Voices in Science Lectures
Monthly public lectures for adults and older children presenting eminent scientists and currently newsworthy "hot topics" in science, or topics that relate to the Museum's exhibits, DynaTheater films, or Planetarium shows.
Museum Coordinator: Tish Morris, 841-2882
You may reserve tickets for any lecture by contacting Chris Sanchez at 841-2872, chris.sanchez@state.nm.us
Sponsored by the Fellows of Los Alamos National Laboratory Frontiers in Science Lecture
Use it, Lose It, or Save it: the Science of Renewable Energy Storage
Albert MiglioriTuesday, September 2, 2008 7 p.m.
Today, we can usefully consume all of the little solar, wind, and other renewable energy we produce. But for total energy production to shift significantly toward inherently unpredictable renewables, energy must be stored when available and recovered when needed else precious renewable energy sources will stand idle. This lecture will present an overview of the science of energy storage and new nanotechnology approaches to it. The science will take time to mature, but with legislative and economic shelters to nurture it, effective distributed electrical energy storage solutions can be found before the need is urgent.
Albert Migliori works for the Seaborg Institute and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Free
Volcano Art: The Portrayal of Volcanic Eruptions in Art through the Ages
Haraldur Sigurdsson, Ph.D.Sunday, September 28, 2008 7 p.m.
Volcanoes create the most beautiful landscapes in the world. No one who has viewed the perfect symmetry of Fuji volcano in Japan will forget its esthetic profile, defined by a perfect exponential curve. The spectacle of volcanoes goes far beyond their pleasing landscape form. Their eruptions are exciting and thrilling because they are dangerous, and exceed all natural catastrophes known to man in their explosive release of energy. World-renowned volcanologist Haraldur Sigurdsson has long nurtured a secret passion for the study of the portrayal of volcanic eruptions in art through the ages. They include the oldest landscape drawn by man, the 6000 BC wall painting at Çatal Höyük in Turkey. The number of artists who have featured a volcanic eruption in their works is surprisingly large, including Andy Warhol, William Turner, Diego Rivera, Hokusai, Dr. Atl, Dali and hundreds of others. Their creations give us an insight to the evolution of ideas about volcanic eruptions, and the range of emotions that capture the artist when viewing the sublime event of a volcanic eruption.
Dr. Sigurdsson is an author of Melting the Earth and The Encyclopedia of Volcanoes. He is a professor at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography. As a native of Iceland he has been interested in volcanoes since childhood. He is known for his studies of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius and the resulting destruction of Pompii and Herculaneum. He recently led expeditions to Tambora in Indonesia and found a community buried by the devastating 1815 eruption.
Co-sponsored by Sandia National Laboratories
Cost: $2 public, $1 members, seniors, students
Mysteries of the Universe in the Next Decade
Martin RatcliffeSaturday, October 4, 2008 7 p.m.
The next decade promises to be a golden age in astronomy as major new telescopes come on line. From piercing the dark ages of the early universe to understanding the formation of the very first stars, major new discoveries are expected. Many mysteries of the universe, including the nature of dark energy and dark matter, might be solved. Come and hear about the exciting promise of the next decade in Astronomy.
Martin Ratcliffe, a former President of the International Planetarium Society, is author of a number of books on astronomy including State of the Universe 2008, a popular review of new discoveries in astronomy.
Lecture at 7pm, followed by observing (weather permitting)
Tickets through TicketMaster
Pre-Columbian Dogs in the Southwest
Dody FugateThursday, October 23, 2008 7 p.m.
What is a dog, anyway? Where did dogs come from? How did the early peoples living in the Southwest get their dogs, and how did dogs fit in these early cultures? Ms. Fugate will address these questions and present many interesting canine facts. Find out how changes in the environment and culture affect the way dogs and people interacted in the Southwest and learn about other cultures that may have affected the relationships between dogs and people.
Dody Fugate is a researcher and curator at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture/Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe. She has been studying the origins of the domestic dog since the mid 1990s and the cultural interaction between dogs and humans, especially in the Southwest, for the last 20 years. Ms. Fugate has an MA in Archaeology from the University of Arizona as well as one in Museum Management.
Cost: $2 public, $1 members, seniors, students
The Impact of Our Fossil-Fuel Addiction on Plants and Animals
Terry L. Root, Ph.D.Sunday, November 2, 2008 7 p.m.
By mid-century the global average temperature will quite likely be 2° to 4°C warmer. The most recent Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change states that with 2°C, 20% of the known species could be marked for extinction and 40% if the temperature increases 4°C. Saving as many species as possible may require using the crisis technique of triage, but it requires a lot of advanced planning. Should we start now?
Dr. Root's work focuses on large-scale ecological questions investigating factors shaping the ranges and abundances of animals and plants. Terry L. Root is a Senior Fellow/University Faculty at the Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University. She is a graduate of the University of New Mexico and went on for advanced degrees at Boulder and Princeton. She is the recipient of many awards including the prestigious Presidential Young Investigator Award from the National Science Foundation, named a Pew Scholar in Conservation and the Environment, is an Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellow and a Fellow of the American Ornithologists Union. She was a Lead Author of the 2001 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Working Group 2 Third Assessment Report, with responsibility for the impacts of climate change on wildlife. She was also a Lead Author of the IPCC, Working Group 2 Fourth Assessment Report in 2007, when Vice President Gore and the IPCC received the Nobel Peace Prize.
Cost: $2 public, $1 members, seniors, students
A Field Guide to the Bosque
Jean-Luc E. Cartron, Ph.D., David C. Lightfoot, Ph.D., Jane E. Mygatt, Sandra L. Brantley, Ph.D., Timothy K. Lowrey, Ph.D.Tuesday, November 18, 2008 7 p.m.
"Bosque" is the term used locally to identify the cottonwood forest along the Rio Grande in central New Mexico. But the bosque is more than just cottonwood trees, it is a complete riverside ecosystem, among the most important in the world's arid regions. This fall, the University of New Mexico Press will publish a new book, A Field Guide to the Plants and Animals of the Middle Rio Grande Bosque. The authors of this new guide will discuss some of the diversity of life in this special river-side environment, and reveal the important role the bosque plays in New Mexico's natural heritage.
Jean-Luc E. Cartron is a research assistant professor at the University of New Mexico (UNM) and the Director of the Drylands Institute New Mexico Office. He has written many articles on raptor ecology and is the editor of Biodiversity, Ecosystems and Conservation in Northern New Mexico. David C. Lightfoot is a research associate professor with the Museum of Southwest Biology (MSB) UNM, and a senior ecologist with SWCA Environmental Consultants. Jane E. Mygatt is senior collection manager with MSB. Sandra L. Brantley is a research associate professor with the MSB. Timothy K. Lowrey is a curator and professor with the MSB.
A book signing will follow this talk.
Cost: $2 public, $1 members, seniors, students
All talks are at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science
1801 Mountain Rd NW, Albuquerque, NM 87104
505-841-2800
Questions? Call Tish Morris at 505-841-2882 or by e-mail tish.morris@state.nm.us
You may reserve tickets by contacting Chris Sanchez at 841-2872, chris.sanchez@state.nm.us
