ROCHESTER, NY—The Rochester Museum & Science Center (RMSC) celebrates its 30^th anniversary of the Richard C. Shultz Science on the Edge Lecture Series in 2012 with an excellent new line-up of expert presenters in scientific fields. Community members have the opportunity to learn about advanced science behind such areas as cosmology, storms, music and the 2012 end of the world rumors.

"The Science on the Edge Lecture Series has provided insight and understanding about current research in a broad array of topics for a general audience since its inception," said Calvin Uzelmeier, Ph. D., education director, RMSC. "We've found that as a result of these presentations, Science on the Edge has sparked intelligent conversations throughout the community. We're excited to celebrate our 30^th year of the series." The 2012 series includes:

A bonus, free lecture to open the series:

Bruce Selleck, Harold Orville Whitnall, Ph.D., Professor of Geology, Colgate University

Seamus McGraw, author of book "The End of Country"

Wednesday, January 11: 6–7pm

"Drilling Marcellus Shale and its Impact on the Geology and the People"

Location: Strasenburgh Planetarium

Attendees learn about the geology and environmental impacts of the drilling of natural gas in Marcellus Shale over time from Professor Bruce Selleck of Colgate University. Then, attendees join author Seamus McGraw for a reading from his new book, The End of Country, about the battle for control that has ensued and how the residents of rural Susquehanna, Pa. have struggled with the choices it poses for their community. Presented by the Colgate Club of Rochester. This lecture is free and open to the public; limited seating.

The series continues with:
Adam Frank, Professor of Arts, Sciences and Engineering, University of Rochester

Wednesday, January 18 at 7:30pm

"Twilight of the Big Bang: Revolutions in Human and Cosmic Time"

Frank discusses new theories of cosmology and how the most intimate and personal experience of time has always been wedded to a changing view of the cosmos. Now that cosmology is poised to reinvent itself beyond the Big Bang, it can only mean that we are also poised to reinvent cultural time. There are two paired revolutions in time taking place in our era and we will watch them both unfold before our eyes.

Anthony Aveni, Russell Colgate Professor of Astronomy and Native American Studies, Colgate University

Wednesday, February 1 at 7:30pm

"The End of Time: The Maya Mystery of 2012"

December 21, 2012: The Internet, bookshelves and movie theaters are full of prophecies, theories and predictions that this date marks the end of the world as we know it. Whether the end will result from magnetic realignment of Earth's poles, floods, earthquakes, or the return of alien caretakers, theories of impending changes abound. Learn about these theories and measure them objectively against evidence unearthed by Maya archaeologists, iconographers and epigraphers. Examine the broader context, and speculate on why cataclysmic events in human history have a strong appeal within American pop culture.

Reed Timmer, Extreme Meteorologist on Discovery Channel's Storm Chasers

Wednesday, February 29 at 7:30pm

"The Science of Extreme Storm Chasing"

Did you know that there were more tornadoes in April 2011 in the U.S. than any other April in recorded history? Or that more EF5 tornadoes touched down in spring of 2011 than in the previous decade combined? Will this unprecedented tornado season become a trend for the future? Learn how storm chasers, forecasters, news media and emergency personnel work together to warn people in the path of these storms, and how social networking is emerging as a new platform for delivering this potentially life-saving information. Also, discover how storm chasers are using innovative new technologies such as armored vehicles (i.e., the Dominator), mobile radar and probe-launching tornado cannons to study the most powerful atmospheric forces on the planet. In addition to being one of the featured meteorologists on Discovery Channel's Storm Chasers series, Timmer is completing a Ph.D. in meteorology at the University of Oklahoma and author of Into the Storm.

Kathleen Muldoon, Assistant Professor of Anatomy, Dartmouth College

Wednesday, March 21 at 7:30pm

"Extinct Giants, Shrinking Dwarfs: A Paleontologist's Perspective on Madagascar's Vanishing Ecosystems"

Madagascar is a hotspot for endangered biodiversity, and has suffered the extinction of dozens of species, including the giant sub fossil lemurs. Discover what the fossil record can tell us about human impact and environmental change, in the past, present, and future prospects for conservation.

Mark F. Bocko and David Headlam, Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering (the College) and Music Theory (Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester
Wednesday, April 25 at 7:30pm
"The Re-convergence of Music and Science"
Throughout history, music and science have long been related fields of inquiry. Since the 19^th century, music and science have largely followed divergent paths. One possible reason for this divergence is the inability of objective scientific description to capture the more subjective and emotion-laden elements of music. Discover how we have strived to re-unite these two fields through studies of the nature of musical information and representations of musical expression. Explore our research and vision for the re-convergence of music and science.

"We accept community input on future lecture topics and experts through surveys distributed after each presentation," added Uzelmeier. "We provide our visitors with the latest trends, research and experiences that they want to learn about from the professionals that are hands-on with science and technology."

Each presentation is followed by a brief reception where visitors can enjoy snacks, beverages and meet the presenter. All lectures, unless otherwise specified, are held in the Eisenhart Auditorium on the RMSC campus at 657 East Avenue at 7:30pm Wednesday evenings. Ticket prices include:

Series Tickets:
RMSC Members: $45 adult, $25 student*
General Public: $55 adult, $30 student*
Single Lecture Tickets:
RMSC Members: $14 adult, $7 student*
General Public: $15 adult, $8 student*
*students through grade 12 or college students with valid college ID.

Call (585)697-1942 or visit www.rmsc.org for additional information and to purchase tickets.

For high-resolution headshots/images and additional information, contact Debra Jacobson, Director of Marketing and Community Affairs, RMSC at (585)697-1944 or debra_jacobson@rmsc.org.

Rochester Museum & Science Center (RMSC) receives major funding from Monroe County. RMSC includes a planetarium, nature center and science/regional history museum. The Rochester Museum & Science Center stimulates broad community interest and understanding of science and technology, and their impact—past, present, future—on our lives. For more information about RMSC, visit www.rmsc.org. Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter (@rocRMSC).

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