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Archive of Past C2ST Programs

As the 21st century begins to unfold, it is clear that we live in a society in which science plays an increasingly significant role. C²ST programs present an important first step to enhancing the public understanding and appreciation of science and technology, and in addition provides opportunities for members of the scientific community to develop a greater sense of identity.

Scroll through the list below to see details about our wide range of past programs.

Want to view full videos of select past programs online?  Become a member now!

To participate in upcoming C²ST and partner programs, visit the Programs page or simply click on the Programs Calendar to the right. For questions on these and other programs call our program coordinator at 312-567-5832.

C²ST Past Programs

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  • Friday,
    May 11, 2012

    Friday, May 11, 2012 School of the Art Institute of Chicago 112 S. Michigan Avenue 1st Floor Ballroom Saturday, May 12, 2012 Northwestern University – Chicago Campus Lurie Medical Center 303 E Superior St. Chicago, IL
  • Women In Science Symposium 2012: Big Ideas, Big Impact

    Women in Science 2012 builds on the successful 2010 Women in Science: Building an Identity, during which more than 200 women scientists attended an exciting day of plenary talks, panel discussions and breakout sessions. This event will convene women scientists and engineers - in academia, industry, government, business and the nonprofit sectors – to share ideas and experiences critical for the 21st century woman in science. More »

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  • Tuesday,
    May 1, 2012

    5:00pm Reception & Registration 6:00pm Presentation
  • CERN: What’s it all about?

    Some scientists believe that the Higgs boson, a never-before-seen subatomic particle is the fundamental building block of the universe that gives mass to matter. More »

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  • Thursday,
    Apr 19, 2012

    5:00pm Reception & Registration 6:00pm Presentation
  • Oceans’ Health: An Ecosystem on the Brink

    There are many serious threats facing our oceans today. Join C2ST and leading area marine scientists as they discuss two ocean issues and what we as consumers can do to have a positive impact in addressing them. More »

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  • Friday,
    Mar 16, 2012

    11:30AM Registration & Box Lunch 12:30PM Presentation
  • About Time: Cosmology and Culture at the Twilight of the Big Bang

    Just as a "clockwork universe" followed the invention of the clock 500 years ago, scientists are now moving beyond the Big Bang to talk about universes built from information pushing time into mind-boggling new territory. In his new book, About Time, Dr. Frank argues that new ideas in cosmology are pushing the revolution in time to its final stage. More »

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  • Thursday,
    Feb 23, 2012


  • Nanotechnology: Small is Beautiful

    This program will highlight the essentials of nanoscale science, engineering, and technology including its history, societal importance and future implications and will discuss the interplay between nanoscale structures, properties and functions. More »

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  • Saturday,
    Feb 11, 2012

    11:00am Registration 12:00pm Screening
    RSVP Required

  • The Believers

    137 Films in association with The Chicago council on Science and Technology Present "a-work-in-progress' screening of The Believers. More »

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  • Tuesday,
    Jan 31, 2012

    5pm Reception & Registration 6pm Presentation
  • Sustainable Energy: Fact or Fiction

    The dependence on oil and other fossil fuels for over 80% of our energy and the continued emission of carbon dioxide threatening stable climate are captured in a single term: sustainability. More »

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  • Thursday,
    Jan 19, 2012

    11:30am Registration & Box Lunch / 12:30 Presentation
  • FRACKING – the quest for energy independence

    The use of fracking to produce shale oil and shale gas has the potential to make the United States largely independent of foreign sources of natural gas and significantly less dependent on foreign sources of oil. More »

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  • Saturday,
    Dec 3, 2011

    11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
  • PHYSICS WITH A BANG! / ASK A SCIENTIST!

    Join C2ST and experience physics with a bang! Then ask current researchers in astronomy, physics and chemistry your burning science questions. More »

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  • Thursday,
    Dec 1, 2011

    Registration & Reception- 3:00pm Program - 3:30pm
  • The Science of Obesity

    This program is composed of two parts addressing the causes and effects of obesity. In part I, Chicago-based scientists will present the current science of obesity, describing the various ways obesity harms the body, how our food choices can impact our health and the different health-determinant patterns locally and nationally. More »

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  • Thursday,
    Dec 1, 2011

    Registration & Reception- 5:00pm Program - 6:00pm
  • The Policy of Obesity

    This program is composed of two parts addressing the causes and effects of obesity. Part 2 of the program features keynote speaker Bechara Choucair, M.D., Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, who will highlight the obesity problem and present his vision for a healthier Chicago. More »

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  • Thursday,
    Nov 10, 2011

    Registration & Reception - 5pm Program - 5:30pm
  • Gene Patenting: The Economic, Legal and Health Dilemma

    This special program presents a panel of experts representing different viewpoints on the science behind gene isolation, an issue at the forefront of the public concern. A special component of this program is a mock legal argument conducted by experienced patent trial lawyers introducing the key legal concepts involved in determining whether human genes should be patented. More »

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  • Saturday,
    Sept 24, 2011

    12:00 p.m.
  • Street Corner Science: Ask A Nobel Laureate

    Find us in front of the Chicago Wrigley Building on the afternoon of Saturday, September 24 and ask the Nobel Prize winning Physicist, Dr. Leon Lederman, anything you want about science, technology, and the physical world! More »

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  • Tuesday,
    Sept 13, 2011

    6:00pm
  • High Speed Rail: The Midwest Moving Forward

    Over the past half century, high-speed rail (HSR) has emerged as an important component of the intercity passenger transport system, providing both an alternative and a compliment to highway and air transport.... More »

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  • Friday,
    Aug 5, 2011

    5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
  • The Genius Spark of Nikola Tesla, a Conversation on Innovation

    In conjunction with the traveling exhibit of one of the world’s most celebrated scientists in its first U.S. visit. Join us for a members-only exhibit preview, lecture and cultural celebration with representatives from the Nikola Tesla Museum in Belgrade and leaders from the Chicago innovation community More »

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  • Wednesday,
    May 25, 2011

    6:30pm
  • Nuclear Non-Proliferation

    A nuclear explosive device detonated in an American city would cause catastrophic loss of life and long-term economic damage. More »

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  • Wednesday,
    May 18, 2011

    7pm-11pm
  • Science in the Second City

    You are cordially invited to attend the Chicago Council on Science and Technology’s, (C2ST) Fundraiser. More »

  • The-Mind-of-Chimps-for-site
  • Wednesday,
    Apr 27, 2011

    6:00 pm
  • The Mind of a Chimpanzee

    Until recently our understanding of the minds of other species that share this planet was little more than guess work; however, new technological and scientific methods have advanced to the point where some of these important questions are now able to be addressed. More »

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  • Saturday,
    Apr 16, 2011

    1pm
  • Panic Virus

    Join us for a lecture by former Newsweek senior journalist Seth Mnookin, author of the critically acclaimed book The Panic Virus: A True Story of Medicine, Science, and Fear. He will draw upon interviews with parents, public-health advocates, scientists, and anti-vaccine activists to tackle a fundamental question: How do we decide what the truth is? More »

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  • Friday,
    Mar 18, 2011

    7:30am-9:00am
  • Japan’s State of Nuclear Emergency

    A panel discussion on the crisis in Japan. Robert Gallucci and Kennette Benedict will discuss questions of nuclear safety and containment, the effect on regional geopolitics, and the consequences for the future of U.S. nuclear development policy. More »

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  • Thursday,
    Mar 10, 2011

    5:00pm
  • Drug Discovery: Ingenuity or Serendipity?

    Northwestern University Professor of Chemistry Dr. Richard Silverman explains what it takes to get a new drug to market and attempts to answer the question posed by the lecture title. More »

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  • Thursday,
    Feb 17, 2011

    5:00pm
  • Cybr Scrty

    The introduction and explosive adaptation of technology has come with a cost and growing risk. More »

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  • Tuesday,
    Jan 25, 2011

    5:00pm
  • The Moon

    Join C²ST and representatives from The Adler Planetarium and NASA’s Luna Institute as we view Earth’s closest neighbor. More »

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  • Saturday,
    Dec 4, 2010

    11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
  • Physics with a Bang!

    Join C2ST and experience physics with a bang! Then ask current researchers in astronomy, physics and chemistry your burning science questions. More »

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  • Tuesday,
    Nov 16, 2010

    5:00 p.m.
  • The Immortal Life of HEnrietta LAcks

    Join us for a lecture, book signing and special dinner, featuring Veteran Journalist Bill Kurtis and Rebecca Skloot, critically acclaimed author of the New York Times bestseller The Immortal Life of HEnrietta LAcks, on Tuesday, November 16, 2010. The one-night-only event will include a Members-Only cocktail reception held at 5 p.m., followed by a 6 p.m. presentation and Q & A moderated by WLS TV’s John Garcia, a 7 p.m. book signing and an invited guest dinner at 8 p.m. More »

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  • Tuesday,
    Sept 21, 2010

    5:00 p.m.
  • Future Fuels

    Join C²ST to discuss Argonne’s current research and the scientific advances that are helping make Future Fuels a reality of today's world. More »

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  • Tuesday,
    Sept 7, 2010

    5 p.m.
  • Disaster in the Gulf (Post-Program Update)

    Join C²ST, Dr. Ilze Berzins & Ken Ramirez from Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium in a timely discussion about one of the nation’s richest environmental regions and what it’s future holds. More »

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  • Saturday,
    Jun 5, 2010

    12:00 p.m.
  • Street Corner Science: Ask A Nobel Laureate

    Find us in front of the Chicago Wrigley Building on the afternoon of Sunday, June 6 and ask the Nobel Prize winning Physicist, Dr. Leon Lederman, anything you want about science, technology, and the physical world! More »

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  • Friday,
    Jun 4, 2010

    6 p.m.
  • Street Corner Science: Ask A Scientist at the MCA

    Join in on the fun at the Museum of Contemporary Art for our first installment of Street Corner Science. Ask a Scientist will take place on Friday, June 4 at 6 p.m. during the MCA's First Fridays Blowout Spectacular Spectacle. More »

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  • Thursday,
    May 6, 2010

    5:00 p.m.
  • Mudball Earth

    The idea that millions of years ago the earth was a frozen planet with mountains of towering ice and blankets of snow hundreds of feet thick is not a new one, but is that really how our world once looked? Two Geophysicists from the University of Chicago don't think so. More »

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  • Thursday,
    Mar 11, 2010

    4:30 p.m.
  • Using Scientific Research to Fix Science Education

    Join C²ST as Professor Silverstein discusses how SWEPT programs can utilize existing scientific resources to improve teacher education and the quality of student science learning in Chicago and other cities. More »

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  • Thursday,
    Feb 18, 2010

    5:00 p.m.
  • Storing Alternative Energies

    Join C²ST and a panel of experts as they discuss state-of-the-art solar, battery, and Smart Grid technologies that might one day redefine our understanding of energy use and storage. More »

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  • Thursday,
    Jan 7, 2010

    4:00 p.m.
  • Heilborn Symposium

    The Chicago Council on Science and Technology in partnership with Northwestern University's Department of Physics and Astronomy presented the Heilborn Lectures from January 6-8, 2010. More »

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  • Sunday,
    Dec 6, 2009

    2:00 p.m.
  • When Crocs Ate Dinosaurs

    C²ST and paleontologist Paul Sereno held film screening and Q&A on When Crocs Ate Dinosaurs, an intense scientific journey that breathes life into these long extinct terrors -- and recreates a lost world few even imagined existed. More »

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  • Thursday,
    Nov 12, 2009

    5:00pm
  • Water: The New Oil?

    Join Debra Shore, Commissioner for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District and C²ST in a frank discussion about Chicagoland's most precious liquid asset. More »

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  • Wednesday,
    Oct 28, 2009

    6:00pm
  • Hubble’s Story

    Join us for a discussion with Astronaut John Grunsfeld who will describe the adventures of working in orbit on the Hubble Space Telescope and the exciting scientific results new instruments are providing. More »

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  • Monday,
    Jun 8, 2009

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  • Secrets of the Art World Unlocked

    Northwestern Professors Katherine Faber, David Dunand and Kimberly Gray, researchers with the Art Institute of Chicago - Northwestern University Collaboration in Conservation Science explained how using advanced and homemade research tools helps to unlock answers to questions surrounding some of our cultures biggest icons. More »

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  • Thursday,
    May 21, 2009


  • Surgical Robotics

    Dr. Pier Cristoforo Gulianotti and colleagues from The University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Surgery discussed the many procedures and advantages in using this state of the art technology. More »

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  • Wednesday,
    Apr 22, 2009


  • Science, Conservation and Sustainability

    Debra Moskovits, Field Museum Senior Vice President and Co-Founder of Environment, Culture, and Conservation (ECCo) division of science, identified key ingredients that allow rigorous science to secure rapid protection of vast expanses of intact forests in the Andes and Amazon. She also explored the carbon market as a possible mechanism to sustain living forests. More »

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  • Monday,
    Mar 23, 2009


  • People of the Green Sahara

    Participants traveled back in time with world-renowned paleontologist Dr. Paul Sereno to learn about an ancient human world. More »

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  • Thursday,
    Feb 12, 2009


  • C²ST @ AAAS

    Chicago was host to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 2009 Annual Meeting. More »

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  • Tuesday,
    Jan 27, 2009


  • Bioterrorism, Pandemics and Vaccines

    Olaf Schneewind, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Great Lakes Regional Center of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases Research, led a panel discussion on the challenges of infectious disease research, and the urgent need for dynamic national policies and evolving solutions. More »

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  • Monday,
    Nov 3, 2008


  • Agriculture’s Role In Energy Future

    Mark Matlock, Senior VP, Research Division - Archer Daniels Midland, discussed the need to globalize advanced agricultural practices and as a result recognize how sustainably will be important in making this a permanent part of the solution. More »

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  • Wednesday,
    Sept 24, 2008


  • Science In the New Millennium

    C²ST hosted Dr. Alan Leshner, Chief Executive Officer of AAAS to set the stage for the 2009 AAAS Annual meeting in Chicago. Dr. Leshner addressed the role science and technology plays in driving America's economy and international competitiveness as vital in the age of globalization, and how it is never more relevant than in the presidential election year. More »

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  • Thursday,
    Apr 10, 2008


  • If Exercise Is Medicine, Why Don’t We Do It?

    Dr. Charlotte “Toby” Tate, dean of the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago, addressed this vital subject at the next special presentation sponsored by the Chicago Council on Science and Technology (C2ST) on Thursday, April 10, at Northwestern University’s Chicago campus. More »

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  • Friday,
    Feb 22, 2008


  • Chicagoland Stem Cell Science Education Symposium

    The Chicago Symposium was a one-day regional forum designed to: 1) Examine the major issues related to teaching controversial science, and stem cell biology in particular, and begin a discussion among all participants to identify resources and methods for developing and implementing curriculum in schools and public education forums, e.g., museums; 2) Learn about the current state of stem cell research and its potential applications; and 3) Gain an understanding about the ethical and societal considerations related to stem cell research and an understanding of where controversy emanates. More »

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  • Thursday,
    Oct 4, 2007


  • Sputnik @ 50

    On Oct. 4, 2007, the Adler Planetarium, WTTW Channel 11 and C2ST celebrated the 50th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik, the world’s first man-made orbiting satellite, with Sputnik @ 50, a public program and exclusive talk with Dr. Sergei N. Khrushchev, son of former Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev. More »

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  • Testimonials


    "I wasn't sure I wanted to come to this presentation. Dr. Gallucci was a very engaging speaker! I am glad I came here again. It was a good choice!"

    "The Panelist were the right people."