The Current

Issue date: 3/10/08 Section: Opinions

Cate Marquis Science Columnist

Science Column

Is it the luck of the Irish, which comes in threes, making a timely visit to campus for science buffs? Anyway, it is a good week for UM-St. Louis students interested in science, with three fascinating science talks on tap.

On Monday, March 10, the Monday Noon Series this week offers "Threats to the Wildlife of the Galapagos Islands," a talk by Dr. Patricia Parker, who is the Des Lee Professor of Zoological Studies at UM-St. Louis and a senior scientist at the Saint Louis Zoo.

The Galapagos Islands were instrumental in Charles Darwin's ideas of evolution. Ironically, tourism to the remote islands has presented new threats to the unique ecosystem. Parker has been working with the Galapagos National Park and Charles Darwin Research Station to better understand the threats that unique Galapagos species face. Parker will speak at 12:15 p.m. at 222 J.C. Penney Conference Center. The talk is free and open to the public.

On Wednesday, March 12, the News at Noon talk will focus on nanoscience, the science of the very small. The talk, "Nanoscience: How Big Can the Small Stuff Be?" will be presented by Jimmy Liu, professor of physics and chemistry and director of the Center for Nanoscience, in Millennium Student Center, Century Room A. This might be a good way to get a quick introduction to the work of the University's new Center for Nanoscience, which opened last semester. While you enjoy the fascinating discussion, you can also have lunch, as free pizza and soda are provided. The talk is free and open to the public.

The third science treat arrives later that same night, Wednesday, March 12, but off campus at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Every year, the UM-St. Louis Harris Center for Tropical Ecology presents an informative and entertaining, general audiences talk on the natural world. These are always presented in an entertaining multi-media style, with information accessible to anyone, but with enough depth for fellow scientists.

This year, the 2008 Jane and Whitney Harris Lecture is called "Old-Growth Forests of the Pacific Northwest: An Overview of Advances in Scientific Understanding and Conservation Policies." The slideshow and discussion will be presented by Dr. Jerry F. Franklin, Professor of Ecosystem Analysis at the College of Forest Resources, University of Washington in Seattle and Director of the Wind River Canopy Crane Research Facility. Franklin is also one of the researchers planning a continental-wide research effort to understand the impacts of climate-change and other large-scale ecological issues, a National Science Foundation-funded plan called the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON). Franklin's talk will be presented at 7:30 p.m. in the Garden's Shoenberg Auditorium, 4344 Shaw Boulevard. It is, you guessed it, free and open to the public.

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