Forum Network

Free online lectures: Explore a world of ideas

Funding provided by:

Museum of Science, Boston

One of the world's largest science centers, the Museum of Science, Boston attracts 1.6 million visitors a year through vibrant programs and over 550 interactive exhibits. Its mission is to stimulate interest in and further understanding of science and technology and their importance for individuals and society. Other features include the Thomson Theater of Electricity; Current Science & Technology Center; Charles Hayden Planetarium; Gilliland Observatory; and Mugar Omni Theater. The Museum's exhibit plan, Science Is an Activity, has been awarded several National Science Foundation grants and profoundly influenced exhibit development at other major science centers.

http://www.mos.org

Ken Burns on National Parks

Thu, Sep 10, 2009

Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan their six-part PBS documentary series *The National Parks: America's Best Idea*. Set against breathtaking backdrops, the film is the story of an idea as uniquely American as the Declaration of Independence and just as radical -- that the most special places in the nation should be preserved, not for royalty or the rich, but for everyone. Burns and series writer/co-producer Duncan discuss highlights from the 12-hour series. Included are scenes from Denali National Park that feature photographs by Brad Washburn, renowned explorer and founding director of the Museum, as well as interviews with Brad and Barbara Washburn.

Forum Network

Partner:

Museum of Science, Boston
Amir Aczel: Uranium Wars

Sun, Sep 27, 2009

Amir Aczel discusses his new book, *Uranium Wars*, a provocative history of the scientists who discovered atomic energy. Aczel weaves a suspenseful story about the brilliant men and women who raced to harness the mysteries of radioactivity, set against the darkening shadow of World War II.

Forum Network

Partner:

Museum of Science, Boston
Tuneful Treatments: Musical Therapy

Fri, Oct 2, 2009

Music therapist Suzanne Hanser shares examples of how the neurobiological foundations of music are leading to exciting new treatments for a variety of health problems. Music not only energizes us and calms us; research shows that it has powerful healing properties. Music can ease pain, lower blood pressure, and relieve anxiety and depression. It can even alleviate the symptoms of neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, mitigate the side effects of cancer, and help women in childbirth.

Mental Health Month

Partner:

Museum of Science, Boston
Genes and Jazz: Harold and Jacob Varmus

Wed, Nov 4, 2009

Harold Varmus, Nobel Prize-winning cancer researcher and science advisor to President Obama, teams up with his son, jazz trumpeter and composer, Jacob Varmus, to explore the ways that genes and notes affect complex organisms and compelling music. This father-son duo compares cell biology to the development of musical ideas through a multi-media experience featuring performances by The Jacob Varmus Quintet.

Forum Network

Partner:

Museum of Science, Boston
Music on My Brain: A Conversation with Daniel J. Levitin and Rosanne Cash

Wed, Oct 21, 2009

Neuroscientist Daniel Levitin and artist Rosanne Cash have a musical conversation about music and the brain. How does music evoke our emotions? Is our response to music hard-wired or culturally-based? Why does music play such an important role in our lives? Levitin is a rock star of science who has worked with actual rock stars, including Sting and David Byrne. Cash, the daughter of the legendary Johnny Cash, underwent brain surgery in 2007 and brings a unique perspective to music on our minds.

Forum Network

Partner:

Museum of Science, Boston
Artist's Talk: Chris Jordan on "Running the Numbers"

Fri, Apr 30, 2010

An Artist's Talk with Chris Jordan about his *Running the Numbers* series. Sociologists tell us that the human mind cannot meaningfully grasp numbers higher than a few thousand. Yet, understanding the consequences of our choices requires us to comprehend the incremental effect of millions or billions of small acts. Photographer Chris Jordan’s large-format prints, assembled from thousands of smaller photographs, dramatically translate the raw language of statistics into powerful images of global mass culture that we can respond to emotionally.

Forum Network

Partner:

Museum of Science, Boston
An Evening with "Her Deepness" Sylvia Earle

Wed, May 12, 2010

Marine biologist Sylvia Earle, discusses her book, _The World Is Blue_, which reveals a global ecosystem on the brink of irreversible environmental crisis unless we act immediately. Sylvia Earle, the first woman to walk freely on the ocean floor (at a depth of 1,250 feet), has been called “Her Deepness” by The New Yorker and The New York Times. An Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society since 1998 and named Time magazine’s first “hero for the planet,” Earle has been at the forefront of deep ocean exploration for four decades. She is a dedicated advocate for the world’s oceans and the creatures that live in them.

Forum Network

Partner:

Museum of Science, Boston
Fab Lab: How to Make (Almost) Anything

Wed, Mar 10, 2010

Fab Lab creator and MIT physicist Neil Gershenfeld offers a look at how personal fabrication is ushering in a revolution in do-it-yourself design and manufacturing. Give ordinary people the right tools, and they will design and build the most extraordinary things. That’s the idea behind Fab Labs, which provide access to prototype tools for personal fabrication—helping citizen inventors turn their dreams into reality. Fab Labs have spread from their start in inner-city Boston to the bottom of Africa and the top of Norway, with projects tackling applications in areas including healthcare, agriculture, housing, and communications.

Forum Network

Partner:

Museum of Science, Boston
Amir Aczel: Present at the Creation

Wed, Oct 27, 2010

International bestselling author Amir Aczel and physicist Stephen Reucroft discuss the deep significance of the complex experiments at CERN and the implications for our key theories in physics and cosmology. How can the world’s biggest atom smasher unlock the secrets of the universe? In March 2010, scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research broke all records by bashing protons at nearly the speed of light using a particle accelerator called the Large Hadron Collider. Dubbed “the world’s largest scientific experiment,” scientists at CERN hope the collider can approach on a small scale what happened in the first split seconds after the Big Bang and thereby unlock the secrets of the universe.

Forum Network

Partner:

Museum of Science, Boston
Food, Glorious Food: Our Palate vs. Our Planet?

Fri, May 7, 2010

Celebrity foodies Joanne Chang and Corby Kummer, along with national food-sustainability expert Helene York, explore the relationship between our love affair with food and our desire to protect the planet.

Food and Wellness

Partner:

Museum of Science, Boston