Join us on November 9th, as Crystal Sharlow-Schaefer presents: Science by Scent: The Unexpected World of Conservation Canines

What can a dog's nose reveal about the natural world? Quite a lot. Working Dogs for Conservation (WD4C) trains shelter, rehomed, and career-change dogs to become highly skilled conservation canines. Guided by their extraordinary sense of smell, these dogs are helping to answer some of conservation's toughest questions by searching for rare and endangered species like elusive Sumatran rhinos in Indonesia, detecting invasive plants and animals, helping stop wildlife trafficking, and so much more. Around the world, their noses are being put to use protecting wildlife and wild places.

Join Crystal Sharlow-Schaefer of Working Dogs for Conservation for a behind-the-scenes look at the ever-growing field of conservation canines. She'll share how, through collaboration and innovation, a dog's powerful sense of smell is helping to advance conservation. You'll also get a glimpse of what WD4C is working on now and what they'll be working on next. For a sneak peek, visit www.wd4c.org.

Crystal Sharlow-Schaefer holds a background in wildlife rehabilitation, teaching, and nonprofit management and is currently the Director of Development at Working Dogs for Conservation. Outside of work, you'll find her planting far too many squash seeds, keeping a close eye on the hummingbird feeder, or foraging for mushrooms with her dog and husband.

Date: 11/9/26

Time: 7-8:30/9pm CST

Cost: FREE!!!

Location: Back room of the Sugar Maple Bar, 441 E. Lincoln Ave, Bay View, WI

Join us on May 11th, as Tom Mortensen presents: OUR Water - What You Should Know & Why

The Clean Water Act of 1972 - how's that working out for us? Now more than ever, there are threats to our ground water and surface waters throughout the region. The current regulations are not calibrated to address these threats which are political, economic, and environmental.

This presentation will bring attention to many of the past and current issues in the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes region. Attendees will learn how stormwater, forever chemicals (PFAS) and especially industrialized agribusiness (factory farms) have compromised OUR water quality, and how our relationship with water (our water ethic) needs to change in order to protect this resource for future generations.

Tom Mortensen, PLA, ASLA - Site Planner/Landscape Architect

Tom Mortensen has over 35 years of experience in site design, landscape architecture and related design and construction professions. He has worked on design projects with the US Forest Service, National Park Service, Boy Scouts of America, Native American Tribes and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. And Summerfest!

Since 2011, he has been teaching a class at the UWM School of Continuing Education in the Water Technology Certification program entitled "Nature Ignores Design That Ignores Nature" on the topics of green infrastructure, water, native landscape, and site design methods for more resilient integration of rainfall on sites. Tom is also the Vice President of the Milwaukee Domes Alliance (formerly Friends of the Domes) and is the chairperson of the Domes Reimagined Project.

Date: 5/11/26

Time: 7-8:30/9pm CST

Cost: FREE!!!

Location: Back room of the Sugar Maple Bar, 441 E. Lincoln Ave, Bay View, WI

 

Join us on April 13th, as Dr. Ryan Feldman presents: A Fun-Guide to Poisonous Fungus Amongus and the GOTTA PICCEM Poisonous Mushroom Game

Spring Greetings, fellow nerdlings!! The weather is warming up, and we're starting to spend more time outside, allowing more interactions with our natural surroundings. Foraging sure is fun but also very important to do safely, so be sure to mark your calendars and tell your friends about our upcoming, interactive event!! 

Join us for a lecture on Wisconsin's poisonous fungi, foraging safety, and Wisconsin mushroom poisoning fast facts, coupled with a poisonous mushroom game to be played after!!

Dr. Ryan Feldman is the author of the rhyming STEM children's book Poisonous Fungus Amongus. He is a clinical toxicologist who studies and treats poisonings, including those caused by mushrooms. He has authored more than 50 clinical research papers on poisoning, with work featured in The New York Times and Science.org. In his work, he helps doctors, public health experts, and poison centers treat poisonings and understand which mushrooms are safe - and which ones definitely are not. In his free time, he hosts the toxicology podcast The Poison Lab and is the creator of the poisonous mushroom-themed card game GOTTA PICCEM. His work focuses on making science fun, memorable, and easy to understand. Through his research, teaching, and creative projects, Ryan hopes to spark curiosity about the natural world while helping people learn how to explore it safely.

Date: 4/13/26

Time: 7-8:30/9pm CST

Cost: FREE!!!

Location: Back room of the Sugar Maple Bar, 441 E. Lincoln Ave, Bay View, WI

Other resources:

Wisconsin Mycological Society

Poison Control (1-800-222-1222)

Join us on March 9th, as Dr. Christa Wagner presents: The Climate-Health Connection: Understanding Risks & Opportunities for Action in the Health Sector

Milwaukee's summer of 2025 brought unusual and impactful weather in the forms of extreme heat, severe flooding, and unsafe air quality due to wildfire smoke. These environmental events, made more severe by climate change, can make underlying health conditions worse and have disproportionate impacts on health outcomes across our communities. We'll discuss the forces driving today's extreme weather and projections for Wisconsin's future climate. Then, we'll investigate how health systems and medical schools are taking on their unique opportunity to lead in climate action by reducing their environmental impact while taking steps to enhance education to improve patient and community health.

Dr. Christa Wagner is an Assistant Professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin. She works to advance sustainability in health care delivery, educate about climate impacts on health, and collaborate with communities to learn about and address the impacts of climate and the environment on health. Prior to joining MCW, Dr. Wagner served as manager of government relations at the Association of American Medical Colleges in Washington, DC, where she was responsible for legislative policy and advocacy in support of medical research, public health, and academic medicine's partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Dr. Wagner earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biochemistry from Oberlin College and her PhD in Cellular and Molecular Medicine from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. You can contact her at christawagner@mcw.edu or https://www.linkedin.com/in/christa-wagner-phd

Further references and resources:

WPR Larry Meiller Show with Andrew Lewandowski, MD

Wisconsin DHS Environmental Health Dashboards

Boston Medical Center Clean Power Prescription Program

Association of American Medical Colleges Climate Action and Sustainability in Academic Medicine

Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education 

National Academy of Medicine (NAM) Climate Collaborative

Practice Greenhealth

Event info:

Date: 3/9/26

Time: 7-8:30/9pm CST

Cost: FREE!!!

Location: Back room of The Sugar Maple Bar, 441 E. Lincoln Ave., Bay View, WI

Join us on February 9th as the Coffeeshop Astrophysics group presents: Nebulae: From Cradle to Grave, and Cradle Again

Have you ever looked at a stunning picture from NASA full of swirling colors, almost like it should be hanging in an art museum? Chances are, you're looking at a nebula. Nebulae are enormous clouds of dust and gas out in space. Some nebulae are the aftermath of a supernova, the explosive death of a massive star. Others serve as the birthplace of many new stars, formed by the gravitational pull of gas and radiative push of their first stars. Some nebulae even act as both. Join us as we explore nebulae and their role in star formation, and of course, look at many breathtaking pictures.

Calvin Dear was inspired to pursue physics by his grandfather who would show him public science talks when he was growing up - He was always fascinated by the way we could explain and predict the world around us. He did his undergraduate work at West Virginia University where he did research on Fast Radio Bursts. In 2024 he joined the graduate students at UWM and now does research on gravitational wave astrophysics. When he's not doing physics, he likes to play video and tabletop games as well as make music.

Caleb Ogle came to UWM in the Fall of 2024 to research gravitational waves because they offer a new and unique lens with which to observe the universe. Currently, he is part of the LIGO group and his research involves applications of machine learning on gravitational wave data. Outside of research he enjoys playing the guitar, going to the gym with friends, and everything about his crazy dog, Nova.

Jason Vazquez did his undergrad at UIUC where he worked on observational studies of supernovae. As a grad student at UWM, his work now focuses on simulating tidal disruption events. Outside of research, he likes to spend his time at the gym, playing video games, and watching every sport.

Event info:

Date: 2/9/26

Time: 7-8:30/9pm CST

Cost: FREE!!!

Location: Back room of the Sugar Maple Bar, 441 E. Lincoln Ave, Bay View, WI

Check out more Coffeeshop Astrophysics events and info here!! https://coffeeshopastrophysics.github.io/

Join us on January 12th, as Dr. Ken Jacobsohn presents: Nutrition for the New Year

Happy New Year!! What better way to kick off 2026 than with a little nutrition education?! Let's cut through the noise and find out what the evidence says is optimal human nutrition for health and longevity. Bring your questions and an open mind!

Dr. Ken Jacobsohn is Director of Lifestyle Medicine at MCW and a Professor of Urology. He specializes in robotic surgeries for urologic cancer, and is well known to advocate for lifestyle changes to help his patients improve their overall health and cancer outcomes.

Examples of some apps that can help lead the way to better nutrition and a healthier lifestyle.

Event info:

Date: 1/12/26

Time: 7-8:30/9pm CST

Cost: FREE!!!

Location: Back room of the Sugar Maple Bar, 441 E. Lincoln Ave, Bay View, WI

Join us on December 8th, as Dr. Arya Anvar presents: It Takes Two: Understanding Male Reproductive Health

Greetings all!! Sorry for the last minute cancellation of the November talk, but we're back for December with this fascinating topic!!

Ever wonder where a baby really comes from? This session will break down the basics of men's reproductive health in an easy to understand way. Learning about anatomy, how sperm is made, and all the different aspects that contribute to male fertility. Many don't know that men contribute in about half of all cases of infertility. Come and find out more about this rarely talked about topic!

Dr. Arya Anvar is a 4th year urology resident at Froedtert/Medical College of Wisconsin who studies everything from kidney stones to sperm. Throughout his training here, he has become passionate about men's health, spending time under Dr. Sandlow, the Chairman of Froedtert Urology, and Dr. Brannigan at Northwestern University, who serves as the President of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. When he's not in the hospital, Dr. Anvar enjoys hanging out with his cats, Taco and Mark, and watching/playing all types of sports. And, he's wisely adopted the Bucks and Packers as his second favorite teams.

Event info:

Date: 12/8/25

Time: 7-8:30/9pm CST

Cost: FREE!!!

Location: Back room of The Sugar Maple Bar, 441 E. Lincoln Ave, Bay View, WI