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Event
Cafe Scientifique Arlington: The Emergence of Humans: What Makes Us Different

HOW: 6:00-6:30 Light hors d'oeuvres (buy your drink/meal)
6:30-8:00 Short presentation, followed by Q&A

ABOUT THE TOPIC: How did humans evolve into our present form? Who are our ancestors, and how far back do they go? And just what makes us different from other mammals? As Director of the Human Origins Program and Curator of Anthropology at the National Museum of Natural History, Potts asks -- and helps to answer - these and related questions. Come to hear what's new at the cutting edge of paleoanthropology.

ABOUT THE CONCEPT: Cafe Scientifque flourished first in the U.K. (see http://www.cafescientifique.org) as a way for the public and scientists to mingle and discuss science issues in an informal setting. At least 35 cafés now exist in the U.S.

ABOUT THIS CAFE: The National Science Foundation initiated Café Scientifique (Arlington) and its occasional cousin in Washington D.C. in April 2006 to make science more accessible and accountable by featuring speakers whose expertise spans the sciences and who can talk in plain English. Generally held on first Tuesdays at the Front Page in Arlington. This month's event is co-sponsored with the Smithsonian Institution. To suggest topics or speakers, complete a survey on-site. To be notified of future events, see "Find Out More" at bottom.

Coming Up:

July 10 (2nd Tuesday, to avoid the holiday) - Computer Scientist George Strawn and Author Nancy Forbes- Computing's Conundrum: Whither the Future?

May - Entomologist Gary Hevel (National Museum of Natural History) - Backyard Science Survey: A Bugg Bonanza

April - Guy Beadie (Naval Research Lab) - See the Light! What Makes Lasers So Cool?

March - Electric Vehicle Experts Dave Goldstein & Charlie Garlow - The "Shocking" Science Behind Electric Cars

Feb - Cancer Researcher Robert Clarke and Oncologist Minetta Liu (Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University) - The Science of Breast Cancer: Making it Personal

Jan - Anthropologist Doug Ubelaker (National Museum of Natural History) – How Bones Talk to Us: Clues From Forensic Science

Dec - Materials Scientist Andy Lovinger - Amazing Polymers & Plastics: From Electronics to Life Itself

Nov - Educational Psychologist Ray Brogan - The Science of Educational Testing: What Really Happens Behind the Scenes

Oct - Oceanographers David Evans (Smithsonian Under Secretary for Science) and Margaret Leinen (NSF Assistant Director for Geosciences) - Spring Vacation 2050: The Science Behind Climate Change

Sept - Chemist Joe Schwarcz - Quacks, Charlatans and Scientists: How to Distinguish Between Hocus-Pocus and Sound Advice

Aug - Geologist Tom Wager - From Dust to Us: A Brief History of the Earth and Moon

June - Neuroscientist Kathie Olsen (NSF Deputy Director) - Your Phantasmagorical Brain

May - Science Journalist Kathy Sawyer and NASA Mars Exploration Lead Scientist Mike Meyer - Are We All Martians? What We Know, Don't Know and Want to Know About Mars

Apr - Astrophysicist Mike Turner - Before the Big Bang: What We Know, and How We Know It, About How the Universe Began

FIND OUR MORE: To hear about upcoming cafés sponsored by NSF, subscribe to the NSF e-mail list. Send a message to lyris@lists.nsf.gov. In the text, write “subscribe cafesci.” Don’t add a signature. (You can unsubscribe at any time.)

Contacts
Mary Hanson, 703-292-7738 mhanson@nsf.gov
Preferred Contact Method: Email