphasis on the products we use every day and the tasks that we carry out every day. The counterintuitive LCA results are guaranteed to provoke discussion and anxiety, especially among those wanting to make choices that are best for the environment.
David Tyler is a professor in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department at the University of Oregon. He received Bachelor of Science degrees in chemistry and mathematics from Purdue University and a Ph.D. degree from the California Institute of Technology. He has been at the University of Oregon since 1985. His current research interests are in degradable plastics, the development of greener catalysts, and photochemistry. In collaboration with his colleagues, he has developed a popular course for non-science majors on the chemistry of sustainability.
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.
Science Pub Portland: Light Pollution & Birds
Back to the Night: Why Bringing Back the Stars is Not Just for the Birds
With Mary Coolidge, BirdSafe Campaign Coordinator at the Audubon Society of Portland
November 1, 2018 | 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.
For eons, the night was lit only by the moon and stars, and life on this planet evolved under regular cycles of bright days and dark nights. All that has changed in the last 130 years, and the night we know now is liberally colonized with artificial light. Most of us live in cities that are ablaze—from billboards to parking lots to streetlights—even while we sleep. Today, 80% of North Americans live in places from which they cannot see our own home galaxy because of the fog of light pollution. The overabundance of light at night has dire ecological consequences for plants, birds, fish and other wildlife, as well as for human health and culture.
In this talk, biologist Mary Coolidge will delve into the importance of darkness for nocturnal species as well as for the millions of migrating birds which rely on the moon and stars to navigate. On this journey, we will explore the night’s wondrous mysteries and ask the question: Can we restore dark skies while simultaneously crafting vibrant, beautiful, and safe nighttime cityscapes?
Mary Coolidge is Audubon’s BirdSafe Campaign Coordinator, working with architects, planners and designers to reduce hazards for birds in the urban environment while meeting other design, building performance and climate change objectives. Mary is dedicated to improving efforts to make urban environments more hospitable to wildlife and helping connect people to nature and place right here in the city. Mary splits her time between Portland Audubon and the Oregon Zoo’s California Condor breeding program.
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.
Science Pub Eugene: Plate Tectonics and the PNW
Beauty from the Beast: Plate Tectonics and the Landscapes of the Pacific Northwest
With Robert J. (Bob) Lillie, PhD, Author, Illustrator, and National Park Ranger
November 8, 2018 | 6:30-8:30PM; Doors open @ 5PM | $5 Suggested Donation
The same geological forces that threaten our lives with earthquakes and volcanic eruptions also nourish our spirits by forming the spectacular mountains, valleys, and coastlines of the Pacific Northwest. Dr. Bob Lillie relates this "Beauty from the Beast" story by highlighting spectacular scenery in national, state and local parklands. He draws on his experience as a geology professor, park ranger and graphic illustrator to remind Northwest residents and visitors that our hometowns and iconic parklands are subject to geologic processes that affect our lives and livelihoods. By learning to live with the beast of earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions, we can more-fully appreciate the beauty that surrounds us.
Dr. Robert J. (Bob) Lillie is a writer, illustrator, and national park ranger specializing in communicating park landscapes and their deeper meanings to the public. He was a Professor of Geosciences at Oregon State University from 1984 to 2011 and he is a Certified Interpretive Trainer through the National Association for Interpretation.
Bob is author of several books about geological landscapes and their connections to natural and cultural history, including “Parks and Plates: The Geology of Our National Parks, Monuments, and Seashores” (2005) and “Beauty from the Beast: Plate Tectonics and the Landscapes of the Pacific Northwest" (2015). His latest book, "Oregon's Island in the Sky: Geology Road Guide to Marys Peak" (2017), focuses on the landscape and geological evolution of Marys Peak and the Corvallis region.
Bob was born and raised in the Cajun Country of Louisiana. He has a B.S. in geology from the University of Louisiana–Lafayette, an M.S. in geophysics from Oregon State University, and a Ph.D. in geophysics from Cornell University.
Since 1994 Bob has collaborated with the National Park Service (NPS) on educating the public in geology. He served as a seasonal interpretive ranger at Crater Lake and Yellowstone national parks and John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. He was presented the 2005 NPS Geological Resources Division award for “outstanding contributions in engaging the National Parks staff and visitors in geoscience.” Bob and his wife Barb Weeks live in the Oregon Coast Range near Marys Peak.
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.
Science Pub Portland: Exoplanets
Distant Worlds: Exoplanets, Their Stars, and the History and Future of Earth
With Karel Schrijver, PhD, astrophysicist
November 13, 2018 | 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 11:59pm the day prior to the event; see below for details.
The very first planet orbiting a star other than our Sun was discovered in 1995. Within two decades of that discovery scientists concluded that such exoplanets are so common that nearly every star in the sky is orbited by at least one, although they come in a bewildering variety. In this short span of time we have learned how the lives of exoplanets and their stars are inextricably interwoven. Stars make the materials of which planets are made; they are the seeds around which planetary systems form, and they provide their planets with light and warmth. Planets can be larger than Jupiter or smaller than Earth; they can migrate through a planetary system; some may fall into their stars or may be exiled into the interstellar cold. A planet’s habitability depends on what makes the planets, and can come and go over time, as it will for Earth. How do we learn about these distant worlds? What does the exploration of other planets tell us about the history of Earth? What does all that have to do with the habitability of Earth and the possibility of finding extraterrestrial life? And what is it like on some of the billions of exoplanets in the Galaxy?
KAREL SCHRIJVER obtained his degree in astrophysics studying the magnetism of stars. His work later increasingly focused on the ever-changing atmosphere of the nearest star, our life-enabling Sun. His professional interests also include the effects of solar magnetism on interplanetary space, on the planets, and on human technology. He has authored and edited over two hundred research articles and books, as well as popular science articles. Together with his wife, a physician, he wrote “Living with the stars”, a book for general audiences about the connections between the human body and the Universe. The discovery of exoplanets and the unfolding of fascinating insights into distant worlds triggered his latest book, “One of ten billion Earths: how we learn about our planet’s past and future from distant exoplanets”. He lives and works near Portland, Oregon.
Dr. Schrijver’s new book “One of ten billion Earths” is available from Oxford University Press starting September, 2018.
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 11:59pm 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.
There will no longer be official seat reservations available at the door. You are welcome to reserve a seat with your jacket or sweater.
Science Pub OMSI 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.
Theory, OMSI's eatery will be open with pizza, salads and ice cream. The Empirical Cafe will be open with sandwiches and snacks. Both locations have alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Food and drink are welcome in the theater. Parking is free for the event. Doors open at 5pm.
For more information or to sign up for our mailing list, email: sciencepub@omsi.edu.
Science Pub Portland: Bees!
The Buzz About Bees: Exploring the World of Our Most Vital Pollinators
With Thor Hanson, Ph.D., Conservation Biologist, Guggenheim Fellow and Author
December 11, 2018 | 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 11:59pm the day prior to the event; see below for details.
Bees are like oxygen: ubiquitous, essential, and, for the most part, unseen. Evolving alongside flowers, bees drove the vast array of floral colors, shapes, and scents that dominate our landscapes. The human relationship with bees took root deep in our prehistory, when early hominins sought out the sugary blast of honey at every opportunity. Domesticated long before horses, camels, or ducks, bees have enabled advances in everything from medicine and industry to intoxication, and now provide as much as a third of the food in the human diet. To know the bee isn’t just to understand a fascinating and beautiful insect: it is to glimpse a profound web of relationships, great and small, that binds together the human and the natural worlds.
In this talk, biologist and author Thor Hanson will describe a journey that began 125 million years ago, when a wasp first dared to feed pollen to its young. He will explain how the co-evolution of bees and flowering plants led to great diversity on both sides of the equation, featuring not just honeybees but less familiar varieties like diggers, miners, leafcutters, cuckoos, carpenters, sweat bees, and more. The discussion will also confront the many challenges facing bees, and highlight what all of us can do to help them.
Author and biologist Thor Hanson is a Guggenheim Fellow, a Switzer Environmental Fellow, and winner of the John Burroughs Medal. His books include Buzz, The Triumph of Seeds, Feathers, and The Impenetrable Forest, as well as the illustrated children’s favorite, Bartholomew Quill. Thor’s work has been translated into more than ten languages and earned many accolades, including the Phi Beta Kappa Award in Science and two Pacific Northwest Book Awards. His many media appearances have included NPR’s Fresh Air, Science Friday, and To the Best of Our Knowledge, as well as Book Lust with Nancy Pearl. Hanson lives with his wife and son on an island in the Pacific Northwest.
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 11:59pm 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.
There will no longer be official seat reservations available at the door. You are welcome to reserve a seat with your jacket or sweater.
Science Pub OMSI 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.
Pizza and salads will be available in our restaurant, Theory, and sandwichs and snacks from the Empirical Café. Guests can check-in at the theater entrance and find a seat before grabbing dinner and drinks. Food and drink are welcome in the theater. Parking is free for the event. Doors open at 5pm.
For more information or to sign up for our mailing list, email: sciencepub@omsi.edu.