Coles Science Center Blog

Today is March 3, 2009, or 3/3/09. The significance? 3 x 3 = 9. In other words, 3 is the square root of 9. That makes it Square Root Day! Live it up, because the next one isn't until 4/4/16.

NYU Libraries now has a “Library Services for Polytechnic Institute of NYU” webpage at http://library.nyu.edu/poly/.

It is linked to the “Services” drop-down menu on the Library homepage, and is also linked from the Services page at http://library.nyu.edu/services/.

The Coles Center has new books! Take a look- I mean, everyone needs a diversion from midterms.

Rob R. Dunn. (2009). In Wilson E. O. (Ed.), Every living thing : Man's obsessive quest to catalog life, from nanobacteria to new monkeys. New York: New York : Collins.
“In a series of vivid portraits of single-minded scientists, Dunn traces the history of human discovery, from the establishment of classification in the eighteenth century to today's attempts to find life in space. The narrative telescopes from a scientist's attempt to find one single thing (a rare ant-emulating beetle species) to another scientist's attempt to find everything in a small patch of jungle in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. With poetry and humor, Dunn reminds readers how tough and exhilarating it is to study the natural world, and why it matters.”—Amazon.com

Patrick McDonagh. (2008). Idiocy : A cultural history. Liverpool England: Liverpool England : Liverpool University Press.
“Over time… the term idiot has shifted from that philosophically uncomplicated definition to an ever-changing sociological signifier, encompassing a wide range of meanings and beliefs for those concerned with intellectual and cognitive disability. Idiocy: A Cultural History offers for the first time a analysis of the concept, drawing on cultural, sociological, scientific, and popular representations ranging from Wordsworth’s “Idiot Boy” and Dickens’ Barnaby Rudge to Down’s “Ethnic classification of idiots.” It tracks how our changing definition of idiocy intersects with demography, political movements, philosophical traditions, economic concerns, and the growth of the medical profession.—Amazon.com

New waves in philosophy of technology(2009). In Olsen J. B., Selinger E. and Riis S. (Eds.), . Basingstoke England ; New York: Basingstoke England ; New York : Palgrave Macmillan.
“This collection of essays attempts something entirely novel: to provide a snapshot of the new work that is being conducted in political philosophy, written by up-and-coming figures in this area.”—Amazon.com

The Coles Science Center and the Business and Government Documents Center at Bobst Library Present a
Special Coles Science Salon in Conjunction with NanoDays™ 2009

"Nanotech Products, Policy, and Perceptions: Or, Why Your Gym Socks Might Be A Pesticide"

by Evan Michelson, Ph.D. candidate
Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, NYU

From sporting goods to cosmetics, clothing to dietary supplements, there are over 800 manufacturer-identified nanotechnology consumer products available on the market. Based upon analysis conducted at the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, Evan Michelson will address how these products are being commercialized, their impacts on the oversight system, and related trends in nanotechnology public awareness and perception. He will also discuss critical issues associated with the future of nanotechnology, including potential regulatory approaches, possibilities for public engagement, and ways to improve consumer confidence.

DATE: Thursday, April 2, 2009
TIME: 6:30-8:00pm
PLACE: Avery Room, 2nd Floor, Bobst Library

Refreshments will be served.

***RSVP Required***
Go here: http://tinyurl.com/salon-rsvp

This week kicks off a calendar of exciting "green" projects and events leading up to Earth Day on April 22nd. For more information, visit NYU Sustainability.

Learn more about Earth Hour.

Learn more about NYUnplugged.

Learn more about NYU's Green Grants program.

And visit the NYU Earth Week Calendar!

In 1959, physicist Richard Feynman gave a speech titled, "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom," discussing the manipulation of individual items. But, it's only been within the past decade that scientists have made a break through in tapping into nanotechnology's potential. Here at the Coles Science Center, we offer a brief look at nanotechnology and a future shaped by its possibilities.

This exhibit was created by Karen Chien as part of NISE Net's NanoDays™ 2009 celebration, March 28 - April 5.