Science on Screen—a series of events hosted by Science Moab that pairs talks by scientists with movies—is returning this year with three events held during July and August. The events are meant to offer something for everyone in the community: they’re free, the science is approachable, and the movies are typically fun cult classics.
“Science Moab was really sparked by this community interest in engaging with the science that’s happening all around us,” said Carrie Schwartz, executive director and school-to-science program director of Science Moab. “Events like Science on Screen are open to everyone. You definitely don’t have to have any science background—you don’t even have to be that interested in science—to come and enjoy these events. You’ll learn something, you’ll make some new connections, and hopefully, your curiosity will be sparked to ask new questions and keep learning.”
The series will kick off on Friday, July 7 with the discussion called “Not-So Fast Food: Traditional Crops and Food Sovereignty in the Four Corners” by Reagan Wystalucy, a Diné scientist researching traditional crops grown by Indigenous communities. She currently works as an assistant professor of agriculture and natural resources with the University of Utah Extension in San Juan County.
Following the discussion will be a screening of the movie “Good Burger” (1997), a Nickelodeon comedy following a high schooler who, after getting in a car crash in his mom’s car, takes a job at a fast food restaurant to pay off the damage. Chaos ensues when a competing restaurant opens: the plot revolves around a secret sauce and poisonous food additives.
“We thought Good Burger provides a really interesting parallel to the talk—the values and practices of fast food culture are the polar opposite of traditional foods and food sovereignty,” Schwartz said. “And Reagan’s background allows her to speak to both of those worlds, which is going to be really cool.”
The next event will take place on Saturday, July 29, with the discussion “Melting Snow, River Flow, and Kurt Russell’s Questionable Antarctic Wardrobe,” delivered by Gabriel Lewis. Lewis is a glaciologist and hydrologist at the University of California’s San Diego Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes. Much of Lewis’s recent research revolves around how snowpack impacts water resources—particularly relevant in Moab this year, as Utah’s latest winter saw one of the state’s heaviest snowpacks.
The horror/science-fiction movie “The Thing” (1982) will follow (starring Kurt Russell). In the movie, a research team in Antarctica finds, and is hunted by, a shape-shifting alien that was excavated from the ice.
“It’s reflecting this terrifying vision of what may emerge from the ice as it rapidly melts,” Schwartz said. While unearthing evil aliens is unlikely, melting ice does pose a significant risk to human life as it causes the sea level to rise.
The final event will take place on Friday, August 25, with the discussion “The Search for Truth, Extraterrestrial Life, and Nerdy Pickup Lines within the Universe” by Cris White. White is a senior outreach specialist at the Earth to Sky Interagency Partnership and is also a NASA Solar System Ambassador. White will discuss NASA’s upcoming astrobiology missions, where the organization will search for extraterrestrial life in our solar system.
“Cris is really gifted at telling these stories that can connect us to the stars and what’s beyond our world,” Schwartz said.
Following the discussion will be a screening of the movie “Contact” (1997), a movie that follows a scientist who finds evidence of extraterrestrial life and ventures into space to pursue it, despite many attempts by the government and religious organizations to thwart her.
“We really are excited to see everyone, from the diehard fans who come every year to folks who have never been to one of our events before,” Schwartz said. “It’ll be a fun summer.”
This year’s series is partnering with the City of Moab’s Sports and Recreation Department and the Moab to Monument Valley Film Commission; it’s sponsored by a Moab RAP Tax grant and Field Station.
You can keep up with Science Moab on Instagram or Facebook @sciencemoab.
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