ASU faculty featured at Tempe History Museum

Looking for an intellectually stimulating evening? One that offers information and enjoyment, at the perfect price – free?

Then mark your calendar for the inaugural Third Thursday Night Café at the Tempe History Museum, 809 E. Southern Ave., Tempe, titled “Research Matters: The Latest and Greatest From ASU.”

The museum has assembled a lineup of ASU faculty who will talk about a diverse range of subjects, such as how art is helping Haitians recover from the earthquake, how photosynthetic bacteria could be a big player in your future, and what stars look like in nearby galaxies.

Each café begins at 7 p.m. The schedule is:

Oct. 20: Mark Crue and Thomas Puleo speak on “The Art of Recovery.” How art is helping Haitians cope with hardship since the earthquake struck a year ago.

Nov. 17: Jeremy Rowe,  "Historical Authentication and Analysis of Photographs and other Visual Records." Rowe looks at historic photographs and explores the clues and evidence that they convey in terms of process, format, image and provenance.

Jan. 19: Mark Klett, “(re)Photography.” Klett’s projects relate historical photographs of Western landscapes to their present-day locations.

Feb. 16: Bruce Rittman, “Slimy Green Solutions to the Petroleum Crisis.” Society needs to replace most of the fossil fuels it uses with renewable sources. Photosynthetic bacteria offer a renewable green source for retaining the energy of petroleum.

March 25: Robert Spring, “Ambassador of Note.” Spring, a renowned clarinet player, constantly develops his art and motivates those around him with his love of music and his remarkable technique. (He actually has played two clarinets at once.)

April 19: Angela Jansen, “Turning the Tales: Using Salmonella to Vaccinate People Against Pneumonia.” Researchers are using the salmonella bacteria to create a new vaccine for pneumonia.

May 17: Hwi Kim, “Galaxies Beyond the Milky Way.” Hwi Kim’s researched is focused on star formation in nearby galaxies using the Hubble Space Telescope.

For more information about the series, call the museum, (480) 350-5100.