How do animals predict earthquakes? Why should we resist hate speech? What can we learn from spiders? Come engaging in talks offered by UNL.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Lai’s Harry Potter-focused SciPop Talk
Wednesday, Nov 7
7 p.m.
Adele Coryell Hall Learning Commons
Love Library North
1300 R St.
Free. Open to the public
Rebecca Lai, associate professor of chemistry, will introduce animals that, similar to Harry Potter's Augurey, can forecast weather and predict earthquakes. She will explain how scorpion, bee and snake venom can aid cancer treatments and why snail secretions find their way into anti-aging face creams. She will also discuss how the wizards of Harry Potter use the hair of the mythical Demiguise to make invisibility cloaks.
E. N. Thompson Forum on World Issues:
Former ACLU president to discuss free speech
Wednesday, Nov 7
7 p.m.
Lied Center for Performing Arts
Free. Open to the public
Nadine Strossen, former president of the American Civil Liberties Union and a professor at the New York University School of Law, will present “HATE: Why We Should Resist It With Free Speech, Not Censorship.” With her expert knowledge of the U.S. Constitution, Strossen is a valuable resource for understanding the context behind policies and legislation that curtail civil liberties, such as freedom of speech.
Nightmare-inducing arachnids are research “D.R.E.A.M.S’ for Hebets
Wednesday, Nov 7
3:30 p.m.
Nebraska Union Auditorium
1400 R St.
Free. Open to the public
For many people, the sight of a spider is enough to cause a surge of fear, an impulse to run away or, for true arachnophobes, extreme reactions like heart palpitations and fainting.
But to Nebraska biologist Eileen Hebets, eight-legged creatures are the stuff not of nightmares but of “D.R.E.A.M.S.” — discovery, research, engagement, adventure, memories and success. In her lecture, Hebets will discuss her groundbreaking discoveries, passion for informal science education, and the curiosity and persistence underlying her research.