Discuss the "Ask a Scientist: Science Cafés" radio report

Andrea Kissack Post on Apr 12, 2007 by
Topics: Radio
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The Bay Area has long been known for its intellectual and cultural scene. Beat poets, musicians and visual artists have all visited the city's bars and coffee houses. Now, Scientists are stepping out of the lab and into cafes where enthusiastic crowds sip on a beer or cappuccino and listen to lectures on black holes, string theory or the math of Greek architecture. Call it "geek chic", science is in.

You may also listen to this report online and see a list of Science Café resources.

Andrea Kissack is Senior Editor for QUEST at KQED Public Radio.

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  • http://www.stanford.edu/~kdevlin/ Keith Devlin

    This is a good piece, but to set the record straight: what got lost in the editing was the set-up where I said my discussion of the Golden Ratio would begin by my going over several popular beliefs about the number, then, after the first coffee break, separating the facts from the fiction. The story you hear me tell about the Greeks believing the Golden Ratio has instrinsic beauty and using it in their architecture is a myth, as I told my Ask a Scientist audience in no uncertain terms! A simple test done with the 150 people crammed in the audience (okay, so that's not very scientific, but it was fun and informative) showed clearly that relatively few people can pick out a goden rectangle from a collection, let alone think it has particular beauty! Thanks to Julia Gallin for organizing a great evening.

  • lisa

    I was happy to hear this, unfortunately the Canvas Gallery mentioned in this piece is closing in two weeks so the "Ask the Scientist" sessions will have to be somewhere else. It would be nice to have included that in the report and where they might be moved to.

  • Constance

    Andrea finished her report saying check this site for science cafes near you. Can't find any info here. I am looking for North of SF — up to Santa Rosa/Sebastopol.
    Thanks

  • Doug

    The report also says that the Quest website contains information on where to find such sessions in "your area." However, I have not been able to find that information on your website. Please provide the correct link – I live in the Sacramento area.

    Thank you

  • joan beall

    ditto to the above comments. It's frustrating to hear about a good idea and be ready to support it and not find access. hope you can get the information on site

  • Andrea

    Lisa, the next Ask a Scientist event is scheduled at Canvas Gallery. The one after that is at Axis. It was going to be too confusing to explain that in the piece. We have a link up on our site for Ask A Scientist where Juliana has listed the venues for each topic…

  • Bob

    I too am interested in finding where these are held near zip 89512, but no information is here as was promised (teased) in the segment.
    Quest: Please provide info if possible.
    -Thanks,
    -BN

  • Bob

    Ooops, wrong ZipCode!
    95134!

  • http://www.stanford.edu/~kdevlin/ Keith Devlin

    The resource page for science cafes is at
    http://www.kqed.org/quest/radio/view/235

  • Andrea

    Joan and Doug, while these science cafes are growing in popularity, they are not in every city. So, the closest one for your area is likely the east bay or San Francisco. THere are links on our site for the ones we know about. Wired magazine is supposed to be doing a comprehensive list of cafes perhaps they will find a less formal one in your area. Also, Juliana is going to a conference in Leeds next month for science cafe organizers. Maybe she will learn about more people trying to start them in NorCal. Thanks for listening!

  • Joydip

    You also mentioned a guy who is thinking about starting a cafe of his own. Can you provide any further information – or how to get in touch with him? It would be great to have a cafe in the peninsula somewhere – like Palo Alto!?

  • Andrea

    Keith, thanks for the clarification. Since the piece was about cafes more than about the Golden Ratio, I didn't get into the details of your talk. I apologize if it misrepresents what you were trying to get across. When I selected your cuts of tape, I felt you were making it clear that it is what the Greeks thought, not necessarily what anyone else thought. We do have a second chance here as we are producing the tv piece in another week. Although we have even less time for that piece I will make sure I do not pull a comment from you that you feel is out of context. Thanks again for being part of the story. Your participation was very helpful.

  • Andrea

    Joydip, I will contact Kishor Hari and ask if he wants to post his info here on our blog. As we mention, there is a salon in Silicon Valley and you can find it at the Cafe Scientifique site. It is at SRI in Menlo Park, a little less independent then some.

  • http://www.wonderfest.org Tucker Hiatt

    Wonderfest, the Bay Area Festival of Science, is Ask a Scientist's adoring older brother. It features public dialogues between pairs of researchers. This year's topics include "Are We Wired To Be Kind?", "Can We Create New Forms of Matter?", "Are Some Ideas Shared by Every Culture?" and "Will the Universe Have a Happy Ending?" But you'll have to wait (though not 'til the end of the universe): Wonderfest 2007 happens on the weekend of Oct. 26-27 at Stanford and UC Berkeley with a preview event at the Exploratorium on Oct. 21.

  • Pam Ledesma

    Andrea: Great news! I was really invigorated by your story. To think that regular non-science types might be seduced into an informal space like a coffeehouse to discuss science issues gives me goosebumps! Does this trend mean that 1) more scientists are realizing that they need to learn to speak like regular people–without intimidating/impressing their audience with science-speak? and 2) that people are realizing that science (read: learning about how the world works) is their business and is empowering, hopeful, and forward-thinking.
    Constance: Maybe Coffee Catz coffeehouse in Sebastopol would be a good venue. You probably already know that they regularly have all sorts of performances and meetings there. You know there must be some charismatic science professors at Santa Rosa JC or Sonoma State that would be willing to step out and try this! This is a hopeful trend. Maybe, in the future we'll be able to elect a President who knows something about science!

  • http://www.askascientistsf.com/ LWissler

    Here is the web site that should help Lisa and the rest of us looking for their next gig. ;-)

    http://www.askascientistsf.com/

  • http://www.stanford.edu/~kdevlin/ Keith Devlin

    Andrea, I'm not at all worried about being unintentionally "misrepresented". The content of my talk was not what your program was about. As it happens, there is no evidence the Greeks thought there was anything special about the Golden Ratio; that seems to be a relatively modern urban legend. The good thing is to get folks thinking and talking about these kinds of thing – just as we are all now doing on this blog! And getting folks to come to these cafe events – where they can hear the full story, not just an edited soundbite! Keep up the good work, and we scientists will ge happy to keep cooperating.

  • http://fredturner.stanford.edu Fred Turner

    Andrea –

    Neat piece, and one I was delighted to be a part of. Here's a question for listeners though — how can we develop science cafes that are not only spaces in which those of us interested in science listen to experts, but in which we can engage folks who distrust expertise, research, and all of the things science stands for? I don't know the answer myself, but I'd like to.

    – Fred

  • Andrea

    Hey science cafe enthusiasts, here is some info for those not finding the links…
    After you go to our home page (www.kqed.org/quest) go to the right hand side and click on the tv/radio tab. Next, scroll down to the second story and click on listen to this report. Then, scroll down and under the blog are the links to the cafes around here. Also, for some reason, the link to the radio story is not working. Our interactive dept. is trying to correct that right now. Thanks.

  • http://kqed.org/quest Craig Rosa

    Hey all:

    Sorry for the technical issues. It appears the problem has been resolved for the moment (famous last words ;- > )

    Come listen to Andrea's terrific story at:

    http://www.kqed.org/quest/radio/view/235

  • http://www.dodoskido.com Tommy

    This is a great idea which I hope spawns into a very widespread and regular affair everywhere. I only wish that the science cafe evens were held in more locations. I live in Berkeley and I see that the "Ask a Scientist" events are held in San Francisco but with Berkeley professors. How about putting on some cafes over in the East Bay? If you know of some, please throw up the links!

  • http://www.sciencecafesf.com Kishore Hari

    I was lucky to be interviewed in this great piece.

    I am starting another science cafe in San Francisco called Down to a Science. The focus of Down to Science is on scientific issues of significant local impact. The mission is to promote civic discourse through scientific dialogue. To support the mission, each cafe will be geared towards creating a dialogue. Each speaker will also come prepared with resources for anyone to get further involved. DtaS also has an online blog to enhance and promote the dialogue between cafes (always welcoming comments).

    The first event is Tuesday April 24th @ Cafe Royale (Post @ Leavenworth). Topic is "Shakin' in our Boots: The Hayward Fault" with Jack Boatwright from the USGS speaking.

    In the next 2 months, we'll be discussing Biofuels and Fertility.

    I encourage everyone to check out the website at http://www.sciencecafesf.com

    Just one quick shout out to Juliana. Ask a Scientist is an awesome series that I encourage everyone to attend. Her gracious support has fueled my cafe series.

  • http://www.sciencecafesf.com Kishore Hari

    To Fred -

    I believe you raise an excellent question. How do we engage folks who distrust expertise, research, and all of the things science stands for?

    I don't think you do.

    I'll make a analogy to Al Gore's current work. To put it simply, all he is done is connect the public with active scientific research. His opponents remain intractable, as evidenced by the latest senate hearings. However, how many more people are engaged in the conversation of climate change vs 2 years ago?

    That I see is the power of the science cafes. Engaging the disengaged. Bringing the conversation to the forefront. Having a civic discourse fueled in part by science.

    I'm not banking on converting any opponents of science. My goal is to engage a public, who simply don't get it straight from the horse's mouth. Don't get the impact, Don't get the possibility.

  • http://www.kqed.org/quest/ Craig Rosa – KQED QUEST

    Somebody asked about East Bay… Berkeley Science Cafes:

    http://bnhm.berkeley.edu/about/sciencecafe.php

    Enjoy!

  • http://www.askascientistSF.com Juliana Gallin

    I'm so happy to have been a part of this exciting radio piece. Great job, Andrea! For those of you who are looking for a science cafe near you, the most comprehensive list of locations is on this site: http://cafescientifique.org/

    One person asked about Palo Alto, and it happens there is already one there: http://www.cafescipa.org/

    And for the north bay folks, keep checking the cafe scientifique website. There is someone who is hoping to start something in Napa but I don't think it's up and running yet.

  • http://www.wescarroll.com Wes Carroll

    Hello, everyone!

    On the topic of other science cafes: though Juliana and Keith have since posted answers to the question "where can I find one near me?" let me also suggest that such a cafe might be something you find worth organizing in your area, wherever you are. As both a fan of Juliana's series and also a participant (I'm her "Puzzle Master" for the twice-a-year special-edition Ask A Scientist "Puzzle Nights"), I can say that there's an incredible "stone soup" energy that I've found at each of these gatherings: every single attendee seems glad to be there and interested in contributing.

    Fred and Kishore, I wonder: isn't distrust in general (and specifically of the power of personality in lieu of hard evidence) the very core of science? It seems to me that a science cafe is the perfect place to bring together people who distrust science; the conversation that ensues might well be educational for all concerned. The non-scientist might come to better appreciate the degree to which science recognizes its own limits; the scientist (or fan of science) might come to better recognize ways in which they can explain their goals and methods, so as to reach people from many non-scientific backgrounds.

    Science is, after all, much better when we all understand it, and to an appropriate degree, avoid accepting its conclusions without each digging a bit ourselves.

  • http://www.gladstone.ucsf.edu Valerie Tucker

    Gladstone Institutes at Mission Bay hosts quarterly "Science for Life" public lectures (with a reception). Next one is yet to be scheduled, but if you email me I will add you to our mailing list. Our scientists also participate in "Science Cafes" or "Science Salons", if you're interested in a speaker for your venue, please email me as well. We cover everything from stem cells to alzheimer's disease to HIV and related topics–all for the lay person.

  • http://www.redvic.com sami Sunchild

    Interesed in having science cafes at Red Vic Peace Center Cafe, 1665 Haight St @ Cole