If you’re into science, social media, education, outreach, fun, or any of the above, have we got something for you.

Join science friends new and old from all over the region to meet, mingle, and Tweet the evening away at Chicago’s first bi-monthly Science Tweetup! The Chicago Science Tweetup (Volume 1) will bring together science communicators, promoters and enthusiasts to meet up, catch up, and collaborate.  The conversation will be free-form, and to kickstart it, the topic of this tweetup will be “Using Social Media to make connections in Science.”  For our first mixer, we’ll have a science book swap, so please bring a science book you’ve enjoyed to trade with another guest.  Thanks to Tom Ruginis for the idea for our first mixer!  Come with more ideas for mixers so that we can all try something new at each event!

Check out our super-cute logo…we MAY have a treat for all of our guests!

We’ll be in the upstairs space at Schubas, which features a great menu at the Harmony Grill, and an extensive beer list. Bonus: You can catch the 8:00 PM show if you dig the band!

The hashtag for this event is #ChiSciTweet1 See you there!

This Sunday!
January 15, 2012
Schubas, Upstairs Space
5:00 PM-8:00 PM
Free

The following is a short selection of my skills as a bench scientist:

Fluorescence microscopy
Molecular cloning
Electroporation
Chemical Precipitation transformation
Cell Culture
Thin-section transmission electron microscopy
Electron Tomography
High-pressure freeze substitution of cells
Immunoelectron microscopy
Western/southern blotting
Running gels like my life depended on it
Immunofluorescence
Live cell imaging
Analysis of literature
Crazy-good notetaking/record keeping/Data maintenance
Grant writing/proposal composition

Now, here’s what I need in my current position:

Budget maintenance
Managerial Skills
Event planning
Massive networking skills
Advising/counseling students
Grant writing/proposal composition
Reporting of activities/priorities to governing board

Seemingly, only one skill translates-the grant writing.  Bummer.

Well, I sort of predicted this.  I wanted to make sure I wasn’t about to hit the end of my graduate program short on the tools I would need to go outside of a research career.  So, here is a short selection of what I did:

Mentored students of various ages-high school, undergraduate, returning, non-traditional students.  Invested in them in the same way I would have invested in myself.  They all have multiple first author publications now.

Wrote.  A lot.  About things other than science.  And sometimes about science.  Built a portfolio of writing material.  I’m not claiming to be Steinbeck here, but I got a few articles under my belt, did a little editing, edited people’s papers in the lab, did some for a publishing company in Asia, you know got some experience.

Did A LOT of outreach.  Volunteered for various programs to bring science to kids, science weeks, science years, got involved through professional societies, this is going to have to be another article.

I also discussed science with my fabulous grandmother.  Every time she told me she didn’t care about what I was saying, I retooled my message.  This was helpful.

Served on the young professionals’ board for Human Rights Watch in Chicago.  Took me away from the bench a couple of Thursday evenings a month, but you know what I have to do in my job?  Work with a board.  You know what I don’t do?  Work in a lab.  Do you think this may have been a good investment of my time, even though it may not have seemed to get me to the end of my thesis right away?  I do.

By the end of all this, in addition to the short list of previously mentioned science skills, I could:

Manage a budget (you think my outreach efforts were free?)

Network like crazy (Seriously.)

Mentor students to the Ph.D., or the direction of their choice.  (Ahem.  Click this and search for Levi.)

Create programs for students that would actually make a difference in their ability to pursue their dreams.

Better understand how a board works.

Wrote fabulous press pieces for events and their outcomes.

Knew the basics of program assessment.

Learned how to translate my bench experience into something that would actually help others, whether in science or the public.

My hope is that you will reach for experiences and tools that will enable you to generate a portfolio of skills that will enable you to be really ready for the job you want after this.  If you want a post-doc and to become a faculty member, the skills you gain on a traditional academic path are primarily the ones you need, although the exercises of getting experience beyond the bench will be a useful one for your own career, and will hopefully help you better understand students you are mentoring who may want to take a non-traditional path.  If you’re thinking of a job away from the bench, my suggestion is to find out what that is, what the day to day will be like, and then make sure you’re getting the experiences you need in order to be able to cover the bases of the job.  The degree is your ticket in, but these experiences distinguish you from every other Ph.D. out there, giving you a wide array of tools to work with and make you the candidate for your dream job.

The cool part is that these skills are so transferable, you can’t lose.  You can do such a wide array of things with your degree and background, and it’s just a matter of strengthening different professional muscle groups depending on your goals, and how they change.

So do some exploring, find some role models or carve your own path out, and make it happen.  You’re a science rockstar.

This program will be held in Callebaut’s gorgeous, state-of-the-art Chocolate Academy. (Remember Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory? It’s like that. But without the Umpa-Lumpas.) It’s free and open to the public. If only high school had been this sweet!

Location: Callebaut Chocolate Academy (600 West Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL)
Date: Thursday, December 1, 2011
Time: 6:30 PM
Cost: Free
Brown Line to Chicago Ave.

About Callebaut:

A global chocolatier with a home base in Chicago, Callebaut Chocolate is the global leader in cocoa and chocolate innovations and provides a comprehensive range of services in the fields of product development, processing, training and marketing, and has been producing cocoa and chocolate products for more than 150 years. Callebaut is a fully integrated company that masters every step from the sourcing of cocoa beans to the shelf. Callebaut is a leader in social responsibility in the chocolate industry, actively engaged in initiatives and projects that contribute to a more sustainable cocoa supply chain, working to empower cacoa farmers, protect the environment, and support sustainable practices.

Callebaut offers classes for the general public at their Chocolate Academy, as well as other locations.

Night Lab is honored to partner with Callebaut to offer this program.

About Night Lab:

Molecular Geneticist and Cell Biologist Stephanie Levi, Ph.D. has a passion for making science enjoyable and accessible for the general public, and created Night Lab to bring fun, educational science programming to adults in Chicago in November 2008. Night Lab is designed to give non-scientists a short and sweet taste of science in their everyday lives. As a scientist, Stephanie is passionate about Chicago, and Night Lab programs feature the people and organizations that make Chicago a rockstar city for science. Whether you are just curious about science or a professional scientist, Night Lab is for you.

Drop Stephanie a note at Night.Lab.Chicago@gmail.com.

Did the talk inspire any of you to change the way you make your coffee?  Just curiosity.  We’re the proud owners of a new Burr Grinder and gold filter for our automatic machine (oh, we’re working our way toward a French Press for more control, but hey, Rome was not built in a day).

While I’m at it, we’ve gotten some great press: We’ve been featured on CBS Chicago, and in the Roscoe View Journal, in the University of Chicago Magazine, and fellow Chicago science outreach maven Tom Ruginis’ blog and website.

I love what I do, and look forward to sharing another year of sexy science with you.

Hugs, kisses and quarks,

Stephanie

Sarah explains the science behind the roasting process

Lucky audience members with their gift from Sarah - free coffee!

The science of the grind of coffee, explained.

Coffee is a pleasure and (for many of us) a morning necessity, but do you know the science behind your morning brew? Join us for Night Lab, Chicago’s science series for     adults, where we’ll learn the science of coffee from Sarah Kluth of Chicago’s own Intelligentsia Coffee and Tea as she traces the life of coffee from the tree to your cup. We’ll learn the chemistry behind the perfect cup, giving you the science you need to master the ultimate brew at home. If you’ve ever wondered about the chemistry behind the complex flavor of coffee, the physics behind a strong or weak cup, or the biology behind coffee’s amazing effects and flavors, come by for a drink and stay for a delicious science lesson.

Schubas (3159 N. Southport)
June 12, 2011
7-9 PM
21+
Free.
Red Line to Belmont

About Intelligenstia:

Based in Chicago, Illinois, Intelligentsia Coffee’s mission is to provide customers, staff, and community with an unparalleled and complete coffee and tea experience in an environment steeped in understanding, knowledge, skill, service and mutual respect. Intelligentsia believes in coffee quality and has made a commitment to our customers to offer only truly dazzling Specialty Coffees that speak for themselves in the cup. To get such coffees they work closely with actual producers, not just importers or exporters, so that they can build great coffees from the very start. In the broadest terms, these coffees should be understood as a true collaboration, with both sides investing a great deal of time, energy and ideas to produce something great.

Intelligentsia offers classes for the general public at their Chicago Roasting works, and has retail locations in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles.

Night Lab is honored to partner with Intelligentsia to offer this program.

ABOUT NIGHT LAB:
Molecular Geneticist and Cell Biologist Stephanie Levi, Ph.D. has a passion for making science enjoyable and accessible for the general public, and created Night Lab to bring fun, educational science programming to adults in Chicago in November 2008. Night Lab is designed to give non-scientists a short and sweet taste of science in their everyday lives.  As a scientist, Stephanie is passionate about Chicago, and Night Lab programs feature the people and organizations that make Chicago a rockstar city for science. Whether you are just curious about science or a professional scientist, Night Lab is for you.

Drop Stephanie a note at Night.Lab.Chicago@gmail.com.

The Levi(y) Ladies

Thanks to all who came out for last Sunday’s Night Lab about the Science of Extinction!  As always, the crowd was cool and we heard some interesting ideas, and questions.  Our thanks to the Bookcellar for joining us to sell copies of Once and Future Giants.
Join us next month for another Night Lab about the science of coffee.  We’ll trace the life of coffee from the tree to your cup with Intelligentsia’s Sarah Kluth, who travels the world as a coffee buyer, and is a officially the company’s Mix Master (yes, that’s what she actually does).  I will chime in on some chemistry, and there might even be a few surprises thrown in for the science fans in the house!  The next Night Lab will be at Schubas on June 12, 2011, 7:00 PM-9:00 PM.  See you then!

Cute, science-loving crowd

Sharon outlines interesting rewilding ideas.

A very thoughtful anthropologist chimed in about data-driven approaches to conservation.

Some conservation biologists take the argument further: they now suggest that in some cases, deliberately introducing exotic animals may be critical to restoring damaged ecosystems.  Should we strive to replicate the animal populations found by the first Europeans as they colonized the globe, as traditional conservation efforts assume?  Or should we instead work to rebuild whole ecosystems, using substitutes to fill niches left empty by the top predators and large herbivores humans have driven to extinction?  Join us to find out about what science can tell us about our Earth’s past and future at Night Lab, Chicago’s science series for adults, for a discussion with science writer Sharon Levy, author of Once and Future Giants: What Ice Age Extinctions Tell Us About the Fate of Earth’s Largest Animals.

Schubas (3159 N. Southport)
May 1, 2011
7-9 PM
21+
Free.
Red Line to Belmont

About Once and Future Giants:

In Once and Future Giants, science writer Sharon Levy digs through the evidence surrounding Pleistocene large animal (“megafauna”) extinction events worldwide, showing that understanding this history-and our part in it-is crucial for protecting the elephants, polar bears, and other great creatures at risk today. These surviving relatives of the Ice Age beasts now face an intensified replay of that great die-off, as our species usurps the planet’s last wild places while driving a warming trend more extreme than any in mammalian history.  Deftly navigating competing theories and emerging evidence, Once and Future Giants examines the extent of human influence on megafauna extinctions past and present, and explores innovative conservation efforts around the globe. The key to modern-day conservation, Levy suggests, may lie fossilized right under our feet.

For those who could not make it in (we were at capacity!), the next event, on the Science of Beauty, will be held on March 13, 2011 at 7:00 PM-again at Schubas!

For anyone who is new to Night Lab, it is an event that I created as I did my Ph.D. to make science more accessible to everyone, after I discovered that many people shared my love of science but found it intimidating or had bad memories of high school bio.  Night Lab is science for adults, brought down to earth to let everyone and anyone see the sexy, everyday side of science.

This is the blog spot for Night Lab, where you can read about the science of the everyday in between events from a scientist who knows her stuff.

Here are some photos from the event last night.  You can add your own at Science is Sexy’s Flickr page. A video of the event will be up shortly!

See you next month!

Cute audience members get ready to enact the endocrine and neural pathways of sex and attraction.

Estrogen and Testosterone duke it out.

Talking through drinks.

Packed house at Schubas

Explaining the science of breakups.

The kiss-in

This lovely guy demonstrated the increase in norepinephrine that hits during orgasm.

More kiss-in!

Getting ready.