Science Speakers Series

Lectures and discussions in the Science Speaker Series are free and open to the public.  While the speakers are often talking about the latest research in their fields, the goal is to make the ideas accessible to all scientifically literate people.

Contact David Housman for more information.

This Term

Science Speakers {Ecological Agriculture}Wednesday, April 3, 2013 @ 4:00 pmEcological Agriculture: Good for North America and Good for Africa Dale Hess, Merry Lea Collegiate Program Director and Associate Professor of Agroecology, Goshen College Dr. Luke Gascho, Director of Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center, Goshen CollegeScience Speakers {Applied Science: Forensic Toxicology}Monday, April 8, 2013 @ 4:00 pmMonday, April 8, 4:00-5:00 PM in SC 106 Applied Science: Forensic Toxicology Samantha Beauchamp, Forensic ScientistForensic Science Division, Michigan State PoliceSearching for a Connection Between the Insect Circadian Clock and Seasonal Clock {Science Speakers}Wednesday, April 10, 2013 @ 4:00 pmMegan Meuti, PhD Candidate, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Department of Entomology, The Ohio State UniversityScience Speakers {The Awesome Arbelos}Wednesday, April 10, 2013 @ 5:15 pmSpecial Science Speakers PresentationCandidate for the Mathematics Faculty Position 5:15 - 6:15 PM in Science Hall 106 The Awesome ArbelosAbstract: The arbelos is a geometric shape whose boundary is created by three semicircles. This shape was studied by the ancient Greeks using Euclidean methods. We will show several interesting properties associated to this shape, using a more modern approach in some cases, and will see how the speaker did undergraduate research on the arbelos without realizing it. Brian Whitehead, Eastern Connecticut State UniversityScience Speakers {Is There Anything Computers Can't Do?!}Thursday, April 11, 2013 @ 5:15 pmSpecial Science Speakers PresentationCandidate for the Mathematics Faculty Position Thursday, April 11, 5:15 - 6:15 PM in Science Hall 106 Is There Anything Computers Can't Do?!Abstract: (Hint: Yes). We will explore an 80-year-old field of mathematics and computer science known as "computability." The goal of computability is simple: which problems can be solved in an "effective" manner. Usually, this boils down to determining for which problems does there exist an algorithm to solve them. For example: suppose we have a polynomial with integer coefficients. Is there a sure-fire way to determine whether or not its roots are all rational numbers or not? It turns out that there is no such algorithm, and this is an "undecidable" problem! We will give the basics of computability through the idea of Turing machines. Focusing on functions on the natural numbers, we will explore some "computable" functions and "non-computable" functions. We will give a bit of historical context for computability, giving examples of how it has affected mathematics and computer science. Finally, we will introduce an exciting area of mathematics with many open problems known as "computable structure theory." Jesse Johnson, University of Notre DameScience Speakers {Classifying Quasars}Friday, April 12, 2013 @ 4:00 pmClassifying Quasars Tina Peters, PhD Candidate, Drexel University Friday, April 12, 4:00-5:00pm in SC 106Science SpeakersThursday, April 18, 2013 @ 5:15 pmSpecial Science Speaker PresentationCandidates for the Mathematics Faculty Position Thursday, April 18, 5:15 - 6:15 PM in Science Hall 106 Does a Neuron Need Math?Abstract: Neurons process and propagate signals through electrical (action potential or spike) and chemical mechanisms (synapses). A mathematical model (HH-model) that describes how action potentials are produced within neurons was derived by Hodgkin and Huxley through experiments on squid. The HH model is based on a system of nonlinear ordinary differentialequations, so we may think of a neuron as a nonlinear dynamical system. In this talk, we present the HH-model and simplifications of the HH model including the Fitzhugh-Nagumo model and the integrate-and-fire model. As an example of a synaptically coupled neuronal network and its activity patterns, we also consider how irregular activity patterns can be generated in an excitatory-inhibitory network using simple maps, work which is motivated by experimental recordings from a brain area called the basal ganglia. Choongseok Park, University of PittsburghWorking to Find Sustainable Solutions in the Midst of Real World Complexity {Science Speaker}Friday, April 19, 2013 @ 4:00 pmLydia Yoder, Krystel Pierre and Karsten Hess: "Building the future for the Farm-to-Fork Heritage Center" Hannah Geiser and Jonathan Mark: "Lawns of Communication: GC and the EPA Campus RainWorks Challenge"

Plans

Past Events

Bovine Blood Cells and Climate ChangeFriday, November 4, 2011 @ 4:00 pmJulia Stoltzfus will speak on "Bovine Red Blood Cell Research," and Will Kanagy will speak on "Effects of Climate Change on Diversity" in Science 106, Friday, November 4, 4-5 p.m. All are welcome!Cholesterol ScienceFriday, January 27, 2012 @ 4:00 pmCarl Helrich, Goshen College Professor Emeritus of Physics, will speak on "Cholesterol Supported Nystatin Channels in Membranes: Experiments, Questions and Ideas." All are welcome!Science SpeakersMonday, February 6, 2012 @ 4:00 pmGoshen College Science Speakers Diverse Roles for UNC-53/NAV-2 in Cell Migration and Innate Immunity Kristopher SchmidtDepartment of Biology, Trinity Western UniversityDepartment of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser UniversityScience SpeakerFriday, February 10, 2012 @ 4:00 pmCaspase-1 Dependent Inflammatory Signaling During the Development of Diabetic Retinopathy Kate Trueblood, Ph.D. Department of Physiology and BiophysicsCase Western Reserve University School of MedicineVisiting Professor of Biology, Goshen CollegeScience SpeakerFriday, February 17, 2012 @ 4:00 pmJonathon Schramm, PhD.Postdoctoral Research AssociateCollege of Education and the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center Michigan State UniversityCandidate for Assistant Professor in Sustainable and Environmental Education Department at Merry Lea"From Ecology to Education: the Role of Principles in Complex Systems"? This talk will explore the importance of following key principles or "big ideas" when describing complex systems, using examples from plant invasion ecology and research into student reasoning about biology." 25 minutes with follow up questions.Science SpeakerMonday, February 20, 2012 @ 4:00 pmJosh Yoder, Goshen College: Landscapes for Native Pollinators Lisa Weaver, Goshen College: Honey Bee Genetic PolymorphismsScience SpeakerFriday, March 9, 2012 @ 4:00 pmKristin Martin: Effect of pH on Mammalian Erythrocyte Transport of Various Solutes Lynn Weaver: Ethanol Concentration Preference in Apis MelliferaScience SpeakerFriday, March 16, 2012 @ 4:00 pmDale Kempf: Pharmaceutical Drug Discovery: From the Bench to the BedsideScience SpeakerFriday, March 23, 2012 @ 4:00 pmAbe Pauls: The Magnetic Sense of Birds: Searching for a Quantum Explanation Micah Miller-Eshleman: Content and Teaching Methods for Informatics IScience SpeakerWednesday, March 28, 2012 @ 4:00 pmChristopher Gunasekaran, Notre Dame University:Mechanism of Protein Kinase C (PKC) Activation and Its Role in Cardiovascular Diseases