Science Lectures

Pacific Science Center is committed to advancing the public's understanding of science and contributing to the development of a scientifically literate society through programming for people of all ages. As part of that commitment, we support and sponsor a number of lectures in the Seattle area. Some are held at our facility, others are conducted at various locations.

Many of these lectures are closely aligned with Pacific Science Center's Science and Society initiative, which aims to provide our community with innovative opportunities for rich conversation, and sometimes debate, about the current and emerging science topics that are relevant to our lives here in the Pacific Northwest and as citizens of this world.

Here's what's coming up...

Rafe Sagarin: Security Lessons from Nature
Tuesday, May 1, 2012, 6-7 p.m.
Downstairs at Town Hall; enter on Seneca Street. $5.

Gathering wisdom from woodchucks, octopi, hedgehogs, and salmon, Rafe Sagarin shows how nature’s lessons can transform our security systems. Applying lessons from 3.5 billion years of evolution, ecologist Sagarin, author of Learning from the Octopus, shows that our best national security strategy will emerge not out of Homeland Security, but out of proactive, holistic, and adaptable strategies inspired by nature: detecting danger, understanding behavior, and defending against disaster or disease. Presented as part of Seattle Science Lectures, with Pacific Science Center and University Book Store. Series sponsored by Microsoft. Series media sponsorship provided by KPLU. Advance tickets are $5 at Brown Paper Tickets or (800) 838-3006 and at the door beginning at 6:30 p.m. Town Hall members receive priority seating.

Stuart Firestein: Hooray for Ignorant Scientists!
Wednesday, May 2, 2012, 6-7 p.m.
Downstairs at Town Hall; enter on Seneca Street. $5.

Knowledge is a big subject, says Stuart Firestein, but ignorance is bigger—and that’s the true engine of science (which is not a bad thing!). More often than not, says the Columbia professor and author of Ignorance: How it Drives Science, science is like looking for a black cat in a dark room—and there may not be a cat in the room. But this hit-or-miss process, this “not knowing,” is exactly what propels researchers into the lab early and keeps them there late; it also helps program their work, identify what should be done, and direct where to concentrate their energies. Presented as part of Seattle Science Lectures, with Pacific Science Center and Elliott Bay Book Company. Series sponsored by Microsoft. Series media sponsorship provided by KPLU. Advance tickets are $5 at Brown Paper Tickets or (800) 838-3006 and at the door beginning at 5:30 p.m. Town Hall members receive priority seating. Ticket also gains admission to Bryan Sykes at 7:30 p.m.

Bryan Sykes: America’s DNA
Wednesday, May 2, 2012, 7:30-9 p.m.
Downstairs at Town Hall; enter on Seneca Street. $5.

Crisscrossing the continent, “genetic genealogist” Bryan Sykes provides a groundbreaking examination of America through its DNA. The best-selling author of The Seven Daughters of Eve and the new DNA USA takes a historical genetic tour of one of the most genetically variegated countries in the world, illuminating our genetic mosaic, contributing to how we perceive race, and defining what it means to be American. Presented by the Town Hall Center for Civic Life with Elliott Bay Book Company. Series media sponsorship provided by PubliCola. Series supported by The Boeing Company, the RealNetworks Foundation, and the True/Brown Foundation. Tickets are $5 at Brown Paper Tickets or (800) 838-3006, and at the door beginning at 6:30 p.m. Town Hall members receive priority seating.

Leonard Mlodinow: The Power of the Subliminal Mind
Tuesday, May 8, 2012, 7:30-9:30 p.m.
Downstairs at Town Hall; enter on Seneca Street. $5.

Drawing on a surge of new research, Leonard Mlodinow unravels the complexities of the subliminal mind and reveals its profound influence. The bestselling author (The Drunkard’s Walk, which he brought to Town Hall in 2008, and the new Subliminal) examines how the mind’s subliminal processes, not the conscious ones, largely drive our experience, perception, behavior, memory, and social judgment—a realization that can help us recognize and avoid common pitfalls in our work, lives, and relationships. Presented as part of Seattle Science Lectures, with Pacific Science Center and University Book Store. Series sponsored by Microsoft. Series media sponsorship provided by KPLU. Advance tickets are $5 at Brown Paper Tickets or (800) 838-3006 and at the door beginning at 6:30 p.m. Town Hall members receive priority seating.

Pamela Matson: Seeds of Sustainability
Thursday, May 10, 2012, 7:30-9 p.m.
Downstairs at Town Hall; enter on Seneca Street. $5.

As the world’s population grows and resources shrink, we need to find ways to make production systems more efficient. Pamela Matson, dean of the School of Earth Sciences at Stanford and author of Seeds of Sustainability, spent 15 years in Mexico as part of the Yaqui Valley research project designed to discover new ways to make agriculture more productive and sustainable; she shares the implications of this work for our food-supply system and explores how the project can encourage other production systems to become more sustainable. Center for Civic Life, in association with IslandWood and Elliott Bay Book Company. Series media sponsorship provided by PubliCola. Series supported by The Boeing Company, the RealNetworks Foundation, and the True/Brown Foundation. Tickets are $5 at Brown Paper Tickets or (800) 838-3006, and at the door beginning at 6:30 p.m. Town Hall members receive priority seating.

Chris Mooney: The Republican Brain
Friday, May 11, 2012, 7:30-9 p.m.
Downstairs at Town Hall; enter on Seneca Street. $5.

From climate change to evolution, the rejection of mainstream science among Republicans is growing—and science writer Chris Mooney explains why. Explaining the psychology behind Republicans’ refusal to accept things that most experts agree on, Mooney, author of The Republican War on Science and the new The Republican Brain, discovers that conservatives and liberals don’t just have different ideologies; they have different psychologies. Presented as part of Seattle Science Lectures, with Pacific Science Center and University Book Store. Series sponsored by Microsoft. Series media sponsorship provided by KPLU. Advance tickets are $5 at Brown Paper Tickets or (800) 838-3006 and at the door beginning at 7 p.m. Town Hall members receive priority seating. Ticket also gains admission to Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy at 6 p.m.