Science Night Live
Science Night Live public lectures offer a casual yet engaging social and educational event in downtown Salt Lake. All events are held at Keys on Main, 242 South Main Street, beginning with a social at 5:30 and a lecture at 6 o'clock. Free and open to the public! Must be 21. Conveniently located near the TRAX Gallivan Center Station.
wed, april 25, 2012
Burning Snowballs: Energy From Water-Methane Crystals
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Valeria Molinero, Associate Professor of Chemistry, University of Utah
The largest source of fossil fuels on Earth is not in any oil reservoir or coalmine, but consists of "methane clathrate hydrates," crystals of water and methane that occur on the seafloor and in permafrost. Surprisingly, these potentially useful crystals can also form in gas pipelines, clogging them and leading to enormous economic costs.
Harnessing the potential of clathrate hydrates as fuels and controlling their formation in industrial settings first requires an understanding of the mechanism by which these crystals form and break down. Professor Molinero will discuss her team's work using molecular simulations to understand the formation of these crystals.
wed, march 28, 2012
How to Become Invisible Without a Cloak
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Fernando Guevara-Vasquez,
Assistant Professor of Mathematics,
University of Utah
Have you ever dreamed of being invisible? One method scientists have tested is an "invisibility cloak" built out of materials which block incoming light waves. However, these cloaks only block a small part of the spectrum, meaning you could be invisible under red light, but perfectly visible under blue or infrared light!
University of Utah researchers, including Assistant Professor of Mathematics Fernando Guevara Vasquez, have been developing alternative models for invisibility devices. One such model would hide objects with the same technology used in noise-canceling headphones.
wed, february 29, 2012
Endless Pigeons: Darwin's Favorite Birds Enter the Molecular Age
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Mike Shapiro,
Assistant Professor of Biology,
University of Utah
Pigeons' extensive variation in appearance
has long fascinated biologists. Darwin
studied the birds carefully in On the Origin
of Species and used them to demonstrate
natural selection. Now, a new study by
U of
U biologist Michael Shapiro brings Darwin's
favorite birds into the molecular age.
This study collected the feathers and DNA of
some 1,500 pigeons from around the world
and discovered that pigeons with strikingly
different appearances can be quite
similar
genetically, and vice versa.
Join us to learn why "birds of a feather" don't always stick together!
wed, january 25, 2012
Revealing the Secrets of the Universe
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Kyle Dawson, Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy,
University of Utah
How does the universe grow and evolve with time? How will the universe look in one billion years from now? Astronomers at the U are now part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and are mapping more than 1.5 million galaxies to better understand dark energy and dark matter.
wed, October 26, 2011
Can Neutrinos Travel Faster Than the Speed of Light?
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*SPECIAL PRESENTATION*
Pearl Sandick, Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy,
University of Utah
In October, scientists at CERN near Geneva, Switzerland announced that they have measured neutrinos traveling faster than the speed of light! If true, this extraordinary result challenges one of the cornerstones of Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity.
