Presentations | Science Unwrapped

Do Androids Dream of Electric art?

Why do we create art? Do you have to be human to make art? That is, is “art” created by an artificially intelligent machine art? USU physicist David Peak explores these questions.

The Evolution of Technology

Objects, tools and machines we use every day emerged from a fusion of technology and artistic design. But how does this process take place and how does it influence our lives?  Utah State University ceramicist John Neely explored these questions at USU’s Science Unwrapped public outreach program Friday, Feb. 23.

Sharks: Guardians of Our Oceans

Though sharks often evoke fear, USU marine ecologist Trisha Atwood says they deserve greater credit for their role in maintaining healthy ecosystems.

Why the World Needs Big Trees

“I think that I shall never see, a poem as lovely as a tree.” Many of us share poet Joyce Kilmer’s appreciation for trees, but we know little about the world’s really big trees. USU forest ecologist Jim Lutz sheds light on these natural wonders and why they’re important.  

Hiding In Plain Sight

Could scientists actually create an invisibility cloak like Harry Potter’s surprise Christmas gift? What if the U.S. Air Force could make fighter jets disappear like the Romulans’ Bird of Prey aircraft in the Star Trek TV series? Could operatives really sneak into a high-security building using optical camouflage like that depicted in Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol?

Dancing With The Stars: The Unheard Symphony of Gravity

Physicist Sydney Chamberlin often refers to dead stars as ‘zombie stars’ for comedic effect, but her research on these stars, gravitational waves and other cosmic phenomena is ‘dead serious.’ The Utah State University Honors alum will discuss her out-of-this-world research as featured speaker at Science Unwrapped Friday, Oct. 14. A postdoctoral fellow at the Pennsylvania State University, Chamberlin presents “Dancing with the Stars: The Unheard Symphony of Gravity” at 7 p.m. in the Eccles Science Learning Center Emert Auditorium, Room 130, on campus.

Water and People: Friends or Foes?

Water and people share an uneasy alliance. On the one hand, people can’t survive without water. But too much water destroys lives and property. People love water, but are we loving this precious resource to death? Utah State University’s Science Unwrapped explores this extraordinary relationship Friday, Nov. 6, with USU water scientist Michelle Baker. She presents “Water and People: Friends or Foes?” at 7 p.m. in the Eccles Science Learning Center Emert Auditorium, Room 130, on the Logan campus.

Keepers of the Water

Science Unwrapped, the public outreach program of Utah State University’s College of Science, meets at the confluence of art and science as it welcomes environmental artist Betsy Damon as featured speaker Friday, Oct. 9. “Quality of water has to equal quality of life,” says Damon, founder of the internationally renowned, Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Keepers of the Waters organization. “If we degrade water, we degrade our quality of life.”