Mysteries of the Mummy’s Coffin

Karen Shank-Chapman: Executive Director, Wayne County Historical Museum

Mike Deibel, PhD: Professor of Chemistry, Earlham College

Corinne Deibel, PhD: Professor of Chemistry, Earlham College

Come learn about the scientific research on our 3000 year old mummy! Learn about XRF Scanning and how it answers questions about our mummy's coffin.

Jennifer Anné Ph.D.: Vertebrate paleontologist at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis specializing in paleopathologies (injuries and trauma in fossils)

Gregory Smith, Ph.D.: Senior Conservation Scientist. Dr. Smith’s research interests include studying condition issues affecting modern polymers used in art, pigment degradation processes, preservation environments, and the development and testing of innovative conservation treatments.

Paleontology has been revitalized with the onslaught of new technological applications of physics, chemistry and computer engineering. Old bones are brought back to new light as even the scrappiest fossil can unleash a suite of hidden information only available in the 21st century. Dr. Jennifer Anné will be highlighting some of her exciting work in utilizing a menagerie of different technique and how these tools can be used to look at both fossils AND frescos.

Similarly, artworks yield a plethora of hidden clues as to their history, condition, and authenticity when examined with radiation outside the visible.  Preparatory sketches, overzealous restorations, hidden inscirptions, and “lost” overpainted artworks are all discoverable with infrared, ultraviolet, and x-ray techniques!

Debra Herbenick Ph.D., M.P.H.: Director, The Center for Sexual Health Promotion; Associate Professor, Dept of Applied Health Science; School of Public Health - Bloomington; Research Fellow & Sexual Health Educator, The Kinsey Institute Indiana University

Dr. Herbenick works to better understand how contemporary women and men experience their bodies and their sexual lives. In total, Dr. Herbenick has conducted 10 national surveys of sex in America including issues related to female pleasure/masturbation, couples communication, diverse sexual behaviors, condom use and condom attitudes, sexual satisfaction, genital sensation and pleasuring techniques, media use, and the use of consumer products (e.g., condoms, lubricants, technology, vibrators and other sex toys). 

Passionate about sharing sexual science with the general public, Dr. Herbenick has also written five books and several thousand newspaper and magazine columns about sex. She hosts the Kinsey Confidential column and podcast series, and has appeared on various TV, radio and web-based video series talking about sex and sex research. In addition, Dr. Herbenick is the founder and host of the Bloomington Sex Salon, a popular local event series dedicated to creating campus-community conversations about sexuality topics, with rotating guests.

Devon J. Hensel, MS, PhD, FSAHM: Assistant Research Professor of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine; Assistant Professor of Sociology - Department of Sociology, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis

 Dr. Hensel studies gender and sexuality, behavioral science, and adolescent development. In particular, she is passionate about understanding and improving sexual health in young men and women. Her research utilizes a range of behavioral and sociological methodologies and focuses specifically on emerging romantic and sexual relationships.

 As such, Dr. Hensel has authored 80 peer-reviewed publications, as well as presented at numerous national and international conferences.

Alcoholism and its Risks

David A. Kareken, Ph.D.

What is alcoholism and from whence does it come? The notion that alcohol is toxic to the brain is fairly widespread. However, research suggests that risks for alcoholism begin with individual and inherited differences in widespread. brain anatomy and function. This talk will review alcoholism as a disease, and the neurobiological vulnerabilities that we believe constitute alcoholism risk.

Justin Wade: Executive Director of Young Actors Theatre, Indianapolis

 Justin Wade believes that theatre is a powerful disruptor in education, and this is mirrored in his dedication as a theatre educator to students K-12 at Young Actors Theatre (YAT). At YAT, Justin and his team teaches theatre, encourages students to write their own plays, teaches confidence and discipline, and uses theatre as a vehicle to address and open discussion on important issues, like the opioid crisis, anxiety, AIDS, and much more. Please come engage in a discussion with Justin about addiction and how theatre and art can be an anchor to those battling addiction.

Zombie Apocalypse and the Loss of Power

Rachel Cochran is a Professional Engineer, co-founder of Indiana Sciences, organizer of March for Science Indy, and advocate for women in STEM.

Learn what would happen to our power infrastructure during the first days, weeks, and year of a zombie apocalypse. Explore vulnerabilities to total societal collapse of our power generation facilities, the grid, and the distribution system.

Zombies and Infectious Disease

Thomas Duszynski Ph.D has worked in public health for more than 20 years and now teaches epidemiology at IUPUI

Zombies are a part of every population and culture in the world and were used to explain phenomenon that couldn't be explained through science at the time. Infectious disease, up until the mid-twentieth century has been one of the biggest killers of humanity and it still is in the developing world. How do zombies, infectious disease, and public health epidemiology work together?

White River Project: A Rising Tide

Greg ‘Coach’ Harger: A Project Resource Multiplier Of Laws of Nature, Near West White River Sites, Wildlife Tracking, Organizational Operations Navigation

Indy's urban wildlife oasis. 230 acres of vibrant wildlife habitat with easy community access to a nature-made outdoor living laboratory for the introduction, and study, of native Indiana flora/fauna across the spectrum of recreational and formal paradigms. THE GOAL: Establishment of the premier urban wildlife habitat trail that proactively and continually works with the inherent Will of Nature and the shared-space requirements of a municipal infrastructure.

The White River is on the Road to Recovery

Indra Frank, M.D., M.P.H.: a physician specialized in environmental health. She serves as Director of Environmental Health & Water Policy for HEC.

Historically used as a sewer and trash dump, the White River is now well on its way to becoming a prime destination in Central Indiana. Come hear about the exciting transformation of our greatest landscape feature.

Good Vibrations: Music and the Brain

Meganne Masko, Assistant Professor of Music and Arts Technology, IUPUI

Dr. Masko will explain how the brain processes music through the example of brain injury recovery.

Spatial Play and STEM

Sharlene Newman, Associate Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Director of Imaging Research Facility, Indiana University

Play is an important way that young children learn. Playing with spatial toys and engaging in spatial activities may prove to be an essential part of the development of spatial thinking. There are a number of studies that have related spatial play with spatial skill and number processin both of which are important for success in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). I will discuss some evidence in support of the spatial play STEM achievement relationship.

Forensic Analysis of the Skeleton:  Making the Bones Speak

Stephen Nawrocki, Professor of Biology and Anthropology, Director of Osteology at the Archaeology and Forensic Laboratory
 

When decomposed or skeletonized human remains are discovered, a forensic anthropologist is often called in to assist with the investigation.  The unique training and skills of the anthropologist help to (1) conduct a controlled archeological recovery of the bones and evidence from the crime scene, (2) establish the identity of the decedent, and (3) determine how the individual died.  This presentation will look at the science of analyzing the skeleton, which is not always presented accurately on television or by the media.

Secrets of Forensic Pathology: Gunshot Wounds

Darin Wolfe, Board Certified Forensic Pathologist

Dr. Darin Wolfe, a board certified forensic pathologist, will discuss the basic physics of gunshots, how wounds are created in human tissues and how the range of the gunshot is determined in legal cases.

Forensic entomology: from 9th century crime fighting to todays genomic revolution

Christine Picard, Assistant Professor of Forensic and Investigative Sciences, IUPUI

Dr. Picard will discuss the history of forensic entomology, from the first case of its use, how the plague pushed the science behind it, to todays current scientific advances in the pursuit of justice.

Can medical specimens be more than mere objects of study and curiosity?

Sarah Halter, Executive Director, Indiana Medical History Museum

Sarah Halter will discuss the history of the Museum's specimen collection, about the history of the Indiana Medical History Museum's specimen collection, how and why they were collected in the early 20th century at the Pathological Department of Central State Hospital, their contribution to current research on schizophrenia, and our new efforts to "rehumanize" them..

How to create a drug epidemic

Dan Rusyniak, Professor of Emergency Medicine, Indiana University

In 2016, more Americans died from drug overdoses than died in the entire Vietnam war. How did we get to this point? This talk will focus on the role of physicians, hospitals, regulatory agencies, and the pharmaceutical companies in the current opioid epidemic.

Virtual Simulation and its application in the classroom

George Takahashi, Technical lead, Envison Center, Purdue Universtiy

Death by a thousand cuts: Microaggressions as an influential factor on attrition among women in STEM

Kerrie Wilkins-Yel, Assistant Professor of Counseling and Educational Psychology, Indiana University

The "Body as Evidence:" Bioarchaeological Investigations of 11,000 Years of Societal Change

Jeremy Wilson, Associate Professor of Anthropology, IUPUI

Walk this way; with apologies to Aerosmith.

DAVID WOLFE, BIOLOGY INSTRUCTOR, UNIVERSITY OF INDIANAPOLIS

Thinking about the biomechanics of human movement; what happens when we "get better" at different movements, how we learn them, and how our injuries and activities are controlled, recorded, and presented.

Sonic Copier: Interpreting and Re-interpreting Sound Objects Through Technology

Jordan Munson, Senior Lecturer of Music and Arts Technology, IUPUI

In this performance presentation, composer, performer, and educator Jordan Munson will demonstrate the use of technology as a compositional tool. Munson will share his fascination with the change of sonic information that occurs as you interpret sound back and forth between digital and analog. Through live performance, he will also demonstrate how sound can be interpreted via visual medium.

Audio-visual equipment sponsored by:

A Science Communicator’s Guide to the Galaxy — the Don’t Panic Edition

Jenna Marston, R&D Communications Specialist and Guest Relations Coordinator, Dow AgroSciences

It’s 2018 and planet Earth is facing challenges like never before. World hunger, climate change and a distracted public may lead to global devastation. Is it time to panic? Not quite. Luckily for us, science is saving the day! However, even the best scientific advancement doesn’t mean anything if the general public doesn’t understand it. This talk will explore how science advocates can better communicate their message in a way that consumers will connect to—so we can support the scientists who are trying to save us all.

A discussion of the evolution of stone tools and
humans: a flintknapping demonstration

Ed Hermann, Research Scientist, Geoarchaeology, Indiana University

Stone tools have been made by our ancestors for at least 2.6 million years. As an enduring artifact type, in many cases, stone tools are all archaeologists have to understand the past. Tool types and production methods have evolved in parallel with our early ancestors. Through stone tool research, archaeologists can learn about our cognitive evolution, how far people traveled, settlement distributions, diet changes through time, chronologies, technological advances, and more. The flintknapping demonstration will offer a glimpse of how stone tools were manufactured, while providing insight into the intellectual challenges of tool production.