Science Under the Dome
Join usfor ourScience Under the Domemonthlylive talk series.Talks in this series are presented by graduate students and postdoc researchers at CU Boulder.
These are a part ofour regular talk series. Regular ticket prices apply.
CU Boulder students are admitted FREE on THURSDAY NIGHT TALKS with valid Buff OneCard.
Upcoming Science Under the Dome Talks
October 10 at 7pm
Whether a trail map of a serene forest or a plot of historical markers in a bustling city, maps help us understand and connect to the spaces we inhabit. In so doing, maps can express or even inspire topophilia (that is, “love of place”), a powerful way to understand ourselves in relation to the ecology, culture, and other riches that surround us. But what if a map shows a place that no human has ever been to? Can we ever truly know—much less love—a distant, alien landscape with the help of a mere map? In this talk, we’ll trace the history of planetary cartography from the earliest telescope sketches to today’s high-resolution imagery and explore the indelible link between maps and humanity’s fascination with space, whether in the pages of science fiction or guiding our boldest quests into the final frontier.
Sam Cartwright is a PhD candidate with the Department of Geological Sciences and the . His research focuses on the composition of icy landscapes at Mars’s south pole and what this can tell us about the planet’s evolving climate. Sam previously earned degrees in Geology from Middlebury College (BA, 2018) and the University of Nevada Reno (MS, 2021) and joined SciDome as a Facilitator in 2023. He discovered his passion for space history and public outreach while interning at the , but his love of maps goes back much further. He is a co-curator of the Topophilia exhibit now on view at the Jerry Crail Johnson Earth Sciences & Map Library.
November 14at 7pm
Our Earth system is under increasing strain to support human societies and the larger ecosystems in which we function. One way to combat this sustainability challenge is to look for resources from alternative sources. Wastewater is such a source, although its value is often overlooked. In this talk, we will explore the different components of wastewater, how wastewater can be re-contextualized as a resource, the benefits and concerns of reusing different components of wastewater, and how wastewater reuse just might save us all.
Vanessa Maybruck is a 3rd-year PhD student in the Environmental Engineering program at CU Boulder. Her research focuses on pharmaceutical occurrence during water reuse processes, bacteriophage transport and infection dynamics in sewers, and ethical conduct of wastewater-based surveillance in diverse communities. Vanessa is also pursuing graduate certificates in Interdisciplinary Quantitative Biology and Data Science and graduated from Kutztown University with bachelor's degrees in Applied Mathematics and Secondary Education: Mathematics with a minor in Biochemistry in 2022. In her spare time, Vanessa enjoys singing, obsessing over fandoms, petting dogs, hiking, and volunteering.
Watch this space for more compelling talks at Fiske.
Our climate is changing and we must adapt to a world that is transforming right before our eyes. Early warning signs of climate change were seen in far away places like the Arctic, Antarctica, and Greenland. Now these impacts are affecting us here at home and changing the way we live our lives. Join us as we explore the local and global impacts of climate change and ways in which we can contribute to a solution.
Science and technology don’t exist in a vacuum - there are countless ways that research and innovation play a significant role in society at large. What are some of the ways in which they overlap? This seriesexplores the intersection of science and society, addressing topics such as light pollution, GMOs, and mining asteroids, and the talks invite the audience to consider ways in which they have been impacted by this intersection.
From warp drives to artificial intelligence to living on Mars, this series is to explore a variety of scientific ideas that surface in science fiction books, movies, and video games. Where have popular sci-fi movies portrayed science correctly, and where has Hollywood gone off the deep end? What technologies were once ‘sci-fi’ but are now rapidly becoming a reality?