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

Unnatural Selection: Evolution at the Hand of Man with artist & scientist Katrina van Grouw in partnership with Notebaert Nature Museum

The Death & Life of the Great Lakes with Dan Egan with Seminary Co-op

On The Future: Prospects for Humanity with Sir Martin Rees

The Future of Humanity with Michio Kaku in partnership with the Chicago Humanities Festival

Overrun: Dispatches from the Asian Carp Crisis with Andrew Reeves at Volumes Bookcafe

Pleased to Meet Me with Bill Sullivan, PhD with Seminary Co-op

The Feeling of Life Itself with Christof Koch, PhD at Seminary Co-op Books

Many Worlds of Quantum Mechanics with Sean Carroll, PhD, with Chicago Humanities Festival

Fire, Ice & Physics: The Science of Game of Thrones with Rebecca Thompson, PhD

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 including physicists from Argonne and Fermi Laboratories

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

Illinois Science Council Programs continued… Food Evolution screening and discussion in collaboration with IL Farm Bureau and Institute of Food Technologists

Bugs – Edible Insect Movie Night and sampling with Atlas Obscura (2018)

Chemistry for Adults

Chemistry of Beer with Metropolitan Brewery (2010, 2012, 2018, 2019)

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)

Chemistry of Coffee with I Have A Bean roasters and Latinicity (2017)

Chemistry of Bread with Publican Quality Breads (2018)

Chemistry of the Cocktail with Koval Distillery (2019)

Breathalyze This! Science of Drug & Alcohol Testing with Axion Analytical Labs (2019)

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)

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)

Tours & Behind the Scenes

Tour of Argonne National Laboratories (2006)

Tour of Argonne National Laboratory, Nuclear Energy Center and Advanced Photon Source (2018)

Tour of “The Plant” and circular economies with Plant Chicago (2018)

Tree ID Walk & Talk on Lincoln Avenue (2018), in Chicago Women’s Park (2019)

More Awesome Science

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

Illinois Science Council Programs continued… D.I.R.T.T. Environmental Solutions (2012 - 2019)

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

Pi Day ‘Pi K’ 3.14-mile Fun Run with Fleet Feet Sports (annually on 3/14 since 2013)

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

Fermilab 50th Anniversary Open House ISC demo table (2017)

Virtual Reality Simulation of Kavli Lecture with Adler Planetarium (2018)

SciArt Soiree reception and exhibit of art images created in the course of science research, in partnership with Comcast Studio Xfinity (2018)

The Future of Technology with Paul Edlund of Microsoft (2018)

Project L – Reception and exhibit of artworks inspired by science in partnership with The Drama Science Lab (2018)

Science Social Happy Hours with science demos at Vice District Brewing Company (2018)

Drug Addiction: Science, Medicine & Hope Roundtable Discussion with Gateway Foundation (2018)

Flu Shots & Drink Shots – Immunology & Virus Discussion at Haymarket Brewery (2018)

“Wild Things in the City” – Science of Urban Wildlife with Seth Magle of Lincoln Park Zoo (2019)

Taste bud Trip with “Miracle Berries” at Half Sour (2019)

Flu Shots & Drink Shots: Immunology in a Bar – Vaccine discussion with Pharmacist and Immunologist (2019)

Tête à Tête: Embodying Dialogues SciArt Festival Exhibition with the Drama Science Lab (2019)

Is Your Hippo Happy? Zoo Animal Welfare with Katherine Cronin, PhD or Lincoln Park Zoo

Cannabis Analysis – Testing marijuana and hemp for THC and CDB – hands-on chemistry with Axion Analytical Lab

Birds, Bees & Hermaphrodites – Animal Mating Behavior with John Andrews of Lincoln Park Zoo