Local university professors and other professionals facilitate informal and lively public discussions on important science-related topics as part of the Science Cafe series.

Join the conversation and relax with a cup of coffee or tea; topics range from how to combat headaches effectively and why it is so hard to predict the weather to body language and its importance in everyday communication.

We meet at locations in the local community so that others can participate in these unique and thought-provoking conversations.

Locations

Potsdam events: Jernabi Coffeehouse, 11 Maple Street, Potsdam NY

Canton events: The Rushton Conference Room, Best Western University Inn, 90 E. Main Street, Canton NY

Spring 2020 Series Schedule

Food and the City in India
Canton: Tuesday, Feb 11,  7:15 pm
Potsdam: Wednesday, Feb 12,  7:15 pm 

Bangalore is India's "IT Capital" and one of Asia's fastest growing cities. As such, the city has changed dramatically in just four decades. Residents often narrate these changes through the lens of food and health. In particular, they are worried about the safety and sustainability of the food supply chains that link nearby farms with urban consumers' plates. Join Professor Camille Frazier (Anthropology, Clarkson) for a detailed look at the impact of a rapidly expanding cityscape on regional food networks. What will the future of food look like in a city like Bangalore? What can this tell us about the relationship between food and urbanization on a global scale?

Cannabis Unchained
Canton: Tuesday, Feb 25,  7:15 pm
Potsdam: Wednesday, Feb 26,  7:15 pm 

Cannabis has been part of the pharmacopoeia for millennia. Only in the last 80 years, has it been demonized and effectively outlawed.  Yet, in the face of criminalization, cannabis use persists. In this discussion, Ann McLaughlin, Certified Cannabis Caregiver, will explain new findings and what we know about the structure and function of over 100 cannabis compounds, known as "phytocannabinoids,” the role they play in maintaining homeostasis in humans and animals, and how they contribute to physiological, psychological, social, and behavioral effects.  Come and get a glimpse of these exciting new discoveries.

Don’t Throw it Away!  Recovering Energy from Food Waste
Canton: Tuesday, March 10,  7:15 pm
Potsdam: Wednesday, March 11,  7:15 pm 

Did you know that about half of the food produced in the U.S. is thrown away? In fact, food waste makes up more than 20% of our solid waste! Instead of throwing it away, food waste can be processed to recover important resources. Resource recovery programs use anaerobic digesters to convert organic wastes into biogas and fertilizer. Join Professors Stefan Grimberg and Jan DeWaters (Clarkson, Engineering) to explore options for our household waste, and hear about the ‘Food-to-Energy’ program happening at Canton Central School, in partnership with Clarkson and St. Lawrence County Cornell Cooperative Extension. 

(Combatting the Lily Leaf Beetle March 24 and 25) 
PLEASE NOTE: THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED. Efforts will be made to reschedule this talk next Spring.
 

The Pharmacology of a Public Health Emergency
Canton: Tuesday, April 14,  7:15 pm
Potsdam: Wednesday, April 15,  7:15 pm 

Opioids provide one of the most effective means of pain relief, but instances of opioid overdose have claimed the lives of over 700,000 people in the US in the last 20 years alone, and the annual mortality rate continues to climb.  Despite over 100 years of research on opioids and their receptors, which recognized the addictive nature of oxycodone as early as 1939, understanding of opioid pharmacology among clinical and public health professionals remains poor.  In this talk, Professor Damien Samways (Biology, CU) will attempt to demystify the pharmacology of opioids, explaining their effects on the central nervous system, and how their relative potencies and maximal effect ceilings can be altered by changes in neuronal opioid receptor density. 

Recent News

“Food and the City in India” at Next Clarkson University Science Cafe
Clarkson University Sets Science Cafes for Spring in Potsdam and Canton
“Shaken, Stirred, or just Mixed up?” at Next Clarkson University Science Cafe