This weekend is the annual Maker Faire, a celebration of the DIY enthusiast (read: mad scientists of the world). It’s an incredible, family friendly event with a whole host of things to do, see, and MAKE. The Faire is at the San Mateo Country Fairgrounds, more info available on their website: http://makerfaire.com/
This year, there will be science discussions happening at the Maker Faire. From 12-4 PM on Saturday & Sunday. I’ll be there on Sunday helping facilitate the cafe discussion. So come on down and join the fun!
The lineup includes (but not limited to):
- ZEKE KOSSOVER: physics circus
I was listening to an interesting piece on Mercury’s history in the San Francisco Bay this past two weeks, courtesy of our friends over at KQED QUEST.
It’s an excellent 3 part series, focusing on how the problem has evolved and what lies ahead. One of the more interesting pieces is a short conversation with Dr. Jane Hightower, a doctor in San Francisco who specializes in diagnosing mercury poisoning cases. She published a paper in 2003 that garnered a lot of attention. She gathered a group of 89 individuals who had high fish consumption diets and measured their mercury levels over the course of a year. 89% had levels higher than the EPA reference dose (their guidelines) at 0.1 micrograms/kg of body weight. This study raised quite an alarm about mercury in fish, even though it did not yet indicate the symptomatic effects of mercury.
Back to the story at hand, QUEST interviewed her about Mercury poisoning. Listen to the story.
She admits that more study is needed in the area, but there is much difficulty in getting the study done (Hg is so toxic, it’s hard to get a study of humans approved, also Hg symptoms seem to be very different in different people).
After listening the story, I googled Dr. Hightower. I found an interesting site called MercuryFacts.org. The site essentially slams Dr. Hightower’s work (among others). After some digging, I found this site was established by the Center for Consumer Freedom, a nonprofit devoted to “defending the right of adults and parents to choose what they eat, drink, and how they enjoy themselves.” I personally found the site slanderous bordering on malicious. Their Hg calculator uses a toxicity figure 10 times lower than the EPA’s (they don’t use the Reference dose as the EPA does, instead they take away the built in EPA buffer for their calculator). It’s highly misleading. Here’s a short video they ran against PETA “they want us to all be vegetarians”.
I would suggest looking to Real Mercury Facts, a site run by the University of Maryland, for a little less biased view.
I have finally succumbed to the overwhelming momentum of social networking (only a couple years behind the curve). If you’re on Facebook, take a few seconds to join the Down to a Science Facebook Group. Share the group with your friends and family!
I’ll also be posting weekly facebook-only science content…making it ever easier for you to share science stories with your friends.
That’s the idea behind nanomedicine. Using a combination of biology and engineering on the nanoscale to deliver novel solutions to emerging medical issues.
Dr. Desai thrives on the interface of biology and engineering. The research could lead to targeted drug delivery, even tissue engineering. This could have dramatic implications for a wide range of “new” diseases, from MS & Alzheimers to Type II diabetes. Take a virtual tour of the nanomedicine world using Nanomission.
Dr. Desai will also discuss her advocacy of women in science, specifically discussing her own experience in a traditionally male dominated field.
Monday, July 21st, 2008 7-9 PM Where:Atlas Cafe What:The Toxicology of Everyday Products Who: Dr. Paul Blanc, UCSF The Deets:There are hidden health dangers in many of the seemingly innocent products we encounter every day - a tube of glue in a kitchen drawer, a bottle of bleach in the laundry room, a rayon scarf on a closet shelf, a brass knob on the front door, a wood plank on an outdoor deck. This is not a matter of one exceptional or corrupt industry, but rather of how run-of-the-mill manufacturing processes and consumer marketing expose workers and the general public alike to toxic hazards. More troubling still, even when such hazards are recognized, calls for their control are routinely ignored.
Monday, August 18th, 2008 7-9 PM Where:Atlas Cafe What: Power to the People: Robots and Representational Democracy Who: Dr. Ken Goldberg, UC Berkeley The Deets: Is there decision-making strength in numbers? Professor Goldberg and his students are looking into questions raised by robots and social networks -- and working on a new class of interfaces and games based on networked robots and cameras that quantify a measure of "leadership" to bring about group discovery and decision-making based on the power of crowds.
Ken will report on experiments and questions raised by robots and social networks, ranging from Ouija boards to human "tele-actors,"and tell a true story about how invasions of privacy led him and his students to study how robots can assist in monitoring the natural environment. Ken will describe a robotic system they've deployed to assist the search for the Ivory Billed Woodpecker, a bird of extreme interest to birdwatchers, ornithologists, and conservationists whose last confirmed sighting was in 1944. Ken will also describe the Berkeley Center for New Media, a highly cross-disciplinary center with over 110 affiliated faculty from 30 Cal Departments.
Science in Action Events Science in Action is a series of tours, trips, and hikes intended to put you in the middle of active science in the Bay Area.
If you're interested in attending, send me an email.
The SF Recycling Tour is now full...Please email if you'd like to be added to the wait list
Saturday, July 19th 10 AM - 12 Noon
Details:
During the tour we will spend 45 minutes in the classroom watching a video, talking about recycling and environmental topics and the Artist in Residence Program. Then we will go to the studio to meet the current artist, then visit the Hazardous Waste Facility, the Transfer Station, the Sculpture Garden and finally walk through the Public Disposal Area. This part of the tour takes about one hour.
