Galileo's Science Cafe
Galileo's Science Cafe
Hear about the latest findings surrounding hot topics in science and medicine that affect our everyday lives and the decisions that we make. Join your family and friends for a free, casual, interactive science discussion. Learn from the experts and speak with them.
Evening schedule
In-person guests, please join us at the Manassas Museum, our new home for Galileo Science Café for the 2024/2025 season! The generous support from the City of Manassas makes events like ours possible. The Manassas Museum is located at 9101 Prince William St, Manassas, VA, 20110; a link to the Museum location is here. Free parking is available both at the museum parking lot here, or at the parking deck in Old Town Manassas, here.
For in-person guests
- 6:30 p.m. Doors at the Manassas Museum will open. Make your way to Mae Merchant Exhibit Hall (an immediately left after entering at the museum's main entrance; signs will guide you), and enjoy free refreshments prior to our scientific talk
- 7 to 8 p.m Scientific discussion
- 8 to 8:30 p.m. Ask the presenters! Questions from the audience
- 8:30 to 8:45 p.m. Meet the scientist and networking reception (optional)
- 9 p.m. Session closes
For remote guests
- 6:50 p.m. Log-in begins via Zoom
- 7 to 8 p.m. Scientific discussion
- 8 to 8:30 p.m. Q&A from the audience
- 8:30 p.m. Session closes
Galileo Science Café, November 21, 2024
Join us to hear a discussion about submarine science from a former Navy sub captain. Science can be challenging and surprising in any situation, but especially so when it is conducted under close quarters and high pressure. In honor of Veteran’s Day, learn more about military science and about unique considerations for conducting science in the deep. Stick around for Q&A with our presenter and light free dinner.
This event is kindly sponsored by George Mason University's College of Science as well as City of Manassas, Department of Economic Development.
Title: Into the Abyss: The Science and Survival of Submarines
Speaker: Noel J Gonzalez, Former Submarine Captain and COO of Targeted Bioscience
Register to attend.
Explore previous sessions
Death & Data: Morbid Histories of Old and New England
Presented by on October 17, 2024 by Dan Howlett
Plague, found dead in a coffin, being melted to death by extreme heat, teeth: these are just some of the causes of death you can find in the London Bills of Mortality and carved into New England gravestones. By tracking the spread of plague in early modern London and by visiting cemeteries, creating death data allows historians to reimagine life during the early modern period. This talk will discuss two projects, Death By Numbers, a transcription project funded by the National Science Foundation to create a dataset of the Bills; and Howlett's dissertation research which has brought him to over 150 New England cemeteries. These projects allow for new understandings of religious history, body history, and the morbid world that stretched across the Atlantic.
Plague: Biology, Pathogenicity, and Modern Research
Presented on October 17, 2024 by Amanda Haymond Still
Plague, a disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, is responsible for some of the deadliest pandemics in history, including the Black Death. Today, plague cases are relatively rare, and treatable with antibiotics. So, why do some researchers still study the plague? As it turns out, this tricky bacterium still has some interesting secrets to uncover. As a follow-on to our discussion of plague deaths, this talk will focus on discussing the unique biology and pathogenicity of Yersinia pestis, with a focus on scientific research happening here at George Mason University.
Novel Antimicrobials/Antivirals
Presented on March 21, 2024 by Barney Bishop
Bishop is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. His research focus includes: Humans and other animals produce a diverse array of biomolecules with potential biomedical applications. He is interested in studying the immune systems of animal species, primarily reptiles (e.g. American alligator and Komodo dragon), and identifying the molecules that they produce to defend against infection. Specifically, he is focused on antimicrobial peptides, which are essentially small proteins that are produced by the animals as part of their immune response to defend against infection. Antimicrobial peptides play complex roles in immunity that include exerting a direct antimicrobial effect as well as modulating inflammation and other aspects of immune response. Bishop's efforts have focused on the identification and development of novel antimicrobial peptides that may provide the basis for developing new antibacterial and antiviral therapeutics.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Spatiotemporal Methodologies for Climate Factor Analysis
Presented on January 18, 2024 by Qian Liu, Research Assistant Professor, Department of Geography & Geoinformation Science.
Liu’s presentation focused on leveraging AI, spatiotemporal and data fusion methodologies to analyze climate factors and climate change. She prestented three research examples: (1). Using to deep-learning model to retrieve cloud fractions; (2). Spatiotemporal analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on air pollution and nighttime light; (3). Generating atmospheric temperature from satellite data for climate change study.
View the presentation here:
How to find Earth 2.0
Presented on November 16, 2023 by Peter Plavchan, Associate Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy
View the presentation here:
A two-pronged approach for triple negative breast cancer: building new kinds of drugs for the next generation of breast cancer targets
Presented on Thursday, October 19, 2023 by Amanda Haymond Still, Research Assistant Professor, School of Systems Biology
Consolidated Research Project on the food systems transformation summit dialogues in Ghana, Rwanda and Malawi
Presented on Thursday, February 16, 2023 by Maction Komwa, Assistant Professor Department of Geography and Geoinformation Science and Paul Thangata, Ph.D. Head, Hub for Agricultural Policy Action (HAPA) at AGRA - Sustainably Growing Africa's Food Systems.
Human–dog relationships as a working framework for exploring human-robot affiliation
Presented on Thursday, January 26, 2023 by Frank Krueger, Professor, School of Systems Biology, and Kelsey Mitchell, M. S.
How genomics helps us to save endangered species
Presented on Thursday, November 17, 2022 by Klaus-Peter Koepfli, Senior Research Scientist, Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation.
Eavesdropping on the whispers of cancer to find new strategies to treat metastasis
Presented on Thursday, October 20, 2022 by Lance Liotta, Professor, School of Systems Biology, and Marissa Howard, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine (CAPMM).
The James Webb Space Telescope: What Discoveries Await Us?
Presented on Thursday, September 15, 2022 by Michael E. Summers, Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy.
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