Presentations | Science Unwrapped

Cosmologic: Are We Alone in the Cosmos?

USU physicist Tonya Triplett was featured speaker for Science Unwrapped Friday, Oct. 26. The gathering began at 7 p.m. in the Emert Auditorium, Room 130 of the Eccles Science Learning Center on campus.

How Big or How Small? Understanding the Powers of 10

Each day we’re bombarded with news related to very big and very small numbers. From the limitless bounds of the universe to the realm of unseen pathogens, our brains struggle to process what is immense and what is infinitesimal. “Trying to imagine numbers too massive or too miniscule to see can be mind-boggling,” says Utah State University mathematician Luis Gordillo. “That’s why scientists rely on ‘Powers of 10’ notation to understand different physical scales and how big or how small things really are.”

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.”