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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

  • Nanotechnology: The Next Small Thing?

    Wed, Jan 21, 2004
    Nancy A. Burnham, W. Grant McGimpsey, and William Durgin discuss consumer products that take advantage of the possibilities of nanotechnology, and what we can expect to see on the market in the near future. The computer industry is continually working to make transistors smaller, cheaper, and faster. As systems become tinier, they behave in ways that are fundamentally different from those made on a macroscopic scale. Because of this great difference, nanotechnology presents new opportunities and possibilities.
    Forum Network
    Partner:
    Museum of Science, Boston

  • Hydrogen Based Economy: Just A Dream?

    Wed, Jan 28, 2004
    This panel presentation reviews the current status of reasons and technologies for hydrogen production in our quest for economical, reliable, environmentally sound energy. It also provides an introduction to proton-exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells, how they function, and a discussion of the technological challenges overcome in recent years and those that still exist in developing and commercializing fuel cells. Panelists are from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and include professors Yi H. (Ed) Ma and Ravindra Datta, James P. Dunn, President of Tech Commercialization, and William Durgin, Vice President of Research. As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brother's flight, we look toward the future of aviation technology - fuel cell powered electric aircraft. At just 346 pounds, the all carbon DynAero Lafayette III soon will take a critical step toward becoming the first piloted plane to be powered by fuel cells.
    Forum Network
    Partner:
    Museum of Science, Boston

  • Transit of Venus: Passing the Sun

    Wed, Apr 7, 2004
    David A. Aguilar and Jay M. Pasachoff discuss June 8th, 2004, when we on Earth will witness Venus passing in front of the Sun for the first time in 122 years. This phenomenon, known as the transit of Venus, is one of the rarest of planetary alignments. The transit lasts about 6 hours and is visible from most of Europe, Africa, and Asia though, similar to an eclipse, it cannot be witnessed without a sun filter. Observations of the transit were used in the 18th and 19th centuries to determine the size of the solar system. That method has since been dismissed for its impracticality, but the transit will provide much opportunity to develop and test new techniques for the study of planets outside our solar system.
    Forum Network
    Partner:
    Museum of Science, Boston

  • Exploring Saturn and Its Titan Moon

    Wed, Apr 14, 2004
    David A. Aguilar and Carolyn C. Porco explain that, while aspects of Saturn are still mysteries, scientists hope that the Cassini-Huyguns Space Craft (due to approach Saturn's orbit in July of 2004) will answer many questions. Saturn, the second largest planet in our solar system, is a gaseous giant encircled by 31 moons and, of course, its brilliant rings. The Cassini Orbitor will circle the planet and its moons, while the Huyguns Probe will land on the surface of Titan, Saturn's largest moon.
    Forum Network
    Partner:
    Museum of Science, Boston

  • Out of Hibernation: Exposing the Secret Lives of Bears

    Mon, Mar 1, 2004
    John Foster introduces us to black bears, the often misunderstood bear species that is making a population comeback all over New England. Foster, the founder of the New England Naturalist Training Center, has spent a lifetime with these furry creatures, and shares his insight and photographs.
    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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    Media and Women's Health: Sorting Fact from Fiction

    Fri, May 6, 2005
    Judy Norsigian, an expert in women's health issues and founder of the landmark book, *Our Bodies, Ourselves*, examines the media's increasing impact on women's medical decisions and public perception of illnesses such as breast cancer, depression, and addiction. Recorded for the 2005 National Women's Health Week. (Photo: "[Messalina by Eugène Cyrille Brunet](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Messalina_by_Eug%C3%A8ne_Cyrille_Brunet.JPG#/media/File:Messalina_by_Eug%C3%A8ne_Cyrille_Brunet.JPG "")" by Caroline Léna Becker - Self-photographed. Licensed under CC)
    Mental Health Month
    Partner:
    Museum of Science, Boston

  • Roy Gould: Who Needs Physics?

    Wed, Apr 6, 2005
    Roy Gould, a researcher at the Harvard Center for Astrophysics tackles the question of how physics will help reveal the true nature of the cosmos.
    Forum Network
    Partner:
    Museum of Science, Boston
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