November 13, 2013, Wednesday - A Sip of Science at Aster Cafe

Time: 5:30pm

Location: Aster Cafe, 125 SE Main Street

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.

November Sip of Science: Duluth Stream Geomorphology and Solstice Flood of 2012
Dr. Karen Gran,  University of Minnesota Duluth
 
Roads and retaining walls collapsed. Cars were sucked into giant sinkholes. A seal escaped the local zoo and was found in traffic.  In June 2012, the Duluth area experienced widespread flash flooding, amounting to a 500-year flood event.  The floodwaters caused severe damage to infrastructure, stream banks eroded, bluffs failed, and massive quantities of large woody debris swept downstream.  How did this happen?  With the November Sip of Science, Dr. Karen Gran will cover some background on streams in the Duluth-area, how the geomorphology of these streams can affect their response to floods, and provide some perspective on how the floods have impacted the streams in the Duluth area.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Dr. Karen Gran is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Minnesota Duluth.  She got her Ph.D. from the University of Washington, M.S. from the University of Minnesota, and B.A. from Carleton College.  Her research focuses on river geomorphology, including how channels evolve under changing conditions, from volcanic eruptions to land use changes.

This talk takes place during happy hour at the Aster Cafe - Food and Drink Available for Purchase.