Forum Archive
Forum is an experimental program that engages members of
the public in conversations about the impact of science and technology
on the individual, society, and the environment. In the past, we've discussed a variety of topics including urban transportation, nanotechnology, and BODY WORLDS 2. Please follow the links below to find additional information about these topics as well as copies of the presentations and agendas for your reference.
- Factory Food: What's Really for Dinner? (Forum)
- Agriculture today includes a number of controversial practices that affect consumers and the environment. From genetic engineering to artificial hormones, the new age of agriculture has raised a host of concerns. Learn the reality behind the buzz words and discuss how our choices impact our life, world, and the future of food production ... (details).
- From the Farm to Your Plate (Forum)
- Where does our food come from and how does it get to us? What we eat and drink has ecological consequences — from energy and water use to pollution and pesticides. Learn about the impact of the production, packaging, and transportation of food on our environment. Consider possible changes on the ... (details).
- Whose Information Is It Anyway: Privacy in the Digital Age (Forum)
- Every time we use a credit card, swipe a subway pass, or send an email we are sharing personal information about ourselves. Just how is the information used? Who sets the standards? And how do these policies affect our civil liberties? New methods, including nanoscale technology, are revolutionizing the way we collect information ... (details).
- World Wide Views on Global Warming (Forum)
- At this day-long event, selected participants from over 40 countries explore global warming in-depth and work toward recommendations for the December United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. The Museum is among several sites across the country that are participating in this worldwide event, ... (details).
- Toxic Traffic: Reducing the Risks (Forum)
- Scientists have known for a long time that motor vehicles emit pollution that affects the environment and can harm human health. More recently, studies have shown that long-term effects of breathing in ozone, diesel fumes, and other ultrafine particles from motor vehicles can trigger asthma and significantly ... (details).
- Nanotechnology in Consumer Products (Forum)
- Nanotechnology researchers are exploring new ways to slow down global warming, provide clean water to millions, build next generation computers, and improve consumer products. But these advances raise serious questions: Are these consumer products developed using nanotechnology safe? Do consumer products ... (details).
- Nanotechnology in Cambridge: What Do You Think? (Forum)
- The zip file listed below under "documents" contains the agenda, background information, discussion activity, and poll results from this forum. We continue to welcome your input; share your ideas today via our online poll! In this forum, presented in collaboration with the Cambridge Public Health ... (details).
- Nanotechnology and Alternative Energy (Forum)
- Climate change concerns, rising energy costs, and dwindling natural resources are causing people everywhere take a closer look at the relationship between human activity and our environment. The emerging field of nanotechnology presents great promise to address these issues, but it carries a great deal ... (details).
- Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology in Health and Healing (Forum)
- Using materials so small they're at the level of atoms and molecules, nanotechnology is widely seen as having huge potential in the world of medicine. It is already being used to create invisible sunscreens and highly specific cancer detectors, and many predict that nanotechnology will dramatically transform the medical world ... (details).
- Wind Energy and The Community (Forum)
- Offshore wind farms offer the promise of renewable electricity without the need for fossil fuels. As wind turbines become more and more efficient, policymakers and communities are weighing the environmental and economic benefits of wind-generated electricity against potentially negative impacts on wildlife, ... (details).
- Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology in Health and Healing (Forum)
- From invisible sunscreen to highly specific cancer detectors, new nanotechnology applications are everywhere, and they have the potential to dramatically transform the medical world. Should these treatments be available before we are aware of their potential risks? This free Forum was a combination ... (details).
- The Next Gold Rush: Bioprospecting, Medicine, and the Environment (Forum)
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The latest scientific discoveries enable us to harvest genetic materials from a wide variety of sources: the canopies of subtropical rainforests, the deep waters of oceans, and the steaming hot springs of our national parks. Through a practice called "bioprospecting," we are able to use these materials ... (details).
This presentation is part of the ongoing series Revolutionary Science.
- The Body Worlds Forum Series (Forum)
- September 29, 2006 Over My Dead Body A collaboration between Forum and Lectures & Special Programs Where is the line between the sacredness of human life and death, and the use of human remains for display and education? Where do museums fit in? For decades, Connecticut's Mattatuck Museum has grappled ... (details).
- Nanotechnology: Risks and Benefits (Forum)
- This Forum hosted three events at the Museum in 2006. At the bottom of this page, you can download the agendas, discussion questions, and Powerpoint presentations from each Forum, as well as a collection of general nanotechnology resources and an introduction to nanotechnology written by Kristen Kulinowski of Rice University ... (details).
- Bionics and Prosthetics: Darth Vader and the Human/Machine Boundary (Forum)
- Engineers have to make tradeoffs when designing prosthetic limbs. By considering our personal preferences between the options, we increase our awareness of the decisions and limitations facing engineers. It also helps us think about the broader social implications as prosthetic research develops: Darth ... (details).
- Rethinking Urban Transportation: The Future (Forum)
- Every single one of us is an expert on transportation, because whether you walk, bike, take the T or drive, you get from your front door to wherever you are going. This forum addressed the question: how does the transportation system that you rely on affect your quality of life? Read about the issues ... (details).
