(Ashland, Ore.) – From cosmic mystery stories to biological laser printing, from measuring fog content in redwood tree rings to the ethics and risk of emerging technologies. This is the scope of fascinating topics to be covered in the fall term Friday Seminar series offered by the Southern Oregon University (SOU) College of Arts and Sciences.
The seminars are held from 3 to 4 p.m. in the Science Lecture Hall, Room 118, Southern Oregon University, 1250 Siskiyou Boulevard, Ashland, Ore. Refreshments and socializing precede the talks at 2:30 p.m. in the Science building foyer.
The sessions are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Michael Parker at parker@sou.edu, 541-552-6796.
The series begins this Friday, October 8, with Carl Skinner, Geographer and Forest Ecologist, Pacific Southwest Research Station. His talk is titled:
Fire Regimes of the Klamath-Siskiyous: Is the Ashland Watershed Unique?
Forests of the Klamath-Siskiyou bioregion were historically shaped by fire. It is widely held that frequent, low-intensity fires promoted large tree dominated old growth forests, particularly those located in drier portions of watersheds throughout the region. A primary focus of Carl Skinner’s research has been how fire regimes and historic changes in land occupancy have influenced forest dynamics. In this seminar, Dr. Skinner will discuss historic fire regimes of our region and compare them to characteristics of the Ashland watershed. His presentation is co-sponsored by the Southern Oregon University College of Arts and Sciences and the Ashland Forest Partnership.
Future Friday seminars include:
Oct 15 Lawrence M. Krauss, Foundation Professor of Earth and Space Exploration and Physics, and Director of the Origins Project, Arizona State University.
Title: Life, the Universe and Nothing: A Cosmic Mystery Story
Oct 22 Bill Kastenberg, Distinguished Professor of Nuclear Engineering, University of California, Berkeley
Title: Ethics, Risk, and Emerging Technologies: Are We Ready?
Oct 29 John Roden, Professor of Biology, Southern Oregon University
Title: Stable Isotope Technology at SOU: Research Applications in Ecology and Forensics
Nov 05 Prakash Chenjeri, Professor of Philosophy, Southern Oregon University
Title: Scientific Literacy and Democracy: Why it Matters
Nov 12 Peter Ka-Chai Wu, Professor of Physics, Southern Oregon University
Title: Biological Laser Printing and Some Applications: Tissue Microdissection, Bacteria Sorting, and Engineering a Human Vascular Network
Nov 19 Darlene Southworth, Professor Emeritus of Biology, Southern Oregon University
Title: Biocomplexity and Ecology of Oak Woodlands
