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 coming together nicely and it will be a very educational and entertaining schedule. Tickets will be available by the end of November, so those who might like to purchase tickets as gifts for the holiday season can do so.
The season will kick off February 23rd with a presentation by Bruce Means, local naturalist, who will discuss his study of rattlesnakes in our area. His study is the most comprehensive study of any reptile species in the world. He will have his book on the study available for sale before the presentation.
March 23rd, Dr. Gail Skofronick-Jackson, a highly accomplished and well-regarded NASA scientist, will take the stage at the IMAX theater. Her area of expertise is measuring climatic changes from space. She may be able to address our concerns about how global warming will impact our area.
Jeffrey Shanks, archeologist for the National Park Service, will bring us details on the newly excavated indigenous site on St Marks Wildlife Refuge, known as Byrd’s Hammock. The site has been investigated enough to give us an understanding of the inhabitants and their way of life. April 27th is the date for this event.
The speaker on May 17th will be Dr. Don on Chambers, Marine Scientist. His research focuses on quantifying and understanding sea level variability, especially trying to separate natural climate variability from anthropogenic climate change.
You will receive notice when more detailed information is made available on our web page and when tickets become available. For now, mark your calendars for the dates of the Horizons 2017 events.
STEM Science Festival
For several years, a successful STEM Science Festival has been held at Lake Ella in late summer. The driving force behind the event was Bill Grace. Bill has moved away but wanted to ensure that the festival continued. The Tallahassee Science Society was approached to take a leadership position and so have several other community organizations. Nothing definite has been decided but your Society sees the festival as fulfilling its mission and will be a part of it in the future. We may take a leadership role, but in any case, we will be a participant in the festival as we have been the last couple of years.
Science Oriented Field Trips
Your board of directors has been planning a new initiative for the benefit of our members. The idea has been to offer field trips that have a scientific element, be of interest to our members, and acquaint participants with projects or services in our community. A committee has been working on ideas for field trips, looking a practical logistics, and lining up a few trips. Our plans include trips that will be attractive to our youth as well, so these can be a family outing, with the added benefit of encouraging our young citizens to consider a career in science.
More will be reported as this endeavor kicks off. It is the committee’s hope that you will find this project of value to you and your family. As we go along, the project will be modified by your feedback and adjusted accordingly.
Regional Science & Engineering Fair
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
Bob Henderson, President, bob@rkhenderson.com; 850-575-6610
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.
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).