Gold Medal Ceremony and Presentation
The 2016 Gold Medal Ceremony and Presentation is scheduled for October 12th in the Planetarium of the Challenger Learning Center.
This year’s honoree is Dr. Henry Neal Williams, professor in the School of Environment at Florida A&M University. He is considered the leading authority on predatory bacteria. Currently, he is focusing on their use as an antibiotic agent to fight human bacteria pathogens. Visit the Society’s web site to learn more about our honoree.
His presentation for the evening of the Award Ceremony is entitled “Hunting the World’s Smallest Hunters, the Bdellovibrionales: A 30-Year Odyssey.”
Members who subscribe to the Tallahassee Democrat may recall two recent articles featuring Dr. Williams and his acclaim. We are honored to bestow our Gold Medal award to him and to have him present to our membership.
A reception preceding the ceremony to honor our members is scheduled in the Challenger Learning Center classroom across the hall from the Planetarium. So we can plan food and drinks for the reception,
members must make a reservation. Go to the Society’s web site and under the “News & Notes” tab make reservations to attend by clicking on the Eventbrite link.
Lannutti Lecture Series
The 2016 Lannutti Lecture series will be held on November 2nd and 3rd. Mark your calendars and plan to attend one or both of the lectures.
This year’s presenter is Dr. Robert Williams, who is Astronomer Emeritus at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, MD.
Dr. Williams’ research specialties are nebulae, novae, and emission–line spectroscopy and analysis. He is a strong advocate for science education and outreach. He has lectured around the world on recent discoveries from the Hubble Telescope and other forefront facilities on the ground and in space.
He was awarded the Beatrice Tinsley Prize of the American Astronomical Society for his leadership of the Hubble Deep Field project, which revealed information about the early universe. For this project he was awarded the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal.
His public Lecture will be November 2nd at 7:00 pm in the College of Medicine auditorium and is entitled “Hubble Space Telescope: Piecing Together the Universe”.
The Physics Department Colloquium will be November 3rd at 3:45 PM (with free refreshments starting at 3:15 PM) in the Undergraduate Physics Laboratory, room 101 and is entitled “The Hubble Deep Field and its Legacy”. The public is invited to the Colloquium as well.
Horizons 2017
The Horizons 2017 series is being developed and will be another outstanding season. We plan to have the program ready before the holiday season and encourage members to consider purchasing season tickets as gifts.
Volunteers
Volunteers Needed to Help with
School Science Fairs
Every fall, schools in our area hold their annual science fairs. Many teachers participate in these fairs, helping students develop quality science projects; however, many teachers (and subsequently their students) do not participate. This is because teachers feel overwhelmed and participation in the fair becomes simply one more duty they don’t have the time to undertake.
TSS has been advised by those in the know that if teachers had some volunteers to assist them, they may be more likely to have an active science fair at their school. Primarily, they are looking for volunteers to help set up the night before and on the day of the fair (most science fairs take place in late fall). They also need judges and will train on the criteria for judging projects.
If you would like to get involved, please contact Shelly Hatton:
shellyhatton@gmail.com; 850-661-3803
This year’s
2nd Saturday Science Lab is being kicked off on October 8th. Tony Dubin, a recently appointed board member, has agreed to chair the Science Lab committee and is also going to present at the October event. His topic is “Gas Sylvestre: Introducing CO
2”. If you know of a youth who is even vaguely interested in science, encourage them to attend this and future labs. These are hands-on labs and are designed to raise teen attendees’ interest in science.
Also, if you, or someone you know, would be available to make a presentation, get in touch with Tony. He is looking for presenters who are interested in our outreach to young people. Anthony Duben
ajduben@gmail.com.
Bob Henderson, President,
bob@rkhenderson.com 850-575-6610
Carol, as a TSS board member is continuing her life-long interest in science and science education. After receiving her BS in Chemistry from Youngstown State University and MS from Florida State University in Science Education, She taught chemistry for 35 years, first at Godby High School and then Tallahassee Community College (TCC). At TCC, she also served as science program chair and was an active participant in TCC’s science student mentor program (STEM Stars).
The Tallahassee Scientific Society announces the award of their 2019 Gold Medal to Dr. Laura Greene, Chief Scientist at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory. The Society’s Gold Medal, established in 2004, is bestowed annually on a scientist or scholar selected from the Tallahassee community whose career achievements in science or mathematics, and contributions to science education and outreach, are deemed exemplary.
Mabry specializes in earth science and promoting scientific literacy. She earned her Ph.D. in Geological Sciences from FSU, with her research at the MagLab, while serving as a NSF GK12 Fellow, working in public school classrooms. Mabry has also enjoyed working at the Florida Geological Survey, the Florida Center for STEM at FSU, and teaching earth science for seven years at TCC.
Yvonne worked in the Public Health Laboratory in Jacksonville and then as Bureau Chief in the Food Safety Laboratory at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. After retirement from the State of Florida, a move to Denver, she is now back to Tallahassee. Yvonne works with the Association of Public Health Laboratories and the Association of Food and Drug Officials. She has a BS Biology from FSU and MS Community Health from UNF.
Tangy is a cardiac physiologist and Instructor in the sciences at Florida A&M University and Tallahassee Community College. One of her life goals is to offer an academic advantage to Middle and High Schoolers, and as a result she is the founder of the non-profit organization, Skolier Institute Summer Camp, Inc. She prides herself in mentoring, educating, and propelling scholars to higher levels. She enjoys reading and engaging outdoor activities with family.
Bill is a retired invertebrate biologist. He studied parasitology and genetics at the Florida State University, where his graduate studies focused on the genetics of digenetic trematodes. After graduating he spent 32 years as a marine fisheries manager with the state of Florida and federal fishery management councils. He has two grown children and has resided in Tallahassee since 1970. His interests include world history, paleontology, evolution, music, cycling, and kayaking.
Kerry brings a background of science teaching, training, research, and community outreach to the Board of Tallahassee Scientific Society. She presently teaches biology at Thomas University and serves on the Tallahassee Science Festival Board. In her professional career, she has worked to communicate complex concepts in science to a diverse range of students, from K-12 through seniors.
Chris earned a degree in Meteorology from FSU in 1995 and began teaching Physics, Physical, and Earth/Space Science at Godby High School, moving to Chiles High School in 2000. In 2008, Chris joined a team creating science assessments for Florida, then becoming the Mathematics and Science Coordinator while also overseeing the development of Florida’s state-wide Mathematics and Science assessments. Chris is the Instructional Certification Specialist for Leon County Schools and oversees the Beginning Teacher Program.
Tony is a Professor Emeritus of Computer Science from Southeast Missouri State University and retired Professor of Chemistry from Stephan F. Austin State University (TX). He is a physical / computational chemist who earned his B.S. in chemistry and mathematics from Marquette University and Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the Pennsylvania State University. 
George taught middle and high school in Louisville, Ky before becoming a faculty member in science education at FSU in 1967 where he retired with the rank of Professor Emeritus in 2001. His work, in addition to teaching, included curriculum development that evolved from print materials to multimedia. His projects have been used broadly in the US and internationally. 
Dana served for 30 years in the Florida Park Service, mostly as the state-wide chief biologist. Dana earned an MS in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from FSU. He is an authority on the limpkin, the snail-eating wading bird, about which he authored several scientific accounts. Dana has been active on boards and as an officer for Florida Audubon Society, Apalachee Audubon Society, Birdsong Nature Center, and the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge Association.