KABT BioBlog

Climate – An Exercise in Geometry and Energy Redistribution

Speaker: Dr. Kenneth S. Schmitz – Professor of physical chemistry and environmental studies at the University of Missouri – Kansas City

Date: August 9, 2011

Time: 6:30 pm

Location: Coaches Bar and Grill, 14893 Metcalf, in private room

Dr. Schmitz will provide a follow-up to Dr. Miller’s talk from June. His talk will help us view climate on a geometric basis – the curvature of the Earth and the rotation of the Earth. In this view the climate is a result of energy redistribution as the Earth rotates and moves about the Sun. It will emphasize the roll  the atmosphere and the oceans play in this redistribution of energy. This view will capture the basics of his Environmental Chemistry class, which he has developed over the past 5 years or so.

Dr. Schmitz received the bachelor degree from Greenville College in Illinois, with majors in mathematics, physics, and chemistry. He received the doctoral degree in the area of biophysics from the University of Washington in Seattle, after which he spent a year at Stanford University on an NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship. In 1984 he originated and was the first chairman of the Gordon Research Conference now known as “Macromolecular and Polyelectrolyte Solutions”. He has written two technical books on macromolecular systems and was editor of two symposium volumes.

For more information: biologycctrack@hotmail.com

Splashtop has an app on the Apple App Store that can make an iPad function as a remote smart board.  This app is not the first of its kind, but the app is incredibly functional and elegant.  After minimal setup the companion program runs in the background of a computer.  The iPad needs to be connected to the same wireless network as the computer.  The app can then be started on the iPad and the two devices are ready to run.

The iPad will display a live feed from the computer desktop.  Not only does the setup provide remote control of the computer, but it also can do annotations that are displayed right on the screen.  That means a presentation can be managed in the palm of the hand, and at the same time notes can be made directly on the current screen.  This app is exciting for anyone with the equipment for the setup.  The app’s website is http://www.splashtop.com/whiteboard.  I strongly recommend anyone with an iPad (1 or 2) check it out.