Science Features » Public Lecture http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features Highlighted USGS science Mon, 20 May 2013 15:32:21 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 Exploring the Earth’s Crust – Seismology Uncovers Hidden Secrets Beneath Our Feet Free USGS Public Lecture January 24 http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/usgs_science_pick/exploring-the-earths-crust-seismology-uncovers-hidden-secrets-beneath-our-feet-free-usgs-public-lecture-january-24/ http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/usgs_science_pick/exploring-the-earths-crust-seismology-uncovers-hidden-secrets-beneath-our-feet-free-usgs-public-lecture-january-24/#comments Fri, 18 Jan 2013 15:31:17 +0000 Aqsa Ahmed http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/?post_type=usgs_science_pick&p=175806 A century of scientific creativity and innovation has allowed seismologists to “see” into the outer layers of our planet, revealing the deep properties of the Earth’s crust. U.S. Geological Survey geophysicist Walter Mooney will explain how field measurements from the Tibetan plateau, the Pacific Ocean, and beyond have provided new insights and clues about processes that have been shaping the Earth for millions of years.

]]> http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/usgs_science_pick/exploring-the-earths-crust-seismology-uncovers-hidden-secrets-beneath-our-feet-free-usgs-public-lecture-january-24/feed/ 0 Jan13flyer_big Colorful South Pacific Species – New Discoveries and Looming Threats – Free USGS Public Lecture December 13 http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/usgs_science_pick/colorful-south-pacific-species-new-discoveries-and-looming-threats-free-usgs-public-lecture-december-13/ http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/usgs_science_pick/colorful-south-pacific-species-new-discoveries-and-looming-threats-free-usgs-public-lecture-december-13/#comments Thu, 06 Dec 2012 17:19:43 +0000 Aqsa Ahmed http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/?post_type=usgs_science_pick&p=175560  

Exciting discoveries are spurring research to uncover hidden secrets deep within South Pacific tropical forests. USGS Research Biologist Robert Fisher will be making an engaging presentation detailing new discoveries and emerging threats to wildlife and ecosystems. Join us on December 13th, to hear Fisher’s stories from the tropical forests of Papua New Guinea and hear him detail his discovery of a new species dubbed the “bumblebee” gecko, and what he and other herpetologists are finding while studying Pacific lizard biodiversity

Time: Thursday, December 13, 2012 • 7-8pm

Speaker:  Robert Fisher, USGS Research Biologist with the USGS Western Ecological Research Center

Location: 345 Middlefield Road, Building 3 Auditorium, second floor, Menlo Park, CA 94025

Phone:  650-329-4000

FREE and Open to the Public
Follow this event live streaming over the Internet!

]]> http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/usgs_science_pick/colorful-south-pacific-species-new-discoveries-and-looming-threats-free-usgs-public-lecture-december-13/feed/ 0 Dec12flyer_big Birds at Sea and Offshore Wind Energy http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/usgs_science_pick/birds-at-sea-and-offshore-wind-energy/ http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/usgs_science_pick/birds-at-sea-and-offshore-wind-energy/#comments Fri, 30 Nov 2012 15:39:15 +0000 apdemas http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/?post_type=usgs_science_pick&p=175500 Collage showing wind turbines and Northern Gannets in flight over water.Demands for alternative energy are increasing, and offshore wind projects are slated for several Atlantic coast areas. USGS is tracking seabirds using satellite transmitters to determine their migration corridors in relationship to proposed wind energy areas, and to determine the potential impacts on seabirds of underwater noise from construction of wind energy areas. USGS, in partnership with other federal agencies, is building seabird distribution models based on historic survey data covering over 60 different seabird species, like puffins and petrels, to identify areas with higher and lower use by season. Join us on December 5th to learn more.

Time: Wednesday, December 5, 2012 • 7-8pm

Speakers: Alicia Berlin and Alan O’Connell

Location: 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive Reston, VA 20192

Phone:  703-648-4748

Please Note: This event takes place at a Federal Facility — Photo Id is Required

FREE and Open to the Public

Follow this event live on Twitter @USGSLive

This announcement and directions can be found online.

Requests for accommodations (i.e. sign language interpreting) require notice at least two weeks before the event. Please email jcorley@usgs.gov or call 703-648-7770.

The USGS public lectures are held monthly in Reston, Virginia. These evening events are free to the public and intended to familiarize a general audience with science issues that are meaningful to their daily lives. USGS speakers are selected for their ability and enthusiasm to share their expertise with an audience that may be unfamiliar with the topic; speakers are encouraged to thoroughly explain the subject matter and to define any words or terms that may be unfamiliar.

The USGS lecture series provides the public an opportunity to interact with USGS scientists and ask questions about recent developments in Natural Hazards; Water; Energy Minerals and Environmental Health; Climate and Land Use Change; Ecosystems; and Core Science Systems. Ultimately, the goal is to create a better understanding of the importance and value of USGS science in action.

]]> http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/usgs_science_pick/birds-at-sea-and-offshore-wind-energy/feed/ 0 Feature Image Understanding Climate-Wildlife Relationships: Free USGS Public Lecture November 15 http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/usgs_science_pick/understanding-climate-wildlife-relationships-free-usgs-public-lecture-november-15/ http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/usgs_science_pick/understanding-climate-wildlife-relationships-free-usgs-public-lecture-november-15/#comments Tue, 13 Nov 2012 17:29:25 +0000 Aqsa Ahmed http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/?post_type=usgs_science_pick&p=175411 Mountain environments are cauldrons of climatic harshness, exhibiting sharp topographic, vegetative, and climatic gradients, providing scientists with a natural laboratory for studying pikas to use as a model for assessing species vulnerability to warming temperatures.  USGS research ecologist Erik Beever will tell us how these cute, tiny creatures are apparently adapting to changing conditions by moving to higher altitudes to stay cool and comfortable as temperatures gradually warm up at lower elevations, and to learn whether there may be similar species and indicators elsewhere in the animal kingdom.

Who: Erik Beever, USGS Research Ecologist with the Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center
What: Understanding Climate-Wildlife Relationships – are American pikas harbingers of changing conditions?
When: Thursday, November 15, 2012Noon —Lecture preview for USGS employees and press7 p.m.—Public lecture (also live-streamed over the Internet) 
Where: U.S. Geological SurveyBuilding 3 Auditorium, second floor345 Middlefield RoadMenlo Park, CA 94025

 
More information and directions: http://online.wr.usgs.gov/calendar/http://online.wr.usgs.gov/calendar/map.html

The USGS provides science for a changing world.

For more information, visit www.usgs.gov. Subscribe to USGS News Releases via our RSS feed.

 

]]> http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/usgs_science_pick/understanding-climate-wildlife-relationships-free-usgs-public-lecture-november-15/feed/ 0 Exploring Mars with Curiosity: Free USGS Public Lecture October 25 http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/usgs_science_pick/exploring-mars-with-curiosity-free-usgs-public-lecture-october-25/ http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/usgs_science_pick/exploring-mars-with-curiosity-free-usgs-public-lecture-october-25/#comments Thu, 25 Oct 2012 17:38:26 +0000 ocweb http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/?post_type=usgs_science_pick&p=175269 Exploring Mars with Curiosity poster

Exploring Mars with Curiosity poster

In early August, the Mars Science Laboratory rover known as “Curiosity” landed successfully to begin its 23 month mission of searching the Martian surface for evidence of environmental conditions capable of supporting microbial life. On October 25th the U.S. Geological Survey will have a lecture featuring USGS Geologist Ken Herkenhoff, a member of the Curiosity mission’s team talking about what scientists have discovered so far during this mission, particularly at the Gale crater landing site. Learn how scientists are using special instruments aboard Curiosity to analyze dust and rocks, to learn about the role of water in forming the Martian landscape.

Time: Thursday, October 25, 2012 • 7-8pm

Speaker: Ken Herkenhoff, USGS Geologist and Member of the Mars Science Laboratory “Curiosity” Team.

Location: 345 Middlefield Road, Building 3 Auditorium, second floor, Menlo Park, CA 94025

Phone:  650-329-4000

FREE and Open to the Public
Follow this event live streaming over the Internet!

This announcement and directions can be found online.

]]> http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/usgs_science_pick/exploring-mars-with-curiosity-free-usgs-public-lecture-october-25/feed/ 0 Oct12flyer PLS Exploring Mars with Curiosity poster A History of Rubble and Rumblings: Earthquakes in the Eastern U.S. http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/usgs_science_pick/a-history-of-rubble-and-rumblings-earthquakes-in-the-eastern-u-s/ http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/usgs_science_pick/a-history-of-rubble-and-rumblings-earthquakes-in-the-eastern-u-s/#comments Mon, 27 Aug 2012 19:32:16 +0000 apdemas http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/?post_type=usgs_science_pick&p=174881 See caption:

This map shows recorded earthquakes in the central and eastern United States lain over the USGS earthquake hazard maps.

Last year’s M5.8 Virginia earthquake came as a surprise for many in the area, but in the past 400 years, there have been more than 30 damaging earthquakes in the eastern U.S., ranging from the M6.0 near Boston in 1755, to M7.3 in Charleston, S.C. in 1886. Despite this history of earthquakes the faults on which these earthquakes are occurring are poorly known, and scientists do not have a clear understanding of the causes of earthquakes in the eastern U.S. Scientists are using seismic data from the August 2011 M5.8 Virginia earthquake to answer some of these questions and to refine estimates of the of the region’s seismic hazard. Futures damaging eastern earthquakes are inevitable; join us on September 5 to find out what scientists are learning and how you can prepare for the next big one.

Time: Wednesday, September 5, 2012 • 7-8pm
Speaker: Robert Williams
Location: 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive Reston, VA 20192
Phone:  703-648-4748

Please Note: This event takes place at a Federal Facility — Photo Id is Required
FREE and Open to the Public

Follow this event live on Twitter @USGSLive
This announcement and directions can be found online.

Requests for accommodations (i.e. sign language interpreting) require notice at least two weeks before the event. Please email jcorley@usgs.gov or call 703-648-7770.

The USGS public lectures are held monthly in Reston, Virginia. These evening events are free to the public and intended to familiarize a general audience with science issues that are meaningful to their daily lives. USGS speakers are selected for their ability and enthusiasm to share their expertise with an audience that may be unfamiliar with the topic; speakers are encouraged to thoroughly explain the subject matter and to define any words or terms that may be unfamiliar.

The USGS lecture series provides the public an opportunity to interact with USGS scientists and ask questions about recent developments in Natural Hazards; Water; Energy Minerals and Environmental Health; Climate and Land Use Change; Ecosystems; and Core Science Systems. Ultimately, the goal is to create a better understanding of the importance and value of USGS science in action.

]]> http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/usgs_science_pick/a-history-of-rubble-and-rumblings-earthquakes-in-the-eastern-u-s/feed/ 0 USGS Earthquakes & Earthquake Hazards Map This map shows recorded earthquakes in the central and eastern United States lain over the USGS earthquake hazard maps. Global Food Security in the 21st Century: Free USGS Public Lecture August 30 http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/usgs_science_pick/global-food-security-in-the-21st-century-free-usgs-public-lecture-august-30/ http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/usgs_science_pick/global-food-security-in-the-21st-century-free-usgs-public-lecture-august-30/#comments Tue, 21 Aug 2012 18:10:51 +0000 apdemas http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/?post_type=usgs_science_pick&p=174736 A montage image showing circles of fresh produce, pollution, water, and drought over the globeGlobal experts recognize that worldwide demand for food will require more than 1 billion hectares of new cropland to feed the 9 billion plus people expected to populate our planet by 2050, and are concerned because currently over 70 percent of all the water used by humans in most countries goes toward crops that produce food. To effectively monitor this rapidly evolving situation, scientists will be relying on satellite remote-sensing to supply crucial information that’s needed for decision-makers who’ll be developing policy guidelines affecting croplands and their water use around the world. The U.S. Geological Survey invites the public to our August Evening Public Lecture, where USGS research geographer Prasad Thenkabail will give a talk explaining the challenges of meeting the increasing need for cropland areas and agricultural water to meet the growing demand for worldwide food production.

Time: Thursday, August 30, 2012 • 7-8pm

Speaker: Prasad Thenkabail
Location: 345 Middlefield Road, Building 3 Auditorium, second floor, Menlo Park, CA 94025

Phone:  650-329-4000

FREE and Open to the Public
Follow this event live streaming over the Internet!

This announcement and directions can be found online.

]]> http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/usgs_science_pick/global-food-security-in-the-21st-century-free-usgs-public-lecture-august-30/feed/ 0 USGS Evening Lecture: Global Food Security in the 21st Century Wind Energy and Wildlife: Free USGS Public Lecture July 26 http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/usgs_science_pick/wind-energy-and-wildlife-free-usgs-public-lecture-july-26/ http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/usgs_science_pick/wind-energy-and-wildlife-free-usgs-public-lecture-july-26/#comments Mon, 16 Jul 2012 10:08:31 +0000 ademas http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/?post_type=usgs_science_pick&p=174577 A screenshot of the public lecture flyer. It features a vulture flying across a field of green with the words "Wind Energy and Wildlife - the challenges of wind-energy development and wildlife conservation"Wind-power development in the United States is increasing at a growing rate, with proposals to provide 20 percent of the country’s total power by 2030.  But high numbers of bird and bat carcasses at some wind farms have raised concerns about the environmental impacts of this rapidly expanding industry. The U.S. Geological Survey invites the public to our July Evening Public Lecture, where USGS researcher Manuela Huso will give a talk titled “Wind Energy and Wildlife.” She will discuss why simple counts of carcasses beneath wind turbines do not provide reliable fatality estimates and what tools USGS scientists are developing to accurately estimate wildlife fatalities and help identify options for monitoring and mitigation.

Time: Thursday, July 26, 2012 • 7-8pm
Speaker: Manuela Huso
Location: 345 Middlefield Road, Building 3 Auditorium, second floor, Menlo Park, CA 94025
Phone:  650-329-4000

FREE and Open to the Public

Follow this event live streaming over the Internet!

This announcement and directions can be found online.

]]> http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/usgs_science_pick/wind-energy-and-wildlife-free-usgs-public-lecture-july-26/feed/ 0 Public Lecture Flyer Scanning the Seafloor with Sound http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/usgs_science_pick/scanning-the-seafloor-with-sound/ http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/usgs_science_pick/scanning-the-seafloor-with-sound/#comments Tue, 26 Jun 2012 18:16:14 +0000 ademas http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/?post_type=usgs_science_pick&p=174492 Throughout the United States, June is recognized as National Oceans Month.  This Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey invites the public in the San Francisco Bay Area to a lecture entitled “ Scanning the Seafloor with Sound.” The entertaining and informative presentation will discuss how modern seafloor mapping technology is providing new views of the ocean bottom, revealing hidden natural hazards and resources. The presentation will be given by USGS marine geologist David Finlayson.

Time: Thursday, June 28, 2012 • 7-8pm
Speakers: David Finlayson
Location: 345 Middlefield Road, Building 3 Auditorium, second floor, Menlo Park, CA 94025

Phone:  650-329-4000

FREE and Open to the Public
Follow this event live streaming over the Internet!

This announcement and directions can be found online.

]]> http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/usgs_science_pick/scanning-the-seafloor-with-sound/feed/ 0 untitled Under Siege: Battling Flying Carp and Giant Pythons and How Science Can Help http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/usgs_science_pick/under-siege-battling-flying-carp-and-giant-pythons-and-how-science-can-help/ http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/usgs_science_pick/under-siege-battling-flying-carp-and-giant-pythons-and-how-science-can-help/#comments Wed, 13 Jun 2012 15:47:21 +0000 ademas http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/?post_type=usgs_science_pick&p=174436 See caption:

Collage: USGS scientists handle a Burmese python in the Everglades; USGS scientists pull in a net full of mostly Bighead Carp ; two USGS scientists display a bighead Carp in the bottom left hand corner.

Over the last several decades, non-native species have continued to invade sensitive ecosystems in the United States.  Two high-profile species, Asian carp in the Midwest and Burmese pythons in the Everglades, are the focus of much attention by decision makers, the public and the media. USGS scientists will discuss issues related to invasive species and explain innovative methods used to help detect and control these invaders.

Time: Wednesday, July 11, 2012 • 7-8pm
Speakers: Sharon Gross, Robert Reed and Cynthia Kolar
Location: 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive Reston, VA 20192
Phone:  703-648-4748
Please Note: This event takes place at a Federal Facility — Photo Id is Required

FREE and Open to the Public
Follow this event live on Twitter @USGSLive

This announcement and directions can be found online.

Requests for accommodations (i.e. sign language interpreting) require notice at least two weeks before the event. Please email jcorley@usgs.gov or call 703-648-7770.

The USGS public lectures are held monthly in Reston, Virginia. These evening events are free to the public and intended to familiarize a general audience with science issues that are meaningful to their daily lives. USGS speakers are selected for their ability and enthusiasm to share their expertise with an audience that may be unfamiliar with the topic; speakers are encouraged to thoroughly explain the subject matter and to define any words or terms that may be unfamiliar.

The USGS lecture series provides the public an opportunity to interact with USGS scientists and ask questions about recent developments in Natural Hazards; Water; Energy Minerals and Environmental Health; Climate and Land Use Change; Ecosystems; and Core Science Systems. Ultimately, the goal is to create a better understanding of the importance and value of USGS science in action.

]]> http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/usgs_science_pick/under-siege-battling-flying-carp-and-giant-pythons-and-how-science-can-help/feed/ 0 Public Lecture Flyer Image Collage: USGS scientists handle a Burmese python in the Everglades; USGS scientists pull in a net full of mostly Bighead Carp ; two USGS scientists display a bighead Carp in the bottom left hand corner.