SCIENCE ON TAP
Science on Tap is a science lecture series where you can sit back, enjoy a pint, and laugh while you learn. Listen to experts talk about the science in your neighborhood and around the world. You don’t have to be a science geek to have fun—all you need is a thirst for knowledge!
March 11th at 7pm
COSMIC REVOLUTION: WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE THE BIG BANG?
Until about a hundred years ago scientists thought that the Milky Way galaxy was the entirety of the Universe and didn’t know that there were any galaxies out there beyond our own. When we finally discovered that other galaxies did exist, it revealed a Universe that was expanding, getting less dense, and was cooling. By working backwards, they hypothesized that the Universe was denser and hotter in the past. If you make a naive extrapolation, you can go all the way back to a singularity that they called the Big Bang where all the matter and energy collects into a single point. But was that really the beginning of the Universe?
In the 1980s new theory came along that attempted challenge the idea that the singularity was the start of everything, and we’ve spent the last 30 years testing it. At last, the verdict is in, and we now know what came before the Big Bang. At this Science on Tap, hear theoretical physicist and author Ethan Siegel, PhD, talk about how the greatest cosmic revolution just got even greater.
Ethan Siegel was born in New York, majored in three different things as an undergrad, and got his Ph.D. in theoretical physics. After postdoctoral research focusing on dark matter and cosmic structure formation, he became a physics professor and a professional science communicator. The communication was more fun, so now he writes and speaks full-time, including for Forbes, and NASA. His blog, Starts With A Bang, was voted the #1 science blog on the internet by the Institute of Physics, and, separately, by Real Clear Science. He has written Beyond the Galaxy and Treknology.
ADVANCE SALES
General Admission: $13
Student / Senior (65+): $7
VIP**(guaranteed seating): $20
Supporter**: $30
DAY OF SHOW
General Admission: $15
Student / Senior (65+): $10
April 15th at 7pm
ALIEN OCEANS: THE SEARCH FOR LIFE IN THE DEPTHS OF SPACE
Where is the best place to find life beyond Earth? We often look to Mars as the most promising site in our solar system, but recent scientific missions have revealed that some of the most habitable real estate may actually lie farther away. Beneath the frozen crusts of several of the small, ice-covered moons of Jupiter and Saturn lurk vast oceans that may have been in existence for as long as Earth, and together may contain more than fifty times its total volume of liquid water. Could there be organisms living in their depths? Kevin Peter Hand’s book Alien Oceans: The Search for Life in the Depths of Space reveals the science behind the thrilling quest to find out.
Kevin Peter Hand is one of today’s leading NASA scientists, and his pioneering research has taken him on expeditions around the world. At this Science on Tap, he will bring together insights from planetary science, biology, and the adventures of scientists like himself to explain how we know that oceans exist within moons of the outer solar system, like Europa, Titan, and Enceladus. He’ll discuss how the exploration of Earth’s ocean is informing our understanding of the potential habitability of these icy moons, and draws lessons from what we have learned about the origins of life on our own planet to consider how life could arise on these distant worlds.
ADVANCE SALES*
General Admission: $13
Student / Senior (65+): $7
VIP**(guaranteed seating): $20
Supporter**: $30
Add a book to any advance ticket: $26
DAY OF SHOW
General Admission: $15
Student / Senior (65+): $10
Book purchased onsite: $30.00
May 13th at 7pm
VOLCANOES NEXT DOOR: MOUNT ST. HELENS AND RECENT CASCADE ERUPTIONS
On a quiet morning 40 years ago, Mount St. Helens erupted and the damage and devastation was beyond anticipation. 540 million tons of ash was spewed into the air, 57 people were killed, and the profound effects on the surrounding landscape can still be seen today. Could it happen again? Could one of the other volcanoes nearby do the same thing?
At this Science on Tap, geologist Nick Zentner remembers Mount St. Helens and will take a geological look at other recent eruptions in the Cascades. When is the last time Mount Hood erupted? Mount Rainier? Other Cascades volcanoes? Come learn about geologic clues surrounding the volcanoes and human stories from recent eruptions.
Nick Zentner is a geology professor at Central Washington University and the host of the PBS series “Nick on the Rocks.” His Geology 101 class is open to the public, and he also delivers an evening lecture series in Ellensburg called “Downtown Geology Lectures”. He leads the Ellensburg Chapter of the Ice Age Flood Institute and in 2015 received the prestigious James Shea Award, a national award presented for exceptional contributions of Earth science for the public.
ADVANCE SALES
General Admission: $13
Student / Senior (65+): $7
VIP**(guaranteed seating): $20
Supporter**: $30
DAY OF SHOW
General Admission: $15
Student / Senior (65+): $10
June 10th at 7pm
WHICH WAY DID THEY GO: THE WONDERS OF BIRD MIGRATION
Have you ever wondered where your backyard birds go every autumn? Or how they are able to fly so far? And just what makes it possible for birds to navigate back to your yard each spring, when we struggle to find where we left our car in the parking lot? Scientists have been asking these questions and more for centuries, since John James Audubon first put a wire on an Eastern Phoebe’s leg in 1804. At this Science on Tap hear from Dr. Nicole Michel about bird migration: where do birds go, how do they navigate, and why don’t they just stay put? Follow the adventures of individual birds as they travel between breeding and wintering locations, and face threats along the way. Discover how advanced technology – machine learning, space stations, and more – lets us delve deeper into the wonders of bird migration. You’ll leave with ideas for what you can do to help protect the birds we love.
Dr. Nicole Michel is a Senior Quantitative Ecologist with the National Audubon Society’s Science Division. She has studied bird populations and their responses to climate change, land use change, pesticides, and other threats for over 20 years. After chasing birds through montane meadows, tropical jungle, and everything in between, she now uses machine learning and other statistical methods to inform bird conservation. She has published over 30 scientific papers and book chapters, and is an Elective Member of the American Ornithological Society and active participant in multiple collaborative regional and global bird conservation efforts. She lives in Portland with her two indoor cats and their catio.
ADVANCE SALES
General Admission: $13
Student / Senior (65+): $7
VIP**(guaranteed seating): $20
Supporter**: $30
DAY OF SHOW
General Admission: $15
Student / Senior (65+): $10
Showtimes
| Wed, 3/11/20 |  7:00 PM
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| Wed, 4/15/20 | 7:00 PM
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| Wed, 5/13/20 | 7:00 PM
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| Wed, 6/10/20 | 7:00 PM
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When: Doors at 6:00pm, event at 7:00pm
*A note on advance ticket sales: There is an additional fee for purchase, but this ticket guarantees a seat at the event start time of 7:00pm. In the event of a sold-out show, tickets not redeemed by 7:10pm may be released. Advance ticket sales end at 12:00am the night before the show.
**A note on ticket levels: VIP tickets guarantee front center seating that stays available through entire show — meaning you can arrive late and your seat will be waiting for you. Supporter tickets get VIP benefits (guaranteed seating) plus a voluntary upcharge to help support the true cost of producing events.