Café Scientifique

What is Café Scientifique?

The idea behind the Café Scientifique began a few years ago in England, inspired by the French Café Philosophique. In the Café Scientifique, people (often science buffs) come together in a friendly pub after work. An expert starts out with an informal introduction to an interesting current scientific topic. Then for an hour or so there are questions and answers and general discussion. There is an opportunity for everyone to ask questions, and questions beginning with "This might be a dumb question, but..." are more than welcome; these questions are invariably not dumb and often rather insightful.

Our Next Café...

...will be held in Clyde's Pub at 6:30 on February 8, 2011. Our featured speaker is Assistant Professor Janel Owens of the UCCS Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

Food Forensics: Is Our Food Safe?

In recent years, we have seen a number of high-profile outbreaks related to foods, including spinach, peanut products, eggs, and milk products contaminated by pathogenic microorganisms (E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella) or chemical contaminants (melamine and related contaminants). The Food Safety and Modernization Act, which was signed into law on January 4, 2011, gives the Food and Drug Administration a mandate to prevent food-borne illness by improving science-based standards and to address hazards from farm to table. This legislation allows for strengthening and transforming the U.S. food safety system, which is part of a larger global food chain. This presentation will focus on some of the newer hazards and threats facing the food supply and the new analytical chemistry tools that are available to support new detection strategies in food forensics.

Everyone is Welcome!

Café meetings are free. The Colorado Café Scientifique is organized by an informal group of President's Teaching Scholars and other faculty from CU and other institutions up and down the Front Range, as well as science types from industry and government. We welcome your input, including ideas for speakers and topics. Bring them with you to the next Café, or e-mail them and any questions to Professor Tom Huber.

Funding for Café Scientifique at UCCS is provided by the UCCS Auxiliary Services Team