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Free online lectures: Explore a world of ideas

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Science for the Public

Science for the Public is a grassroots nonprofit organization committed to the promotion of adult science literacy. The organization hosts public presentations by scientists at Boston Public Library, a community science TV series, and online science resources. Citizen participation is actively encouraged in the development of our programs and resources. Today, many of the most pressing issues of modern life require the expertise of scientists. Citizens must therefore have a reasonable understanding of science in order to function as responsible members of society. Further, as the pace of scientific discovery accelerates, modern citizens must be able to grasp new concepts and information that are reshaping our perspectives. Although the issue of science literacy is now being addressed at the K-12 level, there is no science curriculum for the adult population. And it is the adult population that votes, pays taxes and raises children.

http://www.scienceforthepublic.org/

  • Earthquakes and Tsunamis

    Tue, Apr 12, 2016
    Dr. John Ebel explains the geological forces that cause earthquakes and the areas on the planet most vulnerable to tsunamis. We learn how seismologists track earthquake-prone areas of the planet and how they predict the possibility of tsunamis. Dr. Ebel has conducted extensive research on methods for earthquake hazard computation and earthquake forecasting. He has been a consultant on seismic hazard and nuclear test ban treaty monitoring issues for government agencies, including Argonne National Laboratory, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. And he has been a consultant on seismic hazard for over 20 major engineering projects in the US and other countries.
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  • Making a Global Plan for Climate Change

    Tue, Mar 29, 2016
    Dr. Henrik Selin explains the urgent need for a serious international commitment to deal with climate change and its impact on all nations. He assesses the recent Paris agreement and he explains why public engagement and pressure will be essential to establishing a viable climate policy.
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    The Co-Evolution of Organisms and Their Environments

    Tue, Mar 8, 2016
    **Dr. Andrew Knoll** explains the relationship between the evolution of life and the environment and his own very significant contributions to modern methods of identifying the chemical traces of life in ancient rocks. He also describes his work on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover mission, which has been concerned with analyzing the geological history of that planet. (Photo: [Flickr/Ian Boyd](https://www.flickr.com/photos/itsaboyd/2896458550/in/photolist-bwNGvd-8EZ3ME-8jzTXT-6xe2Xo-8GyTqQ-8GvFNx-8GyUcA-9Ke1bp-5pX7dw-8VGWjN-8WmWdE-9KgPjJ-8UW5WT-8XbYvU-9KgPAN-8kRtdQ-jPeqv6-8W2UCA-9BjXoq-9KgPEN-8X8Uee-8Va7Wc-8GYSGL-8YGRgQ-8GVJkB-8GZWVj-8Gywpu-BSA64w-B5EVfG-BtEHwP-BUU5iz-B5LEBk-C3bstM-BUU35r-BtEJ4F-9KgPys-8VdaVS-8GyxKW-8VArAc-8VdqM3-9KgivR "Fossil Cover"), image cropped)
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    Reconstructing Evolution: A Molecular Time Machine

    Tue, Feb 23, 2016
    **Dr. Betül Kacar** discusses the young field of paleogenomics and how researchers are able to unravel the genetic evolution of modern organisms. The value of this work is important not only for establishing an accurate biography of Earth's organisms; paleogenomics is of interest in the search for life elsewhere in the universe. (Image: [Flickr/Vector Open Stock](https://www.flickr.com/photos/freevectorstock/14565772169/in/photostream/ "Flickr Evolution"), image cropped)
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  • Our Robots, Ourselves

    Wed, Feb 10, 2016
    **David Mindell** examines our relationship with robots. How truly independent are they presently, and how autonomous can they be in the future? In the robots we use for space exploration, deep-sea research, and many other tasks. The real "brain" seems to be human, not robotic, His recent book, which he discusses, explains both the value of robots and the actual limits of robotic autonomy at a time when there is increasing controversy about the capabilities of robots.
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  • Gamma Ray Bursts

    Tue, Jan 26, 2016
    **Dr. Raul Jimenez** describes one of the most fascinating enigmas in science: gamma ray bursts (GRBs), the most powerful explosions in the universe. He explains the relationship between GRBs and life: areas of the universe where planets might be relatively safe --or not-- from the destructive force of GRB radiation. Earth, we learn, has been relatively fortunate, but at least one of the ancient mass extinctions on our planet may have been due to the radiation from a GRB.
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  • Probing the Large-Scale Universe

    Fri, Jan 22, 2016
    **Dr. Licia Verde** explains what the large-scale universe consists of. Included in the discussion are dark matter and dark energy, the expansion of the universe and the acceleration of the expansion. Dr. Verde explains how astrophysicists are investigating these mysteries and how they do these investigations.
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    Saving the Himalayas

    Tue, Dec 22, 2015
    Dr. Maharaj K. Pandit discusses the impact of climate change, increasing settlement and development on this region. He explains both the urgent need for conservation in the Himalayas.
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    Earth Life and Weird Life

    Thu, Dec 17, 2015
    Dr. David Toomey is author of _Weird Life: The Search for Life That is Very Very Different from Our Own_. Professor Toomey explains how scientists have had to revise the concept of life since the discovery of organisms in very extreme environments on our planet, and how that discovery is shaping astrobiology—the search for life on moons and exoplanets.
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    Quantum Computing, Quantum Biology

    Tue, Dec 1, 2015
    Dr. Seth Lloyd explains the progress of quantum computing and his pioneering role in the field, his concept of the universe as a quantum computer, and the increasing interest in quantum mechanisms in biological systems such as photosynthesis. He also talks about his book for general readers, _[Programming the Universe](http://www.amazon.com/Programming-Universe-Quantum-Computer-Scientist/dp/1400033861 "")_.
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