Previous Arts & Sciences Seminar Series presentations:
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February 5, 2009 Shaping the Scribbles: Poetry and the Creative Process Prof. Sara Lamers Poet Sara Lamers will read from her current poetry manuscript and discuss the evolution of a poem from draft to polished piece. |
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May 1, 2008 Touching and Interacting with Data Dr. Shi-Ping Hsu Instead of using a mouse, joystick, or keyboard to manipulate data on your computer, imagine being able to interact with it, using just your voice or simple touch of the hand. The exciting future of computers was discovered during Touching and Interacting with Data, featuring Shi-Ping Hsu, director of Northrop Grumman Futures Lab in California. Hsu, who holds a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Caltech, discussed and demonstrated some of the latest, user-friendly projects and technologies being developed at his lab and other organizations. During this fascinating lecture, Hsu talked about new applications and products, such as the Terrain-Table, an interactive, three-dimensional topographical map. He also presented the TouchTable, a high-tech computer that allows geographical data to be controlled in real time by the user’s hand movements. |
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April 17, 2008 Storytelling: Therapy in Images Major Robert Frazer Using storytelling techniques to treat post-traumatic stress disorder in combat soldiers. Major Frazer (LTU'07) discussed the journey of his graduate thesis in Technical and Professional Communication, and summarized his findings and the protocol he developed to train lay leaders. |
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April 3, 2008 Do we have to believe in science? Dr. Emmanuel Dissake Are we bound to believe in something if we want to have any chance to practice science? What is the relation of science to reality? Does experience not guarantee the objectivity of science? Science and faith are opposed concepts, aren't they? Does science remain rational if it is thought of as closely linked to beliefs? Surprising answers inspired by the philosophy of science of Michael Polanyi. |
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March 27, 2008 Mice to Men: Steps toward a Cancer-Free Future Dr. Lisa Porter Cancer will affect 1 in 3 of us in our lifetime and kill over half a million Americans in 2008. In this short talk Dr. Porter highlighted some of the primary hurdles that cancer researchers face in trying to find “a cure” for cancer as well as some of the big advancements that have been made which provide tremendous hope in the face of these staggering statistics. Importantly, she provided some examples of some basic cancer research projects that are ongoing in her own laboratory and demonstrated how the questions that we are asking can contribute toward furthering our ability to detect and treat cancer. Understanding what cancer is, what has been done and what is being done in the way of cancer research is essential to empower our community against this devastating disease. |
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April 19, 2007 Hydrogen in carbon nanotubes: quantum sieving and extreme confinement Dr. Evelyn M. Goldfield This seminar was sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences and the Student Affiliate of the American Chemical Society. |
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April 10, 2007 Some math problems are hard, some are easy. Sometimes it is not obvious whether a problem is hard or easy. How do we tell if a math problem is hard or easy? This question is important enough that someone is willing to pay a million dollars to find out the answer! At this lecture, find out what you need to do win the prize. |
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March 27, 2007 You would think you'd only have one sunrise a day, right? Not on Mercury! And, you would think that a "solar day" must be far shorter than a year, right? For Earth, it is 1/365th of a year...but not for Venus...and not for Mercury! If you want to find out what it would be like to live on Mercury or Venus (from the point of view of sunrises and "length of the day" - not from the "I can't breath" or "Yikes, what am I breathing?" points of view), come to this talk! |
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March 20, 2007 On the trail of Cereal Killers - towards an understanding of apoplast-infecting fungieasons Dr. Julie Zwiesler-Vollick The study of fungal plant pathogens is important for economic, environmental and public health reasons. Plant pathogens exhibit a diverse variety of infection strategies, many of which are quite complicated. Some plant pathogens, however, infect via elegantly simple mechanisms. The invasion and colonization of the leaf apoplastic space is just such a straightforward approach. When the pathogen invades, it utilizes natural openings. Hyphal growth in the apoplast occurs without appearing to physically alter the host cells, even those in contact with the fungal pathogen. At some point the pathogen ceases growing in this biotrophic stage and begins to cause symptoms in the host leaf. The culmination of this necrotrophic stage is the death of the host leaf. The apoplastic space is thought to be an inhospitable environment for microbes. The successful colonization of this space by pathogens indicates that they have the ability to evade host defenses, acquire nutrients and cause the visible symptoms associated with infection. Because of the nature of the interaction, secreted molecules are believed to play a large role in allowing pathogenic colonization of the apoplast. Two different pathosystems, Mycosphaerella graminicola on wheat and Septoria lycopersici on tomato, and research into their infection strategies will be presented. |
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February 20, 2007 SONIC IR IMAGING: How to find cracks in airplanes (or almost anything else!) Dr. Lawrence D. "Skip" Favro (Professor Emeritus, Wayne State University Department of Physics) This talk can be characterized as either applied physics or engineering, or both. The talk will explain both passive and active infrared imaging. Emphasis will be on finding cracks in aircraft, but examples of the application of infrared imaging to biological systems, to crime detection, and to detecting hidden defects in art will be shown. Contained within the talk will be a brief discussion of acoustic chaos. This is true mathematical chaos that occurs in a real physical system, and that has important practical applications. Click here to view the seminar flyer. |
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December 12, 2006 Hot Headed and Cold Hearted: The Physiology of Endothermic Fish Dr. Jeff Morrissette Tunas are remarkable among teleosts for systemic endothermy, high metabolic rates and exceptional cardiac performance. Among tunas, the 3 bluefin species attain the largest body sizes, inhabit the broadest thermal niches, maintain the warmest body temperatures and experience the coldest ambient temperatures. In contrast, tropical yellowfin tuna are unable to tolerate temperatures below 10 C. Interspecific differences in metabolic rate and thermal tolerance correspond with differences in cardiac performance and biochemistry. This talk will explain how the cellular and tissue traits of bluefin hearts can be linked to the species' cold tolerance and higher metabolic rates. Funded by NSF, AHA, Pew Foundation, and Monterey Bay Aquarium. |
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November 14, 2006 |
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September 12, 2006 David Field earned an A.B., an M.S. and a Ph.D. in mathematics from Bowdoin College, Oakland University and the University of Colorado, respectively. After teaching at the College of the Holy Cross, he joined the General Motors Research Laboratories where he holds the position of Staff Research Scientist. His research interests include numerical analysis, approximation theory, finite element analysis, and mathematics from computer aided design. In addition to co-founding and currently serving as president of the Great Lakes Section of SIAM, he co-edited for SIAM two volumes on geometrical and theoretical aspects of industrial design. He has organized SIAM workshops and international conferences on Computer Aided Design and on Industrial Mathematics. |
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April 11, 2006 Gaspard Monge in Paris (A photo history spanning the time from the French Revolution to Napoleon) Prof. Ruth Favro The talk traces the French mathematician Gaspard Monge from his education in Beaune through his career in Paris: a founder of the Ecole Polytechnique, a confidante of Napoleon, the developer of differential geometry. So why were his students not allowed to go to his funeral? |
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March 21, 2006 |
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March 9, 2006 Venus and the End of the World Dr. Gonzalo Munevar An interesting hypothesis about Venus that connects life with plate tectonics is supported by the large ratio of deuterium to hydrogen in Venus’ atmosphere. But this evidence has been challenged by a probabilistic argument analogous to John Leslie’s paradoxical argument, itself based on the Anthropic Principle, to the effect that the growth of the human population makes it highly probable that the end of humanity is near. I argue that Leslie’s view of probability is wrong and that the challenge to the evidence from Venus is also wrong. |
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February 21, 2006 Seasons, Retrograde, and Alignments, Oh My! Dr. Scott Schneider Do the lengths of the Earth's seasons vary? ...You bet - want to know when? Does Mars ever "back up" in the sky? ...You bet - want to know how? Can we ever have all the planets line up together? ...Nope - want to know why? You seem to have a lot of Astronomy questions - maybe you should check out this Astronomy talk! And, we'll find out if Marvin the Martian has the right to be upset with the Earth! |
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February 14, 2006 The Story of...The Glory of...LOVE Prof. Corinne Stavish Adam and Eve, Orpheus and Eurydice, and Romeo and Juliet all knew what makes the world spin. Sometimes tragic, sometimes humorous, but always intriguing—love is the force that Einstein said cannot be blamed on gravitation nor explained by chemistry or physics. Join us as this gifted storyteller shares traditional and offbeat stories of the only force more powerful than death. |
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December 1, 2005 Readings from My Writings Dr. Marvin Stern Dr. Stern will read selections from his writings in four areas. These reflect the author's interests as a scholar, a teacher, and a former resident of New York City. The materials include scholarly work, essays on contemporary issues, a critique and guidebook on higher education in America, and short-stories. |
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November 1, 2005 The Analysis of Behavioral Data Across Time Using Latent Growth Models Prof. Matthew Cole The investigation of change has fascinated researchers for generations. Growth models examine the development of individuals on one or more outcome variables over time, and recent breakthroughs in the analysis of behavior over time include latent growth modeling. We will review some of the basic issues and concepts of this analytic approach. |
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October 20, 2005 |
