5th Annual Wooster Science Café Kicks Off This Fall With an Open House

WOOSTER, Ohio – The Wooster Science Café will celebrate its fifth season with an open house featuring science demonstrations and discussion on Wednesday, Sept. 5, at from 7 – 8:30 p.m. at Spoon Market & Deli (144 W. Liberty St.) in Wooster. Each succeeding presentation will also be held at Spoon starting at 7 p.m.

Laura Sirot, associate professor of biology at The College of Wooster and one of the co-founders and co-coordinators of the Science Café, says “We are incredibly excited to be celebrating our fifth anniversary of the Wooster Science Café and are happy to be able to continue to bring discussion of science-related topics to the Wooster community.”

The second Science Café will be on Wednesday, Oct. 3 with Barbara Thelamour, assistant professor of psychology at Wooster, presenting “Immigrant Children and the Psychological Impact of Living on High Alert.” Thelamour will discuss what the current climate means psychologically for immigrant children, documented or undocumented. She will also discuss racial/ethnic differences in the experiences of immigrant children.

On Wednesday, Nov. 7, Denise Byrnes, associate professor of computer science at Wooster, will present “Virtual Reality: How to Trick the Senses in Virtual Environments,” along with four students. They will discuss the current state of VR technology, some of the roadblocks to perceptual immersion in a VR environment, and how VR might impact everyday lives. The majority of the presentation will allow the audience to experience the VR worlds created by students Gianni Ciccarelli, Morgan Thompson, Mierkamili Mijiti, and Isaac Weiss.

You can uncork your inner wine enthusiast at the final Science Café of the fall semester on Wednesday, Dec. 5, with a visit from Lisa Robbins, a research associate in the department of horticulture and crop science at The Ohio State. She will present “The Science of Wine.” Her presentation will provide an overview of how wine is made and explain the science behind the aroma, taste, and body of your favorite wines.

Sirot added, “Everyone is welcome! Come for the free appetizers and stay for the great discussion. Thanks to Spoon Market and Deli, The College of Wooster, and The Ohio State University for the ongoing support.” The other founders and coordinators of the Science Café are Cathy Herms, research associate, and Victor Ujor, assistant professor, at The Ohio State University, and Stephanie Strand and Sarah Sobeck, both at Wooster.

There will also be four Science Café presentations during the spring semester.

Posted in Event on September 4, 2018.