Lecture

Harmful Algal Bloom in the western basin of Lake Erie on September 25, 2017. Photo: Aerial Associates Photography, Inc. by Zachary Haslick, public domain When: Monday, June 10, 2024. Doors open at 6 p.m. for light refreshments. Lecture begins at 6:30 p.m. Where: Stroud Water Research Center, 970 Spencer Road, Avondale, PA 19311. Cost: Free. Please RSVP so we can plan for refreshments. RSVP Now Laura Johnson, Ph.D., will explain the causes of harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie, why we need to be concerned about these blooms, and what we should do to prevent exposure to bloom toxins. In

When: Tuesday, June 11, 2024. Interested attendees can arrive at 5 p.m. for a tour of the native wildflower garden and streamside forest at Overlook Park. Refreshments begin at 6 p.m. Lecture begins at 6:30 p.m. Where: Manheim Township Public Library, 595 Granite Run Drive, Lancaster, PA 17601. Cost: This event is free to attend, but attendees must RSVP.  RSVP Now Curious about the good, the bad, and the ugly of ecosystem ecology? Join Marc Peipoch, Ph.D., assistant research scientist and principal investigator of the Ecosystem Ecology Group at Stroud Water Research Center, as he describes the hallmarks of a healthy, well-functioning

When: Thursday, August 1, 2024. Doors open at 6 p.m. for light refreshments. The lecture begins at 6:30 p.m. Where: Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, Greiner Campus, 599 Chesapeake Street, Lancaster, PA 17602. Cost: Free. Please RSVP so we can plan for refreshments. RSVP Now Join us for a special lecture by Bern Sweeney, Ph.D., celebrating Ruth Patrick, Ph.D., and her groundbreaking study of the Conestoga River. Dr. Patrick and a team of scientists sampled 152 sites along the Conestoga in 1948. This was the first time a stream was studied so extensively, and it helped shape how we study streams

Profs and Pints Philadelphia presents: “Climate Change 101,” a crash course on the science related to directional climate change and global warming, with Sean O'Donnell, professor in Drexel University’s Biodiversity, Earth and Environmental Science program. We hear and read a lot about climate change and global warming, and it has become pretty hard to ignore the Philadelphia region’s wacky weather patterns with its recent freakily warm winters, vanishing snow, and late spring “heat domes.” Many of us, however, don’t have much of a grasp of the science explaining such developments and can’t answer questions such as: How do we really

Profs and Pints Philadelphia presents: “The Life of Barbie,” on a plastic icon and her cultural legacy, with Emily Aguiló-Pérez, an associate professor of English at West Chester University of Pennsylvania who has extensively researched Barbie as a scholar of childhood, media, and popular culture. Few toys have shaped culture quite like Barbie has. From her debut in 1959 to the billion-dollar success of the 2023 film bearing her name, Barbie has been a mirror of society, a lightning rod for controversy, and a symbol of transformation. She often has found herself at the center of society’s evolving conversations about

Profs and Pints Philadelphia presents: “Philadelphia and the Underground Railroad,” with Andrew Diemer, professor of history at Towson University and author of Vigilance: The Life of William Still, Father of the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad has long been cloaked in legend, with that legend only growing over time as filmmakers and novelists have provided their own takes on it and old houses have been claimed to have concealed areas that hid fugitive slaves. Local historians eagerly trace out the tracks of this railroad, identifying its “stations” and “stationmasters” and “conductors,” but other professional historians remain skeptical of such claims.

Profs and Pints Philadelphia presents: “America’s Erotic Past,” a journey back through surprisingly queer and kinky centuries, with Rebecca Davis, professor of history and of women and gender studies at the University of Delaware and author of the acclaimed book Fierce Desires: A New History of Sex and Sexuality. When Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring the existence of two biological sexes, he not only was putting his stamp on scientific errors, he also was contravening four centuries of American history. We might assume that we live with a “puritan” legacy of repression. But America’s sexual history is full

Profs and Pints Philadelphia presents: “Kafka and Prague,” on how a great author and his works were shaped by the history, culture, and landscape of a city, with Cynthia Paces, professor of history at The College of New Jersey, teacher of courses on European history and Holocaust studies, and author of two books on Prague. Where we’re from can profoundly shape how we think, what we create, and what we end up doing with our lives. Gain a much deeper understanding of Franz Kafka, the acclaimed and influential author whose prophetic work anticipated European totalitarianism and still shapes dystopian visions,

Profs and Pints Philadelphia presents: “Fake News and War of the Worlds,” a look at an infamous Orson Welles broadcast as an early lesson on mass media’s dangers, with Daniel H. Foster, associate professor and chair of liberal arts at Johns Hopkins University’s Peabody Institute. On the evening of October 30th, 1938, somewhere between 6 and 12 million Americans tuned in the radio version of New York City’s experimental Mercury Theater. It was a decision that some, no doubt, came to regret. What they heard was an all-male chorus of talking heads—scientists, journalists, politicians, and military experts—repeatedly telling them that

Profs and Pints Philadelphia presents: “The Happiness Workshop,” a look at what recent research and centuries of wisdom tell us about bringing more joy and contentment to our lives, with Eric Zillmer, professor of psychology and the director of the Happiness Lab at Drexel University. Are you happy? If not, how do you get there? Gain insights into happiness with Eric Zillmer, an award-winning teacher who leads a creative think tank that investigates the ingredients for happiness among individual people and communities. You’ll learn how the study of happiness is a growing, evidence-based field known as positive psychology, which aims

Profs and Pints Philadelphia presents: “The Dark Side of Fairy-Tale Romance,” on the nightmarish elements of the tales we’ve repackaged as the stuff of lovers’ dreams, with Linda Lee, lecturer in folklore and fairy tales at the University of Pennsylvania. From romcoms to reality TV shows to wedding venues to Valentine’s Day, we’re inundated with messages idealizing the idea of a “fairy-tale romance.” But the fairy tales underlying all the hype about charming princes, grand balls, true love’s kiss, and the happily-ever-after actually can be profoundly unsettling and full of reasons to run like hell. Gain an appreciation of how

Profs and Pints Philadelphia presents: “Sex with Shakespeare,” a surprising look at how the Bard thought about gender and sexuality and how it influenced his works, with Abdulhamit Arvas, scholar and historian of sexuality and assistant professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania. Before “gender” became a culture-war keyword, London audiences watched William Shakespeare’s plays with an open secret: Because women were barred from the public stage, every Juliet, Desdemona, and Rosalind was played by a boy actor. What did that theatrical reality do to ideas of masculinity, femininity, desire—and to the plays themselves? Hear such questions tackled in