This is a FREE science lecture, suitable for the general public, teachers and students of all ages: no registration necessary.
Please Note: Teachers receive certificates of attendance for one hour toward Professional Development credit for attending this talk.

Galileo's Muse – An Evening of Music and Physics

Benjamin Wolff, cello and narrator
Dongmyung Ahn and Vita Wallace, violin
Andrew Rutherford, flute
Charles Weaver, theorbo

Galileo's Muse – An Evening of Music and Physics explores the surprising relationship between the scientist Galileo Galilei and the music of late Renaissance Italy. It tells the story of how Galileo's love of music and his experience as a lute player held the key to one of his most important scientific accomplishments – the formulation of his "Law of Falling Bodies."

With rarely performed music by Galileo's father and brother, early 17th century Italian trio sonatas, and a re-enactment of the experiment of the inclined plane, Galileo's Muse draws audiences into the process of creativity, by revealing in words, sights, and sounds how insight often emerges from where we least expect it.

About the Performers:
Benjamin Wolff is adjunct assistant professor of music at Hofstra and the creator of NEXUS: The Open Mind, a new series of interdisciplinary concerts. NEXUS reaches out to audiences by crafting a unique entry point, a bridge from their interests and experiences to the music being performed. By immersing an audience in a time and place, NEXUS lifts barriers to intimacy and understanding, and in the process, makes art relevant.

This is a FREE science lecture, suitable for the general public, teachers and students of all ages: no registration necessary.
Please Note: Teachers receive certificates of attendance for one hour toward Professional Development credit for attending this talk.

Order Out of Chaos: How Molecules Can Organize Themselves

John A. Pojman, Ph.D.
Louisiana State University Department of Chemistry

In this lecture, the amazing behaviors of many simple chemical systems are examined. Demonstrations of oscillating reactions as well as how unusual spatial patterns can spontaneously arise in a petri dish with standard lab chemicals are presented. This leads to a discussion of the discovery of oscillating reactions and how this is useful in polymer science.

Please note: This lecture is part of a two-day conference sponsored by Hofstra University titled "Building a Scientifically Literate Population and Workforce for the 21st Century: The Science of Patterns and Colors." For more information about the conference, e-mail Dr. Sabrina Sobel or Dr. Harold Hastings.

About the Presenter:
Dr. John A. Pojman received his B.S. in chemistry from Georgetown University and a doctorate in chemical physics from The University of Texas. After working at Brandeis University and The University of Southern Mississippi, he joined the Chemistry Department at Louisiana State University in August 2008, where he is a professor in the Macromolecular Division. Professor Pojman also boasts the world's largest Web museum ("webseum") of pocket protectors, available at pocketprotectors.info.

This is a FREE science lecture, suitable for the general public, teachers and students of all ages: no registration necessary.
Please Note: Teachers receive certificates of attendance for one hour toward Professional Development credit for attending this talk.

Microbial Chitchat: Silent Conversations That Move the World

Joanne Willey, Ph.D.
Hofstra University Department of Biology

Within the last decade it has become clear that microorganisms engage in cell-to-cell communication. This communication consists of small molecules secreted by and exchanged between individual cells within a microbial community. These signals are used by microbes to determine their population size and trigger specific behaviors, such as changes in morphology or the establishment of host infection. Surprisingly, some of these signals are antibiotic-like in nature, while others stimulate the production of antimicrobial compounds by bacteria. Also discussed is the possibility that interference with molecular signaling may be a new approach in the development of therapeutic agents.

About the Presenter:
Dr. Willey, professor of biology, has been a faculty member at Hofstra University since 1993. She received her B.A. in biology from University of Pennsylvania and her Ph.D. from the MIT-Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, where she studied marine microbiology. She then spent four years at Harvard University as a postdoctoral fellow. Her Hofstra laboratory has received funding from NIH, NSF, and several pharmaceutical companies. She has authored more than 20 research papers and has written two microbiology textbooks.

This is a FREE science lecture, suitable for the general public, teachers and students of all ages: no registration necessary.
Please Note: Teachers receive certificates of attendance for one hour toward Professional Development credit for attending this talk.

The Apollo Moon Landings: America's Greatest Triumph or History's Greatest Hoax? You Decide!

Stephen Lawrence, Ph.D.
Hofstra University Department of Physics and Astronomy

Did our astronauts really walk on the moon, or was it all an elaborate $30 billion conspiracy to dupe the American public? As many as 10 percent of people surveyed have such doubts, many of them fueled by the 2001 FOX television special Conspiracy Theory: Did We Really Land on the Moon? In this program, a number of interesting questions that have been posed by prominent conspiracy theorists (based on the technical challenges of traveling safely to the moon and on apparent inconsistencies in the Apollo photographic records) are described. In a fair and balanced application of scientific methodology, Dr. Lawrence also presents the competing theories, reviews relevant claims and physical evidence, and then discusses the best ways to critically judge between them. Dr. Lawrence will report; you decide!

About the Presenter:
Dr. Stephen Lawrence is an assistant professor of physics and astronomy at Hofstra University, whose research focuses on supernova explosions, interstellar dust and the search for extrasolar planets. He received his B.A. in physics at The University of Chicago and his Ph.D. in astronomy at the University of Michigan. Prior to coming to Hofstra in 2001, he held research positions at Columbia University and the National Astronomical Observatory of Mexico.

This is a FREE science lecture, suitable for the general public, teachers and students of all ages: no registration necessary.
Please Note: Teachers receive certificates of attendance for one hour toward Professional Development credit for attending this talk.

Children's Intuitions About Data

Amy Masnick, Ph.D.
Hofstra University Department of Psychology

People encounter numerical data in making comparisons on a regular basis. Which factors make a plant grow taller, which store has better prices on average, which athlete is better overall and should be chosen for my fantasy baseball team? Yet most adults – and certainly most children – must process such data without the aid of any formal statistical knowledge. How do children approach these tasks? This talk examines recent laboratory evidence of children's intuitions about data in different contexts, including the features of data children pay attention to and the contexts that can affect such reasoning.

About the Presenter:
Dr. Amy Masnick is an assistant professor of psychology at Hofstra University. She has a Ph.D. in human development from Cornell University. Her main research interests are in the area of cognitive development, specifically focused on scientific reasoning in children and adults. Recent research has included explorations of children's reasoning about data characteristics and about variability in outcomes when running simple science experiments. Other interests include studying the development of scientific literacy skills and numerical cognition.

This is a FREE science lecture, suitable for the general public, teachers and students of all ages: no registration necessary.
Please Note: Teachers receive certificates of attendance for one hour toward Professional Development credit for attending this talk.

Evolution: Myths, Misconceptions, Challenges and Solutions

William F. McComas, Ph.D.
University of Arkansas Department of Curriculum and Instruction

Evolution is the most important unifying concept in modern biology, and is also one of the most misunderstood, both from scientific and historical perspectives. This illustrated talk focuses on the key aspects of evolution by natural selection, reviews the widely held misconceptions, discusses the current status of evolution in the minds of Americans, and concludes with suggestions for how evolution and its mechanism can be effectively communicated.

About the Presenter:
William F. McComas, Ph.D., is the Parks Family Endowed Professor in Science Education at the University of Arkansas. He is involved in many areas of science education research and policy development. He has served on the boards of directors of the National Science Teachers Association, the International History, Philosophy and Science Teaching Group, and the Association for Science Teacher Education (ASTE). Dr. McComas is widely published in the areas of the history and philosophy of science. He is the 2007 recipient of the Outstanding Evolution Educator Award from the National Association of Biology Teachers(NABT). In addition, Dr. McComas received the Ohaus Award for Innovations in College Science Teaching and the Outstanding Science Teacher Educator Award from ASTE.

This is a FREE science lecture, suitable for the general public, teachers and students of all ages: no registration necessary.
Please Note: Teachers receive certificates of attendance for one hour toward Professional Development credit for attending this talk.

Zinc and Your Life

Sabrina Sobel, Ph.D.
Hofstra University Department of Chemistry

Trace minerals are an important part of our diet. We all know that iron is essential to life as the carrier of oxygen in our blood. But did you know that zinc is the next most abundant metal in your body after iron? Zinc is a wonderful element, helping the body perform many important functions, from neutralizing oxidants to regulating DNA. Zinc therapies are useful as well for a variety of conditions. In this seminar, participants explore the role of zinc naturally in the body and as a treatment for the common cold, psoriasis, wound healing and bad breath.

About the Presenter:
Dr. Sabrina Sobel is professor and chair of chemistry at Hofstra University. In her early research, she collaborated with her father, Dr. John C. Godfrey (an organic chemist), in the development of a successful nationally marketed zinc lozenge for cold therapy. Dr. Sobel is enthusiastically continuing research related to the zinc lozenges, studying how added amino acids can affect the solubility and solution behavior of otherwise poorly soluble zinc and copper (II) salts, such as zinc citrate.

This is a FREE science lecture, suitable for the general public, teachers and students of all ages: no registration necessary.
Please Note: Teachers receive certificates of attendance for one hour toward Professional Development credit for attending this talk.

Rocks, Paper, Currency: A Microscopist's View

David R. Rothbard, Ph.D.
Chemical Microscopist
Bureau of Engraving and Printing, U.S. Department of the Treasury

Paper is an engineered material whose design process begins with the correct microscopic mixture of cellulose fibers, minerals, and chemical additives. Processing determines whether the paper will be optimized for a specific printing process, facial tissue, or the corrugated wrap on your morning coffee. In producing and testing paper currency at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, the physical and chemical properties are monitored before, during, and after the notes leave the press. It takes well trained, experienced engineers and scientists to find and produce petroleum, and deliver the minerals needed for everything from steel to microchips to the glossy paper on magazine covers to the recently redesigned twenty dollar bill.

About the Presenter:
Since joining the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) in 2002, Dr. Rothbard has used microscopy, image analysis, and multispectral analysis to support U.S. paper currency production and development. This includes the characterization of raw materials, finished currency, production contaminants, and security features. After earning his Ph.D. in geology, Dr. Rothbard worked on oil production and minerals development at British Petroleum's U.S. and U.K. technical centers. At the BEP, he is part of a unique design and manufacturing facility delivering high quality, durable, and secure Federal Reserve Notes.