Ballston Cafe Scientifique July 1, 2008

CAFÉ SCIENTIFIQUE ARLINGTON

WHAT: How the French Geodesic Expedition to the Equator, 1735-1744, Led to GPS
WHEN: Tuesday July 1, 2008 @ 6:00 – all you can eat $6 buffet; 6:30-8:00 PM program

WHERE: The Front Page Restaurant, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA, located near Ballston Metro on the ground floor of the NSF building. Parking is available under the NSF Building or at Ballston Common Mall.

WHO: Science Historian Dr. Larrie D. Ferreiro, consultant to the BBC’s “Voyages of Discovery” series, Ambassador Luis Benigno Gallegos Chiriboga, Embassy of
Ecuador, and Michel Israël, Counselor, Science and Technology, Embassy of France.
No science background required!
Free and open to the public

ABOUT THE TOPIC: The story of Longitude is an inspiring tale of an individual’s heroic struggle to solve a scientific problem. But at exactly the same time as Harrison invented his chronometer, a major international scientific expedition, sponsored by the French government, went to the Equator to settle the burning question of the Earth’s shape – was it flattened at the poles or shaped like an egg? Their measurements and subsequent discoveries not only solidified our understanding of navigation, it opened the eyes of Europe to the richness of South America, and was the direct inspiration for the subsequent voyages of Humboldt and Darwin. This presentation describes importance and impact of this little-known Geodesic Mission, which became the model for how government-sponsored scientific cooperation among nations could work.

ABOUT THIS CAFE: The Ballston Science and Technology Alliance, a nonprofit organization, is the sponsor of Café Scientifique Arlington. Since April 2006, the goal of Café Scientifique has been to make science more accessible and accountable by featuring speakers whose expertise spans the sciences and who can talk in plain English. Café is generally held each month on first Tuesdays at the Front Page in Arlington.

COMING NEXT MONTH: Robert Rose, U.S. Fuel Cell Council/Fuel Cells 2000, Christy Cooper, DOE, Hydrogen Program speaking on “Blackout? What Blackout? Fuel Cells: A Reliable Choice for Mission Critical Applications”, August 5

For more information contact kbreen@arlingtonva.us or visit www.arlingtonvirginiausa.com/bsta

Official Website: http://arlingtonvirginiausa.com/bsta