A Building Without Walls This program describes the Levine Science Research Center and emphasizes the importance of developing a building for medical and biological research.
The Levine Science Research Center houses modern labs with technologies to enable a diverse array of faculty, students, and staff to collaborate and conduct cutting-edge research.
A Celebration of the International Polar Year, Part 1 In this video from the National Science Foundation, James White, chair of the Polar Research Board, hosts a distinguished panel in a discussion about the International Polar Year, a collaborative effort to promote research in the polar regions so that we may better understand the physical forces of our planet and atmosphere. This scientific program involves more than 200 projects and thousands of scientists from more than 60 nations examining a wide range of physical, biological and social research related to the Arctic and the Antarctic.
A Celebration of the International Polar Year, Part 2 In this National Science Foundation video scientists discuss the International Polar Year, which aims to provide more information about our planet and environment through research conducted in and about the polar regions of the Arctic and Antarctic. Richard Alley, professor of geosciences at Pennsylvania State University, Diana Wall, director of the School of Global Environmental Sustainability at Colorado State University, and Hajo Eicken, professor of geology and geophysics at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks, join the talk.
A Celebration of the International Polar Year, Part 3 In this National Science Foundation video, a team of expert scientists discuss the International Polar Year celebration. This scientific program involves more than 200 projects and thousands of scientists from more than 60 nations examining a wide range of physical, biological and social research related to the Arctic and the Antarctic. Panel experts include: Stephanie Pfirman, professor of environmental science at Barnard College; Timothy Killeen, NSF Assistant Director for the Geosciences; David Holland, professor of atmospheric ocean science at New York University; Richard Alley, professor of geosciences at Pennsylvania State University; Diana Wall, director of the School of Global Environmental Sustainability at Colorado State University; and James White, chair of the Polar Research Board.
A Changing Landscape: Investigating a Warming Arctic (short) Researchers from many disciplines have long looked to the Arctic for signs of climate change and an understanding of the dynamic interrelationship of changes in local ecosystems and global change. As the complexity of these relationships has become clearer, this research has become increasingly interdisciplinary. Three prominent members of the Arctic research community discuss the changing nature of both the research and the researchers.
A Look at LIGO Jay Marx, a high-profile experimental particle physicist, is at the forefront of the emerging field of gravitational wave astronomy. Marx directs the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory, which is uncovering messages the waves bring from black holes, neutron stars and processes that formed the universe. First predicted by Albert Einstein, these waves or ripples in space-time are only now being measured.
A View from the Commissioner of Public Lands The Honorable Doug Sutherland, commissioner of Public Lands, speaks on the current state of our Washington's forests, our urban environments, and our natural resources and their importance to our future.
A Vision for Human Evolution Into Space Operational meteorology began a major growth phase as commercial aviation boomed in the 1930s in the aftermath of Lucky Lindburgh’s transatlantic and transformational flight. With the success of the Ansari X Prize showing the path for commercial human space travel, commercial operational forecasts of the near space environment may soon become a requirement and not just a dream. Dr. Peter Diamandis, the man behind the X Prizes, Zero Gravity Corporation and the Rocket Racing League (NASCAR on LOX!), explains the economics of scale that make “routine” space travel in the not too distant future sound not only possible, but likely.
A Visit to Our Studios The Johns Hopkins Science Review, responding to many requests from its viewers, turned the cameras on itself and gave viewers an inside look into what it took to broadcast a live television program in the 1950s. Opening and closing remarks by John Astin, actor and director and graduate of Johns Hopkins. For more information about this program please contact Glenn Small by phone at 443-287-9905 or by email at glenn@jhu.edu.
A Voice-Enabled Procedure Navigator for the International Space Station Onboard the International Space Station, astronauts execute thousands of complex procedures to maintain life support systems, check out space suits, conduct science experiments and perform medical exams, among their many tasks. Today, when carrying out these procedures, an astronaut reads from paper procedures or a PDF viewer on a laptop computer, which requires the astronaut to shift attention from the task to scroll PDF pages. The goal of the Clarissa project has been to develop an experimental voice-operated procedure reader, enabling astronauts to be more efficient with their hands and eyes and give full attention to the task. The prototype version was delivered by a Russian Progress rocket on Christmas Day, 2004, and was successfully tested by astronaut John Phillips on June 27, 2005. To the best of our knowledge, Clarissa is the first spoken dialogue system ever to be used in space.
We will demo the Clarissa prototype and describe some of the techniques we have used to construct it, focusing in particular on the following aspects:
- Converting text procedures into voice-navigable XML documents.
- Flexible grammar-based speech recognition with the Open Source Regulus toolkit.
- Support Vector Machine methods for 'open mic' speech recognition.
- Side-effect free dialogue management.
(Joint work with Beth Ann Hockey, Kim Farrell, Jean-Michel Renders and Nikos Chatzichrisafis)
A Warmer Pacific Northwest: Lessons from the Past From devastating hurricanes to subtle changes in insect and plant populations, global climate change affects all aspects of life on Earth. Linda Brubaker, UW professor of dendrochronology, shows how climate and dendrochronological research helps us reconstruct prior climate conditions and advance our knowledge of the effects of global climate change on forests in our Northwest world and across the globe.
Adult Stem Cells and Regeneration Mature organisms have stem cells of various sorts, called adult stem cells. Adult stem cells are an essential source of cells for healing and regeneration in response to injury. Some animals, such as sea stars, newts, and flatworms, are capable of dramatic feats of regeneration, producing replacement limbs, eyes, or most of a body. It is an evolutionary puzzle why mammals have more limited powers of regeneration. Researchers are interested in pinpointing where adult stem cells reside and in understanding how flexible adult stem cells are in their ability to produce divergent cells such as muscle and red blood cells.
Advanced Medical Treatments In this episode, visit with Spencer Benson, Ph.D., and Yuan Lin, Ph.D., who are working with an herb called Rubricine to develop an herbal medication to treat infections. The benefit appears to be that the herb's properties make it more difficult for bacteria to build resistance to the medications. In the second half of the program, meet Siba Samal, Ph.D., who is using a cutting-edge method called "reverse genetics" to develop a vaccine for Newcastle disease, an illness that effects poultry. His research is also providing a model to fight the human diseases, mumps and measles.
Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, host of the PBS program “NOVA scienceNOW” and director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History, sits down with Dr. Thomas Cech, president of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, to discuss his own illuminating experiences as a graduate student, and how he became interested in science. Tyson also discusses his outreach success in making science accessible to the general public.
Ahimsa: Beyond Violent Traditions of Science and Technology Vandana Shiva advocates an approach that is based on the principle of ahimsa - meaning non-violence or harmlessness, drawing on the ethics of ecological and feminist thought that promotes diversity and pluralism in knowledge, action, nature and culture. Shiva is a world-renowned environmental thinker and activist. In 1991, she founded Navdanya, a national movement to protect diversity and integrity of living resources. Navdanya sets up community seed banks, supports conversion to organic agriculture, and is establishing direct producer-consumer links for food security and safety.
AIDS Treatment in Africa Access to AIDS treatment for all has recently become a possibility worldwide. Medicines and laboratory tests are now effective and affordable. Projects have demonstrated the feasibility of treatment in resource poor settings. However, a major obstacle to treatment is the inadequate health care systems in poor countries - particularly lack of doctors, nurses, and social workers and inadequate systems of chronic care. Improvement of health care will require changes in management, aid policies, and addressing foreign debt.
Alien Ocean Green crabs from the Baltic Sea. Zebra mussels from the Black Sea. Seagrasses from Japan. Clams from Korea. Dozens of alien specias are infiltrating hundreds of American harbors, bays, and rivers.
How did they get to Northern America and how are they changing the waters? Alien Ocean tells a dramatic story of scallop fisherman, cargo ship captains and pilots, and the scientists who are pioneering a new field called "invasion ecology."
This program was produced with Maryland Sea Grant, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Chesapeake Bay Program.
Alternative Fuel Experts in fuel efficiency and alternatives to gasoline discuss current research in soybean oil.
America's Crayfish About 300 species of crayfish populate America's freshwater environments. This program examines their remarkable diversity, their roles in the environment, and the threats to their existence.
America's NonGame Fish Only about five percent of America's fishes are game species such as trout and bass. The rest, mostly small, are vital to the ecology of our lakes, rivers, and streams. This documentary explores their role in nature, and the threats to their existence.
Amy Schmid, PhD, Molecular and Cellular Biology Program Molecular and Cellular Biology graduate student, Amy Schmid, describes her work using a biological strategy to clean up radioactive waste. The Hanford site in eastern Washington and similar nuclear sites across the country are loaded with mixed radioactive waste. How to dispose of these waste products? Amy worked with an organism that can survive intense radioation and reconstitute the waste into a more easily disposable product. The MCB Program offers access to an impressive range of research perspectives. This range allowed Amy to find a focus for her interests and identify the environmental/biomedical areas for her research.
An Era Remembered, Part 1 Recall the birth of the Internet, from the era of CSNET, BITNET and ARPANET, when only specific communities in computer science had limited access to networks. Follow these beginnings to the introduction of the NSFNET backbone, which represented a significant development in creating a unified and more comprehensive network infrastructure.
An Era Remembered, Part 2 In the second part of this two-part program about the birth of the Internet, learn more about the development of NSFNET. The National Science Foundation spearheaded the project with the national supercomputer centers and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and continued over time with a partnership team including Merit Network, Inc., IBM, MCI, Advanced Network &Services, Inc. and the State of Michigan; regional networks; and many institutions in research and education.
An Unknown History of Science in America at The Franklin Institute The Franklin Institute offers an electronic presentation of its Case Files, a collection of primary source documents that exists as an unknown repository of the history of science and technology. The University of Pennsylvania’s Department of History and Sociology of Science hosted a Symposium to discuss the historical, scientific, and educational merit of the Case Files, which date from the 1820s, as a modern day resource for undergraduate, graduate, and professional scholars, as well as K-12 students.
Angels of the Forest In this program produced by WYCTL Media, Erik Patel, PhD Candidate at Cornell University, discusses his efforts to save silky sifaka lemurs in Madagascar. Ninety-eight percent of Madagascar’s mammals, including the rare silky sifaka lemurs, exist nowhere else on Earth. Because of their white fur, and their amazing ability to fly through the forest, silky sifaka lemurs are called ‘angels of the forest.’ But silkies are one of the world’s top 25 most endangered primates. If silky sifaka lemurs were to disappear from Madagascar, then they would disappear from our world. International scientists and local Malagasy conservationists are fighting for the survival of this exceptional species and its irreplaceable habitat.
Aquatic Macroinvertebrates Virginia Tech Entomology Professor Reese Voshell introduces several species of freshwater invertebrates living in America's rivers and lakes. The health of many of these species, numbering in the thousands, often reflects the health of the ecosystem in which they live. Mr. Voshell is also the author of 'A Guide to Common Freshwater Invertebrates of North America'.
Archaeology and Wine Production This episode of Researching Maryland features a visit to an archaeological dig in Eastport, Maryland where students are piecing together artifacts to tell the social and economic history of the suburb. On the second half of the program, we learn how wine production may help save some of Maryland's tobacco farming industry from one of the University of Maryland's extension specialists.
Are Cities for the Birds? Learn about recent ecological research in the Seattle area determining which birds benefit from and which are extinguished by urbanization. In addition to general patterns of birdlife, this program explains why American crows are so abundant in cities and what effects they have on other songbirds.
Are We Packaging Sunlight From Cucumbers? In the well-known story of Gulliver's Travels, a scientist doing basic research has packaged sunlight from cucumbers in order to supply the governor's garden with cheap sunlight. This reference to Jonathan Swift's parody illustrates the concern about the nature and value of scientific research and the contribution it makes to society. Dr. David L. Evans, Smithsonian's Under Secretary for Science, talks about the value and importance of basic research in the history of the Smithsonian. Results from scholarly work done at the Institution have contributed to and enriched the lives of all Americans-not just those who come to our museums and visit our web sites. Public support of basic research is essential in maintaining and American tradition of scholarly leadership. Our work inspires curiosity, leads to innovation, and adds to our intellectual capacity as a nation.
Arts & Media An exploration of the intersection between fine arts and technology through the work of two University of Kentucky art professors.
Association of Space Explorers’ Planetary Congress The University of Washington presents a live webcast of a full day of the Association of Space Explorers’ Planetary Congress presentations. Listen in as astronauts and cosmonauts from Europe, Russia, Canada, Japan and the U.S. discuss their countries’ space programs, and talk about the effects of space travel on human health. Numerous space explorers join the discussions, including Dr. Bonnie Dunbar, former NASA astronaut and president and CEO of the Museum of Flight.
Astronomical Observatory: A Tour From the Kitt Peak National Observatory Yale University astronomy professor Charles Bailyn gives a guided tour of the two research telescopes operated by the WIYN Consortium at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona. The first telescope is a 0.9m aperture telescope built in the 1960s; the second is the WIYN 3.5m new technology telescope commissioned in 1994. The tour emphasizes the ways in which new technology has improved the quality of ground-based telescopes.
Astronomy from the Edge of Space A team of rocket scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Space Astronomy Laboratory talk about innovative developments such as the Star Tracker 5000, which offers important applications for the national space program. The device accurately orients spacecraft by tracking star fields with a high level of precision. The researchers also explain how they gather information with an ultraviolet telescope launched by rocket, providing insight into the levels of invisible light in the universe.
At the Leading Edge of an Environmental Renaissance The oceans are mysterious, dangerous and largely unexplored, yet they are central to the habitability of life on Earth. Many natural phenomena that occur throughout the world's oceans and seafloor also occur in, on, and above the Juan de Fuca tectonic plate, which sits just off our coast. Scientists with the National Science Foundation's Ocean Observatories Initiative will use a planned underwater research observatory associated with the plate to investigate such global processes as major ocean currents, active earthquake zones, creation of new seafloor, and rich environments of marine plants and animals in an effort to explore and better understand this last frontier on Earth. UW Professor of Oceanography John Delaney leads this regional effort.
Atlantic Hurricanes: Understanding the 21st Century's New Threat Dr. Jeffrey Halverson delivers a dynamic presentation on the development and evolution of hurricanes. Advanced computer modeling and NASA imagery are used to explain the life cycle of Atlantic storms. Originally recorded in November 2006, this interactive event linked Dr. Halverson with twenty teachers (grades 6-8) from the Philadelphia metropolitan region through an Internet2 connection between UMBC and the University of Pennsylvania.
Austronesian Expansion: Social, Linguistic and Genetic Networks Anthropologist and author Steve Lansing discusses an exciting, truly interdisciplinary project involving researchers from anthropology, mathematics, and evolutionary biology, who are using multiple sources of data to better understand the peopling of Austronesia. The episode opens with a University of Arizona video news segment on the first documented case of pest resistance to biotech cotton.
Autism: New Advances in Understanding and Treatment Professor Dawson discusses the latest research on the diagnosis and treatment of one of the most puzzling and challenging of childhood disorders—autism. Dawson, working with funding from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, has brought together many researchers at the University into a collaborative effort to understand autism.
Balancing the Fat Equation A family of proteins called PPARs (peroxisome proliferator-activator receptors) controls how the body uses sugar and fat. PPAR-gamma drives the formation of fat cells and regulates the storage of fat. It encourages muscles to burn sugar and maintains insulin sensitivity. PPAR-delta regulates how muscles burn fat by stimulating cellular fat-burning pathways and increasing slow-twitch muscle mass, which primarily uses fat as an energy source. Mice that are engineered to produce an overactive version of this receptor in their muscle tissue remain sleek and lean. On a treadmill, these 'marathon mice' run twice as far as normal mice. Drugs that stimulate PPARs might help people slim down and improve health without altering appetite.
Bats in Managed Forests How have timber management activities altered the use of forests by bats? Can we identify forest conditions that inhibit or promote bat welfare? Information from new field techniques and results of recent research address these questions and offer a glimpse of alternative futures for bats of the Pacific Northwest.
Beekeeping A report about the history of the honey bee in Hawaii as well as a look at Hawaii's honey production and beekeeping practices.
Behind the Headlines: Scientists and Journalists Talk Climate It’s a delicate tango: How do reporters tell gripping stories without stretching the science? And how do scientists communicate their findings to the general public? A sustained dialogue is essential, concludes this panel of well-respected climate scientists and journalists. Along the way, they touch on the concurrent challenges facing print journalism, the possibilities of scientist-bloggers, and the urgency of the message they are distributing.
Behind the Research: Study of a Model Hot Spring This program follows microbiologist Brian Hedlund on a six-day scientific field trip to northern Nevada and northeastern California. Hedlund and his team are investigating microorganisms that thrive in the geothermally heated region known as the Great Basin. Students and teachers from Pyramid Lake High School on the Northern Pauite Indian Reservation join Hedlund and his team in the field.
Benjamin Franklin's Science Prof. Philip Krider, a modern day lightning expert, explores the world of Benjamin Franklin and his many amazing contributions. Franklin was not only a diplomat, but also had a keen interest in science, bringing us inventions ranging from bifocals to the lightning rod. Krider, a professor at the University of Arizona, speaks as part of events celebrating Franklin's tercentenary.
Beyond Oil: Powering the Future Transportation consumes 70 percent of the oil used in our country. But as worldwide demand for oil soars and supplies tighten, how will we keep transportation moving? Current and emerging technologies can quickly convert a wide range of plant matter to transportation biofuels, offering a partial solution and contributing to an increasingly diversified and "greener" energy future.
Beyond the Biography of Jane Goodall / Amazing Polymers and Plastics Jane Goodall was once called too pretty to be a serious scientist. Despite such doubts, she revolutionized the study of primates and set new standards in the study of animal behavior. Dale Peterson, author of “Jane Goodall: The Woman Who Redefined Man,” discusses Goodall’s impact in the scientific community. Also, Andrew Lovinger, director of the polymers program at the National Science Foundation, presents a look into polymers and plastics in our lives.
Beyond the Genome: Deciphering What All the Proteins Do to Make a Living The total sequence of DNA has now been determined for the human (in draft form), for several organisms commonly used in the laboratory, and for dozens of bacteria and other pathogens. These DNA sequences can be used to predict sets of proteins—but what then? Deciphering the role of these many thousand proteins is a daunting task. Yet it is alterations in protein function that underlie most human diseases, so the protein roles must be untangled.
Bio-Terrorism Thirty years after the banning of biological weapons, five Americans have died from a domestic bio-terrorism attack. Ken Alibek, one of the top former Soviet bio-weapons scientist now working in the US, and his American counterpart, bio-weaponeer Bill Patrick discuss the bio-terrorism threat today.
Biodiversity: What Does It Mean for Us? Organisms all around us -- not only in the Amazon, but also in our own backyards -- are facing extinction. One out of every four species on Earth may face extinction during the first half of the next century, and as many as two out of three by its conclusion. Yet the diverse organisms on Earth protect our soils and waters, provide all of our food, most of our medicines -- and we are just starting to learn how to use them in new and unanticipated ways. The shape of the future -- how we live, what our opportunities may be -- depends on the actions we take now.
Bioenergy and Biofuels: Biomass Processing for Bioenergy and Biofuels Shulin Chen discusses the technologies and processes for cost-effective use of crops and agricultural residues for chemicals, fuels, biogas, and other value-added products. Renata Bura talks about the bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass to ethanol. Sharon Doty
tells how we can enhance the efficiency of biofuel production using endophytic microorganisms, and Phil Malte explains biofuels combustion.
Bioenergy and Biofuels: The Biomass Resource in Washington Craig Frear starts with an overview of agricultural biomass resources for biofuel production in Washington state. Larry Mason continues to talk about forests as a source of raw material for biofuels production. Kristiina Vogt discusses linking biomass to biofuels as a logical energy solution. Jake Eaton concludes with an assessment of producing biofuels
from sustainable tree farms.
Biology in Four Dimensions How do early birds get up in time to catch the worms? A clock in our brains helps us maintain daily, or circadian, rhythms. Dr. Joseph S. Takahashi discusses the natural history of biological rhythms and explains how he and other scientists have unraveled the complex workings of the body’s clocks. Biological clocks are key to understanding jet lag, various sleep disorders, and why teenagers have a hard time rising early.
Biology Is Nanotechnology Sequencing the human genome, which consists of 3,000,000,000 letters (or "bases") in a particular sequence, was a landmark in human history - a giant step forward in our understanding of ourselves as a biological species, and in our ability to use that knowledge to advance the cause of human health. This program addresses biological nanotechnology, how cells operate in our bodies, explaining how these "nanomachines" work.
Biomedical Research - The Daunert Group Dr. Sylvia Daunert, professor of analytical and biological chemistry at the University of Kentucky, discusses the innovative work of her group of researchers in the area of bioanalytical chemistry: the interface between analytical chemistry, molecular biology and bioengineering.
Also, take a look into the design and fabrication of miniaturized implantable responsive drug delivery devices that integrate a smart drug delivery system with a biosensor.
Black Bear Research Michael Vaughn, professor at The College of Natural Resources at Virginia Tech, delves into the world of bear research. Professor Vaughn explores many topics, including a long-term reproductive study of bears, an assessment of bear populations in the eastern U.S., and a comparative osteoporosis study with humans.
Brain Messengers: The Inaugural Arthur M. Sackler Lecture Recent advances in molecular neuroscience have revealed similarities in signaling mechanisms between and within cells among molecular events as diverse as drug addiction, olfaction, and nerve growth. This colloquium brings together leading researchers to discuss the panorama of signaling systems to look at the astonishing diversity of recently identified chemical messengers that convey information among neurons in the brain, as well as their major clinical consequences.
Breaking the Code: Sequencing the Arabidopsis Genome In 1996, international research teams that have been decoding the genome sequence of Arabidopsis thaliana, a weed in the mustard family whose rapid growth cycle and small size make it an ideal experimental model for plant biology research, came together to form the Arabidopsis Genome Initiative (AGI). NSF now leads a new 2010 Project that seeks to determine the 25,000 functions of the Arabidopsis genes over the next decade. Discover what researchers have found from this seemingly mundane weed and how that information has improved our understanding of disease resistance, root development and other important plan processes.
Bridges to the Future, Part II: Water in 2025 From leaky municipal water systems to growing populations, water supplies
in the U.S. face increasing pressure. As freshwater supplies decrease, the U.S. must find a way to ensure safe and plentiful water for the future. Daniel Sheer, president of Hydrologics Inc., leads a panel in a discussion about new technology and how to ensure that fresh water remains safe and plentiful.
Building Brains: The Molecular Logic of Neural Circuits Thomas M. Jessel, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, explores the human brain, the sophisticated product of 500 million years of vertebrate evolution, assembled during just nine months of embryonic development. The functions encoded by its trillion nerve cells direct all human behavior. Yet the brain is a biological organ made from the same building blocks as skin, liver and lung. How does the brain acquire its remarkable computational power? Answers lie in the details of its construction -- the cellular and molecular mechanisms that drive the formation of thousands of neural circuits, each wired for a specific behavior.
Building Great Relationships Gensler's role helping clients adapt over time to changes in their organizational growth and workplace culture has resulted in decades long relationships with firms like The Gap and BP.
Building the Future of Commercial Aviation: Boeing's 787 Dreamliner Learn about the cutting-edge materials being used in the Boeing Company's new 787 Dreamliner that will change both the way that airplanes are built and your future flying experience. The Boeing Company is on top of the commercial aerospace market due to the ambition and innovation of its engineers with the development of the 787. Before you board your first Dreamliner, get the inside story on the making of the plane from Al Miller, University of Washington alumnus '71, '77, and director, 787 Technology Integration, The Boeing Company and Mark Tuttle, chair, mechanical engineering, University of Washington. Also hear about the next generation of advanced materials being developed and how they will alter the future of planes, cars, energy, medicine, and beyond.
Building the New Tacoma Narrows Bridge The Puget Sound Region is famed for our floating bridges and infamous for Galloping Gertie’s collapse. Now we can boast the nation's fifth-longest suspension bridge. What did it take to span a mile-wide, fjord-like channel and turn more than 47 million pounds of structural steel, enough cable wire to circle the world twice, and nearly 115,000 cubic yards of concrete into a striking and sturdy new landmark? Steven Hansen, University of Washington alumnus '69, and senior vice president, Kiewit Corp, joins Joe P. Mahoney, University of Washington professor of civil and environmental engineering, to tell the engineering story, end to end, tower tops to Narrows' bottom.
Can ESP Affect Our Lives? (109) Most people believe that ESP, or extrasensory perception, is real. Most scientists assume the opposite. Is ESP wishful thinking, sloppy science or clever conjuring -- or could it be real? Today's experts explore the topics of the paranormal, extrasensory perception, the power of mind-over-body and why accepting the reality of things nonphysical would require changing our entire world view. Joining host Robert Kuhn are physicit James Trefil; parapsychologist Dean Radin; neuropsychologist Barry Beyerstein; anthropologist Marilyn Schlitz; and parapsychologist Charles Tart.
Can Science Seek the Soul? (113) Belief in the existence of the 'spiritual essence' of an immortal soul has infused human thought and history. Still, most of today's scientists remain materialists who believe that only the physical world is real. Today's topic pits the scientific materialists against whose who believe in the concept of 'dualism,' which requires some non-physical component -- call it a 'soul' -- to transform the human brain into the human mind. Joining host Robert Kuhn are neuropsychologist Warren Brown; parapsychologist Dean Radin; transpersonal psychologist Charles Tart; philosopher of mind John Searle; and theoretical physicist Fred Alan Wolf.
Can the Mind Just Be A Machine? Discoveries in neurobiology affect our view of the mind. We understand the neural signaling systems that underlie our processing of vision and the organization of our motor outputs. We understand the changes of personality, mood, and mental state. We have experimental approaches to learning and memory. As we progress, more mental processes will be explained by the laws of physics and chemistry.
Can We Believe in Both Science and Religion? (302) Science and Religion have long been considered adversaries on the battlefield of grand world views because at the most fundamental level they both claim to do much the same thing: provide deep insight into the nature of the world around us and give a profound sense of our place or purpose in the universe. Science is founded on empiricism and analysis; religion on revelation and faith -- and some say they exist in such different spheres that they neither contradict nor interact. Joining host Robert Kuhn are Muzaffar Iqbal, President/Founder, Center for Islam and Science; Theology Professor, Nancey Murphy; and author/publisher Michael Shermer.
Can We Imagine the Far Future - Year 3000? (201) From genetics to cosmology to nanotechnology, science is on the brink of numerous and extraordinary mega-revolutions that will change the very nature of life. Closer to Truth brings together leading scientists, scholars and artists to debate many of today's fundamental issues. Joining host Robert Kuhn are creativity pioneer Edward de Bono; fuzzy logic expert Bart Kosko; futurist Graham T.T. Molitor; and planetary scientist Bruce Murray. The panelists discuss what the world will be like in year 3000.
Can We See the Near Future - Year 2025? (106) Close your eyes. Now fast-forward 25 years. Open your eyes. What do you see? Humanity has moved through the agrarian age to the industrial age and now, the information age. With what moniker will we label our future? Experts debate where we've been, what we've learned, what the future holds in store, and if it really is possible to forecast the not too distant future.
Can You Really Extend Your Life? (108) Long life is humanity's ancient and perennial goal. Prophets promised it, explorers searched for it and today's society is obsessed with it. The panelists discuss the biology of aging and debate the facts, fads and fallacies of living longer -- and offer the best and most sensible advice to slow the aging process. Joining host Robert Kuhn are gene therapist French Anderson; best-selling author and surgeon Sherwin Nuland; fitness theorist Arthur S. De Vany; biophysicist Gregory Stock; and longevity expert Roy Walford.
Challenges of Forest Stewardship The need for active stewardship of public forests is already critical and will greatly intensify in the 21st century. Globalization of the wood products industry is creating new and serious challenges. Where will society find the will and resources to carry out forest stewardship?
Chemical Genomics: New Tools for Medicine Scientists can create and test millions of new molecules to identify those useful for studying biology and new medicines. Designing and screening new molecules demands powerful information systems to keep track of all the data generated. Dr. Stuart Schreiber describes ChemBank, a new project designed to gather information that links proteins, small molecules and the functions that they affect in organisms. He suggests that in the future a synergy of chemistry, biology and computational science will help scientists view biological systems in a way that may lead to a new era of medicine.
Children of the Tide Microscopic embryos and larvae of marine animals are abundant in our oceans, yet few people are aware of their existence. This video takes a close look at the early life stages of several common marine invertebrates, including sea urchins, sea stars, and sand dollars. It also reveals the plankton community that is their home during the first few weeks of their lives as Children of the Tide. Sub-titles and on-screen text are used to identify species and developmental stages.
Children Who Claim to Remember Previous Lives Dr. Ian Stevenson presents a talk on the instances of possible reincarnation and the common signs demonstrated by children who remember past lives.
Chimps Our closest genetic relatives are in danger once again. Virginia Tech professor of biomedical sciences and pathobiology Taranjit Kaur says the chimps of Tanzania are suffering at the hands of a strain of human respiratory disease. This time, the blame lies with a growing number of eco-tourists and field researchers. With her own family in tow, discover Kaur’s impetus to live and learn in the malaria-ridden jungle, housed in a portable solar-powered laboratory, with the very mammals she may be threatening.
Circle of Excellence: Benjamin Carson, M.D. This program features Benjamin Carson, M.D., pediatric neurosurgeon and author, interviewed by Professor Wise Young about his professional accomplishments.
Circle of Excellence: Lynn Margulis Biologist Lynn Margulis, recipient of the National Medal of Science is interviewed by Jay Tischfield, chair of Genetics department at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.
Circle of Excellence: Mae Jemison This program features scientist and former astronaut Mae C. Jemison, the first woman of color in space, in an interview by Charlotte Bunch.
Civil Unions - CC #80 They have been called progressive steps for human rights and destructive actions against the moral fabric of society. The Supreme Court striking down sodomy laws in Texas. California and Vermont approving civil unions for same sex couples. A handful of countries in Europe have already legalized civil unions or gay marriage, and Canada, where several provinces already allow civil unions, is considering legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide. Are efforts to legalize same-sex unions gaining momentum? What are the social and financial implications? We discuss whether America is ready for civil unions and the effect on our society if same-sex unions are legalized nationwide.
Climate Change, Climate Justice WPSU host Patty Satalia and a panel of experts discuss the ethical, religious and social justice implications of climate change. Part of Penn State Public Broadcasting's Common Ground Lobby Talk series, the studio audience is invited to participate with their questions and comments.
Climate Change, Sea Level, and Western Drought: Dangerous Anthropogenic Interference Learn why the American West could be in trouble with surface air temperatures rising faster than elsewhere in the coterminous United States. Dr. Jonathan Overpeck, director of the Institute for the Study of Planet Earth at the University of Arizona, and recipient of the shared 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for his role as a Coordinating Lead Author for the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment, will address the trend of droughts in the west and the vulnerability of coastal communities as they face sea level rise coupled with increasing storm intensities. This program is presented by JISAO, which fosters research collaboration between the University of Washington and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.
Climbing, Research and Teaching: Adventures, Accidents, Change, and Joy The University of Washington College of Forest Resources is a leader in the international study of environmental stresses on tree physiology.
Professor Thomas Hinckley's research focuses on the water and carbon physiology of trees and woody shrubs. His research and teaching have taken him to Austria, Canada, China, Finland, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Turkey, and Venezuela. Most recently, Hinckley has worked on the water relations of short rotation, hybrid cottonwood trees, on 65 meter tall, old-growth Douglas fir trees, and on young to very old Pacific Silver fir trees. Hinckley is currently the principal investigator on the College's second Multinational Collaborations on Challenges to the Environment project, sponsored by the National Science Foundation-IGERT.
Coaxing Embryonic Stem Cells Significant progress has been made in producing stem cell lines that, for example, participate in the regeneration of damaged nervous tissue. Many human diseases, such as juvenile diabetes (type 1 diabetes), involve malfunctioning genes and environmental triggers. Researchers want to coax embryonic stem cells into becoming healthy insulin-producing cells. These cells might then be transplanted into people with diabetes to produce the insulin they lack. Researchers are also interested in producing stem cells that malfunction exactly like the diseased cells in order to understand fundamental aspects of the disease and also to test treatments.
College of Forest Resources Centennial Celebration The College of Forest Resources has been "creating futures since 1907." It has been a leader in natural resource programs for generations and throughout the world. Our vision is to provide world class, internationally recognized knowledge and leadership for environmental and natural resource issues. This video offers a glimpse of that proud heritage showcasing the early beginings of the college and some of the influential people and events that helped shape the first 100 years.
Complexity in Fire Ecology: The Case of the Biscuit Fire The Biscuit Fire, located in southern Oregon and northern California, began on
July 13, 2002 and reached 499,965 acres. Estimated to be one of Oregon's
largest in recorded history, the fire burned in a mosaic pattern; approximately 20% of the area burned lightly, with less than 25% of the vegetation killed. Another 50% of the area burned very hot, with more than 75% of the vegetation killed. Dr. Tom Atzet shows how The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest has been active; making progress re-building trails, restoring safe roads through the salvage of dead trees along the transportation system, and reforesting burned lands.
Computational Sciences: The Third Pillar of the Empirical Sciences Computational Sciences have had a major impact in the way we gather and produce knowledge in all the realms of the empirical sciences, from astrophysics to particle physics, and from macro-scale engineering projects to micro-analysis of manufacturing processes. It has become the third pillar of the empirical sciences (alongside the more traditional experiments and analysis). Professor of Computational Sciences Rainald Lohner explores the reasons for these developments, and provides an outlook for the future, along with a consideration of the wider philosophical implications this new form of data acquisition is having on the way we perceive the world.
Connecting the Pacific NW NSF Networking Initiatives
NSF networking research and infrastructure programs have been the stimulus for the availability of advanced Internet technology to and within the Pacific Northwest, with the University of Washington playing the leadership role.
The Wellspring of Discovery
This 50th anniversary symposium provides an opportunity to reflect on the agency's role as a wellspring for discoveries. NSF's work has nourished discovery as well as our nation's economy; the challenge now is to sustain the exploration and to convey the "awed wonder" of science.
Controlling Pest Insects Dively and Barbosa join Andrew Wolvin, Ph.D., to discuss genetically-engineered plants and biological control of pest insects, resulting in a reduced use of pesticides.
Corals at the Crossroads Corals at the Crossroads profiles more than twenty years of research activities by Dr. Brian Lapointe, senior scientist at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, in the Florida Keys. Water quality issues and coral reef degradation at Looe Key are highlighted.
Cosmology: From Quantum Fluctuations to the Accelerating Universe Today the Universe consists of galaxies moving away from one another in a pattern of motion that indicates a big-bang beginning. We can trace the history of the Universe back to the hot quark soup that existed a fraction of a second after the beginning. Armed with bold ideas that are rooted in the deep connections between the inner space of elementary particles and the outer space of the cosmos, we are trying to extend our understanding back to an even earlier time when galaxies existed only as quantum fluctuations in the fuzzy subatomic world. If these ideas are correct, then our big bang was a burst of expansion called inflation, galaxies are held together by the gravity of elementary particles left over from the big bang, and the expansion of the Universe is speeding up because of an odd form of energy that pervades the Universe. A flood of observations made possible by technological advances are putting these ideas to the test, and in the process have presented us with new puzzles, like the fact that the Universe is speeding up, not slowing down.
Creating New Billion Dollar IT-based Business in the 21st Century University of Washington president Mark Emmert welcomes multi-disciplined academics, PhD students and leading company innovators to the inaugural University of Washington Seattle Innovation Symposium & Research Series. In this program, David Croson describes the importance of sustained innovation and emerging technologies to the survival of companies in the 21st century.
Crime Scene Investigation and Forensic Anthropology Professors Marilyn London and Tom Mauriello join Andrew Wolvin, Ph.D., to discuss how scientists assist in criminal investigations. They take a look at the lives, research, and education of criminal investigators and forensic anthropoligists to show how science is being used to solve crimes.
Cryospheric Response to Climate Change Dr. Konrad Steffen, director of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), has lead field expeditions to Greenland and other Arctic regions for the past consecutive 33 years measuring the dynamic response of ice masses under a warming climate. He shares the first video from water channels inside the Greenland ice sheet. This program is presented by JISAO, which fosters research collaboration between the University of Washington and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.
CU@USC with Professor Werner Dappen USC Professor Werner Däppen of the Physics Department of the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences is interviewed about the USC Astronomy program.
Cyber-Infrastructure Report: Implications for the Future of Scientific Research Described as bringing a revolution to the way scientific research will be conducted, “cyber-infrastructure” is an emerging concept that will redefine science and engineering in our nation’s research universities. Panel participants discuss how the cyber-infrastructure revolution will change not only scientific research, but also social and organizational structures at research universities.
Dark Energy, or Worse: Was Einstein Wrong? The type of matter we’re familiar with and encounter everyday - atoms and molecules - only makes up about 5 percent of the universe. The remaining 95 percent is believed to be dark matter and dark energy. Current research continues to puzzle scientists as controversies arise over these invisible yet dominant substances. Explore the history of dark energy and dark matter by following Einstein’s path to uncovering the theory that sparked a change in the world of astrophysics and the controversies behind that theory. Was Einstein wrong? Will we ever know if dark energy and dark matter really exist? Join Physicist Sean Carroll, a senior research associate at the California Institute of Technology, in this lecture that sheds light on the “dark side” of the universe that may actually be the key to unlocking the mystery that is the universe.
Deciphering the Language of Sex Even from a purely biological perspective, gender is a complex subject. Dr. David Page reviews the biological basis for sex, emphasizing the role of the sex chromosomes—the X and the Y—in mammals. He addresses the age-old question of why sex exists, and shows how sexual reproduction can have advantages over reproduction by cloning.
Deck Research Joe Loferski, Wood Sciences and Forestry Products professor at Virginia Tech and one of the authors of the national code for deck safety, discusses the continually changing measures to ensure deck safety. These safety measures have greatly changed since the 1970s, find out why and how to adjust to them.
Deconstructing Obesity To approach the problem of obesity scientifically, we must first define and measure it. Dr. Friedman describes various methods for estimating obesity, including the body mass index, or BMI. He then explains the body's mechanisms for counting calories and accurately balancing food intake and energy consumption. Results from adoption and twin studies indicate a significant genetic contribution to human obesity. Dr. Friedman discusses his identification of the hormone leptin and its critical role in the control of body fat, further strengthening the case that obesity and weight control are largely a function of biology.
Detecting Circulating Tumor Cells - Dr. Daniel Sabath Successful cancer therapy is intended to eliminate all traces of cancer from the patient. If cancer cells survive the therapy, they may eventually grow back, resulting in relapse. Numerous studies, especially in the setting of hematological malignancies, have shown that the presence of even small numbers of residual cancer cells can increase the risk of relapse. Thus, the development of sensitive methods to detect minimal residual disease may help predict which patients are at risk of relapse, and the hope is that therapies will be developed to eliminate residual cancer cells. Dr. Daniel Sabath, associate professor in the University of Washington department of laboratory medicine, explores the concept of minimal residual disease in cancer, reviews the methods used to detect small numbers of cancer cells, and discusses new technology for detecting minimal residual disease in breast cancer.
Diagnosing & Treating Cancer with General Chemistry: A Role for Innovations in Imaging How can we apply chemistry to biomedical problems? How can we move from current practices to the future whereby we may be able to eradicate cancer and improve the outlook for everyone? Dr. Ralph Mason, a leader in diagnostics and imaging, discusses his team's research and ways he applies his natural sciences and chemistry background to search for better detection techniques.
Discovering a Link Between Fish and Limbed Animals Working in rocks more than 375 million years old, far above the Arctic Circle, paleontologists Neil Shubin and Ted Daeschler have discovered a remarkable new fossil species. It represents the most compelling evidence yet of an intermediate evolutionary stage between fish and early limbed animals. Jokingly called a "fishapod," the animal was part fish and part tetrapod - a name for the earliest limbed animals.
Distinguished Faculty Lecture: David Kingston Chemistry Professor David Kingston discusses 'The Faith of a Scientist'.
Kingston works to extract new pharmaceuticals from South American rainforest plants, with a portion of the proceeds returned to the indigenous people of the region.
Distinguished Faculty Lecture: James McGrath Distinguished Chemistry Professor James McGrath talks about 'Advanced Materials for
Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells'. A leader in polymer science and co-founder of PMIL, Mr. McGrath has won many awards in his field and authored several books regarding polymer technologies.
Distinguished Faculty Lecture: Robert Bodnar Virginia Tech University Distinguished Professor of Geological Sciences Robert Bodnar discusses Virginia Tech's efforts to build a 'Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory' (DUSEL) in Southwest Virginia.
Divided Attention: Driving and Talking Can we really multitask? A recent brain study by Johns Hopkins
University researchers suggests the answer is no. Professor Steven Yantis explains why the brain can’t simultaneously give full attention to both the visual task of driving and the auditory task of listening.
Do Brains Make Minds? (204) From genetics to cosmology to nanotechnology, science is on the brink of numerous and extraordinary mega-revolutions that will change the very nature of life. Closer to Truth brings together leading scientists, scholars and artists to debate many of today's fundamental issues. Joining host Robert Kuhn is consciousness expert David Chalmers; philosopher of mind John Searle; anthropologist Marilyn Schlitz; theoretical physicist Fred Alan Wolf; and neuropsychologist Barry Beyerstein. The panelists discuss the connection between the gray matter called a brain, the thoughts we think, the mind-body connection, and whether there's something more to the human mind than what resides in the brain.
Does Psychiatry Have a Split Personality? Mental health is a significant national issue, yet psychiatry still remains suspect as a science. In fact, psychiatry is said to have a 'split personality,' with the traditional psychiatrists and psychologists on one side and the high-tech medical scientists also called the biomedical psychiatrists on the other side. Do these new techniques tip the scale and put psychiatry into the realm of science and take it out of the realm of philosophy? Nancy C. Andreasen, Editor-in-Chief, The American Journal of Psychiatry; Robert Epstein, Editor-in-Chief, Psychology Today; and Peter Loewenberg, Southern California Psychoanalytic Institute join host Robert Kuhn to debate the science of mental health.
Dr. Erle Ellis "Anthropogenic Biomes" Dr. Erle Ellis, associate professor of Geography and Environmental Systems, speaks with host Karin Readel on how humans are changing the planet from a point of view of land use in the biosphere. "Anthropogenic Biomes: A Framework for Ecology and Earth Science in the 21st Century."
Drainage Forum: The Allison Experience Tropical Storm Allison hit Houston in June 2001 with great force. The deadly storm dropped 30-40 inches of rain on coastal Texas and Louisiana, hitting Houston with 19.58 inches of rain in a 24-hour period. The storm killed 41 people in six states and caused $5 billion in damage. The University of Houston alone suffered $125 million in damage. This program examines the force of the storm, how Houstons emergency management faired, and what can be done to better prepare this city and any city for a similar storm in the future.
The University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering presents a Drainage Engineering Forum that brings together experts from the professional engineering community, weather experts, and federal and local agencies to discuss the impact and lessons learned from the Tropical Storm Allison.
Dust in Time: A Solar System Mystery Dr. Don Brownlee, principal investigator for the NASA Stardust mission, talks about his involvement in this unprecedented mission to collect and bring back material from outside the orbit of the moon. What clues can the collected material hold for understanding the formation of comets and the solar system itself?
Ecosystem Restoration: Principles of Ecosystem Restoration This episode on ecosystem restoration investigates the issues surrounding the restoration of our land and water resources and ways in which to place them in a more sustainable condition for future generations.
Effect of Global Climate Change on Northwest Forests, Part 1 UW College Forestry experts discuss the global climate change affecting the Pacific Northwest, how it's getting warmer, lessons from the past, and promoting market mechanisms in a greenhouse world.
Effect of Global Climate Change on Northwest Forests, Part 2 UW College Forestry experts discuss the global climate change affecting the Pacific Northwest, how it's getting warmer, lessons from the past, and promoting market mechanisms in a greenhouse world.
Einstein: His Life and Universe Albert Einstein is a great icon of our age: the kindly refugee from oppression whose wild halo of hair, twinkling eyes, engaging humanity, and extraordinary brilliance made his face a symbol and his name a synonym for genius. In 2006, all of his (published and unpublished) papers were unsealed, and with this new information we can get a deeper understanding of the man and his place in history. What role did Einstein?s ?rebellious nature? play in his creativity? What were his thoughts about the existence of God? Why were the seven years he worked at a patent office the most creative years of his life? Why did the Nobel Committee wait for 17 years to award him the Nobel Prize?and not for the idea of relativity? What role did music play in the mind of Einstein? Finally we have the material necessary to begin to understand the mind and legacy of this great scientist.
Emerging Infections: How Epidemics Arise Tackling the complex causes of epidemics, Dr. Donald Ganem explains how mutations in genes and changes in the environment and human social behavior can give rise to new infectious diseases. He cites the influenza virus as an example of genetic changes that have led to epidemics and pandemics. He also shows the impact of weather on a 1993 outbreak of Hanta virus, describes the effect of human migration on the spread of smallpox, and examines what happened when the myxoma virus was introduced in Australia in the 1950s to control the rabbit population.
Endless Forms Most Beautiful The Darwinian revolution was the first revolution in biology. University of Wisconsin--Madison's Sean B. Carroll traces the discovery of evolution through Charles Darwin's long voyage, many discoveries, and prodigious writings. Darwin introduced the concept of the 'fittest,' but how are the fittest made? The second revolution in biology was triggered by discoveries in genetics. Genetic variation, selection, and time combine to fuel the evolutionary process. The action of selection is now visible in DNA, both in preventing injurious changes and in favoring advantageous changes in traits.
Energy As we gear up for war in the Middle East and watch oil prices soar, it is easy to understand that energy is a big issue. We have to somehow wean ourselves off our dependence on oil--and the sooner, the better. What is less well known is the incredible magnitude of the worldwide energy challenge that is before us. The problem is not just oil. Somehow, within the next few decades we must find a new energy source that can provide a minimum of 10 terawatts (TW) of clean power on a sustainable basis and do this cheaply. To do this with nuclear fission would require no less than 10,000 breeder reactors. Assuming we don’t get it all from nuclear fission, where is that 10 TW of new power going to come from? Who will make the necessary scientific and engineering breakthroughs? Can it be cheap enough to bring 10 billion people to a reasonable standard of living? Can it be done soon enough to avoid the hard economic times, terrorism, war and human suffering that will otherwise occur as we fight over the dwindling oil and gas reserves on the planet? Energy may very well be the single most critical challenge facing humanity in this century.
Engineering A Secure Future This panel discusses today's technology and research directions for new security applications.
Environmental Science from Satellites Imagery from Earth-orbiting satellites provides a rich but voluminous source of raw data for scientific investigation of environmental processes and trends. Analyses of the data are, however, generally outside the traditional realm of “image processing.” Instead, we think of an image as a geospatial raster of radiometric values, and an image’s resolution includes spatial, spectral, radiometric, and temporal attributes. Translation of images into a suite of geophysical products requires technologies and procedures that support extensive computation and spatial operations on large objects, along with mechanisms to track the legacy of computations performed and allow revisiting as algorithms change.
Environmental Sciences This episode features a visit to the University of Maryland's Wind Tunnel where engineers conduct aerodynamics research on planes, automobiles and almost anything impacted by the natural forces of wind. And, we meet a professor who is working on cleaning up pollution in soils, by using special plants. These plants remove medals and other harmful chemicals, allowing re-growth of vegetation.
Environmental Solutions in Motion Complex environmental problems have taken center stage in the early 21st century -- and they can’t be solved with business-as-usual thinking. It’s time for something different. The Institute on the Environment and the greater University of Minnesota community are taking a new approach to addressing these urgent issues: a combination of solution-driven research with innovative partnerships and leadership. Join Jonathan Foley, director of the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota, as he leads a panel of notables in a discussion of the world’s most pressing environmental issues and how this new approach will affect those problems.
Europa and the Rebirth of Exobiology The past decade has seen remarkable progress in exobiology, and the coming century holds even greater promise. Within the next twenty years, we will have catalogs of hundreds if not thousands of planets around other stars, we will establish a kind of Mars internet with regular video streaming to Earth, and we will have begun to explore the likely ocean underneath the icy crust of Jupiter's moon Europa. How certain is it that Europa really harbors the solar system's second ocean, and what are the prospects for life there? How should we go about exploring this world, and looking for life?
Expedition to the Underwater Volcanoes of the Northeast Pacific: Global Access Join in the discovery of submarine volcanic systems, where brilliantly-colored organisms cluster around hot, volcanic vents in the earth’s crust, at depths where sunlight can’t penetrate. The VISIONS '05 ocean expedition, led by co-chief scientists and University of Washington Professors of Oceanography John R. Delaney and Deborah S. Kelley, involves several complex research projects being conducted by scientists and REVEL Project science teachers from institutions in the U.S. and Canada. The research includes a multidisciplinary project funded by the W. M. Keck Foundation to investigate the links between seismic deformation of the oceanic crust, venting of nutrient-rich fluids at the seafloor, and microbial productivity. The expedition leaders also describe the concept for a regional ocean observatory - linking undersea data monitoring stations via a fiber network to science labs on land. Images from the ocean floor are captured with an HD underwater camera mounted on the robotic JASON-II vehicle.
Expedition to the Underwater Volcanoes of the Northeast Pacific: Life at the Extreme One of the most profound oceanic discoveries in the past 20 years is the dense and diverse biological communities, thriving in the absence of sunlight, that are supported by gases released from submarine volcanoes thousands of feet beneath the surface of the ocean. Ongoing research at these towering seafloor vent structures has significantly changed the way we think about life on our planet and has led to a growing recognition that the subsurface biomass within the oceanic crust may rival that of the earth’s entire surface. The VISIONS '05 ocean expedition focuses on microbial fluxes during sub-seafloor earthquakes, the limits to life in extreme environments, and the chemical exchanges that support microbial and macrobial life. Teachers with the REVEL Project join oceanographers on the cruise to gain insights into how science research is conducted, relaying their shipboard experiences to students in the classroom.
Expedition to the Underwater Volcanoes of the Northeast Pacific: Ocean Research This is the final of three programs featuring VISIONS ’05 expedition participants who gathered in the research vessel Thomas G. Thompson’s main lab to explain their role in Juan de Fuca Ridge Endeavour Segment ocean research.
REVEL (Research and Education: Volcanoes, Exploration and Life) teachers discuss the unique opportunity to work side by side with pioneering oceanographers - a collaboration that has increased the teachers’ understanding of scientific discovery and the skills needed to teach science.
REVEL teachers, marine biologists, genome scientists and engineers discuss their research projects, including mapping of the seafloor and the macrofauna, such as spider crab and tubeworms found around the sulfide vents; studies of the microfaunal bacteria and archea, which live in and on the vent systems as well as in symbiosis with other organisms; chemical processes at various ocean depths, from the venting of deep sea gasses to flow cytometry sampling near the ocean surface.
Exploration of the Poles Donal Manahan, in a a lecture at the Embassy of Italy in Washington, discusses the history of polar exploration.
Exploring Mars by 4-Wheel Drive The Mars Exploration Rovers are searching for answers about the history of water on Mars. Finding those answers will help scientists determine if life ever was on the Red Planet. The rovers, which landed on Mars last year, have driven over more than three miles of Martian terrain, including areas never before seen on Earth. Come see picture from Mars and learn how these incredible machines were developed, as well as what else is in store for future Mars missions.
Exploring Obesity: From the Depths of the Brain to the Far Pacific By studying the brains of obese mice, Dr. Friedman found that leptin rewires feeding circuits in the hypothalamus. From an evolutionary perspective, susceptibility to obesity can be an advantage or a disadvantage, depending on the resources available in an environment. Genes that predispose individuals to become obese might have evolved to help in surviving times of famine. Dr. Friedman uses population genetics, family history, and detailed medical records to study a population on the Pacific Island of Kosrae suffering an explosive increase in obesity. This research may identify new genes involved in regulating obesity and aid in developing treatments that benefit people on Kosrae and worldwide.
Exploring the Violent Universe with the Chandra X-ray Observatory Scientists have captured a glimpse of X-radiation from the early phases of a supernova-one of the most violent events in nature! Observations from the Chandra X-ray Observatory-a major space telescope launched last July by NASA-include surprising details about supernovae, black holes, active galaxies, and clusters of galaxies. The Chandra X-ray Observatory provides images 10 times sharper than those previously available - it can dissect the energy content of celestial X-rays with a precision 1000 times that of earlier missions.
Factories of the Future Bacteria have the ability to carry out a broad array of chemical syntheses, more extensive than any existing chemical factory. In addition, bacteria use renewable resources and generate harmless byproducts. This lecture discusses the challenges and promise surrounding the use of bacteria as factories of the future, in environmentally benign chemical production and in environmental cleanup.
Federal Land Management Policy, Part 1 This program features Mark Rey, Under Secretary of Natural Resources and Environment of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, who addresses the issues and diversions in natural resources management today. UW forestry faculty members present other perspectives regarding land management policy issues, such as the roles and stewardship challenges of federal forest lands in the 21st century.
Federal Land Management Policy, Part 2 A continuation of "Federal Land Management Policy Issues, Part 1," this program features three additional UW forestry faculty members speaking on different aspects of federal land management policy issues. Topics include fire prevention, wildlife, and computer-based tools that facilitate sustainable management of forest lands. Mark Rey speaks on these issues from a federal government perspective.
Field Notes from a Catastrophe LIVE! with Elizabeth Kolbert Known for her insightful and thought-provoking journalism, New Yorker writer Elizabeth Kolbert tackles the controversial subject of global warming in her book, "Field Notes from a Catastrophe", the University of Washington's 2007 "Common Book" selection. Americans have been warned since the late nineteen-seventies that the buildup of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere threatens to melt the polar ice sheets and irreversibly change our climate. With little done since then to alter this dangerous course, now is the moment to salvage our future. By the end of the century, the world will likely be hotter than it's been in the last two million years, and the sweeping consequences of this change will determine the future of life on earth for generations to come.
Fishlift: The Recovery of an Ichthyosaur (short) Retrieving a 220 million year-old, 14-foot fossil from rock some 350 miles away posed a number of logistical problems for a team from the University of Alaska Museum in Fairbanks. Because those challenges proved so daunting, they called in the U.S. Army. Robert Hannon hosts a panel of scientists and an army helicopter pilot for a discussion of the unique challenges of conducting scientific research at high latitudes.
Fishlift: The Recovery of an Ichthyosaur Conversation (long) Retrieving a 220 million year-old, 14-foot fossil from rock some 350 miles away posed a number of logistical problems for a team from the University of Alaska Museum in Fairbanks. Because those challenges proved so daunting, the team called in the U.S. Army. Robert Hannon hosts a panel of scientists and an army helicopter pilot for a discussion of the unique challenges of conducting scientific research at high latitudes.
Focus the Nation: Let It Grow: Community, Gardens, Farm-to-School, and Farmers Markets Launched in Italy in 1986 to resist an opening of a McDonald’s restaurant near the Spanish Steps, the Slow Food Movement is quickly gaining momentum both in America and worldwide. Discover what this movement is about and what it could mean for the health of our society with Iris Peppard, community garden coordinator at the Service Learning Institute at California State University, Monterey Bay, and Kathryn Spencer, program coordinator of the Division of Science and Environmental Policy at CSU Monterey Bay. Learn how communities, farmers markets and shared gardens play a role in this movement, and how these initiatives are teaching school-aged children about food and nutrition. Explore what all of this could mean for the fast food industry.
"Global Climate Change: Observations from Native America";
"A Geological Perspective on Climate Change and Global Warming";
"Driving with a Conscience? On Vegetable Oil and Other Alternative Fuels."
Food Safety in the Supply Chain What weaknesses exist in the current U.S. food-supply chain? Find out how the system can be improved as we observe science and policy at work in a case study of the National School Lunch Program. How can consumers protect themselves from food-borne illnesses?
Forests Aflame: Strategies and Challenges for Managing Fire in the West Wildfires in western forests have become uncharacteristically severe, large, and frequent as a result of past forest management practices. Forests that historically benefited from natural wildfire are now being destroyed by these changing patterns. Today, we have the forest management tools to promote healthier, fire-safe forests. But challenges to using these tools at large landscape levels include social acceptance, global warming, and regional carbon balances.
Form and Textural Contrast in Garden Design and Plant Selection Dan Hinkley, horticulture expert, describes landscape design principles for creating more visually satisfying gardens. He outlines three important design concepts: the use of differing textural qualities of landscape subjects (accentuation), creating depth in plantings by the use of the vertical element (exclamation), and employing repetitive elements for continuity and cohesiveness (punctuation). Careful design planning, balancing form and textural contrast can provide instant gratification and transform nature into art.
Fossils, Genes, and Embryos Recent studies have identified important genes that direct embryonic development. Specific developmental regulators help define larger body regions, such as heads and tails or the left and right sides of the body. David M. Kingsley explains how many key developmental genes are conserved among animals that look very different. A diversity of body forms can emerge from changing where and when these shared developmental regulators are expressed. Fossils suggest that similar developmental mechanisms were used in animals that evolved millions of years ago.
From Butterflies to Humans The story of animal evolution is marked by key innovations such as limbs for walking on land, wings for flight, and color patterns for advertising or concealment. How do new traits arise? Sean B. Carroll, Ph.D. explores how new patterns evolve when 'old' genes learn new tricks. Old genes learning new tricks also apply to our own species and the evolution of traits that distinguish us from earlier hominids and other apes. Despite immense advances in evidence and understanding, there remains a societal struggle with the acceptance of our biological history and the evolutionary process.
From Geo to Bio: The Emergence of Biochemical Complexity Is life as we know it merely an improbable accident? Does life exist on other planets or just ours? Geophysicist Robert Hazen tackles these tough issues while acknowledging much mystery remains.
From Mad Cows to "Psi-chotic" Yeast What do "mad cows", people with neurodegenerative diseases and an unusual type of inheritance in yeast have in common? They are all experiencing the consequences of misfolded proteins. When misfolded proteins persist the consequences can be deadly, leading to such devastating diseases as Alzheimer's Disease. And, when passed from one individual to another, misfolded proteins produce infectious neurodegenerative diseases, like Mad Cow disease. Studies on a similar process in yeast cells have revealed beyond a reasonable doubt, a new protein-based mechanism of heredity in this organism. The process of protein misfolding in yeast provides an excellent model for understanding misfolded proteins in humans and accelerates the rate at which we can probe the nature of disease processes and test new therapeutic strategies.
From Rocks for Jocks to Physics for Poets: What Good is Science Education? Science information affects every part of our lives from the cars we drive to the foods we eat to the music we listen to. Improvements and innovations in all realms of society are based upon a baseline level of knowledge developed under the rigors of scientific exploration. Yet even with the importance placed on the practical use of scientific results, why is it that graduates of the most prestigious universities in America like MIT and Harvard cannot answer basic science questions like why there are four seasons or why we see phases of the moon? A decline in student achievement in basic science education threatens our legacy of contributing to scientific research and our economic competitiveness. Dr. David L. Evans, Smithsonian's Under Secretary for Science, talks about how the Smithsonian is helping to bridge the achievement gap in science education. He provides examples of how Smithsonian exhibits, educational programs, and online information help to inspire, inform, and educate our visitors.
From the Case Files: An Exploration of the History of Science and Technology The Franklin Institute offers an electronic presentation of its Case Files, a repository that exists as the documentary record of the Institute's science and technology Awards program. The University of Pennsylvania's Department of History and Sociology of Science hosted a Symposium to discuss the historical, scientific, and educational merit of the Case Files, which date from the 1820s, as a modern day resource for undergraduate, graduate, and professional scholars, as well as K-12 students. The focus of the presentation was on the early history of the computing industry, featuring key individuals including Hollerith, Burroughs, Eckert, Mauchly, Bardeen, Brittain, and Shannon.
From the Margin to the Mainstream: A Brief History of Climate Change Research In this National Science Foundation program, prominent researchers like Eric Barron, director of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, and Stephen Schneider, criminologist at Stanford University, take a look at the progression of climate research throughout history. The first steps toward civilization were taken during a dramatic upheaval in global temperature and weather patterns, and our evolving brains took note. But it wasn't until the development of a true scientific method and observation that the mysteries of the global climate began to present themselves. Since the 19th century, our understanding has grown, and only in the past 25 years have we begun to make great strides towards identifying our role in affecting future changes in global climate.
Future of Forensics Dr. Roger Stough explores the technological aspects of forensic science and its use by law enforcement, NASA and other technology fields.
Genetically Engineered Food: The Science Behind the Controversy Food plants modified by genetic engineering have been hailed by some as a technological marvel that will provide food security for the world's hungry, while being demonized by others as a serious threat to human health, a danger to the environment, and an economic weapon to increase the corporate control of agriculture. How does genetic engineering differ from traditionally accepted practices in crop breeding? Does genetic engineering of plants involve an unnatural breach of species boundaries? Do genetically engineered crops pose unique risks?
Genetically Engineered Weapons: Threat and Response This conference will identify the pressing ethical questions raised by bioterrorism, provide some context for thinking about these issues, and identify moral principles and values that should be utilized in thinking through the difficult challenges and choices that America now faces.
Genetics and Molecular Biotechnology: Departmental Seminar Why do some people get cancer and others not? Nobel Prize-winning work by Lee Hartwell has revealed a suite of genes that control cell growth and division to help understand why when two people have the same defective cancer gene, one succumbs at age 40 and the other at age 55. Humans have about 30,000 genes, and although two people may share the same mutant cancer gene, they differ at thousands of other genes. It is this variation that must be evaluated and understood. Hartwell examines how genetic variation in the human population can influence the cancer process. With an elegance and simplicity that has always marked Hartwells style, Nobel laureate Lee Hartwell delivers an insightful and thought-provoking analysis of this cutting edge question in biology. This program is made possible by the Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington.
Genomic Views of Human History New tools of genomic analysis are being used to shed light on historical puzzles. Migrations of ancient peoples, the effects of geographic boundaries on human movements, origins of ethnic groups, and racial differences are now the focus of integrated analysis by historians, anthropologists and geneticists. "When people move, they take their genes along and pass them on to their descendants in their new homes," Dr. Mary-Claire King states. "Thus, every present-day population retains clues to its ancient roots. Common ancestries can be confirmed and human migrations traced by comparing DNA sequences of present-day populations."
Grand Challenges in Globalizing Healthcare This panel discusses the challenges of globalizing healthcare, from financing new drug development to parity in drug availability to the infrastructure needed to support state of the art technology.
Have We Risen Above the Gathering Storm? / Hydrogen House / Green Engineering How has American competitiveness changed? Norman Augustine, former chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin, analyzes the direction we’ve taken since the release of “Rising Above the Gathering Storm,” a report published by business and government experts concerning the U.S. role in the marketplace and in science and technology. Also, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. presents a profile of innovative approaches to meet growing energy needs and the challenges of green engineering.
Healthy Grown Potatoes Wisconsin potato growers using 'Integrated Pest Management' are reducing pesticide use and marketing their potatoes under the 'Healthy Grown' brand. 'Healthy Grown' potatoes are certified by Protected Harvest and are grown in cooperation with the World Wildlife Fund, the UW-Madison, and Wisconsin potato growers.
Help Save America's Pearly Mussels Freshwater mussels serve as biological filters, food for wildlife, monitors of water quality, and the basis of a $50 million industry. America's Ohio River Basin is home to the largest and most diverse group of freshwater mussels in the world. This video reviews the natural history of freshwater mussels, focusing on their environmental, aesthetic, scientific, and commercial values. It also investigates their decline towards extinction, due to pollution, dam construction, and other human activities. Efforts to preserve, protect, and restore native mussel species are explored.
Hermaphrodites: The Safer Sex What can a microscopic worm teach us about sex? Dr. Barbara Meyer emphasizes the value of studying the model organism C. elegans, a roundworm which has two sexes, but with a twist: they are male and hermaphrodite. Dr. Meyer explains how a single gene acts as a 'master switch' to activate a series of additional genes, resulting in a biochemical cascade that leads the worm to become male or hermaphrodite. The surprising differences between male and hermaphrodite lifestyles are also discussed.
History of Forestry in the United States Steven Anderson, president of the Forest History Society, addresses the history of forestry in the United States, the origins of the UW College of Forest Resources, and the contributions that forestry and forest resources have made to the University of Washington, our state, and our country.
HIV/AIDS Research 2005: From Innovation to Intervention, Part 1 This symposium from the Penn Center for AIDS Research addresses basic,
clinical and behavioral sciences themes in HIV/AIDS research, as well as
issues that pertain to the urban and international AIDS epidemics. The Penn
Center for AIDS Research is one of 20 NIH-funded CFARs and includes HIV and
AIDS investigators at the University of Pennsylvania, the Children's
Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the Wistar Institute.
Hopkins Marine Station: The Blue Revolution This compelling documentary examines a wide range of research activities by the students and faculty of Hopkins Marine Station and looks at how marine research transfers into everyday, practical applications.
How Did This Universe Begin? (105) It's called 'The Big Bang' -- that inexplicable moment when an infinitesimally small point expanded majestically, and cooked up space, time, energy and matter into a colossal cosmic stew. How can we draw such a fine-grained portrait of the 'ultimate beginning' and what scientific answers reach across billions of years? Humanity's ancient and perpetual fascination with the universe's beginnings is discussed in light of recent, revolutionary discoveries in cosmology, and what they mean for human understanding.
How Do We Know? Physics, Forcings, and Fingerprints The National Science Foundation asks: How do we know the climate is changing? Is it just part of a natural cycle, or are humans driving the change? Richard Alley, glaciologist and professor of geosciences at Pennsylvania State University, leads a discussion with some of the world’s leading climate scientists. Join Alley and his panel as they explore these questions, laying out the line of reasoning that has led the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and many other scientific groups to conclude that humans are very likely the cause of the majority of current warming. This lively exploration into the fundamentals of climate change gives us a glimpse into the treasure trove of the deep past to see what might lie ahead in a warmer world.
How Does Basic Science Defend America? Science has always been divided between basic science, which may or may not have application to the world we live in and applied science, which directly feeds us useful products and services. But with the scientific spirit of discovery tempered by the past half-century's practicality, we've increasingly had to justify expenditures on basic science, whether by the need for national defense or other 'useful' scientific endeavors.
How Does Creativity Work at Work? (203) From genetics to cosmology to nanotechnology, science is on the brink of numerous and extraordinary mega-revolutions that will change the very nature of life. Closer to Truth brings together leading scientists, scholars and artists to debate many of today's fundamental issues. Joining host Robert Kuhn are television producer Stephen J. Cannell; inventor, author and entrepreneur Ray Kurzweil; author and authority on creativity and happiness Mihaly Csikszentmihaly; music educator Robert Freeman; and psychiatrist and corporate creativity expert John Kao. The panelists discuss the connection between creativity and innovation; how businesses can cultivate and grow organizational creativity; and why these attributes are so critical for organizations and individuals in today's changing work environment.
How Does Order Arise in the Universe? Get two Nobel laureates, put them in a room and try to shake them up, fail, and get a lot of visionary thinking about stars, planets, living things, people --plausible new theories of how all this developed from the maelstrom of the early universe. Joining host Robert Kuhn is David Baltimore, Nobel laureate in Medicine; and Murray Gell-Mann, Nobel laureate in Physics.
How Does Technology Transform Society? (210) From genetics to cosmology to nanotechnology, science is on the brink of numerous and extraordinary mega-revolutions that will change the very nature of life. Closer to Truth brings together leading scientists, scholars and artists to debate many of today's fundamental issues. Today's panelists discuss how technology is forever changing life as we know it and how change and continuing growth are just as unstoppable as social change is inevitable. Joining host Robert Kuhn are geopolitical economist Francis Fukuyama; artificial intelligence expert Marvin Minsky; technological innovator George Kozmetsky; scientist and sci-fi novelist Gregory Benford; and biophysicist Gregory Stock.
How Does Technology Transform Thinking? (111) Light-speed technology is accelerating, and even changing the way we think. So much so that you're irritated when there is a 10-second delay in downloading an Internet site even when just a few years ago you were thrilled to a same-day fax. Today's expert panelists take on technology to discuss what it is about technology that is affecting our modes of thought, how thinking has changed, and how humans can keep up with the raging pace of technological change. Joining host Robert Kuhn are geopolitical economist Francis Fukuyama; artificial intelligence expert Marvin Minsky; fuzzy logic expert Bart Kosko; planetary scientist Bruce Murray and technological innovator George Kozmetsky.
How Does the Autistic Brain Work? (303) Crammed into our craniums, the three-pound human brain may be the most complex matter in the universe. And, scientists are learning more about how it works by investigating how it doesn't work. A 13 year-old young man named Tito Mukhopadhyay may be the Rosetta stone for autism, revealing what it feels like to be autistic. Joining host Robert Kuhn are Eric Courchesne, Professor of Neuroscience, UC San Diego; Portia Iversen of Cure Autism Now; Teacher Soma Mukhopadhyay; Erin Schuman, Associate Professor of Biology, Caltech; and Terrence Sejnowski, Director of Computational
Biology, Salk Institute.
How Weird is the Cosmos? (304) The Cosmos is weirder than we think. It's so weird that four experts can only sit around and laugh as they outdo each other in trading stories about amazing findings and discoveries. Joining host Robert Kuhn are Roger Blandford, Theoretical Astrophysics, Caltech; David Goodstein, Professor of Physics and Applied Physics, Caltech; Alan Guth, Physics, MIT; and Neil deGrasse Tyson, Director of the Hayden Planetarium.
Hubble Space Telescope Glimpsing the Birth of the Universe The University of Washington Astronomy Department and the Second Century Lecture Series of the American Astronomical Society present this lecture by associate director for science of the and former UW Astronomy Professor, Space Telescope Science Institute, Bruce Margon. Margon looks at the astronomical discoveries and achievements of one of the great observatories of all time, the Hubble Space Telescope. His talk emphasizes how its images and results help us further understand the origin of the universe, as well as the stars and galaxies within it.
Human Genomics: A New Guide for Medicine How different are two human beings from each other? Dr. Eric Lander explores human genetic variation, explaining how an understanding of small variations in DNA in individuals can help solve the mysteries of certain human diseases. Dr. Lander demonstrates an exciting new tool—the DNA microarray—that can be used to improve cancer diagnosis and treatment, and potentially increase our understanding of complex diseases.
Human Health for Long Duration Exploration, Part 1 This program is one of the 2008 Association of Space Explorers five-part series. It features Dr. Bonnie Dunbar, former NASA astronaut, discussing Human Health for Long Duration Exploration, followed by a panel discussion with astronauts Catherine “Cady” Coleman, Paola Nespoli, Akihiko Hoshide, Dr. Millie Hughes-Fulford, Dr. Bonnie Dunbar, and cosmonauts Reinhold Ewald and Pavel Vinogradov.
Human Health for Long Duration Exploration, Part 2 This program is one of the 2008 Association of Space Explorers five-part series. It features Pavel Vinogradov, Russian cosmonaut, reviewing his country’s space program.
Humboldt Marine Science Students and the Eelgrass - Waterfowl Connection Frank J. Shaughnessy, professor of botany at Humboldt State University, discusses the complex role that eel grass plays in coastal areas. Humboldt Bay is home to 45 percent of California’s eel grass and its presence is felt both in its ecosystem as well as in the commercial fishing industry. Find out how Brant geese are impacting eel grass and potentially the changing of Humboldt Bay.
Hurricane Katrina: Perspectives on Hurricane Forecasting In a blow-by-blow account of Hurricane Katrina’s rampage, Max Mayfield, former director of the National Hurricane Center, describes what went right and the many things that went right. Learn about one of America’s most devastating natural disasters and the advantages to scientists and policymakers alike in establishing a detailed assessment of all factors that contribute to natural catastrophes.
Hydrology in an Era of Global Change Flood control, irrigation, water supply and hydroelectric power – all require the research of hydrology, the scientific study of earth’s water. Professor Dennis Lettenmaier, in his 2008 Robert E. Horton Lecture on hydrology, traces the history of how hydrologists and meteorologists have helped us to understand the water cycle. As hydrology moves from a qualitative to quantitative science, some are concerned about whether we will be able to answer questions essential to our nation and our world in this era of global change. Lettenmaier uses a projection of the water resources at the Colorado River Basin as a key example of this concern.
Identifying Regulatory Motifs in DNA Sequences Although many genome sequencing projects are completed or are nearing completion, important questions about the interpretation of those DNA sequences remain. This program surveys three very different computational methods that have been developed for the discovery of novel regulatory elements. This is joint work with Mathieu Blanchette, Jeremy Buhler, Benno Schwikowski, and Saurabh Sinha.
Imagine It! Join hundreds of universities and thousands of students from around the world to participate in a global challenge—to add value to a pack of Post-It Notes in just six days! It was all part of Imagine It!—an “innovation-education” program to inspire the next generation to imagine and bring about a more perfect world. Discover what the minds of tomorrow are thinking about in this program that raises awareness in health, politics, arts and most importantly, imagination.
Improbable Research and Public Support for Science Marc Abrahams, editor and co-founder of the science humor magazine 'Annals of Improbable Research' and father of the Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony, shows us how science can make you laugh and make you think. He joins the NSF Lecture Series of Science Communicators with a talk on both the funny side and the importance of science, medicine, and technology.
Improving Life: 2006 Nobel Laureates Symposium The Nobel Prize represents the pinnacle of human achievement, honoring work that has had a transformational impact on the pursuit of knowledge. The Swedish embassy brought four of the winners for 2006 together for an extraordinary conversation. Join Andrew Fire and Craig Mello--the laureates in physiology or medicine--and John Mather and George Smoot--the winners in physics--for a rare and remarkable glimpse into some of the nation's finest minds. Part two of the episode is an interview with Medal of Science winner Anthony Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at NIH.
(CC)
In Search of Safer Cars/The Threat of Cholera Auto safety researchers study the injuries of crash test dummies to determine what automobile designs are safest for human beings. "Gateways" visits the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in Ruckersville, VA, one of the most sophisticated crash test facilities in the world. and Ongoing efforts to stop the spread of cholera at home and abroad.
In Support of Non-Industrial Private Forest Landowners, Part 1 In concert with the recent evolution of environmental regulations, several state and federally funded programs have taken shape to support private landowners. Speakers representing these programs describe who can benefit, how the programs work and how to tap into these valuable resources. Bruce Bare and Rachel Woods host this 3-part series.
In Support of Non-Industrial Private Forest Landowners, Part 2 In concert with the recent evolution of environmental regulations, several state and federally funded programs have taken shape to support private landowners. Speakers representing these programs describe who can benefit, how the programs work and how to tap into these valuable resources. Bruce Bare and Rachel Woods host this 3-part series.
In Support of Non-Industrial Private Forest Landowners, Part 3 In concert with the recent evolution of environmental regulations, several state and federally funded programs have taken shape to support private landowners. Speakers representing these programs describe who can benefit, how the programs work and how to tap into these valuable resources. Bruce Bare and Rachel Woods host this 3-part series.
Innovation and Energy Security: A Leadership Odyssey Few issues loom as ominously over our future as energy use. In this lecture, Shirley Ann Jackson, president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, argues that we cannot meet tomorrow's energy security needs by relying on our present, rapidly aging science and technology workforce. The need to replenish the nation's inventory of ingenuity, she says, has become a "quiet crisis." It can only be addressed by identifying and developing new, home-grown science and engineering talent from all sectors of our society. If that effort does not begin vigorously and soon, she contents, the United States will fall behind other countries for the first time since World War II. That would be a catastrophe, because, in Dr. Jackson's view, the search for new energy solutions is "the space race of this millennium."
Innovations 1, AGNR and IAA Explore the College of Agriculture and National Resources (AGNR) and the Institute of Applied Agriculture (IAA) at the University of Maryland with professors Andy Baldwin, Leon Slaughter and Tom Porter. Learn what defines agriculture and natural resources today, and how technology and research have incorporated cutting-edge science into these time-honored traditions.
Innovations 2, Food Quality and Safety Learn how researchers are helping to improve food nutritional content by creating better crops through this discussion with Leon H. Slaughter, professor and associate dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (AGNR) at the University of Maryland at College Park; Mickey Parish, professor and chair of the nutrition and food sciences department at the University of Maryland’s AGNR; and Jose Costa, professor in the AGNR’s plant science and landscape architecture department. The program also covers food safety issues in the United States and also how to improve food preparation in the home.
Innovations 3, Horses Examine new equine research and what it indicates about the health and nutrition of horses with experts at the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (AGNR) at the University of Maryland in College Park. Leon H. Slaughter, professor and associate dean at AGNR, sits down with Amy Ordakowski Burk, horse extension specialist at the AGNR’s Animal and Avian Science Department, and Erin D. Pittman, equine extension specialist at the AGNR’s Institute of Applied Agriculture.
Innovations 4, Lawn and Gardening Can your lawn be green in more ways than one? Experts at the University of Maryland’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (AGNR) share lawn and gardening tips that are mindful of the environment. Learn from pros Ray Weil, professor in the Environmental Science and Technology Department; Kevin Mathias, lecturer at the Institute of Applied Agriculture at AGNR; and Thomas R. Turner, professor in the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture at AGNR.
Innovations in Teaching A group of undergraduate engineering students show-off a teaching kit that they have created to help instruct high school students in the area of genetic engineering. And, we learn about the CORI program, designed by a University of Maryland professor, to encourage better reading skills in elementary students through the use of hands-on science experiments.
Insects and the Forests of the Pacific Northwest Understanding the cause and effect interactions between insects and their host-trees is key to our developing awareness of the integral role that insects play in maintaining the biodiversity and resilience of Pacific Northwestern forests. Robert Gara, UW professor of forest entomology, discusses insects' role in sustaining vigorous forests and effective techniques for managing insect outbreaks. Protecting forest biodiversity and resilience while effectively managing such outbreaks is a future challenge for the entomological profession.
Insights from Penguins Having spent 30 years studying penguins in the Galapagos Islands and Antarctica, Dee Boersma discusses how many species of penguins are rapidly declining as humans modify the environment, catch fish, spill oil and encroach on their world.
Intelligent Design and Creationism/Evolution Controversy 'Intelligent Design' (ID) is a new form of creationism that emerged after legal decisions in the 1980s hampered the inclusion of 'creation science' in the public school curriculum. In the 20 years since ID appeared, there has been no evidence of it being used to solve problems in biology. Although the scientific/scholarly part of ID has been a failure, the 'cultural renewal' part of ID has been a success, as supporters of ID seek 'restoration' of a theistic sensibility in American culture to replace what they consider an overemphasis on secularism. Eugenie C. Scott, Executive Director of the National Center for Science Education, tackles the issue of evolution and science in the classroom.
International Space Programs Review, Part 1 This program is one of the 2008 Association of Space Explorers five-part series. It features Catherine “Cady” Coleman, NASA astronaut, and Chris Hadfield, Canadian astronaut, reviewing their countries’ space programs.
International Space Programs Review, Part 2 This program is one of the2008 Association of Space Explorers five-part series. It features Paolo Nespoli, Italian astronaut, and Akihiko Hoshide, Japanese astronaut, reviewing their countries’ space programs.
International Space Programs Review, Part 3 This program is one of the 2008 Association of Space Explorers five-part series. It features Dr. Millie Hughes-Fulford, former NASA astronaut, discussing Human Health for Long Duration Exploration.
Internet2: Distance Education Suzanne Weaver Smith, professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Kentucky, joins with Gregory Davis, mechanical systems lead technologist, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and other leaders in the field to introduce students to aerospace engineering through a distance education event. Find out why it is important for students to be immersed in aerospace engineering and how effective an interactive learning experience, which includes activities such as teleconferencing, can be.
Invasive Species in the Pacific Northwest, Part 1 In part one of a two-part series, experts in urban conservation biology, forest entomology and
forest pathology discuss how invasive species are influencing native plant species unique to forests in the
Pacific Northwest. Invasive Species in Pacific Northwest Ecosystems is the ninth topic in the Denman Forestry
Issues Series.
Invasive Species in the Pacific Northwest, Part 2 In part two of a two-part series, experts in wildlife biology, entomology, and environmental law and policy discuss the need for managing invasive species to preserve and restore habitats. The impact of
non-native and exotic plant and insect species is explored through current research projects involving
invasive bird species, West Nile virus, biological control of Spartina in Willapa Bay, and processes for
regulating invasive species by the Washington State Department of Agriculture. Invasive Species in Pacific
Northwest Ecosystems is the ninth topic in the Denman Forestry Issues Series.
Investigating a Warming Arctic: A Conversation (long) Researchers from many disciplines have long looked to the Arctic for signs of climate change and an understanding of the dynamic interrelationship of changes in local ecosystems and global change. As the complexity of these relationships has become clearer, this research has become increasingly interdisciplinary. Three prominent members of the Arctic research community discuss the changing nature of both the research and the researchers.
Is Evolution an Algorithmic Process? Daniel Dennett discusses his research into Darwin's evolutionary theory of natural selection and describes its suggestion of evolution as an algorithmic process.
Is Global Climate Change Affecting Hurricanes? After the disastrous 2005 hurricane season, which brought Katrina, Rita, Wilma and more, the link between global climate change, warming sea, surface temperature and hurricanes was front page news. Does climate change affect hurricanes? As Prof. Kerry Emanuel explains in the second in his series of lectures, the answer is yes...but the answer is also complex given the many factors involved.
Is Science Fiction Science? (301) Science Fiction enables scientific creativity to break free, unrestricted by the laws of nature as we know them, and allows contemporary issues to be explored in radically different environments than the normal trappings. By definition, Science Fiction is a genre that creates alternate scenarios and then watches them play out. Joining host Robert Kuhn is author/producer/director Michael Crichton; Physicist David Brin; and author Octavia E. Butler.
Is the Universe Full of Life? (313) Closer to Truth brings together leading scientists, scholars and artists to debate the fundamental issues of our times. Human have long wondered whether life exists beyond our home planet. In recent years, a host of new technologies are turning speculation into science. We now have the ability to discern the atmostphere of an extra-solar planet so distant we can't even see it, to detect the presence of dozens of new planets circling stars similar to our own sun, and have discovered life in environments on Earth so extreme it's not unreasonable to imagine that microbes -- or more -- may flourish elsewhere in the Universe. Joining host Robert Kuhn are Shri Kulkarni, Planetary Astronomer, Caltech; Bruce Murray, Planetary Astronomer and Geologist, Caltech; and Neil de Grasse Tyson, Director, Hayden Planetarium.
It's A Small World Ocean - Better Ocean Management Through Science The world's ocean is still the "undiscovered frontier" although a key component of the earth's eco and climate systems. Federal and state governments are investing in Ocean Observing Systems (OOS), so that we may monitor and make well-informed decisions for coastal and marine resource management. This program focuses on real-time water quality monitoring in Humboldt Bay (the second largest estuary in California), real-time ocean current mapping across the continental shelf, and seasonal monitoring of the coastal ocean environment and its denizens. These monitoring programs are informing us of ocean conditions and variability, and local and large-scale environmental changes, which are altering the ways we view and manage our precious ocean and its resources.
It's All About the Brain The complex set of mechanisms in our brain provide for fascinating studies and the University of Maryland is on the cutting edge of this research. Dr. Andrew Wolvin meets with researchers to discuss how the brain learns and tours the new MEG Lab at the University of Maryland.
Jefferson and Race For many of us, it has been years since a science teacher forced us to think about DNA. Now, as the controversy over Thomas Jefferson's DNA resurfaces, one of the nation's leading historians on race and slavery faces the challenge of explaining DNA and its relationship to the preoccupation with race in America.
Kathryn Moler - Assistant Professor of Physics Kathryn Moler is assistant professor of physics at Stanford whose research focuses on the development of lacal magnetic probes and on their application to studying the physics of materials. Scanning magnetic detectors, such as SQUID's and Hall Probes, can be used in a variable-temperature magnetic imaging system to study everything from the bits on a floppy disk to vortices in superconductors. She talks with Alan Acosta.
Keeping Our Northwest Forest Landscape Green, Part 1 The University of Washington College of Forest Resources, through a generous grant from the Denman Endowment for Student Excellence in Forest Resources, presents a lecture series focusing on sustainable resource management issues for Pacific Northwest forests.
The first in the two-part series features experts in forest economics and management as well as environmental preservation and public and private ownership of our forested landscape.
Keeping Our Northwest Forest Landscape Green, Part 2 The University of Washington College of Forest Resources, through a generous grant from the Denman Endowment for Student Excellence in Forest Resources, presents a lecture series focusing on sustainable resource management issues for Pacific Northwest forests.
The second of a two-part series features experts in forest economics and management as well as environmental preservation and public and private ownership of our forested landscape.
King Cove and Pavlof Fieldwork Scientist Steve McNutt of the Geophysical Institute at University of Alaska Fairbanks created this video of King Cove and Pavlof fieldwork from June 17 to July 12, 1996.
Learn About Woodland Park Zoo's Successful Programs Protecting Wildlife in the Northwest and Around the World Join us for an informational Giving Campaign Lunch:
Hear from our Conservation Director and Zoomazium Program Director
See cool animals!
Learn about the challenge match to double your gift!
Woodland Park Zoo
(and Zoological Society; agency ID # 1211)
Protecting threatened wildlife around the world, including Western lowland gorilla, jaguar, tree kangaroo, hornbill, African wild dog, and more. Providing innovative new education facilities for kids, such as Zoomazium.
Learning About the Genome: Discriminative and Generative Modeling of Heterogenous Data The quantity and variety of molecular biological data presents a challenge for the field of machine learning. Converting this raw data into a unified model of the molecular machinery of the cell requires learning algorithms that are capable of incorporating significant prior biological knowledge and of deriving knowledge from multiple types of data. This talk describes two learning algorithms that address these core problems.
Learning from Sea Creatures In this episode, hunt for shark's teeth with Bretton Kent, Ph.D., who is studying the teeth to learn more about the feeding habits of sharks. He is hoping to learn how current shark populations live and hunt by studying those that are extinct. Then meet researchers, Avis Cohen, Ph.D., and Ralph Etienne-Cummings, Ph.D., who are working on a joint project that will eventually help those with spinal cord injuries. Cohen is studying the movements and spinal regeneration in the lamprey eel and Etienne-Cummings is using Cohen's data to produce computer chips, that when placed in a robot, actually mimic human movement.
Legacy of a Vision This brief video describes the groundbreaking educational television series, The Johns Hopkins Science Review, which debuted in 1948 and aired for 12 years. This is a promotional video that was made in 1990, in hopes of getting a grant to save the old Science Review films.
Life at the Ends of Your Chromosomes: How to Stay Forever Young? Do you know what goes on at the ends of your chromosomes? Do you know how that activity may effect aging? You know about DNA, but do you know about the ends of your chromosomes, or telomeres? The telomeres are copied by telomerase, a molecular machine distinct from other replication machines in the chromosome. Find out how telomerase is implicated in both cellular aging and cancer.
Life in the Underground: Symbiosis, Phytochemicals, and Agriculture How do soil bacteria communicate with certain plants to achieve a mutually beneficial relationship? How do these two organisms recognize one another? Understanding the details of this beneficial symbiosis may offer insights into other bacterial infections linked to plant and animal disease, and may suggest how we can better manage agricultural resources in an era when fertilizer use is more expensive and problematic.
Lost in Space: The Fall of NASA and the Dream of the New Space Age In Lost in Space: The Fall of NASA and the Dream of a New Space Age, Greg Klerkx argues that ever since the triumphant Apollo missions, the Space Age has been stuck in the wrong orbit… and that NASA, the agency whose daring once fuelled the world’s space-faring vision, has been largely responsible for keeping it there. Down the years, NASA has ignored, belittled and actively quashed the one concept that could change the equation for the future of humans in space: human spaceflight as a free market activity.
Despite this, a new Space Age is in the making led by dreamers, investors, inventors and even renegades from NASA itself. In his talk on September 9, Klerkx will explain why NASA is struggling to hold onto the space shuttle even in the face of two disasters, what it felt like to sit inside the history-making SpaceShipOne, and whether or not President Bush’s new mandate to go back to the moon is likely to succeed. He will also update us on the activities of the SETI Institute, an organization he was part of for more than five years, and the critical role that Microsoft has had in SETI’s post-NASA revival.
Macademia Nuts The University of Hawaii has developed a new technology that turns locally available macademia nut shells into charcoal for use locally and for export.
Major Discoveries and Performance of the American System of Science Rogers Hollingsworth, director of the Institute for Biomedical Research at the University of Wisconsin, discusses the organizational and psychological factors influencing creativity in fundamental science. The data set for this lecture involves many years of research about more than 750 research organizations in Britain, France, Germany, and the United States and about 2100 laboratories. It is based on an analysis of 291 major discoveries; in-depth interviews with approximately 500 scientists, administrators, and officers of major funding agencies on both sides of the atlantic; and archival research.
Making Genetic Networks Operate Robustly: Unintelligent Non-design Suffices Mathematical computer models of two ancient and famous genetic networks act early in embryos of many different species to determine the body plan. Models revealed these networks to be astonishingly robust, despite their 'unintelligent design.' This examines the use of mathematical models to shed light on how biological, pattern-forming gene networks operate and how thoughtless, haphazard, non-design produces networks whose robustness seems inspired, begging the question what else unintelligent non-design might be capable of.
Malaria: Hot Times for a Bad Disease Dr. Wesley Van Voorhis, acting head of UW’s allergy and infectious diseases division, talks about the ongoing battle against malaria — one of the world’s most common infectious diseases.
Mapping Memory in the Brain Eric R. Kandel, Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, probes into the mind to demonstrate how it is much more complex than just a series of processes carried out by the brain. The brain produces our every emotional, intellectual and athletic act. It allows us to acquire new facts and skills, and to remember them for as long as a lifetime. Memory exists in two major forms, each located in different brain regions. Explicit memory is for people, places, and objects. In contrast, implicit memory serves perceptual and motor skills. In concert, these two memory systems help make us who we are.
Mario Pineda, MD, PhD, Molecular and Cellular Biology Program Molecular and Cellular Biology graduate and MSTP student, Mario Pineda always intended to become a physician for underserved populations. While pursuing this goal as an undergrad, he became engaged in HIV/AID research. He learned about the Medical Science Training Program (MSTP) offered through MCB, that would allow him to get a PhD in biomedical sciences and complete his training as an M.D. Mario describes the flexibility of the MCB Program as the lure that attracted him to this doctoral program, but the hook was his ability to use an Antarctic teaching experience as one of his TA requirements.
Megatrends at the Start of the 21st Century How can chemical engineering contribute to solving some of the world’s most pressing issues related to energy, the environment and health care? Dr. Nance Dicciani, president and CEO of Honeywell Specialty Materials, highlights trends and needs for the 21st century. Ranked by Forbes magazine as one of “The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women,” Dicciani was appointed to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology in 2006.
Memories are Made of This Eric R. Kandel, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, examines whether the brain's two major memory systems, implicit and explicit, have any common features. Implicit and explicit memory both have a short-term component lasting minutes, such as remembering the telephone number you just looked up, and a long-term component that lasts days, weeks, or a lifetime, such as remembering your mother's birthday. Short-term memory is mediated by modifications of existing proteins, leading to temporary changes in the strength of communication between nerve cells. In contrast, long-term memory involves alterations of gene expression, synthesis of new proteins and growth of new synaptic connections.
Mental Messages: What are the workhorse signal systems that make the brain? One goal of neurobiology is to explain the brain in terms of laws of physics and chemistry. Indeed, our understanding of machine-like fast chemical and electrical signals at the level of molecules and single cells is quite mature. A slower chemical signaling system apparently adjusts appetites, mood, alertness, aspects of personality, and perception of reality, which seem more personal and less machine-like.
The Wellspring of Discovery
This 50th anniversary symposium provides an opportunity to reflect on the agency's role as a wellspring for discoveries. NSF's work has nourished discovery as well as our nation's economy; the challenge now is to sustain the exploration and to convey the "awed wonder" of science.
Microbe Hunters: Tracking Infectious Agents How does a tiny virus wreak havoc on the human body to create modern-day scourges such as AIDS? Noted virologist and AIDS expert Dr. Donald Ganem offers a comprehensive primer on viruses, explaining how they reproduce and infect cells, and why it often takes a team of scientists and physicians to identify pathogens that cause disease. Ganem also describes the important role of DNA-based techniques in identifying infectious agents.
Microbes - Friend or Foe? (305) Bacteria have become resistant to our antibiotics. Viruses evolve with blinding speed. Prions may lurk in our meat. Anthrax is put into our mail. Stranger yet, could microbes be causing other illnesses, like cancers and heart attacks? Joining host Robert Kuhn are Agnes Day, Associate Professor, Howard University; Paul Ewald, Professor of Biology, University of Kentucky; and Alice S. Huang, Microbiologist, Caltech.
Millie Dresselhaus: In Science, The Real Deal Hailed as the “Queen of Carbon Science,” Mildred Dresselhaus has been named the National Science Board’s 2009 Vannevar Bush Awardee. Throughout her enduring career as a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), she has pushed the boundaries of scientific knowledge, expanding the field of carbon science into previously unknown realms. In this video from the National Science Foundation, Dresselhaus shares her efforts to increase opportunities for women in science, and discusses her research that has been at the forefront of numerous discoveries.
Molecular Biology and Viral Dynamics of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Stanford School of Medicine presents a comprehensive guide to the Human Immunodeficiency Virus infection. In this series, medical experts from Stanford and peer institutions address the latest research, diagnostic procedures and treatments.
Mount Redoubt Simulation A simulation created by the University of Alaska Fairbanks Supercomputer Center. The graphics simulation demonstrates the ash fallout and effects of Mt. Redoubt.
Movement in Biology: Insect Flight and Reverse Engineering Animal movement emerges from a complex and dynamic interaction between neural control circuits, muscle force generation, and a remarkable array of actuators ranging from wings to fins to legs. Studies of animal movement give us insight into complexity of biological systems and, at the same time, provides inspiration for the design of a new generation of robots. Daniel tours the world of animal movement and highlights student research projects that shed new light on how creatures control and produce an extraordinary array of motions.
Mt. St. Helens When Mt. St. Helens woke from relative slumber in late 2004, the whole world seemed to hold its breath, wondering if there would be an eruption to rival that of the 1980 blast. Today, many are left speculating on what is next for this seemingly erratic volcano. After decades of researching Mt. St. Helens, renowned UW professor and seismologist Steve Malone answers the questions of when its next big eruption will occur, how big it will be and how much advance warning we will have before it blows.
Nan Hatch, DDS, PhD, Molecular and Cellular Biology Program Molecular and Cellular Biology graduate student, Nan Hatch, joined the Program after completing her advance degree in dentistry. She discovered the MCB Program while interviewing with the Orthodontics Department at the UW. She was impressed by a program that combines both research and orthodontics. She received a PhD from the MCB Program and completed a two-and-a-half year Orthodontics Residency. MCB offers access to strong labs, hundreds of principal investigators, and a flexible attitude toward research.
Nanotechnology: Engineering the Fabric for Our Future Professor Vogel provides an overview of recent developments in nanoscale technologies. Exploitation of the unique properties and phenomena at the nanoscale; a billionth of a meter; has already triggered a revolution in science, engineering and medicine. New technologies make it possible to analyze and manipulate synthetic and biological systems at the level of atoms and molecules.
Natural Resource Issues in the Pacific Northwest: The Next Century Bruce Bare, dean and professor in the College of Forest Resources at the University of Washington, discusses the future sustainability of our natural resources and the challenges and opportunities involved in the stewardship of these resources for future generations.
Neonatal Immunity to Pulmonary Pathogens Beth A. Garvy, associate professor in the department of internal medicine at the University of Kentucky, distinguishes between neonatal and adult immune functions by aiming to understand the epidemiology of pulmonary infections in infants. Also, learn about the underlying immune mechanisms responsible for increased susceptibility of infants to pulmonary pathogens and delve into the topic of immunotherapies that can stimulate host defense in neonatal lungs.
NEPTUNE Ocean Observatory The UW has a leadership role in NEPTUNE, a revolutionary ocean observatory being built off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia. The 3,000-km network of heavily instrumented fiber-optic/power cables will enable regional-scale, real-time, interactive observations and experiments with the ocean, the seafloor, and the biological communities that thrive in these environments. Hardwired to the Internet, the network will provide scientists, students, educators, and the public with virtual access to remarkable parts of our planet, rarely visited by humans. Imagery collected by robotic vehicles includes submarine volcanoes and 700°F seafloor hot springs.
Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory In 1992, the only Neutral Buoyancy Research Facility located on a college campus was completed at the University of Maryland. The Neutral Buoyancy tank simulates weightlessness and is instrumental in current research to develop robotic systems capable of assisting astronauts.
New Communities for the New Millennium? (104) The word 'community' may sound archaic, a social remnant of the idyllic 1950s. But paradoxically, in our high-tech age of instant information, 'community' is more relevant than ever, though its broader boundaries and greater diversities may surprise you. Today's panelists explore communities in all forms, from political and social to scientific and technological.
New Methods in Soil Ecology: Combining Biology and Computation Microorganisms make up a huge but largely unknown part of the biosphere. Developing a better understanding of the complex interactions between microorganisms and their surrounding environments, including soil, requires developing new methodologies. Many of them rely heavily on computation techniques. Joseph provides some biological background, at a level accessible to a computer science audience. She then discusses the computational work that is currently being done in this area. Finally, she talks about the much larger collection of problems that remains unsolved.
New Traffic Tracking Technologies Lovell and Hagberg join Andrew Wolvin, Ph.D., to discuss traffic reporting and tracking through the use of cellular and digital phones, and genetic research linking high blood pressure diagnosis with our DNA.
North Pole Environmental Observatory Over the past ten years dramatic changes to the atmosphere, ice, and Arctic Ocean have occurred having an effect on everything from temperatures to rainfall over the rest of the planet. In an effort to better understand these changes and unlock the secrets of global climate change, an international team of scientists funded by the National Science Foundation has established a permanent observatory near the North Pole. For the fourth straight year, a team set up camp on the sea ice to deploy buoys, retrieve a 2-mile long mooring, and take samples from the Arctic Ocean.
Not Your Father's Space Race Mary Sue Coleman, President of the University of Michigan, discusses innovation challenges in science and technology at the National Press Club.
Novel Ways to Construct and Use Nanoscale Devices for Biochemical Analysis - Babak Parviz, Ph.D. Recent advances in the electronics industry have enabled access to a number of sophisticated technologies at low costs. Univesersity of Washington's associate professor of Electrical Engineering, Dr. Babak Parviz, discusses a few aspects of the use of these technologies in detecting biomolecules of interest, such as direct nano-scale electronic detection of biomarkers and construction of low-cost disposable biosensors.
Octopus Ballet The white octopus in this video was filmed with a high-definition underwater video camera at 6600 feet depth 200 miles off the coast of Oregon in September 2005 as part of the VISIONS '05 expedition led by Professors John Delaney and Deborah Kelly of the University of Washington.
Little is known about the deep-sea octopuses that live in proximity to the hydrothermal vent fields associated with the underwater volcanos of the Juan de Fuca Ridge in the Northeast Pacific Ocean.
This video features the Grimpoteuthis bathynectes species. Sometimes nicknamed the "Dumbo" octopus, its "ears" are really fins that help it move through the water.
On the Scale and Unity of Life from Cells to Cities Life is the most complex phenomenon in the universe. Yet, remarkably, many of its most complex attributes scale with size in a surprisingly simple fashion. As we look at organisms from the tiniest to the largest, lifespans and growth rates, for example, increase with exponents which are typically simple powers of 1/4. Geoffrey West, president of the Sante Fe Institute, shows how these scaling laws follow from fundamental generic principles embedded in the dynamical and geometrical structure of underlying networks, leading to a general quantitative theory that captures essential features of many diverse biological systems. He then extends these ideas to discuss urban systems: to what extent are cities an extension of biology?
Optoelectronics Larry Dalton, inventor of the "opto-chip," discusses his research into the use of the next level electro-optic materials. These materials can be used for many different functions, including next generation computing, telecommunications, transportation, energy management, medicine, home management, and entertainment.
Outwitting Bacteria’s Wily Ways Focusing on three different types of bacteria that contaminate food—E.coli, Salmonella and Listeria—Dr. Brett Finlay illustrates the clever tactics bacteria use to infect our bodies and survive in hostile places. Finlay explains how an understanding of the role of virulence factors—tricks that let pathogens thrive in the human body—in causing disease can lead to potential new therapies for treatment and prevention.
Overlooked Achievement: The Life of Lise Meitner Other than Marie Curie, little is known about women scientists. Ruth Lewin Sime, author of “Lise Meitner: A Life in Physics,” discusses the life of Meitner, a pioneer in nuclear physics and the epic story behind her co-discovery of nuclear fission.
Paleontology Unit, Dinosaur Dig, and Materials Science and Technology Program A second-grade teacher at Franklin Elementary and a high-school materials science and technology teacher in Washington discuss programs they have developed to engage their students in contextual teaching and learning inside the classroom.
Part 06: Adjustment for Covariates I In Session 6, Professor Scott Emerson discusses indicators for transforming predictor variables. Professor Emerson is a Professor of Biostatistics at the University of Washington. This course was offered at the 2003 Epidemiology and Biostatistics Summer Session, sponsored by the Seattle Epidemiologic Research and Information Center (ERIC), the Department of Veterans Affairs and the University of Washington.
Part 07: Adjustments for Covariates II In Session 7, Professor Scott Emerson discusses the importance of covariate adjustment for confounding, precision and effect modification. Professor Emerson is a Professor of Biostatistics at the University of Washington. This course was offered at the 2003 Epidemiology and Biostatistics Summer Session, sponsored by the Seattle Epidemiologic Research and Information Center (ERIC), the Department of Veterans Affairs and the University of Washington.
Part 08: Adjustments for Covariates III In Session 8, Professor Scott Emerson demonstrates the importance of covariate adjustment for confounding, precision and effect modification through one specific example. Professor Emerson is a Professor of Biostatistics at the University of Washington. This course was offered at the 2003 Epidemiology and Biostatistics Summer Session, sponsored by the Seattle Epidemiologic Research and Information Center (ERIC), the Department of Veterans Affairs and the University of Washington.
Part 09: Other Regression Models In Session 9, Professor Scott Emerson describes similarities between a generalized regression model and logistic and proportional hazards regression. Professor Emerson is a Professor of Biostatistics at the University of Washington. This course was offered at the 2003 Epidemiology and Biostatistics Summer Session, sponsored by the Seattle Epidemiologic Research and Information Center (ERIC), the Department of Veterans Affairs and the University of Washington.
Part 1: What Will Science Be Like in the Future? UW faculty converse about the future of where science is going, and what role the UW will play. This program, part one of two, centers around new fields and disciplines, new frontiers of discovery and the sociology of research.
Part 10: Case Diagnostics In Session 10, Professor Scott Emerson discusses outliers, influence and applications with interactions. Professor Emerson is a Professor of Biostatistics at the University of Washington. This course was offered at the 2003 Epidemiology and Biostatistics Summer Session, sponsored by the Seattle Epidemiologic Research and Information Center (ERIC), the Department of Veterans Affairs and the University of Washington.
Part 2: What Will the University of Washington Contribute to the Future? UW faculty converse about the future of where science is going, and what role the UW will play. This program, which is the second half of a two-part series, focuses on human health, quality of life, learning and behavior, education, public and social outreach, and the role of the university in society.
People: The Ultimate Challenge for Developing Cyberinfrastructure Dr. Kerstin Lehnert provides insights into cyberinfrastructure projects in geochemistry. She describes efforts related to successfully building new communities of users and information scientists and what must be done in order to use cyberinfrastructure effectively in geochemistry. Program also features a discussion of Johns Hopkins University's research in wind turbine technology.
PERfect TIMing The fruit fly’s internal clock mechanism, like the human mechanism, involves the complex interaction of many genes that produce the organism’s molecular clockworks. Dr. Michael Rosbash explains how fluctuating levels of specific cellular proteins operate in a negative-feedback loop to produce a molecular timekeeping mechanism. This “negative-feedback model” has proved applicable to clocks that are present in nearly every organism studied to date, from bacteria to mice and humans.
Performing Arts Research We follow the research process of two University of Maryland Theatre Department professors as they create the costumes and sets for Cyrano De Bergerac.
Physics in Trouble: Why the Public Should Care American theoretical physicist Lee Smolin, author of “The Trouble with Physics,” states that physics has lost its way amid failed experiments and wasted funding. He cites repeated unsuccessful attempts by scientists to develop a “theory of everything,” or a single model to explain the theories of all the fundamental interactions of nature.
Plan of Action: How the Spinal Cord Controls Movement Thomas M. Jessell, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, examines the neural circuits that control our movements. Neural circuits give us a glimpse of how brain wiring and circuit activity control specific behaviors, including the movement of our limbs. Consider baseball player Lou Gehrig's remarkable hand-eye coordination, or the purity of cellist Jacqueline du Pré's tone. Yet, both examples also remind us of the fragility of the motor system: Gehrig succumbed to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and du Pré to multiple sclerosis. Neural circuits, sensory feedback systems and signals from the brain permit us to change motor strategies to accommodate to an ever-changing world.
Planetary Explorations: Perspectives on Earth James Head's research centers on the study of the processes that form and modify the surfaces, crusts, and lithospheres of planets, how these processes vary with time, and how such processes interact to produce the historical record preserved on the planets. Comparative planetology, the themes of planetary evolution, and application of these to the study of early Earth history are also of interest. He is particularly interested in volcanism and tectonism, having done fieldwork on active volcanoes in Hawaii and at Mount St. Helens.
Plants and Species of Native Grasslands This episode of Researching Maryland features a farm in Chestertown, MD that is using environmentally sound farming practices to help reduce impacts associated with intensive agricultural practices. The owner of the farm has dedicated over 200 acres to a research project led by Professor Douglas Gill, who is restoring native grasslands at the farm. Another researcher, Bernard Lohr, is studying one of the endangered species that was attracted to the restored lands.
Policy and Ethics in Science and Engineering In this panel, speakers discuss policy and ethical issues associated with interdisciplinary science and engineering problem solving.
Precision Atomic Physics at University of Washington / The Wellspring of Discovery Atomic physics has been an important part of the research at the University of Washington since World War II, and it has been supported by the NSF since the 1950s. The NSF currently funds work on a precise atomic clock, measurements of the magnetism of a single electron, measurements of parity violation in atoms and searches of the nuclear electric dipole moment in Mercury.
The Wellspring of Discovery
This 50th anniversary symposium provides an opportunity to reflect on the agency's role as a wellspring for discoveries. NSF's work has nourished discovery as well as our nation's economy; the challenge now is to sustain the exploration and to convey the "awed wonder" of science.
Preventing HIV & Other STIs HIV continues to infect 14,000 people a day worldwide despite a variety of prevention efforts. In the United States, the rate of infections has hovered at 40,000 a year since 1992, falling far short of the CDC’s goal of reducing HIV infections to 20,000 per year by 2005. This presentation will focus on successful randomized controlled trials for preventing HIV and other STIs in the general population; on whether and how effective prevention measures are actually being used; on what is being done for risk-reduction in persons with HIV infection; and on whether national policies for HIV/STI prevention have been helpful or harmful.
Probing Genes and Genomes New ways of creating molecules in the lab are energizing the collaboration between chemistry and biology. Dr. Stuart Schreiber examines how technological advances in chemical synthesis and information science, coupled with data from genome projects, have made possible a research approach called chemical genetics. See how Dr. Schreiber uses chemical genetics to create small molecules that probe the functions of cellular proteins to change the way they work. These new molecules can be used to better understand how proteins work, and in some cases may become candidates for new medicines.
Protecting our Water Waterways across our nation have pollution problems that threaten the health of the marine and plant life that live within them. This episode focuses on water quality and the protection of our nations waterways and drinking water.
Re-interpreting the Fisheries Crisis Popular literature and the pages of Science and Nature have reported on the collapse of the world's fisheries. While there are many problems, most of these fisheries are producing at near maximum potential, and the loss of potential harvest from overfishing is small. In this program, Ray Hilborn discusses changes in objectives of fisheries management, ones with more concern about ecosystems and profitable fishing industries, and how there are many successful sustainable fisheries in the world from which we can learn.
Reading Genes and Genomes In the 20th century, scientists deciphered the rules of inheritance, learned to manipulate DNA and sequenced the entire human genome. Dr. Eric Lander takes us on a tour of these remarkable discoveries. Studying the human genome and comparing it with the genomes of other species, in particular the mouse, offer many clues to understanding human evolution and health.
Rebuilding the Baby Boomer: Replacement Parts for the 21st Century Bionic Man has bounded from science fiction to 21st century reality. Today's engineers are developing "smart" materials and frontier-blazing technology to grow new human tissue, build entire organs, target drug delivery and even use the brain to control artificial limbs. These innovations will help save lives and improve our journey from cradle to grave. University of Washington professor and biomaterials pioneer Buddy Ratner discusses the amazing advances on the health care horizon that may someday earn "medical miracle" status.
Red Mondays and Gemstone Jalapeños: The Synesthetic World Synesthesia is the blending or mixing of senses. A synesthete, for example, might see colors when listening to music or taste flavors when hearing a word. Dr. David Eagleman of Baylor College of Medicine explains this strange condition, and four synesthetes explain how they perceive the world.
Rediscovering the Red Planet: Latest Results from the Exploration of Mars Hear what new observations of Mars are revealing about the planet's current environment and topography as well as its past climate and history. Results from recent orbiter and lander missions are providing a surprisingly new view of the planet's geology, interior structure, and atmosphere that are enabling the planet's complex history to be unraveled.
Remarkable Trees of Virginia In 2004, noted garden writer Nancy Ross Hugo came together with Jeff Kirwan, professor of forestry at Virginia Tech, to start off a project that would result in the book, “Remarkable Trees of Virginia.” The project and the resulting book are a collection of Virginia’s most remarkable trees and four years of tireless efforts. Discover the rich history and variety of trees that line Virginia as Hugo and Kirwan present and discuss their project.
Repair, Rebuild, Enhance People: The Tissue Engineering Nexus of Medicine, Biology, Bioengineering, Entrepreneurship and Ethics We find ourselves at a pivotal moment in the history of humankind. Our body parts wear out as we age into our seventies and beyond. Now, as humankind enters a new millennium, the potential to substantially alter this scenario beckons. Tissue engineering, regenerative medicine and system biology may allow us to continuously replace tissues and organs. This talk discusses the potential of such tissue and organ replacement, summarizes current progress, addresses the industry needed to make this a reality and explores ethical issues such as living cosmetic enhancements that might be more 'Star Wars' than modern human.
Research Frontiers - Hatfield Marine Science Center Welcome to Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center where 'Research Frontiers' highlights several ongoing projects: The NOAA Vents Program with Bob Dziak, who studies the movement of the tectonic plates and Bill Chadwick’s research on undersea volcanoes; Chris Langdon explains the research in developing new strains of disease-resistant oysters through a mollusk aquaculture program; and 'Saving Endangered Mammals' focuses on the pioneering work of Bruce Mate using satellites to track the endangered Blue whales. George Boehlert, Director of OSU's Hatfield Marine Science Center, talks about the research facilities where it houses multiple state and federal agencies whose researchers work in partnership on pressing issues.
RFID: The Next Big Little Thing Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) is poised to replace bar-codes as the primary means of tracking and inventorying pallets and cases in the commerical supply chain. The uses of this technology, however, extend far beyond the supply chain. RFID will soon become an integral part of our everyday lives. This talk will cover the fundamentals of RFID technology, the reasons for its impending adoption, the many benefits and looming issues, how it may impact the way we live and work, and the exciting research and business opportunities that await us.
Rice Nanoscience This program features Rices Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology and describes nanosciences presence in much of the new materials and products that are available to consumers.
Interviews with the Centers director Richard Smalley (1996 Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry), Rice president Malcolm Gillis, and other Rice researchers.
Roald Hoffmann Shares Discovery Through Creation in Chemistry In this video from the National Science Foundation, Roald Hoffmann, recipient of the National Science Board's Public Service Award, discusses his broad-reaching and diverse contributions to increasing public understanding of science and, more specifically, fostering appreciation of the relevance of chemistry to culture.
Rock 'n Roll: Earthquake & Disaster Preparedness Without an impending disaster, it's difficult to motivate people to get prepared. Yet all it takes is for a major earthquake, hurricane, terrorist attack, fire, flood, storm or even a power outage, to cripple or wipe out assets; including our most valuable asset - our people. We can't afford to be complacent.
It is never too late to start preparing for the next earthquake, because much of the damage in earthquakes is predictable and preventable. There are certain simple steps that can go a long way in preventing future earthquake damage.
Since we can't predict if and when another quake might hit Washington, we should do what we can now to prevent damage in the future. An ounce of prevention-at very little cost-is well worth the effort to safeguard our families, homes and workplaces in the future.
The goal in providing this information is to encourage you to prepare for a major earthquake and to maintain that readiness. Part of becoming ready is having the necessary supplies. Earthquakes, in our area, can happen at any time. This is why it is important to maintain fresh emergency supplies. The quality of life and the potential for survival are greatly increased by being prepared.
Russian Scientific Talents: Economic Opportunities and Challenges 2001 Forum - Keynote Address and Highlights The 2001 Sam Nunn Bank of America Policy Forum focuses on creating new commercial and research opportunities in Russia's nuclear cities and biochemical weapons facilities. This forum brought more than 40 leading Russian government, academic, and nongovernmental representatives together with U.S. government, academic, and business leaders with an interest in nuclear, biological, and chemical commercial development in Russia and weapons nonproliferation.
Saving America's Streams and Streamside Lands Much of the health of America's streams is attributable to runoff from adjacent land. This documentary explores efforts to protect America's freshwater and the species living there.
Saving Lives with Smart Guns University of Maryland researcher Alba Lalitha Ramaswamy presents a thumbprint recognition chip she developed for use in "Smart Guns." Also, Dr. Derek Richardson introduces us to his research projects on asteroids, which may be vital to the Earth's protection.
Saving Our Chums: Beaches, Salmon and Survival The University of Washington is studying basic nearshore ecosystem processes ranging from a few square meters on the beach to circulation along the entire Sound. Of particular interest is sediment movement, plankton productivity and the distribution of important biota along the shoreline, such as juvenile salmon and their habitats, like eelgrass.
Science & Engineering Visualization Challenge: It Takes Both Sides of the Brain Curt Suplee of the National Science Foundation showcases the winning entries in the Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge -- a contest that seeks the most inventive, powerful and informative ways of presenting research in pictures. The annual competition, created by NSF in conjunction with the journal Science, recognizes researchers, visualization specialists and artists for innovative visual communication via photography, illustration, informational graphics, and interactive and noninteractive multimedia. The program features stunning visualizations that convey the essence and excitement of the research they depict.
Science for the 21st Century Our universities are a tremendous engine for producing and selecting new generations of talented young scientists and engineers. But there is an urgent need to expose all students to a much wider range of opportunities for their research, including work on critical problems that affect the 80 percent of the world's population who live in developing nations. Bruce Alberts, editor-in-chief of Science magazine, discusses science education as an exciting and empowering experience in problem-solving that takes advantage of the curiosity in children and increases their understanding of the world.
Sea of Microbes The biology of our oceans is dominated by microbes too small to be seen with the naked eye. One such group, phytoplankton, help remove the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, turning it into food for all other life in the sea. They also generate about half the oxygen humans breathe. Life on our planet depends on the activities of these phytoplankton communities. However, marine waters, including these organisms, are being severely affected by human activities, which in turn impact our entire planet. Professor Armbrust discusses the connection between the health of our oceans and human health.
Search-and-Rescue Robots Practice Emergency Response to Simulated Earthquake A team from the University of South Florida's Center for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue (CRASAR) were on the scene just after the 9/11 disaster aiding in search and rescue. In an effort to better prepare for future disasters, the CRASAR team along with Indiana Task Force One practiced several search and rescue scenarios during a 24 hour field exercise at the site of a demolished library just outside Indianapolis.
Seeking Sustainability of Natural Resources, Part 1 "An Overview of the Concepts, Challenges and Benefits" brings together public and private land managers, academicians and private landowners to discuss the subject of sustainability. Each speaker interprets the concept of sustainability with respect to his discipline, allowing viewers a better understanding of the complexity, obstacles and opportunities of sustainable approaches to managing natural resources.
Seeking Sustainability of Natural Resources, Part 2 In "Federal and State Land Management Approaches," public land managers address sustainability of natural resources through two perspectives: public values and scientific realities. The degree to which they are both inspired and constrained by these perspectives is tempered by politics, funding and organizational mission. Representatives from the the National Park Service, the USDA Forest Service, and the Washington Department of Natural Resources present the views of their organizations on sustainability.
Seeking Sustainability of Natural Resources, Part 3 Sustaining urban landscapes requires an entirely different set of priorities. A representative from Everett, Wash., provides a view of sustainability from a city that is feeling the pinch of increasing urban growth and change. Private forest industry must adapt to the pressures of profits and public opinion; learn how the Port Blakely Tree Farm is setting a course for the next 100 years of sustainable forestry. Finally, a professor from the UW College of Forest Resources presents research that evaluates the relative successes of various organizations attempting sustainable management of natural resources.
Seeking Sustainability of Natural Resources, Part 4 A seven-member panel of professional land managers and academics discusses the key questions and concerns relating to sustainable management of natural resources in Washington State and beyond. Brian Boyle, former Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands, moderates the panel discussion.
Selection in Action The products of natural, and human, selection are all around us. Humans have transformed wild plants into useful crops by selective breeding and produced domesticated animals with sizes and shapes very different from their wild ancestors. Genetic crosses suggest that relatively few genetic changes are needed to dramatically transform the shape and structure of plants and animals. Natural selection in wild populations can also generate amazing diversity in a surprisingly short amount of time. David M. Kingsley, Ph.D. explains the genetic studies suggest that major evolutionary changes are controlled by a few key genes.
Sex and Death: Too Much of a Good Thing Genetic imbalances—such as those associated with Down syndrome in humans—are generally harmful. The number of copies of a given gene, the gene dose, can be very important. In the roundworm C. elegans, sex (male or hermaphrodite) is determined by the number of X chromosomes. Dr. Barbara Meyer explains how hermaphrodites control gene expression on their pair of X chromosomes to avoid having double the gene dose of males. By studying these sophisticated genetic systems in worms, scientists can learn more about related molecular pathways in mammals and humans.
Sexual Evolution: From X to Y The presence of the Y chromosome triggers a human embryo to become male. Dr. David Page describes how the Y chromosome was once very much like every other gene-filled chromosome, but in the course of vertebrate evolution has lost almost every function except making males.
Shared Prosperity in an Age of Global Warming: King County’s Vision for an Equitable Clean Energy Economy King County Executive Ron Sims presents his vision of how the Martin Luther King, Jr. County region can address the social, economic and health inequities of climate change impacts, and what King County government is doing to reduce these disparities in our communities. This program is presented by JISAO, which fosters research collaboration between the University of Washington and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.
Shining Light on Pancreatic Cancer Pancreatic cancer shows few symptoms, a silent killer that led to the deaths of 33,000 Americans last year. Now, scientists are making strides in developing a marker for early detection of the disease. Research with light-scattering techniques has shown changes in the small intestine found in the first stages of pancreatic cancer, which could help diagnose the disease sooner.
Space Travel - A Dream Come True Citizen space explorer Gregory H. Olsen discusses his recent 10-day mission to the International Space Station. A graduate of UVA's School of Engineering, Mr. Olsen had the chance to travel more than 3 million miles in space and conduct 3 scientific experiments. Eric C. Anderson, President & CEO of Space Adventures Ltd., and fellow UVA engineering alum, helped arrange the space mission.
Space, Success, and a More Scientifically Literate Society Science is often viewed upon as important but cryptic to the general public. In this spirited discussion, former astronaut Mae Jemison and Kathie Olsen, the deputy director of the National Science Foundation, speak on the importance of science literacy in society through personal reflections and stories from their distinguished careers.
Speak No Evil: Big Tobacco Jeffrey Wigand, the tobacco executive whose decision to expose wrong-doing in that industry was dramatized in the film "The Insider," speaks at the University of Houston Law Center about his experience. Wigand was vice-president for research and development for Brown & Williamson, the country's third-largest tobacco company, from 1988 to 1993. After leaving that company, he became the highest-ranking tobacco executive to acknowledge the industry's various efforts to downplay the health issues of smoking. The company responded with lawsuits and a public relations campaign to discredit him.
Spin Cycle: How the Media Portrays Climate Change Are catastrophic and dramatic weather events becoming more common? How do the media interpret weather statistics? To explore such questions, Penn State Public Broadcasting, Penn State Research Publications and the PBS program 'NOVA scienceNow' present an afternoon of conversation with meteorologists Paul Knight and Fred Gadomski. As hosts of the show 'Weather World', Gadmoski and Knight help sort out the facts, and the fallacies, behind weather headlines.
Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife What happens when we die? Does the light just go out and that's that—the million-year nap? Or will some part of my personality, my me-ness persist? What will that feel like? What will I do all day? Is there a place to plug in my laptop?
In an attempt to find out, Mary Roach brings her tireless curiosity to bear on an array of contemporary and historical soulsearchers: scientists, schemers, engineers, mediums, all trying to prove (or disprove) that life goes on after we die. She begins the journey in rural India with a reincarnation researcher and ends up in a University of Virginia operating room where cardiologists have installed equipment near the ceiling to study out-of-body near-death experiences. Along the way, she enrolls in an English medium school, gets electromagnetically haunted at a university in Ontario, and visits a Duke University professor with a plan to weigh the consciousness of a leech. Her historical wanderings unearth soul-seeking philosophers who rummaged through cadavers and calves' heads, a North Carolina lawsuit that established legal precedence for ghosts, and the last surviving sample of 'ectoplasm' in a Cambridge University archive.
St. Anthony Falls Laboratory's Outdoor StreamLab The St. Anthony Falls Laboratory's Outdoor StreamLab, a world-class water research center at the University of Minnesota, gives researchers and students the best hands-on experience that can be found anywhere in the world: Using water from the Mississippi River to study everything from water quality to flooding issues. Join Anne Lightbody, Outdoor StreamLab manager, and a group of University of Minnesota students and faculty in a discovery of current water conditions.
Stem Cells and the End of Aging Human tissues vary in their ability to heal and regenerate. The nervous system has weak powers of regeneration, while the skin is quick to make new cells for repair. The heart is the most important muscle in the body and yet has feeble regenerative capabilities. Recent discoveries concerning the location and characteristics of adult stem cells have increased our understanding of regeneration. Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) is an example of an important stem cell communication molecule. If the activity of the growth factor is experimentally enhanced, muscle regeneration improves.
Stories From the Field: Fresh Market Fruit & Vegetables, Part 1 Buying locally grown foods connects consumers to their communities. People in the sustainable agriculture movement are working to build a food system that meets the needs of consumers, farmers, and the environment.
Stories From the Field: Fresh Market Fruit & Vegetables, Part 2 By monitoring insect activity, weather, and early warning signs of disease -- and only using pesticides when necessary -- apple growers using 'Integrated Pest Management' can save money and reduce environmental risks.
Storytelling in Science: Honesty, Imagination and Ethics This lecture addresses the relationship, if any, between ethics and science. Storytelling in science, more important than usually 'fessed' up to, will be examined first. The moral implications of any narrative will lead to a consideration of whether any ethics might emerge from normative science. The very qualified and constrained 'yes' that will emerge will come out not from fear or reproducibility but from telling first time narratives and the bond of poets and scientists to the objects they describe.
Strange Physics of the Mind? (112) Two fundamental theories -- quantum mechanics and relativity -- have changed forever our understanding of reality. Quantum mechanics describes the very small-scale structure of atoms and their components. Relativity describes the very large-scale structure of space and time. Today's panelists discuss why some physicists have suddenly become obsessed with using physics to explain the human mind, consciousness and how we think. Joining host Robert Kuhn are sci-fi novelist Gregory Benford; physicist James Trefil; consciousness expert David Chalmers; philosopher of mind John Searle; and theoretical physicist Fred Alan Wolf.
Sustainable Urban Ecosystems: Human Dimensions Forestry experts discuss several topics, including the human dimensions of urban ecology, the impacts of alternative urban development, patterns on ecosystem dynamics, and botanic gardens in modern society.
Sustainable Urban Ecosystems: Management Forestry experts discuss the sustainable management of Seattle's Parks and urban forest systems in the Puget Sound area, including restoring these forests through the Green Seattle Partnership.
Sustainable Urban Ecosystems: Physical and Biological Environments, Part 1 Researchers from the University of Washington College of Forest Resources and other scientific experts discuss the Northwest's urban ecosystem with emphasis on hydrology, Seattle's streams and soil, and urbanization's effect on salmon.
Sustaining Forest Resources Virginia Tech University Distinguished Professor of Forestry Harold Burkhart discusses sustainable forest resources.
Sustaining Our Northwest World: Carnivore Conservation in the Pacific Northwest What would our forests look like without big predators such as mountain lions and wolves? Join Assistant Professor Aaron Wirsing, University of Washington College of Forest Resources, in an exploration of large carnivore conservation. Using his own research on interactions between tiger sharks and their prey in Australia as well as some recent case studies from our national parks, Dr. Wirsing will make the case for carnivore conservation and how we can manage resources to preserve the carnivores of the Pacific Northwest.
Sustaining Our Northwest World: Rare Plant Conservation in the Pacific Northwest From lowland wetlands to alpine meadows, Washington state’s native plant species are threatened by development, climate change and invasive species. Join Sarah Reichard, University of Washington associate professor of forest resources, for a fascinating look at how to conserve our state’s rare plant populations. Learn practical steps that can help fight plant extinction, many of which are being implemented by researchers and volunteers with the Rare Plant Care and Conservation Program at the University of Washington Botanic Gardens.
Testing Gravity in the Cosmos and in the Laboratory: Is a Revolution Under Way? How well do we really understand gravity, the most familiar of Nature's forces? Perhaps not as well as we'd thought! Speculation about higher dimensions and surprising recent cosmological observations have spawned a new attempt to understand gravity on the largest and smallest scales. This talk describes why this has led to a strong sense that we are on the brink of a fundamental breakthrough in physics.
The "Mozart of Math" Terrance Tao, recipient of the Alan T. Waterman award and nicknamed "the Mozart of Math," discusses his extraordinary work, much of which has been funded by the National Science Foundation through the years. Tao, who was also named one of "the Brilliant 10" scientists by Popular Science, has had a tremendous impact across several mathematical areas.
The "New" (Post-Katrina) FEMA and Managing Expectations In this video from the American Meteorological Society, Michael S. Beeman, director of the national preparedness division for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), shares what he saw in the midst of Hurricane Katrina and the lessons learned that are now incorporated into current natural disaster planning. Learn about what was done right and what was learned from the Mississippi disaster.
The 2000 Biomedical & Health Informatics Symposium: A Vision for Informatics The symposium and panel discussion raise the fundamental theorum of medical informatics. The keynote speaker and panelists discuss how information is used, organized and retrieved with emerging technology in health-care, research and education. The symposium presents how the informatics approach carries an explicit focus on the interaction between the person and the machine as partners, which contrasts earlier technology approaches that focused primarily on the machine, and secondarily on the user.
The 2004 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement The Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement is one of the premier awards honoring achievements in environmental science, energy and medicine of worldwide importance. The Tyler Prize consists of a cash award of $200,000 and a solid 10kt. gold medallion. The 2004 awards were conferred during a program on the USC campus on April 29, 2004 to The Barefoot College of Tilonia, Rajasthan, India, and the Latin American Plant Sciences Network (LAPSN).
The 2004 Walter H. Annenberg Symposium with John Seely Brown Each year the Annenberg Center at the University of Southern California hosts the Annenberg Symposium which is dedicated to the life and achievements of Walter H. Annenberg. This program features a presentation by John Seely Brown, a USC visiting Scholar. Dr. Brown was the chief scientist of Xerox Corporation until April 2002 and also the director of the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center until June 2000.
The 2005 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement The Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement is one of the premier awards honoring triumphs in environmental science, energy and medicine of worldwide importance.
Administered by USC, the Tyler Prize consists of a cash award of $200,000 and a solid
10kt. gold medallion. On April 8, 2005, Charles David Keeling, professor of
oceanography at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California,
San Diego, and Lonnie G. Thompson, University Professor of Geology at Ohio State
University were conferred as Tyler Laureates.
The 2006 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement - Dr. Schindler Lecture Celebrating its 33rd anniversary, the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement is one of the premier awards honoring work in environmental science, energy and medicine of worldwide importance, and consists of a $200,000 cash award as well as a solid 10kt. gold medallion. The 2006 awards were conferred during a program on the USC campus on April 27, 2006 to Dr. David W. Schindler of the University of Alberta, and Dr. Igor A.Shiklomanaov of the State Hydrological Institute in St. Petersburg. One of the laureate lectures delivered that day was by Dr. Schindler titled "Effects of Humans on the Quality and Quantity of Freshwater".
The American Public's Views of Global Climate Change Public opinion on climate change has shifted dramatically over the past 20 years, thanks to intense media coverage about global warming - coverage that, for better or worse, shaped both popular attitudes and the national political debate. Social Scientist Jon Krosnick of Stanford University argues that Americans' perceptions of climate change were severely distorted for years because so many journalists portrayed global-warming research as a heated argument between rival factions instead of what it actually was: namely, a growing body of shared knowledge. Krosnick's analysis is an eye-opening look at how Americans know what they know, and why they believe what they believe. Program also includes an interview with National Medal of Science winner Daniel Kleppner.
The Aquatic Pathobiology and Fish Health Labs Andrew Kane and Ana Baya of the Veterinary Medicine Program will talk about labs that are helping to keep the Chesapeake Bay and it's inhabitants healthy. They will also discuss water quality and fish health research being done in two labs at the University of Maryland.
The Art and Science of Doing Large International Science Projects Relive the stories behind battle wounds of science as Barry Barish, professor of physics at the California Institute of Technology, discusses the scars and wisdom gained from his involvement in a series of domestic and international science projects.
The Beginnings In 1979, the benefits of computer networks were not fully appreciated, even within the academic community. The ARPANET provided network services to a small group of researchers in academia and affiliated research laboratories. A number of community networks -- Bitnet, CSNET, UUCP and SPAN/HEPNET¬-- served a growing number of users in universities and industry who understood the value of network connectivity to their teaching and research missions. These early activities led to a proposal for a national ScienceNet and later for a network to connect researchers to supercomputer centers. Ultimately, the National Science Foundation initiated the NSFNET Program and constructed an initial 56 kbps NSFNET backbone network.
The Campus Farm and Advancing Food Safety Andrew Wolvin, Ph.D., discusses the study of animals and avian sciences with Jordan Thomas, Campus Farm manager, while touring the campus farm. Also, Professor Jianghong Meng discusses with Andrew Wolvin what is being done to advance food safety through research on food borne pathogens.
The Certified Consulting Meteorologist 50th Anniversary At least 30 percent of the U.S. economy hinges on weather and climate. Agriculture, business, industry and government all rely on today’s advancing technology to provide up-to-the-minute conditions, creating a growing demand for specialized meteorological services. Learn how the American Meteorological Society meets this need with its Certified Consulting Meteorologist program, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2007.
The Changing Arctic Over the last 10 to 20 years, distinctive climate changes have occurred, including a shift in Arctic Ocean circulation, decreased sea ice extent and thickness, regional increases in surface air temperatures, thawing of permafrost, and a trend toward decreased surface atmospheric pressure. These physical changes are having impacts on ecosystems and northern society and are connected with climate well outside the Arctic.
The Community The NSFNET Program was conceived as a three-level network of networks, with the national backbone connecting to roughly a dozen regional networks, in turn connecting to individual campus networks. The number and coverage of regional networks grew steadily beginning in 1986 until the entire country was served within a few years, including expansion to include smaller colleges, K-12s and for-profit organizations. The financial and technical contributions of the regional and campus networks were a key component to the success of the NSFNET. But what did all this mean for the community building NSFNET and regional networks?
The Cosmic Web / The Wellspring of Discovery Craig Hogan of the Departments of Astronomy and of Physics presents "The Cosmic Web." Some of humanity's oldest questions about the universe are being answered using new tools of the digital revolution, which allow us to survey and explore space and time in vastly more depth and detail.
The Wellspring of Discovery
This 50th anniversary symposium provides an opportunity to reflect on the agency's role as a wellspring for discoveries. NSF's work has nourished discovery as well as our nation's economy; the challenge now is to sustain the exploration and to convey the "awed wonder" of science.
The Digital Universe: A Cosmic Genome Project Astronomers are about to embark on the grandest map of the universe ever made: the first large digital survey of the sky. A database of more than 100 million galaxies and quasars will revolutionize astronomical research and will be accessible over the Internet from any classroom.
The Ends of the World: Astrobiology and Armageddon Professor Don Brownlee investigates interplanetary dust, comets, meteorites and the origin of the solar system through research conducted at the University of Washington, the Lunar Science Institute and the California Institute of Technology. Professor Peter Ward studies living organisms as well as the fossil record. His work with cephalopods explores the formation of species today as compared to ancient processes.
In the spring of 2009, the Denman Forestry Issues Series was presented by the College of Forest Resources (now the School of Forest Resources in the new College of the Environment) at the University of Washington. The series featured 10 professors and a post-doctoral scientist from Forest Resources exploring the "Future of Forestry in the Pacific Northwest.”
Session 2 tackles the Challenges to Forestry in the Pacific Northwest, including presentations by Professor of Land Use Planning Gordon Bradley on population increase and forest conversion, post-doctoral scientist in Forest Ecology Jim Lutz on climate change effects on Washington’s forests, Professor of Forest Pathology and Associate Dean for Research Bob Edmonds on forest health and Professor of Wildlife Science and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Steve West on protection of wildlife habitats.
The Denman Forestry Issues series is intended to educate the public about topical issues in forest resources in the Pacific Northwest, as well as provide information to natural resource specialists and students.
More than half of Washington state is forested, so trees are a familiar sight for its residents, particularly in western Washington. Our forests provide lumber and other forest products, clean water for drinking, salmon and wildlife habitat, as well as aesthetic and recreational opportunities. Forests must continue to fulfill these needs for society, but how can we ensure they do so in a way that is sustainable for future generations in the face of population increase, increasing urbanization, declining forest health, global warming and other threats to the forest? The science and practice of forestry is very complicated and multifaceted, and is always changing. The dynamics of land ownership further complicates forest management.
Forests and forestry will continue to be important in the future of Washington state, but both must be managed sustainably. Research and education conducted by faculty and students at the University of Washington will help us accomplish this.
In the spring of 2009, the Denman Forestry Issues Series was presented by the College of Forest Resources (now the School of Forest Resources in the new College of the Environment) at the University of Washington. The series featured 10 professors and a post-doctoral scientist from Forest Resources exploring the "Future of Forestry in the Pacific Northwest.”
Session 3 was devoted to examining the future of forest management in the Pacific Northwest. Professor of Forest Economics Bruce Lippke shows how wood products can be substituted for fossil fuel using products like concrete and steel, and be used for carbon sequestration and biofuels. Professor of Trade Analysis John Perez-Garcia speaks about the future of the sawmilling industry. Associate Professor of Forest Ecology and Sustainable Forestry and Director of the Center for Sustainable Forestry at Pack Forest Greg Ettl discusses the contrast between forest certification and regulation on multiple-purpose management. Finally, Professor of Operations Research Dave Briggs shares new precision tools for forest management such as remote sensing and Lidar and acoustic techniques for determining tree stiffness and density.
The Denman Forestry Issues series is intended to educate the public about topical issues in forest resources in the Pacific Northwest, as well as provide information to natural resource specialists and students.
More than half of Washington state is forested, so trees are a familiar sight for its residents, particularly in western Washington. Our forests provide lumber and other forest products, clean water for drinking, salmon and wildlife habitat, as well as aesthetic and recreational opportunities. Forests must continue to fulfill these needs for society, but how can we ensure they do so in a way that is sustainable for future generations in the face of population increase, increasing urbanization, declining forest health, global warming and other threats to the forest? The science and practice of forestry is very complicated and multifaceted, and is always changing. The dynamics of land ownership further complicates forest management.
Forests and forestry will continue to be important in the future of Washington state, but both must be managed sustainably. Research and education conducted by faculty and students at the University of Washington will help us accomplish this.
In the spring of 2009, the Denman Forestry Issues Series was presented by the College of Forest Resources (now the School of Forest Resources in the new College of the Environment) at the University of Washington. The series featured 10 professors and a post-doctoral scientist from Forest Resources exploring the "Future of Forestry in the Pacific Northwest.”
The first session includes presentations by Dean Bruce Bare examining the past and future of forestry in the Pacific Northwest, Professor of Marketing and International Trade Ivan Eastin considering the value of diversifying markets for forest products, and Professor of Forest Ecology Jerry Franklin discussing ecosystem services and environmental concerns.
The Denman Forestry Issues series is intended to educate the public about topical issues in forest resources in the Pacific Northwest, as well as provide information to natural resource specialists and students.
More than half of Washington state is forested, so trees are a familiar sight for its residents, particularly in western Washington. Our forests provide lumber and other forest products, clean water for drinking, salmon and wildlife habitat, as well as aesthetic and recreational opportunities. Forests must continue to fulfill these needs for society, but how can we ensure they do so in a way that is sustainable for future generations in the face of population increase, increasing urbanization, declining forest health, global warming and other threats to the forest? The science and practice of forestry is very complicated and multifaceted, and is always changing. The dynamics of land ownership further complicates forest management.
Forests and forestry will continue to be important in the future of Washington state, but both must be managed sustainably. Research and education conducted by faculty and students at the University of Washington will help us accomplish this.
The Future of Space Exploration - CC #88 In 2004, President Bush announced a 'new course for America's space program' instructing NASA to return to the Moon with the eventual goal of sending Americans to Mars. NASA's recent history has been somewhat rocky with stunning successes overshadowed by unfortunate failures. Meanwhile, the ANSARI X-prize spurred over 25 teams from across the globe to develop and fly privately financed, manned spaceships. The private sector's always played a part in space exploration, should they now play a greater role in its future? What goals should future missions have and how much control should NASA share with the private sector?
The Hurricane-Climate Connection After Katrina, the link between global warming and a perceived increase in severe weather became a critical debate topic in the science and policy arenas. Prof. Kerry Emanuel (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), in his 2007 AMS Haurwitz Memorial Lecture, examines this question. While sea surface temperature plays a role in tropical storm intensity, it represents only part of the complex puzzle. He also details an emerging theory that suggests hurricanes and typhoons may play a major, and heretofore, unexpected role in climate dynamics.
The Impact on Research and Science The National Science Foundation began its networking program in the early 1980s in response to the research community’s demand for greater access to advanced computational resources, specialized equipment and databases, as well as better communication among researchers. While access to supercomputers dominated the early discussions and planning, by 1987 the NSFNET Program was clearly charged with serving the entire U.S. academic research community. How has the network impacted research today, including changes in how research is done in different disciplines, areas where expected changes have not happened and future developments that are needed to further improve research in the U.S.?
The Impact on Teaching and Learning How has the creation of the Internet impacted teaching and learning? Consider the radical changes in data collection, information access and collaboration facilitated by the Internet.
The International Partnerships The early Internet included military links to European allies prior to the late 1980s, and these were augmented by a few between the NSFNET and European academic networks in the late 1980s. NSF’s International Connections Management (ICM) Project, the international adjunct to the NSFNET Program, began in 1991 to connect with budding academic networks throughout the world, and by its close in 1996, ICM assisted in connecting 25 national academic networks to the U.S. academic community. The success and openness of the NSFNET provided a spark that led to the large-scale deployment of Internet technology throughout the world.
The Internet Comes of Age The 1987 NSFNET solicitation specified implementing a nationwide T1 backbone to address the chronic congestion on the 56 kbps NSFNET and ARPANET, and to extend the new backbone’s reach to include the emerging regional networks. The T1 NSFNET backbone went online in July 1988 and immediately experienced a traffic surge with traffic increasing at the rate of 20 percent per month. This early onrush of traffic presaged the many challenges the Merit/IBM/MCI partnership team faced and dealt with to ensure a quality backbone service. The team took innovative steps in technical and organizational areas, pioneering new router technology and utilizing telephone company circuit technology in unanticipated ways.
The Mammalian Timekeeper In cloning the first mammalian clock gene, Dr. Joseph S. Takahashi and his colleagues provided clear evidence that circadian genes in mammals and fruit flies are closely related. Dr. Takahashi explains how researchers used genomics and computer-based informatics to tease out the secrets of how clocks function in higher organisms. Information about biological rhythms has far-reaching implications for human health, including gaining a better understanding of shift-work hazards, the best time to take medicines, and inherited sleep disorders such as narcolepsy.
The Master Glass Blower In this October, 1951 episode of 'The Johns Hopkins Science Review,' the show looks at the role the glassblower played in the scientific lab of a research university in the 1950s. Opening and closing comments by John Astin, who also appears in the original episode when he was a student actor at Johns Hopkins. For more information about this program please contact Glenn Small by phone at 443-287-9905 or by email at glenn@jhu.edu.
The Microbes Strike Back Bacterial diseases strike millions, accounting for a third of human deaths each year. Using animation, Dr. Brett Finlay reveals the invisible world of microbes, describing how bacteria invade our bodies, reproduce, and spread. Finlay also explains how vaccines are developed and discusses the best bets for new treatments.
The Nation's Attic: Why Do We Keep All This Stuff Anyway? Does Anybody Ever Look At It? The Smithsonian has often been affectionately described as "The Nation's Attic" for its role in keeping and conserving our national treasures. But in addition to the qualitative reasons for keeping these collections (for example, for their rarity and beauty), our collections are important for providing data for scientific research. Unlike family heirlooms, collections at the National Museum of Natural History are kept and collected for purposes of scientific investigation. Results from collections-based research contribute to our understanding of biodiversity, human evolution and civilization, climate change, and much more. Dr. David L. Evans, Smithsonian's Under Secretary for Science, gives an illustrated lecture about the Natural History collections and why they're important in helping us understand the natural world.
The Nature of Science and Scientific Investigation Physics Nobel Laureate Russell Hulse makes the case that science must be seen as more than just the scientific method, especially if it is to be of interest to young people. Science is not merely mechanistic; it is a highly creative process. Hulse recounts his discovery of the first example of a pulsar in a binary system of stars -- a discovery that helped him win the Nobel Prize. The system allowed Hulse, working with Joseph Taylor, the first opportunity to verify Einstein's prediction of gravitational waves -- ripples in the structure of space and time.
The Pacific Northwest: Disaster Zone Throughout its history, the Pacific Northwest has been battered by devastating earthquakes, catastrophic volcanic eruptions, massive tsunamis and windstorms that can reach near-hurricane force. And in 2002, the largest wildfire in the region's history burned more than 400,000 acres. Researchers at Oregon State University are leading the effort to better understand these natural phenomena, predict when they will occur, and help residents better prepare to survive them.
The Personal Genome: Consequences for Society Originally webcast April 23, 2008, the University of Washington Department of Genome Sciences presents the panel discussion moderated by Maynard Olson, University of Washington professor of medicine and a pioneer in human genome discoveries. Speakers included George Church, professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School and director of the Center for Computational Genetics; Bill Gates III, Microsoft; Eric Lander, founder of Broad Institute and one of the leaders of the Human Genome Project, exploring the molecular mechanisms underlying the basis of human disease; and Leona Peltonen of Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, a pioneer in the use of genetically isolated populations in the identification of disease genes.
The Phenomenon In late 2007, a celebration of NSFNET was held to reflect upon the astonishing changes that the Internet has spawned over the last 20 years. Hear the introduction to "NSFNET: The Partnership That Changed the World."
The Psychology of Blink: Understanding How Our Minds Work Unconsciously - Part 1 of 2 Recent psychological research has revealed widely held unconscious thought patterns that most people would rather not possess. Dr. Anthony Greenwald, psychology professor at the University of Washington, describes his research developing the method (described in Malcolm Gladwell's Blink) that reveals this unconscious mental content, demonstrates the method and describes how the unconscious mental content that it reveals affects our behavior.
The Psychology of Blink: Understanding How Our Minds Work Unconsciously - Part 2 of 2 Recent psychological research has revealed widely-held unconscious thought patterns that most people would rather not possess. In this program from the University of Washington psychology department, MacArthur awardee Dr. Lisa Cooper, John Hopkins University School of Medicine, describes her research on how patient race influences patient-physician communication and physician clinical decision making. She also includes her efforts to design interventions to negate these undesired racial and ethnic health care disparities.
The Right Time and Place Complex environmental challenges have taken center stage and these problems can’t be solved with business-as-usual thinking. Watch the Institute’s welcome video to find out what sets us apart from all the rest.
The Role of the University in Sustaining Innovation Historically, universities have been the foundation of U.S. economic competitiveness. However, international competition in terms of quality of education, employment opportunities, and manufacturing profitability is affecting U.S. economic competitiveness. This panel discusses ways that universities can continue to positively influence innovation.
The Science of Communications Many scientists are frustrated. Why doesn’t the public seem to
understand, or care about, many vital findings such as those related to
global climate change and natural disasters? Dr. Anthony Socci, senior science and communications fellow at the American Meteorological Society, hypothesizes part of the problem may rest with scientists, who fail to utilize new findings from social and
political sciences concerning how people learn about and internalize information.
The Science of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Dr. Stephen E. Straus, Director of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) gives an overview of NCCAM, why scientific study of CAM practice is important, and examples of current research supported by NCCAM including St. John's Wort, PC SPES, dietary supplements and mind-body medicine. For more information about this program, please see the .
The Science of Global Warming For the past 8,000 years or so, climate changes have been relatively small. Currently, changes are causing Earth’s temperature to increase and may lead to mean temperatures that are warmer than at any time in the past million years. This lecture reviews the evidence for global warming, focusing on issues that need to be resolved in order to reduce the uncertainty in projections of future climates and the role of humans in triggering these changes.
The Solicitation & The Merit Partnership On June 15, 1987, NSF issued a solicitation for the purpose of providing a T1 backbone network to connect the supercomputer centers and the mid-level networks of colleges and universities, upgrading and replacing the original 56 kbps network. The solicitation called for a cooperative agreement to run for five years with provision for the initial network to be modified as required. Proposals were received and the decision to select the proposal from Merit Network was announced in late November. Merit, representing universities in Michigan, had two corporate partners, IBM and MCI, and support from the Strategic Fund of the State of Michigan. This partnership went “live” with the network seven months later.
The Spear-Nosed Bat and Rain Gardens On this episode of Researching Maryland, we feature two very different research projects. The first is a study about parent/offspring communication in bats with doctoral student Kisi Bohn. In the second research project we meet Professor Allen Davis who is studying the use of "rain gardens" to reduce pollutants from rain runoff in parking lots. \
The Stimson Bullitt Professorship in Environmental Law: Dedication of the Professorship The dedication of the Stimson Bullitt Professorship celebrates a new professorship at the University of Washington School of Law with a speech by Stimson Bullitt, Esq., and a multi-media presentation and lecture by Professor William H. Rodgers. Dean Roland Hjorth of the School of Law pays tribute to Mr. Bullitt, who has been active in the environmental movement in the Pacific Northwest since 1956.
The Sun-Earth Connection in the Space Age How do solar phenomena affect you and influence "space weather" near Earth? Learn more about recent discoveries - from beneath the solar surface to its outer corona - and their possible role in the Earth-Sun connection.
The T3 Backbone Service - The Internet Matures The T3 NSFNET Backbone Service was a step-change for the Internet, and it represented a new operational paradigm for the NSF as the program shifted from a specific network infrastructure to a service. The combination of technological and operational “firsts” posed by the T3 NSFNET Backbone Service led to numerous unforeseen challenges and innovative solutions that accelerated the advancement of Internet technology during this formative period. A panel discusses this period of rapid change in technology, operational strategies and financial models, and the NSFNET’s path to commercialization.
The Tinman and the Scarecrow: A Biomaterials Analysis, The / The Wellspring of Discovery Writers of fiction have long envisioned a seamless interplay between synthetic materials and living tissue. But the interface of pen and paper is a very different from that of titanium and bone. How might ideas from modern biology and materials science be combined to save lives, prolong life and improve the quality of life? The activities of the NSF-funded University of Washington Engineered Biomaterials (UWEB) program will be used to illustrate how we can transition from idealism, enthusiasm and biological facts to robust engineering constructs that help people.
The Wellspring of Discovery
This 50th anniversary symposium provides an opportunity to reflect on the agency's role as a wellspring for discoveries. NSF's work has nourished discovery as well as our nation's economy; the challenge now is to sustain the exploration and to convey the "awed wonder" of science.
The Trouble with Physics Theoretical physicist Smolin argues that the study of physics has lost its way in the past two decades, largely because string theory has captured the imagination of both the public and some prominent physicists. There is one deep flaw he sees in string theory: no part of it has been tested and no one knows how to test it. In fact, the theory appears to come in an infinite number of versions, meaning that no experiment will ever be able to prove it false. Yet it has soaked up the lion?s share of funding, attracted some of the best minds and even penalized young physicists who question it. The search for a theory of everything that is both ?beautiful? and ?elegant? has, he argues, derailed progress in the world of physics. Smolin will discuss the rise and fall of string theory and outline some exciting new ideas that can replace it-and are testable.
The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge In this classic episode of 'The Johns Hopkins Science Review,' host Lynn Poole and guest, Abel Wolman, delve into the nature of the research university and why the work of researchers is so important, even when it appears not to be of any use.
For more information about this program please contact Glenn Small by phone at 443-287-9905 or by email at glenn@jhu.edu.
The Wonder and Beauty of Teaching Physics Have you ever wondered why we see rainbows, or what makes the sky blue? Walter Lewin, an engaging speaker and physics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, sheds light on everyday phenomena by explaining them in simple terms. Don’t miss his exciting demonstrations, including creating a rainbow right in the lecture hall.
Thinking Out the Last Millennium (208) From genetics to cosmology to nanotechnology, science is on the brink of numerous and extraordinary mega-revolutions that will change the very nature of life. Closer to Truth brings together leading scientists, scholars and artists to debate many of today's fundamental issues. Top experts look back at the last millennium and the thinking processes that simultaneously built civilization and spread devastation to look for lessons to guide us through the next thousand years. Joining host Robert Kuhn are creativity pioneer Edward de Bono; futurist Graham T.T. Molitor; planetary scientist Bruce Murray; artificial intelligence expert Edward Feigenbaum; and best-selling author and surgeon Sherwin Nuland.
To Test or Not To Test Doris Zallen, professor of science and technology studies at Virginia Tech, discusses her book “To Test or Not to Test.” As more and more genetic tests become available, consumers have to ask themselves whether they should be tested. Zallen’s book is a consumer’s guide to genetic testing and brings the technicality of genetics to the general public.
Today's World Transformed...and a Look into the Future Along with the development of the telephone, the automobile and the transistor, the Internet is among a handful of world-changing advances that shaped the 20th century. Our NSFNET experience shows in hindsight that even those engaged in the development of a paradigm shift like the Internet can’t recognize or understand its eventual impact. But the formula and environment for generating such transformational innovations are clear to those who experienced one. How did a combination of vision, commitment and persistence lead to the type of innovation that NSFNET engendered? Panelists also share their perspectives about significant developments and innovations they envision for the future.
Todd Nystul, PhD, Molecular and Cellular Biology Program Molecular and Cellular Biology graduate student, Todd Nystul, describes his research in the suspended animation of complicated biological life forms. The techniques and procedures he is helping research could one day be used to help trauma victims. Todd discusses the flexibility and interdisciplinary approach offered by MCB as vital to his decision to join the program.
Tribal Forestry: Part 1 - National Overview of Tribal Forestry The theme for this round of the Denman Forestry Issues Series is Trust and Transition: Perspectives on Native American Forestry. Three speakers focus on issues dealing with the stewardship of the natural resources located on the forest lands managed by Native American tribes, across America, in cooperation with the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Nolan Colegrove, of the Hoopah Indian Tribe, is a certified forester with the State of California. Colegrove gives an overview talk that includes background on the Intertribal Timber Council, tribal governments, and tribal forestry.
John Vitello, Senior Forester with the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington, D.C., gives an overview of Indian forestry, discusses government-tribal relationships, covers some of the complexities of Indian land management, and reviews some accomplishments of Indian forestry with respect to wild land fire management.
Jerry Franklin, professor of Forest Ecology at the University of Washington College of Forest Resources, discusses the results of independent assessments of Indian forests and forestry that have been conducted by the Intertribal Timber Council.
Tribal Forestry: Part 2 - Opportunities and Challenges for Tribal Forestry The theme for this round of the Denman Forestry Issues Series is Trust and Transition: Perspectives on Native American Forestry. Three speakers focus on issues dealing with the stewardship of the natural resources located on the forest lands managed by Native American tribes, across America, in cooperation with the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Guy Kapoeman is Vice President of the Quinault Nation. In his talk, A Portrait Of Our Land, Kapoeman examines the relationship between the Quinault people and the United States federal government through the various phases of timber harvest, and discusses the implications for the tribe and the sustainability of its resources.
John Waconda, of the Isleta Pueblo in New Mexico, is the Southwest Regional Forester for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Waconda presents on cooperative forest management and tribal partnerships. Waconda describes some effective partnerships between different Native American tribes working toward a common goal of good forest stewardship and management. Waconda also discusses relationship between tribes and federal government land management agencies.
Terry Williams and Terry Grinaker, both of the Tulalip Tribes, discuss forestry issues facing Western Washington Native American tribes who have small land bases
Tribal Forestry: Part 3 - Forest Health and Bioenergy The theme for this round of the Denman Forestry Issues Series is Trust and Transition: Perspectives on Native American Forestry. Three speakers focus on issues dealing with the stewardship of the natural resources located on the forest lands managed by Native American tribes, across America, in cooperation with the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Phil Rigdon, Deputy Director, Yakama Nation Department of Natural Resources, speaks on the challenges of maintaining traditional cultural values and practicing good environmental stewardship of the Yakama Nation’s forest land, while at the same time addressing economic concerns of the Yakama people, as well as getting value out of the tribe’s valuable natural resources.
Randy Friedlander, of the Coleville Confederated Tribes, speaks on promoting forest health through a biomass utilization project that uses recovered biomass for heating and other energy needs.
Cal Mukumoto, Manager of Warm Springs Biomass, discusses the problem of accumulated hazardous fuels in tribal forests and their potential to cause forest fires. Mukumoto discusses solutions for removal of this biomass and its conversion into usable energy.
Tsunamis in Washington Interested in learning more about the threat of tsunamis in the Pacific Northwest? This program includes speakers from the UW Pacific Northwest Center for Geologic Mapping Studies (GeoMapNW), the UW Department of Earth and Space Sciences and the U.S. Geological Survey. Also involved is the Washington Division of Geology and Washington Emergency Management, who present new data about past and future tsunamis hitting our region.
Uncommon Sense & Innovation Dr. William Brody, president of Johns Hopkins University presents his lecture, "Uncommon Sense and Innovation." Brody is the 13th president of Johns Hopkins University. With his extensive education in electrical engineering and medicine, Brody knows the importance of discovery and innovation in science. With that in mind, he discusses the role of reasoning and problem solving in the real world and emphasizes how to apply it to science.
Undergraduate Research Symposium More than 150 University of Washington undergraduate students participating in research with faculty in 70 disciplines present their work at the University's second celebration of undergraduates in research.
Understanding Conservation Easements and Land Trusts: Part 1 Setting the Stage and Preserving Productive Forests in the Pacific Northwest Landowners are looking to the future with a measure of uncertainty about how their land will be managed. Many landowners and land management agencies are concerned about sustainable management plans that are ecologically sound. Two emerging strategies that address these issues are conservation easements and land trusts. Invited speakers from private organizations and academics will explore and inform viewers on this subject.
Understanding Conservation Easements and Land Trusts: Part 2 Conserving Forest Landscapes in Washington and Investment Oriented Forestland Owners and their Approach to Conservation Easements
Landowners are looking to the future with a measure of uncertainty about how their land will be managed. Many landowners and land management agencies are concerned about sustainable management plans that are ecologically sound. Two emerging strategies that address these issues are conservation easements and land trusts. Invited speakers from private organizations and academics will explore and inform viewers on this subject.
Understanding Conservation Easements and Land Trusts: Part 3 Landowners are looking to the future with a measure of uncertainty about how their land will be managed. Many landowners and land management agencies are concerned about sustainable management plans that are ecologically sound. Two emerging strategies that address these issues are conservation easements and land trusts. Invited speakers from private organizations and academics will explore and inform viewers on this subject.
Understanding Embryonic Stem Cells Embryonic stem cells, or ES cells, are cells that can be isolated from early embryos, before they differentiate into specific types of cells. Because stem cells have the potential to generate fresh, healthy cells of nearly any type, there is interest in exploring their use to treat and cure various diseases. The societal controversy regarding human ES cells relates primarily to their derivation from very early embryos. In addition, certain stem cell lines are developed using a cloning technique called somatic cell nuclear transfer, which can generate cells that are an exact genetic match to a patient.
Understanding Fat: Syndrome X and Beyond Environment, lifestyle, diet, marketing, and biology are all contributors to the obesity epidemic. How do our bodies balance the storage and burning of dietary fat? Fat carries information about how it should be used. Saturated fats are hard to break down, so they tend to get stored, while unsaturated fats are more readily consumed for energy. Too much stored fat leads to elevated blood glucose levels, which triggers insulin resistance -- the first step toward diabetes. Dr. Evans explores how diet and exercise influence the relationship between fat and muscle, promoting good health or precipitating diseases such as syndrome X, a disorder involving high blood pressure, heart disease, atherosclerosis, and insulin resistance.
Understanding the Language of Silence/Hearing Research Recognizing deaf culture.
and
Advances in hearing research and how this research may affect the hearing and deaf communities. A cochlear implant recipient discusses how a tiny receiver surgically implanted behind his ear has changed his life.
Unwinding Clock Genetics The fruit fly has taught scientists a great deal about the daily rhythms of animals and their internal biological clocks. Dr. Michael Rosbash explains how he and colleagues cloned the first gene identified as having an important role in the function of the clock. His work opened up the molecular analysis of biological clocks and represents one of the most advanced studies of how genes affect behavior.
Urban Water: Sustainability in the Balance Experts predict that by the end of the 21st century, over 80 percent of the world's population will be concentrated in urban areas. An increasing number of urban poor will rely on urban waterways for recreation, food, and escape from urban pressures. Today's urban water problems are difficult to see without knowledge of watershed processes and the impacts of human development. This documentary is a journey across three continents to look at three watersheds and the problems they are facing.
Urban Weather and Climate - Now and the Future More than 50 percent of our population already live in cities. And by 2030, the equivalent of 15 cities the size of Phoenix will be created annually. Is the quadruple convergence of urbanism, population growth, climate change and coastal development a perfect storm? In this American Meteorological Society program, a panel of experts discuss the impact climate and cities have on one another. Find out what urban planners and climate scientists must do in order to combine their efforts to adapt to a changing urbanized world.
UW-Madison's Undergraduate Symposium 2004 The University of Wisconsin-Madison's Office of the Provost and the Division of Information Technology, document the celebration of their annual showcase of undergraduate student achievements, creativity, and service learning. Interviews feature students and mentors working in a variety of fields such as Anthropology, Atmospheric Sciences, Design, Endocrinology, High-Energy Physics, Psychology, and History. Each participant describes the role that undergraduates play in faculty research programs, and the ways in which this in-depth, hands-on learning experience supplements the student's classroom.
VISIONS 05: Part 1 - Broadcast from Tuesday 9-27-05 Take part in an underwater journey of scientific discovery - without leaving your living room. This program takes you to the bottom of the seafloor along the Juan de Fuca Ridge as part of the ongoing revolution in the way technology is changing the way scientists are studying the oceans and the organisms that thrive there. UW professors of Oceanography John Delaney and Deborah Kelley lead the expedition.
For more information.
Vitamin D: The New Old Natural Wonder Drug Professor Hector F. DeLuca's laboratory has been devoted to the understanding of metabolism and mechanism of action of vitamins A and D. Sponsored by Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters in partnership with the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, Dr. DeLuca discusses the fascinating history of the discovery and applications of Vitamin D. Also touched upon is the creation of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, whose mission is to transform university research into real products that benefit the society at large.
Volcanoes, Oceans and Life in our Solar System: A Fiber-Optic Telescope to Inner Space Images relayed from the Galileo spacecraft have provided the most compelling evidence yet that there are likely to be two oceans in our solar system: one on Earth and one on Europa, a moon circling Jupiter. Find out how studying the ocean right off the coast of Washington could be a key in exploring the seas of Europa in search of extraterrestrial life -- life that scientists speculate could be like the microorganisms flourishing in the deepest regions of our own oceans.
Walking Water Home/Tiny Killers "Walking Water Home" tells the story of Colorado State University's student chapter of Engineers Without Borders and their water projects in El Salvador. During this trip in August 2007 they completed a pipeline project bringing water to the center of town for the first time in the history of El Chile. In part two of the episode researchers from Colorado State University join scientists in Mexico who are addressing the global health challenge of Dengue--one of the most important mosquito-borne viral diseases affecting humans.
Water Supply and Storm Water Issues in the Pacific Northwest - Part 1 This program provides an overview of water issues in the Pacific Northwest and discusses the impact of climate change on precipitation and water supply. Speakers also address stormwater issues and streamflow prediction.
Water Supply and Storm Water Issues in the Pacific Northwest - Part 2 This program addresses water rights issues and how to balance water uses, such as urban domestic, agriculture, and in-stream needs for fish. Speakers also discuss the role of soil and forest restoration in sustainable urban landscapes.
Waterman Awardee: Stellar Research and the Search for Exoplanets Step into the stars in this video from the National Science Foundation with David Charbonneau, associate professor of astronomy at Harvard University. Charbonneau, recipient of NSF’s 2009 Alan T. Waterman Award, shares his research on the detection and characterization of extra-solar planets, known as exoplanets.
What Are the Grand Questions of Science? (101) Science seems on the brink of several mega-revolutions, including biotechnology and genetic engineering, broadband communications and artificial intelligence, a search for a 'Theory of Everything,' cosmology of the early universe, and nanotechnology, the building of extremely small machines. The panelists enumerate and evaluate the 'Big Questions' and rank them in order of importance.
What Are the Next Breakthroughs in Science? (202) From genetics to cosmology to nanotechnology, science is on the brink of numerous and extraordinary mega-revolutions that will change the very nature of life. Closer to Truth brings together leading scientists, scholars and artists to debate many of today's fundamental issues. Joining host Robert Kuhn are astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson; author/astronomer Timothy Ferris; evolutionary biologist Francisco Ayala; professor of neuroscience and philosophy Patricia Smith Churchland; and child psychologist Rochel Gelman. The panelists discuss the role of independent scientific study; how 'paradigms' work in science; and whether scientific discoveries are conditioned by the prevailing culture.
What is Consciousness? (107) What is Consciousness -- our inner thoughts, feelings, personalities -- the hidden 'Stuff' of our Private Selves? Is there something special about Consciousness, something of the mind not in the brain? This is self awareness, the interior mental experience we call Consciousness. What is the importance of studying Consciousness? The panel discusses the concept of human consciousness.
What Makes the Big Bang Big? The universe is flying apart, possibly because gravity was repulsive in the very early universe. But will it expand forever? A look into the past history of the expansion using exploding stars as distance milestones indicates that it may be speeding up again.
What Sank the RMS Titanic? What can science tell us about one of the most visable advanced technology expressions of the earlier part of the 20th century?
Dr. Tim Foecke describes the scientific study occurring over the past few years to determine the details of what might have happened to the RMS Titanic that lead to the sinking of the ship.
What's Creativity and Who's Creative? (103) Creativity is exciting, but also demanding, consuming, frustrating, and addicting. It's inspiring, but also fickle, erratic, tricky, and risky. Experts gather to discuss this remarkable thing called creativity in a lively discussion that combines sweeping theories, fascinating stories, clever experiments and personal confessions. Find out where creativity comes from, how it's applied, and why it can be found anywhere, at home or work, in art as well as science.
Whatever Happened to Ethics and Civility? (110) Many blame the feverish pace of modern society and the intensity and ferocity of competition for today's lack of morals and common courtesy. Yet, many more believe that society is impoverished without ethics and civility. The expert panelists discuss the waning ethics and civility in American society and debate what, if anything, can be done about it. Joining host Robert Kuhn are the founder and president of the Discovery Institute Bruce Chapman; Yale Law School student Saru Jayaraman; linguist John McWhorter; social architect Barbara Marx Hubbard; and theologian Richard Mouw.
Who Shapes the Visual Landscape, and Does It Matter? Forested landscapes are valued throughout the Northwest. However, land-use plans and programs result in the creation of landscape patterns that may not always be pleasing to the viewing public. Do planners and policy makers have an obligation to make decisions more compatible with people's needs? If so, are there ways to foster participation to ensure that people's aesthetic concerns are met? While many land-use requirements focus on economic, ecological and other welfare considerations, they do not have to result in landscapes that compromise our visual preferences.
Why Did It Succeed? By the early 1980s, there were numerous data networking technologies. IBM’s System Network Architecture (SNA) dominated the commercial world; DECNET, from Digital Equipment Corp, was widely used in the scientific and research communities; and telephone companies and firms such as Tymnet and Telenet offered network-based computer access via X.25. Other protocols, such as MMDF, RSCS and UUCP, were used to transfer electronic mail and files. In addition, a worldwide data networking standards activity, commonly known as OSI, was supported by almost all of the world’s governments (including the U.S.) and telephone companies. Thus the TCP/IP-based Internet did not develop in a clean-slate environment. The competition was intense, but by the early 1990s it was clear that TCP/IP, as implemented in the NSFNET, had become the dominant form of internetworking. A panel reviews the earlier standards, explore why the TCP/IP-based Internet succeeded while the others did not, and highlight the role of the NSFNET in this process.
Why is Music So Significant? Every known human culture has music, and how the brain recognizes and appreciates music -- a field known as the neurobiology of music -- reveals that there is no one 'music center' in our brain. Although specific parts of the brain are dedicated to the sense of sound, vast areas must work together to generate the complex experience we call music, including areas of working memory, forethought, movement and emotion. Host Robert
Kuhn is joined by Jeanne Bamberger, Musicologist, MIT; Robert Freeman, Dean, College of Fine Arts, University of Texas at Austin; and Mark Jude Tramo, Harvard Medical School.
Why is Quantum Physics So Beautiful? (207) From genetics to cosmology to nanotechnology, science is on the brink of numerous and extraordinary mega-revolutions that will change the very nature of life. Closer to Truth brings together leading scientists, scholars and artists to debate many of today's fundamental issues. Joining host Robert Kuhn are Nobel Laureate and physicist Leon Lederman; physicist/cosmologist Andrei Linde; theoretical physicist Steve Koonin; scientist and sci-fi author Gregory Benford; and physicist Charles Buchanan. The panelists debate the charm and symmetry of quantum physics.
Wichita State and The World: The World of Biophysics In this Wichita State University program, Don Lamb, professor of physical chemistry at Ludwig University of Munich, delivers the Watkins Lecture Series on the World of Biophysics. Lamb discusses his research into the world of biophysics and fluorescence.
Wildfires: Desired Future Conditions Topics for this special seminar include the market and non-market values of fuel reduction, reducing landscape flammability in public lands, and restoring fire-friendly forests. Also profiled is a successful integrated resource management plan on the Colville Indian Reservation.
Wildfires: Issues and Research Topics in this seminar include western forest fire challenges, fire science tools, and the human dimensions of wildland fires.
Will Computers Take a Quantum Leap? As quantum engineer Seth Lloyd blithely states, 'a quantum computer is to a computer what a laser is to a light bulb. That explains a lot, and nothing.' Join host Robert Kuhn, along with David DiVincenzo, IBM Senior Researcher; Seth Lloyd, Professor of Engineering, MIT; and K. Birgitta Whaley, Professor of Chemistry, UC Berkely, as they discuss computer evolution.
Will the Internet Change Humanity? (102) Experts in public policy, technology and media gather to discuss the full and real impact of the Internet and the information age on humans and humanity. Find out how access to information, instant gratification and the personal, institutional and growing global impact of computer use and Internet access are changing the way we think, the way we do things, our communities and our civilization.
WIMPs versus MaCHOs: What’s the Matter? Most of the mass of the Universe is Dark Matter, mysterious stuff detected only by its gravitational effects. Is it made of new elementary particles, black holes, or something even stranger? New experiments are revealing clues to its composition and a few other surprises along the way.
Wisconsin Research Journal Come along on a voyage of discovery as scientists at the University of Wisconsin – Madison reveal three exciting research projects. The IceCube observatory in Antarctica is furthering our understanding of physics through new high-energy sources. Learn about the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland, which is expected to become the world’s largest energy particle accelerator. And find out about recent advances in using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to acquire data.
WISELI: Building on a Legacy This second documentary in a series of three briefly summarizes the creation of the Women in Science & Engineering Leadership Institute (WISELI) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Three of WISELI’s major new initiatives designed to increase the recruitment, retention and advancement of women in academic science and engineering are outlined: climate workshops for department chairs; workshops for search committee chairs; and the Life Cycle Research Grant program. Finally, some unexpected issues that have arisen in the course of WISELI’s work are also discussed.
Production Company: Eclipse Multimedia Productions, Madison WI
Women in Science and Engineering Leadership Institute: Advancing Institutional Transformation This documentary on the Women in Science and Engineering Leadership Institute, based at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, captures the first year of a five-year National Science Foundation-funded effort to investigate why such a small percentage of faculty in the biological and physical sciences are female. The documentary looks back on the remarkable efforts of UW-Madison administrators and women faculty over the years to enhance the working environments of women scientists and engineers, and shows how WISELI is currently using the campus as a living laboratory to study and test interventions expected to have a positive effect on the advancement of women in science and engineering.
Production Company: Eclipse Multimedia Productions, Madison WI
