PolyThinkers Pad » Events http://www.poly.edu/library/blog fueling polythinking with library news, tips and more Tue, 13 May 2008 21:02:22 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 en Join us for an inaugural lecture - CCR5 Gene: A Cautionary Tale about Patenting http://www.poly.edu/library/blog/2008/04/03/join-us-for-an-inaugural-lecture-ccr5-gene-a-cautionary-tale-about-patenting/ http://www.poly.edu/library/blog/2008/04/03/join-us-for-an-inaugural-lecture-ccr5-gene-a-cautionary-tale-about-patenting/#comments Thu, 03 Apr 2008 16:21:31 +0000 Ingrid http://www.poly.edu/library/blog/2008/04/03/join-us-for-an-inaugural-lecture-ccr5-gene-a-cautionary-tale-about-patenting/ dnaThe patenting of human genes raises all sorts of important questions whose answers will have a growing impact on our lives. Just consider this, one-fifth of the genes in your body are privately owned.

To learn more about this intriguing issue, come to the inaugural Dibner Family Professor of the History of Technology and Science lecture: The CCR5 Gene: A Cautionary Tale about Patenting. The lecture will take place on Thursday, April 10, 2008 at 4 p.m. in the Pfizer Auditorium. Join us in the Dibner Library afterwards for a reception with lecturer, Professor Myles Jackson.

]]> http://www.poly.edu/library/blog/2008/04/03/join-us-for-an-inaugural-lecture-ccr5-gene-a-cautionary-tale-about-patenting/feed/ The Art of Enterprise: Business, Technology and Science through the Covers of Fortune Magazine http://www.poly.edu/library/blog/2008/02/22/the-art-of-enterprise-business-technology-and-science-through-the-covers-of-fortune-magazine/ http://www.poly.edu/library/blog/2008/02/22/the-art-of-enterprise-business-technology-and-science-through-the-covers-of-fortune-magazine/#comments Fri, 22 Feb 2008 17:35:27 +0000 Gavin http://www.poly.edu/library/blog/2008/02/22/the-art-of-enterprise-business-technology-and-science-through-the-covers-of-fortune-magazine/ magazine.jpg

Fortune magazine was once notable for its striking covers featuring the work of noteworthy artists. Despite the fact that Fortune was founded at the beginning of the Great Depression and was very expensive for its time, the smart and stylish magazine was a success from the start.

The Art of Enterprise exhibit in the Dibner Library features a wide selection of Fortune covers from the 1930s-50s that explore the theme of science and technology. The covers illustrate the inventiveness of a bygone period, yet they also provide a glimpse of what may lie ahead. Selected articles and advertisements are also included in this fascinating collection, which will be on display through August 2008.

We would like to hear from you. Please send any thoughts you may have about the exhibit, or any other library related matter to blibrary@poly.edu

]]> http://www.poly.edu/library/blog/2008/02/22/the-art-of-enterprise-business-technology-and-science-through-the-covers-of-fortune-magazine/feed/ Expand your horizons: Explore NYC science & tech groups http://www.poly.edu/library/blog/2008/01/30/expand-your-horizons-explore-nyc-science-tech-groups/ http://www.poly.edu/library/blog/2008/01/30/expand-your-horizons-explore-nyc-science-tech-groups/#comments Wed, 30 Jan 2008 17:05:07 +0000 Ingrid technology http://www.poly.edu/library/blog/2008/01/30/expand-your-horizons-explore-nyc-science-tech-groups/ One of the great things about being at Poly is having easy access to all that New York City has to offer. There’s definitely no shortage of fun possibilities in the big apple, but are you aware of all the ways you can engage your brain and have a good time? There’s a wide range of public groups in NYC that meet on a regular basis to discuss and share ideas on science, engineering and technology. Check out the events listed below and meet new people with common interests.

Dorkbot Their tag line says it all: “people doing strange things with electricity.” First Wednesday of every month.

Nerd Nite NYC An informal gathering at which nerds get together for two 20-30 minute lectures on scientific or cultural topics.

Next NY Tech Events This calendar lists professional and social events for the internet and new media industries in New York City.

NY Tech Meetup On the first Tuesday each month at 7 pm, six people get five minutes each to demo something cool to New York’s tech community.

Science & the City Multiple events covering a wide range of interests compiled by the New York Academy of Sciences.

Secret Science Club A science lecture series that takes place on the first Wednesday of each month at Union Hall restaurant and bar in Park Slope.

]]> http://www.poly.edu/library/blog/2008/01/30/expand-your-horizons-explore-nyc-science-tech-groups/feed/ Join us in the library for a free program about Zotero citation manager http://www.poly.edu/library/blog/2008/01/21/free-online-program-about-zotero-citation-manager/ http://www.poly.edu/library/blog/2008/01/21/free-online-program-about-zotero-citation-manager/#comments Mon, 21 Jan 2008 18:51:35 +0000 Ingrid research http://www.poly.edu/library/blog/2008/01/21/free-online-program-about-zotero-citation-manager/ If you read last semester’s post on reference management, then you are already familiar with Zotero, the free citation manager that works with the Firefox web browser. Now is your chance to learn more about this handy tool and how it can help you keep your research in order. Dibner Library will be presenting an online program, offered by OPAL, in Room 433 next Wednesday, January 23. Details below:

The Mark of Zotero: Two-Clicks to Citation Management
Wednesday, January 23, 2008, 2:00 p.m.
Dibner Library, Room 433
No registration required

Zotero, designed by the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University, is a free downloadable extension for the Firefox web browser. It allows researchers to keep track of bibliographies, notes, even copies of articles and pictures– all within the browser window. It integrates with several word processors to make creating a reference or a bibliography a two-click process.
Chris Strauber, Reference and Web Services Librarian at Wofford College, will demonstrate the program and discuss it as a possible replacement for products like Procite and Refworks.

Don’t miss this great opportunity to learn how Zotero can help you collect, manage, and cite your research sources.

]]> http://www.poly.edu/library/blog/2008/01/21/free-online-program-about-zotero-citation-manager/feed/ World authority in the finance of rare events to speak at Poly http://www.poly.edu/library/blog/2007/11/20/world-authority-in-the-finance-of-rare-events-to-speak-at-poly/ http://www.poly.edu/library/blog/2007/11/20/world-authority-in-the-finance-of-rare-events-to-speak-at-poly/#comments Tue, 20 Nov 2007 18:17:52 +0000 Ingrid http://www.poly.edu/library/blog/2007/11/20/world-authority-in-the-finance-of-rare-events-to-speak-at-poly/ Bestselling author and practitioner of mathematical finance, Nassim Taleb, will be speaking at Poly’s Pfizer Auditorium on Wednesday, November 28 at 6 pm as part of the Topfer Chair Lecture Series in Financial Engineering & Technology Management.

Nassim Taleb’s latest book, The Black Swan: The impact of the highly improbable, takes its title from his theory of unpredictable events with great impact - we expect swans to be white and are shocked when a black swan swims by. The book explores strategies to deal with the unknown and provides advice on how to live one’s life in the presence of deep unpredictability. Read the first chapter online.

You can find The Black Swan and Taleb’s other books, Fooled by Randomness: The hidden role of chance in life and in the markets and Dynamic Hedging: Managing vanilla and exotic options on the “Recommended by Faculty” display shelf in the reference section of Dibner Library.

For more information, download the lecture flyer.

]]> http://www.poly.edu/library/blog/2007/11/20/world-authority-in-the-finance-of-rare-events-to-speak-at-poly/feed/ Civil Engineering Lecture: Construction of Old Penn Station and its Tunnels http://www.poly.edu/library/blog/2007/10/02/civil-engineering-lecture-construction-of-old-penn-station-and-its-tunnels/ http://www.poly.edu/library/blog/2007/10/02/civil-engineering-lecture-construction-of-old-penn-station-and-its-tunnels/#comments Tue, 02 Oct 2007 20:43:36 +0000 Ingrid civil eng http://www.poly.edu/library/blog/2007/10/02/civil-engineering-lecture-construction-of-old-penn-station-and-its-tunnels/ This Thursday, Dr. Jill Jonnes, author of Conquering Gotham: A Gilded Age Epic: The Construction of Penn Station and Its Tunnels, will tell the story of an extraordinary engineering feat - the building of electrified railroad tunnels under the Hudson River, Manhattan, and the East River to Long Island, capping them all off with Pennsylvania Station. You can check out Conquering Gotham from the Dibner Library (call number TF302.N7 J66 2007).

SPEAKER:
Dr. Jill Jonnes earned her B.A. at Barnard College, her M.S. at Columbia Journalism School and her Ph.D. in American History at Johns Hopkins University. She has been a National Endowment for the Humanities Scholar and a frequent recipient of grants from the Ford Foundation. Conquering Gotham (Viking, 2007) is her fourth history book, and the second in a Gilded Age engineering trilogy.

DATE: Thursday, October 4, 2007
TIME: Refreshments start at 5:30 p.m., Lecture is from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
LOCATION: Polytechnic University Pfizer Auditorium, 5 MetroTech Center
COST: Free to American Society of Civil Engineers members, $15 to non-members to meet PDH award requirements.

Presented by ASCE Metropolitan Section Infrastructure Group in collaboration with Polytechnic University Department of Civil Engineering.

Lecture details available in PDF

]]> http://www.poly.edu/library/blog/2007/10/02/civil-engineering-lecture-construction-of-old-penn-station-and-its-tunnels/feed/ Celebrate your freedom to read - Banned Book Week 2007 http://www.poly.edu/library/blog/2007/10/01/celebrate-your-freedom-to-read-banned-book-week-2007/ http://www.poly.edu/library/blog/2007/10/01/celebrate-your-freedom-to-read-banned-book-week-2007/#comments Mon, 01 Oct 2007 16:37:59 +0000 Ingrid http://www.poly.edu/library/blog/2007/10/01/celebrate-your-freedom-to-read-banned-book-week-2007/ The week of September 29 through October 6, 2007, marks the 26th anniversary of Banned Books Week. Since 1982 Banned Books Week has been observed in the United States as a reminder to Americans not to take the freedom to read for granted. Last year alone, the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom received a total of 546 challenges against books.

Celebrate by reading the most challenged books of the 21st Century - the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, now available at the Dibner Library.

More challenged books:bannedbooksweek.gif

The most challenged books of the 21st century

The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990 - 2000

]]> http://www.poly.edu/library/blog/2007/10/01/celebrate-your-freedom-to-read-banned-book-week-2007/feed/ Tonight at NYPL - Shattered Nerves: How Science Is Solving Modern Medicine’s Most Perplexing Problem http://www.poly.edu/library/blog/2007/09/25/tonight-at-nypl-shattered-nerves-how-science-is-solving-modern-medicines-most-perplexing-problem/ http://www.poly.edu/library/blog/2007/09/25/tonight-at-nypl-shattered-nerves-how-science-is-solving-modern-medicines-most-perplexing-problem/#comments Tue, 25 Sep 2007 15:13:05 +0000 Ingrid medicine http://www.poly.edu/library/blog/2007/09/25/tonight-at-nypl-shattered-nerves-how-science-is-solving-modern-medicines-most-perplexing-problem/ Learn about groundbreaking developments in neural technology with Victor D. Chase, author of “Shattered Nerves: How Science Is Solving Modern Medicine’s Most Perplexing Problem.”

Date: Tuesday, September 25
Time: 6:30 PM
Location:
Mid-Manhattan Library
455 Fifth Avenue

From Johns Hopkins University Press:

Once the stuff of science fiction, neural prosthetics are now a reality. Research and technology are creating implants that enable the deaf to hear, the blind to see, and the paralyzed to move. Shattered Nerves takes us on a journey into a new medical frontier, where sophisticated, state-of-the-art medical devices repair and restore failed sensory and motor systems.


]]> http://www.poly.edu/library/blog/2007/09/25/tonight-at-nypl-shattered-nerves-how-science-is-solving-modern-medicines-most-perplexing-problem/feed/ Brooklyn Book Festival http://www.poly.edu/library/blog/2007/09/14/brooklyn-book-festival/ http://www.poly.edu/library/blog/2007/09/14/brooklyn-book-festival/#comments Fri, 14 Sep 2007 15:26:01 +0000 Ingrid http://www.poly.edu/library/blog/2007/09/14/brooklyn-book-festival/ bookfestThe Brooklyn Book Festival returns to Borough Hall Plaza this Sunday, September 16, for its second year. The free event runs from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and includes well-known authors, poets and essayists, as well as some new up-and-comers. With readings, presentations and over 100 vendors participating, this is an opportunity to see your favorite authors or learn about new ones. While you’re there, drop by the Polytechnic display at booth 62 and discover what Poly professors have published.

]]> http://www.poly.edu/library/blog/2007/09/14/brooklyn-book-festival/feed/ Sharpen your skills: writing for scientific publication http://www.poly.edu/library/blog/2007/09/11/writing-for-scientific-publication/ http://www.poly.edu/library/blog/2007/09/11/writing-for-scientific-publication/#comments Tue, 11 Sep 2007 05:33:28 +0000 Ingrid technical communication http://www.poly.edu/library/blog/2007/08/29/writing-for-scientific-publication/ The New York Science Alliance for Students and Postdocs is sponsoring a free seminar on how to publish the results of your hard work:

Writing for Scientific Publication
Saturday, September 15, 2007
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Rockefeller Labs, 430 E. 67th Street

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