The Symphony of Science

President Obama gave a speech at NASA on Thursday about the future of the United States space program.  The content of his speech, however, isn't what I want to talk about.  The speech reminded me of a series of beautiful compositions created by John Boswell collectively called The Symphony of Science.

The goal of the project is to bring scientific knowledge and philosophy to the public, in a novel way, through the medium of music. Science and music are two passions of mine that I aim to combine in a way that is intended to bring a meaningful message to listeners, while simultaneously providing an enjoyable musical experience.

One of the pieces, Our Place in the Cosmos, I find particulary relevant to meditate on while thinking about Mr. Obama's words on space.

What's Slightly More Nerdy Than Numismatics?

I love this.  Organize your electronics for easy reference.  Much better to have a taxonomy than "that big flat black thing."  Thanks to the MAKE Blog!

...after you are done breaking things apart and guiding the students through the component "jungles" inside modern day electronics, you realize that they would still need a ready reckoner which they can refer to regularly till they have built up enough confidence to identify components in various packages and so here's what we came up with...

Tom Lehrer's Elements Song

Why Dogs Love Us - Periodic Tables Tonight

Today is the second Tuesday of April which can mean only one thing: Periodic Tables!  Periodic Tables is a monthly event that brings interesting speakers and "where curious adults can meet in a casual setting to discuss the latest science in plain English."  Periodic Tables is organized by our friends at the Museum of Life and Science.

When: April 13, 2010 | 7:00 P.M.

Where: Broad Street Café in Durham, NC

Who: Dr. Brian Hare, Assistant Professor in Evolutionary Anthropology at Duke University

More has been discovered about dog intelligence in the last decade than the preceding 100 years. The Duke Canine Cognition Center was founded to continue studying how dogs understand their world, how dogs might have evolved, and how we might help dogs be even more successful at helping people.  

Dr. Brian Hare will share some of his work comparing dogs to various species like wolves and chimpanzees. He is also interested in hearing your ideas for dogcentric research questions that you wish they had the answer to.

Nanomaterials in Ecosystems: Should we worry?

Today is the second Tuesday of March which can mean only one thing: Periodic Tables!  Periodic Tables is a monthly event that brings interesting speakers "where curious adults can meet in a casual setting to discuss the latest science in plain English."  Periodic Tables is organized by our friends at the Museum of Life and Science.

When: March 9, 2010 | 7:00 P.M.

Where: Broad Street Café in Durham, NC

Who: Dr. Emily Bernhardt, Assistant Professor of Biology at Duke University and Program Leader at the Center for Environmental Implication of NanoTechnology

Nanotechnology has the enormous potential to change our society. New advances in medicine, energy production, environmental cleanup and better access to clean water are just a few of the many possibilities. According to the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, the number of products that use nanomaterials has increased almost 380% since 2006. But, is it the same special properties that make nanoscale materials so useful that also pose potential risks to humans and the environment?

Join Dr. Emily Bernhardt from the Center for the Environmental Implications of NanoTechnology to discuss the fate of nanomaterials in our environment and why you should care.