By Alex Kerravala, Staff Writer
Are you a fan of science or beer? Whether it’s either, neither, or something in between, feel free to join the New Bedford Science Cafe for one of their monthly meet and greet events.
Despite its name, the New Bedford Science Cafe is not a cafe at all, and is instead an informal gathering, whether at a pub, bar, restaurant, or something similar, where the public can ask experts questions within their field.
Your knowledge on the field is a whole lot less important than your interest, and participants range between exerts and those with very little knowledge in the field.
“The gap between science and society continues to widen as scientific fields expand and accelerate,” says the Cafe, and they take it upon themselves to bridge that gap, and do their best to keep the people as informed as possible.
Prior events held have been Synthetic Biology- Redesigning microorganisms into life forms that make rubber, saffron, vanilla, with Dr. James Griffith, former Chair of Medical Laboratory Science at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth; Invasive Species- a discussion on invasive species in the Galapagos including how they arrived and research to stop them, with Dr. Jennifer Koop is an assistant professor of Biology at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.
Their next upcoming event will be discussing the Intricacies of Building and Installing Ocean Wind Turbines,” and will be led by Dr. Anthony Ucci and Paul Vigeant. Ucci is a Professor of Engineering at Bristol Community College and Vigeant is the Director of the New Bedford Wind Energy Center. The Cafe will be held on February 6, 2018, and will be held at Greasy Luck, 791 Purchase Street, New Bedford, Mass.
Every event is free, except for beer and food, and is meant to keep the public informed on various scientific issues, while remaining relaxed enough to attract a substantial audience. As I previously mentioned, the New Bedford Science Cafe is holding a logo contest, and they encourage all interested to create an original design that captures the mission of the Science Cafe. Priority will be given to any designs that also apply to New Bedford Science Cafe Kids. All designs must be original and after winning the design will become property of the New Bedford Science Cafe
Just remember to include contact info on each submission to the contest if you wish to submit multiple images. The winner of the contest will be chosen by a selection committee, and will be given a prize of $200 If interested.
All images should be submitted via e-mail to jkoop@umassd.edu no later than 11:59pm February 15, 2018.
For any additional information on New Bedford Science Cafe, please feel free to visit their website at newbedfordsciencecafe.weebly.com