New Mixer for Science and Education Community
Tsunamis explored in The Science Café Presentation
Bishop Museum is introducing a new science program designed to bring together great minds and lifelong learners for intriguing talks about the science of tsunamis, surf, hurricanes, climate change and environmental science, among other topics. The presentations will be followed by opportunities to mix and mingle with like-minded researchers, educators, and scientists.
The Science Café , a brand new program hosted by Bishop Museum ’s science education department, begins in April and continues through September, 2007 with once-a-month presentations by leading scientists and researchers in their respective fields. The Science Café will debut April 17 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Watumull Planetarium’s Cooke Rotunda at Bishop Museum. Admission is free for the presentation with no-host refreshments offered pay-as-go after the formal presentation in Atherton Halau.
The first presentation, Tsunamis: Waves of Destruction, will be given by Dr. Gerard Fryer of the Richard Hagemeyer Pacific Tsunami Warning Center . His discussion will focus on the Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004, which resulted in 290,000 fatalities, making it one of the worst disasters of modern memory. The magnitude 9.3 earthquake that produced it was totally unexpected. In the scramble to explain what happened, seismologists have discovered that many of their pet theories are wrong and that there are many more places than originally thought where such earthquakes might occur. These earthquakes are all capable of generating ocean-wide tsunamis. Dr. Fryer will explore the sources of tsunamis and describe the latest efforts to provide tsunami warnings in Hawai‘i and worldwide. Using Bishop Museum’s new Science on a Sphere, the talk will demonstrate how the Indian Ocean tsunami was truly a global phenomenon. Science on a Sphere, created by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), is a 6-foot diameter white fiberglass sphere suspended from the ceiling where full-color animated imagery of the earth or other planets can be projected.
Dr. Fryer’s first introduction to tsunamis was the false alarm of 1986, which produced gridlock throughout Honolulu. He was a seismologist at UH M ā noa then, and didn’t know much about tsunamis. He watched for that tsunami from the top of Diamond Head, but didn’t recognize it when he saw it. He later found himself trying to explain tsunamis on the morning news programs. He felt so ill-prepared that he spent the rest of his life studying tsunamis, and is now one of the foremost experts in the field. Dr. Fryer transferred to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center after the tragic Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004. He stands watch at the Center and works on procedures for rapid warning of tsunamis generated within the Hawaiian Islands. Fryer has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of London and a Ph.D. from the University of Hawai‘i.
Admission to all The Science Café programs is free. Refreshments by Da Spot Health Food and Juices and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages will be offered for sale in Atherton Halau after the presentation. Participants will have an opportunity to meet and talk with the speaker and each other in a casual atmosphere. This is not a child-friendly program and children are not recommended to participate. High school and college students interested in science are encouraged to attend to meet leaders of the science community as well as other possible mentors. Reservations are recommended and may be made by calling 847-8203, or emailing ckaichi@bishopmuseum.org.
The ScienceCafé presentations are planned as follows: May 15, Changing Climate and Weather Extremes: Managing the Risks with Dr. Eileen Shea of the East-West Center ; June 19: Meltdown! Understanding Abrupt Climate Changes in the Last Ice Age with Dr. Axel Timmermann of the International Pacific Research Center; July 17: Hurricanes and Climate Change: Preparing for the Worst with Jim Weyman of the National Weather Service; August 21: Cowbunga! Surf-stoked Science with Pat Caldwell who is the NOAA Data Center Hawai‘i Liaison; and September 18: Celebrating 200 years of NOAA Science and Service with Bill Thomas, Director of NOAA Pacific Services Center.
The Science Café is sponsored by an environmental literacy grant from NOAA’s Office of Education, in partnership with the NOAA Pacific Services Center’s B-WET Hawai‘i Program.
For more information about The Science Café, call (808) 847-3511 or visit www.bishopmuseum.org .
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