Mike Crittenden is Professor Emeritus at Genesee Community College in western New York, where he taught Physics, Astronomy and related courses for four decades. One of his favorite quotes is from Arthur C. Clarke, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” (For an example, put “levitating frog” in youtube’s search box and see if that doesn’t look like magic to you.) Science is not primarily about knowing the difference between a beaker and a flask. It is about important topics that touch our lives and how we fit into a very large, mysterious Universe.
The Solar System’s Top Twelve An introduction to the twelve largest objects in our solar system aside from the Sun and Earth. In descending order by size: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Venus, Mars, Ganymede, Titan, Mercury, Callisto, Io and the Moon. Some are solid objects; some are mostly gas and liquid. Some are geologically active, some are not. And some might even be home to some sort of living things. All Welcome
The Big Bang and Cosmology Most scientists once believed the Universe is eternal. It turns out that the truth is closer to some traditional beliefs in which there was a creation. We will look at the evidence for this, the sequence of events after the beginning of time, and the composition and structure of the Universe. All Welcome
Climate Change and Alternative Energy You have certainly heard that use of fossil fuels is warming the planet. This talk will review the evidence that this is happening and how the greenhouse effect works. We will then move on to what can be done about it. Every option is a good news/ bad news story. These include carbon capture technology, renewable energy (wind, solar, hydroelectric and geothermal) and energy from nuclear fission. The issues surrounding nuclear fission will be discussed. Nuclear fusion could be a clean, sustainable source someday, but not for decades at least. All Welcome