PROGRAMS

Science Author Talks

Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens our Future with Chris Mooney

Now You See It: the Brain Science of Attention with Cathy Davidson, PhD

Knocking on Heaven's Door with physicist Lisa Randall, PhD

A More Perfect Heaven: How Copernicus Revolutionized the Cosmos with Dava Sobel

The Better Angels of our Nature with neuroscientist Stephen Pinker, PhD

The Universe Within with evolutionary biologist Neil Shubin, PhD

Science on Ice with polar photographer Chris Linder

Science Writing – a conversation with Mary Roach (author of Gulp and many more) & Rebecca Skloot (author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks)

How We Do It: The Evolution and Future of Human Reproduction with biological anthropologist Robert Martin, PhD

Me, Myself and Why: Searching for the Science of Self with Jennifer Ouellette

How the Body Knows Its Mind with psychologist Sian Beilock, PhD

Houston, We Have a Narrative: Why Science

Needs Story with biologist and filmmaker, Randy Olson, PhD

Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs with astrophysicist Lisa Randall, PhD

Thing Explainer with Randall Munroe, XKCD creator

TED Talks, The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking with Chris Anderson, Head of TED

If Our Bodies Could Talk with James Hamblin, MD and MATTER Chicago

Not a Scientist: How Politicians Mistake, Misrepresent, and Utterly Mangle Science with Dave Levitan

The Greatest Story Ever Told – So Far with astrophysicist Lawrence Krauss and the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Film Screenings

An Inconvenient Truth – in Grant Park in collaboration with the Chicago Department of Environment

The Right Stuff – in Grant Park in collaboration with Motorola, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and Chicago Public Library

The Believers – award-winning documentary by 137 Films about the cold fusion scandal of 1989

The Atom Smashers – documentary film by 137 Films screened in celebration of

the July 2012 Higgs Boson discovery with panel discussion with physicists from Argonne and Fermi Laboratories

We Believe in Dinosaurs film preview and discussion with filmmakers from 137 Films at Google

Chemistry for Adults

Chemistry of Beer with Metropolitan Brewery (2010, 2012)

Chemistry of Chocolate with Blommer Chocolate (2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016)

Chemistry of Coffee with Intelligentsia Coffee (2011)

Chemistry of Cosmetics with cosmetic chemist Perry Romanowski (2011)

Chemistry of Honey with Notebaert Nature Museum (2011, 2014)

Chemistry of Whiskey with Koval Distillery (2011)

Chemistry of Spirits with CH Distillery (2015)

Brain / Neuroscience Programs

Your Brain on Cubs: The Neuroscience of Baseball Players & Fans with the Dana Institute (2009)

Your Brain on Happiness with Robin Nusslock, PhD, (2012)

Illinois Science Council Programs continued… Your Brain on Creativity with Mark Jung-Beeman, PhD (2012)

Your Brain and Memory with Elizabeth Kensinger, PhD (2012)

Your Brain on Addiction with Celeste Napier, PhD (2012)

Your Bain on Love, Sex & Oxytocin with Sue Carter, PhD and author Kayt Sukel (2012)

Your Brain on Behavioral Addictions with John grant, PhD, JD, MD (2014)

Your Brain on Beauty with Renee Engeln, PhD (2014)

Your Brain & Exercise – What’s the Connection? with Art Kramer, PhD (2015)

More Awesome Science

Tour of Argonne National Laboratories

Weather Forecasting and Why It's Wrong – with meteorologist Tad Maguire

String Theory Explained – with physicist Mark Jackson, PhD

Are We Ready for Genetic Medicine? – with geneticist Rex Chisholm, PhD

Is It the Genes or Just the Jeans? – The Biology of Gender

CSI: Chicago Style – Forensic Science by the Experts

Dinosaur Science – with paleontologist Paul Sereno, PhD

Disappearing Bees – with entomologist May Barenbaum, PhD

The Doomsday Clock and The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientist

Encyclopedia of Life: The World’s Biodiversity Project – with Mark Westneat, PhD

Cancer Causing Viruses – with Ken Alexander, MD

Improbable Research and Ig-Nobels Awards Show – AAAS Meeting Chicago (2009, 2014)

Spooky Science – A fun yet scientific look at ghosts, ESP and Halloween

Body Electric: Presentations on Lightning Strike Victims, Defibrillators & Tasers

Multi-verses – with cosmologist Lawrence Krauss, PhD and Chicago Public Library

Meteors and Meteorites – with astronomer Laura Trouille, PhD, and geologist James Holstein, MA (2012)

Perseid Meteor Shower – Chicago and Evanston beaches opened for public shooting viewing of meteor showers (2012, 2013)

Marijuana, Microbes & Milk: Science behind public health policy – with Jack Hermann, DVM, MPH and Yvette Johnson, PhD, DVM (2014)

Science Cocktail Party fundraising event with DIRTT Environmental Solutions (2012, 2103, 2014, 2015, 2016)

Pi Day Celebration promotion with Chicago area bakeries and restaurants on March 14th (annually 2009-2017)

Pi Day ‘Pi K’ (3.14 mile) Fun Run with Fleet Feet Sports (annually 2013 - 2017)

Total Lunar Eclipse 9/27/15 – partnership with Chicago Park District to open City beaches for public viewing