Second Order Science presented by Stuart Umpleby, Professor of Management, The George Washington University

ABOUT THE TOPIC: In the social sciences it is clear that theories affect the phenomenon being studied.  Indeed, we create theories in the hope that they will be accepted, acted upon, and the social system will perhaps function better.  However, usually scientific research is based on the assumption that the theory does not affect the phenomenon.  The result is a gap between our assumptions about social systems and the way we do research.  Closing this gap is leading to new methods for both research and practice.  Creating a second order science, which includes examining the effects of theories on phenomena, is presently impeded by logical difficulties involving self- reference.  This problem can be solved by reinterpreting some parts of mathematics using ideas common in everyday life.

Atrium of  The Front Page restaurant & NSF Building , near Ballston Metro. Located at 4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22203 on the ground floor of the National Science Foundation (NSF) building. Parking is available under the NSF building or at Ballston Common Mall.
Please come early to order table service and socialize. Special half-price burgers start at 5:30 p.m. Presentation begins at 6:15 p.m. followed by Q&A. No science background required – only an interest! Café Scientifique is free and open to the public.

SUPPORT THIS CAFÉ: The Ballston Science and Technology Alliance, a nonprofit organization, is the sponsor of Café Scientifique Arlington. Since April 2006, the goal of Café Scientifique has been to make science more accessible and accountable by featuring speakers whose expertise spans the sciences and who can talk in plain English. Please go to www.arlingtonvirginiausa.com/bsta and contribute. Help keep Café Scientifique open and free to all!
 

WHEN:  Tuesday, September 13 (Please note that this is the second Tuesday), program begins at 6:15 PM.  Come early to order  food and drinks

WHERE: The Front Page Restaurant, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA, located near Ballston Metro on the ground floor of the NSF building. Parking is available under the NSF Building or at Ballston Common Mall.

WHO:   Robert Heggestad, Attorney

HOW: 5:30 p.m. Special half price burgers; please come early to order table service and socialize. Presentation begins at 6:15 p.m. followed by Q&A

No science background required, only interest!

Free and open to the public Registration requested www.arlingtonvirginiausa.com/bsta

ABOUT THE TOPIC:  In 1964, a rose wood veneered collector’s cabinet was sold in an unclaimed baggage sale to a Philadelphia antiques dealer.  The collection was subsequently purchased from an Arlington antiques dealer by Robert Heggestad, a Washington attorney. According to the auction papers, it was believed to be the collection of Alfred Russel Wallace, who in 1858 was described as “the greatest field biologist of the nineteenth century”and completed his explosive paper on evolution.  He sent it to Darwin, who then kicked into high gear and brought out On the Origin of Species the following year.” Mr. Heggestad did not begin  research the provenance of the collection until 2007 when he contacted the American Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. The collection contains approximately 1700 specimens of butterflies and moths, beetles and other insects, shells, pods and other botanical specimens. Learn about his three years of research and see pictures of the drawers and individual specimens, many of which are discussed in Wallace’s Narrative of Travels on the Amazon and Rio Negro, theMalay Archipelago.

SUPPORT
THIS CAFE: The Ballston Science and Technology Alliance, a nonprofit organization, is the sponsor of Café Scientifique Arlington.  Since April 2006, the goal of Café Scientifique has been to make science more accessible and accountable by
featuring speakers whose expertise spans the sciences and who can talk in plain English. Café is held each month on first Tuesdays at the Front Page in Arlington. Please go to www.arlingtonvirginiausa.com/bsta  and contribute. Help keep Café open and free to all!

COMING NEXT MONTH: Oct 2, 2011, Regional Economic Performance and Outlook, John McClain, Senior Fellow and Deputy Director, Center for Regional Analysis, GMU

WHAT:  ” Valence Politics and The  Science Of Electoral Choice: How Voters Make Big Decisions With Little Information”

WHEN: Tuesday, July 12, (Please note that this is the second Tuesday) program begins at 6:15 PM.  Come early to order food and drinks
WHERE: The Front Page Restaurant, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA, located near Ballston Metro on the ground floor of the NSF building. Parking is available under the NSF  Building or at Ballston Common Mall.
WHO:   Dr. Harold Clarke, School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences, University of Texas atDallas

HOW: 5:30 p.m. Special half price burgers; please come early to order table service and socialize. Presentation begins at 6:15 p.m. followed by Q&A

No science background required, only interest!
Free and open to the public Registration  & donations requested www.arlingtonvirginiausa.com/bsta

ABOUT THE TOPIC:  The decisions American voters make are enormously important for the future of our country and often for the entire world.  National Science Foundation and comparable funding agencies in other countries have supported studies of the science of electoral choice and forces that drive these decisions.  We now know a great deal—the valence politics theory is a key theoretical development with strong empirical support.  Building on research in political psychology  and experimental economics, the valence politics theory argues that American voters (and their counterparts elsewhere) use leader images and partisan attachments as “fast and frugal” heuristics—easily accessible cues that facilitate political choice in contexts of high stakes and great uncertainty.  Voters are “smart enough to know they are not smart enough.”

The issues that count in elections typically are not positions upon which voters are deeply divided, but rather valence ones (emotions) upon which there is widespread consensus.  The prime example is the economy—virtually everyone wants a healthy economy with sustainable growth and low rates of unemployment and inflation.  Other prominent examples include affordable, effective health care, security from threats posed by terrorists and common criminals, and a clean, attractive environment.  When reacting to valence issues, voters focus heavily on “who can do the job”—performance not policy is what counts.

The power of the valence politics theory to explain the choices voters make is illustrated by analyses of national survey data gathered in the Political Support in America studies of voting in the 2008 U.S. presidential election, the 2010 congressional elections, and the 2010 California referendum (Proposition 23) on repealing the Air Pollution Control Act (AB 32).

WHAT:  ” Valence Politics and The  Science Of Electoral Choice: How Voters Make Big Decisions With Little Information”

WHEN: Tuesday, July 12, (Please note that this is the second Tuesday) program begins at 6:15 PM.  Come early to order food and drinks
WHERE: The Front Page Restaurant, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA, located near Ballston Metro on the ground floor of the NSF building. Parking is available under the NSF  Building or at Ballston Common Mall.
WHO:   Dr. Harold Clarke, School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences, University of Texas atDallas

HOW: 5:30 p.m. Special half price burgers; please come early to order table service and socialize. Presentation begins at 6:15 p.m. followed by Q&A

No science background required, only interest!
Free and open to the public Registration  & donations requested www.arlingtonvirginiausa.com/bsta

ABOUT THE TOPIC:  The decisions American voters make are enormously important for the future of our country and often for the entire world.  National Science Foundation and comparable funding agencies in other countries have supported studies of the science of electoral choice and forces that drive these decisions.  We now know a great deal—the valence politics theory is a key theoretical development with strong empirical support.  Building on research in political psychology  and experimental economics, the valence politics theory argues that American voters (and their counterparts elsewhere) use leader images and partisan attachments as “fast and frugal” heuristics—easily accessible cues that facilitate political choice in contexts of high stakes and great uncertainty.  Voters are “smart enough to know they are not smart enough.”

The issues that count in elections typically are not positions upon which voters are deeply divided, but rather valence ones (emotions) upon which there is widespread consensus.  The prime example is the economy—virtually everyone wants a healthy economy with sustainable growth and low rates of unemployment and inflation.  Other prominent examples include affordable, effective health care, security from threats posed by terrorists and common criminals, and a clean, attractive environment.  When reacting to valence issues, voters focus heavily on “who can do the job”—performance not policy is what counts.

The power of the valence politics theory to explain the choices voters make is illustrated by analyses of national survey data gathered in the Political Support in America studies of voting in the 2008 U.S. presidential election, the 2010 congressional elections, and the 2010 California referendum (Proposition 23) on repealing the Air Pollution Control Act (AB 32).

WHEN: Tuesday, February 8*, program begins at 6:15 PM.  Come early to order food and drinks .*Note that this is the second Tuesday

WHERE: The Front Page Restaurant, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA, located near Ballston Metro on the ground floor of the NSF building. Parking is available under the NSF Building or at Ballston Common Mall.

WHO:   Mark Stevenson, author, comedian and futurologist. 

HOW: 5:30 p.m. Special half price burgers; please come early to order table service and socialize. Presentation begins at 6:15 p.m. followed by Q&A

No science background required, only interest!
Free and open to the public Registration requested www.arlingtonvirginiausa.com/bsta

ABOUT THE TOPIC:  One curious man sets out to answer “What’s next?” He traveled over 60,000 miles across four continents, talked to over thirty geniuses, met four robots and had two terrible conversations with computer in search of answers.  Mark explored the looming realities of genome sequencing, synthetic biology, sociable machines, and carbon scrubbing.  Drawing on his singular humor and storytelling to explain these discoveries in a way that is simply to understand without being simplistic and paints of picture of the world as we grow up and why it is exciting rather than scary. Stevenson’s recently released book entitled An Optimist’s Tour of the Future (published by Profile Books in January 2011 in the UK and by Avery in February 2011 in the United States), which predicts that invention and innovation can help

WHAT: Building brains and manipulating minds: Neuroethics and the future of neuroscience.”

WHEN: Tuesday, January 11* program begins at 6:15 PM. Come early to order food and drinks. *Please note that this is the second Tuesday

WHERE: The Front Page Restaurant, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA, located near Ballston Metro on the ground floor of the NSF building. Parking is available under the NSF Building or at Ballston Common Mall.

WHO: Dr. Jim Giordano, Senior Fellow and Director Center for Neurotechnology Studies (CNS), Potomac Institute for Policy Studies

HOW: 5:30 p.m. Special half price burgers; please come early to order table service and socialize. Presentation begins at 6:15 p.m. followed by Q&A
No science background required, only interest!
Free and open to the public. Preregistration requested www.arlingtonvirginiausa.com/bsta

ABOUT THE TOPIC: The field of neuroscience – the study of the brain and its function – has made tremendous strides in the past three decades, due in part to both the use of highly sophisticated biotechnology, and the convergent focus of other disciplines such as genetics, engineering and nanoscience, upon neuroscientific issues. While striving to address and even answer profound questions about the nature of cognition, emotion, mind and self, and the causes and reasons for our feelings, thoughts and behaviors, neuroscience has also become a tool through which to enable our quest for flourishing. In this way, neuroscience has “come full circle”, and may now be seen as a venue through which we can engage various techniques and technologies to alter the brain, manipulate the mind, and control, enable and enhance ourselves. These issues and questions are the focus and work of the new, yet rapidly growing field of neuroethics, that seeks to define the ethical, legal and social effects and implications of neuroscientific research and its various uses and applications in medicine, public life and even national defense. This lecture illustrates these dimensions and directions of neuroscientific discovery and development, and explores the ways that brain-science can, will be used to affect, shape and even define our daily life, and presents the discipline of neuroethics as an essential element of any and all consideration of the ways that we might – and should (or should not) proceed toward the potential of a “neurocentric” future.

SUPPORT THIS CAFE: The Ballston Science and Technology Alliance, a nonprofit organization, is the sponsor of Café Scientifique Arlington. Since April 2006, the goal of Café Scientifique has been to make science more accessible and accountable by featuring speakers whose expertise spans the sciences and who can talk in plain English. Café is held each month on first Tuesdays at the Front Page in Arlington. Please go to www.arlingtonvirginiausa.com/bsta and contribute. Help keep Café open and free to all!

COMING NEXT MONTH: Feb 8*, 2011, “An Optimist’s Tour of the Future” by Mark Stevenson, codirector of Flow Associates, Britain’s most respected cultural learning Consultancy, and ReAgency, a leading organization that promotes science communication.
*Note this is the 2nd Tuesday of month!

For more information contact Kaye Breen, ballstonscience@yahoo.com , visit www.arlingtonvirginiausa.com/bsta or join us on twitter: http://twitter.com/sciencecafeva or facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ballston-Science-and-Technology-Alliance/116954825970, or our blog at http://bsta.wordpress.com.

WHEN: Tuesday, October 5; program begins at 6:15 PM.  Come early to order food and drinks.

WHERE: The Front Page Restaurant, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA, located near Ballston Metro on the ground floor of the NSF building. Parking is available under the NSF Building or at Ballston Common Mall.

WHO:  Christianne Corbett is a senior researcher at AAUW and co-author of many research studies. 

HOW: 5:30 p.m. Special half price burgers; please come early to order table service and socialize. Presentation begins at 6:15 p.m. followed by Q&A

No science background required, only interest!
Free and open to the public Registration requested www.arlingtonvirginiausa.com/bsta
ABOUT THE TOPIC: In an era when women are increasingly prominent in medicine, law and business, why are there so few women scientists and engineers? A new research report by AAUW presents compelling evidence that can help to explain this puzzle. Why So Few? Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics presents in-depth yet accessible profiles of eight key research findings that point to environmental and social barriers – including stereotypes, gender bias and the climate of science and engineering departments in colleges and universities – that continue to block women’s participation and progress in science, technology, engineering, and math. http://www.aauw.org/learn/research/upload/whysofew.pdf 

SUPPORT THIS CAFE: The Ballston Science and Technology Alliance, a nonprofit organization, is the sponsor of Café Scientifique Arlington.  Since April 2006, the goal of Café Scientifique has been to make science more accessible and accountable by featuring speakers whose expertise spans the sciences and who can talk in plain English. Café is held each month on first Tuesdays at the Front Page in Arlington. Please go to www.arlingtonvirginiausa.com/bsta and contribute. Help keep Café open and free to all!

COMING NEXT MONTH: Nov. 2, Joris D. Benninga, Founding Partner of Real NewEnergy Company will talk about the giant, but silent global energy transition

For more information contact Kaye Breen, ballstonscience@yahoo.com , visit www.arlingtonvirginiausa.com/bsta or join us on twitter: http://twitter.com/sciencecafeva or facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ballston-Science-and-Technology-Alliance/116954825970, or our blog at http://bsta.wordpress.com.

WHEN: Tuesday, September 14 (note change in date), program begins at 6:15 PM.  Come early to order food and drinks.

WHERE: The Front Page Restaurant, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA, located near Ballston Metro on the ground floor of the NSF building. Parking is available under the NSF Building or at Ballston Common Mall.

WHO:  Vanessa Woods is a research scientist and internationally published author and journalist. 

HOW: 5:30 p.m. Special half price burgers; please come early to order table service and socialize. Presentation begins at 6:15 p.m. followed by Q&A

No science background required, only interest!
Free and open to the public Registration requested -Please use www.arlingtonvirginiausa.com/bsta
ABOUT THE TOPIC: Bonobos are an extremely endangered ape (as few as 10,000 left in the wild), that share 98.7% of our DNA – equal to our more famous cousin, the chimp. Chimpanzees live in a violent, male dominated society with sexual coercion, infanticide, and war. Bonobos, however, are peaceful and female dominated. There is no infanticide or war; and sex is used to resolve conflict. Vanessa Woods is part of the Hominoid Psychology Research Group, which compares the psychology of humans, chimpanzees, and bonobos.  Woods won an Acclaimed Book award from the Royal Society for BONOBO HANDSHAKE: A memoir of love and adventure in the Congo. Woods explores the question: How much of us is chimpanzee, and how much is bonobo?

Join us at 6:15 (food and drink specials start at 5:30) at The Front Page (4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA) near the Ballston Metro station for a program featuring Mario J. Molina, PhD, 1995 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry.

REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Click here to register online.

ABOUT THE TOPIC: Are humans really causing irreversible damage to the planet’s environment? How do we know the damage is due to human activity and not some other source? What is the scope of the damage and what are the repercussions for future generations? Dr. Molina will address how scientists measure the effect of human activities on the depletion of the ozone layer. He will also address how public policy might be used to prevent and repair future environmental damage to our planet.