Though the back half of the Map Room, 1949 N. Hoyne Ave., was packed with young adults, nobody was watching the Duke-Georgia Tech basketball game on the TVs. And no patrons were flirting with each other or rehashing the day's events or singing along with a jukebox. They were too busy listening to a lecture on global warming. And they actually seemed to be enjoying themselves.
That, says Randy Landsberg, is the point of Cafe Scientifique. As the director for education and outreach with the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics at the University of Chicago, Landsberg is like a concert promoter, though his performers are less likely to be rock stars than U. of C. professors (who frequently discuss rocks and stars).
This evening, professor David Archer discussed his book "Global Warming: Understanding the Forecast" (Blackwell, $49.95) before fielding questions from the crowd, who had shed winter coats and begun warming themselves with ales, stouts and pilsners.
"Cafe Scientifique is a way for people to learn about science in a fun and relaxed atmosphere," said the director, who since getting inspired by similar events in European pubs early last year has been hosting quarterly beer-soaked seminars at this Bucktown bar. "We're making science approachable, cool and interesting."
Anyone who has struggled through a high school science class knows that's not always easy. But the tavern setting helps, the beer is a draw and--if the 50-plus attendees at last week's Cafe Scientifique are any indication--there is an audience hungry for scientific stimulation.
Landsberg polled about three dozen attendees (he is a scientist, after all) who responded that by a vast majority (77 percent) they were not professionally involved in science.
"We try to target the non-academic community," said Landsberg, before adding that information on upcoming events can be found online at kicp.uchicago.edu. "We're bringing science to people who wouldn't necessarily want to go to a museum--younger people who are interested and engaged but don't necessarily like formal institutions."
Sean Longworth, 35, of Bucktown sipped a Stiegl pilsner while admitting he was surprised to find such an event in Chicago. "I figured you'd have to be in California."
As someone considering starting a renewable-energy business, Longworth inquired of lector Archer about the financial comparisons of solar, coal and wind-generated power. "For me it comes down to economics," he said. "What is the difference in cost per watt of power?"
Thus far the lectors have been profs from the University of Chicago, and most topics have leaned toward astronomy and astrophysics. But Landsberg is open to suggestions.
The next Cafe Scientifique is scheduled for March, though the director is trying to avoid competing with the NCAA basketball tournament. Deciding to direct your attention to a scientist's lecture over a regular-season Duke-Georgia Tech game is sensible. But during the tournament, even Landsberg understands that's just madness.
So why bring science into a bar? A better question might be, Why not?
"That's the whole concept," said Landsberg. "These should be fun to be at. . . . And if the speaker isn't that great, you can hang out with your friends."
"That is what a pub is all about--the American revolution was born in taverns," said Map Room owner Laura Blasingame, who supplies complimentary food for the Cafe Scientifique crowds. "Taverns are meeting places where ideas should be traded. And beer fits within that idea--it's a democratic beverage."
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Other ways to grab a beer with a chaser of culture
Interested in socially aware events held at local drinking establishments? Here's a sampling:
- Find other Cafe Scientifique venues at cafescientifique.org.
- Discover beer-loving environmentalists at greendrinks.org.
- Sip wine and listen to local authors reading from their latest works on Local Author Nights at the Book Cellar, a bookstore/cafe at 4736-38 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-293-2665.
- Cruise with bike-riding social activists during Critical Mass, online at chicagocriticalmass.org, which hosts informal events at saloons.
- The GOAt (Globally Occupied Attention) series from the Chicago Council on Global Affairs holds discussions on "provocative issues" at area music venues. The next one is Jan. 30 at Schubas, 3159 N. Southport Ave. See thechicagocouncil.org/programs(underscore)goat.php.
Several local museums temporarily transform themselves into bars to lure the libation crowd:
- The Museum of Contemporary Art (mca.org) hosts First Fridays on the first Friday of the month.
- That leaves the last Friday of the month for the McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum's Final Fridays (freedommuseum.us).
--C.M.
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q@tribune.com
