September 28, 2020

Live Online! Tuesday, October 6 @ 8PM, Secret Science Club presents Astrophysicist & Author Katie Mack on “The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking)”

Everything you always wanted to know about the ultimate fate of the cosmos*
(*But were afraid to ask) 

We know the Universe had a spectacular beginning. It started with the Big Bang, and it expanded into an array of flaming stars, black holes, and whirling galaxies. But will there be an equally breathtaking end to this cosmic story? At the next Secret Science Club, astrophysicist Katie Mack embarks on a mind-bending tour of possible cosmic finales, including the "Big Crunch," "Heat Death," and the "Bounce" (gulp). Along the way, we detour into quantum mechanics, supernovas, and dark energy. Don’t miss this wildly fun ride to The End of Everything.

Join us live via Zoom on Tuesday, October 6 @ 8PM with Katie Mack, author of The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking)
"Doors" to the Zoom Room will open at 7:30PM (Eastern Time USA) 

Shhh... everyone on our mailing list will be emailed the Zoom link the night before.  (To join the Secret Science Club mailing list, send us an email.)

In the meantime... 
--Mix up our cocktail of the night, the Cosmic Conundrum… (recipe below!)
--Prepare to groove to our heaven-sent playlist
--Bring your questions for the live Q&A

--Snag a copy of Katie Mack's out-of-this-world new book, THE END OF EVERYTHING here!

Katie Mack is a theoretical astrophysicist at North Carolina State University. Throughout her career she has studied dark matter, the early universe, galaxy formation, black holes, cosmic strings, and the ultimate fate of the cosmos. Alongside her academic research, she is an active science communicator and has been published in popular publications such as Scientific American, Slate, Sky & Telescope, the New York Times, and Cosmos magazine, where she is a columnist. The End of Everything is her first book.

This is a FREE event.

You can support Secret Science Club's programming by making a DONATION via:

Credit Card, PayPal, Apple Pay, or Google Pay on Donorbox

Cash App: $SecretScienceClub

Zelle: scienceliveproductions@gmail.com

What’s next at Secret Science Club online?
Stay tuned for Ecosystem Ecologist Thomas Crowther on Sunday, October 25!

(Note: If you don't already have the Zoom meeting app on your computer or mobile device, you can download it for free at zoom.us)

Cocktail Recipe for the “Cosmic Conundrum” (created by Joe Cacciola)
Ingredients: 1½ oz Gin, ¾ oz Apricot Brandy, 3 oz Pink Grapefruit Juice, ¼ to ½ Teaspoon Sugar (to taste), Juice of ½ Lime, Splash of Grenadine, Slice of a Lime (for garnish)
-In bar shaker, combine all ingredients except grenadine and shake well
-Pour mixture over ice into a rocks glass
-Add a splash of grenadine and let it float down naturally
-Garnish with a slice of lime.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

September 15, 2020

Live Online! Wednesday, September 23 @ 8PM, Secret Science Club & the Lasker Foundation present the “2020 Lasker Public Lecture” with Immunologist Arturo Casadevall

Secret Science Club & the Lasker Foundation present the 2020 Lasker Public Lecture with Immunologist Arturo Casadevall
 
Join us live via Zoom, WEDNESDAY, September 23 @ 8PM (Eastern Time USA). "Doors" to the Zoom Room open at 7:30PM

To join our mailing list or request the Zoom link, send us an email (secretscienceclub@gmail.com).

Since the start of this pandemic, Arturo Casadevall and his colleagues have been working 24/7 on researching antibody-rich convalescent plasma as a treatment for COVID-19. Their efforts (and those of plasma donors) have been hailed by many as heroic. Yet in recent weeks, convalescent plasma has become alarmingly politicized.
 
At the next Secret Science Club, we cut through the noise with Dr. Casadevall, as he explores why the investigation of convalescent plasma and antibody-based therapies is important - no matter the outcome - and how it may help in the search for other treatments and preventions. 

Dr. Casadevall asks:
•    How does the SARS-CoV-2 virus attack the human body? How does the body fight back?
•    What is the theory behind using convalescent plasma to treat COVID-19 and how are studies being conducted? What does the data show? What other antibody-based therapies are being investigated?
•    What can we learn from research and experiences fighting the coronavirus in other countries? Is there an end to the pandemic in sight?


Arturo Casadevall is a professor of medicine and infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins University, and chair of the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The author of more than 746 scientific papers, he aims to protect people from harm caused by new pathogens, resistant organisms, and compromised immune systems. His groundbreaking contributions to the field of infectious disease have been recognized with multiple awards and honors, including the American Society for Microbiology Founders Distinguished Service Award, the National Institutes of Health Merit Award, the Rhoda Benham Award from the Medical Mycological Society of the Americas, and his election to both the National Academy of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is currently the chair of the National COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Project, a consortium of physicians and scientists from 57 hospitals, universities, and blood banks who are investigating the use of convalescent plasma in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before & After:
Mix up our cocktail of the night, the Cuba Libre in honor of Dr. Casadevall's birthplace (recipe below);
groove to our emergency-approved playlist; and stick around for the live audience Q&A.  
 

This edition of the Secret Science Club, the 2020 Lasker Public Lecture in honor of Al Sommer, is sponsored by the Lasker Foundation. The Foundation works to foster the prevention and treatment of disease and disabilities by honoring excellence in basic and clinical science, educating the public, and advocating for support of medical research.
 
This is a FREE event!
 
You can support Secret Science Club's programming by making a DONATION via:
Credit Card, PayPal, Apple Pay, or Google Pay on Donorbox  
Cash App: $SecretScienceClub
Zelle: scienceliveproductions@gmail.com

(Note: If you don't already have the Zoom meeting app on your computer or mobile device, you can download it for free at zoom.us)

Cocktail Recipe for the “(Bloody) Cuba Libre” (created by mixologist Joe Cacciola)
Ingredients: 1½ oz Rum, 3½ oz Tomato Juice, Juice of ½ Lemon, 3 Pinches of Salt, 3 Pinches of Ground Black Pepper, 3 Dashes of Hot Sauce (preferably chipotle), 1 Teaspoon Honey, ¼ Teaspoon Sugar, ¼ Apple (diced), 3 Mint Leaves
- In a bar shaker, combine honey, sugar, 2 mint leaves, diced apple, and a couple of drops of water; then muddle well
- Add tomato juice, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and hot sauce
- Pour drink back and forth between two shaker glasses (or stir gently)
- Pour into a wine glass, and add 4 or 5 ice cubes
- Garnish with a mint leaf and a slice of lemon

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.