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 Let’s
talk science. That’s what Fresno State professors and other scientists
in the area will do on Oct. 1, and they’re inviting the community to
join them.
A new forum – Central Valley Cafe Scientifique – will foster dialogue
among scientists, non-scientists and even those who think they don’t
like science. It will meet the first Monday of each month.
The topic for the first meeting is “Cute, cuddly, and dead - so what's
killing sea otters?” The speaker will be Dr. Paul Crosbie of the Biology
Department at Fresno State.
The Oct. 1 event will be held from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in Lenny's Bistro Deli
in the River Park shopping center (across from the movie theaters). The
main presentation will begin at 7, followed by discussion.
Dr. Madhusudan Katti, an assistant professor of biology and one of the
organizers, said Central Valley Cafe Scientifique is a science/nerd
equivalent of a poetry reading or Fresno's Art-Hop events.
“Cafe Scientifique is a free-wheeling discussion of a science topic,
centered on a presentation from a scientist, in an informal setting
outside the normal channels of academia,” explained Katti.
The cafes started in the United Kingdom a decade ago and have spread
throughout the world. The closest ones to Fresno are in the Bay Area.
“Meetings are usually held at a local cafe or pub where anyone is
welcome to wander in – including, especially, people who don't normally
seek out science seminars or lectures on campus – listen to a brief
science talk and engage in thought-provoking conversation over food and
drinks,” said Katti.
Partnering in the Cafe Scientifique are the College of Science and
Mathematics at California State University, Fresno and Clovis
Technopolis.
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