Lectures & Events

Pint of Science Festival: Listening, Learning, and the Brain

Monday, May 20, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Pastoli's Pizza, Pasta & Paisans, 1900 Murray Ave.

Attention Regulation and Learning in Young Children

Anna Fisher (Associate Professor of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University)

There is a widespread agreement that attention is vital for learning from the crib to the classroom and beyond. In this talk, Fisher will discuss one way in which attention plays a role in learning. She will use examples from her own research as well as studies done by other researchers to argue that when it comes to use of embellishments in educational materials for young children, more does not necessarily mean better!

Your Brain at a Cocktail Party

Lori Holt (Professor of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University)

Listening in on a lively cocktail party conversation seems effortless. But, it actually requires complex interactions between ear and brain. Holt will share what we know about the science of sound, especially as it relates to listening in challenging context like a crowded pub.

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Pint of Science Festival: Climate Change – How are We Affected?

Tuesday, May 21, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Pastoli's Pizza, Pasta & Paisans, 1900 Murray Ave.

Decarbonizing Electricity and Transportation: Getting from Here to There

Costa Samaras (Associate Professor, Carnegie Mellon University)

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from electricity and transportation by 80 percent or more is necessary to increase the likelihood of avoiding the worst impacts of global climate change. The U.S. has begun to reduce emissions from the electricity sector, but emissions from the transportation sector continues to grow. This talk will discuss the options, progress and future of deep decarbonization in the electricity and transportation sectors.

Prices, Taxes, and Innovation: An Economist’s View of Climate Change Solutions

Karen Clay (Professor of Economics and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University)

Addressing climate change is going to cost money — if it were free, we would already be at zero carbon. Clay will discuss why economists prefer to use prices and taxes to address climate change; what we have learned from small-scale experiments with carbon taxes and/or cap and trade; and why innovation is a crucial component of solving the climate change problem, particularly in developing countries.

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Pint of Science Festival: Let’s Talk About Vaccines, Shall We?

Wednesday, May 22, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Pastoli's Pizza, Pasta & Paisans, 1900 Murray Ave.

The Science of Increasing Vaccination Rates

Gretchen Chapman (Professor, Carnegie Mellon University)

Vaccination is the most effective method to prevent many infectious diseases, and yet vaccine hesitancy and low vaccination rates result in outbreaks of measles and other preventable diseases. What does behavioral science tell us about the most effective methods to boost vaccination rates? Should we provide clear education about the safety and efficacy of vaccines to change beliefs and attitudes? Or should we focus on behavior directly by using reminders, defaults, and incentives? Come find out which techniques works best.

Vaccines and Ghosts

Basil Zitelli (Professor of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine)

Zitelli plans to discuss the importance of vaccines in the history of human health (briefly), how vaccines have changed the face of our concept of many current illnesses, briefly show the efficacy of current childhood vaccines and briefly discuss some of the mythology about vaccines. Zitelli encourages thoughtful questions.

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Welcome to Summer at CMU!

Thursday, May 23, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Rangos Ballroom, Cohon University Center

Come learn about all that summer at CMU has to offer with a marketplace of Carnegie Mellon resources, as well as Pittsburgh organizations, such as Citiparks, Carnegie Libraries, Venture Outdoors and Pittsburgh CLO.  Participants can take a photo with Andrew Carnegie and The Tartan at a photo booth and enjoy a delicious sampling from many of our on-campus eateries as well.

Dark Skies Conference

Saturday, June 1, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Simmons Auditorium, Tepper Quad

Listen to experts talk about light pollution from different aspects like safety, astronomical research, human health, disruption of the nighttime ecosystem, energy savings and the City of Pittsburgh's change to LED streetlights. The new documentary "Saving the Dark" will be shown.

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When Robots Become Our Companions: Facts, Fantasies, and Uncomfortable Truths

Sunday, June 2, 4 to 5 p.m., Pittsburgh Public Theater, 621 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh

Director Marya Sea Kaminski will host a lively discussion about robot companion development with two experts from Carnegie Mellon University, a leader in Artificial Intelligence. Featured are Illah Nourbakhsh, the K&L Gates Professor of Ethics and Computational Technologies, and Henny Admoni, an assistant professor in CMU’s Robotics Institute where she leads the Human and Robot Partners (HARP) Lab. Beginning at 4 p.m. in the Pittsburgh Public Theater’s third floor Helen Wayne Rauh Rehearsal Hall, the program is free to anyone with a ticket for either the 2 or 7 p.m. performance of Marjorie Prime on June 2.

Use code PPTROBOT to purchase a specially priced ticket.  CMU students, faculty, and staff can purchase discounted tickets.

Frances Bartkowski Reading at City of Asylum

Tuesday, June 11, 7 to 8:30 p.m., Word Cellar at City of Asylum, 40 W. North Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15212

Join us for a reading with former CMU Department of English faculty member Frances Bartkowski as she presents her novel, An Afterlife.

This program is presented in partnership with the CMU Humanities Festival.

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Check the Dietrich College calendar for more upcoming events.