The Secret Science Club Goes Boom with Experimenter Extraordinaire David Maiullo, Wednesday, May 4, 8 pm @ the Bell House, FREE!

Feel the electricity, the vibrations, the friction! Physics has never been this steamy!

David Maiullo of Rutgers University brings his traveling physics roadshow to the Secret Science Club for a night of wonder and experimentation. Co-host of the National Geographic Channel’s new series Humanly Impossible, Maiullo reveals the mysterious forces of the universe, using beds of nails, glasses of wine, liquid nitrogen, and a lab-made cannon. Who knows what forms of potential energy may be unleashed? Don’t miss this physics phantasmagoria . . .

Before & After
--Groove to the music of the spheres
--Stick around for the quantum Q&A
--Try our cosmic cocktail of the night, the Heavenly Motion

This edition of the Secret Science Club meets Wednesday, May 4, 2011 @ the Bell House, 149 7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn, p: 718.643.6510 Subway: F to 4th Ave; R to 9th St; F or G to Smith/9th.

Doors open at 7:30 pm. Please bring ID: 21+.

FREE! Just bring your smart self.

Kinda spooky, kinda wow...Thursday, April 28, Secret Science Club Goes to the Opera

The Secret Science Club is teaming up with the L Magazine to host a cocktail party following Thursday evening’s performance of Séance on a Wet Afternoon at City Opera. Everyone with tickets to the opera is invited, and when the Séance is over, Secret Science Club will materialize with ghost-busting grooves and haunting experimentation.


Special guests at the post-opera “sci- éance” include:
--Neuroscientist and composer Dave Sulzer, creating wraithlike music from brainwaves
--Physics presenter David Maiullo, combating the supernatural with a sledgehammer and pipettes

Scary! Grab your opera glasses and get over to the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center on Thursday, April 28. Séance on a Wet Afternoon starts at 8 pm, and the free cocktails start flowing afterwards in the Fourth Ring. Opera tickets can be snagged for as low as $12. 

The Secret Science Club Blasts Off to the Far Side of the Moon, Monday, April 25, 8 pm @ the Bell House, $5

Begin countdown and prepare for zero gravity . . . The Secret Science Club presents a special screening of Moon, one of the trippiest indie sci-fi films of the past decade. PLUS lunar scientist Arlin Crotts of Columbia University gets this cinema party started with a mini-lecture on Earth’s beloved satellite.

Directed by Duncan Jones (Source Code), Moon stars Sam Rockwell as an engineer in charge of a mining station on the far side of the moon. He’s all alone on this lunar outpost—or is he? Set in the near future and full of psychological chills, Moon is mind-bending, cerebral sci-fi at its best.

With stunning new maps and images of the moon, Dr. Crotts takes the Secret Science Club on a pre-film tour of the latest lunar discoveries and visions of future exploration.

Before & After

--Groove to gravity-defying tunes

--Try a rocket-fueled cocktail in our Space Lounge!

--Enter the lunar trivia contest to score cosmic prizes

Viva la luna! See you at the launch site . . .

This special “Manic Moonday” edition of the Secret Science Club meets Monday, April 25 at 8 pm @ the Bell House, 149 7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn, p: 718.643.6510. Subway: F to 4th Ave; R to 9th St; F or G to Smith/9^th.

Doors open at 7:30 pm. Please bring ID: 21+. $5. Advance tix are available here. 

The Secret Science Club presents a Brain-Boggling Evening with Neuroscientist and Author Paul Glimcher, Sunday, April 3, 8 pm @ the Bell House, FREE!

Think fast! Every waking moment involves choice. Android or iPhone? Pancakes or waffles? Boxers or briefs? Time to call it quits, or time for another drink? My place or yours? What exactly goes on in our brains when we’re confronted with so many options?

A leading pioneer in the new field of neuroeconomics, scientist and author Paul Glimcher uses the latest technology to uncover how brain biology controls decision-making. He asks: Why do wrong decisions sometimes feel so right? Are other animals ever irrational? Is money an outgrowth of our neural circuitry? What happens inside the brain when we choose to take risks?

The author of Foundations of Neuroeconomic Analysis and Neuroeconomics: Decision Making and the Brain, Dr. Glimcher is professor of Neural Science, Economics and Psychology at New York University and director of NYU’s Center for Neuroeconomics.

Before & After
--Groove to synapse-stimulating sounds
--Stick around for the cerebral Q&A
--Try our dopamine-spiked cocktail of the night, the "Brainstorm"
--Snag a signed copy of Paul Glimcher's mind-blowing new book!

JUST ADDED! This brain-boggling evening will feature a special performance by theremin player Jen Rondeau. Eerie and ethereal, the theremin is one of the earliest electronic instruments—and one that is mysteriously played without touching. (Jen Rondeau will also be performing April 7 at the Knitting Factory Brooklyn with her band Changing Modes and April 20 - 23 as part of the upcoming Ensemble Studio Theatre workshop production of Pidgeon, the new play about physicist Leon Theremin, the instrument’s inventor.)

This brainy edition of the Secret Science Club meets Sunday, April 3 at 8 pm @ the Bell House, 149 7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn, p: 718.643.6510. Subway: F to 4th Ave; R to 9th St; F or G to Smith/9th.
 
Doors open at 7:30 pm. Please bring ID: 21+
Free! Just bring your smart self!

The Secret Science Club presents Theoretical High-Energy Physicist Matthew Strassler, Wednesday, March 16, 8 pm @ the Bell House, FREE!

Kick it into warp drive! The Secret Science Club is heading out—way out. The Large Hadron Collider is the world’s most powerful particle accelerator, a ginormous subterranean machine that sends subatomic particles smashing into each other at incomprehensible speeds. The resulting explosions mimic conditions just moments after the Big Bang. Theoretical physicist Matthew Strassler of Rutgers University lectures on how this phenomenal new experiment could unveil the fundamental building blocks of the universe and transform our understanding of matter, space and time, and the cosmos.

Before & After

--Groove to high-energy tunes

--Stick around for the quantum Q&A

--Try our quarky cocktail of the night, the elusive Dark Matter
--Plus! Science rapper Zach Charlop-Powers live. Oh, yeah!

The Secret Science Club meets Wednesday, March 16 @ the Bell House, 149 7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn, p: 718.643.6510 Subway: F to 4th Ave; R to 9th St; F or G to Smith/9th.

Doors open at 7:30 pm. Please bring ID: 21+  Free!

The Compact Muon Solenoid Experiment is on the hunt for Dark Matter;
 photo courtesy of CERN

The Secret Science Club presents Dinosaur Hunter Stephen Brusatte, Thursday, February 17, 8 PM @ the Bell House, FREE!

The beast is out of the box! 
The Secret Science Club goes on a post-Valentine’s rampage with the Mesozoic Era’s most beloved creature, Tyrannosaurus rex. Paleontologist Stephen Brusatte of the American Museum of Natural History and Columbia University lectures on recently discovered tyrannosaur species, new thinking about dinosaur evolution, and the hunt for fossils in Europe, China, and the American West. Dig it! This is one creature feature you don’t want to miss!

Before & After
--Groove to prehistoric tunes
--Stick around for the Cretaceous Q&A
--Try our Darwinian cocktail of the night, the T. Rex on the Beach. (No schnapps, but lots of bite . . .)

The Secret Science Club meets Thursday, February 17 @ the Bell House, 149 7^th St. (between 2^nd and 3^rd avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn, p: 718.643.6510  Subway: F to 4th Ave; R to 9^th St; F or G to Smith/9^th.

Doors open at 7:30 pm. Please bring ID: 21+.  Free!

The Secret Science Club presents Astrophysicist Charles Liu, Wednesday, January 19, 2011, 8 PM @ the Bell House, FREE!

Strap on your rocket pack! The Secret Science Club is heading for the edge of time and space. Astrophysicist Charles Liu of the Hayden Planetarium and CUNY discusses the evolution of galaxies, supermassive black holes, star birth, and the large-scale structure of the cosmos. Don't miss one nanosecond of this far-out talk!

Before & After
--Groove to celestial tunes
--Stick around for the cosmic Q&A
--Try our quantum cocktail of the night. (It'll knock you into another orbit . . .)

This Secret Science Club meets Wednesday, January 19 @ the Bell House, 149 7^th St. (between 2^nd and 3^rd avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn, p: 718.643.6510  Subway: F to 4th Ave; R to 9^th St; F or G to Smith/9^th.

Doors open at 7:30 pm. Please bring ID: 21+. Free!

Note: This event was originally slated for January 12, 2011, and rescheduled for the 19th due to dastardly weather.

Snow Cancellation: The Secret Science Club Melts into the New Year

Sorry, folks! Due to the snow forecast, we're cancelling the Secret Science Club for Wednesday, January 12, and rescheduling for Wednesday, January 19, 8 PM @ the Bell House. Stay warm! And see you on the 19th with astrophysicist Charles Liu . . .

Meanwhile, enjoy this massive new video from science rapper Zach Charlop-Powers.

The Secret Science Club Rockets into the New Year, Wednesday, January 12, 8 PM @ the Bell House, FREE!

UPDATE: Due to the snow forecast for Wednesday, January 12, this edition of the Secret Science Club has been rescheduled for Wednesday, January 19.

Strap on your rocket pack! The Secret Science Club is heading for the edge of time and space with astrophysicist Charles Liu. Don't miss one nanosecond of this far-out talk!

 Before & After
--Groove to celestial tunes
--Stick around for the cosmic Q&A
--Try our quantum cocktail of the night. (It'll knock you into another orbit . . .)

The Secret Science Club meets Wednesday, January 12 @ the Bell House, 149 7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn, p: 718.643.6510 Subway: F to 4th Ave; R to 9th St; F or G to Smith/9th.

Doors open at 7:30 pm. Please bring ID: 21+. Free!

The Secret Science Club presents the 5th-annual Carnivorous Nights TAXIDERMY CONTEST, Tuesday, December 7, 8 pm @ the Bell House, $5

The beasts are back! Calling all science geeks, nature freaks, and rogue geniuses!

Your stuffed squirrel got game? Got a beaver in your brownstone? Bring your beloved beast to the Bell House and enter it to win! 

Eligible for prizes: Taxidermy (bought, found, or homemade), biological oddities, articulated skeletons, skulls, jarred specimens—and beyond, way beyond.

The contest will be judged by our panel of savage taxidermy enthusiasts, including Robert Marbury of the Minnesota Association of Rogue Taxidermists; Dorian Devins, co-founder and curator of the Secret Science Club; and beast mistress Melissa Milgrom, author of Still Life: Adventures in Taxidermy.

SPECIAL GUEST: Purveyor of scientific wonders and star of the inimitable new show Oddities on the Discovery Channel, Mike Zohn joins the judging panel and presents an illustrated lecture on (yes!) taxidermy.

Plus!
 --Groove to wildlife-inspired tunes
--Imbibe ferocious specialty drinks!

--More secrets and surprises

Entrants: Contact secretscienceclub@gmail.com to pre-register. Share your taxidermy (and its tale) with the world!

Spectators: Don't miss a beastly second of this wild night!

--Doors and pre-show at 7:30 pm

--Taxidermy Lecture at 8 pm

--TAXIDERMY CONTEST at 8:30 pm

This special edition of the Secret Science Club meets on Tuesday, December 7, 8 pm @ the Bell House, 149 7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn, p: 718.643.6510 Subway: F to 4th Ave; R to 9th St; F or G to Smith/9th

$5 cover charge. Doors open at 7:15 pm. Please bring ID: 21+



Aya Kakeda for the New Yorker



The Secret Science Club Gets Wet and Wild! Melanie Stiassny Explores the Mysterious Depths of the Congo River, Tuesday, November 9, 8 PM @ the Bell House, FREE!

Step into liquid with ichthyologist and explorer Melanie Stiassny as she plunges into the heart of darkness. Described by Joseph Conrad as an “immense snake uncoiled, with its head in the sea . . . and its tail lost in the depths of the land,” the Congo is the deepest river on Earth, home to raging rapids, and hidden submarine canyons. Such mysterious depths shelter astonishingly strange creatures, ranging from blind fishes to truly monstrous needle-toothed carnivores.

Axelrod Research Curator of Fishes at the American Museum of Natural History, a New York Times blogger, and featured scientist on The Colbert Report, Dr. Stiassny researches the evolutionary biology of fishes, focusing on freshwater conservation and Old World tropical systems. She discusses her recent fish-finding expeditions to the Congo and plumbs the river’s amazing biodiversity. Prepare to go deep . . .

Before & After
--Groove to siren song and the murmurs of mermaids
--Imbibe the wet and wild cocktail of the night, the Stiassny Stinger
--Immerse yourself in the fishy Q&A

The Secret Science Club meets Tuesday, November 9 @ the Bell House, 149 7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn, p: 718.643.6510 Subway: F to 4th Ave; R to 9th St; F or G to Smith/9th.

Doors open at 7:15 pm. Please bring ID: 21+. Free!

The Secret Science Club hosts the Imagine Science Film Festival and A NIGHT OF AVANT-GARDE FILMS @ the Bell House, Mon, Oct 18, 8pm FREE!

SPECIAL EVENT: The Secret Science Club is teaming up with the Imagine Science Film Festival to present a selection of science-inspired short films, plus “Dance Your Ph.D.” and live music by neuroscientist rockers, the Amygdaloids, and Balún.

Techno noir. Music Video. Animation. Don’t miss some of the festival’s quirkiest and coolest entries, featuring subjects like murder and meteorites, particles and prescription drugs, and the dark nature of fear. Check out the following films from the USA, Australia, France, Thailand, Canada, Portugal, and the Future: Mind Over Matter, Velvet Cell, Origin of Mass, Breu, Skhizein, and more!

When: Monday, October 18, 8 pm
Where: The Bell House, 149 7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn.

FREE! Just bring your smart self. Doors open at 7:30 PM. 21 and over.

The Imagine Science Film Festival runs from October 15 to 22 at a whole host of venues around the city. Visit here for a complete listing of events.

The Secret Science Club presents Evolutionary Anthropologist Todd Disotell on Human and Primate Origins, Tuesday, October 12 @ the Bell House, 8 pm, FREE!

No more monkeying around . . . The Secret Science Club goes ape!

The order Primates represents more than 400 living species, including the Pig-Tailed Macaque, the Golden Lion Tamarin, the Mountain Gorilla—and yours truly, Homo sapiens. We primates all share certain characteristics, but humans are the only ones that live on all seven continents, question the meaning of life, and conduct DNA analysis.

Dr. Todd Disotell of NYU’s Center for Human Origins is an anthropologist and molecular primatologist who uses DNA to study the evolution of Homo sapiens. He also uses DNA analysis to throw a monkey wrench into “evidence” of cryptozoological primates, such as Bigfoot, and has appeared on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, National Geographic’s Naked Science, and Monster Quest. The author of scores of scientific papers and recipient of numerous grants from the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health, Dr. Disotell asks:
--When did our first primate ancestors evolve?
--How did humans emerge—and diverge—from other primates, such as our closest relatives, the chimpanzees and bonobos?
--How do genomics help elucidate and recalibrate the fossil record?
--What happened to the other species of Homo—erectus, habilis, and neanderthalis?
--And what exactly is a Chumanzee?

Before and After

--Groove to ever-evolving tunes
--Try our Halloween-inspired simian cocktail of the night, the Monkey’s Paw. (You’ll never “wish” for another . . . wah-ha-ha . . . )
--Stick around for the scintillating Q&A

The “Secret Science Club” meets Tuesday, October 12 @ the Bell House, 149 7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn, p: 718.643.6510 Subway: F to 4th Ave; R to 9th St; F or G to Smith/9th.

Doors open at 7:15 pm. Please bring ID: 21+.
No cover. Just bring your smart self. Pocket protectors suggested.

PLUS! COMING SOON . . .
Monday, October 18 @ the Bell House, 8 pm

The Secret Science Club teams up with the Imagine Science Film Festival for an evening of new science-themed short films, plus Dance Your Ph.D. and live music by neuroscientist rockers, the Amygdaloids, and Balun. Stay tuned for more info!

The Secret Science Club presents a mind-blowing screening of "Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives," Tuesday, August 24 @ the Bell House, 8 pm, FREE!

Can time move backwards? Is the future different on different worlds? Are meetings of the Secret Science Club forbidden in a parallel universe?

Singer-songwriter Mark Everett of the band Eels grew up not knowing that his father, Hugh Everett, was a genius—to him, his dad was the chain-smoking guy who didn’t say much at the dinner table. The fact that Hugh Everett was one of the world’s pre-eminent quantum mechanics, the physicist who came up with the Theory of Parallel Universes was just one more thing they didn’t discuss.

Sadly, Hugh Everett’s theory was so revolutionary—so trippy in fact—that its elegance and importance were not recognized until well after his death. (Mark Everett was just 18 when he found his father lying dead at age 51 on the family’s couch.) Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives chronicles the journey of the musical-but-math-challenged son to learn more about his father’s profound contributions to science and the “Many Worlds” in which we all—for better or worse—may play out different versions of ourselves.

Mind-boggling and moving, this original BBC cut of the documentary features physicist Max Tegmark of MIT, plus a guest appearance by Schrodinger’s Cat.

Before & After
--Groove to tunes from other dimensions (wha-ha-ha!)
--Launch into the Time Warp, a tessalating cocktail that will give you multi-vision
--Immerse yourself in the quantum Q&A

The Secret Science Club meets Tuesday, August 24 at 8 p.m. @ the Bell House, 149 7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn, p: 718.643.6510 W: http://thebellhouseny.com Subway: F to 4th Ave; R to 9th St; F or G to Smith/9th

Free. Just bring your smart self!
Doors open at 7:15 pm. Please bring ID: 21+

The Secret Science Club presents "A Sexy & Cerebral Evening" with Psychologist Paul Bloom, Tuesday, July 13 @ the Bell House, 8 pm, FREE!

The world of pleasure is mysterious and murky. Seafood lovers glory in devouring raw oysters. People slow their cars to look at gory accidents, and enjoy going to movies that make them cry. Abstract art can sell for millions of dollars. Countless men and women like being spanked.

Yale psychologist and cognitive scientist Paul Bloom delves into the remakable realm of desire, discussing how new research shows that simple pleasures like sex and food are far more complex than scientists ever imagined. The author of How Pleasure Works: The New Science of Why We Like What We Like, Dr. Bloom challenges longstanding explanations of human pleasure as a simple sensory response, arguing that pleasure is linked to our beliefs about the "true nature," or essence of things. He asks:

--What is at the root of our attachment to sentimental objects?
--Why do people pay top dollar for items owned by celebrities?
--Why would most people rather be kissed by a movie star than by his or her identical twin?
--Does wine taste better the more we pay more for it?
--How do humans derive enjoyment from art, music, and stories?

Before & After
--Groove to ecstasy-inducing tunes
--Stick around for bacchanalian Q&A
--Snag a signed copy of Dr. Bloom’s new book, How Pleasure Works: The New Science of Why We Like What We Like
--Try our dopamine-spiked cocktail of the night, the “Pleasure Dome.” (It'll tickle your fancy . . .)

The “Secret Science Club” meets Tuesday, July 13 at 8 pm @ the Bell House, 149 7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn, p: 718.643.6510. Subway: F to 4th Ave; R to 9th St; F or G to Smith/9th

Doors open at 7:15 pm.  Please bring ID: 21+
No cover. Just bring your smart self!