Events
The Amazing Central Region of the Milky Way
Did you know that the Earth and Sun orbit the center of the Milky Way galaxy every 200 million years? While astronomers know quite a bit about what is going on near the Sun, for years they have been literally in the dark about this galactic center we orbit.
Now, because of newly developed telescopes, we can see right into the center of the galaxy! All sorts of amazing astrophysical phenomena is there — huge dense gas clouds, exploding stars, and if that wasn’t enough, there’s the supermassive black hole right in the middle of it all. Join Doug Roberts from the Adler Planetarium to learn more about this amazing galactic center than astronomers ever thought existed — it’ll knock your socks off!
Junior Science Cafe events are free and open to teens, their families and teachers. Pizza will be served.
Stem Cells & Nanotechnology: The Tools of Regenerative Medicine
Spinal cord injuries can cause permanent paralysis and have crippling effects. Recent developments in nanotechnology and stem cell research have shown that nerve fibers in the spinal cord can regenerate. Join Dr. Jack Kessler & Dr. Samuel Stupp from Northwestern University as they discuss the future of these two fields and how they may one day reverse and treat many injuries and diseases. Reception begins at 5:30 pm followed by the presentation at 6:00 pm.
$15 by reservation on a first-come basis or free for members. Visit the C2ST website to register or for more information.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: The Green Gold Rush
Students for Ecological and Environmental Development is pleased to annouce its fall speaker event: The Green Gold Rush: A Lecture by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to be held in Cahn Auditorium on December 2nd, 2009.
Environmental speaker Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is chief prosecuting attorney for the Hudson Riverkeepers, senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, president of the Waterkeeper Alliance, and is the first among a new breed of environmentalist. Join SEED and its co-sponsors (below) for what is sure to be an interesting consideration of the rise of a new 'Green Economy.' From green jobs and technologies to weaning our reliance on carbon energy, Kennedy offers a bold vision to restore US economic might, safeguard our environment, and reestablish America's role as an exemplary nation.
This event is free and open to the public, but tickets are required. Distribution to NU students, faculty, and the public will begin on November 23rd, 2009 @ Norris Box Office.
Sponsored by SEED in partnership with ISEN (Initiative for Sustainability and Energy at NU), One Book One Northwestern, NiSP (Northwestern Institute for Sustainable Practices), the Environmental Sciences and Engineering Departments, the Environmental Policy and Culture Program, Northwestern Class Alliance, Northwestern Community Development Core, and Environmental Campus Outreach at Hillel.
When Crocs Ate Dinosaurs
For a long time, the Age of Reptiles seemed to belong only to its “stars,” the dinosaurs — but not anymore. Thanks to strange fossils coming out of the Sahara and other places, we now know that it was a world full of bizarre and terrifying crocodiles as well — ones that not only rubbed shoulders with the dinosaurs, but sometimes ate them. Welcome to the new crocodile Cretaceous… complete with tiny buck-toothed crocs, dog-like crocs, and terrifying triple-fanged nightmares that probably galloped after dinosaurs. Join C²ST and paleontologist Paul Sereno for an intense scientific journey to breathe life into these long extinct terrors — and recreate a lost world few even imagined existed.
The 2:00 pm film screening is followed by a Q&A with paleontologist Dr. Paul Sereno. Suggested donation of $5 a person.
