Science Evenings With IDEAS

Winter/Spring 2012

These events are free and open to the public.

These evenings provide an opportunity for you to hear about science topics from the people who are directly involved in doing science research. You do not need a science background – the talks are appropriate for all.

Questions are encouraged - the goal is to make the evening a dialogue.

Teachers are invited to bring their middle and high school students to these Science Evenings. Teachers receive a certificate of attendance, which can be used for one hour toward professional development credit.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Space: The Asteroid Frontier

There are many ways of studying the Asteroid Frontier as a scientist. In her career, Lucy McFadden has used large telescopes atop a 14,000 ft mountain top observatory in Hawaii, used the Hubble Space Telescope in orbit around the Earth, traveled to Antarctica to collect meteorites sitting on the ice, and walked the desert with 50 students from University of Khartoum searching for fragments of an asteroid that collided with earth, exploded in the upper atmosphere and rained fragments on the desert floor. Most recently, she looked at one of the largest Main Belt Asteroids named (4) Vesta through the eyes of a robotic spacecraft named Dawn, exploring the asteroid frontier.

She will share her adventures, place the thrill of scientific exploration through NASA’s solar system exploration program in context and explain opportunities for students to engage in NASA’s exciting missions to expand scientific understanding of Earth and the Universe in which we live.

Dr. Lucy McFadden, Scientist and Chief for Higher Education, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Location: The Helene Fortunoff Theater (Monroe Lecture Center, California Avenue, South Campus)
Time: 7:30 to 9 p.m.

To learn more about what inspired Dr. McFadden to become a scientist and her career, visit these websites:

Read about her trip to Antarctica, including lots of photos:

http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/feature_stories/antarctica.asp

Thursday, March 8, 2012
A Darwin Day Event

Ancient Fossils, Regulatory Genes, and the Neurology of Language:
New Frontiers in Evolution Science

In celebration of Darwin Day 2012, Hofstra faculty will provide updates from the cutting edge of evolution research in geology, biology, and medicine, followed by a panel discussion and
audience question and answer period.

Dr. J Bret Bennington, Department of Geology, Dr. Russell Burke, Department of Biology, and Dr. Patrick J. Gannon, Department of Science Education, Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine.

Location: The Helene Fortunoff Theater (Monroe Lecture Center, California Avenue, South Campus)
Time: 7:30 to 9 p.m.

Please Note this is a WEDNESDAY evening event!!

Wednesday, April 25, 2012
A Special Earth Day Celebration Event

Climate Change Now and in the Next Decade

A panel discussion and question and answer session on the impacts of climate change being experienced now and expected over the next ten years. What effects of climate change are we already seeing, what trends do we expect in the near future, what can we do to slow down climate change, and what will we need to do to adapt to it?

Featuring Hofstra faculty from Biology, Physics, Geology, Sustainability Studies, and Philosophy
Co-sponsored by the Hofstra University Center for Civic Engagement and the Hofstra University Honors College.

Location: The Helene Fortunoff Theater (Monroe Lecture Center, California Avenue, South Campus)
Time: 7:30 to 9 p.m.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Nanomaterials for a Healthier and Cleaner World

Dr. Perena Gouma, Associate Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Director, Center for Nanomaterials and Sensor Development, Stony Brook University

Location: The Helene Fortunoff Theater (Monroe Lecture Center, California Avenue, South Campus)
Time: 7:30 to 9 p.m.