World Science Festival lineup revealed
by Greg on May.11, 2009, under Science Life
The world science festival released their lineup for this june. This year i am going to try to get to as many of these events as i can afford. It’s so strange to see so much science and cultural celebrities mingling. Here is a partial list (not many women!):
Legendary Pulitzer Prize-winning pioneer E.O. Wilson;
· Nobel Prize-winning scientists – James Watson, Harold Varmus, David Gross, Frank Wilczek, Sir Paul Nurse and William Phillips;
· Esteemed researchers – James Hansen, Daniel Wegner, Erich Jarvis, Daniel Levitin and Margaret Livingstone;
· Renowned authors – Bill McKibben and Irene Pepperberg;
· Celebrated artists – Alan Alda, Harrison Ford, Glenn Close, Joshua Bell, James Naughton, Marin Alsopand Anna Deavere Smith.
The April Seed Magazine has a difficult but fascinating article on EO Wilson and understanding the evolutionary basis of altruism. I like how he is still so viable and important to the community. In case you don’t know the details about the World Science Festival:
Co-founded in 2008 by Brian Greene, Columbia University professor of physics and mathematics and author of the bestseller The Elegant Universe , and Tracy Day, Emmy Award-winning journalist and producer, the World Science Festival is an unprecedented celebration of imagination, ingenuity, and creativity that brings science out of the laboratory and into the streets, theaters, museums, and public halls of New York City.
Through five days of discourse and debate, film and theater, exploration and discovery, the Festival seeks to shift the public’s perception of science as an esoteric and intimidating academic subject, by highlighting its relevance to everyday life, revealing the wondrous insights it provides, and examining its critical role in meeting the grand challenges facing the world.
:David Gross, EO wilson, harold varmus, James Watson, Paul Nurse, World science festival
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Science, media, art, movies, politics, and what else I find interesting tweeting and reading on the internet. And ITP.
Nasa's Image of the Day
Rare Clear View of Alaska
On most days, relentless rivers of clouds wash over Alaska, obscuring most of the state's 6,640 miles (10,690 kilometers) of coastline and 586,000 square miles (1,518,000 square kilometers) of land. The south coast of Alaska even has the dubious distinction of being the cloudiest region of the United States, with some locations averaging more than 340 cloudy days per year. That was certainly not the case on June 17, 2013, the date that the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite acquired this rare, nearly cloud-free view of the state. The absence of clouds exposed a striking tapestry of water, ice, land, forests, and even wildfires. Snow-covered mountains such as the Alaska Range and Chugach Mountains were visible in southern Alaska, while the arc of mountains that make up the Brooks Range dominated the northern part of the state. The Yukon River -- the longest in Alaska and the third longest in the United States -- wound its way through the green boreal forests that inhabit the interior of the state. Plumes of sediment and glacial dust poured into the Gulf of Alaska from the Copper River. And Iliamna Lake, the largest in Alaska, was ice free. The same ridge of high pressure that cleared Alaska's skies also brought stifling temperatures to many areas accustomed to chilly June days. Talkeetna, a town about 100 miles north of Anchorage, saw temperatures reach 96°F (36°C) on June 17. Other towns in southern Alaska set all-time record highs, including Cordova, Valez, and Seward. The high temperatures also helped fuel wildfires and hastened the breakup of sea ice in the Chukchi Sea.Image Credit: NASA/Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFCCaption: Adam Voiland
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