Science Under the Dome logoJoin us for our Science Under the Dome monthly live talk series. Talks in this series are presented by graduate student and postdoc researchers at CU Boulder.

All of our talks for Fall 2020 will be Virtual. Please join us on our YouTube channel. 

 

 

(Normally, these events are a part of our regular talks and normal ticket prices apply. Groupons can be used. CU Boulder students are admitted FREE with valid Buff card. Tickets must be picked up in person and only one ticket per student.)

Climate Change in Our Backyard series

Isabelle Glacier, Colorado at SunriseOur climate is changing and we must adapt to a world that is transforming right before our eyes. Early warning signs of climate change were seen in far away places like the Arctic, Antarctica, and Greenland. Now these impacts are affecting us here at home and changing the way we live our lives. Join us as we explore the local and global impacts of climate change and ways in which we can contribute to a solution.

TALKS

UPCOMING VIRTUAL TALK

Fires, Flooding, Heat Waves, Drought: Extreme Events in a Changing Climate 

November 19 at 7pm join us on our YouTube channel.

Join us to explore the link between extreme weather and climate change. Wildfires in the west have broken records and affected air quality across much of the country. There have been so many storms that the National Hurricane Center has run out of names for the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season. Has climate change actually contributed to these events? Are they becoming more frequent? Heat waves, droughts, floods, and even cold snaps. We'll talk about the mechanisms through which these events can be influenced by climate change and what we can expect to see in the future.

Erika Schreiber received her bachelor's degree in Science of Earth Systems from Cornell University in 2012, her Master's in Geography from the University of Delaware in 2015, and recently defended her Ph.D. in Geography at CU Boulder. Her Ph.D. research focused on how storms in the Arctic impact sea ice, and how climate change is affecting that relationship. She is now working at UNAVCO as a Polar Engineer, facilitating studies of Antarctic glaciers.

Science and Society series

Astronaut with solar panels and earth in backgroundScience and technology don’t exist in a vacuum - there are countless ways that research and innovation play a significant role in society at large. What are some of the ways in which they overlap? This series explores the intersection of science and society, addressing topics such as light pollution, GMOs, and mining asteroids, and the talks invite the audience to consider ways in which they have been impacted by this intersection.

TALKS

PREVIOUS VIRTUAL TALK

Busting Myths about Outer Space - October 15 at 7pm

WATCH the recorded talk on our YouTube channel.

Many people think of space as empty. But in this month's show, we are going to bust this myth along with some other commonly believed myths about the nature of space and time. In doing so, I also want to explore with you the way that myths wind their way through cultures, and what effect that can have on a society. What is the difference between a myth (like "space is empty"), and pure fiction (like "there are space wizards"), especially in the post-truth era? When is it harmful? What is the difference between "true" and "useful"? And how are people supposed to know what's true anyways? It's a tough problem, and I don't claim to have all the answers. But maybe we can learn something by looking back at the story of how we learned about our place within the cosmos. Because that colors the way you see everything. And as it turns out, space isn't empty after all. Space is Full.

Chris Gilly is an upper year graduate student in the Astronomy department at CU. From designing outreach and afterschool programs for middle schoolers to teaching undergraduate courses, Gilly has spent his time at CU actively engaged in outreach and education. He works at both the planetarium and the observatory on campus, as well as serving as the student representative for two large international conferences, AGU and SHINE. Gilly hopes to graduate in the next two years, and is looking to find a job that allows him to continue his outreach work in addition to his solar physics research.

Science of Sci-Fi series

Science of SciFi image from filmFrom warp drives to artificial intelligence to living on Mars, this series is to explore a variety of scientific ideas that surface in science fiction books, movies, and video games. Where have popular sci-fi movies portrayed science correctly, and where has Hollywood gone off the deep end? What technologies were once ‘sci-fi’ but are now rapidly becoming a reality? 

TALKS

More VIRTUAL talks coming soon...