Sunday, October 23
Sessions are listed in order of start time.
Call 314-289-4424 for tickets.
11 a.m. Session
Science of National Parks
Join Science Center staff and John Encarnacion, PhD, Associate Professor of Geology at St. Louis University, on a tour of America’s most famous National Parks. Find out how you can explore these national treasures with the Science Center, along with the geology that makes Mt. Rainier and Mt. St. Helen's blow their tops.
11 a.m. – noon
AB Rooms
Hello, Universe! Is Anyone Out There?
Perhaps the most profound question asked by anyone who looks to the night sky is, "Are we alone?" The immense size of our universe seems to imply the possibility of intelligent life elsewhere, but also makes it impossible to establish communication. Join David Ritchey, Associate Director, James S. McDonnell Planetarium as we explore the fascinating possibilities of contact with E.T.
11 a.m. – noon
James S. McDonnell Planetarium
Explosive Ordinance Disposal Robots
Airmen from Scott Air Force Base will use their Explosive Ordinance Disposal Robot and other EOD equipment to show how technology helps defeat roadside and other bombs. The robot gives operators the ability to identify and disarm or destroy bombs and other hazardous devices without placing the EOD technician in danger.
11 a.m. - noon
Exploradome
50 Mile Chili Dog
No, we don’t mean it’s 50 miles long. Everything on this Onesto Pizza and Trattoria chili dog comes from within 50 miles of the St. Louis area. The hot dog, chili, onions, tomatoes, jalapenos and sour cream are all fresh, homegrown and nutritious. Why is this important to a healthy diet? Registered Dietician Marilyn Tanner-Blasair, MHS, RD, LD, from Washington University School of Medicine will explain.
11 a.m. - noon
May Hall
Algae Palooza
Celebrate all things algae at this event! Learn how the public has been helping scientists on the quest to make algae the next biofuel. Make algae balls to take home with you. Plus, you'll get to talk with scientists from the Center for Advanced Biofuel Systems at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and make biodiesel with members of the St. Louis Renewable Energy Club!
11 a.m. - 3:30p.m.
Life Science Lab
Noon and 12: 30 Sessions
OMNIMAX Film: Roving Mars
Action. Drama. Anticipation. Exultation. Experience it all as you join the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity for an awe-inspiring journey to the surface of the mysterious Red Planet. Through the eyes of these two intrepid, state-of-the-art rovers, and with NASA scientists and engineers at your side, you'll see Mars in a way no one ever has before.
Noon - 12:45 p.m.
OMNIMAX Theater
Amazing Science Demonstration
Noon - 12:30 p.m.
CenterStage
The Science of Baseball
Want to be sure you choose the best bat, catch a fly ball, or strike out that left-handed player? Then you need to take a scientific approach to baseball! Cardinals fan, David Peters, PhD, who is also Professor of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, takes on America’s favorite pastime from ball speed and trajectory to the psychology of guessing what the opposition is going to do next.
12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
Exploradome
Running Circles Around Math
From Paradoxical Probabilities to the Eye Color Island. From Code Twisting to Balloon Breaking. You can do it all in a Math Circle with Blake Thornton, PhD, Coordinator of Lower Division Teaching, Department of Mathematics, Washington University in St. Louis, who designed these exploration groups for people who enjoy the beauty and fascination of math. Find out how much fun a small-group math gathering can be!
12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
AB Rooms
Don’t Miss This Opportunity!
The Mars Rover, that is. Seven years ago Opportunity went to Mars and now it has traveled more than 18 miles. That’s a lot of exploring. Raymond Arvidson, PhD, James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor, Earth & Planetary Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, will fill you in on the rovers’ many groundbreaking scientific discoveries. And if you’re curious about Curiosity, the new rover that launches at the end of 2011, he’ll give you the latest on that too!
12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
James S. McDonnell Planetarium
Apps
From paying your bills to booking a flight to playing games with friends around the country or across the room, it seems like there really is an app for just about everything. But what makes these handy applications work? Attend this panel discussion with E.J. Brewer, President, Golamac, Inc, David Whatley, President, Critical Thought Games, LLC and St. Louis-area smartphone developers to hear about the programming and business of app development and learn about the Science Center's new app challenge.
12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
May Hall
1 and 1:30 p.m. Sessions
Aeromedical Evacuation: The True Story of the Film “Rescue”
Meet the inspiring First Responders who rush to help after a natural disaster. Airmen from Scott Air Force Base demonstrate how they use high-tech medical equipment coupled with Air Mobility Command's aircraft, to move rapidly and efficiently to meet the needs of our injured warfighters. The combination of high-tech medicine, robust en route care, and rapid medical evacuation has resulted in a system that has produced the lowest lethality rate in recorded conflict.
1 p.m. - 3 p.m.
Omnimax *Includes a showing of "Rescue"
Amazing Science Demonstration
1:30 - 2 p.m.
CenterStage
Music to Your Ears
Why does the harpsichord make such a beautiful sound? Why does music have such a powerful affect on us? World-famous harpsichordist, Charles Metz and Cynthia Briggs, PsyD, Director of Music Therapy at Maryville University will give two very different perspectives on the importance of music in our lives. You will also enjoy a performance by Mr. Metz on his antique harpsichord.
2 - 3 p.m.
Exploradome
Electric Cars, Unplugged
Are you ready to buy your first electric car? How will charging it affect our power grid? The technology is changing so fast that it’s hard to keep up. Join Adam Ruebsam, Clean Energy Manager at French Gerleman, Mark Nealon, Manager of System Meter & Smart Grid from Ameren, and a representative of Smith Electric Vehicles for a closer look at the differences between electric vehicles and the car you’re driving.
2 - 3 p.m.
May Hall
What is Acupuncture?
The American Academy of Medical Acupuncture defines it as "a method for encouraging the body to promote natural healing and to improve functioning. This is done by inserting needles and applying heat or electrical stimulation to very precise acupuncture points." Who uses acupuncture and how does it help them? Find out from Chi-Tsai Tang, MD, Orthopedic Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine.
2 - 3 p.m.
AB Rooms
Lost Secrets of the Lunar Orbiters: an Adventure in Technoarcheology
Truth is stranger than fiction. Thanks to the efforts of a tiny group of “space pirates” and a courageous and unsung heroine, a beautiful new set of images of the Earth and Moon have become available to the public. Learn how Boeing’s remarkable Lunar Orbiters (essentially converted spy satellites) first transmitted these dramatic pictures more than 40 years ago. See how against all odds, a dedicated group of technoarcheologists overcame seemingly insurmountable barriers to decode this ‘ancient’ data and make it available to the world. Meet Dennis Wingo, the “Indiana Jones of Technoarcheology” and find out how you can enjoy these images on your own computer.
2 - 3 p.m.
James S. McDonnell Planetarium
3 p.m. Sessions
Amazing Science Demonstration
3 - 3:30 p.m.
CenterStage
OMNIMAX Film: Tornado Alley
Join Storm Chasers star Sean Casey and the researchers of VORTEX 2, the most ambitious effort ever made to understand the origins and evolution of tornadoes, on this heart-pounding science adventure. Armed with a 70mm camera, a fleet of customized vehicles designed to withstand gale force winds, torrential rains and unrelenting hail, and an arsenal of the most advanced weather measurement instruments ever created, the stars of Tornado Alley take audiences on a thrilling quest to experience a tornado’s destructive power at point blank range.
3 - 3:45 p.m.
OMNIMAX Theater
3:30 p.m. Sessions
Scratch that Itch
How do itch signals travel along the spinal cord to the brain? What are the basic biological causes of itching? Zhou-Feng Chen, PhD, Director of Washington University School of Medicine's new Center for the Study of Itch -- believed to be the first center of its kind in the world – will help you understand why you itch and how chronic sufferers can be helped.
3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Exploradome
Blast of a Good Time!
Science Museum Oklahoma presents Science Live where the science of explosions and the chemistry of combustion take center stage. Experience the mind-blowing fun of live theater and great science with Wonder Instigator, Relevance Czar and 2010 Science Showman of the Year Winner: Clayton P. Moore.
3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
May Hall
Fabulous Fermentation
What makes red wine red and white wine white? What has to happen before a wine is ready to drink? And what does yeast have to do with it? Marketing Specialists from Barefoot Wine will show you that Enology – the science of wine – can be fun, and tasty too.
3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
AB Rooms
Beyond Shuttle: The Future of Human Spaceflight
Now that the Shuttle Fleet has been retired, some uninformed journalists have declared that it is the “End of the Space Age.” In fact we are at the beginning of what may be the first truly sustainable age of space exploration. Find out about the dawn of the commercial space age from X PRIZE Foundation co-founder Gregg Maryniak and see some of the visions for the future that are driving space development today.
3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
James S. McDonnell Planetarium
4 p.m. Sessions
Amazing Science Demonstration
4 - 4:30 p.m.
CenterStage
OMNIMAX Film: RESCUE
RESCUE plunges audiences into the hard, but inspiring work of saving lives in the face of a natural disaster. Behind the scenes, the film follows a Canadian naval commander, two pilots, and a volunteer rescue technician as they train for action. When an earthquake strikes Haiti, creating one of the biggest humanitarian disasters of the century, the audience is swept along, joining with the massive effort that brings military and civilian responders and hardware from around the world.
4 - 4:45 p.m.
OMNIMAX Theater