Wooster Science Café resumes for spring season Feb. 1

A new season of the Wooster Science Café kicks off Feb. 1, 2022, at 7 p.m. Sponsored by The College of Wooster and The Ohio State University, the monthly series brings together those interested in science in the community to talk about and experience science. The Wooster Science Café is open to the general public and meets the first Tuesday each month at Spoon Market and Deli at 144 W. Liberty St. in downtown Wooster.

The slate for spring 2022 features a variety of speakers in a series focused on the Science of Everyday Concepts, going into depth on an angle that might not be common knowledge. All sessions included below are from 7 to 8 p.m. at Spoon Market and Deli.

• Feb. 1: Amyaz Moledina, professor of economics and business economics at Wooster and Elizabeth Schuster, CEO and environmental economist at Sustainable Economies Consulting) will present on The Science of Local Foods: What drives success for our local food systems?
• March 1: Olivia C. Navarro-Farr, associate professor of anthropology and archaeology at Wooster, Siavash Samei, visiting assistant professor of archaeology and anthropology, and Middle Eastern & North African Studies at Wooster, and Sara Brink, director of the Foxfield Preserve conservation burial ground will present “The Science of Burials: What our treatment of remains tells us and don’t tell us about ourselves.”
• April 5: Ashleigh Best, Jenni Griffin, Michelle Johnson, and Krista Martin from APEX The College of Wooster’s Center for Advising, Planning, and Experiential Learning will present “The Science of Happiness.”
• May 3: Carrie Bonvallet, winemaker from White Timbers Winery will present The Science of Winemaking.

In its ninth year. The Wooster Science Café was initiated in 2013 by Laura Sirot, a biology professor at Wooster, and Jeff LeJeune, a professor at Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences campus in Wooster. The series has continued through the years with the help of several other members of the College, Ohio State, and broader Wooster community as well as its many hosts among the downtown Wooster restaurants.

“Jeff and I came together after I had moved here from Ithaca, New York. They had a science café in Ithaca, and I thought it was a really interesting way to bring science to the public and address issues of public concern,” shared Sirot. “We always said, the goal was to promote civil discourse between scientists and the public about issues related to science and of interest to the public.”

Over the years, the Wooster Science Café has hosted a tremendous variety in terms of speakers and topics. In just one year, topics might include astronomy, health, and the carbon footprint. Past events have covered a range from psychological impacts of immigration on children to hydroponic produce. While many speakers represent Wooster or Ohio State, the Café has also attracted a scientist from NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, and speakers from University of Akron, Gojo, and Schaeffler.

All are welcome to attend the monthly events. Spoon provides light appetizers, and a limited menu of drinks and food are available for purchase. Masks are required when not eating or drinking. More information is available on the website, www.woostersciencecafe.org or by following @WooScienceCafe on Twitter or the Facebook page. Those with additional questions on the events or who would like to be added to the email list should contact Laura Sirot at Lsirot@wooster.edu.

Posted in News on January 13, 2022.