Going Local

Interest in local foods has been growing rapidly, but local foods still account for a only small portion of food purchases. University Applied Economics Professor Robert King will share findings from a coordinated series of case studies designed to improve our understanding of local food supply chains and the prospects for their growth.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010, 7 p.m.
Doors open at 6 p.m.
Bryant-Lake Bowl Theater
Donations between $5 and $12 are suggested.

This talk has been organized by the Bell Natural History Museum. For more information on related programs at the museum, please visit their calendar of events at http://www.bellmuseum.org/calendar.html

Café Scientifique - Bryant-Lake Bowl Theater
Human Evolution and the Cooking of Food
(01/19/2010)

Anthropologist and popular science blogger Greg Laden discussed the role of food and cooking in shaping our species and its evolutionary success.

Café Scientifique - Bryant-Lake Bowl Theater
Can Agriculture Deliver Food, Fiber and Fuel?
(12/15/2009)

Jason Hill of the University of Minnesota's Institute for the Environment spoke about the myths and realities of producing food, fiber, and fuel with the world's finite natural resources.

Café Scientifique - The Bell Museum of Natural History
(11/17/2009)

University Agronomy and Plant Genetics Professor Paul Porter's bicycle trip across Africa last winter was cut short by injury. Next year, he'll try to complete what he started-to teach his students about the food, agricultural systems and cultures of Africa, and in turn, gain insights into the U.S. food system and economy. We heard Porter's personal tales and observations from the road.

Sigma Xi Breakfast
(10/28/2009)

This informal breakfast meeting was meant to attract past officers and long time chapter members who are interested in exchanging ideas or opinions regarding the welfare of our chapter and the future of Sigma Xi.

Café Scientifique - The Bell Museum of Natural History
(10/20/2009)

Jonathan Foley, director of the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment, spoke about another inconvenient truth: our complex global food and agricultural system. He takes up the question, "How will we feed and fuel more than nine billion people without destroying our environment in the process?"

2009 Kuehnast Lecture
(10/15/2009)

The 17th Annual Kuehnast Lecture took place on Thursday, October 15th, 2009 at 3:30 PM in Borlaug Hall on the St. Paul Campus of the University of Minnesota.

This lecture was co-sponsored by Sigma Xi and was entitled, "Breathing of the Biosphere: How Physics Sets the Limits and Biology does the Work" and was given by Dr. Dennis Baldocchi, who is Chair of the Ecosystem Science Division at UC Berkeley.