Still Life: Penn State plugs into 'Research Unplugged'

State College, Pa. -- The inaugural "Research Unplugged" was held at noon today (Oct. 15) in the Penn State Downtown Theatre Center. Research Unplugged, an idea based on Café Scientifique, a university-town phenomenon that began a few years ago in the U.K., creates an informal forum, open to all, for exploring ideas, fostering public dialogue and energizing conversations about a variety of topical issues.

For the first event in the series, Charles Dumas, associate professor of theatre, facilitated discussion on "The Emergence of the African Century.” For pictures, visit http://live.psu.edu/still_life/10_15_03_unplugged/index.html

The series continues with other topics for seven more weeks this fall, and then will resume in the spring. All events will be held from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesdays in the Woskob Gallery of the Penn State Downtown Theatre. Bag lunches will be welcome. A Penn State faculty member will introduce the week's topic with a 10-15 minute talk, then open the floor to questions and discussion.

The remaining topics in the series are:

Oct. 22: Amy Glasmeier, professor of geography, on “Paradox of Prosperity: The Challenges of Living in America”;

Oct. 29: Kevin Furlong, professor of geosciences, on “Can Scientists Make Their Research Understandable; and Should They?”;

Nov. 5: Sam Richards, senior lecturer in sociology, on “Global Inequality and International Racism”;

Nov. 12: Phil Jenkins, distinguished professor of history and religious studies, on “Investigating Terrorism: Can we Ever Know the Truth?”;

Nov. 19: Josip Novakovich, associate professor of English, on “Gathering Facts for Making Fiction”; and

Dec. 3: Richard Alley, Evan Pugh professor of earth and mineral sciences, on “Weird Weather.”