Events of Interest—September 2008

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Note: Some events may require advance reservation, admission fees and/or a minimum age (for example, for events where alcohol is served).

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Featured Events in September

NSWA Board Meeting

Monday, Sept. 15, 6:30 p.m.: NSWA monthly board meeting. Contact Michael Bradbury at mikeb@seanet.com to RSVP and get venue information.

NSWA Freelance Friday Happy Hour

Contact Lisa Farino (LisaFarino@gmail.com) about the next freelance happy hour. You don’t need to be a freelancer to attend. Everyone is welcome.

NSWA Annual Meeting/CASW New Horizons

REMINDER: The registration deadline for the National Association of Science Writers’ (NASW) annual conference Oct. 24-29 in Palo Alto, Calif., is Monday, Oct. 6. An early bird registration discount applies until Monday, Sept. 1. The “ScienceWriters 2008” conference is an opportunity for science writers to network, attend a variety of professional development workshops and science briefings, and explore Bay Area environs on field trips designed with science in mind. Information and registration: http://www.sciencewriters2008.org

Join NSWA

As an NSWA member, you get discounts on some of our events, inside information on job openings and other opportunities, and the satisfaction of knowing you’re supporting the Pacific Northwest’s community of science communicators. Annual dues are just $20.

For information or to join, visit our Join page.

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Tuesday, Sept. 2, 7 p.m.
S.M. Stirling reads from The Scourge of God: A Novel of the Change, the fifth book in his Sunrise Lands series about Oregonians who have learned to survive in a post-technological world. Venue: University Book Store. Information
http://www.bookstore.washington.eduTuesday, Sept. 2, 7:30 p.m.: Mick Spillanet from the UW Joint Institute for the Study of Atmosphere and Ocean (JISAO) gives a free talk titled “Tsunamis : Detection and a Model-Based, Real-Time Warning System” as part of Science on Tap. Presented in association with the Pacific Science Center and KCTS Public Television. Venue: T.S. McHugh’s Pub.
Information: http://www.scienceontap.org

Wednesday, Sept. 3, 6 p.m.
Monique Burton, pediatrician at UW Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center, gives a free talk titled “Play Through Your Pain! How Much is Too Much?” Learn how to prepare children for competitive pressures and physical injuries that occur with increased sports activity. Program presented in cooperation with the UW School of Medicine and The Seattle Public Library. Venue: Douglass-Truth Branch, 2300 E. Yesler Way.
Information: http://www.spl.org or (206) 684-4704.

Sunday, Sept. 7, 1 p.m.:
Brian Greene discusses Icarus at the Edge of Time, a fable for all ages about fathers and sons, curiosity and wisdom, and the complexity of the universe. Greene, a professor of physics at Columbia University, is the bestselling author of The Elegant Universe and The Fabric of the Universe. He is internationally acknowledged for his groundbreaking discoveries in superstring theory and is a popular lecturer for general and technical audiences. Presented as part of the Seattle Science Lectures. Sponsored by Town Hall, Seattle’s Child and University Book Store. Tickets are $5 adults, free for children 16 and younger and are available at http://www.brownpapertickets.com, (800) 838-3006 and at the door. Town Hall members receive priority seating. Venue: Town Hall Seattle.
Information: http://www.townhallseattle.org

Sunday, Sept. 7, 2 p.m.:
Arieh Oz, one of the pilots in the Entebbe Raid, discusses the Israeli military operation that came to be seen as “one of civilization’s greatest victories over terrorism.” Oz was pilot of an El Al 747 that carried the largest number of passengers ever put on a single airplane during Operation Solomon, which rescued over 14,000 Ethiopian Jews. Program is free with museum admission. Venue: Museum of Flight, William M. Allen Theater.
Information: http://www.museumofflight.org

Monday, Sept. 8 to Wednesday, Sept. 10:
The Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute and Washington Technology Center present the fifth annual Micro Nano Breakthrough Conference. The theme this year is “Science, Networking and Commercialization for the Micro/Nanotechnology Economy.” Join more than 300 industry leaders, researchers, academics, entrepreneurs, investors and tech transfer professionals to discuss the issues and opportunities inherent in commercializing small tech innovation. Note: registration deadline without a late fee was Aug. 25. Venue: Hilton Hotel, Vancouver, Washington.
Information and registration: http://oregonstate.edu/conferences/MNBC/index.html

Wednesday, Sept. 10
If you are a student, you may be eligible for a fellowship to travel to the National Association of Science Writers’ (NASW) annual conference Oct. 24-29 in Palo Alto. Details below.

Wednesday, Sept. 10, 7:30 p.m.:
Nena Baker discusses The Body Toxic: How the Hazardous Chemistry of Everyday Things Threatens Our Health and Well-being. While chemical advances have helped to raise our standard of living and have made our lives easier and safer in many ways, there are also costs. Almost everything we encounter-from soap to soup cans and computers to clothing-contributes to a chemical load unique to each of us. In The Body Toxic, Baker explores the many factors that have given rise to this condition including manufacturing breakthroughs, policy decisions, political pressure, and the demands of popular culture. Part of the Future of Health Lecture Series. Sponsored by Town Hall and University Book Store. Tickets are $5 and are available at http://www.brownpapertickets.com, (800) 838-3006, and at the door beginning at 6:30 p.m. Town Hall members receive priority seating. Venue: Town Hall Seattle.
Information: http://www.townhallseattle.org

Thursday, Sept. 11, 7:30 p.m.:
David Servan-Schreiber discusses Anti-Cancer: A New Way of Life. When Servan-Schreiber, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, was diagnosed with brain cancer, he found himself on a 15-year journey from disease and relapse into scientific exploration. In Anti-Cancer, he combines memoir with a clear exploration of what makes cancer cells thrive, what inhibits their growth, and conventional and alternative ways to slow and prevent cancer. Part of the Future of Health series. Sponsored by Town Hall and University Book Store. Tickets are $5 and are available at http://www.brownpapertickets.com, (800) 838-3006 and at the door beginning at 6:30 p.m. Town Hall members receive priority seating. Venue: Town Hall Seattle.
Information: http://www.townhallseattle.org

Friday, Sept. 12, 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.:
Yoky Matsuoka, UW professor of computer science and MacArthur “Genius Award” winner, will discuss the merging of robotics and neuroscience as part of Washington Technology Alliance’s Science & Technology Discovery Series. Venue: Rainier Club in downtown Seattle.
Information and registration: http://www.technology-alliance.com.

Friday, Sept. 12, 7:30 to 9 p.m.:
Join your journalistic colleagues at the monthly Press Club, sponsored by the Society for Professional Journalists. This month’s informal gathering will be at the Pike Brewing Company, 1415 First Ave., Seattle.
RSVP to Manny Frishberg, frish@mindspring.com.

Monday, Sept. 15, 7 p.m.:
Neal Stephenson reads from Anathem. On a far-future, Earthlike planet, a 19-year-old monastic scholar is called to save the world from extraterrestrial catastrophe. Tickets are free with the purchase of Anathem from University Book Store; otherwise tickets are $5. Books and tickets available beginning Tuesday, Sept. 9. Venue: University Temple United Methodist Church Sanctuary, 1415 NE 43rd St.
Information: http://www.bookstore.washington.edu

Monday, Sept. 15 to Friday, Sept. 19:
Join the Association of Space Explorers for Planetary Congress XXI. The association is a non-profit professional and educational organization of more than 300 astronauts and cosmonauts from 32 nations. This year’s theme is “Exploring Space, Inspiring Planetary Stewardship.” Opening ceremonies will be held at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Seattle at 9 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 15. A limited number of seats will be available to the public. A press conference will follow the ceremony. Press credentials and requests for interviews can be made through the Museum of Flight’s public relations office. At 2 p.m. in the museum’s William M. Allen Theater, the association will hold a public program on preserving the environment through space photography and research featuring Apollo astronaut Bill Anders. UW also hosts two public programs on Tuesday, Sept. 16.
For a full schedule of events, visit http://www.space-explorers.org/congress/xxi.html

Thursday, Sept. 18 and Friday, Sept. 19:
Global Partners in Public Health Informatics presents “Envisioning Options for Public Health Information Systems for Low Resource Settings.” The second annual conference features keynote addresses by leading international experts; plenary presentations; poster sessions presenting research and applied methodologies and results from public health informatics interventions in low resource settings throughout the world; panel discussions on funding opportunities for research; and networking opportunities. Venue: Bell Harbor International Conference Center.
Information and registration: http://www.gpphi.org/conferences/PHI2008

Thursday, Sept. 18, 6 p.m.:
Science with a Twist presents “Are We Alone?” Sip on eerie cocktails while exploring other galaxies in the Pacific Science Center’s planetarium, listen to first-hand accounts of extraterrestrial abductions and decide for yourself if you are a believer! Tickets include your first drink from the bar and appetizers. $15 per person; $12 for Pacific Science Center members. 21 and older, identification required. Venue: Meet under the arches near the Space Needle.
Information: http://www.pacsci.org/TWIST

Saturday, Sept. 20 to Sunday, Jan. 4:
Toshiro Sawanuki’s first major exhibition in the United States opens in the Museum of Flight’s Great Gallery on Saturday, Sept. 20. Sawanuki is renowned for his inspiring paintings of peaceful planets in an infinitely diverse universe. This is Sawanuki’s first major exhibition in the United States. He is an official artist of the United Nation’s Culture of Peace campaign. Venue: Museum of Flight’s Great Gallery.
Information: http://www.museumofflight.org

Saturday, Sept. 20, 9 a.m.:
The UW Department of Microbiology presents the Carleen Collins Symposium on Microbial Pathogenesis. Venue: UW Hogness Auditorium, Health Sciences Building.
Information: http://depts.washington.edu/micro/symposium2008.pdf or ccsymp08@u.washington.edu

Tuesday, Sept. 23, 7:30 p.m.:
Nobel-winning physicist Frank Wilczek, author of The Lightness of Being, discusses the frontiers of physics at Town Hall Seattle. Wilczek’s new book for the general public explores the concepts of space as a dynamic material and matter as a subtle pattern of disturbance in that material, and points the way towards where new discoveries in fundamental physics are likely to come. Presented as part of the Seattle Science Lectures, with University Book Store. Tickets are $5 and are available at www.brownpapertickets.com, (800) 838-3006 and at the door beginning at 6:30. Town Hall members receive priority seating.
Information: http://www.townhallseattle.org

Monday, Sept. 29, 7 p.m.:
Phil Hurvitz, UW geographic information scientist, gives a free talk titled “Where Y’at? An Introduction to Global Positioning Systems (GPS)” as part of Science on Tap. Venue: Ravenna Third Place Books.
Information: http://www.scienceontap.org

Tuesday, Sept. 30, 7:30 p.m.:
World-renowned canopy biologist Nalini Nadkarni discusses Between Earth and Sky: Our Intimate Connections to Trees. Nadkarni has climbed trees on four continents with scientists, artists, loggers and legislators gathering diverse perspectives on the many meanings of trees. In Between Earth and Sky she explains tree fundamentals, their important place in folklore and the arts and the symbolic role they have assumed in culture and religion. She is on the faculty of Evergreen State College and co-founder and president of the International Canopy Network. Presented as part of the Seattle Science Lectures with University Book Store. Venue: Town Hall Seattle.
Information: http://www.townhallseattle.org

Monday, Oct. 6
REMINDER: The registration deadline for the National Association of Science Writers’ (NASW) annual conference Oct. 24-29 in Palo Alto is Monday, Oct. 6. The “ScienceWriters 2008” conference is an opportunity for science writers to network, attend a variety of professional development workshops and science briefings, and explore Bay Area environs on field trips designed with science in mind. If you are a student, you may be eligible for a fellowship to travel to the conference. The fellowship is open to current NASW student members enrolled in a science writing program and provides up to $900 to cover the costs of attending. Fellowships are supported by the Authors Coalition of America funds. Before receiving reimbursement, fellows must submit a short report of one or more aspects of the workshops, suitable for publication on the NASW Web site and potentially in ScienceWriters. Assignments will be made prior to the meeting and must be filed within 48 hours after the assigned session. More information will be available after grants are awarded. To apply: Send a short (less than 500 words) statement of interest and a copy of your CV to Tinsley Davis, director@nasw.org. Application deadline: Wednesday, Sept. 10.
Information and registration: http://www.sciencewriters2008.org

Additions? Corrections? Write calendar@nwscience.org.