Junior Cafe Scientifique - Saturday, May 19th

"Going into Orbit: Famous Rocket Payloads and What We Learn from Them"

Saturday, May 19, 9:30-11:00am

Milton J Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology, Syracuse NY

Damian G. Allis, PhD, research associate professor of chemistry at Syracuse University and president of the Syracuse Astronomical Society, will present Going into Orbit: Famous Rocket Payloads and What We Learn from Them, a talk about rocket payloads, as part of TACNY’s 2011-2012 Junior Cafe Scientifique lecture series. 

People interested in learning more about rocket payloads are invited to attend the free Junior Cafe presentation on Saturday, May 19, 2012, from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology (MOST) in Syracuse’s Armory Square. Walk-ins are welcome, but we ask that people RSVP by emailing jrcafe@tacny.org by May 17, 2012. 

Allis is a research professor at Syracuse University, focusing on spectroscopy and drug design; works in the area of molecular nanotechnology as part of the international Nanofactory Collaboration; and studies DNA and genomics with AptaMatrix Inc. in Syracuse. He currently is president and webmaster of the Syracuse Astronomical Society, an organization that promotes observation, education, and light pollution issues from its Darling Hill Observatory in Vesper. During cloudy nights, he also is a drummer/percussionist in several local bands, including the Civil War-Era Excelsior Cornet Band. 

With 2,500 years of documented history as toys, military tools and delivery systems for scientists’ instruments, rocketry has changed the face of humankind. Rocketry not only opened the imaginations of authors in the 20^th century to the universe, but profoundly changed telecommunications, surveillance, geopolitics, education, and observational astronomy.  The early 21^st century has found governments having to collaborate on development and delivery at the same time as industry is developing new, competitive, commercial alternatives to orbit for equipment and humans alike.  This lecture will take a science-centric look at the use of rocketry in recent history and consider some of the radical change that has come from its science and application.

TACNY Junior Cafe Scientifique, a program for middle-school students, features discussions between scientists and students about topics in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics in an informal atmosphere and seeks to encourage students to consider careers in these areas. Students must be accompanied by an adult and can explore the MOST at no cost after the event.

For more information about TACNY, visit www.tacny.org.