February 9, 2011, Wednesday - A Sip of Science: Road De-Icing Salt Impact on Twin Cities Waters

Time:  5:30pm

Location:  Aster Cafe, 125 SE Main Street, St. Anthony Main

This series bridges the gap between science and culture in a setting that bridges the gap between brain and belly. Food, beer and learning are on the menu in a happy hour forum that offers the opportunity to talk with researchers about their current work, its implications and its fascinations.

The topic of the February 9 event will be the nearly 350,000 tons of road salt that is applied for de-icing in the Twin Cities metro area every year. The salt keeps our roads safe during winter, but where does it all go when the ice melts? Join us for happy hour to hear University of Minnesota Civil Engineering Professor Heinz Stefan's investigation into the effects of road salt on local water quality and the steps that could be taken to address the issue. Dr. Stefan researches environmental hydrodynamics, including water quality in natural and man-made systems and temperature regimes in lakes and rivers.

The talk takes place during happy hour at the Aster Café, No cover; food and drinks are available for purchase. A Sip of Science is a new science happy hour sponsored by the National Center for Earth-surface Dynamics (NCED).  It is a chance to hear about new and exciting research over beer, in a cool bar. Come talk with the experts about their efforts to address some of the Earth's most pressing problems.

NCED's A Sip of Science brings the wonder of science to happy hour.  Click for more information.