Events of Interest—November 2007

Please E-mail NSWA with suggested announcements for the NSWA Business Calendar or Events of Interest list. Some events may require advance registration or admission fee. Check with the Sponsoring organizations for further details. Please send additions or corrections to deafrost atsign gmail dot com – and feel free to submit events for future calendars. Please put “NSWA-to be posted” in the subject line.

NSWA Business Calendar | University of Washington Events

__________________________________________________________________

Friday, November 16, 6:30 p.m.:
NSWA members have been specially invited to greet, meet, and nibble hors d'oeurves with Craig Venter, molecular geneticist extraordinaire, prior to his Town Hall lecture at 7:30. We will meet downstairs at Town Hall.

Tuesday, November 20, time to be determined. Join your NSWA colleagues for a tour of the Seattle Science Foundation. The Seattle Science Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to international collaboration among physicians, scientists, technologists, engineers and educators. The Foundation's training facilities and extensive internet connectivity have been designed to foster improvements in health care through professional medical education, training, creative dialogue and innovation. http://www.seattlesciencefoundation.org

And keep the following days in mind: Our Program Chair Michael Bradury and Board Member Sandi Doughton are pulling together a panel of global health specialists for an exclusive gathering with NSWA members; this is tentatively planned for the last week of November. And prepare for news about the Holiday party—likely some evening between December 3rd and 14th. Stay tuned.

___________________________________________________________________

Other November Events

Saturday, November 3, 2:00 p.m.:
The Burke Museum will host Jim and Jamie Dutcher as they present “Living with Wolves,” a video about their six years living near wolves in the Sawtooth Wilderness. Stunning photography and film complement this unique look into the lives of these elusive animals. Together, Jim and Jamie Dutcher have won two Primetime Emmy awards for wildlife documentary, and have been interviewed extensively on numerous television and radio programs and in print articles, in both the United States and Europe. Location: UW’s Kane Hall, Room 120.
http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/events/index.php

Sunday, November 4, 2:00 p.m.:
U.S. Representative Jay Inslee, from Washington’s First District, and co-author Bracken Hendricks, have written a vital policy-driven book, Apollo’s Fire: Igniting America's Clean Energy. Co-presented by the Town Hall Center for Civic Life and Seattle University. $5 admission at the door (no advance tickets). Location: Town Hall Seattle, located at 1119 Eighth Avenue (entry downstairs on Seneca Street). For more information, please see
http://www.townhallseattle.org

Monday, November 5, 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.:
The Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine (ISCRM – pronounced “ice cream”) will proudly present the first ever Stem Cell Meeting in the Hogness Auditorium and Health Sciences Lobby (A240) at the University of Washington. The event will highlight local scientists sharing current research projects through brief presentations and/or posters. The ISCRM directors will also share their future plans for the Institute. Immediately following the last talk will be a wine and cheese reception sponsored by Agilent Technologies. For the extensive list of speakers and more information about the Stem Cell Meeting see:
https://depts.washington.edu/iscrm/education/2007stemcellmtg.html

Monday, November 5, 4:00 p.m.:
Dr. Nalini Nadkarni, Faculty Member at the Evergreen State College and President of The International Canopy Network will present “Poets, Prisoners, and Preachers as Partners in Science Outreach: The Research Ambassador Program.” Dr. Nadkarni is known as “The Queen of the Forest Canopy.” Her research concerns the ecology of tropical and temperate forest canopies, particularly the roles that canopy-dwelling plants play in forests. In 1994, she co-founded the International Canopy Network, a non-profit organization to foster communication among researchers, educators, and conservationists concerned with forest canopies. Dr. Nadkarni’s recent efforts are to integrate aspects of artistic expression with scientific documentation of the natural world. She has recently expanded her outreach work by establishing the NSF-funded “Research Ambassador Program” in which she trains other scientists to do outreach to non-traditional public audiences in non-traditional venues, such as prisons, churches, skateboard parks, and rap music clubs. Location: UW Physics and Astronomy Building – Room A118; a discussion to follow at 5:30 pm in HSB T-359.
http://www.fosep.org

Monday, November 5, 7:00 p.m.:
The UW Department of Chemistry will host Science at the Movies, a free film and lecture series. Professor Richard Gammon, Chemistry and Oceanography will talk about “The Challenge of Climate Change” followed by a screening of the film “The Day After Tomorrow.” Location: UW Bagley Hall, Room 131.
http://myuw.washington.edu/vCal

Tuesday, November 6, 12:30 p.m.:
Professor Mehmet Toner, Biomedical Engineering -- Harvard Medical School, will lecture on “Microchip Technologies in Biology and Medicine” for the Center for Nanotechnology seminar series. Location: Bagley Hall, Room 260.
http://myuw.washington.edu/vCal

Tuesday, November 6, 7:30 p.m.:
Senior scientist for the Boreal Songbird Initiative and visiting fellow at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Jeffrey Wells will share from his new book, Birder’s Conservation Handbook: 100 North American Birds at Risk which is both an illustrated, detailed field guide and a call to action. Jeffrey Wells is also former director of bird conservation for the National Audubon Society. Location: Elliott Bay Books.
http://www.elliottbaybook.com/events/nov07/wells.jsp

Wednesday, November 7, 3:30 p.m.:
Paul Bloom of the Yale University, Psychology Dept and Language and Cognition Lab, will lecture on thinking about bodies and souls. Findings from developmental psychology suggest that both children and adults see physical entities such as objects (or bodies) as fundamentally distinct from psychological entities such as minds (or souls). We are natural-born dualists. Our dualism explains why we are so drawn to certain religious beliefs - such as life after death and the existence of supernatural entities and it also underlies certain aspects of moral reasoning. This event will be sponsored by the UW Dept. of Psychology and will occur at the Physics-Astronomy Building A-114. A Q and A and reception will follow.
http://myuw.washington.edu/vCal

Wednesday, November. 7, 4:00 p.m.:
Steven Epstein, PhD, UC San Diego, Dept. of Sociology will lecture on “Inclusion and Difference: Gender, Race, and the New Biopolitics of Medical Research” for the Critical Medical Humanities Research Cluster. Location: UW Communications, Room 120, to be followed by a reception in the Simpson Center at 5:30.
http://depts.washington.edu/uwch/calendar.php#top

Wednesday, November 7, 6:30 p.m.:
Robin Bennett, M.S., C.G.C., genetic counselor and manager of the University of Washington Medical Genetics Clinic, will lecture on “Your Family Health Portrait—Genetic Counseling and Testing” for the UW Medicine/The Seattle Library Medical Lecture Series. If your family history indicates the potential for certain inherited medical conditions, you may want to consider genetic counseling and possibly genetic testing. Genetic tests don't yield easy-to-understand results and that's where the genetic counselor comes in. Ms. Robin Bennet is a popular speaker and has extensive publications. Location: Microsoft Auditorium - Seattle Public Central Library - 1000 Fourth Avenue.
http://myuw.washington.edu/vCal

Thursday – Sunday, November. 8-11: For the first time, the Washington Biotechnology and Biomedical Association and the Northwest Association for Biomedical Research have teamed up with Pacific Science Center to create the 2008 Life Sciences Research Weekend at Pacific Science Center, four days of demonstrations, interactive exhibits and talks for school children, families and citizen scientists interested in learning more about the crucial role of life science research and its benefits. Sponsors for this event are UW Medicine and Seattle Children’s Hospital Research Institute. Guests will have a rare opportunity to meet leading edge researchers and some of the nation’s top research scientists from companies and research institutions across the state including special guest Dr. Yoky Matsuoka, from UW Computer Science and Engineering, a recent recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship Genius Award. Dr. Matsuoka will speak on Sunday, November. 11 at 2:00 p.m. and will discuss “Using Robots to Improve Human Quality of Life.” Robots are starting to play a role at homes and hospitals to assist doctors/nurses/therapists. This presentation will provide a short overview of these robots, with a special focus on prosthetics that will be controlled by the brain signals. The event will showcase a variety of career opportunities in the life sciences. A schedule of events is available at nwabr.org. Entry to Life Sciences Research Weekend is included with the price of general admission. It’s free for Pacific Science Center members.
http://www.pacsci.org/lifesciences/

Thursday - Saturday, November 8 – 10: The Environmental Education Association of Washington will be convening their 17th annual conference, November 8 – 10, 2007, in Seattle, Washington, to encourage and nurture educators, and business and community members to address the core issues and new ideas regarding a variety of timely topics facing us today. The conference: “Reinventing Green: Environmental Education in a Changing World” seeks to foster dynamic links between education, environment and economy and to empower educators, students and business leaders to leverage the power inherent in these sectors to create a more sustainable future. This conference aims not only to ask and answer critical questions, but to equip participants with the resources they need to act.
http://www.eeaw.org/conference/2007-conference/files/EEAW_07Brochure_final.pdf

Thursday, November 8, 5:30 p.m.:
Pacific Science Center and KCTS 9 invite NSWA members and a guest to a very important program on "Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial." Meet Vulcan Productions Executive Producer Richard Hutton and learn about the making of this film that chronicles a recent landmark court case, the latest in a series of legal battles over the teaching of evolution in our schools. A reception will begin at 5:30 p.m and the program at 7:00 p.m. in the Pacific Science Center's Eames Theater. Please R.S.V.P. by November 5th to Katie Klump at (206) 443 – 3632 or katie_klump@pacsci.org.

Friday, November 9, 1:00- 5:00 p.m.:
The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and the University Book Store Tech Center will sponsor the third annual Fall Research Symposium at which postdoctoral fellows will present their research. Speakers will include Drs. Justin Percival, who is looking for ways to help victims of Duchenne muscular dystrophy increase muscle strength; Brenna Kelley-Clarke, who wants to find treatments for Venezuelan equine encephalitis, a deadly disease which might be employed in biological warfare; David Thorsley, who seeks the best ways to model complex systems that include randomness, such as those in biology, robotics and nuclear power generation. Five other postdoctoral fellows will also speak. Location: Hogness Auditorium. (It’s in the UW Health Science Building between the third and fourth levels of the A Wing.) The event is free, and no registration is required. Provost Phyllis Wise will open the symposium and a reception and poster session will follow the presentations. According to the UW Postdoctoral Association, the University has more than 1,100 postdoctoral researchers. For more information, call 206-616-2507 or email scassels@u.washington.edu or jennifer.mhyre@gmail.com.
http://myuw.washington.edu/vCal

Saturday, November 10, 2:00 p.m.:
The consequences of the distance between farm and table, both historically and in the current age of the factory farm, is the subject of historian Ann Vileisis’s provocative book, Kitchen Literacy: How We Lost Knowledge of Where Food Comes From and Why We Need to Get It Back. Co-presented with the PCC Farmland Trust. Location: Elliott Bay Books.
http://www.elliottbaybook.com/events/nov07/wells.jsp

Sunday, November. 11, 2:00 p.m.:
Dr. Yoky Matsuoka, from UW Computer Science and Engineering, a recent recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship Genius Award, will speak at the Pacific Science Center 2008 Life Science Research Weekend event. Dr. Matsuoka will speak on and will discuss "Using Robots to Improve Human Quality of Life." See description above, or
http://nwabr.org/education/lsrwschedule.html

Tuesday, November 13, 8:30 a.m. - 9:20 a.m.: “Framing Water Issues for Discourse and Resolution” will be discussed by Martha Bean, Principal of Collaborative Focus. This event will be hosted by The Water Center Seminar series in UW's Anderson Building, Room 223.
http://depts.washington.edu/cwws/Outreach/Events/Tuesday/F07/bean.html

Tuesday, November 13, 12:30 p.m.:
The Center for Nanotechnology Seminar will feature Associate Professor Philip LeDuc, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering -- Carnegie Mellon University, for the presentation “Nano- and Micro-technology for Linking Mechanics to Biochemistry in Molecular and Cellular Behavior.” Location: Bagley Hall 260
http://myuw.washington.edu/vCal

Tuesday, November 13, 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.:
The College of Forest Resources will host “Biofuels and Bioenergy.” The speakers include: Bruce Bare, Renata Bura, Sharon Doty, Rick Gustafson, Larry Mason, and Kristiina Vogt of the UW College of Forest Resources; Joyce Cooper and Phil Malte, of the UW College of Engineering; Shulin Chen, Craig Fear, of Washington State University; Tim Stearns, WA Council on Trade and Economic Development; and Todd Ellis, Imperium Renewables. This Denman Forestry Issues Series event will be held at the UW Botanic Gardens, NHS Hall, Center for Uban Horticulture.
http://myuw.washington.edu/vCal

Tuesday, November 13, 2:30 p.m.:
Dr. Matthew Topham, University of Utah, Huntsman Cancer Institute, will speak on “The Tangled Web of DGK, EGFR, Ras and PKC Signaling” This is part of a series of presentations hosted by the UW Pharmacology Department where research investigators present comprehensive reports on recent medical and scientific literature in scientific fields of current importance. Presentations include research progress reports, and reports on results of completed research. Location: K-069, UW Health Sciences Building.
http://myuw.washington.edu/vCal

Tuesday, November 13, 4:00 p.m.:
Jaisri Lingappa, M.D., Ph.D. Associate Professor of Pathobiology and Adjunct Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Washington will present “Virus assembly and restriction: From cell biology to therapeutics” for the Department of Microbiology seminar series. Location: Room T-733, Health Sciences Center.
http://myuw.washington.edu/vCal

Tuesday, November 13 at 6:30 p.m.:
The Elliott Bay Global Issues and Ethics Book Group is devoted to discussing books that cover the most relevant topics of our everyday lives. In Hunger: An Unnatural History, nature writer Sharman Apt Russell explores the most common of human needs, hunger. She looks at hunger in scarcity and plenty. Hunger the very driving force of life. The Observer called the book, “An elegantly written mixture of history, science , and memoir...an engaging journey through the full spectrum of hunger, from the familiar stomach rumblings to the global issue of famine...hunger is a particularly vast, emotive subject—as big as history,” writes Russell—“so it is all the more impressive that her book covers so much ground in such a cohesive and sensitive way.”
http://www.elliottbaybook.com/events/nov07/wells.jsp

Tuesday, November 13, 7:00 p.m.:
The UW Alumni Association Endless Campus presents “Building the Future of Commercial Aviation: Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner” with speakers Al Miller, ’71, ’77, Director, 787 Technology Integration, The Boeing Company, and Mark Tuttle, Chair, Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington. Kane Hall, Room 130
http://www.washington.edu/alumni//clubs/eng/2007lectures_1113.html

Tuesday, November 13, 7:30 p.m.:
Science is discovering more and more about the human mind every year. But Jonah Lehrer argues in his new book that artists got there first. He says Proust wrote about the fallibility of memory, Cezanne understood the subtleties of vision, and Gertrude Stein exposed the deep structure of language long before Chomsky got to it. Lehrer’s new book, “Proust was a Neuroscientist,” uses biography, criticism, and science writing to explain how a few novelists, a painter, a poet, a composer, and a French chef pioneered science by practicing their art. Seattle Science Lecture sponsored by Town Hall, with Pacific Science Center, University Book Store, KUOW-FM 94.9 Public Radio, Microsoft, and The Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Admission is $5 at the door. Location: Town Hall Seattle, 1119 8th Ave
http://www.townhallseattle.org

Wednesday, November 14, 7:30 p.m.:
Carl Bergstrom Associate Professor, Department of Biology, will be on hand at a new venue for Science on Tap: T.S. McHugh’s Irish Pub 21 Mercer St., Seattle, WA 98109. This gig is sponsored in association with the Pacific Science Center and KCTS Public Television. The title is TBA. http://www.scienceontap.org/

Thursday, November 15, 5:00 p.m.:
Elisa Eiseman, Ph.D., Senior Natural Scientist, RAND Corporation, will present “Careers in Science: The Long and Winding Road.” Room: HSC T-439
http://courses.washington.edu/phd/

Thursday, November 15, 6:00 p.m.:
Join Pacific Science Center's monthly 21+ event, Science with a Twist! It's on the third Thursday of every month under the arches near the Space Needle.
http://www.pacsci.org/twist/

Thursday, November 15, 6:00 p.m.:
Lead contamination in lipstick and suspected carcinogens in baby soap are but two of the cosmetic industry’s toxic secrets revealed in Stacy Malkan’s Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry. The communications director of Health Care without Harm, a media strategist, and co-founding member of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, Stacy Malkan also links cosmetic and beauty industry-related human health issues to concerns about these industries’ environmental impact, including that on oceans and streams
http://www.elliottbaybook.com

Friday, November 16, 7:30 p.m.:
Biologist J. Craig Venter presents an autobiography of himself and his DNA, A Life Decoded: My Genome, My Life. Venter has been at the leading edge of genetic science over the last few years, and this book follows his life and his sometimes controversial work. A discussion and book signing will follow this Seattle Science Lecture sponsored by Town Hall, with Pacific Science Center, University Book Store, KUOW-FM 94.9 Public Radio, Microsoft, and The Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Tickets are $5 at the door. Town Hall Seattle, Downstairs, 1119 8th Ave.
http://www.townhallseattle.org

Saturday, November 17, 11:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.:
The earth is heating up; early signs of global warming are already being seen and action must be taken now. To help children understand the science of climate change, Lisa Shimizu, of KEXP 90.3 FM and The Climate Project, will present a 40-minute slide show especially designed for children 8-12. This presentation served as the basis for Al Gore’s award-winning film, “An Inconvenient Truth.” Sponsored by the Bullitt Foundation, KEXP 90.3 FM, and ParentMap. Free for kids 16 and under/$5 for adults. Not recommended for children younger than 8. No children admitted without adults. Tickets required for children and adults and available at www.brownpapertickets.com or 800/838-3006. Location: Downstairs at Town Hall.
http://www.townhallseattle.org

Sunday, November 18, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.:
See an exhibition of over 50 miniature engines and the individuals who enjoy building and operating them in their garages or basements. Many of the engines are operating scale models of steam powered engines, aircraft engines, automobile engines; some are just the makers’ own creations. The builders will be on hand to demonstrate the engines and talk about their construction. Program is free with Museum of Flight admission. Side Gallery/Great Gallery
http://museumofflight.org

Monday, November 19, 3:30 p.m.:
The Neurobiology and Behavior Faculty Seminar Series will feature David Raible, Professor, UW Department of Biological Structure, speaking on “Development, Death and Regeneration of Zebrafish Mechanosensory Hair Cells,” and Leo Pallanck, Assistant Professor, Department of Genome Sciences, speaking on “Modeling Parkinson’s Disease in the Fruit Fly Drosophila Melanogaster.” The seminars will be held in room T-739, UW Health Sciences Complex
http://myuw.washington.edu/vCal

Monday, November 19, 7:00 p.m.:
A free public screening of a new documentary about solar power titled “The Power of the Sun” will be held in Room 130, UW’s Kane Hall. “The Power of the Sun” tells the story of how the ideas and technology to use the sun’s rays to produce clean, safe and renewable energy were first developed. The documentary, narrated by John Cleese, discusses the development of the photovoltaic cell as a practical and increasingly efficient way to convert light into electrical energy. Walter Kohn, a Nobel Prize winner and research professor of physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, who was executive producer of the film, will lead a question-and-answer session after its showing. Kohn teamed with fellow UCSB Nobelist Alan Heeger, and other UCSB faculty, on the project’s scientific advisory board
http://myuw.washington.edu/vCal

Monday, November 19, 7:30 p.m.:
The Seattle Arts and Literary Lecture Series will host acclaimed nonfiction writer and poet Diane Ackerman. Author of over fifteen books, including A Natural History of the Senses, A Natural History of Love, and Jaguar of Sweet Laughter, her newest book is a recently-released, much-praised book set in Warsaw during World War II, The Zookeeper’s Wife: A War Story. Preceding Diane Ackerman’s lecture, for those attending, is a 5:30 reading by Peter Pereira and Susan Rich, co-presented with Artist Trust. Location: Benaroya Hall, 200 University Street. For tickets and information on all parts of this program, please see
http://www.lectures.org

Tuesday, November 20, 12:30 p.m.:
Professor Vinayak P. Dravid, Materials Science and Engineering -- Northwestern University, will speak on “Seeing and Sensing the Invisible: Emerging Nanostructures and Devices for Bio-nano-medicine” at UW's Bagley Hall 260; sponsored by the Center for Nanotechnology
http://myuw.washington.edu/vCal

Tuesday, November 20:
Professor Kern Ewing, Restoration Ecology Program, UW Botanic Gardens, College of Forest Resources, will discuss “Wetland Restoration: Practical Approaches for Dealing with Thorny Problems.”
http://myuw.washington.edu/vCal

Tuesday, November 20, 6:30 p.m.:
As the literature of ideas and imagination, Science Fiction and Fantasy simply demands discussion. For November, the Elliott Bay Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Group selection is Blindness by Jose Saramago. A city is hit by an epidemic of “white blindness” which spares no one. Authorities confine the blind to an empty mental hospital, but there the criminal element holds everyone captive. Blindness is a powerful portrayal of a man's worst appetites and weaknesses.
http://www.elliottbaybook.com

Monday, November 26, 7:00 p.m.:
Science on Tap presents Peter Ward, Professor of Geological Sciences and Zoology, and Curator of Paleontology, for a discussion of “What is the worst that could happen from global warming - and when?” Ravenna Third Place Pub
http://www.scienceontap.org/

Monday, November 26, 7:30 p.m.:
Nuclear terrorism is such a disturbing prospect that we shy away from its details. As a consequence, we fail to understand how best to defeat it. Michael Levi, a fellow for science and technology at the Council on Foreign Relations, examines the universe of motivations, plots, and defenses in his new book, On Nuclear Terrorism. $5 admission at the door (no advance tickets), with preferred seating for Town Hall members. Town Hall Seattle is located at 1119 Eighth Avenue (entry downstairs on Seneca Street)
http://www.townhallseattle.org

Thursday, November 29, 7:00 p.m.:
Helen Thayer, named in 2001 as one of the “great explorers of the 20th century” by National Geographic, has traveled through deserts, skied to the North Pole, and kayaked through the Amazon. Her much-awaited new book, Walking the Gobi (The Mountaineers), is the story of her journey (at age 63) with her husband Bill Thayer, 1600 miles across Mongolia’s Gobi Desert. Her illustrated talk on her journey is sure to enthrall. Co-presented with the WASHINGTON CENTER FOR THE BOOK AT THE SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY. Free admission is on a first-come, first-served basis. The Seattle Public Central Library is located at 1000 Fourth Avenue (between Madison and Spring). Special $5 parking coupons for the Library garage will be available on a limited basis. For more information, please see http://www.spl.org or call (206) 386-4636, or Elliott Bay at (206) 624-6600
http://www.elliottbaybook.com

Thursday, November 29, 7:00 p.m.:
Hear about Cruisin’ the Fossil Freeway: An Epoch Tale from illustrator Ray Troll and author Kirk Johnson from their drive across the American West in search of fossils. There are fossils everywhere, but it takes knowing what to look for to find them—especially at 65 miles per hour! Troll, author and artist, and Johnson, chief curator, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, will read from their latest book and sign copies. Tickets are $5 at the door
http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/events/index.php

Saturday, December 1, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.:
The first decade of the 21st Century has seen a resurgence of the robotic exploration of the planets. Solar System Ambassador Ron Hobbs returns to the Museum of Flight’s Allen Theater with an overview of the spacecraft that have been dispatched literally to the ends of the Solar System, from the return to the planet Mercury by MESSENGER to the New Horizons craft on the long cruise to Pluto. The program is free with museum admission
http://museumofflight.org

___________________________________________________________________

Of Note:
The Second Annual Seed Science Writing Contest
The First and Second Prize Winners respond to the question: What does it mean to be scientifically literate in the 21st Century?
http://www.seedmagazine.com/news/2007/09/the_second_annual_seed_science.php or
http://tinyurl.com/3xr6tx