Shall we raise a glass to bookstore- and beer-fueled science forums? The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported that the popular "Science on Tap" series has just celebrated its third birthday. Hosted monthly by the Pub at Ravenna Third Place Books in Seattle, a "Science on Tap evening usually starts with a brief lecture by the night's presenter, who then takes questions from the crowd. The topics are wide-ranging across fields. Past speakers have discussed fuel cells, nanotechnology and stem cells."
Gretchen Meller, a Swedish Medical Center research scientist and organizer for the Science on Tap series, noted that the lectures "create a mellow space for the exchange of scientific ideas.
"People always have questions about science," she said. "You can read a lot of really great science writing, but there isn't really a place to ask the questions."