Wooster Science Café set to start up again Feb. 1
On Feb. 1 at 7 p.m., a new season will kick off for the Wooster Science Café. The monthly series brings together those interested in science in the community to talk about and experience science. It is open to the general public and meeting the first Tuesday each month at Spoon Market and Deli, 144 W. Liberty St., downtown Wooster.
On Feb. 1 at 7 p.m., a new season will kick off for the Wooster Science Café. Sponsored by The College of Wooster and the Ohio State University, the monthly series will bring 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, 144 W. Liberty St., downtown Wooster.
The slate for spring will feature 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. Each session will go from 7-8 p.m. as follows:
—Feb. 1: Amyaz Moledina, professor of economics and business economics at The College of Wooster, and Elizabeth Schuster, environmental economist at Sustainable Economies Consulting, will present “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 The College of Wooster; Siavash Samei, visiting assistant professor of archaeology and anthropology and Middle Eastern and North African studies at The College of 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 doesn’t tell us about ourselves.”
—April 5: Ashleigh Best, Jenni Griffin, Michelle Johnson and Krista Martin from The College of Wooster Center for Advising, Planning and Experiential Learning will present “The Science of Happiness.”
—May 2: Carrie Bonvallet, winemaker at 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 The College of Wooster, and Jeff LeJeune, a professor at Ohio State University’s Wooster campus, with a focus on food and animal health. It has continued through the years with the help of several other members of The College of Wooster, OSU and the broader Wooster community and its many hosts among the downtown Wooster restaurants.
“Jeff and I came together after I had moved here from Ithaca, New York,” Sirot said. “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. 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 variety of speakers and topics ranging from astronomy, to health, to the carbon footprint, to psychological impacts of immigration on children and more. While many speakers represent COW or OSU, the café also has 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 drinks and food are available for purchase. Masks are required if not eating or drinking. Email Sirot at Lsirot@wooster.edu, check the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/WoosterScienceCafe/ or visit www.woostersciencecafe.org/ or Twitter @WooScienceCafe.