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Free online lectures: Explore a world of ideas

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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

  • Einstein's Unfinished Symphony

    Wed, Mar 10, 2004
    Marcia Bartusiak discusses new observatories that allow astronomers to place their hands upon the fabric of space-time and feel the very rhythms of the universe. These vibrations in space-time, called gravity waves, are the last prediction of Einstein's general theory of relativity yet to be observed directly; and the first new astronomy of the 21st century.
    Forum Network
    Partner:
    Museum of Science, Boston

  • Stem Cell Research and Policy

    Fri, Nov 19, 2004
    George Daley and his team of stem cell rearchers from Harvard Medical School discuss the scientific and medical potential of stem cells, as well as the controversy and the impact of the recent election on stem cell policy. Following the presentation, the team engages in a public discussion about the ideas, questions and concerns that lecture attendees have about stem cell research. This project is supported by a Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) from the National Center for Research Resources, National Institutes of Health. It does not necessarily represent the official views of NCRR or NIH.
    Forum Network
    Partner:
    Museum of Science, Boston

  • Extreme Makeover: Mural Edition

    Wed, Jan 11, 2006
    Gianfranco Pocobono and Richard Wolbers discuss how science and art merged to conserve the John La Farge murals at Trinity Church Boston, and what happens when the conservation choices are not clear cut and the world is watching. Art and science have continually flirted over the centuries. Both investigate. Both involve theories and transforming information into something else. This lecture is a part of a Museum of Science series "When Science Meets Art", which examines the mysterious symbiosis of science with art through the ingenuity of those shattering the boundaries between the two fields.
    Forum Network
    Partner:
    Museum of Science, Boston

  • Long and Wide: Far-Reaching Earthquakes

    Fri, Feb 4, 2005
    Seismologist Susan Hough lectures on far-reaching earthquakes and their impact on our planet and on the science world. In 1992, the Landers earthquake struck north of Palm Springs with a magnitude of 7.3. It shook up not only the state of California, but scientists' long-held beliefs about the reach of earthquakes. Hear how the discovery of remotely trigged earthquakes radically altered the way scientists view the impact of earthquakes on the surrounding region and on the planet as a whole.
    Forum Network
    Partner:
    Museum of Science, Boston

  • Unicorn in Captivity: Science Helping Art

    Wed, Jan 18, 2006
    Brothers David and Gregory Chudnovsky discuss their contribution to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Unicorn Tapestries project. To create an exact visual reproduction of one of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Unicorn Tapestries, digital cameras photographed every inch. When the hundreds of digital photographic files didn't fit smoothly together, the Chudnovsky brothers, co-directors of the Institute for Mathematics and Advanced Supercomputing, were brought in to solve the mystery. Art and science have continually flirted over the centuries. Both investigate. Both involve theories and transforming information into something else. This lecture is a part of a Museum of Science series "When Science Meets Art", which examines the mysterious symbiosis of science with art through the ingenuity of those shattering the boundaries between the two fields.
    Forum Network
    Partner:
    Museum of Science, Boston

  • Improbable Research and the IgNobel Prizes

    Fri, Apr 1, 2005
    Join the IgNobel Prizes founder and host Marc Abrahams for a look at some of the most mind-popping IgNobel Prize winners. The IgNobel Prizes, awarded annually at a ceremony at Harvard University, honor things that first make people laugh, and then make them think. The awards are designed to celebrate the unusual, honor the imaginative, and spur people's interest in science, medicine and technology.
    Forum Network
    Partner:
    Museum of Science, Boston

  • Art, Gender, and Politics in Egypt: Queen Hapshepsut

    Fri, Dec 6, 2002
    Chahinda Karim discusses how art can mirror society and how Ancient Egypt's surviving artistic tradition can throw light on the life and times of Thutmosides. Before Catherine the Great of Russia, Joan of Arc of France, or Empress Wu Zetian of China, Pharaoh Hatshepsut of Egypt left her mark as one of history's most significant female rulers. Her story is told through archeological evidence, including mummy markings, pottery, and hieroglyphic inscriptions. The art and architecture of the time paints a picture of Hatshepsut as a master politician, pioneering expedition sponsor, and assiduous promoter of the arts. Despite her successes, there is doubt about her effectiveness as a leader. Attempts by her nephew and successor, Thutmose III, to destroy all references to Hatshepsut leave holes in the history and add fuel to the debate.
    Forum Network
    Partner:
    Museum of Science, Boston

  • Human Genome and Beyond

    Fri, Feb 16, 2001
    Dr. Eric Lander, director of genome research at the Whitehead/MIT Institute, talks about the tools of modern genome research that he and his research group have developed, including genomic maps of the human, mouse and rat genomes in connection with the Human Genome Project and techniques for genetic analyses of complex, multigenic traits. He has applied these techniques to the understanding of cancer, diabetes, hypertension, renal failure and dwarfism.
    Forum Network
    Partner:
    Museum of Science, Boston

  • Aerodynamics of Sports: High-Performance Equipment

    Mon, Feb 16, 2004
    **Dr. Kim Blair** shares how he and his students turn work into play and influence world class sports from bicycling to mountain climbing. Blair describes what the New England Patriots, Lance Armstrong, and Tiger Woods all have in common. In addition to being champions and having large salaries, all of their performance has benefited from sports engineering. From safer helmets to faster bikes, aeronautics and computer modeling have helped to improve the performance of a world of sports equipment and those that use it.
    Forum Network
    Partner:
    Museum of Science, Boston

  • Next Generation Communication Technologies

    Wed, Jan 14, 2004
    This discussion looks at the current and potential uses of communications technologies and what the implications may be for today and tomorrow. From the invention of the telegraph in 1837 to modern day digital cell phones and GPS navigation systems, communication technologies have come a long way in a short time. Communication devices now serve a broad range of uses, from controlling satellites more than a billion miles from Earth to communicating with tiny networks of devices inside the human body.
    Forum Network
    Partner:
    Museum of Science, Boston
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