Home
Upcoming Events
Contact Us
Officers
General Info
How To Join Us
National Organziation
Past Activities
RTP Chapter Bylaws
Useful Links
Annual Reports
Ethics DVD
|
Past Events
The Human-Animal Bond
Tuesday, June 15, 2010 - 6:30-8:30 pm with discussion beginning at 7:00 followed by Q&A
The Irregardless Café, 901 W. Morgan Street, Raleigh, 919.833.8898
Animals touch our daily lives from the pets we keep, to the food we eat, to the health care advances we enjoy. Current animal welfare concerns include pet overpopulation, rescue and care of animals in disasters, treatment of food animals, biomedical research involving animals, and the affects of global urbanization and environmental change on wildlife.
Our evolving human-animal bond and the mandate to be good stewards of animal welfare are at the heart of these concerns. Join our discussion about how the integration of veterinary medicine and animal science, as well as ethics and public policy, can dictate how successfully these concerns are addressed, and how the diverse needs of humans and animals are met on a local and global scale.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Dianne Dunning is a clinical associate professor and the director of the Animal Welfare, Ethics and Public Policy Program (AWEPP) at the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine. Through professional education, public service, research and public policy development, AWEPP seeks to explore and address issues including pet abandonment, animal abuse and fighting, companion animal loss and grief, and the link between animal health and human well being.
Geologic forces in North Carolina and beyond
Tuesday, May 18, 2010 - 6:30-8:30 pm with discussion beginning at 7:00 followed by Q&A
Location: Tir Na Nog, 218 S. Blount Street, Raleigh - 919.833.7795
Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, rising seas! These geologic events have been making the headlines lately, but did you know these same events have shaped the North Carolina landscape for the past billion years? We tend to think of our state as being far from the geologic action, but we once had Himalayan-scale mountain ranges and exploding volcanoes. Join us as we discuss the geologic history of North Carolina as well as the global geologic events that are occurring today.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Kevin Stewart has been a professor of Geological Sciences at UNC-Chapel Hill for the past 24 years. Stewart’s research focuses on the deformation of the earth’s crust and the tectonic history of mountain belts. He has worked in the southern Appalachians, the Rocky Mountains, and the Apennines in Italy. He recently co-authored a book published by UNC Press titled "Exploring the Geology of the Carolinas."
Clash of the Titans; energy, environment, and the economy
Tuesday, April 20, 2010 - 6:30-8:30 pm with discussion beginning at 7:00 followed by Q&A
Location: The Irregardless Café, 901 W. Morgan Street, Raleigh 833-8898
There are approximately 250 million cars on U.S. roads today, fueled primarily by imported oil, and demand is growing. The electric utilities are in the midst of a "Smart Grid" revolution, driven by new technology, increased demand, and need for higher reliability and security. The U.S. government, along with the auto and electric utility industries, are currently striving for electrification of the transportation sector by way of plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles. All-electric vehicles can provide significant oil savings, improved air quality, reduced energy costs to consumers, increased energy diversity, and support for the electric grid. But are U.S. drivers ready to go all electric?
About the Speaker:
Rogelio Sullivan is the Associate Director of the Advanced Transportation Energy Center and also of the Future Renewable Electric Energy Delivery and Management Systems Center (FREEDM) at NCSU. The two research centers are working in partnership with industry to develop technologies that can effectively create the "energy internet"; which will support widespread utilization of renewable energy, plug in electric vehicles, and greater consumer participation in the energy marketplace. Mr. Sullivan is an engineer with more than 20 years of research and development management experience in advanced transportation systems such as hybrids, batteries, lightweight materials, advanced combustion engines, and vehicle auxiliary systems.
OUR BODIES: The Final Frontier
Tuesday, March 23, 2010 - 6:30-8:30 pm with discussion beginning at 7:00 followed by Q&A
Location: Tir Na Nog 218 South Blount Street, Raleigh, 833-7795
We have come to think of the world as known. It isn’t. Even basic parts of our own bodies remain totally unexplored. For example, have you ever stopped to wonder why you are naked? Aside from naked mole rats, we are among the only land mammals to be essentially devoid of hair. Why? Join us for a discussion about the human body and its adaptations to a world filled with predators, pathogens and parasites. Bring your appendix, if you still have one, and learn about its special purpose.
About the Speaker:
Rob Dunn is an ecologist in the Department of Biology at North Carolina State University where he studies the global distribution of life and how it is changing as we change the world. He also studies ants. Dunn's award-winning book "Every Living Thing" (Harper Collins, 2009) explores the strange limits of the living world and the stranger scientists that study them. His next book, "Clean Living is Bad for You ... and Other Modern Consequences of Having Evolved in the Wild," will be out in 2010. Dunn also writes articles for magazines including National Geographic, Natural History, Seed, Scientific American and National Wildlife. To read more of Rob’s writing, sign up for his email list at: http://groups.google.com/group/Smallthingsconsidered.
Forgetting Something?
Tuesday, February 16, 2010 - 6:30-8:30 pm with discussion beginning at 7:00 followed by Q&A
Location: The Irregardless Café, 901 W. Morgan Street, Raleigh 833-8898
All of us misplace our car keys now and again. Most of us get lost while driving from time to time. We all have been to cocktail parties and have run into someone familiar whose name just escapes us. We often toss off such events as “senior moments.” These trivial events trouble us because they reflect a short circuiting of brain function. Do they mean anything serious is wrong with us or are they just annoying bumps in the road? Are they warnings of bad things to come such as dementia? This evening we will discuss the issues of memory loss, dementia, and aging.
About the Speaker:
S. Mitchell Freedman, MD, FAAN, is a member of the medical staff at Rex Hospital and Adjunct Professor of Neurology with the School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Freedman is board certified in neurology and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology. He has practiced neurology in Raleigh since 1978 and formed Raleigh Neurology Associates in 1983. Dr. Freedman also served as a major in the US Army Medical Corps and is an active member of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers.
GPS and Geocaching Fun
Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2010 - 6:30-8:30 p.m. with discussion beginning at 7:00, followed by Q&A.
Location: The Busy Bee - 225 S. Wilmington St. Raleigh, 919.424.7817
GPS (Global Positioning System) was developed for our military but we have quickly made it a civilian-based utility required for business, travel and recreation. Come learn the technology behind GPS -- from satellites and trilateration to binary codes and radio frequencies -- as well as some of its surprising and innovative applications and glimmers into the future of this technology. We’ll discuss the phenomena behind geocaching, its health benefits, necessary and useful gear, and resources for even more information. We welcome all veteran geocachers to share their tales and helpful tips.
About the Speaker:
James Jeuck is an Extension Specialist at NCSU Extension Forestry. He started the first Trimble Navigation Mapping Grade GPS Training Center on the east coast at NC State in 1993 and has been teaching GPS in one form or fashion ever since. James also developed a two-year AAS Degree Program in Geospatial Technologies in 1999 at Haywood Community College. He has used GPS navigation to visit more than 900 random points scattered throughout West Virginia’s New River Gorge and Bluestone River’s 90,000 acres while doing a vegetation map accuracy assessment in the summers of 2006 and 2007. While not a member of a geocaching group, James fully understands the fun, mental challenge, health and camaraderie offered by this fun activity. James is currently working on his PhD at NCSU in Forestry and hopes to navigate his way to graduation by 2012.
DOG GENOME: TEACHING SCIENTISTS NEW TRICKS
Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009 - 6:30-8:30 p.m. with discussion beginning at 7:00, followed by Q&A.
Location: The Irregardless Café, 901 W. Morgan Street, Raleigh 919.833.8898
This year, roughly 66,000 people will be diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, while another 22,000 will be diagnosed with cancers of the brain. In parallel, our pet dogs also suffer from a range of similar spontaneous cancers. For thousands of years, humans and dogs have shared a unique bond—breathing the same air, drinking the same water, and living in the same environment. During the 21st century this relationship is now strengthened into one that may hold intriguing biomedical possibilities. Using the 'One Medicine' concept—the idea that human and animal health relies on a common pool of medical and scientific knowledge and is supported by overlapping technologies and discoveries; research is revealing that the dog genome may hold the keys to unlocking some of nature’s most intriguing puzzles about human cancer.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Matthew Breen, professor of genomics in the NC State University College of Veterinary Medicine, co-directs the Clinical Genomics Core of the Center for Comparative Medicine and Translational Research at NC State. Dr. Breen’s lab http://www.breenlab.org/ helped map the canine genome in 2004 and the internationally known research scientist has conducted studies and published articles on numerous comparative medicine investigations of canine and human cancers including non-Hodgkin lymphoma, meningioma, and other cancers of the brain. A member of the Cancer Genetics Program at the University of North Carolina's Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Dr. Breen’s collaborative investigations involve Duke University Medical Center and the University of Minnesota Medical Center among others.
TOP
|
|