Smart growth initiatives for the city of Raleigh.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010, 6:30 - 8:30 pm Discussions beginning at 7:00 followed by Q&A
Details of this topic and speakers to follow. This Science Cafe will be recorded and broadcast on WCOM-FM 103.5
Past Science Cafe Topics
The Human-Animal Bond
Tuesday June 15, 2010 Time: 6:30 - 8:30 pm
Discussions beginning at 7:00 followed by Q&A
Animals touch our daily lives -- from the pets we keep, to the food we eat, to the health care advances we enjoy. Current animal welfare concerns include pet overpopulation, rescue and care of animals in disasters, treatment of food animals, biomedical research involving animals, and the affects of global urbanization and environmental change on wildlife. Our evolving human-animal bond and the mandate to be good stewards of animal welfare are at the heart of these concerns. Join our discussion about how the integration of veterinary medicine and animal science, as well as ethics and public policy, can dictate how successfully these concerns are addressed, and how the diverse needs of humans and animals are met on a local and global scale.
About the Speaker
Dr. Dianne Dunning is a clinical associate professor and the director of the Animal Welfare, Ethics and Public Policy Program (AWEPP) at the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine. Through professional education, public service, research and public policy development, AWEPP seeks to explore and address issues including pet abandonment, animal abuse and fighting, companion animal loss and grief, and the link between animal health and human well being.
Clash of the Titans; energy, environment, and the economy
Tuesday, April 20, 2010 Time: 6:30 - 8:30 pm with discussions beginning at 7:00 followed by Q&A
There are approximately 250 million cars on U.S. roads today, fueled primarily by imported oil, and demand is growing. The electric utilities are in the midst of a "Smart Grid" revolution, driven by new technology, increased demand, and need for higher reliability and security.
The U.S. government, along with the auto and electric utility industries, are currently striving for electrification of the transportation sector by way of plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles. All-electric vehicles can provide significant oil savings, improved air quality, reduced energy costs to consumers, increased energy diversity, and support for the electric grid. But are U.S. drivers ready to go all electric?
About the Speaker: Rogelio Sullivan is the Associate Director of the Advanced Transportation Energy Center and also of the Future Renewable Electric Energy Delivery and Management Systems Center (FREEDM) at NCSU. The two research centers are working in partnership with industry to develop technologies that can effectively create the "energy internet"; which will support widespread utilization of renewable energy, plug in electric vehicles, and greater consumer participation in the energy marketplace.
Mr. Sullivan is an engineer with more than 20 years of research and development management experience in advanced transportation systems such as hybrids, batteries, lightweight materials, advanced combustion engines, and vehicle auxiliary systems.
Forgetting Something?
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
6:30-8:30 pm with discussion beginning at 7:00 followed by Q&A
All of us misplace our car keys now and again. Most of us get lost while driving from time to time. We all have been to cocktail parties and have run into someone familiar whose name just escapes us. We often toss off such events as “senior moments.” These trivial events trouble us because they reflect a short circuiting of brain function. Do they mean anything serious is wrong with us or are they just annoying bumps in the road? Are they warnings of bad things to come such as dementia? This evening we will discuss the issues of memory loss, dementia, and aging.
About the Speaker: S. Mitchell Freedman, MD, FAAN, is a member of the medical staff at
Dog Genome teaching Scientists New Tricks
Tuesday, Nov 17, 2009
6:30-8:30 pm with discussion beginning at 7:00 followed by Q&A
Location: The Irregardless Café, 901 W. Morgan Street, Raleigh 833-8898
This year, roughly 66,000 people will be diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, while another 22,000 will be diagnosed with cancers of the brain. In parallel, our pet dogs also suffer from a range of similar spontaneous cancers. For thousands of years, humans and dogs have shared a unique bond—breathing the same air, drinking the same water, and living in the same environment. During the 21st century this relationship is now strengthened into one that may hold intriguing biomedical possibilities. Using the 'One Medicine' concept—the idea that human and animal health relies on a common pool of medical and scientific knowledge and is supported by overlapping technologies and discoveries; research is revealing that the dog genome may hold the keys to unlocking some of nature’s most intriguing puzzles about human cancer.
About the Speaker: Dr. Matthew Breen, professor of genomics in the NC State University College of Veterinary Medicine, co-directs the Clinical Genomics Core of the Center for Comparative Medicine and Translational Research at NC State. Dr. Breen’s lab http://www.breenlab.org/ helped map the canine genome in 2004 and the internationally known research scientist has conducted studies and published articles on numerous comparative medicine investigations of canine and human cancers including non-Hodgkin lymphoma, meningioma, and other cancers of the brain. A member of the Cancer Genetics Program at the
