January 8, 2014, Wednesday - A Sip of Science at Aster Cafe
Time: 5:30pm
Location: Aster Cafe (River Room) 125 SE Main Street
January Sip of Science: Hydrogeology and Geobiology of the Soudan Underground Mine: Applications to Terrestrial and Extra-Terrestrial Research
A SIP OF SCIENCE 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 in which researchers pair with musicians, artists and storytellers to put science in context through storytelling.
On the shores of Lake Vermilion, the Soudan Underground Mine is the oldest and deepest iron ore mine in Minnesota. With a depth of 2,341 feet below the land surface (689 feet below sea level), this mine offers more than just a peek into Minnesota’s mining history. This unique State Park offers access to what is referred to as the ‘deep subsurface’ – a world far removed from our human experience at the Earth’s surface. Geologists, physicists, hydrologists, and microbiologists have capitalized on the rare opportunity for research in this underground realm, using the mine for physics experiments where cosmic rays are minimized and exploring the geologic depths to help answer the most basic questions of how our planet (and life on it) evolved. In fact, such research also has applications to discovering life on other planets. Join University of Minnesota’s Scott Alexander as his presentation explores the ongoing research at this unique site.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Scott Alexander has worked 20+ years at the Dept. of Earth Sciences at the University of Minnesota. His projects have evolved over the years from ground water flow in karst regions, to contaminant migration in many rock types, and is now further evolving to microbiology in brines and multi-phase multi-component fluids as in CO2/brine/water/rock systems. All of this work is grounded in physical, chemical, and isotopic measurements of real world systems as a starting point for computer based and laboratory scale simulations.
This talk takes place during happy hour at the Aster Cafe - Food and Drink Available for Purchase.