Join us on November 11th as Eric Manges presents: Where Ecology & Meteorology Meet

Greetings, fellow nerdlings! Be sure to mark your calendar for 11/11 and come on down to the Sugar Maple to hear Eric Manges talk on the connections between ecology and meteorology! While the earth sciences can go in many different directions, they have more in common that what you'd think. Eric will speak on how a tree-obsessed kid became a meteorologist and is now a huge advocate for native species and wild places.

photo credit: iStock - Ig04Zh

Eric is a former TV meteorologist in Milwaukee and has continued to push his passion for the outdoors. He's been to over 30 national parks, but one of his greatest joys is helping restore habitats. He just got married and has a dog and cat. 

So!!! Tell your neighbors!! Tell your family!! Tell your friends!! Hope to see you there!!

Event info:

Date: 11/11/24

Time: 7-9pm

Cost: Free!!!

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

Join us on October 14th as Dr. Matthew Facciani presents: The Social Side of Misinformation: How Biases Shape Belief and What Can Help

Greetings my fellow nerdlings, and welcome back from our extended summer break!! Be sure to mark your calendars for this talk but also check out the upcoming months through the attached Google Calendar for more information on future speakers and topics!!

Photo credit: iStock/axel2001

Join us on Monday, 10/14/24 as we start this fall with a very pertinent topic!! Dr. Matthew Facciani will share research on the social factors contributing to misinformation and political polarization, focusing on the role of identity and networks in shaping beliefs. We will also cover practical tips on how to have more productive dialogue, identify our own social biases, and improve our information and media literacy. 

Matthew Facciani is a social scientist studying misinformation and media literacy at The University of Notre Dame.

So!! Tell your family!! Tell your friends!! Tell your neighbors!! Hope to see you there!!

Event info:

Date: 10/14/2024

Time: 7-9pm

Cost: FREE!!!

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

Hey All! We'll be on break for the summer months of June - August. See you again in September!!

Join us on May 13th as MCW's Drs. Sara Kohlbeck and Andrew Schramm present: Suicide Prevention

Check out the January 4th post for the details of our upcoming May 13th event!! And definitely tell your friends!!

Join us on April 15th as Mike Marek presents: Biomimicry

Greetings nerdlings!! Hope everyone experienced a safe and amazing total solar eclipse!! And it's now time for yet another gathering of curious minds. Be sure to make your way down to the Sugar Maple this Monday for the return of Mike Marek, now speaking on Biomimicry: How nature's patterns and lessons are applied in everyday materials and problem solving!! Hope to see you there!!!

Photo credit: cpreiser000,Stocksnapper/Shutterstock

Mike Marek is President and Landscape Ecologist at Marek Landscaping, LLC. Marek is a design build firm, founded in 1996 that combines Ecological Restoration and Landscape Architecture.

Mike has over 30 years working in the field of Landscape Ecology and green infrastructure. He attended UW Stevens Point and studied Urban Forestry, having left early to pursue more life/study balance, which was a new concept at the time.

Before starting his firm, he worked for 5 years in Southeast Wisconsin as a municipal Forester and founded Marek to focus on designing and building sustainable native landscapes throughout the upper Midwest.

His lifelong sense of curiosity and observation have inspired new ways of looking at the world.

Event info:

Date: 4/15/2024

Time: 7pm

Cost: FREE!!!

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

We will be attempting to Facebook Livestream this talk as well, so if you can't make it in person, please try to tune in!

Join us on March 11th as the UW-Milwaukee Coffeeshop Astrophysics group presents: Who Hid the Sun?

On Monday, April 8, 2024, the Moon will pass between the Earth and the Sun, creating a total solar eclipse whose path will cross over North America. In this talk, the members of UW-Milwaukee's Coffeeshop Astrophysics group will prepare you for this extraordinary astronomical event! Come learn about what happens during an eclipse, the differences between solar and lunar eclipses, how they have influenced various cultures, what role they have played in history, and how we can safely view it.

photo credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani

Pratyusava Baral grew up in Kolkata, India and earned his undergraduate degree from Presidency University. He joined UWM in the spring of 2021. As a member of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, Pratyusava works on detecting gravitational waves. He uses methods of parameter estimation to learn more about the black holes and neutron stars that create these ripples in spacetime. In his free time, Pratyusava likes to hike and paint.

Leith Benali is a 1st year graduate student from Warrenton, Virginia. He got his Bachelor's degree in Physics with a minor in mathematics at George Mason University. Driven by curiosity about the nature of the universe, Leith will soon join the NANOGrav collaboration to study low-frequency gravitational waves. Outside of physics, Leith loves to cook/bake, practice martial arts, and play trombone.

So, tell your family!! Tell your friends!! Tell your neighbors, coworkers, mail carrier!! Hope to see you there!! 7pm in the back room of the Sugar Maple bar in Bay View (or if you can't make it, tune into our Facebook Livestream - if we can get it working :|) FREE!!!

Join us on February 12th as Milwaukee Riverkeeper's Cheryl Nenn presents: State of Milwaukee's Rivers and Lake Michigan

Cheryl Nenn, Riverkeeper for Milwaukee Riverkeeper, will discuss the current state of Milwaukee's rivers, including the current status of water quality, habitat restoration, and fish passage efforts. She will also touch on a generational opportunity to clean up historic contaminants from the Milwaukee River Estuary Area of Concern, including over 20 planned habitat and beach restoration projects. The talk will also explore how many emerging contaminants threaten local water quality - including pharmaceuticals, personal care products, PFAS and road salt. 

Photo credit: Alan Cressler via Flickr (Milwaukee River at Estabrook Falls)

Cheryl Nenn has been the Riverkeeper for Milwaukee Riverkeeper for over 20 years. She directs the Citizen-Based Water Quality Monitoring program in the Milwaukee River Basin, several advanced monitoring projects (identifying sources of human bacteria, phosphorus, chloride, and emerging contaminants), the Milwaukee Urban Water Trail Project, and several stream restoration projects in the Milwaukee River Basin. As the Milwaukee Riverkeeper, Cheryl patrols local waterways, identifies problems in the Milwaukee River Basin, responds to citizen concerns, reviews permits, and helps find collaborative solutions to problems affecting local rivers.

Cheryl is on the Board of Directors for the Waterkeeper Alliance, the Advisory Board for the Milwaukee River Greenway, the Advisory Board for MATC's Environmental Health and Quality program, and on the Advisory Board for UWM-School of Freshwater Science's Professional Science Master's Program. Cheryl has served on several Technical Advisory Committees for SEWRPC as well as serves on the WDNR's Fish and Wildlife Technical Team, Beaches Technical Advisory Team, and Sediment Team for the Milwaukee River Estuary Area of Concern. She also sits on the Community Advisory Committee for the Milwaukee River Estuary Area of Concern.

Cheryl has a B.S. in Biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an M.S. in Natural Resource Ecology and Management from the University of Michigan, School of Natural Resources and Environment. Prior to working with Milwaukee Riverkeeper, Cheryl has worked with the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Peace Corps and Crisis Corps, City of New York Natural Resources Group, Michigan Department of Natural Resources/Dept. of Agriculture, and an environmental consulting firm specializing on natural area management and water quality issues.

One way to help keep our water sources clean is to properly dispose of unused medications. To find safe places to deposit these around the Milwaukee Area, check out Take Back My Meds.

Join us on May 13th as MCW's Drs. Sara Kohlbeck and Andrew Schramm present: Suicide Prevention

UPDATE!!!!

The official reschedule date for this talk is May 13th!! Hope to see you there!!

We hope the holiday season was safe and healthy for everyone, but it can also be a time of emotional and mental heath struggles for many. Please join us as the USS delves into the realm of suicide and conditions surrounding it through a presentation by Medical College of Wisconsin psychologists Drs. Sara Kohlbeck and Andrew Schramm, who will discuss the nature of this particular problem, current research on this topic, local advocacy opportunities and resources for those who personally wrestle with this or know those who do. You can also check out Dr. Kohlbeck's Spotify podcast here: The 'S' Word.

Dr. Sara Kohlbeck directs the Division of Suicide Research and Healing at the Medical College of Wisconsin. She is also an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine. Sara received her PhD in Public and Community Health from the Medical College of Wisconsin in 2022, her Master of Public Health from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2015, and her Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in 2000. Sara's research interests focus on understanding suicide from a public health perspective. Specifically, she is conducting research that focuses on better understanding suicide among disproportionately affected populations, including farmers, veterans, and youth of color, to facilitate the development of appropriate prevention strategies. She is also engaged in community-based research with communities across Wisconsin who are implementing suicide prevention activities.

Dr. Andrew Schramm is a clinical psychologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery, Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW). Dr. Schramm's clinical practice includes a focus on treating survivors of traumatic injury and providing evidence-based treatment for PTSD. He is a sought-after expert on issues around trauma, interpersonal violence, and suicide prevention. Dr. Schramm is past president of the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and is a co-founder of the Milwaukee Review Commission. 

Event info:

Date: 5/13/2024

Time: 7pm

Cost: FREE!!!

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

We will also be attempting to resume our Facebook Livestream option, so if the tech gods bless us with good fortune, those not able to make the talk in person can tune in here: USS Facebook page

If you or anyone you know are struggling with thoughts of suicide, please call the 24-hr suicide hotline at #988 or check our their website here: Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

And to hopefully make the dates and topics of upcoming events more easily available to all, we've created a USS Google Calendar. At present, topics through March 2024 are posted. Check out the calendar here: USS Google Calendar