Profs and Pints Metro Baltimore

Profs and Pints Baltimore presents: “Artemis II and Beyond,” on how the recent space mission fits into long-term plans for the Moon, with Michael J. Neufeld, retired senior curator for the Space History Department of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.

[Doors open at 3. The talk starts at 4:30. The room is open seating. Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/baltimore-artemis-2 .]

NASA’s recent, spectacular Artemis II mission is a sign that the United States is serious about sending humans to the Moon again.

Gain an understanding of how Artemis II fits in both past and planned lunar missions with historian Michael Neufeld, who was lead curator of the Smithsonian’s Destination Moon exhibit. He has taught at Johns Hopkins, Colgate, and other universities, and is the author or editor of nine books dealing with the history of technology.

He’ll start by looking at the aftermath of the Apollo program of a half century ago and why it ended only four years after its first lunar mission. He’ll consider why no lasting lunar programs emerged from major announcements by two presidents, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, that astronauts would be going back to the Moon and on to Mars.

His vividly illustrated lecture will then explore how Artemis is a product of a human spaceflight program that has changed dramatically over the past 50 years. We’ll look at how collaboration with Europe, Canada and Japan became integral to the shuttle and International Space Station programs, and how the rise of new commercial space companies such as SpaceX has enabled NASA to buy both space services and space craft.

Both international and commercial partners are involved in the latest Moon efforts, with SpaceX and Blue Origin expected to supply the landers to take astronauts down to a planned base on the Moon’s South Pole. How soon will any of this happen? Probably not as quickly as NASA says, but the specter of a Chinese landing on the Moon by 2030 is one obvious reason to keep things moving along.

We’ll look at the sustainability of the Artemis space program for at least the next decade or so. You’ll emerge from the talk with no doubt that exciting days are ahead for space fans. (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID.)

Image: The Artemis II mission launch (NASA photo).

Profs and Pints Baltimore presents: “Exploring Castles,” a crash course on the design, construction, and use of the castles of medieval Europe, with Victoria McAlister, assistant professor of Digital Environmental Humanities at Towson University, scholar of medieval buildings, and author of the award-winning book The Irish Tower House: Society, Economy, and Environment c.1300-1650.

[Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/baltimore-exploring-castles .]

Think of Europe in the Middle Ages and huge stone castles come to mind. It’s understandable given how prominently such structures factor into depictions of that time in popular culture. Such a mental image, however, obscures a tremendous amount of variation in castle design and construction, much of it lost to history due to the ravages of time.

You don’t need a time machine and royal lineage to get to know such buildings as they existed in their era. Instead, just come to Section 771 bar to hear them discussed in depth by Victoria McAlister, a scholar who uses modern technologies such as drones and 3D scanners to virtually reconstruct medieval structures and recently wrote and presented the Great Courses lecture series The Great Castles of Europe.

You’ll learn about a whole range of castle types built throughout Europe between the 11th and the 17th centuries. Not all were made of stone—in fact, many of the castles built by William the Conqueror were constructed with earth and timber. Much of the popular discussion of castle types and architecture obscures complexity and how much the design and appearance of castles featured personal touches.

We’ll pay a visit to the homes of some of the Middle Ages’ most fascinating people. They include Castle Roche in Ireland where, legend has it, Roesia de Verdun threw her architect from a window so he couldn’t build another castle as impressive as hers. In nearby Wales the impressive Caernarfon and Beaumaris castles were built by King Edward I of England with the subjugation of an entire population in mind.

Working from the outside in, Professor McAlister will familiarize you with castles’ architectural features, using as her example the French castle Chateau Gaillard built by Richard the Lionheart. By the end of the talk you’ll know mottes from tower houses, portcullises from posterns, and be equipped with knowledge that will deepen your appreciation of the castles that you might encounter in Europe or on the screen. (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Bar doors open at 5 pm. The talk starts at 6:30.)

Image: Beaumaris Castle in Wales. Photo by Tom Parnell / Wikimedia Commons.

Profs and Pints Baltimore presents: “Folktales of Summer Forests,” with Brittany Warman, former instructor at Ohio State University and co-founder of the Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic.

[Doors open at 5. The talk starts at 6:30. The room is open seating. Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/baltimore-summer-forests ]

Unique folklore emerges from the summer months, when the sun burns hot and nature bursts with full, lush beauty. Some of this lore is strange, some of it tragic, and some as beautiful as sunlight through branches.

Wander deep into the folklore of summer with Brittany Warman of the Carterhaugh School, an extraordinary educational organization which has earned a large and loyal following among Profs and Pints fans with its captivating talks on folktales, fairy tales, legends, and myths.

We’ll look at why the forest stands as the perfect setting for enchantment and mystery. It’s by turns a place of shade and rest and a place of uncertainty and fear. It can be dangerous, bountiful, tame, or wild. It shelters witches, fairies, monsters, and more under its branches.

From the forest come the legends of the illusive Green Man, the king of the woods. Also told are stories of sacred trees, hidden dances, and fairies who engage in midsummer abductions. Fairy tales like “The Witch in the Woods” and “The White Deer” tell of hidden doorways, magic rings, and cursed princesses.

Let Dr. Warman guide you through magical forests and you’ll emerge seeing the wonder in every leaf, stream, and wildflower. ( Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID.)

Image: "Fairies in a Bird's Nest," an 1860 painting by John Anster Fitzgerald.

Profs and Pints Metro Baltimore presents: “Brain Stories,” a crash course on the basics of neuroscience interspersed with surprising tales from research in the field, with Stuart McCaughey, who teaches courses on neuroanatomy, neuropharmacology, and neurological disorders as an assistant professor at the University of Delaware.

[Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/metro-baltimore-brain-stories .

Gain insights into how our brains work, and learn what research tells us about the causes of our behavior and the links between our brains and those of animals, with brain expert Stuart McCaughey of the University of Delaware.

Using an approach that wins him and his courses rave reviews from his university’s students, Dr. McCaughey will discuss the basic principles of his field and illustrate them by telling remarkable stories related to the history of neuroscience and the workings of the brains of human beings and animals.

He’ll start by taking you on a tour of the nervous system, explaining the functions of its different parts and how various drugs alter neurochemical events.

We’ll look at neurological syndromes with bizarre symptoms, at the results of fascinating science experiments, and at the unusual effects of psilocybic mushrooms on the brain.

We’ll consider some of the many strange questions that have arisen as scientists have pursued their quest to understand how the brain works. Among them: Was the French Revolution triggered by a fungus with psychedelic properties? Does Parkinson’s disease cause a unique body odor? Should you eat your experiments on neural development when you finish collecting data on them?

Your brain will thank you for bringing it to the Guinness Open Gate Brewery for this talk. (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. The talk starts 30 minutes later.)

Image by Canva.