The Center for Sustainable Materials Chemistry is taking its "science pub" outreach efforts to Brookings and Coos Bay on Oct. 22 and 23, respectively.
Center co-director David C. Johnson, the UO's Rosaria P. Haugland Foundation Chair in Pure and Applied Chemistry at the University of Oregon, will speak on "Nanotechnology: Unveiling the big world of the very small." His talk has been well received by science-pub audiences in previous Oregon locations.
The presentation is done in a casual format, including trivia and a question-and-answer session, as customers enjoy food and drinks. In his talk, Johnson describes how materials barely a billionth of a meter in size will likely revolutionize such things as computer technology, renewable energy, medicine and building materials.
Part of the mission of the Center for Sustainable Materials Chemistry – a joint effort of the University of Oregon and Oregon State University that is funded by the National Science Foundation – involves education and outreach beyond its central core of materials research.
The dates and locations for the science pubs, which will begin at 6:30 p.m. and run about 90 minutes, are:
- Wednesday, Oct. 22, at the Oxenfre Public House Bar and Grill, 631 Chetco Ave., in Brookings.
- Thursday, Oct. 23, at the Seven Devils Brewery, 247 S. 2nd St., in Coos Bay on the 23rd.
The events are open to the public.
Johnson oversees educational efforts for the Center for Sustainable Materials Chemistry. The outreach efforts are designed with the goal to not only discuss nanotechnology's promise but also ignite scientific curiosity among potential students and guide them into the rapidly emerging field.
—By Jim Barlow, Public Affairs Communications