The University of Colorado at Boulder will host a series of events during the fourteenth National Science and Technology Week from April 27 to May 2. This years theme is "Polar Connections: Exploring the Worlds Natural Laboratories."
The weeks purpose is to "engage the American public in the spirit of learning and adventure that is the hallmark of science and engineering." It is a major outreach effort by the National Science Foundation.
Public lectures for general audiences will be held April 27 through April 29 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in Duane Physics G020.
*Monday, April 27 -- Lee Klinger, a scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research and an adjunct professor at CU-Boulder, will talk about the polar regions and the Gaia Theory. This theory proposes that the earth self-regulates as the result of strong coupling between living organisms and their environment. New ideas and evidence regarding the role of polar ecosystems in global climate regulation will be discussed in the context of global warming.
*Tuesday, April 28 -- Diane McKnight of the CU-Boulder Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research will talk about her field work in "The Dry Valleys of Antarctica." She will also tell the story of a lost seal that was stranded in a dry valley, came to visit their camp, and was evacuated back to the ocean by helicopter.
*Wednesday, April 29 -- Ann Parks Hawthorne, a photographer, will show slides from Antarctica and the arctic and talk about her adventures in these and other remote places. She has been a free-lance editorial and documentary photographer since 1972 and her work has been widely published.
Seating for these presentations is limited to 200 people on a first come, first serve basis. Doors will open by 6:45 p.m.
*Thursday, April 30 -- A panel discussion on "The Polar Job Market: How To Find Work In Cold Places" will be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Benson Earth Sciences Building, room 180. Speakers will share their experiences of living and working in polar regions and how they found jobs.
From 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. the panelists will feature research support staff; public relations, human resources, engineering and other professionals. From 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. the panelists will be science researchers.
*Saturday, May 2 -- Family Science Day will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Integrated Teaching and Learning Laboratory, located on the east side of the College of Engineering and Applied Science. Families can learn about human and animal adaptations to life in the arctic and Antarctica. Activities will include demonstrations, hands-on experiments and presentations.
Jimmy Dunn, a geography education specialist, will talk from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. about his 17 seasons of fieldwork in the arctic in "Living and Working in the Arctic: Summer Challenges, Myths and Cultural Change."
All events are funded by NSF and an outreach grant from CU-Boulder.
For more information, call (303) 735-1330 or access the National Science and Technology Week website at: http://cires.colorado.edu/~k12/nstw/.