Comments on: Cafe Scientifique Chicago

By: Carla

Carla — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 01:30:10 +0000

Your post helped inspire us to start a CafÃ© Sci in Champaign-Urbana! So if you ever find yourself heading south on I-57 on the first Wednesday of the month (starting July 5 2006), please join us!

By: Sean

Sean — Fri, 19 May 2006 14:50:52 +0000

Mike, old bean, good to hear from you. If you’re ever visiting Southern California, I’ll try to scare up a game of office golf.

By: Mike M

Mike M — Fri, 19 May 2006 11:11:23 +0000

Just been catching up on my reading, and came across the statement from Sean that

By “in an informal environment” we typically mean “in a bar,” although I suppose an actual cafe or similar venue would do just as well

As a regular speaker at a Cafe Sci here in the UK, I have to demur – the questions would be nowhere near as interesting without a degree of alcohol fuelling!

Oh, and have fun in California, Sean. It’s a long way from the drawer full of styrofoam chips at the CfA…

By: CafÃ© Scientifique: Season Closer | Cosmic Variance

CafÃ© Scientifique: Season Closer | Cosmic Variance — Thu, 04 May 2006 12:39:58 +0000

[...] Most importantly, the last year has seen CafÃ© Scientifique taking off in many new locations in the U.S.. I have been called up and have provided what advice and information I can to at least five other groups planning new ventures, including the one in Chicago that Sean posted about recently. [...]

By: Cosmic Variance

Cosmic Variance — Thu, 04 May 2006 12:35:04 +0000

CafÃ© Scientifique: Season Closer

Tuesday night we held our last CafÃ© Scientifique Syracuse of this academic year. We’ll now take three months off and resume in September.
Our speaker for this year’s finale was Chris Boddy, from S.U.’s chemistry department – here&#…

By: Plato

Plato — Thu, 27 Apr 2006 15:44:12 +0000

Sort of gives a new perspectve on the pizza guy, or the person sitting beside you on the airplane doesn’t it?

A certain amount of respect? A lay person who wishes to undertsand and thought insignificant in their opinions now presented with the queston mark, is truly cast to future probabilities?

If we had all thought the eagernes of the child on the bus, and the blank slate, white room as a possible medium with which to present new things and discoveries, imagine the motivation and drive that would be given to the children of the future. Give them purpose, and feelings of acceptance on their particpation.

Wonderful evolution going on here.

By: Elliot

Elliot — Thu, 27 Apr 2006 04:34:05 +0000

I was there as well and I will echo Sean’s comments (not the one about him hogging the microphone ) but it was quite a success. He did a great job of simplifying the exceedingly complex. I am always amazed at the ability of non-scientists to at least sort of “get it” in a naive way and then ask questions that get to the heart of some important issues.

I would hope as well this this will continue in Chicago however it will be a hard act to follow.

It was gratifying to see this kind of turnout of, as Sean indicated, non-scientists eager to learn about the way the universe works.

By: Sean

Sean — Thu, 27 Apr 2006 03:23:51 +0000

Aftermath: I think it was quite a success. We had 40+ people, just about exactly the right number. (I got to meet some CV readers!) And almost all of the attendees were real people, not scientists. I spoke for just a little while, much beer was consumed, and then we had quite an extended Q&A about time and the universe and all that. It’s true that I kind of hogged the microphone, so it was not exactly a multi-way discussion, but that’s why I get paid the big bucks.

Overall I think that people had a few laughs and learned something. Hopefully it will be the first of many in Chicago, and the Cafes will continue to spread all over.

By: Plato

Plato — Wed, 26 Apr 2006 19:19:22 +0000

I might diagree a little Sean, as suttle our indications and perception on extra dimensions, it is good to see the topic on intuition applied across the fields, represented. Really brings it home.

By: Sean

Sean — Wed, 26 Apr 2006 15:49:00 +0000

KC, I couldn’t agree more. In fact some events under the “Cafe Scientifique” banner do try to mix science with the arts and humanities more explicitly, although the Chicago one will be fairly traditional. Doesn’t matter what you want to call it, what matters is putting science (and other fields) in a context where everyone is able to participate.