Engineering
Exploring the Many Sources of Innovation (1-hour minimum presentation)
Posted: September 8, 2023 at 2:34 pm, Last Updated: November 29, 2023 at 4:50 pm
Explore how and where business opportunities start and examine a framework for determining which technological innovations create real value.
A/V requirements: LCD Projector, Screen, White Board and Markers
The Science of Climate Change
Posted: February 21, 2020 at 3:34 pm, Last Updated: September 13, 2021 at 7:02 pm
A simple description of the basic science of climate change. What is known for sure, and what is uncertain.
A/V requirements: LCD Projector, Screen
Where Are the Time Travelers?
Posted: November 21, 2019 at 9:16 pm, Last Updated: April 23, 2021 at 5:17 pm
Einstein’s theory of relativity suggests that time travel might be possible. We consider why this is true, and how one might build a time machine. We also consider the paradoxes involved with time travel and how they might be resolved.
A/V requirements: LCD Projector, Screen
Tachyons: Messengers from the Future?
Posted: November 21, 2019 at 9:11 pm, Last Updated: March 29, 2021 at 6:31 pm
Einstein claimed that faster-than-light (FTL) speeds are impossible, but some physicists are no longer so sure about that notion. Hypothetical subatomic particles that travel at FTL speed are known as tachyons. In this talk we consider how tachyons might be used to send messages back to the past, and how the existence of tachyons can […]
A/V requirements: LCD projector and screen
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Nightmare Scenarios: Summoning the Demons?
Posted: October 31, 2019 at 6:18 pm, Last Updated: June 22, 2021 at 5:24 pm
Some may think of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in terms of Boston Dynamics’ Robot dog, Spot or of software that can defeat the very best human player in Go or Jeopardy. This course is about a much more sinister and serious aspect of AI, the various “nightmare scenarios” that are appearing regularly in the technical literature […]
A/V requirements: LCD Projector, Screen, Laptop
Computing in Science and Society
Posted: July 23, 2019 at 6:12 pm, Last Updated: June 22, 2021 at 3:45 pm
Computing is now so ubiquitous that we tend to forget the profound consequences it is having in science and society. The talk explores the advent and evolution of computing in science and society, and attempts to predict future developments.
A/V requirements: Laptop, LCD, Screen
Various Game Topics
Posted: March 27, 2019 at 1:35 pm, Last Updated: June 22, 2021 at 3:47 pm
As an instructor in the game design program, I’ve traveled to a number of events related to gaming around the country, delivering talks on game topics ranging from color-blindness and accessibility to opera in games. With a couple weeks’ notice, I can prepare a talk on a variety of subjects, including audiovisual components, as part […]
A/V requirements: LCD Projector
Daniel Greenberg
Posted: March 27, 2019 at 1:32 pm, Last Updated: March 29, 2021 at 6:41 pm
Daniel Greenberg teaches game design topics in the Computer Game Design program, with a focus on history and analysis. His research tackles the emerging topics surrounding digital games, including their defined role as an art form, the language used to describe them, the manner in which they convey narrative, patterns for developing game literacy, codifying […]
Climate Change: Preparing for the New Normal in Virginia
Posted: April 26, 2018 at 4:20 pm, Last Updated: June 21, 2022 at 7:02 pm
“Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.” This old saying neglects the fact that all of us are inadvertently doing something about the weather – we are changing it. The reality of global climate change is now undeniable and the likelihood is high that human activities have caused the majority of […]
A/V requirements: LCD Projector and Screen
Jim Kinter
Posted: April 26, 2018 at 4:18 pm, Last Updated: June 21, 2022 at 7:02 pm
Dr. Kinter is Director of the Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Studies (COLA) which conducts basic and applied climate research on climate predictability on sub-seasonal and longer time scales, focusing on phenomena such as monsoons, El Niño, and climate change. Dr. Kinter is also a Professor in the department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Earth Sciences and the […]
Looking for Life in All the Wrong Places – The Search for Life in the Universe
Posted: March 27, 2017 at 1:13 pm, Last Updated: March 29, 2021 at 6:38 pm
In recent days there has been much talk about the search for extraterrestrial intelligence in the universe. However, where are we looking and why do we look where we look, is often overlooked in the media and on the internet. We will discuss the search for life in the universe and reveal the techniques and […]
A/V requirements: Laptop, LCD Projector, Screen
What is a Planet? Mars, Pluto and Exoplanets as Examples
Posted: March 27, 2017 at 1:11 pm, Last Updated: March 29, 2021 at 6:38 pm
A major topic on the internet today is the question of the definition of a planet. In 2006 the International Astronomical Union (IAU) officially changed the definition of a planet. No longer was Pluto to be called a planet, but a dwarf planet. We will examine examples of objects inside and outside our solar system; […]
A/V requirements: Laptop, LCD Projector, Screen
Forty Years of Exploration of the Surface of Mars
Posted: August 4, 2016 at 6:20 pm, Last Updated: March 29, 2021 at 6:39 pm
On the 20th day of August, 1975, the Viking 1 spacecraft was launched into space towards Mars. On the 19th day of June, 1976, the Viking 1 spacecraft reached the planet Mars. The Viking 1 Lander was to set down on the surface of Mars for the bicentennial celebration in the USA. Unfortunately, due to […]
A/V requirements: Laptop, LCD Projector, Screen
Harold Geller
Posted: August 4, 2016 at 6:18 pm, Last Updated: June 21, 2021 at 7:50 pm
Dr. Harold A. Geller is Associate Professor Emeritus, Physics and Astronomy, George Mason University. He is an at-large Director on the Board of the GMU Alumni Association. He was the GMU Observatory Director from 2007 to 2020. He also served as co-Investigator for the Virginia Initiative for Science Teaching and Achievement (VISTA), the largest educational […]
Renewable Energy, Nuclear Energy and Climate Change
Posted: September 29, 2014 at 2:45 pm, Last Updated: September 13, 2021 at 7:04 pm
This talk considers the impetus to move away from fossil fuels and towards greater usage of renewable energy. It also considers the advantages and problems associated with renewable energy, a possible future for nuclear energy, and the best science-informed policy with regard to our energy future.
A/V requirements: LCD projector and screen
Nuclear Power — Is it Green?
Posted: September 26, 2014 at 9:30 pm, Last Updated: September 13, 2021 at 7:05 pm
A discussion of the past, present and future of nuclear power, and its contribution to our quest for clean energy.
A/V requirements: LCD projector and screen
Crazy Ideas in Science
Posted: September 10, 2014 at 12:12 pm, Last Updated: March 29, 2021 at 6:32 pm
In this talk I consider how crazy ideas can sometimes lead to great scientific advances, and even cause us to re-examine the nature of science itself. This light-hearted talk will also serve as a template for some creative and humorous uses of PowerPoint that can add interest to your own presentations.
A/V requirements: LCD projector and screen
Could Einstein Have Been Wrong?
Posted: September 10, 2014 at 12:11 pm, Last Updated: March 29, 2021 at 6:32 pm
Einstein in his theory of relativity claimed that faster-than-light speeds are impossible. But some physicists are no longer so sure about that notion. This talk will take a look about what faster-than-light speeds imply, and the evidence as to whether faster-than-light particles might actually exist.
A/V requirements: LCD projector and screen
Computational Sciences: The Third Pillar of Empirical Science
Posted: September 10, 2014 at 12:08 pm, Last Updated: March 29, 2021 at 7:00 pm
For hundreds of years, empirical sciences as we know them today were based on either direct measurement of objects (or scaled models) or on simple analytic solutions of partial differential equations. The advent of supercomputers in the 1980s added a third option: computational sciences. The talk explores the origin, outlook and consequences of this third […]
A/V requirements: Laptop, LCD, Screen
Robert Ehrlich (no evening engagements)
Posted: September 9, 2014 at 6:12 pm, Last Updated: March 20, 2023 at 6:24 pm
Robert Ehrlich is a professor of physics at George Mason University, where he has chaired the department. He began his career after receiving a Ph.D. in physics from Columbia University in 1964. Prior to joining George Mason, he held faculty positions at the University of Pennsylvania, Rutgers University, and the State University of New York […]