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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/

  • Mario Livio, Ph.D.: His Astrophysics, His New Book (Brilliant Blunders), His Other Books

    Wed, Sep 25, 2013
    "Mario Livio, PhD, Senior Astrophysicist at the Space Telescope Science Institute. Dr. Livio's research in astrophysics includes supernovae (type 1a), acceleration of the universe, dark energy, and black holes. He is the author of hundreds of scientific papers and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In this program, he discusses astrophysics, his newest book, Brilliant Blunders, his other books 'and his passion for art. Dr. Livio's career as an astrophysicist is coupled with his commitment to making science accessible to the public. He has given public seminars and presentations at the Smithsonian Institution, the Hayden Planetarium in New York, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, the Glasgow Planetarium, among other institutions. He has appeared on TEDxMidAtlantic and numerous television programs, including 60 Minutes. Dr. Livio is the author of a number of best-selling science books for the general public. The newest title, Brilliant Blunders presents significant errors made by several of our most famous scientists. And in each case, an error led to subsequent important discoveries. The book really illuminates the scientific process and demonstrates how science advances by trial and error. His book awards include the 2003 Peano Prize and the International Pythagoras Prize (for The Golden Ratio)."
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  • Clive Hamilton Talks about the Geoengineering Issue

    Mon, Oct 28, 2013
    "Clive Hamilton, PhD is is Vice-Chancellor's Chair and Professor of Public Ethics at the Center for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics (CAPPE), Charles Sturt University in Australia. He was the Founder and for 14 years the Executive Director of The Australia Institute, Australia's leading progressive think tank, which is a joint center of Charles Sturt University and the University of Melbourne. Dr. Hamilton has held a number of visiting academic positions, including the University of Cambridge, Yale University and the University of Oxford. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts and in June 2009 was made a Member of the Order of Australia for his contribution to public debate and public policy. In 2012 he was appointed by the Federal Government to the Climate Change Authority. Clive Hamilton is the author of a number of best-selling books, the most recent of which is Earthmasters: The Dawn of the Age of Climate Engineering (2013)."
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  • Journey to the Center of the Earth

    Tue, Nov 5, 2013
    "When Jules Verne published his classic Journey to the Center of the Earth in 1864, practically nothing was known about the Earth's interior. By this time, Charles Darwin had published On the Origin of Species, weather maps had become available, and Maxwell's equations for electromagnetic waves were used. In contrast, views of the Earth's interior did not emerge until well into the 20th century. How did the Earth, which seems so accessible to humans, remain a mystery for such a long time? In this presentation, Professor Ishii discusses challenges and techniques for studying the deep interior, and takes the audience on a modern journey to the center of the Earth. Miaki Ishii, PhD, Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, and member of the Harvard Seismology Group."
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  • How TB Bacteria Evade Treatment

    Tue, Dec 10, 2013
    "Tuberculosis is one of the deadliest diseases in our crowded world, and by far one of the hardest diseases to conquer because TB bacteria are exceptionally clever at outwitting the antibiotics designed to arrest the disease. Professor Bree Aldridge has pioneered research that illuminates the mechanisms used by mycobacteria (TB) to evade medication. Scientists are now beginning to understand that identical cells are like identical twins: although genetically identical, individual cells can have surprisingly different characteristics. The Aldridge Lab studies the bacteria that cause tuberculosis. These cells vary in their response to antibiotic therapy, even in controlled laboratory conditions. The Aldridge team uses live-cell imaging and mathematical modeling to understand how TB cells differ from one another and how individual distinctions affect the response to antibiotics. In doing so, Dr. Aldridge and her group address a major obstacle in controlling tuberculosis, which is the lengthy multi-drug therapy currently required to effectively cure the disease. By understanding how some bacteria behave differently, they hope to identify more effective treatments. Bree Aldridge, PhD, Bree Aldridge, PhD, Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology and Microbiology at Tufts University School of Medicine; member of the Molecular Microbiology and Immunology program faculties at the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts; Adjunct Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts School of Engineering."
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    Replacing Plastic: The Merits of Shrilk

    Tue, Feb 4, 2014
    Plastic is everywhere and has become a serious threat to the environment and to health. To replace plastic, materials scientists have looked to nature for examples. The target material has to be tough, light, and versatile --like compounds found in silk, insect wings, and shrimp shells. A very promising replacement based on such compounds has been developed by Javier Fernández of the Wyss Institute of Harvard. The material, which these scientists called "shrilk," is modeled on natural compounds. It is biodegradable and also biocompatible, meaning it can be used in medical applications including surgery. Shrilk can be produced inexpensively and it can be molded into complex shapes varying in stiffness and elasticity. Dr. Javier G. Fernández explains the urgent need to replace plastic, the challenge of developing innovative materials like shrilk, and the great many uses for this new material.
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  • What Ocean Sediments Reveal About Climate Change

    Tue, Jun 3, 2014
    Boston University's **Richard Murray** describes the enormous amount of information contained in ocean sediments. These sediments record the history of Earth's climate and the many changes in the evolution of our planet. Dr. Murray explains how scientists gather sediment cores and analyze them. He also describes his climate work as a Selectman in Scituate, MA.
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    Conflicting Science on the Safety of Genetically Modified Food

    Thu, Jun 12, 2014
    Rarely has there been a time when food has divided society into two major warring camps. But that is the situation regarding genetically modified food (aka genetically modified organisms or GMOs). One camp proclaims that genetically modified crops represent the future of food. The other camp believes it is a corporate conspiracy that will contaminate and endanger the world's food supply. Can science bring us closer to the truth about GMOs?
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  • Solar Energy the Third Way

    Tue, Feb 14, 2012
    Professor Gang Chen compares the two current methods of generating electricity from sunlight with solar thermoelectric generators (STEGs). Chen and his colleagues have developed widely acclaimed innovations in materials and design that make STEGs much more efficient and economical. This lecture is an excellent overview of the design, efficiency, and cost of different ways of producing solar energy.
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  • Shocking News from Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents

    Tue, Jul 10, 2012
    "Deep-sea hydrothermal vents represent one of the most extreme areas of Earth's biosphere: extreme heat, pressure, toxicity, darkness. What kinds of organisms have adapted to such an environment and how do they manage to thrive? The efforts to find out have changed the scientific view of the necessary conditions for life. Professor Peter Girguis describes the unexpected and unique biodiversity at the hydrothermal vents. He focuses especially on the microbes in this environment that are able to metabolize using a process called extracellular electron transfer (EET). This remarkable system is not only instructive about extreme adaptations; it has potential practical applications. In addition to his discussion of the adaptations of hydrothermal organisms, Dr. Girguis talks about the challenges of exploring the deep-sea hydrothermal vents, both with manned and robotic submersibles. And he also describes a project that invites the participation of citizen scientists. What is an extremophile? Find out more here: http://www.scienceforthepublic.org/things-to-know/life/life-extreme-forms-of-life/"
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  • Update from the Large Hadron Collider: The Higgs?

    Tue, Sep 18, 2012
    "Professor Steven Nahn, who gave a very popular SftPublic lecture on the Large Hadron Collider in 2011 (Front Row Seat at the Big Bang) returns to tell us about the July discovery of the Higgs boson 'or something that satisfies the criteria. Finding the Higgs 'or Higgs-ish' is one of the greatest triumphs in the history of science. This is the source of mass that makes possible the existence of our familiar form of matter. Dr. Nahn explains what the Higgs boson is and why it is so important for a model of the structure of matter. He also describes the enormous challenge of finding the Higgs 'even with the power of the Large Hadron Collider' and the extreme requirements of scientific verification for this elusive particle. Dr. Nahn is involved in one of the two major projects at the LHC, the Compact Muon Solenoid. His research is concerned with major questions in particle physics today: the nature of the mass that makes atoms and molecules possible, asymmetry, dark energy and dark matter. Steven Nahn, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology"
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