Friday, November 14, 2014

December 6, 2014 - Bringing up Baby

Science on Tap
Thursday, December 4th, 2014
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm

Chama River Brewing Company
4939 Pan American Freeway
505 342.1800

 Featuring:

PhD Candidate - Victoria Hansen

Bringing up baby: the immunology of pregnancy


Pregnancy poses a number of immunological problems.  The maternal system must tolerate a foreign tissue in the form of an embryo and fetus for as long as 9 months in the case of humans, while still protecting the woman from infection.  Complex systems have evolved to insure the immune system doesn’t reject the fetus, but these can break down leading to complications and miscarriage.  My research takes a comparative approach by studying mammals distantly related to humans to discover common solutions.  This research has implications for understanding how animals evolve from being egg laying to live bearing, something that has happened many time in vertebrates.

Coming up in February 5th, 2015;
Dr Stephen Myer
 Beyond Red: A history of thermal imaging

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Science on Tap
Thursday, November 6th, 2014
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm

Chama River Brewing Company
4939 Pan American Freeway
505 342.1800

 Featuring:

Dr Peter Vorobieff

From ripples and spills to supernovae

Peter Vorobieff has an M.S. degree in applied mathematics from Moscow University (Russia, not Idaho) and a Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering from Lehigh University (Pennsylvania). Before joining the ranks of the academia at The University of New Mexico, he has worked in a variety of places - from Russian Association of Space Explorers to Los Alamos National Laboratory (not to mention odd jobs as a news photographer, newspaper columnist, construction worker, etc.).
His primary research interests lie in the area of fundamental hydrodynamic instability studies, renewable energy, and advanced experimental techniques. He also serves as Associate Editor of ASME Journal of Fluids Engineering.

Coming up in December 4th, 2014;
Dr Rob Miller & Victoria Hansen -
Bringing up baby: the immunology of pregnancy
Science on Tap
Thursday, October 2nd, 2014
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm

Chama River Brewing Company
4939 Pan American Freeway
505 342.1800

 Featuring:

Dr Ganesh Balakrishnan

THERMO PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS: GENERATING ENERGY IN PLACES WHERE THE SUN DOESN’T SHINE

Thermo photovoltaic (TPV) cells have significant potential in efficiently converting thermal energy to electrical energy. These applications include conversion from internal combustion engines, small nuclear sources and even portable fuel-based sources.
TPVs are gaining prominence as a novel technology for energy generation in places where solar cells are not an option and also for harvesting energy from heat sources. The talk will provide a historical and scientific background on the technology and will also look into some of the challenges and promises that lie ahead in its commercial adoption.

 Coming up in November 6th, 2014;
Dr Peter Vorobieff-
From ripples and spills to supernovae

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Science on Tap
Thursday, May 1, 2014
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm

New Location!

Chama River Brewing Company
4939 Pan American Freeway
505 342.1800
Project Plowshare
The Peaceful Use of Nuclear Explosives in Cold War America
Scott Kaufman
Professor of History
Francis Marion University

Dr. Kaufman, a Francis Marion University Board of Trustees Research Scholar, joined the Francis Marion University staff in 2001. He is the author or co-author of over a half-dozen books on diplomatic, presidential, and military history, the most recent of which is Project Plowshare: The Peaceful Use of Nuclear Explosives in Cold War America (Cornell University Press, 2013); He is currently editing The Companion to Gerald R. Ford and Jimmy Carter, to be published by Wiley-Blackwell, and working on both a biography of Gerald R. Ford and a manuscript on the environment and international diplomacy.

At this seminar, Dr Kaufman will talk about his book.  Inspired by President Dwight D. Eisenhower's "Atoms for Peace" speech, scientists at the Atomic Energy Commission and the University of California's Radiation Laboratory began in 1957 a program they called Plowshare. Joined by like-minded government officials, scientists, and business leaders, champions of "peaceful nuclear explosions" maintained that they could create new elements and isotopes for general use, build storage facilities for water or fuel, mine ores, increase oil and natural gas production, generate heat for power production, and construct roads, harbors, and canals. By harnessing the power of the atom for nonmilitary purposes, Plowshare backers expected to protect American security, defend U.S. legitimacy and prestige, and ensure access to energy resources.
Scott Kaufman’s extensive research in nearly two dozen archives in three nations shows how science, politics, and environmentalism converged to shape the lasting conflict over the use of nuclear technology. Indeed, despite technological and strategic promise, Plowshare’s early champions soon found themselves facing a vocal and powerful coalition of federal and state officials, scientists, industrialists, environmentalists, and average citizens. Skeptical politicians, domestic and international pressure to stop nuclear testing, and a lack of government funding severely restricted the program. By the mid-1970s, Plowshare was, in the words of one government official, “dead as a doornail.” However, the thought of using the atom for peaceful purposes remains alive.








Tuesday, March 18, 2014


Science on Tap
Thursday, April 3, 2014
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm

New Location!

Chama River Brewing Company
4939 Pan American Freeway
505 342.1800
 
 
 
Science & Serendipity:
Chaco, Chocolate & Cylinder Jars
Distinguished Professor of Anthropology
UNM

Archaeologists like to believe that answering questions involves scientific procedures, but our discovery of chocolate in Chaco Canyon ceramics came about through a series of serendipitous events. Beginning with a question about how the people of Chaco used cylinder jars, this talk details how happenstance contributed to our understanding of luxury foods and long distance exchange in the New Mexico past.