Science lectures to be held throughout spring semester

Science and interactive fun have come together at the University of Toledo’s Saturday Morning Science lecture series.

Entering its tenth year, the lecture series is hosted by Joseph Schmidt and John Bellizzi, both UT associate professors of chemistry.

The spring 2015 lectures feature a variety of topics, such as the algal blooms in Lake Erie and the use of fungi in commercial materials. The lectures take place Saturdays at 9:30 a.m. in Wolfe Hall Room 1205 and are free and open to the public.

Two lectures took place in February and three more are slated for March, April and May.

“Our goals for this program span a wide range,” Schmidt said. “The program is a good learning tool for our undergraduate students. We also like to invite the general public and we get a fair number of residents from Toledo and the surrounding suburbs that are here to learn more about our topics.”

The meetings for the program consist of a short breakfast followed by an hour-long lecture. Occasionally, a hands-on activity will coordinate with the chosen topic. Afterward, participants can ask the presenter questions and participate in topic-relevant discussions.

Undergraduate students, like first-year pharmacy major Lily Ostrander, attend the sessions to learn more about the program and the in-depth discussion of each subject.

“I have Professor Schmidt for O-Chem [Organic Chemistry] and he was offering extra credit,” Ostrander said. “But I also wanted to check it out, because I heard that it would be pretty interesting.”

Students from local high schools such as Southview attend to gain extra credit for their classes.

– and to have a little fun with science outside the classroom.

“We like to get the high school students on campus so they can see what UT has to offer and enjoy their time here,” Schmidt said.

Rather than catering to only science students, the programs try to make science interesting for a large scope of students, Schmidt said.

“I like these a lot,” said Miriam Basiouny, a third-year chemistry graduate student. “You see a really broad audience that’s really interested in science. In my day-to-day, I only interact with chemistry majors, chemistry grad students … people in science classes. But here, you get to see a wide audience interacting and enjoying science.”

According to Schmidt, the lectures are designed for people of all backgrounds and education levels to understand, regardless of the topic’s complexity.

“It’s a good variety,” Basiouny said. “My favorite is the zoo guy because he brings animals with him every year.”

For those interested in animals, “the zoo guy,” or Steve Oswanski, children’s zoo manager at the Toledo Zoo, will lecture on May 2 about animal conservation.

Schmidt was is very enthusiastic about an upcoming lecture in April that will feature a distinguished guest from NASA.

“He is the head of the Kepler mission, which is a scientific project to detect planets orbiting the myriad of other stars out there in the universe,” Schmidt said. “I am personally very excited about this one as astronomy has been a passion of mine since my childhood.”

Schmidt urges anyone with an interest in science to reach out to him with possible lecture ideas for next year.

“Every year we try to pick out a new set of topics,” Schmidt said. “We are always looking for new ideas, so people out there are encouraged to email me suggestions.”

For additional information about the program or topics, visit the Saturday Morning Science Facebook page at facebook.com/SaturdayMorningScience.