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Free online lectures: Explore a world of ideas

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Museum of Science, Boston

One of the world's largest science centers, the Museum of Science, Boston attracts 1.6 million visitors a year through vibrant programs and over 550 interactive exhibits. Its mission is to stimulate interest in and further understanding of science and technology and their importance for individuals and society. Other features include the Thomson Theater of Electricity; Current Science & Technology Center; Charles Hayden Planetarium; Gilliland Observatory; and Mugar Omni Theater. The Museum's exhibit plan, Science Is an Activity, has been awarded several National Science Foundation grants and profoundly influenced exhibit development at other major science centers.

http://www.mos.org

  • Wild Trees: Uncharted Canopy Biosphere of Redwoods

    Wed, May 9, 2007
    Richard Preston, author of *The Hot Zone*, tells the story of Steve Sillett and Marie Antoine and a group of botanists and amateur naturalists who discovered a mysterious world hidden above California. *The Wild Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring* is the tale of their adventures exploring the uncharted canopy biosphere of the largest and tallest organisms the world has ever sustained, the coast redwood trees (Sequoia sempervirens).
    Forum Network
    Partner:
    Museum of Science, Boston

  • Einstein's Unfinished Symphony

    Wed, Mar 10, 2004
    Marcia Bartusiak discusses new observatories that allow astronomers to place their hands upon the fabric of space-time and feel the very rhythms of the universe. These vibrations in space-time, called gravity waves, are the last prediction of Einstein's general theory of relativity yet to be observed directly; and the first new astronomy of the 21st century.
    Forum Network
    Partner:
    Museum of Science, Boston

  • Stem Cell Research and Policy

    Fri, Nov 19, 2004
    George Daley and his team of stem cell rearchers from Harvard Medical School discuss the scientific and medical potential of stem cells, as well as the controversy and the impact of the recent election on stem cell policy. Following the presentation, the team engages in a public discussion about the ideas, questions and concerns that lecture attendees have about stem cell research. This project is supported by a Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) from the National Center for Research Resources, National Institutes of Health. It does not necessarily represent the official views of NCRR or NIH.
    Forum Network
    Partner:
    Museum of Science, Boston

  • Psychology of Surveys: Measuring Public Opinion

    Fri, Nov 5, 2004
    Barry C. Burden of Harvard University lectures on the science and technology behind measuring public opinion. How can we know what 200 million Americans think, feel, and know? Can telephone interviews with a few hundred people really describe public opinion? How much can answers be manipulated by rewording the questions? This lecture is ASL interpreted.
    Forum Network
    Partner:
    Museum of Science, Boston

  • AIDS: Learning From the Past, Looking Towards the Future

    Fri, Dec 3, 2004
    As a way of marking World AIDS Day on December 1st, the Museum of Science welcomes clinician and researcher Pride Chigwedere from Zimbabwe to comment on the past two decades of international efforts to stem the spread of AIDS. Looking to the future, Chigwedere talks about prevention and treatment strategies drawn upon our knowledge of the disease, and the people it affects, looking at Africa as a case study. This lecture is ASL interpreted.
    Forum Network
    Partner:
    Museum of Science, Boston
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    Media and Women's Health: Sorting Fact from Fiction

    Fri, May 6, 2005
    Judy Norsigian, an expert in women's health issues and founder of the landmark book, *Our Bodies, Ourselves*, examines the media's increasing impact on women's medical decisions and public perception of illnesses such as breast cancer, depression, and addiction. Recorded for the 2005 National Women's Health Week. (Photo: "[Messalina by Eugène Cyrille Brunet](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Messalina_by_Eug%C3%A8ne_Cyrille_Brunet.JPG#/media/File:Messalina_by_Eug%C3%A8ne_Cyrille_Brunet.JPG "")" by Caroline Léna Becker - Self-photographed. Licensed under CC)
    Forum Network
    Mental Health Month
    Partner:
    Museum of Science, Boston

  • Growing New Body Parts

    Tue, May 3, 2005
    Tissue engineering involves the application of the principles and methods of engineering and the life sciences towards the development of biological substitutes to restore, maintain, or improve functions of tissues or organs. It is expected that engineered tissues can help address the growing problem of tissue and organ failure by implanting tissue substitutes grown in the laboratory that can provide immediate function and integrate with surrounding host issues. The field relies on an interdisciplinary approach to solve complex tissue and organ problems in the laboratory. Teams of engineers, biologists and clinicians are essential to the successful engineering of these systems. Requirements for tissue engineering generally include a cell source (often stem cells), biomaterial scaffolds (the structures upon which the cells will stick, grow and produce new tissue) and a bioreactor (laboratory environment designed to mimic some of the conditions present during normal tissue development). With the advanced systems we now have, tissues similar to those in our body can be generated in the laboratory. As a result of active research in the area, new opportunities become available, including the repair and replacement of damaged or diseased tissues in the body, the use of these tissues for the study of disease formation and progression (such as cancer), and therapeutic treatments (such as to identify new drugs). We have prepared a set of four presentations to illustrate some of the exciting opportunities that tissue engineering offers to clinical medicine.
    Forum Network
    Partner:
    Museum of Science, Boston

  • Long and Wide: Far-Reaching Earthquakes

    Fri, Feb 4, 2005
    Seismologist Susan Hough lectures on far-reaching earthquakes and their impact on our planet and on the science world. In 1992, the Landers earthquake struck north of Palm Springs with a magnitude of 7.3. It shook up not only the state of California, but scientists' long-held beliefs about the reach of earthquakes. Hear how the discovery of remotely trigged earthquakes radically altered the way scientists view the impact of earthquakes on the surrounding region and on the planet as a whole.
    Forum Network
    Partner:
    Museum of Science, Boston

  • Life of a Drug: Clinical Trials and Tribulations

    Fri, Jan 21, 2005
    Timothy Maher follows the lifespan of a new chemical entity from initial discovery, through synthesis, preclinical and clinical testing, to approval, launch and post-marketing surveillance. Maher charts the ups and downs along the way from before a drug is approved, through marketing, and use and beyond; and he answers questions like: What is a "black-box" warning? Who's looking out for your well-being? Should "Fen-Phen" have ever happened? What about Vioxx? This project is supported by a Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) from the National Center for Research Resources, National Institutes of Health. It does not necessarily represent the official views of NCRR or NIH.
    Forum Network
    Partner:
    Museum of Science, Boston

  • Improbable Research and the IgNobel Prizes

    Fri, Apr 1, 2005
    Join the IgNobel Prizes founder and host Marc Abrahams for a look at some of the most mind-popping IgNobel Prize winners. The IgNobel Prizes, awarded annually at a ceremony at Harvard University, honor things that first make people laugh, and then make them think. The awards are designed to celebrate the unusual, honor the imaginative, and spur people's interest in science, medicine and technology.
    Forum Network
    Partner:
    Museum of Science, Boston
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