7th year of Science on Tap

Thanks to the continued support of UNM, Explora and the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History

 

 A time to eat, drink & talk about science!

on Central

Join us Thursday, November 1 at 5:30

What's Glowing On?

Anthony Salvagno, PhD & Sarah Pratt • Explora Educators

Join Explora educators for an illuminating series of demonstrations and hands-on activities about luminescence. Learn about chemiluminescence, fluorescence, and phosphorescence, and how Explora makes scientific concepts fun for all ages! 

Then mark your calendars for upcoming programs:

December

No Science on Tap

Nob Hill Shop and Stroll

February 7, 2019

Discrepant Events, the science behind bar tricks
David Gibson

The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History

March 7, 2019

David T. Hanson

Professor

UNM Biology

Research being conducted on the International Space Station involving plants

7th year of Science on Tap

Thanks to the continued support of UNM, Explora and the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History

 

 A time to eat, drink & talk about science!

on Central

Join us Tuesday, October 9th at 5:30

Personal experiences about Los Alamos 

and thoughts about Trinity Site

Judith W. Mead

About Judith

Born in Loveland, Colorado, lived in Bremerton, Washington during WWII, moved back to Colorado and moved to Los Alamos, NM in 1961.  In 1975 moved to Albuquerque. I have two daughters and one grandson.  My background is organic chemistry with expertise in engineering materials.

Employed by Los Alamos National Laboratory in Physics Division and by Sandia National Laboratories (Albuquerque) in Advanced Development, Nuclear Stockpile Support and Risk Management.  Author of 25 technical papers on nuclear weapons and materials.  Adjunct Professor of Mathematics – UNM, teaching mathematics at the Los Alamos Residence Center.  Past President and Past Secretary of the Board of Trustees, National Museum of Nuclear Science and History.  Charter Member of the Museum Foundation and Docent for the Museum.  Active with the Museum for over 25 years.  Past board member and Vice-President of the Board of the Central NM YWCA.  Winner of the YWCA Women on the Move Award in Science and Technology in 1984.  Active in the NM Friendship Force and President and past Secretary of the Board. Member of the Board of La Vida Llena, a local life care Community.  Member and Secretary of the Board of Albuquerque Little Theater.

Hobbies include gardening, reading, traveling, giving travelogues, knitting and needlework.  I also have given presentations on nuclear power to groups around the city.  I have been a scuba diver since 1982 and have dived in the Pacific, the Red Sea and the Caribbean. 

7th year of Science on Tap

Thanks to the continued support of UNM, Explora and the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History

 

 A time to eat, drink & talk about science!

on Central

Join us Thursday, September 6th at 5:30

Kirtland AFB Bulk Fuels Facility 

Anatomy of a Cleanup

Scott Clark
Kathryn Lynnes

Kirtland ISS, AFCEC/CZO

The Kirtland AFB Bulk Fuels Facility (BFF) cleanup has incorporated aspects from numerous scientific and engineering disciplines, and this talk will elaborate on how those different disciplines have worked in concert to characterize and remediate the BFF spill to date.  This talk will explain the unique nature of the BFF spill, describe interim remediation technologies and how/why they were selected, provide examples of sampling methodologies, and provide an overview on a cutting-edge in-situ bioremediation project that is currently underway.

Scott Clark Bio:

Scott is the Environmental Restoration Program manager for Kirtland AFB, and is the senior Restoration lead in New Mexico for Kirtland, Cannon, and Holloman AFBs.  Scott has worked on Kirtland for 16 years in numerous capacities; namely, as the Kirtland Air Force Base Air Quality Program manager, the Military Munitions Response Program manager, and has worked in environmental restoration since 2009.  He recently provided expert testimony at the Groundwater Quality Control Commission hearing on the proposed groundwater rules, and has represented the Air Force in countless public meetings and symposiums.  Also, when he was younger, he was nominated for the Air and Waste Management Association’s National Young Environmental Professional of the year --- and he lost! 

Kate Lynnes Bio:

Kate Lynnes is the Senior Advisor for the Bulk Fuels Facility fuel leak cleanup at Kirtland Air Force Base. Kate has a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Michigan Technological University and a law degree from the University of Oregon. After graduating from U of O she chose not to go to the dark side and went back into engineering. She was an environmental consultant for 20 years and worked on cleanup projects across the US and in Canada. After moving to New Mexico in 2004 she was a permit writer for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in Carlsbad and did legacy site remediation at Los Alamos National Laboratory and Chino Mine. When she’s not working she is at Bullhead dog park with her two rescue dogs or at an Isotopes game.

7th year of Science on Tap

Thanks to the continued support of UNM, Explora and the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History

 

 A time to eat, drink & talk about science!

on Central

Join us Thursday, August 2nd at 5:30

The Science of Behavior Change 

in our Canine Companions

Ellen Schmidt, CPDT-KA, KPA CTP

Senior Director of Outreach & Volunteer Programs

Animal Humane New Mexico

 

Oh behave! For everyone who’s ever wished to change a few of behaviors in their furry household companions (or partners, kids or employees, for that matter), join us for a fun evening learning about the science of behavior change, or Applied Behavior Analysis. We’ll cover what we’ve learned from greats like Pavlov and B.F. Skinner, touch on the basics of modern ABA, how it relates to the “clicker training” used by organizations like Animal Humane, and practice some hands-on learning with shaping new behaviors.

6th year of Science on Tap

Thanks to the continued support of UNM, Explora and the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History

 

 A time to eat, drink & talk about science!

on Central

Join us Thursday, April 5th at 5:30

Afraid of Complex Environmental Systems? Surface Science: A New Hope

Investigation of environmental systems is often complex due to the simultaneous interaction of physical, chemical, and biological processes. However, most of these processes happen at the interface of water and solids which offer an opportunity to integrate conventional water chemistry techniques with advanced surface science tools. This conversation intends to motivate students and the general audience to recognize the invaluable opportunities that surface science tools offer to advance the current knowledge about the fate and transport of chemicals of concern in environmental systems.

Dr. Jose M. Cerrato

Assistant Professor

Department of Civil Engineering, UNM

Dr. Cerrato’s research interest is related to biogeochemical processes at the interface of water and energy that affect the cycle of metals and radionuclides in the environment. He leads the E-H₂O Research Group which applies spectroscopy, microscopy, aqueous chemistry, and molecular biology tools for the study of complex environmental interactions.  Dr. Cerrato was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Washington University in St. Louis. He has been a recipient of the OAS-LASPAU-Fulbright Scholarship, National Science Foundation (NSF) Integrative Graduate Education Research Traineeship (IGERT), Oak Ridge Associated Universities Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award, the University of New Mexico Faculty of Color Research Award, and the NSF CAREER Award. 

In conjunction with the NMAVS Southwest Student Chapter

6th year of Science on Tap

Thanks to the continued support of UNM, Explora and the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History

 

 A time to eat, drink & talk about science!

on Central

Join us Thursday, March 1st at 5:30

2 Presentations from Explora's Science Communication Fellows

Soil fungi may benefit both plants and biocrusts in drylands
 
Dr. Eva Dettweiler-Robinson
Research Assistant Professor
Department of Biology, UNM

 Drylands, such as those across New Mexico, have plants and biological soil crusts (mosses, lichens, cyanobacteria, fungi, bacteria, etc.) living together. Plants and many components of biocrusts are photosynthetic, meaning they can use CO₂ from the air to produce their bodies. Many biocrusts can also fix nitrogen from the air which is an important fertilizer. I am researching how fungi affect the rate of nitrogen transfer between biocrusts and plants and the overall effect on the performance of plants and biocrusts. Understanding these processes can help us understand what leads to erosion and windstorms, provide habitat for animals, and understand implications of climate change in drylands.

Albuquerque groundwater aquifer & its response to water resource management

 

Lucas Curry

Hydrologist

New Mexico Water Science Center

US Geological Survey

6th year of Science on Tap

Thanks to the continued support of UNM, Explora and the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History

 

 A time to eat, drink & talk about science!

on Central

Join us Thursday, February 1st at 5:30

Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

Greg Mello
Executive Director 
Los Alamos Study Group

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was finalized and adopted by 122 states at a special United Nations negotiating Conference on July 7, 2017. The Treaty opened for signature on September 20, 2017; by week's end there were 54 signatory states. On October 6 it was announced that the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize would go to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), which, in an unprecedented partnership with the diplomatic community, led the successful campaign for the Treaty. The Prize was awarded in Oslo on December 10, 2017.
    But what is this Treaty? How and why did it arise? What is its historical significance? How could a small group of people succeed when so many others had failed? How do its signatories and proponents expect the Treaty to help prevent nuclear war and foster disarmament? Will it apply to the United States and the other nuclear weapon states who do not sign it? How will it affect US alliances in Europe and the Western Pacific? How will it affect the New Mexico laboratories? What is the status of the Treaty today? And what can we do now to bring the Treaty into force and apply it here in the US and in New Mexico?
    Greg Mello will address these questions and any others you may have.
    Greg, with Trish Williams-Mello, his wife and co-worker, were active participants and presenters at (and between) the several fact-finding and negotiating fora that led to this Treaty over the 2014-2017 period. 



Greg Mello, Executive Director, is a co-founder of the Los Alamos Study Group and has led its varied activities since 1992, including policy research, environmental analysis, congressional education and lobbying, community organizing, litigation (FOIA, civil rights, NEPA), advertising, and the nuts and bolts of funding and running a small nonprofit. From time to time he has served as a consulting analyst, writer, and spokesperson for other nuclear policy organizations. Greg was educated as a systems engineer with a broad scientific background (Harvey Mudd College, 1971, with distinction) and as a regional planner with emphases in environmental planning and regional economics (Harvard, 1975, with distinction, HUD Fellow in Urban Studies). During the early 1980s Greg was a high school science and math teacher, then a hazardous waste inspector and statewide hazardous materials incident commander, and in the late 1980s a supervising hydrogeologist, for the New Mexico Environment Department. In 1984 Greg led the first regulatory enforcement at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). In the early 1990s Greg was a consulting hydrologist in parallel with the early Study Group, with cleanup projects in New Mexico and California. In 2002, Greg was a Visiting Research Fellow at Princeton University’s Program on Science and Global Security. Greg’s research, analysis, and opinions have been published in the New York Times, Washington Post, The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Issues in Science and Technology, in the New Mexico press, and elsewhere. He has been interviewed thousands of times by U.S. and international news media (print, radio, and television). Greg’s research has been the source or impetus of many of these media articles and programs. In addition to speaking at hundreds of public meetings and events in New Mexico, Greg has been a guest speaker at several international disarmament events here and abroad.