Past Events

Science House regularly hosts science-related events throughout the year, including public lectures, invitational workshops and pitch meetings. Check out past events we've hosted.

Learn more about our past events in our blog, or see the speakers who have given a lecture at Science House.

Would you like to give a lecture? Send us an email at events@sciencehouse.com and tell us what you would like to talk about!

December Pitch Meeting
Date:	December 7, 2011
Summary:	Five science-driven startups or early-stage technologies are given a chance to pitch before the Science House Business Panel, and representatives from the New York investment community. Each startup or scientist is offered 10 minutes to pitch, which is followed by 20 minutes of questions and feedback. If you are interested in pitching your startup to Science House Capital, please email megan@sciencehouse.com. Please note: This event is not open to the public.

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September Pitch Meeting
Date:	September 26, 2011
Summary:	Five science-driven startups or early-stage technologies are given a chance to pitch before the Science House Business Panel, and representatives from the New York investment community. Each startup or scientist is offered 10 minutes to pitch, which is followed by 20 minutes of questions and feedback. If you are interested in pitching your startup to Science House Capital, please email megan@sciencehouse.com. Please note: This event is not open to the public.

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June Pitch Meeting
Date:	June 27, 2011
Summary:	We'll be inviting 5 scientists to come out to science house to give a 10 minute pitch on their business idea. We'll have a few entrepreneurs and investors available to provide feedback and guidance. If you are interested in presenting your business idea at the event, please email megan@sciencehouse.com. Please note: This event is not open to the public.

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World Science Festival: Man Made Minds
Speaker:	See external website
Date:	June 4, 2011
Summary:	This event is now sold out. You can sign up now to be placed on the waiting list. Please join us for the World Science Festival panel Man Made Minds: Living with Thinking Machines In recent years, machines have grown increasingly capable of listening, communicating, and learning—transforming the way they collaborate with us, and significantly impacting our economy, health, and daily routines. Who, or what, are these thinking machines? As we teach them to become more sophisticated, how will they complement our lives? What will separate their ways of thinking from ours? And what happens when these machines understand data, concepts, and behaviors too big or impenetrable for humans to grasp? Join IBM’s WATSON, the computer Jeopardy! champion, along with leading roboticists and computer scientists, to explore the thinking machines of today and the possibilities to come in the not-too-distant future.

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World Science Festival: Beautiful Minds, the Enigma of Genius
Speaker:	See external website
Date:	June 4, 2011
Summary:	This event is now sold out. You can sign up now to be placed on the waiting list. Join Science House for the World Science Festival's panel Beautiful Minds: The Enigma of Genius. Immanuel Kant, who coined the term genius in the 1700s, defined it as the rare capacity to independently understand concepts that would normally have to be taught by another person. Since then, the spectrum of abilities that we call genius has widened, but pivotal questions remain: What exactly is genius? Where do the remarkable abilities of genius come from? Is genius something that lives within all of us, or is it a categorically different way of seeing the world that is bestowed upon only a few? With the emergence of new imaging technologies and a fundamental shift in the understanding of how information is spread through our brains, we’re beginning to find some answers. Join neuroscientists, psychologists, renowned thinkers, and special performers as they untangle the complicated nature of genius, creativity, and exceptionality.

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World Science Festival: Cool Jobs
Speaker:	See external website
Date:	June 4, 2011
Summary:	This event is now sold out. You can sign up now to be placed on the waiting list. Join Science House for the World Science Festival's panel Imagine hanging out with some of the world’s kookiest critters in the jungle’s tallest trees, building a robot that does stand-up comedy, inventing a device that propels you into the air like Batman, or traveling back in a DNA time machine to study ancient animals! Meet the scientists who make it possible. They include ecologist and explorer Mark Moffett, aka “Dr. Bugs,” roboticist Heather Knight, mechanical engineer and daredevil Nathan Ball, and evolutionary biologist Beth Shapiro. Find out what they do, how they do it, and how they got the coolest and weirdest jobs on the planet. Together, we’ll step into a world that will feed your imagination.

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World Science Festival: The Unbearable Lightness of Memory
Speaker:	See external website
Date:	June 3, 2011
Summary:	--- This event is sold out, but you can sign up to be put on our waiting list---- Science House has a limited number of tickets to see The Unbearable Lightness of Memory. It’s the thought of your childhood home. It’s that comforting aroma you can still smell ten years later. It’s the way you define yourself. It’s your memory. Where is memory stored? How do we recall? Why do we forget? We’ll shine a light on these and many other questions about memory from a molecular, psychological, and emotional perspective. Discover how your long-term memories can be naturally twisted, tweaked, and changed. Understand how memories of the past can also help us peer into the future. And explore the bumpy road even a youthful mind sometimes travels when experiencing déjà vu, succumbing to suggestibility, or having a “senior” moment.

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May Pitch Meeting
Date:	May 18, 2011
Summary:	We'll be inviting 5 scientists to come out to science house to give a 10 minute pitch on their business idea. We'll have a few entrepreneurs and investors available to provide feedback and guidance. If you are interested in presenting your business idea at the event, please email megan@sciencehouse.com.

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"Portraits of the Mind" with Carl Schoonover
Speaker:	Carl Schoonover
Date:	May 11, 2011
Summary:	Portraits of the Mind follows the fascinating history of our exploration of the brain through images, from medieval sketches and 19th-century drawings by the founder of modern neuroscience to images produced using state-of-the-art techniques, allowing us to see the fantastic networks in the brain as never before. These black-and-white and vibrantly colored images, many resembling abstract art, are employed daily by scientists around the world, but most have never before been seen by the general public. Each chapter addresses a different set of techniques for studying the brain as revealed through the images, and each is introduced by a leading scientist in that field of study. Author Carl Schoonover’s captions provide detailed explanations of each image as well as the major insights gained by scientists over the course of the past 20 years. Accessible to a wide audience, this book reveals the elegant methods applied to study the mind, giving readers a peek at its innermost workings, helping us to understand them, and offering clues about what may lie ahead.

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Marianne O'Grady: Science Education in Afghanistan
Speaker:	Marianne O'Grady
Date:	May 6, 2011
Summary:	After 25 years in the classroom, Marianne O'Grady has taken up residence in Afghanistan in order to be able to expand her work in training Afghan teachers through the NGO School is Open. Currently she is the national coordinator training 43,000 teachers and 3,100 principals in the northern provinces of AFG. Marianne began her work in Afghanistan seven years ago when she would volunteer her time during vacations to deliver a science teacher training course to teachers in rural villages. With the training in content and methodology, Marianne would deliver science materials and assist the teachers to understand that even without a "science lab," students can learn hands-on science with local materials found at small village bazaars. While not challenged by location in rural regions, The Kabul School for The Blind welcomed Marianne and her science materials and lessons adapted for the blind and low vision. Join Science House for a very special evening discussing Marianne, her work, and her collaboration with the Science House Foundation.

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April Pitch Meeting
Date:	April 22, 2011
Summary:	We'll be inviting 5 scientists to come out to science house to give a 10 minute pitch on their business idea. We'll have a few entrepreneurs and investors available to provide feedback and guidance. If you are interested in presenting your business idea at the event, please email megan@sciencehouse.com.

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Age, Memory, and Cognition with Stephanie Fernandez
Speaker:	Stephanie Fernandez
Date:	April 17, 2011
Summary:	Currently, the United States faces a burgeoning aging population, with the number of elderly expected to reach nearly 70 million in the year 2030. A steep rise in the aged population consequently yields a greater incidence of disorders and diseases that plague the elderly, including dementia, a progressive decline in cognitive and memory function, and Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), a progressive, incurable, and fatal neurodegenerative disorder that severely disrupts all aspects of cognition, particularly memory. However, current neuroscience research holds promise for identifying ways to attenuate age-related memory dysfunction. Stephanie Fernandez, a postdoctoral fellow at the Yale University School of Medicine, will discuss her own work relating to age-related cognitive dysfunction.

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March Pitch Meeting
Date:	March 22, 2011
Summary:	We'll be inviting 5 scientists to come out to science house to give a 10 minute pitch on their business idea. We'll have a few entrepreneurs and investors available to provide feedback and guidance. If you are interested in presenting your business idea at the event, please email megan@sciencehouse.com.

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Wings of Madness: Alberto Santos-Dumont
Speaker:	Paul Hoffman
Date:	March 18, 2011
Summary:	Before the Wright Brothers flew at Kitty Hawk, Brazilian inventor Albert Santos-Dumont was already receiving accolades and awards for his dirigibles and Oiseau de proie flying machine in Paris. Join prolific author Paul Hoffman at Science House as he discusses this famed bachelor, his genius creations, and his tortured private life. Copies of Hoffman's Wings of Madness: Alberto Santos-Dumont and the Invention of Flight will be available for all guests to have signed.

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The 2011 Isaac Asimov Memorial Debate
Speaker:	Neil deGrasse
Date:	March 7, 2011
Summary:	The Isaac Asimov Memorial Debate is a hotly anticipated event at the Hayden Planetarium in the American Museum of Natural History each year, and Science House has tickets! We'll be taking 10 members of our network along with us on March 7th at 7:30 pm as Neil deGrasse moderates a discussion between six of the world's greatest scientific minds, including Dr. Katherine Freese, Dr. Jim Gates, Dr. Janna Levin, Dr. Marcello Gleiser, Dr. Brian Greene, and Dr. Lee Smolin. More information on the event can be found on the museum's website: amnh.org.

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Memory Workshop with Chris Harwood
Speaker:	Chris Harwood
Date:	March 1, 2011
Summary:	Chris Harwood returns for the third time in this popular and practical event. This workshop will combine the theoretical and the practical, as we have a memory researcher discuss the chemical underpinnings of memory, while Chris Harwood demonstrates the techniques that brought him to a 5th place finish at the 2009 US memory championships. Workshop attendees will leave with mnemonic skills they can use in everyday life, from remembering names and faces to keeping a long grocery list in their head without forgetting an item. The workshop will end with a short memory competition. Attendees of this event will receive a copy of "Use Your Perfect Memory" by Tony Buzan.

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February Pitch Meeting
Date:	February 23, 2011
Summary:	We'll be inviting 5 scientists to come out to science house to give a 10 minute pitch on their business idea. We'll have a few entrepreneurs and investors available to provide feedback and guidance. If you are interested in presenting your business idea at the event, please email megan@sciencehouse.com.

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The Changing Nature of Invention in Computer Science
Speaker:	Dennis Shasha
Date:	February 20, 2011
Summary:	What drives inventions in computing? Necessity seems to play only a minor role. Anger at the way things are is much more powerful, because it leads to easier ways to work (the invention of new computer languages). A general dissatisfaction with the practical or theoretical structure of the world can open up whole new approaches to problems (complexity theory and cryptography). Finally, a genuine collaboration between people and machines can lead to an entirely new kind of engineering for devices that will travel to far-off planets or to hostile environments. The talk will discuss the work of several inventors in computing and engineering, their inventions, and how they came up with them and how they plan to come up with more in the future. The ensuing discussion will address the fundamental nature of invention in a world partly populated by intelligent machines. Guests of this event will be provided with complimentary copies of and , by Dennis Shasha and Cathy Lazere.

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Mathematics and Democracy
Speaker:	Steven J. Brams
Date:	February 11, 2011
Summary:	In a time of heated political debate, it's comforting to know that cooler heads supported by mathematics --game theory and social-choice theory, in particular--can still have a voice. Professor Steven J. Brams of New York University comes to Science House to demonstrate through mathematical analysis new procedures that allow (i) voters to express themselves better and (ii) disputants to divide goods more fairly. Steven J. Brams is a professor of politics at New York University, the author of Theory of Moves, among many other books, and the coauthor of The Win-Win Solution: Guaranteeing Fair Shares to Everybody and Fair Division: From Cake-Cutting to Dispute Resolution. Copies of Professor Brams' book Mathematics and Democracy: Designing Better Voting and Fair-Division Procedures will be available complimentary for our guests to take home.

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Will Parks discusses Molecular Motors
Date:	January 28, 2011
Summary:	Have you ever wondered about the machinery that makes your molecules so efficient? Will Parks of Columbia University will provide a general overview of the different types of molecular motors, a discussion of his own work, and a glimpse into what the future of this field may hold. Join Science House for a discussion of life at the nano-scale, sushi, and snacks.

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January Pitch Meeting
Date:	January 21, 2011
Summary:	We'll be inviting 5 scientists to come out to science house to give a 10 minute pitch on their business idea. We'll have a few entrepreneurs and investors available to provide feedback and guidance. If you are interested in presenting your business idea at the event, please email megan@sciencehouse.com.

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"Tabloid Medicine" Book Signing with Robert Goldberg
Speaker:	Roberg Godberg
Date:	December 17, 2010
Summary:	Nearly 8 million Americans search the Internet daily for medical advice on everything from bumps and bruises to cancer. But consumers should beware: this growing phenomenon of instantaneous medical advice, offered by “Google PhDs,” has a dark and dangerous side. Anyone can put seemingly authoritative medical advice on the Internet whether or not it has any scientific merit. On December 17th, 2010 Dr. Goldberg will discuss how his book "Tabloid Medicine: How the Internet is Being Used to Hijack Medical Science for Fear and Profit" reveals how the internet is used to scare the public and hide a political agenda, while preying on people’s insecurities to the ultimate detriment of both the individual and public health. Dr. Goldberg investigates the rise of the “instant expert,” and shows how this new style of medical debate allows sensationalism and celebrity status to outweigh science and knowledge. Dr. Goldberg will present some of the main arguments of his book, and sign complimentary copies for our guests to take home. And, of course, snacks!

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December Pitch Meeting
Date:	December 10, 2010
Summary:	We'll be inviting 5 scientists to come out to science house to give a 10 minute pitch on their business idea. We'll have a few entrepreneurs and investors available to provide feedback and guidance. If you are interested in presenting your business idea at the event, please email megan@sciencehouse.com.

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November Pitch Meeting
Date:	November 19, 2010
Summary:	We'll be inviting 5 scientists to come out to science house to give a 10 minute pitch on their business idea. We'll have a few entrepreneurs and investors available to provide feedback and guidance. If you are interested in presenting your business idea at the event, please email megan@sciencehouse.com.

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Photograph 51 at Ensemble Studio Theater
Speaker:	Jenny Listman
Date:	November 14, 2010
Summary:	Science House has reserved 15 tickets for the Ensemble Studio Theatre's presentation of PHOTOGRAPH 51, an exploration of the work of Rosalind Franklin (play description below). Join us on Sunday, November 14th at 3pm for a matinee performance, followed by a talk-back hosted by Science House and featuring Jenny Listman. There are a limited number of spots available, and RSVP's are a must! London, 1953. Scientists are on the verge of discovering what they call the secret of life: the DNA double helix. Providing the key is driven young physicist Rosalind Franklin. But if the double helix was the breakthrough of the 20th century, then what kept Franklin out of the history books? A play about ambition, isolation, and the race for greatness. By Anna Ziegler, Directed by Linsay Firman Featuring Kristen Bush, Kevin Collins, David Gelles*, Haskell King*, Benjamin Pelteson and Jeremy Webb

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The Use of FMRI in Obesity and Diabetes
Speaker:	Angelo Del Parigi
Date:	November 12, 2010
Summary:	Functional Neuroimaging is a technology that with different approaches makes possible the in-vivo study of the human brain’s responses to different stimulations and conditions. It is non- or minimally invasive and is relatively versatile. Science House is privileged to host Angelo Del Parigi, who has been leading clinical and translational research projects in metabolic/endocrine and cognitive disorders in academic and industry settings for more than 15 years (and is a regular feature of the Science House Business Panel). Angelo will discuss his work using functional neuroimaging in the research on obesity and diabetes-- while Science House will provide snacks and chocolate. Please come and share the questions you have on your mind!

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Rethinking Feelings in Aging
Speaker:	Dr. Adrienne Tucker
Date:	November 5, 2010
Summary:	Emotion, memory, and aging-- three concepts that affect our lives with increasing subtlety as we get older. How does our experience of emotion change with aging? What factors influence the subjective feeling that an emotion creates, both when immediately experienced and in recollection? To what degree can we shape our automatic emotional responses? Dr. Adrienne Tucker from Columbia University discusses the results of her study investigating the ability of younger and older adults to regulate their emotional responses to visceral images.

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The Relative Nature of Genetic Ancestry
Speaker:	Jenny Listman
Date:	October 29, 2010
Summary:	How valuable is your family tree? The genetic ancestry of an individual or of a population can now be quantified for personal interest or medical research . . . or can it? Jenny Listman, an anthropological geneticist at Yale University, follows up her popular talk at Science House "Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing" to discuss the truth behind "genetic ancestry". Can it be measured? What can our genes tell us about the generations that came before us? Jenny will discuss her work in the US and as well as with tribal populations in Thailand.

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Pitch meeting
Date:	October 22, 2010
Summary:	We'll be inviting 5 scientists to come out to science house to give a 10 minute pitch on their business idea. We'll have a few entrepreneurs and investors available to provide feedback and guidance. If you are interested in presenting your business idea at the event, please email megan@sciencehouse.com.

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Decision Making with Elkhonon Goldberg
Speaker:	Elkhonon Goldberg
Date:	October 15, 2010
Summary:	What hoops does the brain have to jump through before making a decision, whether it's to invest in a new company or to have a second slice of cheesecake? Dr. Elkhonon Goldberg, author, scientist, educator, and clinician, comes to Science House on Friday, October 15th to discuss how the brain engages in complex decision-making, addresses moral choices, and how it deals with novelty and ambiguity. Guests of the evening will be provided with complimentary copies of Dr. Goldberg's book "The New Executive Brain", published by Oxford University Press in 2009.

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September Pitch Meeting
Date:	September 17, 2010
Summary:	We'll be inviting 5 scientists to come out to science house to give a 10 minute pitch on their business idea. We'll have a few entrepreneurs and investors available to provide feedback and guidance. If you are interested in presenting your business idea at the event, please email megan@sciencehouse.com.

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Heather Knight and the Marilyn Monrobots
Speaker:	Heather Knight
Date:	September 10, 2010
Summary:	Would you want a robot to make your lunch? Could a robot make you laugh?  Advances in technology have brought us new breed of "socially intelligent" automatons, that can learn how to sense and interact with the world around them.  Heather Knight, creator of Marilyn Monrobots (www.marilynmonrobot.com), will discuss her work, show videos of her robotics installations, and answer questions about her endeavors.  This interactive technology for Science House on Friday, September 10th.  Heather is currently pursuing her doctoral studies at Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute, and her work also includes: robotics and instrumentation at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, interactive installations with Syyn Labs, field applications and sensor design at Aldebaran Robotics, and she is an alumnus from the Personal Robots Group at the MIT Media Lab. She earned her bachelor and masters degrees at MIT in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and has a minor in Mechanical Engineering.

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August Pitch Meeting
Date:	August 20, 2010
Summary:	We'll be inviting 5 scientists to come out to science house to give a 10 minute pitch on their business idea. We'll have a few entrepreneurs and investors available to provide feedback and guidance. If you are interested in presenting your business idea at the event, please email megan@sciencehouse.com.

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Star Formation with Lawrence Chernin
Date:	July 30, 2010
Summary:	How were the sun and the stars created? What can we tell about the stars from the light comes to us from thousands of light years away? Lawrence Chernin, a Harvard PhD with 40 publications to his name (and serial Science House speaker), describes the process of star formation from the gravitational collapse of cold dense clouds of dust and molecules, to nuclear energy production, to magnetically driven winds and planet formation to the ultimate demise of the star as the nuclear fuel gets used up. Plus, a selection of incredible slides featuring photos of our universe from the Hubble telescopes.

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July Pitch Meeting
Date:	July 16, 2010
Summary:	We'll be inviting 5 scientists to come out to science house to give a 10 minute pitch on their business idea. We'll have a few entrepreneurs and investors available to provide feedback and guidance. If you are interested in presenting your business idea at the event, please email megan@sciencehouse.com.

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Science, Math, Chess, and Madness
Speaker:	Paul Hoffman
Date:	July 9, 2010
Summary:	Paul Hoffman, author of eleven books, writer to the New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, Time, New York Times, Seed, and Wired, and Editorial Chairman of BigThink.com, knows a thing or two about creativity. On July 9th, he comes to Science House to discuss his studies in math, science, chess, creativity, genius, and madness. Guests of this lecture will receive a copy of The King's Gambit: A Son, A Father, and the World's Most Dangerous Game, "an insider's look at the obsessive subculture of championship chess".

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Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing with Jenny Listman
Speaker:	Jenny Listman
Date:	June 25, 2010
Summary:	There are an increasing number of genetic testing services available on the market-- but how do they work? What can a report from a cotton swab or test tube really tell you about your genetic history and how it can affect your future? Jenny Listman an anthropologist at the Yale University School of Medicine takes Science House on a tour of the existing direct-to-consumer genetic testing services, explains what it means to you, and how it relates to her months spent collecting saliva samples in Thailand!

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Memory Workshop with Chris Harwood
Speaker:	Christopher Harwood
Date:	June 18, 2010
Summary:	This workshop will combine the theoretical and the practical, as we have a memory researcher discuss the chemical underpinnings of memory, while Chris Harwood demonstrates the techniques that brought him to a 5th place finish at the 2009 US memory championships. Workshop attendees will leave with mnemonic skills they can use in everyday life, from remembering names and faces to keeping a long grocery list in their head without forgetting an item. The workshop will end with a short memory competition. Attendees of this event will receive a copy of "Use Your Perfect Memory" by Tony Buzan.

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June Pitch Meeting
Date:	June 11, 2010
Summary:	We'll be inviting 5 scientists to come out to science house to give a 10 minute pitch on their business idea. We'll have a few entrepreneurs and investors available to provide feedback and guidance. If you are interested in presenting your business idea at the event, please email megan@sciencehouse.com.

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Oops! Risks and Effects of Sleep Loss
Speaker:	Adrienne Tucker
Date:	May 21, 2010
Summary:	We all know that a poor night's sleep can lead to crankiness and coffee cravings. But what about your work performance or ability to drive? Adrienne Tucker, post-doctoral research fellow at the Taub Institute at Columbia University leads us through the myriad of ways in which sleep loss can affect your day-to-day life. Join us at Science House for interesting facts about sleep loss, and, of course, snacks.

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May Pitch Meeting
Date:	May 14, 2010
Summary:	We'll be inviting 5 scientists to come out to science house to give a 10 minute pitch on their business idea. We'll have a few entrepreneurs and investors available to provide feedback and guidance. If you are interested in presenting your business idea at the event, please email megan@sciencehouse.com.

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Lawrence Chernin
Speaker:	Lawrence Chernin
Date:	May 7, 2010
Summary:	Matchmaking has been around for eons, and the technology is increasingly specialized and high-tech; from algorithms created to predict chemistry, to sites dedicated to even the most obscure interests and obsessions. Let's look behind the scenes with PhD astrophysicist and founder of Brainiac Dating, Lawrence Chernin.

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April Pitch Meeting
Date:	April 2, 2010
Summary:	We'll be inviting 5 scientists to come out to science house to give a 10 minute pitch on their business idea. We'll have a few entrepreneurs and investors available to provide feedback and guidance. If you are interested in presenting your business idea at the event, please email info@sciencehouse.com. Please note this event is not open to the public.

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Astronomy & Cosmology
Speaker:	John Varghese
Date:	March 26, 2010
Summary:	Let us take a journey into the universe powered by the insights of great minds like Pythagoras, Copernicus, Newton, Einstein and Hubble and answer questions such as: How far away is the moon? How far away is the sun? How do we measure the distance to stars and galaxies? How old is the universe? And how do we know that? In this talk, physicist Varghese John will give us an introduction to Astronomy and provide an historical context for our current understanding of the Universe. He'll give us a foundational understanding of physical Cosmology and the structure and dynamics of our Universe that will help illuminate concepts such as the Big Bang, Dark Matter, Dark Energy and the eventual fate of the universe.

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Galileo - The First Intellectual Celebrity
Speaker:	Dan Menelly
Date:	March 19, 2010
Summary:	Dan Menelly, science teacher, writer and lecturer and the star of the Science House iPhone app, Video Science, will be talking about the Life and Times of Galileo. What motivated Galileo? How did he become the first intellectual celebrity? Dan has recently presented a series of science lectures in Europe including the life of Galileo in Rome, volcanic eruptions and the lost civilization of Akrotiri in Greece, and marine fauna in southern France.

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Rob Carlson talks about his latest book "Biology is Technology"
Speaker:	Rob Carlson
Date:	March 14, 2010
Summary:	Synthetic biologist and author, Rob Carlson, is coming to Science House on Sunday March 14 to talk about his latest book "Biology is technology: the promise, peril, and new business of engineering life”. Rob has worked to develop new biological technologies in both academic and commercial environments, focusing on molecular measurement and microfluidic systems. Links to Rob’s articles and a weblog can be found at www.synthesis.cc. Please email events@sciencehouse.com if you are interested in attending.

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How To Think Like A Brain Surgeon
Speaker:	Katrina Firlik
Date:	February 19, 2010
Summary:	Katrina Firlik, a practicing neurosurgeon turned entrepreneur will give a unique insider’s memoir of a fascinating profession. Also a writer, Katrina is the author of "Another Day in the Frontal Lobe: A Brain Surgeon Exposes Life on the Inside" published by Random House, which has been positively reviewed by The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and O Magazine. Visit her website

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February Pitch Meeting
Date:	February 5, 2010
Summary:	We'll be inviting 5 scientists to come out to science house to give a 10 minute pitch on their business idea. We'll have a few entrepreneurs and investors available to provide feedback and guidance.

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Cryptography
Speaker:	Neil Weicher
Date:	January 22, 2010
Summary:	Many everyday online activities, such as secure online purchasing and banking are only possible because of cryptography, a technology created by governments to protect secret communications. In this talk, you'll learn the basics of cryptography and how they are applied in the online world.

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Biosecurity Workshop
Date:	January 19, 2010
Summary:	Over the last year, a lot of perplexed reporters have written about how genetic engineering has branched from industrial and academic labs into the garages and living rooms of amateurs. Some have highlighted its potential for education and innovation. Others have focused on its perils. Either way, it’s a growing movement whose promises and risks need to be addressed. Science House and DIYbio will host this invitational event to open discussions between amateur biologists and law enforcement agencies about the risks and promises of moving bioengineering into the public. We are planning to have a mix of participants to offer different perspectives: from those in forensics and law enforcement, to politics, education and the sciences.

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Math Collaboration Online
Date:	December 21, 2009
Summary:	The first Science House event to hit Sydney, this meeting will bring together brilliant mathematical minds, computer scientists and entrepreneurs from Sydney and around the globe to talk about math collaboration online. What online tools would assist mathematicians to collaborate? What tools are out there at the moment and what are their shortcomings? How might collaboration be helpful to mathematicians? And what problems would be well-suited to being tackled by many minds?

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Chip Design
Date:	December 4, 2009
Summary:	Ever wondered how the chips inside your iPhone were designed? Well if so, get the inside scoop from Lawrence Chernin, who has worked on chip digital design in Silicon Valley for the past thirteen years. He will describe how a software level description of a chip function can be translated into hundreds of millions of transistors and wires on a chip in just a few hours. Verification and simulation take much longer, but still many techniques have been deployed to speed up the process. Lawrence has a PhD in Astrophysics, with over 40 publications and nearly 1,000 citations in the scientific literature.

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Synthetic Biology
Date:	November 20, 2009
Summary:	Scientific discovery and technological innovation are advancing at an ever-accelerating rate. As a result, historically separate areas are converging and leading to the emergence of entirely new disciplines - and one of the most advanced examples of this recombinant technogenesis is Synthetic Biology. Integrating biotechnology, nanotechnology, genetics, molecular logic, and programmable matter, Synthetic Biology is focused on redesigning existing biological systems, fabricating biological components and systems that do not exist in nature, and embedding logic elements to create programmable cells. Even more promising (as well as controversial) is Synthetic Biology's role in Synthetic Genomics and Artificial Life – the development of synthetic chromosomes that express as living cells, tissues, organs, and organisms.

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Quantum Mechanics
Date:	November 17, 2009
Summary:	He wowed the audience with his String Theory talk on October 23rd, and now Physics PhD John Varghese is back to tackle the extraordinary world of Quantum Mechanics. He'll talk about what it is, and how Quantum Mechanics differs from classical mechanics. There will be plenty of time for Q&A after the talk. Light snacks and drinks will be served.

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AI Discussion
Date:	November 13, 2009
Summary:	Science House will be hosting a discussion on Artificial Intelligence and the future. Joining the conversation will be a notable group of computer scientists, mathematicians and futurists. This is invitation only event. If you are interested in attending, please send an email to events@sciencehouse.com.

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Social Media Workshop
Date:	November 6, 2009
Summary:	In this lecture, tech entrepreneur and social media consultant with more than 30,000 twitter followers, Paramendra Bhagat, will share his extensive knowledge of the social media landscape. The talk will contrast traditional media with the emerging social media platforms, focusing on twitter, facebook and blogging. Tactics for building a presence as an individual and a business will be discussed. Questions from the audience are encouraged in this interactive presentation!

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String Theory 101
Date:	October 23, 2009
Summary:	Possibly the final theory which explains all of physics, String Theory is about as complicated a subject as you will find in science. Multiple dimensions and math that is incomprehensible with even several years of college calculus. Fortunately our speaker has a PhD in String Theory and an abundance of patience as he leads this talk. He will provide an overview of the topic and then open up the floor for questions from the audience. Beginners welcome!

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Startup Law
Date:	October 10, 2009
Summary:	Attorney and Entrepreneur Dan Tedesco will be talking about legal issues facing startup companies. Areas covered will include the selection of a business form (LLC? Sub S? Other?), basic corporate finance, vendor contract law, confidentiality agreements, basic intellectual property law, and much more. Learn how to balance legal issues and business issues.

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Introduction to Patents
Date:	September 19, 2009
Summary:	What kinds of ideas are patentable? What does it cost to get a patent? How is patent searching done? How is the patent drafted? Navigating through the patent process can be daunting even for experienced scientists. In this lecture, James Jorasch will go through the basics of the patent process, giving you a head start toward protecting your business ideas. Come prepared with questions, this will be an interactive talk.

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Memory Workshop
Date:	September 13, 2009
Summary:	This workshop will combine the theoretical and the practical, as we have a memory researcher discuss the chemical underpinnings of memory, while Chris Harwood demonstrates the techniques that brought him to a 5th place finish at the 2009 US memory championships. Workshop attendees will leave with mnemonic skills they can use in everyday life, from remembering names and faces to keeping a long grocery list in their head without forgetting an item. The workshop will end with a short memory competition. Winner gets a copy of "Use Your Perfect Memory" by Tony Buzan.

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