Events of Interest—April 2009

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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 April

NSWA Presents: "SciBlogging"

Wednesday, April 29, 6:30 p.m.:
Join local science bloggers, including Alan Boyle from MSNBC.com’s Cosmic Log, David Bacon the Quantum Pontiff, Sandra Porter the digital microbiologist and Keith Seinfeld from KPLU, for a lively discussion about the state of the art (or is it science?) of science blogs. If you are a sciblogger or like the idea, join NSWA at the UW Paul G. Allen Center in the Gates Commons (top floor) for this event. RSVP to mikeb@seanet.com. Free for members, $5 for non-members.

Featured May Teaser

NSWA Presents: "Science Illiteracy"

Save the Date: Thursday, May 14:
NSWA President Tom Paulson moderates a panel on Science Illiteracy, featuring author Chris Mooney, science educator Dennis Schatz and others. Co-sponsored by Pacific Science Center. Venue: Pacific Science Center, Eames IMAX Theater.

NSWA Board Meeting

Contact Michael Bradbury at mikeb@seanet.com to RSVP for the time and venue of the next NSWA Board meeting.

NSWA Freelance Friday Happy Hour

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

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, April 7, 4 p.m.:
Roland Pitcher from the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organization (CSIRO) gives a talk titled "Mapping Seabed Habitats and Biodiversity on the Continental Shelf of the Great Barrier Reef." The talk is part of the UW Department of Aquatic and Fishery Science’s Spring 2009 seminar series. Venue: UW Fishery Sciences, Room 102.
Information: http://fish.washington.edu/seminars

Tuesday, April 7, 7 p.m.:
Gary Lagerloef, senior scientist and president of Earth and Space Research, gives a talk titled "Climate Research in the Space Age" as part of Science on Tap. This program is presented in association with the Pacific Science Center and KCTS Public Television. Venue: T.S. McHugh's.
Information: http://www.scienceontap.org

Tuesday, April 7, 7 p.m.:
Mark Pendergrast discusses Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World. This is the first in a series of lectures hosted by the UW Alumni Association (UWAA) entitled "Coffee: From the Grounds Up" which looks at the way coffee has dominated and shaped entire cultures. The series compliments the "Coffee: World in Your Hands" exhibit at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture at the UW. Admission is free, but space is limited and advance registration is requested. Venue: UW Kane Hall, Room 210.
Information and registration: https://go.washington.edu/uwaa/events/2009coffee_lecture/details.tcl

Tuesday, April 7, 7 p.m.:
Environmentalist David Suzuki delivers an urgent assessment of the planet’s problems and offers science-based solutions in a talk titled “Meeting Environmental Challenges.” Suzuki is the co-author of “The Big Picture: Reflections on Science, Humanity, and a Quickly Changing Planet,” along with Dave Robert Taylor. Addressing suburban sprawl, sustainable transportation, food shortages, biodiversity, technology, public policy, and more, he helps set a course to meet the environmental challenges of the 21st century. Presented by People for Puget Sound. Venue: Town Hall Seattle.
Information: http://www.townhallseattle.org

Tuesday, April 7, 7 p.m.:
Dan Hinkley, UW College of Forest Resources alumnus, gives a talk titled “From Sichuan to Seattle: Collecting Plants for the Pacific Connections” to members; $15 non-members. Venue: UW Tower Auditorium.
Information: https://go.washington.edu/uwaa/events/2009arboretum_hinkley/details.tcl

Wednesday, April 8, 5 p.m.:
Gina Wingood, Emory University professor, gives a talk titled “Race, Stigma and HIV.” The talk includes dinner and is sponsored by the Center for AIDS Research. Venue: Northwest African American Museum.
Information: http://naamnw.org

Wednesday, April 8, 7 p.m.:
Curtis Ebbesmeyer discusses Flotsametrics and the Floating World: How One Man's Obsession with Runaway Sneakers and Rubber Ducks Revolutionized Ocean Science. The mysteries of the ocean's currents are explored in this book by a most unconventional scientist. Ebbesmeyer, a pioneer of oceanography, has changed the way we look at the ocean without ever holding a conventional academic appointment. Instead, he has used his UW doctorate to advise multinationals, lead expeditions and study the way flotsam travel to explain the way water in the ocean moves. Venue: University Book Store.
Information: http://www.bookstore.washington.edu

Thursday, April 9, 6:30 p.m.:
Biological mathematician Michael Mackey discusses Bifurcations at the Bedside: How Non-Linear Dynamics Can Help to Understand Periodic and Dynamical Disease. In non-mathematical terms, Mackey describes what non-linear dynamics is and how it can be applied to the study of sickness and health. He argues that some types of disease can best be understood as the products of a mathematical phenomenon known as "bifurcation" (a qualitative change in dynamics) and that it should be possible to restore normal physiological function by reversing the bifurcation. The talk is part of the Walker Ames Lecture Series. Venue: UW Kane Hall, Room 120.
Information: http://www.bookstore.washington.edu

Thursday, April 9, 7 p.m.:
Jeff Lowenfels discusses Teaming with Microbes: A Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web. Lowenfels will talk about how a healthy, vibrant garden needs to begin with healthy, rich soil. And healthy, rich soil has lots of little microbes in it. Venue: University Book Store.
Information: http://www.bookstore.washington.edu

Saturday, April 11, 11:45 a.m.:
Come for an all-ages "Earth Friends" workshop at Mercer Slough, then stay for a Ranger Tour at 1 p.m. The event is coordinated by the Pacific Science Center. Venue: Mercer Slough.
Information: http://www.pacsci.org/events

Monday, April 13, noon:
Rip Ballou, deputy director for vaccines and infectious diseases at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, gives a talk titled "Malaria vaccines on the march." The talk is presented by the Seattle Biomedical Research Institute (SBRI). Venue: SBRI Discovery Conference Room, 307 Westlake Ave. N.
Information: http://www.sbri.org/news/sbri_seminars.asp

Tuesday, April 14, 3:30 p.m.:
Ingunn Moser, ethnographer of medicine from Oslo, Norway, gives a talk titled "Subjects of Dementia Care: Practices, Ordering and Power in Cultures of Caring." The program is presented as part of the Program on Values in the UW Department of Philosophy, for supporting this Critical Medical Humanities event. Venue: UW Communications Building, Room 202.
Information: jstaylor@u.washington.edu

Tuesday, April 14, 7 p.m.:
SOLD OUT. Acclaimed journalist Hedrick Smith, the Pulitzer Prize-winning former reporter and editor for The New York Times, shares highlights from the new Frontline documentary he’s produced, "Poisoned Waters." Touching on topics from the "emerging contaminants" in drinking water to our progress – or lack thereof – since the 1972 Clean Water Act, Smith discusses how everyday consumer decisions impact the broader environment and our own Puget Sound. The documentary is scheduled to air on KCTS 9 on Tuesday, April 21. Presented by KCTS 9. Venue: Town Hall Seattle.
Information: http://www.townhallseattle.org

Tuesday, April 14, 7 p.m.:
Join coffee grower and social activist David Robinson for a talk titled "Direct Trade: Bringing the World Community Together Through Coffee." Robinson is the founder of Sweet Unity Farms and co-founder of the Mshikamano Farmers Group in Tanzania. He shares his commitment to challenging the contradiction of rural poverty within the multibillion dollar coffee industry by developing a direct trade model wherein economic growth and human development move forward together. The talk is part of the "Coffee from the Ground Up" weekly series, which compliments the "Coffee: World in Your Hands" exhibit at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture at the UW. Admission is free, but space is limited and advance registration is requested. Venue: UW Kane Hall, Room 210, Seattle.
Information and registration: https://go.washington.edu/uwaa/events/2009coffee_lecture/details.tcl

Tuesday, April 14, 7:30 p.m.:
Gordon Hempton discusses One Square Inch of Silence. In 2005, Hempton’s search for the quietest place in the United States led him to a peaceful site in the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park. This year, he's hoping it will lead to congressional action with the designation of a 20-mile no-flight zone over the park, helping to federally declare the world's first quiet sanctuary. Part of the Seattle Science Lectures. Sponsored by Town Hall, Pacific Science Center 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, April 16, 4 p.m.:
Aaron Wirsing, assistant professor in the UW College of Forest Resources forest resources, gives a talk titled "Using Tiger Sharks to Protect and Restore Seagrass Meadows." The talk is part of the UW Department of Aquatic and Fishery Science’s Spring 2009 seminar series. Venue: UW Fishery Sciences, Room 102.
Information: http://fish.washington.edu/seminars

Thursday, April 16, 6 p.m.:
The Pacific Science Center hosts a special "Science with a Twist" program titled "GPS Adventures." GPS usage is popping up all around us. From your phone to your car and beyond, learn about the beginnings and many applications of GPS and how it is shaping the world today. Explore the center's new GPS exhibit while DJ WD4D spins live. Shauna Muggs from Groundspeak will discuss geocaching. Win adventure-seeking apparel in a raffle sponsored by ExOfficio. Complete the evening with an IMAX screening of "Shackleton." Cost is $15, $12 for Pacific Science Center members. Includes event admission, IMAX film and your first drink from the bar. Venue: Pacific Science Center.
Information: http://www.pacsci.org/twist

Thursday, April 16, 7 p.m.:
Climatologist David Archer discusses The Long Thaw: How Humans Are Changing the Next 100,000 Years of Earth's Climate. Archer, winner of the Walter P. Kistler Book Award, examines the geophysical details of what global warming means, down to the impact of burning a single gallon of gasoline. Venue: University Book Store.
Information: http://www.bookstore.washington.edu

Saturday, April 18, 8:30 a.m.:
Join UW Botanic Gardens, SCA and Seattle Parks for a day of fun projects at the Washington Park Arboretum celebrating Earth Day. Get your hands dirty for a cause removing non-native invasive plants, mulching and improving the arboretum. Bring the kids for an arborist's demonstration, games, leaf rubbings and more. The event is free. Venue: Washington Park Arboretum.
Information: Contact Kristin Mitchell, kmitchell@thesca.org or 206-324-4649.

Saturday, April 18, 8:30 a.m.:
Join the Lake Washington interns, REI, the Washington Native Plant Society and community volunteers as they work to restore Taylor Creek by planting native species throughout the park. The interns will be also be leading hands on educational activities throughout the event. Venue: Taylor Creek.
Information: Call (206) 772-1452 for more information.

Saturday, April 18, noon:
Pacific Science Center hosts an event for children titled "Climate Day for Kids." Learn about climate change and what actions the while family can take to reduce our carbon footprint. Venue: Olympic Sculpture Park, PACCAR Pavillion.
Information: http://www.pacsci.org/events

Saturday, April 18:
The Museum of Flight hosts a panel of World War II Mustang aces. Venue: Museum of Flight.
Information: http://www.museumofflight.org

Saturday, April 18, 7 p.m.:
Experience fascinating stories of aviation and space history while enjoying great beer and fabulous food in a "Hops and Props" program. Must be 21 or older. Venue: Museum of Flight.
Information: http://www.museumofflight.org

Sunday, April 19, 7:30 p.m.:
Wangari Maathai discusses "The Challenge for Africa." In 2004, Maathai became the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, but her impact on Africa’s environmental and political landscape began years earlier and continues today. Maathai founded the Green Belt Movement in 1977, which since has planted more than 30 million trees in Kenya through networks of rural women. She was elected to Kenya’s Parliament in 2002 and appointed Deputy Minister for the Environment and Natural Resources in 2003. Now living in Nairobi, she is the author of The Challenge for Africa, which examines the complex and dynamic nature of her continent, offering "hard-headed hope" and realistic options for improvement that stress responsibility and accountability. Presented by the Town Hall Center for Civic Life, with Elliott Bay Book Company. Tickets are $5 at http://www.brownpapertickets.com, (800) 838-3006, and at the door starting at 6:30 p.m. Venue: Town Hall Seattle.
Information: http://www.townhallseattle.org

Monday, April 20, noon:
Momar Ndao, assistant professor in the McGill University Department of Medicine’s Division of Infectious Diseases, gives a talk titled "Novel insights into HDL biology through proteomic studies of chagas disease." The talk is presented by the Seattle Biomedical Research Institute (SBRI). Venue: SBRI Discovery Conference Room, 307 Westlake Ave. N.
Information: http://www.sbri.org/news/sbri_seminars.asp

Monday, April 20, 5 p.m.:
All NSWA members are invited to a freelance science writing networking night. Freelancers, want-to-be science writers, those interested in being freelance, other independent writers, or anyone who writes about scientific and technical topics for a living may attend. Friends and family are welcome too. Enjoy collegiality, talk about what we're doing, get ideas and inspiration, and discuss all those issues freelancers have that people don't run into until they're out on their own - what are reasonable terms, how much to charge, what kind of behaviors suggest you're being led on or won't get paid, how to figure out where there is work, etc. It's a great opportunity to eat good food, indulge in good drinks, and share stories, advice and useful information with fellow science writers. RSVP to Andy Cutler, (425) 557-8299 or AndyCutler@aol.com, or just show up. Venue: St. Andrew's Pub and Grill, 7406 Aurora Ave N, Seattle. St. Andrews does open at 4 p.m. for those who get off work early and wish to beat traffic.
Information: E-mail Cutler at AndyCutler@aol.com

Tuesday, April 21, 7 p.m.:
Eugene Anderson gives a talk titled "Why We Love Coffee." Explore some of the various cultural, social and ethnobotanical reasons why people have had a continuing love affair with coffee since its discovery in Ethiopia over 1,000 years ago. The talk is part of the "Coffee from the Ground Up" weekly series, which compliments the "Coffee: World in Your Hands" exhibit at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture at the UW. Admission is free, but space is limited and advance registration is requested. Venue: UW Kane Hall, Room 210, Seattle.
Information and registration: https://go.washington.edu/uwaa/events/2009coffee_lecture/details.tcl

Wednesday, April 22, 6:30 p.m.:
Sam Wasser gives a talk titled “Using DNA Forensics to Combat the Burgeoning Illegal Ivory Trade.” Wasser, a world-renowned conservation biologist, holds the UW’s endowed chair in conservation biology and directs the UW’s Center for Conservation Biology.
ABSTRACT: The illegal ivory trade has returned with a vengeance. A higher percentage of the remaining elephants are now being killed from poaching than at any time in history. The trade has taken on a new face, being driven primarily by large organized crime syndicates. Our Center has developed genetic tools to track the origin of poached ivory across Africa. We are using these methods in collaborative investigations with INTERPOL to determine the origins of large ivory seizures that bear the signature of organized crime. This enables us to transfer responsibility for policing the trade back to source countries. This strategy prevents new ivory from entering the global market where the complex web of criminality makes it nearly impossible to trace. It allows poor countries to focus their limited law enforcement resources on the most critical poaching hotspots. And it forces key source countries to take responsibility for the extent of poaching in their countries. Perhaps most important, it is one of the few methods that can keep the elephants from being killed in the first place. Please RSVP to attend by calling (206) 685-2185 or e-mail uwbio@u.washington.edu. Venue: UW Physics/Astronomy Auditorium, Room A102.
Information: http://www.biology.washington.edu/index.html?navID=96

Wednesday, April 22, 7:30 p.m.:
Alan Aderem, co-founder and director of Seattle’s Institute for Systems Biology, gives a talk titled "Influenza and Immunology." Aderem is a global leader in immunology and cell biology research. An inaugural member of the Science Committee of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise, Aderem studies how our body’s innate immune system responds to infectious disease, particularly global threats such as AIDS and the bird flu. His goal is new vaccines or improved treatments through understanding how our body’s first line of defense detects and destroys (or fails to destroy) infectious threats. resented as part of the Seattle Science Lectures, with Pacific Science Center 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, April 23, 5:30 p.m.:
Jim Kim, Head of Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School and co-founder of Partners in Health, gives a talk titled "Passport to Global Health Celebration." The event is designed to raise awareness of infectious disease research as a means to improve global health and funds to support scientific research at event sponsor SBRI. Kim will also receive SBRI's Advancing Global Health Award, which is given to an individual who has made a significant impact on improving global health. Venue: Washington State Convention & Trade Center.
Information: http://www.sbri.org/news/passport_celebration.asp

Thursday, April 23, 4 p.m.:
James Anderson, a professor in the UW’s Department of Fishery Sciences who as been with the UW for half a century, gives a talk titled "What Have They Done to the Rain? A Brief History of the People, Fish, and Science of the Columbia River." Born of volcanoes, glaciers, and great floods over thousands of millennia, the Columbia River became the habitat of vast populations of salmon and freshwater species. But human enterprise progressively reshaped the river and its ecology into what it is today, an organic machine. Anderson traces the geological, ecological and cultural highlights of this 17-million-year history, ending with the challenges scientists face today in understanding how technology and climate change are shaping the river and its fishes in the 21st century. The talk is part of the UW Department of Aquatic and Fishery Science’s Spring 2009 seminar series. Venue: UW Fishery Sciences, Room 102.
Information: http://fish.washington.edu/seminars

Sunday, April 26, 2 p.m.:
Andy and Jonathan Hillstrand, the Alaskan fishing boat captains featured on the Discovery Channel series "Deadliest Catch," will discuss their book Time Bandit: Two Brothers, The Bering Sea, and One of the World's Deadliest Job. Venue: University Book Store, Mill Creek location.
Information: http://www.bookstore.washington.edu

Monday, April 27, 5 p.m.:
The Sustainable Path Foundation hosts an Idea Club. Members engage in an informal discussion on science and sustainability issues. Participation is open to volunteers, donors and other interested members of the community. Venue: Sustainable Path Foundation Office, 2101 4th Ave., Suite 650.
Information and survey to choose next topic: http://sustainablepath.org/category/idea-club-blog/

Monday, April 27, 6:30 p.m.:
Join the UW College of Built Environments and the School of Public Health for a program titled "Soaring Health and Energy Costs, Crashing Economies and Ecosystems: the Built Environment Must be a Major Part of the Solution." The health challenges of the 21st century--obesity, diabetes, depression, loss of fitness, lung ailments--increasingly demand cross-disciplinary efforts to create environments that enhance walking and exercise, stair climbing, socialization, daylighting, local food production, clean air and water and energy efficiency. The lecture is free and open to the public, but space is limited. Venue: UW Architecture Hall 147.
Information: https://go.washington.edu/uwaa/events/2009be_lect_series/details.tcl

Monday, April 27, 7 p.m.:
Lee Adams, microbiology consultant, gives a talk titled "Antibody Development for Human Therapy" as part of Science on Tap. Venue: Ravenna Third Place Books.
Information: http://www.scienceontap.org

Tuesday, April 28, 7 p.m.:
David Browning gives a talk titled "A High Quality Cup: Securing Futures by Increasing Coffee Quality." Browning discusses how to increase yields, improve the quality and quantity of coffee beans, develop effective marketing tools and generally improve the business environment for coffee producers. Tjada McKenna, program officer for agricultural development at The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will provide an introduction. The talk is part of the "Coffee from the Ground Up" weekly series, which compliments the "Coffee: World in Your Hands" exhibit at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture at the UW. Admission is free, but space is limited and advance registration is requested. Venue: UW Kane Hall, Room 210, Seattle.
Information and registration: https://go.washington.edu/uwaa/events/2009coffee_lecture/details.tcl

Wednesday, April 29, 6:30 p.m.:
SciBlogging: Writing, research and the uncertain future of science communication. Join local science bloggers, including Alan Boyle from MSNBC.com’s Cosmic Log, David Bacon the Quantum Pontiff, Sandra Porter the digital microbiologist and Keith Seinfeld from KPLU, for a lively discussion about the state of the art (or is it science?) of science blogs. RSVP to mikeb@seanet.com. Free for members, $5 for non-members. Venue: UW Paul G. Allen Center in the Gates Commons (top floor).
Information: http://www.nwscience.org

Wednesday, April 29, 7:30 p.m.:
Christine Gleason, discusses Almost Home: Stories of Hope and the Human Spirit in the Neonatal ICU. As debate rages over the birth and the fate of the California octuplets, the babies and the professionals caring for them are focused instead on mere survival. Gleason, chief of neonatology at Seattle Children's Hospital and UW professor of pediatrics, has seen first-hand the difficulties that premature babies face. Thomas Hansen, CEO of Seattle Children’s Hospital, will interview Gleason. Sponsored by Town Hall and University Book Store. Tickets are $5 and are available at 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, April 30, 4:30 p.m.:
Peter Head, director of planning and integrated urbanism at Arup, gives a free talk titled "Entering the Ecological Age: The Engineer’s Role." Head will review the major changes required in the development of infrastructure, policy, and the role of the engineer to mitigate these problems in urban and rural settings, in both developed and developing countries. Please RSVP to Heather Wilson by Friday, April 24 at (206) 543-8883 or hwilson@u.washington.edu. Venue: UW Kane Hall Room 220.
Information: http://www.ce.washington.edu

REMINDERS:
The Pacific Science Center will host a series of events for children on Thursdays and Saturdays in April as part of the "Earth Revealed" series. Meet local scientists in an intimate and conversational setting. During each of these programs a handful of local scientists will gather at Pacific Science Center to engage visitors in hands-on activities related to their scientific research. The Thursday programs are targeted to school groups and the Saturday programs are targeted to elementary and middle school-aged children, although will be most appropriate for kids 8 years old and older. Venue: Pacific Science Center, Building 4, adjacent to the GPS Adventures exhibit.
Information: http://www.pacsci.org/events

The Association of Health Care Journalists meets in Seattle from April 16 to April 19.
Information and registration: http://www.healthjournalism.org/secondarypage-details.php?id=301

The Northwest Association of Biomedical Research (NWABR) is looking for mentors and judges for the annual BioExpo. NWABR still needs more than 40 judges. All judges are asked to attend an afternoon prejudging event from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Thursday, May 21 at Zymogenetics. Sign up at http://nwabr.kintera.org/judges09. View a video on BioExpo at http://www.nwabr.org/studentbiotech/movies/expowmf.wmv

Additions? Corrections? Write calendar@nwscience.org.