Lawrence Tech - College of Arts & Sciences

Previous Seminars

The College of Arts and Sciences is proud to sponsor an ongoing Seminar Series designed for both faculty and students. These special presentations cover a wide range of topics and are intended for a general audience. The format is a 45-minute presentation followed by questions and discussion. Everyone is welcome!

2008 Seminars
	April 3, 2008 Do we have to believe in science? Dr. Emmanuel Dissake

	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.

	February 26, 2008 Leap Year, Shmeep Year! What's the big deal? Dr. Scott Schneider
2007 Seminars
	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.

	April 10, 2007 Solve this Math Problem and You Could Win One Million Dollars! Dr. Chris Cartwright 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.

	March 27, 2007 Two Sunrises on Mercury - Count 'em! TWO! Dr. Scott Schneider 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!

	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.

	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.
2006 Seminars
	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.

	November 14, 2006 Submission and Consent: the Rational Will of Jeffersonian Evangelicalism Dr. Jason Barrett Following the American Revolution, the consensual models of authority celebrated in the Founding were disseminated into American culture. This discussion will focus on the way those models of authority were reflected in, and modified by, early national religious practices. Political consent was premised on individuals' rational agency; Evangelical submission required the surrender of individual agency. From this conflict we may understand the significance of Jefferson's 'wall of separation' between church and state.

	September 12, 2006 Manufacturing, Robotics, and Computational Geometry Dr. David Field (General Motors Research Lab) This SIAM Visiting Lecture features examples of geometry's dominating influence in the automotive manufacturing process. The lecture begins with the design and manufacture of sheet metal components that motivated advances in mathematical applications for Computer Aided Design. After discussing the mathematics developed for the geometric aspects of this manufacturing process, the lecture examines an application of the same mathematics to robotics. The next topic relates the previous geometric constructions with the analysis of automotive components for fatigue, stress and strain. The lecture ends with the award winning video tape "Ballet Robotique". 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.

	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?

	March 21, 2006 Computer Games: Something for Everyone Dr. David Bindschadler These computer games - What are they? Why are they? Where are they headed? Should I care? Computer games are far more than a simple diversion for a few kids on the fringes of society. The computer game industry is now a multi-billion dollar industry that may be influencing the directions of our societies. After a summer of studying computer games, I found that computer games posses incredible potential, pose a potential threat and provide a fertile ground for debate. In this talk for a general audience, I will explain what games are and how they are developed, motivate why there are games, summarize their impact, and indicate the directions they are taking.

	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.

	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!

	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.
2005 Seminars
	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.

	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.

	October 20, 2005 Recent Breakthroughs in Digital Communication, and What's Behind Them Dr. Guang-Chong Zhu Digital communication was pioneered by E. C. Shannon (from Michigan) in 1948, and has since become an integral part of our daily lives. Two recent breakthroughs have completely revolutionized the theory and the design of digital communication systems, making impossible goals possible...