Science on Tap - Oregon & Washington

EVENT DESCRIPTION:
Every winter, the amphibians of northwest Portland enter a real-life game of Frogger. Most drivers on U.S. Route 30 never notice the small, slimy critters leaping across the asphalt on rainy nights. But for northern red-legged frogs, the stakes are high—reach the water to lay their eggs, or die trying.

In response to their plight, biologists are using innovative solutions to help frogs and other vulnerable wildlife cross roads. With the help of buckets and bulldozers, over a decade of conservation efforts have inspired a growing community of amphibian enthusiasts in Portland. In the summer of 2024, they broke ground on their biggest venture yet: a tunnel for frogs beneath Route 30.

Less than two years later, the project is shaping up to be an early success story. Along the way, scientists are using specialized technology to document northern red-legged frog behavior and develop strategies to protect this common, yet cryptic species.

Join us to learn about the challenges our amphibian neighbors face and how we can help overcome them, while gaining a glimpse into the fascinating lives of frogs.

EVENT DESCRIPTION:
When and how will a volcano erupt in the future? Say…Mount Baker (a very-high-threat volcano in Washington State)?

Volcanic eruptions are fueled by the magmas stored beneath the surface, so if we want to better prepare, we have to dig deep (literally). In this talk, we will explore “how to think like a volcano” by looking closely at how ‘magma factories’ operate.

When a magma cools and solidifies, it can form crystals that can sometimes preserve zones like the rings of a tree. Zoning patterns can therefore record the changing magmatic environment, including temperature changes, physical interactions between magmas, and time.

Using crystal cargo in erupted material, we will address:

• What causes magmas to escape the crust and erupt on the surface?
• How long does it take for magma to exit the crust?
• Can we improve our “stopwatches” between the moment volcanic unrest is detected, and the moment we need to respond to an impending eruption?

We’ll take a close look at the Cascade volcanoes in our very own backyard, zooming in on the active Mount Baker in WA state.

EVENT DESCRIPTION:
As the climate emergency worsens and biodiversity shrinks, we humans get used to it—we adapt, we normalize, we forget. Scientists call this “shifting baseline syndrome” and warn that it’s why we are increasingly sleepwalking toward disaster.

In this positive and inspiring manifesto, the environmental activist and longtime editor-in-chief of Sierra magazine Jason Dove Mark offers an antidote, focusing on four simple but powerful rules that everyone can use to resist environmental amnesia:

Go outside. Bear witness. Make a record. Pass it on.

EVENT DESCRIPTION:
Each night when we fall asleep we lose consciousness while our brains remain remarkably active. Early in the night, neurons across the cortex begin firing together in synchrony, producing the slow delta waves of deep sleep. Later, we shift into cycles of REM sleep, when our brain activity resembles wakefulness while our bodies remain paralyzed in slumber, eyes darting rapidly beneath closed lids.

Kindra Crick has been interested in sleep and memory for over a decade. In February 2024, she began sleeping while wearing a portable EEG at night to track her own brainwaves, while also keeping a sleep diary logging dreams, ruminations, and the daily variables that might explain a good or bad night. Along the way, she worked with researchers studying circadian rhythms and a brain region called the claustrum thought to play a key role in synchronizing slow-wave activity, as well as a sleep physician focused on midlife sleep disruption.

In a series of figurative paintings built from sleep data, Crick renders deep sleep, REM, and restless nights of insomnia. By making the brain’s hidden nighttime work visible, Nocturnal Worlds asks us to look differently at our own unconscious hours, when the brain is consolidating memories. Find out why some researchers describe REM sleep as overnight therapy. As a bonus, you’ll walk away with a few thoughts on what to do the next time your mind is looping at 3am.