It’s time for everyone’s favorite holiday tradition: the New England Science Writers’ annual holiday dinner. We’ve reserved the back room at The Burren in Davis Square, Somerville, from 6:00 to 10:00 PM on Tuesday, December 12. Join us for a three-course meal of hearty comfort food, including vegetarian and gluten-free options. You do not need to choose your dinner ahead of time. Cost is $30 per person.
Image: Jim Lukach/Flickr
Last week scientists announced the fourth detection of gravitational waves, ripples in space-time that shook the international physics community when they were first detected in 2015. The feat not only validated Einstein’s theory of general relativity but also opened a new field of astronomy that will essentially allow us to listen to some of the most energetic and exciting processes in the universe.
Join your NESW colleagues for pizza with MIT physics professor Scott Hughes, who will describe the discoveries, why they are so important, and the current status of the research. Hughes studies astrophysical general relativity, focusing on black holes and gravitational-wave sources.
Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2017 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Building 37, Room 252 (Marlar Lounge)
MIT
70 Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA
This event is limited to 15 people; RSVP to reserve your seat!
Contact Elizabeth Thompson with any questions.
Image: LIGO/Caltech/MIT
Join NESW on a ferry tour of Block Island Wind Farm, the first offshore wind farm in the United States, on Monday, Sept. 25, 2017. We anticipate high interest in this event, so be sure to reserve your spot today.
NESW is working with Special Initiative on Offshore Wind at the University of Delaware (UD) to develop a one-day program that includes a ferry trip out to the Block Island Wind Farm, as well as talks with offshore wind researchers from UD, the National Wildlife Federation, and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
Presenters:
The ferry will depart from North Kingstown, R.I., at 10:00 a.m. and return to shore at 1 p.m. Presentations will take place onboard the boat on the way to and from the wind farm. The cruise departs from the Martha’s Vineyard Fast Ferry terminal located at 1347 Quonset Road, North Kingstown, RI 02852. Visit Atlantic Wind Transfers for detailed directions.
* Please note that the bus from Cambridge to Rhode Island is now full. Contact Noelle Swan if you would like to be added to the waitlist.
For more information, logistics, and to register to join this tour, click here.
Image: Block Island Wind Farm. (Ionna22/Wikimedia Commons)
The New England Science Writers will return to Daedalus Restaurant and Pub in Cambridge for the annual summer social event on August 9 from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm. Come by to meet up, catch up, and network with your colleagues. We’ve reserved the upstairs bar, and for $15 a head ($20 for non-members) we’ll supply an array of appetizers.
Daedalus is at 45 ½ Mt. Auburn Street near Harvard Square.
Plum Island Estuary (USGS/Flickr)
Sea level rise and erosion aren’t theoretical problems for Plum Island. Joins us on Saturday, July 23 from 11:oo am to 1:00 pm for a guided hike led by science writer and marine biologist Bill Sargent, and see for yourself some of the changes the barrier island is currently experiencing.
For those interested in spending the full day on the island, there are restaurants for lunch, miles of beaches, kayaking rentals, birding opportunities, and designated fishing areas.
Friends and family (including kids) are welcome.
Make sure to RSVP if you think you might attend, so we can send you information about where to meet and what to bring – and so we know to wait for you before setting out.
New England Science Writers 