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

WOOSTER, Ohio – The Wooster Science Café will celebrate its sixth season with an open house on Tuesday, Sept. 3, from 7-8:30 p.m. in the Excelsior Room at Spoon Market & Deli (144 W. Liberty St.) in Wooster. The succeeding discussions and insights on current science topics will be held the first Tuesday of each month through December and next February through May at Spoon, with each 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 happy to be able to continue to bring discussion of science-related topics to the Wooster community.”
The second Science Café will be on Oct. 1 with Marian Frazier, assistant professor of mathematics and computer science at Wooster, presenting “Lying with Data.” Frazier will discuss the notion that conventional wisdom states “numbers don’t lie,” but statistical tricks, graphic wizardry, and manipulation of large data sets can be used to deceive. She will also discuss the ways that politicians, the media, advertisers, and others use data to mislead the public.
On Nov. 5, Michele Leiby, associate professor of political science at Wooster, will present “Surviving in the Heartland: Immigrant Communities in Ohio.” Leiby will share the results of a community-based research project on the lives of Central American immigrants in rural Ohio. In 2018, a team of scholars, practitioners, and student researchers conducted almost 400 interviews with immigrants and migrant workers. The discussion will include testimonies from those interviews and offer evidence-based strategies for effectively advocating for immigrants’ human rights.
The final Science Café of the fall semester on Dec. 3, will feature Tom Marting, facilities and resource management director of GOJO Industries, Inc., and Emily Kennedy, director of external relations at the Biomimicry Research and Innovation Center at The University of Akron. They will present “Bioinspired Product Innovation at GOJO,” in which they will describe successful implementation of biomimicry at GOJO for innovation of energy-efficient soap dispensers. Biomimicry is innovation through emulation of biological forms, processes, patterns, and systems, and is motivated by an understanding that natural selection yields diverse, high-performing, and resource-efficient survival strategies that can be adapted to solve technical challenges.
Sirot added, “Everyone is welcome! Come for the free appetizers and stay for the great discussion. Thanks to Spoon Market & Deli, The College of Wooster, and The Ohio State University for the ongoing support.” The other coordinators of the Science Café are Cathy Herms, Stephanie Strand, and Erzsébet and Peter Regan.

Posted in News on August 23, 2019.