Southern Oregon University’s Friday Science Seminar Series Kicks off Oct. 7

(Ashland, Ore.) — The first of weekly science-related seminars at Southern Oregon University begins Oct. 7 with a discussion on rain forests. The full series is listed after the jump.
The Friday Seminar Series takes place throughout the academic year and features a variety of subjects and speakers. Future topics are yet to be announced.
The first seminar, “The Forgotten Rainforests: Temperate and Boreal Rainforests of the World,” begins at 4 p.m. in the Science Lecture Hall, room 118, on campus. Dominick DellaSala, PhD, president and chief scientist of the Geos Institute, will speak.
Compared to their tropical counterparts, temperate and boreal rainforests are rarer and as endangered. These biogeographically unique forests exist at the intersections of marine, terrestrial and freshwater systems.
Many of them store more carbon per 10,000 square meters (known as a hectare) than tropical rainforests, contain some of the oldest and largest trees on the planet and provide habitat for a diverse array of rare and unique species, including some with affinities dating back to when dinosaurs were king.
DellaSala, editor of the new book, “Temperate and Boreal Rainforests of the World,” will discuss the ecology and conservation of these remarkable forests. DellaSala oversees the conservation science and policy programs at the Geos Institute. He has appeared in National Geographic, Science Digest, Science Magazine, Time Magazine, the New York Times, CNN, MSNBC and several other news outlets.
The series is sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences. They are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Michael Parker at 541-552-6796 or at parker@sou.edu.

Friday Science Seminar Series

Southern Oregon University
Fall 2011
Science 118

4:00 p.m.

(3:30 Refreshments and Socializing, Science Hall Foyer)

Oct 7 Dominick DellaSala, President and Chief Scientist, GEOS Institute, Ashland, OR.
Title: The Forgotten Rainforests: Temperate and Boreal Rainforests of the World
Oct 14 SOU Campus Theme Presentation – Stevenson Union, Rogue River Room
Judge John E. Jones III, US District Judge, Pennsylvania.
Title: Judicial Opinions and Civil Discourse: Is it Judicial Activism or Simply a Decision I Don’t Like?
Oct 21 Alissa Arp, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, Southern Oregon University
Title: Scientific Art and Artful Science: Musings of an Arts and Sciences Dean
Oct 28 Prescott Lewis, Geologist and Photographic Artist in Residence, Museum of Northern Arizona.
Title: Geology of Arches National Park: A Conceptual Photographic Tour
Nov 04 Stevan Stringer, Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology, Southern Oregon University
Title: Molecular Behavioral Ecology: Using Genetics to Study Adaptation
Nov 11 George Nazin, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, University of Oregon
Title: Atomic-Scale Spectroscopy of Single-Molecule Junctions
Nov 18 Vincent M. Smith, Visiting Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies and Sociology, Southern Oregon University
Title: Growing Our Own: The Socioeconomic Value of Food Gardening Today and Tomorrow