Cafe Scientique Arlington June 5, 2012

Join us for a special bonus feature this month! Due to the remarkable timing of the rare transit of Venus taking place on June 5, Dr. Larry Marschall, Professor of Astronomy, Gettysburg College will discuss the "Transit of Venus: The Space Race of the 19th Century" in the NSF Atrium from 4:00 - 5:00 p.m., just prior to our regularly-scheduled Cafe event -- Time Line to Disaster.

Cafe Scientifique Arlington
WHAT: Time Line to Disaster – The RMS Titanic and Principles of Marine Forensics

WHEN: Tuesday, June 5, 2012, 5:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Café Scientifique events are held on the first Tuesday of each month.

WHERE: The Front Page restaurant, near Ballston Metro.
Located at 4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22203 on the ground floor of the National Science Foundation (NSF) building. Parking is available under the NSF building or at Ballston Common Mall.

WHO: Presented by Mr. William H. Garzke, Jr., CSC Advance Marine and Chairman, Marine Forensics Committee, The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, The Marine Technology Society, and The American Society of Naval Engineers.

HOW: Please come early to order table service and socialize.
Special half-price burgers start at 5:30 p.m. Presentation begins at 6:15 p.m. followed by Q&A. No science background required – only an interest! Café Scientifique is free and open to the public. Registration requested.

ABOUT THE TOPIC: This presentation will discuss the loss of RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912 using the principles of marine forensics. It will chronicle the events that took place and dispel some of the popular myths surrounding the events that led to her loss. The two inquiries into the sinking of this famous liner in the United States and Great Britain were not scientific and both concluded from the testimonies of survivors that the ship sank intact. In 1985, Dr. Robert Ballard discovered the wreck only to find that the ship sustained a hull failure. In the years since that discovery several explanations of that hull failure have been advanced, most notably by James Cameron who has visited the wreck 33 times. His, and other theories, will be discussed as part of the presentation.

SUPPORT THIS CAFÉ: 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. Please go to www.arlingtonvirginiausa.com/bsta and contribute. Help keep Café Scientifique open and free to all!

UPCOMING EVENTS: Tuesday, July 10, 2012* – Role of Science in Political Decision Making.
*Pease note that next month's event will be held on the second Tuesday of the month, due to the July 4 holiday.

For more information, contact Kaye Breen at ballstonscience@yahoo.com
Visit us at http://www.arlingtonvirginiausa.com/bsta
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