SCIENCE LECTURE SERIES

SOUTHWORTH PLANETARIUM 2013 SCIENCE LECTURE SERIES

January 17, 2013  7:00 p.m.  "THE ENERGY COSTS OF EXERCISE"
Professor Chris Scott, USM Department of Exercise, Health and Sport Science

In this talk, Professor Scott will explain how energy costs are estimated for physical activity and how this information is used in the design of exercise programs.

February 14, 2013   7:00 p.m.   "NEAR EARTH ASTEROID ENCOUNTERS"
Professor Julie Ziffer, USM Physics Department

An asteroid veers close to Earth this month.   USM Physics professor and asteroid expert Dr. Julie Ziffer discusses the asteroids that venture close to our home planet.   How much do we know about these PHA's (Potentially Hazardous Asteroids)?   Could we prevent any from striking Earth?   Join us for this fascinating presentation about near-Earth asteroid encounters.

March 21, 2013       7:00 p.m.     "THE COPERNICAN REVOLUTION: Is it a good model?"
USM President Theo Kalikow

USM President Theo Kalikow presents a lecture commemorating the 50th anniversary of T.S. Kuh's "Structure of Scientific Revolutions.  Precis: who knows?"  

President Kalikow taught history and philosophy of science at Southeastern Mass University (now UMASS-Dartmouth) for approximately 15 years.   She always wanted to teach the history of science in a planetarium, so be prepared for a long evening.

April 18, 2013   7:00 p.m.   "Recycling, Sustainability and Climate Change?"
Professor Travis Wagner, USM Department of Environemental Science

While recycling is often portrayed as personal virtue, Dr. Wagner will discuss the importance of source reduction and recycling n a resource-constrained world by using the example of a single-use propane camping cylinder to demonstrate the relevance to climate change and our misunderstanding of the basic principles of sustainability. 

Dr. Travis Wagner is an Associate Professor of Environmental Science at the University of Southern Maine.   His research focuses on sustainable material use through the identification anf study of innovative policy approaches to decrease the use of disposal as the default environmental management tool.

May 16, 2013     7:00 p.m.   "Athletic Training Around the World"
Ben Towne, USM Department of Exercise, Health and Sport Science

Ben Towne, MA, ATC serves as Clincal Coordinator and Faculty member of Athletic Training at the University of Southern Maine.    Towne has treated a variety of athletes at the recreational, high school, collegiate and elite level.   He has more than 10 years experience educating undergraduate students and providing athletic training services to the physically active.  He serves as an athletic trainer for the United States Bobsled and Skeleton Teams on the World Cup Tour. He also leads athletic training students twice yearly to the Dominican Republic to provide care for those less fortunate. He has presented at the state and national level on service learning in athletic training. He was awarded the 2011 USM Outstanding     Faculty Involvement Award and was a recipient of the 2011 Maine  Campus Compact Donald Harward Award for Service Learning Excellence. Towne serves on the National Athletic Trainer's Association (NATA) International Committee and was recently named as the NATA liaison to the Canadian Athletic Therapists Association.

June 20, 2013 “Autoimmunity: When Defense Goes on Offense”
Prof. Stephen Pelsue, USM Department of Applied Medical Sciences

Autoimmune disease is a class of diseases that consist of around 80 clinically distinct conditions that affect about 20 million Americans. Autoimmunity is caused by the immune system targeting the self cells and tissues rather than defending against harmful pathogens (microbes, viruses, fungi, etc). In this talk Prof. Pelsue will discus the function of the immune system and the consequences when it does not function properly. In addition Prof. Pelsue will present his own research on the molecular genetics of the autoimmune disease Lupus.

 Professor Pelsue is a Faculty member in the Department of Applied Medical Sciences at USM and has spent the past 20 years working on understanding the genetic basis of the development of the immune system and causes of autoimmunity.

July 18, 2013 “From Laboratory to Market”
Gregory Cavanaugh,  Program Manager, External Programs, USM College of Science, Technology, and Health

Greg Cavanaugh will be talking on the state of University-Industry collaboration and technology transfer in the US, with special emphasis on pathways to successfully move research into the marketplace. The talk will include an overview of tech transfer activity, programs available to help commercialize research, and case studies of notable projects - at USM, in the local/regional area, and in the wider tech transfer community.

Greg is a graduate of USM's Technology Leadership program. He also studied architecture at the Boston Architectural Center and is 16-year veteran of commercial and institutional architectural practice. He currently serves as the Program Manager of USM's Department of External Programs. He is heavily involved in university-industry collaboration and is responsible for creating R&D project opportunities for USM students.

 August 15, 2013  “The Social Lives of Woodchucks”
Prof. Chris Maher, USM Department of Biological Sciences

Normally considered a solitary species, woodchucks nonetheless display components of social behavior. Dr. Maher will discuss the effects of kinship and personality on the social lives of this common species living in southern Maine.

Dr. Chris Maher is a Professor of Biology at the University of Southern Maine. Her research focuses on the study of social behavior in mammals living in natural habitats, and she also teaches courses in introductory biology, vertebrate zoology, and animal behavior.

September 19, 2013 “Health Information Technology: Enhancing the Quality and Safety of Patient Care”
Prof. Carol Fackler, DNSc, RN, School of Nursing

This presentation will introduce the audience to health information technology as it is emerging in the U.S. as an important component of our health care system.  A brief history of health information technology will be followed by a more detailed discussion of the electronic health record, clinical decision support systems, and telehealth.  Applications of health information technology in Maine, both current and projected, will be described.  Plenty of time will be allotted for questions from the audience.

Carol Fackler, DNSc, RN joined the USM faculty in 2010 as an Assistant Professor of Nursing.  She formerly served as a Visiting Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing at Fairfield University in Connecticut.  Her practice career of over 25 years as an emergency nurse has provided Dr. Fackler with firsthand knowledge of the health care delivery system.  Dr. Fackler’s interest in health information technology emerged as a direct result of her knowledge of hospital organizations and health care delivery systems; and in 2010, she developed the informatics technology course for the Doctor of Nursing Practice program at USM.

Dr. Fackler received her undergraduate degree in nursing from the University of Rhode Island in 1973; her MS from the College of Nursing and Health Professions from the University of Massachusetts-Boston in 2002; and her Doctor of Nursing Science from Yale University in 2010. 

At USM, Dr. Fackler currently teaches undergraduate and graduate research, as well as informatics technology.  She is currently developing a graduate course on population health for the spring of 2013.

October 17, 2013 Algebraic Topology and The Math of Holes
Daniel Bravo, USM Department of Mathematics and Statistics

 When we mention Algebra to somebody we usually might think of simplifying, foiling or which formula to use to "find x". But luckily for us,  there are more deeper thought than those. Broadly speaking, Algebra studies the structures behind mathematical objects/ When one comes to think of Topology... Well one might have no clue as to what this is about. But in broad terms again, we should keep in mind  that at the heart of this field we have the idea of continuity (or "proximity").

 Now when you combine these two subjects, we elegantly get: Algebraic Topology. But what is this about?

Following the loose definitions trend, Algebraic Topology is a field of Mathematics that can be loosely described as a qualitative study of the structure of geometric objects or spaces. For example, one such qualitative property is the number of "holes" a certain object might have.

This is the reason why you most often see algebraic topologist accompanying their cup of coffee with doughnut holes, rather than with a regular doughnut. The cup of coffee and a doughnut have only one hole and thus they are similar topological spaces, making them very difficult to distinguish through the eyes of algebraic topology.

In this talk I hope to explain some of the ideas of algebraic topology, how to associate algebraic structures to topological spaces and how similar spaces (such as the doughnut or the coffee cup) give rise to the same algebraic structures. Other application may follow if time allows.

Daniel Bravo is a Lecturer in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at USM.  He did his undergraduate work at the University of Chile and also obtained a masters degree there. He holds a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Wesleyan University in CT (his research interest lies in the intersections of Algebraic Topology, Homological Algebra and Model Categories). Upon completing his degree, he moved to Maine in July 2011. At USM he teaches math courses, advises students and also works on his own ideas and research.

November 21, 2013 “Fin de Siecle: A Collage of Arts and Sciences in Turmoil” Prof. Jim Ford, USM Department of Chemistry

The period 1890-1915 was a tumultuous era in science, art and society. As classical physics shuddered under blows by Planck and Einstein, echoing insults were delivered to the arts by the likes of Stravinsky and Picasso. This talk will present the early history of quantum mechanics against the backdrop of modern art, music and the Great War.

Professor Ford has been teaching quantum mechanics for 11 years, visited a number of art museums, and seen a ballet or two. He is usually smart enough not to air his ignorance of the latter two subjects in public.

 December 19, 2013 “Materials, Biologics, and Technique Advancements in Joint Replacement: Can A Joint Replacement Last Forever?”
Donal P. Endrizzi, MD, and Brian J. McGrory, MD, Maine Medical Center

Drs. Endrizzi and McGrory explore three major advances in total joint surgery that now make shoulder, hip, and knee replacements potentially last two or three decades, even in younger, active patients. New ingrowth enhancing biomaterials have made bony ingrowth necessary to anchor prostheses permanent in most cases, and have eliminated joint loosening. Advances in bearing surface technology, such as highly cross-linked polyethylene, have proven pivotal in prosthesis endurance. Production of wear by-products now seems to be below the threshold that the body can eliminate, minimizing side effects. Development of contemporary techniques has widened the number of maladies that are treatable by joint replacement, and minimized complications that could threaten prosthesis success and longevity.

 Dr. Donal Endrizzi specializes in disorders of the shoulder and shoulder surgery to correct those disorders.  Those surgeries include various types of shoulder arthroplasty (replacement) including resurfacing and reverse shoulder replacement, as well as shoulder arthroscopy, rotator cuff repair, repair for recurrent dislocation, ligament reconstruction, and fracture repair.  He is a member of the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons organization, an invitation only society for leaders in the field of shoulder and elbow surgery.   He is an editorial board member for the Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery and an associate editor for the American Journal of Orthopaedics.  He has been recognized by US News and World Reports as one of the “top doctors” in the US. 

 Dr. Brian McGrory specializes in arthritic disorders of the hip and knee , and surgery to correct those disorders.  Surgeries include various types of arthroplasty (replacement) including anterolateral minimally invasive and posterior hip replacement, revision hip surgery, total knee replacement and partial knee replacement as well as hip fracture surgery and surgery for osteonecrosis of the hip.  He is a committee chairman of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons organization, a society for leaders in the field of hip and knee surgery.   He is an editorial board member for the Journal of Arthroplasty.  He has been recognized by Becker’s Review as one of 70 Outstanding Hip Surgeons and Specialists in the United States.