Central Valley Cafe Scientifique – Science: A Candle In The Dark: Recent Episodes
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Join us tonight for our free Cafe Sci program! The gates open at 6 PM, food and and drink will be available for purchase and the playground will be open. At 7 PM, Dr. Rory Telemeco will be speaking about Blunt-nosed Leopard Lizard conservation efforts. We just found out he’s planning on bringing a few […]
Please join us Monday, May 2nd at Fresno Discovery Center for a discussion of climate science and politicians. We often host scientists and STEM professionals who do first hand research, but next week we’ll hear from 4 members of Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Fresno. They will discuss how they communicate that research to our government representatives; […]
For information on specific events, please check out Facebook.com/FresnoDiscoveryCenter WHERE: Fresno Discovery Center, 1944 N Winery Ave WHEN: The First Monday of the Month 6PM – The gate & playground are open; food, drink, and alcohol will be available for purchase (proceeds will be put toward the cost of running the program). 7PM – The program starts […]
| Due to a number of factors including COVID numbers, mask mandates, the apparent impossibility of getting space heaters actually delivered, etc., January’s Café Sci will not meet.If you are interested in serving as a volunteer for this program pleaseemail us.Café Sci is still in need of a sponsor. If your business would be interested in sponsoring this community eventemail us. |
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We are thrilled that Fresno Discovery Center is one of almost 500 sites across the country to celebrate the launch of the Webb Space Telescope, NASA’s next great space science observatory. We are excited to help our community celebrate this amazing feat of science and engineering. People of all ages and backgrounds will find inspiration […]
We are cancelling the Creek Fire Regrowth talk scheduled for tonight due to poor air quality. We will be back in November with a speaker from NASA who will be discussing the James Webb Space Telescope.
Due to the poor air quality right now, the Creek Fire Regrowth talk will take place next Monday, October 11.
After a long COVID hiatus, Central Valley Café Scientifique will resume on Monday, October 4th. The topic of our first event will be regrowth following the Creek Fire with an expert panel. This is a free event open to the whole family although donations supporting the Fresno Discovery Center are welcome. Who: Dr. Alija Mujic, Dr. […]
Due to the spread of COVID-19, we will not be holding Cafe Sci until it is safe for us to be together again. Watch this space to learn about our next event. Please do your best to stay safe!
Please join us on March 2, 2020 at 7PM at Santa Fe Basque for a discussion of modern health care models. Dr. Douglas will be speaking about the economic models of healthcare around the world, how they work, how well they work for the people in those countries, and the many models currently being considered […]
Please join us on February 3, 2020 at 7PM at the Santa Fe Basque restaurant for a discussion of modern science and what sound recordings can teach us about biodiversity in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park. Acoustic Monitoring is a new tool in the toolbox of ecologists that allows us to measure biodiversity. Scientists […]
Please join us on January 6, 2020 at 7PM at the Santa Fe Basque restaurant for a discussion of modern science and the Canals of Mars. The Canals of Mars are a cultural icon. Bradbury wrote about them in the Martian Chronicles, as did Heinlein and Burroughs in their epic fantasies. But there are no […]
Please join us on Monday, December 2, 2019, for a discussion on Science Education with Dr. Alexandria Hansen from Fresno State. Science education is changing. With the release of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), K-12 teachers are expected to engage students in the practices of scientists and engineers to make sense of disciplinary core […]
Bears are an iconic species, particularly in California. Please join us as the lead biologist for Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park, Tyler Coleman, shares a historical perspective on bears in the West, and his ongoing work with bears in our local National Parks at Sequoia and Kings Canyon. Who: Tyler Coleman, Lead Biology, Sequoia […]
Please join us Monday, October 7th for a discussion on the life history of bats and research that Dr. Joshua Reece and his students are doing on bat biology in the Central Valley and surrounding High Sierras. Dr. Joshua Reece has been interested in ecology, evolution and conservation biology since he started college at the […]
Please join us Monday, September 9 (note: second Monday!) for a discussion of invasive species in the US, focused on California, led by Mark Halvorsen, Curator of Reptiles at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo. Mark Halvorsen has been interested in reptiles and amphibians since he was a young man living in Brooklyn, New York. Through the […]
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-cvvbe-ba910d This episode was originally broadcast on 88.1 KCFC on August 25, 2017. Join Dr. Ulrike Muller, Dr. Madhusudan Katti, Dr. Andrew Jones, and Dr. David Lent in a discussion on science as an international collaborative enterprise! We will be releasing more episodes from our archives alongside new episodes recorded here in Raleigh so make […]
Please join us Monday August 5 for a discussion with Dr. Thomas Holyoke, a professor of political science at Fresno State. Approximately 86% of Americans believe that their elected officials care more about the “special interests” than themselves. But who are these special interests, and what is it they do to warrant such distrust? In […]
Please join us on July 8, 2019, for our next edition of Cafe Scientifique, featuring Dr. David Lent from California State University, Fresno. One of the most commonly used and effective insect repellents is DEET and has been in use, unchanged, for more than 60 years. While DEET is very effective, it is known to […]
Nanotechnology has revolutionized therapy of many diseases but manyapplications of it is coming in cancer. Nanotechnology can be applied not only for cancer treatment but also for detection, prevention, simultaneous diagnosis (theragnostic) and personalized medicine. There are several issues in traditional cancer chemotherapy such as solubility, stability and low selectivity of the agent along with […]
Despite Chemistry being all around us, we rarely consider our daily and intuitive interactions with Chemistry – from the air we breathe to the gasoline we use in our vehicles, to the medications we take, and to the kitchen products we use for cooking and cleaning. Chemistry influences every facet of our life, yet the […]
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-q9bxj-addbe6 Science: A Candle In The DarkEpisode 20: Airdate: 4 April 2019Hosts: Dr. Madhu Katti, Dr. Katie Mack Guest: Dr. Thomas Elmqvist, Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University Summary: On this episode, we discuss sustainability and resilience in places across the globe, natural and human systems, and the relationship between equity in society and sustainability. Follow @science_candle on twitter […]
Please join us on Monday, April 1, 2019 (no joke!) at 7:00pm for a discussion led by Dr. Anahit Hovhannisyan. Blindness is one of the most common Neurodegenerative Disorders that affects over 21 million adults in United States. It has been very challenging to find a cure, because the visual system is very complex and […]
Please join us Monday March 4, 2019 at 7PM for an informative session on defense mechanisms of some of California’s fauna. How is it that a single Rough-skinned Newt contains enough toxin in its skin to kill 58 humans? Why can some garter snakes feast on newts without any ill effects? Finding food and avoiding […]
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-fn44n-a5d2ab In this episode recorded just before the US government shutdown of 2018-19, hosts Dr. Katie Mack and Dr. Madhusudan Katti interview Dr. Rob Dunn, in a conversation that ranged from climate change to space exploration, from the biodiversity in rainforests to that living with us in in our homes, from microbes in our shower heads […]
Please join us on Monday, February 4, for a panel discussion on the ethics of research. The first genetically engineered human babies were born in China this year, kicking off another debate about scientific ethics. How do we make sure that scientific research is ethical, in particular research involving humans or animals? How can we […]
Ring in the new year with Cafe Scientifique! Dr. Matthew Sharps from Fresno State will be speaking to us about some of his research into perception and cognition. Eyewitness memory in the criminal justice system is notoriously unreliable. Less well-recognized is the fact that the same perceptual and cognitive principles operate in other areas as […]
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-gr33r-9fd66e Science: A Candle In The DarkEpisode 18: The Beginning And End Of The UniverseAirdate: 22 November 2018Hosts: Dr. Madhu Katti, Dr. Katie Mack Summary: In our first exciting episode after the recent reboot, listen to Dr. Madhu Katti and new co-host Dr. Katie Mack discuss such events as the beginning of the universe, destruction of our […]
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-d9q9b-9f744c Science: A Candle In The Dark – Reboot! Host: Dr. Madhussan Katti Airdate: 17 November 2018 Summary: Dr. Madhu Katti gives an update about the ScienceCandle podcast, covering topics such as a new upload schedule, new co-host, and much more!
Please join us Monday December 3, 2018, for a discussion of using social media in physics outreach and education hosted by Dr. Ray Hall! Physics education has traditionally incorporated demonstrations as a best practice in teaching, partly because physical phenomena are dynamic in nature– static images are rarely able to convey the underlying principles, or […]
In the spirit of the season, please join us Monday November 5 at 7pm to talk about zombies with Dr. Alija Mujic, an Assistant Professor of Mycology at Fresno State. Fungi are everywhere. Take a deep breath… You’ve just inhaled several hundred fungal spores. For the most part this is just a normal part of […]
Please join us Monday, October 1, 2018 at 7 PM for our next Cafe Sci! Meike Rombach, a research associate from the Technical University of Munich, is talking about food waste. Her work is exploring food retailers’ food waste reduction practices and their motivation to redistribute food for charitable purpose or to follow the trend […]
Please join us Monday September 10 at 7 PM to continue our discussion of mosquitos. We will learn about a new technology, discuss its risks and benefits with local experts, and decide how or how not to implement it. You will learn how mosquitoes could be engineered to reduce malaria transmission, discuss related ethical and societal […]
Join us Monday, August 6, at 7pm for our next edition of Cafe Sci! We will be featuring Jodi Holeman and Steve Mulligan from the Consolidated Mosquito Abatement District. In 2016, the Consolidated Mosquito Abatement District (CMAD) and MosquitoMate piloted the first-ever U.S. release of male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes with Wolbachia to evaluate this sterile insect technique […]
Join us on Monday, July 9 (note: second Monday of July!) at 7PM for a presentation by the Director of the Fresno Chaffee Zoo, Scott Barton. Association of Zoos and Aquariums contribute over $ 200 million a year to field conservation efforts around the world. Fresno Chaffee Zoo is involved in a number of conservation […]
Please join us Monday June 4 at 7pm for our next installment of Cafe Sci! Dr. Anne Kelly the Director of the UC Merced Yosemite and Sequoia Field Stations will be speaking about the health of our local forests. Forests are made up of trees that operate like machines: they convert air and sunlight and water […]
Please join us May 7, 2018 at 7 pm as we tour the Mojave Desert with Dr. Joshua Parker from Fresno City College. The Mojave Desert is the driest and hottest desert in North America. As such, virtually all of the organisms that inhabit it have had to adapt to one of the most hostile climates […]
Join us on Monday, April 2, for a panel discussion of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). GMO crops have increased globally from 4 acres in 1996 to over 400 acres in 2016, but this rapid increase has slowed considerably in the last two years. Part of this slowing trend is saturation (more than 90% of the […]
Please join us Monday March 5, 2018, at 7 pm for a seminar presented by Dr. Spee Kosloff, an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Fresno State. Dr. Kosloff will examine motivational factors at the heart of the ever-expanding political rift in contemporary American society. At the center of this discussion is a […]
Please join us Monday, February 5, 2018 for our next installment of Cafe Scientifique. Why do animals die when they get too hot? Despite the fact that high temperatures kill all living things, the traits most responsible for loss of function at high temperature are a mystery. That said, scientists have lots of ideas. Dr. […]
“Childhood obesity is now the No. 1 health concern among parents in the United States, topping drug abuse and smoking.” Please join us Monday, January 8, 2018 at 7pm for a presentation by Dr. Bhupinder Singh, an assistant professor in the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at Fresno State. Dr. Singh’s research focuses on the […]
Please join us Monday December 4, 2017, at 7pm for a seminar presented by Dr. Jason Bush, an Associate Professor in the Biology department at Fresno State. The Bush group is focused on problems of cancer. In particular, understanding the molecular basis of different aspects of cancer models to provide mechanistic insight. We often take […]
Please join us Monday, November 6, at 7pm for a presentation by Dr. John Constable, a professor in the Biology Department at Fresno State. The identification of new plant species is commonly associated with exotic locations in far away lands – however, in the San Joaquin Valley a new species of Sunflower was identified hiding […]
Water is a hot-button topic in the Central Valley. To discuss this issue, Central Valley Cafe Scientifique has invited three speakers for a panel discussion on water sustainability – Dr. Beth Weinman from the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and an expert on groundwater; Dr. Criss Wilhite from the Department of Psychology and an […]
Please join us Monday September 11 for a jam-packed session of Chemistry demonstrations. Our speakers for the night will be members of the faculty and staff of the Department of Chemistry at Fresno State. Have you ever wondered how a hot air balloon is able to fly, wanted a cheap and effective way to polish […]
Please join us Monday June 5 for an interesting discussion on cell-to-cell communication. Our speaker for the night will be Dr. Karine Gousset, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at Fresno State. Cell-to-cell communication is vital for multicellular organisms. In order for our body to function properly, you need cells to talk to […]
Join us Monday, May 1, at 7:00PM for a discussion of brain disorders with two professors from Fresno State. Dr. David Lent (Department of Biology) and Dr. Jennifer Isom Schmidtke (Department of Psychology) will be leading the discussion. More than 50 million adults in the U.S. suffer from diagnosable brain dysfunction. Mental, neurological and substance […]
Please join us Monday, April 3, 2017, at 7:00PM for our next Cafe Sci presentation. Dr. Cory Brooks, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, will be discussing advances in the field of antibodies as disease therapy. This was the talk Dr. Brooks intended to give in February. At the end of the 19th century German physician Paul […]
Please join us Monday, March 6, 2017, at 7:00PM to listen to a talk from Dr. Henry Delcore, Professor of Anthropology, regarding the rise in use of mobile devices. Our public discussion of mobile device use is littered with claims that mobile devices, especially smartphones, are an anti-social distraction. At the university, a parallel discussion revolves […]
Please join us Monday, February 6, 2017, at 7:00PM to listen to a talk from Dr. Cory Brooks, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, regarding advances in the field of antibody-based immunotherapy. At the end of the 19th century German physician Paul Ehrlich dreamed of a “magic bullet” that would specifically destroy disease without harming the body. […]
Come join us for the first Cafe Sci of 2017! Dr. Steve Blumenshine, a professor of biology at Fresno State, will be discussing his river restoration project. On September 15, 2016, the State (CA) Water Resources Control Board released a proposed revision (‘Substitute Environmental Document’, SED) to water quality requirements for salinity in the southern […]
Please make plans to join us Monday December 5, 2016, for our next installment of Cafe Scientifique. We will be featuring Dr. Aly Tawfik, an Assistant Professor, from the Department of Civil and Geomatics Engineering at Fresno State. The presentation will start by identifying main reasons behind the un-sustainability of existing transportation systems, reasons driving for a […]
Please make plans to join us Monday November 7, 2016, for our next installment of Cafe Scientifique. We will be featuring Dr. Lisa Bryant, an Assistant Professor, from the Department of Political Science at Fresno State. Questions of electoral integrity have dominated election science studies since 2000, but have moved into the spolight during the 2016 […]
Thanks to all who joined us for the first Cafe Scientifique earlier this week. We were thrilled to have such an excellent talk by Dr. Reece. Please make plans to join us October 3, 2016, for our next installment of Cafe Scientifique. We will be featuring Drs. Brian Tsukimura and Katherine Waselkov from the Department […]
Join us Monday, September 12, to learn the answers to this question. Our first speaker for the 2016-2017 season of Cafe Scientifique is Dr. Joshua Reece, a new faculty member in the Department of Biology at Fresno State. He studies evolutionary and conservation biology, and has worked on sea turtles, birds, sharks, venomous snakes, moray eels, […]
Science: A Candle In The Dark Episode 16: The Urban Slender Loris Project Airdate: 28 June 2016 Host: Vic Bedoian Guest: Dr. Kaberi Kar Gupta, The Urban Slender Loris Project. Summary: This month, we had co-producer Vic Bedoian in the host seat. He interviewed Dr. Kaberi Kar Gupta about her remarkable effort to bring together ordinary citizens, naturalists, and […]
Science: A Candle In The Dark Episode 16: Planets, Moons, Magnets Airdate: 26 April 2016 Host: Dr. Madhusudan Katti Guest: Dr. Alain Plattner, Dept of Earth and Environmental Sciences, CSU, Fresno. Summary: This month, we look at planets and moons from a different perspective – a magnetic view, if you will. Dr. Alain Plattner, a magnetic geographer of sorts, who […]
“That’s no moon…” seems like a good way to invite you to a Café Scientifique event on May the 4th this year! But wait… that actually is a moon! It is Mimas, one of Saturn’s moons. We don’t know much about it other than its uncanny resemblance to the infamous Death Star of Star Wars fame. […]
Science: A Candle In The Dark Episode 15: Evolution and Ecology of Bird Diversity Airdate: 22 March 2016 Host: Dr. Madhusudan Katti Guest: Dr. Christopher Trisos, Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC) Transcript: Hello and welcome to “Science: A Candle In The Dark”- our monthly conversation about the wonders of science and how it illuminates our path in this […]
Whether you are a serious/amateur birdwatcher, or simply curious about the organisms sharing our natural world, you must from time to time wonder why there are so many different kinds of birds around you. Why are there are so many different kinds of species in some places? For example, the Amazonian forests of Peru can […]
Science: A Candle In The Dark Episode 14: Postmodern Winemaking Airdate: 23 February 2016 Host: Dr. Madhusudan Katti Guest: Matt Brain, Fresno State’s Winemaker Topic: In this episode we celebrate the first anniversary of this podcast, with a look back at the wide range of topics covered since our first episode aired in February 2016. With […]
What is the science behind winemaking? How does science inform the quality and flavor of wine, and its effects on your health? How has winemaking evolved over the centuries, how is technology shaping the wine industry? What are the prospects for California’s iconic wine industry in a world undergoing rapid climatic and environmental changes? If these questions […]
Graphic from the report in Science by Michael Balter. V. ALTOUNIAN Science: A Candle In The Dark Episode 13: Sexual Harassment in Science – a roundable Airdate: 12 February 2016 Host: Dr. Madhusudan Katti Guests: Congresswoman Jackie Speier, Dr. Kaberi Kar Gupta, Dr. Kathryn Forbes, Dr. Amanda Mortimer, Dr. Janet Stemwedel, Dr. Katie Hinde, and Dr. Karen […]
Academic science has been rocked recently by a series of sexual harassment scandals involving high profile scientists at renowned institutions. While sexual assault and issues of discrimination in college athletics programs have received a lot of media attention, academic programs at universities have not seen the same level of scandal or attention until recently. Tune […]
Science: A Candle In The Dark Episode 12: Why do we need Charles Darwin in 2016? Airdate: 26 January 2016 Host: Dr. Madhusudan Katti Guests: Dr. Dawn M. Digrius Topic: With Darwin Day 2016 coming up, science historian Dr. Dawn Digrius talks to Dr. Madhusudan Katti to share stories about Charles Darwin, and how his work remains relevant to our […]
Once again, this February, we celebrate Darwin Day in the Café Scientifique with a special guest, a historian of science, speaking about the continuing relevance of Charles Darwin to science and to our lives in the 21st century. Join us for a conversation about “Why we need Darwin in 2016: Sustainability, Evolution, and the Global […]
Happy new year, Cafenistas! We have now been at Peeve’s Public House for two years! After years of wandering around town from venue to venue, it has been nice to have a stable long-term home for our Café with such a welcoming and generous host as Craig Scharton. It is hard to think of another such […]
Science: A Candle In The Dark Episode 11: Birds in the City: social and ecological drivers of urban biodiversity Airdate: 22 December 2015 Host: Dr. Madhusudan Katti Guests: Pedro Garcia Topic: Cities have become the primary habitat for most of humanity. They are also habitat for many other species even as we continue to fragment and destroy and disrupt natural ecosystems […]
Cities are dynamic ecosystems where social and ecological factors interact to influence the amount and distribution of urban biodiversity. This January, Pedro Garcia will present insights from his analysis of data from the Fresno Bird Count (a citizen science project) to help understand what shapes bird species diversity at residential and city-wide scales in the […]
Science: A Candle In The Dark Episode 9: Joshua Trees: the science of listing a threatened species. Airdate: 27 October 2015 Host: Dr. Madhusudan Katti Guests: Chris Clarke. Topic: You may recognize this iconic tree of California and Arizona deserts the Joshua Tree. Perhaps because you’ve seen images, perhaps because you’re familiar with that rock album, or perhaps you’ve even seen these […]
About 6 pm A photo posted by Chris Clarke (@yucca.brevifolia) on Oct 21, 2014 at 11:25pm PDT Joshua Trees are iconic of the Mojave desert of California, and the distinct shape of this tree is recognizable to many. How much do you know about the natural history of this unique species which now faces a […]
Science: A Candle In The Dark Episode 9: A Biologist and a Sociologist talk about CRISPR! Airdate: 27 October 2015 Host: Dr. Madhusudan Katti Guests: Dr. Tricia Van Laar and Dr. Andrew Rhys Jones Topic: The new DNA editing technique called CRISPR has been much in the science news feeds lately because of its exciting and perhaps frightening potential to enable the […]
How would you like it if we had the ability to precisely edit out disease-causing genes from your, or your child’s, DNA? What if a relatively simple, cheap technique could fix specific mutations in our DNA? What if the same technique also allowed you to choose the color of your child’s hair or eyes? What if […]
Is Autism on the rise, in the US and throughout the world? Maybe. Or is it something we are seeing more often today because medical science is getting better at diagnosing autism, and we are getting better at recognizing its many shades? Very likely. Is there really an epidemic of autism, as some, including a Presidential […]
Science: A Candle In The Dark Episode 8: Updates from the Autism Spectrum Airdate: 22 September 2015 Host: Dr. Madhusudan Katti Guests: Dr. Amanda Mortimer Topic: During last week’s Republican Presidential Primary Debate, medical science made a rare appearance in the nation’s political media discourse, when Jake Tapper raised the question about appropriate schedules for childhood vaccinations. This was triggered by candidate […]
Welcome back to another year of science conversations as the Central Valley Café Scientifique opens its 9th season on Monday, September 14th, at Peeve’s Pub. This month, we will travel to the city of Bangalore in India, with one of our own founding members, Dr. Kaberi Kar Gupta, who has recently launched a new project to […]
Science: A Candle In The Dark Episode 7: Fear and Learning in Science & Mathematics Airdate: 25 August 2015 Host: Dr. Madhusudan Katti Guests: Dr. Amanda Mortimer and Dr. Beth Weinman. Topic: Are you afraid of science? Do you suffer from Maths Anxiety? And are you transferring some of these fears to your children, even as you are anxious […]
Science: A Candle In The Dark Episode 6: Humans and Nature in the City Airdate: 28 July 2015 Host: Dr. Madhusudan Katti Guests: Dr. Charles Nilon and Dr. Paige Warren. Topic: This month, while the Café Scientifique is on its summer break, we bring you a wide-ranging conversation about how humans interact with nature in cities, and how scientists study […]
Science: A Candle In The Dark Episode 5: Urban Ecology Airdate: 23 June 2015 Host: Dr. Madhusudan Katti Special Correspondent: Stephanie Slonka Guests: Dr. Emily Minor, Dr. Kaberi Kar Gupta, Dr. John Marzluff, and Kim Eierman. Topic: This special summer episode explores our growing understanding of urban ecology, of all the non-human species that inhabit and adapt to urban spaces, […]
Science: A Candle In The Dark Episode 4: Exoplanets Airdate: 26 May 2015 Host: Dr. Madhusudan Katti Guest: Dr. Fred Ringwald Topic: Four hundred years ago, Galileo pointed a simple telescope up at Jupiter and discovered moons orbiting around that planet. That was the first time any human had seen such a moon orbiting another planet, and it upended our […]
Only since 1991 have astronomers known that stars (other than the Sun) do have planets. Discoveries are coming rapidly: over 1,000 exoplanets are now known (like Kepler 286f in the above artist’s rendition). Tens of thousands may be found in the next decade. The Solar System is now thought to be atypical, since Jupiter-mass planets […]
A bladderwort. Image via Dr. Ulrike Müller. Science: A Candle In The Dark Episode 3 Airdate: 28 April 2015 Host: Dr. Madhusudan Katti Guest: Dr. Ulrike Müller Commentary: Dr. Andrew Rhys Jones Topic: Biomechanics applies principles from physics and engineering to understand how living organisms move and function as living machines. At the same time, an engineering perspective can be quite limiting […]
Have you ever wondered what all can happen in a blink of an eye? At Fresno State, Dr. Ulrike Müller and her research team study how small organisms move and feed. Small organisms are not only hard to see because they are small but also because they often move very fast. Using high-speed cameras that […]
[audio http://zimmer.csufresno.edu/~mkatti/valleycafesci-podcast/ScienceCandle-02.mp3] Science: A Candle In The Dark Episode 2 Airdate: 24 February 2015 Host: Dr. Madhusudan Katti Guest: Dr. Mara Brady Commentary: Dr. Paul Crosbie Topic: Earth sciences and the insights we have gained into the history of our planet including the evolution of life leading up to our own species. In a wide ranging discussion, Dr. Brady talks about […]
Sedimentary rocks provide one of the best archives of Earth’s history through time. However, the sedimentary and fossil records are not complete – not all time is recorded by the deposition of sediments in the geologic record. As far back as Darwin, earth scientists have recognized the variable completeness of the sedimentary record of Earth’s […]
[audio http://zimmer.csufresno.edu/~mkatti/valleycafesci-podcast/CafeSci-01.mp3] Science: A Candle In The Dark Episode 1 Airdate: 24 February 2015 Host: Dr. Madhusudan Katti Guest: Dr. Doug Singleton Topic: Particle fever: its a particle zoo inside that atom! What do we know about the structure of matter at the most fundamental level? Theoretical physicist Doug Singleton explains our current understanding of subatomic […]
Hello, and welcome to “Science: Candle In The Dark”, a new monthly (last Tuesday of each month, at 3:30 PM) conversation about science on KFCF Free Speech Radio, 88.1FM, Fresno’s Pacifica-affiliated community radio station. In association with the Central Valley Café Scientifique, we intend to make science part of our public discourse in California’s Central Valley. I’m […]
This March, join us for a unique conversation at the intersection of Science and Art, with the curators of Art Scientifique, Dr. Lisa Anderson (from Anthropology at CSU Fresno) and Dr. Martin Shapiro (from Psychology at CSU Fresno). Art Scientifique was created to represent the beauty and art found in science. Lisa and Martin added this special show to Fresno’s annual […]
California looks thirstily at the skies to end this prolonged drought. Meanwhile, our valley continues to feel the oppressive weight of the high pressure ridge sitting on top of us, keeping that moisture away and holding in place the increasingly foul air we are forced to breathe. If you look around the world, however, these […]
Karthik Teegalapalli is a graduate research scholar with the Nature Conservation Foundation in India. As part of NCF’s Eastern Himalaya Program, he is studying forest recovery following shifting cultivation in the Upper Siang district in the state of Arunachal Pradesh, in the Eastern Himalaya. He is currently visiting the US as a Fulbright Scholar at the University […]
This December, join us for an exploration of the underground realm, when geologist and caver John Tinsley takes us into the realm of caves, with tales from California, Missouri, Tennessee, and Indiana. Caves record a region’s natural history in multiple and fascinating ways. Solution caves as physical systems will be a recurring theme this evening. […]
Have heard about the Large Hadron Collider? Do you know about the Higgs-Boson particle? And the Nobel Prize winning theory of the Higgs field which gives mass to elementary particles? If you’ve been intrigued by any of these, you are in for a treat at our next event. This November, join us for a special […]
“I don’t believe in evolution.” The words we shouldn’t use when we talk about science. In this interactive presentation, we will examine the concept of disciplinary literacy in science, addressing how the use of particular words contributes to the development of misconceptions. The nature of science as a way of knowing is considered through these basic […]
I hope all of you Cafénistas had a good summer break and are refreshed at the start of a new school year! Our Café returns to Fresno’s cultural calendar on September 8th when we start our 8th season in Fresno! Fresno State biologist Dr. David Lent kicks things off with a presentation based on his research: Forgetful Flies: […]
Beer! It makes us laugh, it makes us stumble, it makes us delighted. But while beer is so simple to enjoy, its creation is driven by a complex set of reactions and interactions. Lee Morphew, head brewer for Tioga Sequoia Brewing Co., gives us an in depth look at what’s going on inside the cup, […]
If you are intrigued (and perhaps apprehensive) about studies of the human genome, and the applications of genomic screening towards your own personal health, you will not want to miss our next Café event! We are delighted to announce that our Cinco de Mayo event will feature an old friend of our Café’s founder Madhusudan Katti! Dr. Vishwanath […]
We have another marine scientist visiting us for our next event on Monday, April 7th, 2014. Dr. Sandra Passchier from Montclair State University is a Distinguished Lecturer in the International Ocean Discovery Program‘s 2013-14 program. She will speak about research on the Antarctic ice sheet: Throughout at least the past 34 million years the Antarctic ice sheet played a major role […]
With apologies for the late notice, we invite you to our March 2014 event, where Dr. Mathieu Richaud will take you on a journey into the Arctic. We’ve entirely escaped the arctic winds that have had much of the US in the grip of their polar vortex this winter – but here’s our chance to […]
We’re experimenting with recording and sharing videos of our talks. Still working out the tech involved, but here is the video of Dr. Quinn McFrederick’s January talk on the bees. This was filmed by Kira Kratzer on her iPad – hand-held – so kudos to her! The videos are shared on Google Drive from where […]
Each year we mark Charles Darwin’s birthday with a special Café Scientifique event on Darwin Day. This year we have another special treat for you, with a talk by Professor Lee Alan Dugatkin of Louisville University. Prof. Dugatkin will share a fascinating tale from the intersection of natural history with the early history of the […]
Welcome back to the Central Valley Café Scientifique, beginning its new season (belatedly) in the new year, at a new venue. We begin with a bee in our bonnet… Why do we need bees? Although bees are vital to both wild and agricultural ecosystems, both wild and managed bee populations are in decline. Dr. Quinn […]
Hello and welcome back! We are about to reboot the Central Valley Café Scientifique after a longer than usual hiatus. Its been a challenging year for many of us in our lives, and with me (Madhusudan Katti, in case you’re wondering who mostly writes here) and Kaberi being away for most of it on sabbatical in […]
Join us for our May Café, as Dr. Tanya Warwick discusses the Science of Stroke. Dr. Warwick works at the Community Regional Medical Center as Medical Director of the Stroke Program, and is currently researching prevention techniques for people who have already experienced a subcortical stroke and prevention of the onset of heart attacks and […]
Hey Cafénistas…this is not an April Fool’s joke! Come join us for Café Scientifique April 1, 2013 with Beth Weiman as she discusses her research that examines how groundwater attains its geochemistry. An important aspect of sourcing and maintaining our water supply deals with understanding how usable fresh-water resources gain their natural geochemistries. In not knowing […]
Hey Cafénistas…Forget March Madness! Come join us for Café Scientifique March 4, 2013 as Owen Gailar discusses the first nuclear reactor accident in the U.S. The SL-1 reactor, originally named Argonne Low Power Reactor, ALPR, was designed for the USA Army as a prototype of a low-power, 300 kWe boiling-water reactor plant to be used in […]
Greetings fellow Cafénistas! Join us on February 4th for a look at an issue close to home! Dr. Andrew R. Jones, of the Department of Sociology at CSU—Fresno will tell us about research findings from the social survey and site visits conducted as part of the ongoing examination of water usage and its impacts on […]
Happy New Year, fellow Cafénistas! Join us on January 7th for an expedition into the deep seas! Dr. Mathieu Richaud, of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at CSU—Fresno will tell us about research into the bottom of the sea where oceanographers take core sediment samples and bring up the myriad and endlessly fascinating […]
Here are the slides from the December 2012 meeting of the Café where Madhusudan Katti presented the Cities and Biodiversity Outlook (CBO): Cities and Biodiversity Outlook – presented to Central Valley Café Scientifique from Madhusudan Katti Click here to download the full CBO: Action and Policy document as a PDF. For links to the resources […]
Cities have now become humanity’s preferred habitat on earth, with more than half of us living in urban areas. The ecological effects of cities extend well beyond their geographical boundaries. How much biodiversity do our cities contain? What ecosystem services do cities depend upon, and what ecosystem services can urban habitats generate? What role can […]
It will be the night before the big election. A good time to get together and meet some of your neighbors, don’t you think? Except the neighbors David Hunter will introduce to us are ones that we may be living among for most of our lives without really noticing they are even there! David is […]
Hello friends! After a slightly longer than usual summer hiatus, we are coming back on October 1, 2012, with an exciting presentation by Miriam Goldstein, a dynamic young researcher from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. She will tell us about her pioneering work on the evolutionary ecology of organisms living in the so-called (and much […]
Our little Café Scientifique is about to complete its FIFTH season! Can you believe it? This year, we will sign off with a special event, courtesy of our sponsor, the College of Science & Mathematics at CSU, Fresno. Here are the details: Rational Comedy For an Irrational World An evening with Earth’s Premier Science Comedian BRIAN […]
Hello folks, Our web presence is in transition. I’ve maintained the Central Valley Café Scientifique website, on a campus server, on a solo admin basis – which is all iWeb allowed anyway. Now that I am about to go on a sabbatical for the coming academic year, there will be some change of personnel in […]