2019 Winter/Spring Science Inquiry Series
Explore cutting edge science topics, their latest developments, and their relevance to society through speaker presentations followed by conversations between speaker and audience.
Sponsored by the Gallatin Valley Friends of the Sciences, and hosted by the Museum of the Rockies, 600 W Kagy Blvd, Bozeman, Montana, the talks are presented on Wednesday evenings at 7 pm, followed by a brief social time with light refreshments in the museum lobby where audience members can engage the speaker.
The talks are free to the public. All lectures have a limited capacity and are open on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors open 30 minutes prior to each lecture. Attendees may not save seats for others.
Sep 18 – Engineering New Materials for the Future
How can new materials improve our lives and reduce our carbon footprint at the same time? Dr. Ian Baker, Sherman Fairchild Professor of Engineering at Dartmouth College, will discuss the properties novel metallic alloys whose use would increase the efficiency of power stations and concentrated solar power generation by allowing increases in operating temperature.
Oct 16 – Restoring Forests in a Time of Change
How can we measure the impact of climate change fire on forest ecosystems? Dr. C. Alina Cansler, research scientist in the School of Environmental Science at the University of Washington, will discuss how data from satellites and airborne lasers, coupled with on-the-ground measurements and simulation models, can help us understand the effects of fires, predict post-fire tree survival and tree regeneration, and design silviculture treatments that can make forests more resilient against climate change and future fires.
Courtesy of C. Alina Cansler.
Nov 13 – Ice Patch Archaeology: Exploring the Greater Yellowstone’s High-Elevation Human Past
What can we learn about the history and heritage of Greater Yellowstone’s human story as ancient materials are revealed in melting high-altitude ice? Dr. Craig Lee, research scientist at the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research and instructor at Montana State University, will share his insights in exploring high-elevation sites to understand the long Native American presence in the Greater Yellowstone Area within the context of Earth’s changing climate.
Courtesy of Craig Lee.