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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/

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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Jané Kondev: How Cells Make Decisions

Tue, Mar 18, 2014

"Professor Kondev describes the discovery of the random nature of cellular decision making and how this randomness forces a re-examination of some very basic ideas in biology. He explains the implications of these countless random decisions for our understanding of diseases, such as bacterial infections and cancer. Jané Kondev grew up in the former Yugoslavia and received his BSc in physics at the University of Belgrade. He moved to the United States and received his PhD in Physics at Cornell University in 1995. He then became a post-doctoral fellow in physics at Brown University, and then a member of the School of Mathematics at the Princeton University Institute for Advanced Study, and a Lecturer in Physics at Princeton before joining the Physics department at Brandeis University in 2000. Dr. Kondev has received recognition for both his research and teaching, including an NSF CAREER Award and the Cottrell Scholar Award. He was also a 2007-2008 Fellow at the Radcliffe Inst for Advanced Study."

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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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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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Accelerated Climate Change: Can Nature Adapt?

Tue, Oct 9, 2012

"A leading authority on conservation issues, especially flora and fauna adaptations to rapid climate change, Professor Primack brings a truly global perspective to Nature's rapid response mechanisms. He discusses changes in the Massachusetts habitat that Henry David Thoreau made famous, and describes the limitations of plants and animals to adapt to this era of intense current climate stress. Richard B. Primack is a Professor in the Biology Department at Boston University. He received his B.A. at Harvard University in 1972 and his Ph.D. at Duke University in 1976, and then was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Canterbury. He has served as a visiting professor at the University of Hong Kong and Tokyo University, and has been awarded Bullard and Putnam Fellowships from Harvard University and a Guggenheim Fellowship. Dr. Primack was President of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation, and is currently Editor-in-Chief of the journal Biological Conservation. Twenty-seven foreign-language editions of his textbooks have been produced, with local coauthors adding in local examples. He is an author of rain forest books, most recently Tropical Rain Forests: An Ecological and Biogeographical Comparison, Second Edition (with Richard Corlett). Dr. Primack's research interests include: the biological impacts of climate change; the loss of species in protected areas; tropical forest ecology and conservation; and conservation education. He is currently writing a popular book about changes in Concord since the time of Henry David Thoreau and Walden."

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Science Outreach Programs for Youth

Tue, Oct 16, 2012

"How do university educational outreach programs encourage high school interest in science? Dr. Irene Porro, a veteran outreach administrator discusses types and strategies of outreach programs, the programs she has been involved with at MIT, and her particular interest and commitment to improving science education in the United States. Dr. Porro's training was in astrophysics. She shifted her talents to developing effective youth outreach programs and has been worked on such programs at MIT for over a decade. She is now Outreach Programs Officer for the MIT Office of Engineering Outreach Program where she supports the coordination of all OEOP's local and national enrichment programs. During her previous tenure as the Director of the Education and Outreach Group of the MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Dr. Porro focused on adapting and making available education resources to support programming in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) for high school age youth and on establishing partnerships with local and national STEM out-of-school time organizations. She is also very active in promoting advocacy initiatives to support quality learning in STEM for under-served populations. In this context, she has been focusing on the issue of the transition from high school to college and overall on the STEM college experience of undergraduate students, especially from underrepresented minorities. Irene Porro, PhD, Outreach Programs Officer for the MIT Office of Engineering Outreach Programs, School of Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology "

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See What I Mean? Visualizing in Science

Tue, Dec 11, 2012

"We depend on visual representation for science concepts and data to make this kind of information more comprehensible. Science illustration is art in the service of science. The experts who do that visual translating are essential to scientific communication 'and to science literacy. One of the best in the field is Bang Wong, Creative Director at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Bang Wong is probably best known for his design of the famous DNAtrium at the Broad Institute, the interactive display that makes genetics accessible and engaging. Other examples of his creative approach to science visualization include the 3-D Phylogenetic Tree mobile and the DataStream display, both irresistible attractions at the Broad. A leading innovator in the illustration of genetic processes and data, Bang Wong routinely makes very difficult material accessible to both experts and nonspecialists. His work is everywhere: on display at the Broad Institute near MIT, on PBS's Nova, and in major professional journals. In his December 11 lecture, he discusses the importance of science visualization and the great possibilities for such representation that are made possible by new technologies. Bang Wong Creative Director, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard "

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Impact of Climate Change on Birds and Plants of Massachusetts

Tue, Jan 15, 2013

Over the past 10 years, **Richard Primack** and his colleagues and students have been using the journals of Henry David Thoreau and the meticulous records kept by other residents of Massachusetts to reconstruct the history of climate change in Massachusetts. In this lecture Professor Primack discusses how the warming climate is affecting plants, birds and insects in Massachusetts and the northeast in general. The Primack Lab's Concord project is considered a major contribution to the science of climate change. Dr. Primack is an international figure in conservation and his textbooks are major resources in university conservation courses.

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