Science Seminar Series

Matthew S. Leslie ABSTRACT The systematic relationships among the lunge-feeding whales (rorquals; family Balaenopteridae) have been difficult to resolve, resulting in a history of taxonomic confusion. I am approaching this problematic group using a combination of traditional taxonomy and cutting-edge research techniques. I am integrating DNA sequencing of Ultra-Conserved Elements for molecular systematics, morphological examination … Continue reading Integrating DNA, Drones, and Fossils to Clarify Relationships Among Rorqual Whales →

Ashok Vaseshta ABSTRACT The geopolitical landscape of the 21st century has become rather complex, dynamic, and unpredictable than that faced in the previous century. Notwithstanding unparalleled level of technological advancements, the evolving asymmetric threat from non-aligned terrorist groups continues to grow and evolve. The rapid advances in both science and technology, coupled with universal access … Continue reading Ecosystem of Innovations in Nanotechnologies for Safety, Security, and Sustainability →

Aram Sinnreich ABSTRACT Hip-hop, perhaps the world’s dominant form of popular music today, emerged organically as an artifact of American vernacular technoculture in the late 1970s. Since its first emergence, the art form has challenged traditional Western conceptions of ownership and authorship, inspiring numerous lawsuits and critiques even as it has risen in popularity and … Continue reading Hip Hop and Copyright: Where Art, Technology and Law Collide →

Paul Henry Nadeau ABSTRACT Recent technical advances in unconventional or “tight” shale oil and gas extraction are reviewed in light of the dramatic rise in US oil and gas production volumes over the last 5 years. This unprecedented increase in energy production and reserves additions has catapulted the USD into the world leadership position. Estimates … Continue reading The US Shale Oil/Gas Revolution: A Historic Opportunity for America →

Katharina Dittmar

Read about Night of Science and how to register for the event.

Brian Romans ABSTRACT Ocean circulation plays a critical role in the Earth’s climate system through the storage and transfer of heat and carbon dioxide. The North Atlantic and Southern Ocean are of particular interest because these are regions where deep-water components of global circulation develop. Overall patterns and functioning of modern oceanic circulation is relatively … Continue reading Reconstructing Deep Ocean Circulation During Cenozoic Climate Transitions From the Marine Sediment Record →

David Grinspoon ABSTRACT In this talk, Dr. Grinspoon will put the current human-dominated phase of our planet’s life into a broader context, juxtaposed against previous geological eras in Earth’s history, as well as what’s known from studying changes on other planets. The goal is to better understand the essence of our current moment in geological … Continue reading The Emergence of Planetary Intelligence: Astrobiology and the Anthropocene Earth →

NOVA's semi-annual Night of Science is a community outreach event aimed at introducing children (K-12 and all interested!) to hands-on learning about a great diversity of subjects and showcasing the research and critical thinking teaching approaches of the faculty from the division of Math, Science, Technology, and Business at NOVA’s Annandale campus. Visit the Night … Continue reading Night of Science! →

This year marks 150th birthday of the Periodic Table, a major step toward creating a unified perspective on our understanding of the elemental nature of all matter. To commemorate this achievement, NOVA science faculty have prepared a series of presentations on the table, its creator--Dmitry Mendeleyev--and many interesting and curious facts that emerged as our … Continue reading The Periodic Table Day →

Torsten Dikow ABSTRACT Taxonomy has a long tradition of describing earth’s biodiversity. Taxonomic revisions contain crucial biodiversity data and in entomology such revisions may include treatments of a single to hundreds of species each represented by a few or hundreds to thousands of specimens. For the past 20 years or so, taxonomic revisions have become … Continue reading Discovering fly species and sharing biodiversity data →