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This Week at The Science Cafe - Vol 2, No 36

• Posted by Brian Hart on Jan 18, 2007 at 12:05 PM
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This Week at The Science Cafe - Vol 2, No 35

Posted by Brian Hart on Jan 4, 2007 at 5:25 PM Link To This Post | Track | Comments

Hello folks,

Welcome to another week at The Science Cafe - where we gather in your favorite restaurant, bookstore, or coffeehouse and chit-chat about science on a "Discovery Channel" level that everyone can understand.

SCIENCE CAFE BUZZ
--------------------------
Happy Holidays! Welcome back from the holiday rush and the excitement of the season. Now, refreshed, regorged (<g>) and recharged, time to hit the grindstone again. But don't worry...with you along the way is Science Cafe!

Find out the latest science buzz! Even non-OC'ers can find something interesting in the "Sciencedude" blog, by Orange County Register science reporter, Gary Robbins. More, Click Here

DID YOU KNOW...I just went to Griffith Observatory (over in Los Angeles' Griffith Park, by the intersection of the I-5 and the CA SR-2 freeways) and its Planetarium show, "Centered in the Universe," is completely awesome. Just unbelievably mind-blowing. And I am an astrophysicist myself, yet even I couldn't help leave the show with a sense of wonder. You MUST see it! Griffith Observatory - the Universe, by reservation only. More info: Click Here

DID YOU ALSO KNOW...I myself am a cosmologist? I study the structure and evolution of the whole Universe, by making observations in X-rays. So when you visit Griffith Observatory and they show you an exhibit on X-ray astronomy with the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, that's what I am using right now! It's an orbiting satellite training an X-ray eye on the cosmos. I am looking at the largest distances in the Universe, on the biggest of scales.

Speaking of Must-See...Yours truly is appearing tonight, Thursday, January 4, on your local Orange County PBS station, KOCE-TV, on the show "Real Orange" to talk about Science Cafe! On cable. At 6:30 and 11:00 PM. Check your local listings.

UPCOMING EVENTS
------------------------
Read the SoCal Science Calendar in the Orange County Register to find out more. Click Here for the Online Version!

Here's a sampling of the upcoming events listed on our calendar. I am so excited!

Thu Jan 4, 9:00 PM SciFi Channel: "Inferno"
Fri Jan 5 Andrea Polli: "Weather Works" Art Exhibit
Fri Jan 5, 3:00 PM SciFi Channel: "The Dark"
Fri Jan 5, 7:30 PM OC Astronomers: Free Beginner Astronomy Class
Wed Jan 10, 11:00 PM History Channel: "Modern Marvels" Looks at Telephones
Fri Jan 12, 11:00 AM David G. Stork: Did the Great Masters "Cheat" Using Optics?

Tue Jan 16, 7-9 PM - Wine, Dinner and Science in Anaheim - Anaheim - Check out our speaker on a science topic...but before nourishing your brain, nourish your body with beef tri-tip and gravy three-course dinner and some complimentary wine. $25/person. VEGETARIANS WELCOME! The beef will not be put on your plate but you will get rice pilaf and steamed veggies. Also comes with salad with dinner roll and Ranch or Italian dressing, plus a dessert all for just $25/person. Dessert is your choice of Chocolate Mousse Cake, Carrot Cake, or Cheesecake. Yum! RSVP required. Come at 8 PM for the speaker, FREE! Your choice. RSVP: Click Here

Sat Jan 20, 3-4 PM - Science Cafe on Fat and Keeping it Off - Costa Mesa - Don't worry folks, this isn't a trashy diet ad, but a great Science Cafe topic! Join us as we hear from a UCLA genetics expert about how, "I'm big and beautiful," is not your fault. Free! For all ages. We will watch a fun video clip that explains it all, and then get to ask a geneticist our questions. In plain English. More info: Click Here

BY THE WAY...if you want to donate or help Science Cafe and you find yourself wanting to buy a book (maybe on weight-loss? or not...) at the January 20 event, the Store will donate a portion of your book purchase proceeds to The Science Cafe! Download a voucher online or ask the clerk for one at the register. More info and download: Click Here

Download and print the voucher and bring it with you on the 20th!

Tue Jan 30, 7:30 AM - Breakfast and Air Particles - Irvine - Now's the chance to have complimentary continental breakfast and then learn about if all those Sharper Image "Ionic Breeze" air purifier commercials are a bunch of hooey or not. Or not! RSVP required. Open up to a week in advance. More info and RSVP: Click Here

Your Host,
Brian Hart

Three PBS Science Series Pilots

Posted by Matthew Ota on Jan 3, 2007 at 9:32 PM Link To This Post | Track | Comments

I watched the first of three new PBS science series pilots tonight: Wired Science, a science news magazine that crammed seven separate topics into a one-hour show.

In my opinion, the show failed as it had to gloss over the subjects without getting into details, due to the compressed format of the show. Each of the topics could have filled an entire one-hour Nova episode.

In addition, the host were not very engaging. They were in fact rather boring in their delivery, when compared to science professionals that have better public speaking skills, such as Neil DeGrasse Tyson.

The most ridiculous segment was when one of the hosts, Ziya Tong, used a circular saw to cut a plasma TV monitor in half. There was no reason to do this to explain how a plasma monitor works except for the simple thrill of cutting it in half.

Another segment reported on the NOAA/NASA Aquarius project which trains space station astronauts in an underwater lab, which the reporter was not allowed to enter. He was relegated to scuba diving and waving to them through the porthole. Again, not much discussion on the topic but just eye candy.

There will be two more PBS science pilots shown this month on television, Science Investigators and 22nd Century. Perhaps they will do better.

As for the "Wired Science" show, I rate it as an absolute failure.

Matthew Ota
NOVA fan since 1974

Test Your Science Savvy

Posted by Brian Harton Oct 17, 2006 at 4:40 PM Link To This Post | Track | Comments

CNN Quiz: Test Your Science Savvy

CNN.COM - From the far reaches of space to the everyday objects that make life easier, scientists explore an array of uncharted territory for new discoveries. But how much do you know about invention and discovery? Test your science savvy by answering the following questions about explorations, both large and small.

Click Here to Test Your Science Savvy

Yours,
Brian Hart

P.S. Hello Science Café members! Take the short quiz above, and then post your results here!

NUMB3RS Event at Caltech

Posted by Dan G. on Oct 11, 2006 at 11:51 PM Link To This Post | Track | Comments (1)

I just wanted to report on the NUMB3RS TV show event at Caltech this evening. It was a great turn out, with most of Beckman full of fans. There were four cast members on hand including Rob Morrow and Dave Krumholz. We were treated to a yet to be seen episode followed by a Q&A session where a 14 year old girl confessed her love for Mr. Krumholz! Oh yea, they gave out free Cal-Sci - NUMB3RS T-shirts!

This was a very cool event for a great TV show that gets people interested in mathematics.

Comment Posted by Arthur Rubin of Brea, CA:

I quite agree. Before the formal start of the event (8:06 or so), they were showing a "making of" video, probably a bonus track on one of the NUMB3RS season DVDs. You could hear it if you weren't sitting next to a Caltech student (class of '07, I believe) trying to impress his date.... (If you were a member of the Caltech community {{waving hands}}, you could get free "tickets" to get in starting at 7:30, while general admission started around 7:45.)

They also gave out (around) 50 season 2 DVDs by leaving markers under the seats. (Note for the statisticians among the readers -- they claimed there were 50, and there probably were, but there were still unclaimed DVDs when my wife and I left the auditorium. Perhaps some of the markers were hidden so well that they weren't discovered....)

I should note that, although it may not appear in my bio here, I have a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Caltech.

SoCal Science Café is 18 Months Old Oct 14, 2006

Posted by Brian Hart on Oct 12, 2006 at 12:52 PM Link To This Post | Track | Comment

Hello Folks,

I want to welcome you all to this group and invite you to celebrate with us as we mark 18 months of The Science Cafe on this coming Saturday, October 14. There's no event scheduled for this time, but if you want to send any good wishes along the way, or donate to the Cafe program, feel free!

I want to thank Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society, for its support, as well as the Schools of Biological Sciences and Physical Sciences at UC-Irvine for helping to produce this program. Also I want to thank my staff of dedicated Assistant Organizers:

Mark D. Schneider
Drew Lesperance
Guru Dev Khalsa
Melissa Rentchler

Without their help and support, this group wouldn't be what it is today.

Your Host,
Brian Hart

Science and/or Astronomy Outreach

Posted by Matthew Ota on Oct 8, 2006 at 9:32 PM Link To This Post | Track | Comments (2)

For those few amateur astronomers that participate in astronomy outreach activities with the general public, I must say that if a person asks a question about astronomy or space science that you cannot answer accurately, just say "I do not know".

At a recent public astronomy outreach venue, I recently observed two amateur astronomers that claimed that the Ring Nebula M57 in the constellation, Lyra, was a star that had gone supernova. This is not true as the nebula was formed by a red giant star that had collapsed and out-gassed its outer atmosphere.

Doing astronomy outreach encourages you to "do your homework", to study the subject more so as to accurately transmit the knowledge to the public in general. Keep hitting the books....

Matthew Ota

Comment Posted by Brian Hart from Irvine, CA:

Hey Matt,

Thanks for the heads up! It also applies to pro astronomers like myself! When I help with our astronomy outreach at UCI I have to be extra vigilant about my facts. It is very important also to note -- like you -- that even if the person whose question is being answered doesn't know if I am right or wrong, someone else may overhear that does know, and it makes a difference.

Any Science Café folks, care to join in our discussion? Click Add a Reply to join!

Yours,
Brian Hart

Comment Posted by Bill Hepner from Anaheim, CA:

The main purpose of outreach is to instill an interest in the subject. Providing facts is a tool to help instill that interest. Giving wrong or misleading information is detrimental to the process. However, by saying "I do not know" or offering them possible answers and letting them think about it and then offer suggestions on how to find the answers can provide wonders to producing a life-long interest in the subject.

One of my professor's once said, "The best teacher is self discovery". I had a math physics instructor once writing the answer to a problem that was an equation on the black board. He stopped, looked at it, then erased it. He turned to the class and said, "I made an error! " Then said, "Find it!". While he led us partly through the problem he provided us with a challenge to think! Outreach activities should encourage use of the mind and allow the experience soak into our souls.

Welcome to our 250th Member: Lisa!

Posted by Brian Hart on Oct 5, 2006 at 5:17 PM Link To This Post | Track | Add Comment

Hello folks,

I wanted to take a moment and acknowledge a SPECIAL milestone in Science Cafe's history! Our 250th member just joined! I want you all to take a moment and meet Lisa, from Orange, who has that special honor! Wow! And Science Café has not even been going on for 18 months yet! Amazing.

Meet Lisa -- click here

And I want to take a special moment also, and thank all of you for joining! We wouldn't be the hip new group in SoCal that we were without you!

Your Host,
Brian Hart

Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Posted by Brian Hart on September 29, 2006 at 2:11 PM Link To This Post | Track | Add Comment

ATTENTION BRAINIACS
The Nobel Foundation is making it possible for the public to submit questions to this year's recipients of the Nobel Prize. There's no guarantee that you will get an answer. But the foundation is promoting the exchange. And all you have to do to submit a query is click HERE.

Nobel Prize in Physics

Posted by Brian Hart on September 29, 2006 at 2:11 PM Link To This Post | Track | Add Comment

Reported by Gary Robbins, science editor, Orange County Register:

Breaking news: The 2006 Nobel Prize in physics goes to George Smoot of UC Berkeley and John Mather of NASA Goddard for "work that looks back into the infancy of the Universe and attempts to gain some understanding of the origin of galaxies and stars. It is based on measurements made with the help of the COBE satellite launched by NASA in 1989," says the Nobel Foundation. Details HERE.

Beam Me Up, Scotty: Scientists Teleport Two Objects

Posted by Brian Hart on Oct 4, 2006 at 2:28 PM  Link To This Post | Track | Add Comment

CNN: Scientists teleport two different objects

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Beaming people in Star Trek fashion is still in the realms of science fiction but physicists in Denmark have teleported information from light to matter bringing quantum communication and computing closer to reality.

Until now scientists have teleported similar objects such as light or single atoms over short distances from one spot to another in a split second.

But Professor Eugene Polzik and his team at the Niels Bohr Institute at Copenhagen University in Denmark have made a breakthrough by using both light and matter.

"It is one step further because for the first time it involves teleportation between light and matter, two different objects. One is the carrier of information and the other one is the storage medium," Polzik explained in an interview on Wednesday.

The experiment involved for the first time a macroscopic atomic object containing thousands of billions of atoms. They also teleported the information a distance of half a meter but believe it can be extended further.

For More, Click Here

Recap: Visitor Night at the UCI Observatory: Ring Nebula and the Moon

Posted by Brian Hart on Oct 4, 2006 at 2:15 PM Link To This Post | Track | Add Comment

Hello folks,

Welcome to The Science Café! I am your host, Brian Hart. Last Friday, September 29, 2006, we held a public Visitor Night at the UCI Observatory here on the UC Irvine campus, to see the Ring Nebula and the Moon, among other celestial objects. We had over 1,000 people come! What a turnout! There were several telescopes on the grounds of the Observatory and a staff to assist visitors to the Observatory. Parking went smoothly and so did the event! A slide show was also presented, on "Dark Matter and Galaxies."

Stay tuned for the next Visitor Night, scheduled for November 17, 2006, from 8-10 PM, when the Orion Nebula and the planet Saturn will be up for your viewing pleasure! I can't wait. It should be a blast! If you missed us, don't despair...we will post and announce it on The Science Café site soon!

If you missed us, don't despair. The next Visitor Night is coming up pretty quickly...this coming September 29! As always, I will post it on the Science Café website so you can be the first to know. Stay tuned for when we will look at Jupiter again, plus the beautiful Ring Nebula. In the meantime, if you want to try and find Jupiter in the sky at home, you can get a Sky Map (FREE download) and go out into your backyard -- or your local park -- at night and use the Sky Map to help you. This can be a fun activity to do with the kids!

Get a October 2006 Sky Map

To use the Sky Map, stand so you are facing South, and then hold the SkyMap up directly over your own head, so the black bar is pointing North. Use a red-covered flashlight so you don't lose your night-vision. Then, whatever you see on the Sky Map is directly overhead in the sky! You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to view the PDF-format sky map.

There's a new Sky Map available at SkyMaps.com every month, so when each month begins, mark your caldendar to make sure and get the new one for the month.

Anyway, until next time, we'll see you at other Science Café events!

Your Host,
Brian Hart

Griffith Observatory Re-Opening Announced

Posted by Brian Hart on Oct 4, 2006 at 12:59 PM  Link To This Post | Track | Add Comment

Hello folks,

Last Tuesday, October 2, 2006, Griffith Observatory held a news conference to announce when the Observatory would re-open. This comes after several years of extensive expansion and re-modelling. Well, the date has passed, and I am happy to announce that Griffith Observatory will re-open on Friday, November 3, 2006. Although you still need to make reservations to just visit the place.

To Make Visit Reservations Now, Click Here!

Yours,
Brian Hart

Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine

Posted by Brian Hart on Oct 2, 2006 at 3:25 PM  Link To This Post | Track | Add Comment

Reported by Gary Robbins, science editor, Orange County Register:

Breaking news: The 2006 Nobel Prize in physiology and medicine has been awarded to Andrew Fire of Stanford and Craig Mello of the University of Massachusetts for "their discovery of RNA interference -- gene silencing by double-stranded RNA." Details HERE.

 ATTENTION BRAINIACS
The Nobel Foundation is making it possible for the public to submit questions to this year's recipients of the Nobel Prize. There's no guarantee that you will get an answer. But the foundation is promoting the exchange. And all you have to do to submit a query is click HERE.

I'm going to pass up the offer because I got to ask several questions of a laureate on Sunday -- UC Irvine's F. Sherwood Rowland, who shared the 1995 Nobel in chemistry. I called Rowland to ask him about a glass blower whom he's known for 40-odd years. Then we talked about one of the sweetest moments Rowland experienced when he went to Stockholm to accept his prize.

SoCal Science Café Calendar

Posted by Brian Hart on September 29, 2006 at 2:11 PM Link To This Post | Track | Add Comment

Hello Folks,

Best wishes and happiness to you all. I want to announce a great new feature on SoCal Science Cafe's website! Presenting...the SoCal Science Café Calendar! The calendar view of our events should make it easier for you to see when your favorite events are occurring and put them on your calendar appropriately.

Check it Out - Click Here

I will be posting SoCal Science Calendar items here too, so check back often!

Your Host,
Brian Hart

This Week at The Science Café - Vol 2, No 28

Posted by Brian Hart on September 28, 2006 at 2:24 PM Link To This Post | Track | Add Comment

Hello folks-

Welcome to This Week at The Science Café, your weekly digest of what's happening with The Science Café and SoCal Science! I am so pumped and excited for this coming month! You'll see why if you read further. It's such a pleasure to have you all as members of our group!

Science Café has partnered with the popular website, tinyurl.com, to make the links in this message easy-to-fit in the email message. But trust me, they all lead to Science Café websites and other pages...they just are 'shortened!' They're OK to click on if you want.

For More, Click Here

Recap - Sept Science Café: Demystifying Dark Matter

Posted by Brian Hart on September 25, 2006 at 12:11 PM Link To This Post | Track | Add Comment

Hello folks,

What an event we had last Saturday, September 23, 2006! On that date, at 3 PM, we held a Science Café event on "Demystifying Dark Matter," at the new Barnes & Noble store in the Fashion Island shopping mall! Wow, what a turnout. I was truly amazed. We had 92 people attend! 92! Congratulations to Science Café members and the public for making this a record-setting event! Who knew Dark Matter would be so popular!

Our speaker was Professor Manoj Kaplinghat from the UC Irvine Center for Cosmology. To learn more about UCI's Center for Cosmology, click here. We started at 3 PM with an introduction from Brian Hart, the Center's first Ph.D. candidate, who was also our Science Café host. Then Brian showed a short video clip on NASA's "Beyond Einstein" program. Beyond Einstein is a program started by NASA to explore the structure and evolution of the Universe as a whole, and to answer the questions like, "Where did we come from?" and "Why are we here?" and "Where are we going?" -- questions that have been asked by all mankind since ancient times.

Learn more about Beyond Einstein, and see a video "Voyage to the Birth of the Universe" here

One sad note about Beyond Einstein, though, is due to the funding priorities on the Moon and Mars, lots of research is being put on hold and is not fully-funded.  Write to Representative John Campbell about urging NASA to fully fund the "Beyond Einstein" program. 

I was so impressed at the turnout. The presentation by Professor Kaplinghat lasted for 45 minutes, and then we had a 30-minute Q&A and discussion session afterwards -- with most everyone staying through that! Very nice. It warmed my scientist heart to see so many enthusiastic faces! After I closed the program, Professor Kaplinghat had quite a few more questions to answer. A great time was had by all and we are looking forward to the next event!

Your Host,
Brian Hart

This Week at The Science Café - Vol 2, No 26

Posted by Brian Hart on September 6, 2006 at 4:38 PM Link To This Post | Track | Add Comment

Hello folks,

Gosh, can't believe it's been yet another week here at The Science Café. Time flies when you're having fun. And I bet you all have been having fun on the journey of discovery with us.
----

For More, Click Here

----
Well, that's all I have for this issue of This Week at The Science Café! Have an enjoyable week and I'll write to you again this coming Wednesday!

Your Science Café Host,
Brian Hart

Recap: UCI Observatory: Jupiter and the Perseid Meteor Shower

Posted by Brian Hart on September 6, 2006 at 10:08 AM Link To This Post | Track | Add Comment

Hello Folks,

On Friday, August 18, 2006, from 8-10 PM, UCI held a Visitor Night at the UCI Observatory, and the main events were the planet Jupiter and the Perseid Meteor Shower. A meteor shower is when you look up and can see several "shooting stars." It's estimated that about 1,000 people attended. A slide show, "The History of the Solar System," was also presented. We had telescopes set up around the Observatory dome, and several people came out just to see the meteors. People liked to lie on their backs all over the hillside, so they could just keep looking at the sky constantly. Shooting stars flash by very quickly, so you have to keep focused on the sky above continuously.

We had a shuttle bus which took folks from the new Parking Structure down at the corner of East Peltason Drive and Anteater Road up the hill to the Observatory entrance. There they were greeted and ushered down a gravel pathway out to the dome. It was a great night out and people had fun.

If you missed us, don't despair. The next Visitor Night is coming up pretty quickly...this coming September 29! As always, I will post it on the Science Café website so you can be the first to know. Stay tuned for when we will look at Jupiter again, plus the beautiful Ring Nebula. In the meantime, if you want to try and find Jupiter in the sky at home, you can get a Sky Map (FREE download) and go out into your backyard -- or your local park -- at night and use the Sky Map to help you. This can be a fun activity to do with the kids!

Get a September 2006 Sky Map | More About the Observatory

To use the Sky Map, stand so you are facing South, and then hold the SkyMap up directly over your own head, so the black bar is pointing North. Use a red-covered flashlight so you don't lose your night-vision. Then, whatever you see on the Sky Map is directly overhead in the sky! You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to view the PDF-format sky map.

There's a new Sky Map available at SkyMaps.com every month, so when each month begins, mark your caldendar to make sure and get the new one for the month.

Anyway, until next time, we'll see you at other Science Café events!

 

Your Science Café Host,
Brian Hart

Steve Irwin: High-Wire Naturalist with a Lens

Posted by Brian Hart on September 5, 2006 at 11:21 AM Link To This Post | Track | Add Comment

Los Angeles Times, September 5, 2006

He was the Evel Knievel of the natural world, tempting death by wrestling man-eating crocodiles or galloping into the Australian outback to commune with deadly snakes. So when the end came Monday for Steve Irwin, television's "Crocodile Hunter," it was surprising and swift: The 44-year-old was pierced in the heart by the usually placid stingray.

Footage of the incident in a Great Barrier Reef lagoon off the coast of northeastern Australia shows Irwin swimming alongside a large, smooth stingray in less than 7 feet of water while a cameraman maneuvers in front to film him for a new television series.

Without warning, the ray speared Irwin in the chest, lodging a poisonous barb at the end of its tail in his heart.

For More, Click Here

CNN: Why Irwin's Death Struck a Chord

Yours,
-Brian Hart

Stressing Disease

Posted by Brian Hart on September 5, 2006 at 11:14 AM Link To This Post | Track |