Science on Tap is a monthly lecture series at the University of Maryland that explores the latest discoveries in science and technology in a relaxed atmosphere with food and drink.
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Questions about Science on Tap? Contact Abby Robinson at abbyr@umd.edu or 301-405-5845.
Fall 2024 Science on Tap Lecture Speakers
- Monday, September 30, 2024 - volcanoes with Megan Newcombe, assistant professor of geology, UMD (Details and registration link)
- Wednesday, November 6, 2024 - dark matter with Benedikt Diemer, assistant professor of astronomy, UMD (Details and registration link)
- Wednesday, November 20, 2024 - The Story of Sex and Its Human Legacy with Eric Haag, professor of biology, UMD (Details and registration link)
The Fall 2024 lectures will be held at Ledo Pizza, 4509 Knox Rd., College Park, MD 20740.
Previous Science on Tap Lectures
April 2024 - Fragile Privacy: Living with smart things in the age of AI - Nirupam Roy, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, University of Maryland
March 28, 2024 - Quantum Steampunk - Nicole Yunger Halpern, Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies
February 5, 2024 - Do Plants Get STDs? And Other Burning Questions About Infectious Disease in Nature - Emily "Emme" Bruns, Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, University of Maryland
November 2023 - From Fields to Forks: The Journey of Pesticide Regulation - Niranjana Krishnan, Assistant Professor, Department of Entomology, University of Maryland
October 2023 - From the Lab to the Boardroom: Economic Risks of a Changing Environment - Tim Canty, Associate Professor, Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science, University of Maryland
September 2023 - How is NASA spending our money? - Ricardo Arevalo Jr., Associate Professor, Department of Geology, University of Maryland
April 2023 - Looking Up: A Molecular Perspective at Astronomical Complexity - Leah Dodson, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland
March 2023 - Getting Down and Dirty with Bacteria: Using Computers to Understand Microbial Communities - Mihai Pop, Professor, Department of Computer Science and the Institute for Advanced Computer Studies, University of Maryland
February 2023 - Wild(life) Tales of Hate and Love in the Pollination World - Anahí Espíndola, Assistant Professor, Department of Entomology, University of Maryland
November 2022 - The Gulf Stream: Barrier, Blender...or Breadmaker? - Jacob Wenegrat, Assistant Professor, Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science, University of Maryland
October 2022 - Nose Knows Best: How our smell changes through life and disease - Ricardo Araneda, Professor of Biology, University of Maryland
September 2022 - Earth Strikes Back: The DART Mission to Impact an Asteroid - Derek Richardson, Professor of Astronomy, University of Maryland
May 2022 - When Do More Bugs Equal Fewer Pests? Ecology in your Garden - Karin Burghardt, Assistant Professor, Department of Entomology, University of Maryland
April 2022 - Building New Tools to Understand the Embryo and Brain - Peter Nemes, Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland
March 2022 - Wood Vault: Burying Woody Biomass to Fight Climate Change—A Simple Idea That May Actually Work - Ning Zeng, Professor of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science, University of Maryland
December 2021 - Neuroscience and the Search for a Fountain of Youth for the Brain - Elizabeth "Betsy" Quinlan, Professor of Biology, University of Maryland
November 2021 - The Age of Multi-Messenger Astronomy - Jordan Goodman, Distinguished University Professor of Physics, University of Maryland
October 2021 - Looking into Mars with InSight - Vedran "Ved" Lekic, Associate Professor of Geology, University of Maryland
September 2021 - AI & Optimization Strategies for Building Robust Matching Markets: A Case Study in Kidney Exchange - John Dickerson, Assistant Professor of Computer Science and the Institute for Advanced Computer Studies, University of Maryland; Chief Scientist, Arthur AI
December 2020 - Air Pollution: Challenges; Success Stories; and Out of Left Field, COVID-19 - Russell Dickerson, Professor, UMD Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science
November 2020 - Targeting Programmed -1 Ribosomal Frameshifting in COVID-19 - Jonathan D. Dinman, Professor and Chair, UMD Department of Cell Biology & Molecular Genetics
September 2020 - How to Build a Health Tech Startup, and How COVID-19 Accelerated Ours - Adeel Malik '15, CEO of Clearstep
December 2019 - Amazon Fires and Biodiversity: A Tale of Insects and Politicians - Rafael Andrade, Postdoctoral Fellow, UMD Department of Entomology
November 2019 - Blowing Up Mountains for Coal: Environmental Impacts That Never Stop - Margaret A. Palmer, Distinguished University Professor of Entomology and Director of the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center at UMD
September 2019 - Combating Censorship with Artificial Intelligence - Dave Levin, UMD Assistant Professor of Computer Science and UMIACS, and Kevin Bock, UMD Ph.D. student in computer science (B.S. '17, M.S. '18, computer science)
August 2019 - Detecting Gravitational Waves: We Do It With Mirrors - Peter Shawhan, UMD Physics Professor and Joint Space-Science Institute Fellow
July 2019 - Engineering Good Fungi to Kill Bad Mosquitoes Quickly - Brian Lovett, UMD Entomology Graduate Student
June 2019 - Shots of Knowledge: The Science of Whiskey - Eric Simanek, Robert A. Welch Professor of Chemistry and Department Chair at Texas Christian University & Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturer
May 2019 - How good are global climate change projections...out to 2050? - Michael N. Evans, Associate Professor, UMD Department of Geology and Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center
April 2019 - Say Goodbye to Citrus? A Scientist’s Quest to Save the Worldwide Citrus Industry from a Devastating, Incurable Disease - Anne Simon, UMD Professor of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics
March 2019 - Salty Roads, Saltier Rivers: Causes and Consequences of Freshwater Salinization Syndrome - Sujay Kaushal, Associate Professor in the UMD Department of Geology and Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center
February 2019 - Virtual Reality: Hype or Hope? Real-world applications of virtual and augmented reality that have an impact - Amitabh Varshney, dean of UMD's College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences; Professor of Computer Science and the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies
November 2018 - Water, soil, vegetation and climate: How nature can teach us to live on a budget - Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm, Chair of UMD's Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science and Interim Director of the Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center
October 2018 - 10 Amazing Facts About Vampires and Other Bats - Jerry Wilkinson, UMD Biology Professor
September 2018 - The Silence of the Frogs - Karen Lips, UMD Biology Professor
August 2018 - What Quantum Computing Will Do For You - Christopher Monroe, Distinguished University Professor and Bice-Sechi Zorn Professor of Physics at UMD
July 2018 - Sounding Ice - Nicholas Schmerr, UMD Geology Assistant Professor
June 2018 - The Science Behind Skin Aging - Kan Cao, UMD Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics Associate Professor
May 2018 - I'm Supposed to do What With My Password? - Michelle Mazurek, UMD Assistant Professor of Computer Science with a joint appointment in the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies
April 2018 - What's Eating the Bees - Samuel Ramsey, UMD Entomology Graduate Student
March 2018 - Hungry Black Holes - Suvi Gezari, UMD Astronomy Assistant Professor
February 2018 - The Life & Death of T. Rex - Thomas Holtz, UMD Geology Principal Lecturer
In 2018 and 2019, this event was a partnership between the UMD College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences and The Clarice and MilkBoy ArtHouse, a local crossroads for dynamic entertainment, social gathering and creative dining in downtown College Park, Maryland. This event is also sponsored by the UMD Science Alumni Network.