Young Scientist Roundtable
The Program
Young Scientist Roundtable offers students in grades K-12 an opportunity to hear about many different fields of science from the scientists themselves. Eden Prairie school district is one of a number of districts that participate in this program, and Eden Prairie students are welcome to attend YSR events, which are generally held on the first Tuesday of each month. There is no fee and no registration. Parents attend with their students. Most events are held at 7:00 p.m. at Wayzata Central Middle School (see “Directions” below), although periodically an event will be held elsewhere, such as Ridgedale Library, Eden Prairie High School, or Hopkins High School.
The speaker will talk about his/her field of science for about an hour, including a question-and-answer time at the end. From 8:10-8:40 p.m., the speaker will be available for a roundtable discussion with students. The roundtable is intended for teens in grades 6-12 to be able to discuss the topic (or related career questions) in more depth, but younger students with great interest in the subject are made welcome.
Young Scientist Roundtable is funded in large part with grants from the General Mills Foundation and the Vernon James Pick Foundation, with further support from FilmTec. Participating school districts make member contributions (Eden Prairie’s fee has been paid by EPCGT since 2002.)
For more information call Charlene Barghini at (763) 745-5208 or send an e-mail to Charlene Barghini, or check the YSR website.
2008-09 Speaker Schedule
All events are held at 7:00 p.m. at Wayzata Central Middle School (directions below) unless otherwise noted.
Speaker presentation 7:00-8:00 p.m.
Teen roundtable for further in-depth discussion 8:10-8:40 p.m.
- Monday, October 6, 2008
"Infrared Astronomy Using Flying Telescopes"
Dr. Robert D. Gehrz
Professor of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota
- Tuesday, November 11, 2008
"The Ever-Changing World of the Medical Detective"
Dr. Michael Osterholm
Director, Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy
- Tuesday, December 2, 2008
“Your Energy Reserves: From Pop to Pilates”
Dr. Joanne Slavin, Ph.D.,R.D., University of Minnesota Professor, Dept. of Food Science & Nutrition
Humans evolved when food was scarce, so our bodies have an unlimited capacity to store energy as fat. But today we live in a world where food is abundant (and tasty!) and increasing automation means less physical activity is required of us from day to day. Thus, modern human beings struggle to understand and navigate their own metabolisms. From energy drinks to yoga, Americans are treating their bodies in new ways. Dr. Slavin will illuminate nutrition biochemistry and discuss the effects of various trends on human health.
- Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Dr. Gerald Kulcinski, Associate Dean of Research, Engineering Physics University of Wisconsin-Madison And Director of the Fusion Technology Institute
- Tuesday, February 3, 2009
"Diagnosis & Disease: Tails from the Field of Veterinary Medicine"
Dr. Larissa Minicucci, Veterinary Public Health Program University of Minnesota
- Tuesday, March ?, 2009
TBA
- Tuesday, April 7, 2009
TBA
Directions
Wayzata Central Middle School
305 Vicksburg Lane
Plymouth, MN 55447
From Eden Prairie, you would take 494 North to Highway 12 West. Go about 1 1/2 miles west to County Road 15. Take that (northeast - right) about 4 blocks to Vicksburg Lane. Take a left on Vicksburg and another left into the parking lot. Signs in the building will direct you.
Tapes/DVDs of Past Events
The Eden Prairie Council for the Gifted and Talented (EPCGT) has made arrangements with staff at Wayzata Central Middle School to provide us with copies of YSR events. EPCGT gives these copies to the CMS Media Center to be made available to students and teachers at all sites. With the use of DVD media, the EPHS Media Center will also have copies of events in that format.
If you want to view a specific tape or DVD, you may request it at any site’s Media Center, and it will be routed to you. Here is a list of media in our system as of October 2008:
DVDs - 2008
- Resonance Rocks! Sound & Light: Marching in Step 1/08 (Dr. Richard Peterson, Professor of Physics, Bethel University)
- Using Electricity to Treat the Body and the Brain 2/08 (Martin Gerber, Director of Research & Development, Medtronic Neuromodulation
DVDs - 2007
- Genesis of a Medicine Pill :1/07 (Dr. Raj Khankari, General Manager, CIMA Labs, Inc.)
- Designing of Rollerblades: Fusion of Science & Creativity 2/07 (Arthur Erdman, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, U of M
- Exciting World of Radiology : 11/07 (Dr. Shashi Sane, Mpls. Children's Hospital & Clinic)
- Orthopaedics and Athletics: Introduction to Orthopaedic Surgery 12/07 (Dr. Allan Hunt, Orthopaedic Surgeon, Park Nicollet Hospital)
DVDs - 2006
- Forensic Pathology 3/06 (Spencer Hubbard, Deputy Coroner, MN Regional Coroner's Office)
- The Cardiac Surgeon as a Plumber 4/06 (Dr. Bernard Harrison, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Methodist Hospital)
- A New Breed of Pets - Robots 11/06 (Dr. Maria Gini, U of M Dept. of Computer Science & Engineering)
DVDs - 2005
- Meteorology 2/05 (Paul Douglas, Chief Meteorologist, WCCO)
- Mad Cows, Menacing Mosquitoes, and Crazy Deer: Emerging Diseases in Animals 3/05 (Dr. Jeff Bender, U of M Veterinary Medicine)
- Physics Force: The Next Generation 3/05
- Gogurt: A Case Study 4/05 (Lisa Schroeder & Maeve Murphy, General Mills)
- Why Do Airplanes Fly and Knuckleballs Dance? 9/05 (Dr. Paul Strykowski, Mechanical Engineering, U of M)
- Particles from Outer Space: NASA's Genesis and Stardust Projects 11/05 (Dr. Russell Palma, Dept. of Physics & Astronomy, Minnesota State University at Mankato)
- Robots for Urban Search and Rescue 12/05 (Dr. Richard Voyles, Dept. of Computer Science & Engineering, U of M; Site Director of the NSF Safety, Security, and Rescue Research Center)
DVDs - 2004
- So You Want to be a Marine Biologist 10/04 (Lisa McCartney, Underwater Adventure Aquariums)
- CSI Minnesota: Who, What, When & Where? 11/04 (Dr. Lindsey Thomas, Regional Area Coroner)
- Where There’s Smoke, There’s a Scientist: The Science of Wildfires 12/04 (Tom Fasteland, Minnesota Interagency Fire Center)
YSR TAPES - 2003
- Code: Hidden Language of Computers 1/03
- Water Molecules: Chemistry and Physics 1/03 (Dr. Ted Labuza, U of M Food Science)
- Genetically Modified Foods 2/03 (Dr. Susan Harlander, BIOrational Consultants
- Structural Engineering – Buildings and Bridges 2/03 (Steve Gardner, Deltak)
- Nuclear Energy Without Radioactive Waste: The Space Connection 3/03 (Dr. Gerald Kulcinski, UW-Madison Dept. of Nuclear Energy)
- Power Plants 4/03
- Medical Devices Technology 4/03
- Neutrinos from the Sun 5/03 (Dr. Marvin Marshak, U of M Dept. of Physics & Astronomy)
YSR TAPES - 2002
- Glass Technology / Dentistry 3/02 (Dr. Lorraine Francis, U of M Dept. of Chemical Engr. & Material Science / Dr. Christopher Okunseri, U of M School of Dentistry)
- Modern Technology / Kidney Disease 4/02 ( / Dr. Mark Fallen, Urologic Physicians PA)
- Earthquakes / Human Genetics 5/02 (Dr. Catherine French, U of M Dept. of Civil Engr. / )
- Emerging World of Infectious Diseases 10/02 (Dr. Michael Osterholm, Director of the Center for Infectious Diseases, U of M)
- The Use of Computers in Gene & Genome Research 11/02 (Dr. Libby Shoop, Macalester College)
- Dinosaurs: Design & Strategy 11/02 (Dr. Kent Kirby, U of M Dept. of Geology)
- Keeping Water Pure 12/02 (Dr. H.S. Muralidhara, Cargill)
- Cholesterol: Friendly Fat or Chemical Killer? 12/02 (Dr. Dan Gallaher, U of M Food Science)
A Student's Perspective
Reprint from EPCGT NEWS, September 2002
The Young Scientist Roundtable is for everybody. It’s designed for people in K-12th grade. Young Scientist usually meets on the first Monday or Tuesday night of each month, October through May, and is held at the Wayzata Central Middle School. Each month there are one or two speakers. [Editor’s note: YSR changed to a one-speaker format in 2003.]
Some of my favorite Young Scientist speakers have spoken on subjects I didn’t know I even had any interest in. For instance, one of the most recent Young Scientists had a kidney specialist speaking. I had no idea that lasers could be used to get rid of gallstones or tumors, or repair damaged organs. He brought lasers along so we could practice! I guess medicine has come a really long way.
Another of my favorite ones was all about sound waves and laser waves. I learned that waves aren’t all the same. In fact, if they’re set at different frequencies, no waves are the same. I also learned that different colored laser beams are different types of waves.
Some of the topics covered are biology, genealogy, robotics, different fields of medicine, animal science, food science, lasers, inventors of things like the 3M post-it note or an oil to make french fries taste better, engineering and many other science fields.
It’s not something that parents drag their kids to; in my case it was the exact opposite. I dragged my parents to it the first time we went, and we’ve only missed two of them ever since we started going four years ago. You can drop your kids off, but my parents stay for the presentations, and they love it. I hope some of you decide that this sounds interesting and that you try it out in the fall.
JN tells us that her two brothers who have graduated from college attend YSR presentations when they can and very much enjoy the content.
A Parent's Perspective
Reprint from EPCGT NEWS, October 2006
The Young Scientist Roundtable has been a wonderful activity for our family. My husband and son look forward to special one-on-one time while learning about some intriguing aspect of science. The lectures are informative and child-friendly, and the speakers do a good job of answering both simple questions from young participants and in-depth or technical questions from older participants. After much pleading on her part, I took our young daughter (then age 6) to the roundtable as well. She was fascinated by the presentation on epidemiology by Dr. Michael Osterholm. When I was growing up, I never knew what an epidemiologist was, much less how their work related to bioterrorism. If I had been exposed to these types of science presentations as a child, perhaps I might have chosen a career in the hard sciences or engineering. It is my hope that these free presentations will awaken the passion for discovery in our sons and daughters and point them down a fascinating career path.