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TMCNet: Science "pubs," "cafes" draw inquiring Portlanders

[January 13, 2009]

Science "pubs," "cafes" draw inquiring Portlanders

(Oregonian (Portland, OR) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Jan. 13--Recent college grads, retirees and working folks stream into the Mission Theater and fill their tables with pizza, burgers and pitchers of beer. Getting ready to watch a football game? Nope. A live band? Not quite. The topic of the night is engineering.

More than 200 people gather monthly at "science pubs" in Portland to talk about everything from the physics of fun to volcanology, from nanotechnology to engineering solutions for water shortages in developing countries.

The trend isn't limited to those older than 21. Portland Public Schools offers "science cafes" for high schoolers to talk about the subject with some of the nation's leading professors and authors.

In a city in which sustainability and environmental science are as cool as indie films and hiking, the special pubs and cafes are growing attractions -- the pubs, for instance, had to move to a bigger space to accommodate the crowds. The idea also is spreading to other cities.

Francis Eberle, executive director of the National Science Teachers Association, hasn't heard of another place that's making science a roundtable discussion for both children and adults.

Portland is keying into an interest in forensic and environmental science that kicked in with the popularity of TV shows such as "Bones" and the multiple "CSI" series and shows no signs of slowing down, he said.

All these questions -- whether about solving crimes, living green or the physics of juggling -- are questions about how the world works and have their foundations in biology, chemistry and physics, he said.

"People want to know how to understand the world around them," Eberle said. "Science is part of culture. We don't recognize this in an informal way. To let everybody explore it is a terrific opportunity."

Not to mention: It's pretty fun.

The science pubs -- open to anyone old enough to be in a bar -- have all the benefits of intellectual college courses with none of the drawbacks, regulars say.

"There are no tests," said Nat Johnson. "Your friends are here. There's also pizza and beer. And you're surrounded by other nerds who laugh at bad jokes. In numbers, nerds are cool."

Hanna Neuschwander has been to at least four and says the Halloween special on different types of spider venom was a real winner.

"I love this way of learning," Neuschwander said. "I would come every month. I think it's a combination of like-minded people and learning. It feels very Portland."

It helps to have something like the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in town. The museum, which offers science-based interactive exhibits and educational programs, sponsors the science pubs.

The gatherings have been unexpectedly successful. The events quickly filled their first location at BridgePort BrewPub & Bakery in Northwest Portland, which turned people away at the door, and last May moved to the McMenamins Mission Theater & Pub, where hundreds of people fill the main floor and balcony.

OMSI partners with the University of Oregon and the Science Factory to do science pubs in Eugene as well. Amanda Thomas, OMSI's coordinator of adult programs, also has received inquiries from people who'd like to start science pubs in Corvallis, Hood River, Bend and Ashland.

"We want to open science to adults who may have taken it in high school and forgotten about it, think it's scary or don't think it's applicable to everyday life," Thomas said. "I was a little bit surprised at the response."

The science cafes are similar to the pubs -- minus the microbrew. The kids get cookies and punch.

"I really think that this brings science to the people instead of it being on a pedestal, said coordinator Nancy Lapotin. "Science is for everyone; it's not something just people in ivory towers do."

Lapotin came up with the idea for high school science cafes after a trip to Europe about two years ago. She visited science pubs for adults and also met with the coordinators of the public schools' science cafe program in Great Britain.

As a teacher at Lincoln High, Lapotin started small, hosting three cafes in her own school. Now as a science specialist for the district, she's cultivated that into a partnership with the Institute for Science, Engineering and Public Policy, a local nonprofit that promotes better understanding of science and technology issues. The cafes have grown to include eight of Portland's 10 high school campuses.

As speakers visit Portland for evening lectures, they often stop for an afternoon discussion with Portland high school students. At least 300 students are also able to attend the evening lectures.

And, frankly, Lapotin said, sometimes the students ask tougher questions than the adults.

Yi Piacentini, 17, would be one of those students. From the time he was about 14 years old, he said he wanted a better understanding of modern physics and even string theory.

"The most fundamental thing is the universe," he said. "I like to think about that."

Piacentini was one of about 80 students gathered recently at a local church for a cafe conversation with Columbia University physics professor Brian Greene, author of "The Elegant Universe."

Greene deftly led the students on an exploration of theories about time and space.

"In a lot of ways, physics has been taboo," said Lincoln High senior Dana Bacharach, 18. "But it's really by watching experiments and talking about the concepts in-depth that it really starts to get interesting. Reading a formula doesn't necessarily make physics fun."

To see more of The Oregonian, or to subscribe the newspaper, go to http://www.oregonian.com.

Copyright (c) 2009, The Oregonian, Portland, Ore.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

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