Science Track Day Start End Location Title Description Panelists Friday 9:00 PM 9:50 PM ISLE ROYALE Let’s Talk: Physics A lighthearted talk on a hard science topics with smart and funny people. Let’s Talk: Physics will dive deep into the building blocks of the Universe and try not to giggle about Super G-Strings. Allison Deiana, David D. Levine, Daniel Dugan, David Lockett Saturday 11:00 AM 11:50 AM ATRIUM Solar Observations Why didn’t the sun go back to college? It has 27 million degrees! Come see the sun , talk about the eclipse and meet other heliophiles Bob Trembley Saturday 1:00 PM 1:50 PM MANITOU Space Software An interactive demo of Kerbal Space program , Universe Sandbox and NASA’s Eyes on the Solar System. Bob Trembley, Connie Trembley Saturday 2:00 PM 2:50 PM LEELANAW Let’s Talk: Automation A lighthearted talk on a hard science topics with smart and funny people. Let’s Talk: Automation will chuckle through the collapse of society as we know it. With 30% of the workforce at risk of being replaced by an algorithm , what will Humans still be good at? Curtis Potterveld, David John Baker, Daniel Dugan, Jane Ugrinovskiy Saturday 2:00 PM 2:50 PM SAUGATUCK Limitations of Space There are still parts of the Universe that will be forever inaccessible to us , no matter the technology. Let’s talk about what we will never find there! Bob Trembley, Connie Trembley, Karen Burnham, Annalee Newitz Saturday 3:00 PM 3:50 PM ISLE ROYALE Mad Scientist Lab Build basic circuits for flashing lights and sounds. A hands on approach. Reid Minnich Saturday 3:00 PM 3:50 PM SAUGATUCK Fossils Learn about Fossils in Michigan and Nationwide. Dive deep into the Late Devonian period , play in the Late Pleistocene period, get silly in the Silurian period, and cogitate in the Carboniferous periods. Connie Trembley Saturday 4:00 PM 4:50 PM ISLE ROYALE Nasa Spinoffs Since 1976 , NASA has featured an average of 50 technologies each year in the annual publication. Of these 1000 , what has changed lives daily? What can we expect in the future? Andrea Phillips, David D. Levine, David John Baker, Karen Burnham Saturday 4:00 PM 4:50 PM KEWEENAW Let’s Talk: Biology A lighthearted talk on a hard science topics with smart and funny people. Let’s Talk: Biology features: Eating bugs , how birds help humans and what you will find in the depths of Lake Erie. Christine Knight, Heidi Trudell, Daniel Dugan, Dr. Julie Lesnik Saturday 4:00 PM 4:50 PM MANITOU The Science of Beekeeping In this age of colony collapse disorder , learn about the biology of the honey bee , bee health and the scourge of Varroa destructor , and a recent breakthrough in honey harvesting that has beekeepers buzzing. Jen Haeger Saturday 6:00 PM 6:50 PM SAUGATUCK Science of Death The mechanisms and forensic aspects of death. Expect a couple references to where the worms go in and out. Diana Rowland, Dr. Julie Lesnik, Sarah Grieve Saturday 7:00 PM 7:50 PM ATRIUM Lunar Observation Did you hear about the great new restaurant on the moon? The food is excellent , but there’s no atmosphere. Come see it for yourself! Bob Trembley Saturday 10:00 PM 10:50 PM KEWEENAW Let’s Talk: Cells A lighthearted talk on a hard science topics with smart and funny people. Let’s Talk: Cells will cover Cellular Chemistry, CRISPR and Cat Memes Daniel Dugan, Derek Künsken, Justine Graykin, Alison Eastman Sunday 11:00 AM 11:50 AM SAUGATUCK Goodnight Sweet Cassini On September 9 , 2017 , Cassini began its final orbit around Saturn. Let’s talk about the data collected and wax philosophic about our late and great satelite. Bob Trembley, Connie Trembley, Karen Burnham Sunday 12:00 PM 12:50 PM ISLE ROYALE The Robots are Here! 2018 is the year that robots officially took over. This panel will serve a guide on how to best appeal to your robot overlords. Annalee Newitz, Curtis Potterveld, Tracy Townsend Sunday 1:00 PM 1:50 PM SAUGATUCK To Mars! NASA is finally ready to make humanity’s dream of sending people to Mars a reality. What challenges need to be overcome , and what is ready to go! Bob Trembley, Connie Trembley, David D. Levine, Karen Burnham