Secret Science Club presents Physicist & Author Sean Carroll, Wednesday, May 15, 7:30PM @ the Bell House, $29

SPECIAL EVENT! Secret Science Club presents Theoretical Physicist & Best-selling Author Sean Carroll with THE BIGGEST IDEAS IN THE UNIVERSE: Quanta & Fields

IN-PERSON @ THE BELL HOUSE on Wednesday, May 15, 7:30PM (Doors open at 7PM), $29 (includes book) (Reserve your tickets.)

Physicist, bestselling author & host of the acclaimed Mindscape podcast, Sean Carroll takes us on a dazzling tour of the biggest, most mysterious ideas in the Universe!

In Quanta and Fields, the second book in an already internationally acclaimed series, Carroll dives into the baffling & beautiful world of quantum mechanics.

From Schrödinger to Feynman, Carroll explores the quantum revolution with the greatest minds of the 20th century, explaining how several decades of research overturned centuries of convention.

At this special edition of the Secret Science Club, we discover why matter is solid, why there is antimatter, where the sizes of atoms come from, and why the predictions of quantum field theory are so spectacularly successful.

Beyond Newton, beyond Einstein... join us as Sean Carroll opens a window into the raw & infinitely fascinating reality of the quantum realm!

Before & After
--Sample our quantum cocktail of the night, the Uncertainty Principle!

--Groove to subatomic tunes

--Bring your questions for the cosmic Q&A

--Hot off the presses! A copy of Sean Carroll’s awesome new book, THE BIGGEST IDEAS IN THE UNIVERSE: Quanta and Fields is included with each ticket. Thank you to our bookseller, Greenlight Bookstore!

GET TICKETS HERE!

SEAN CARROLL is Homewood Professor of Natural Philosophy at Johns Hopkins University, and Fractal Faculty at the Santa Fe Institute. He is host of the MINDSCAPE podcast, and author of The Particle at the End of the Universe, The Big Picture, Something Deeply Hidden, and The Biggest Ideas in the Universe: Space, Time and Motion. He has been awarded prizes and fellowships by the National Science Foundation, NASA, the American Institute of Physics, the Royal Society of London, and many others.

This special edition of the Secret Science Club meets in-person Wednesday, May 15, 7:30PM @ the Bell House, 149 7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn. Subway: F or G to 4th Ave, R to 9th St.

Doors to the performance space open at 7PM.

Tickets are $29, including Sean Carroll’s new book. Click here to reserve your spot!

Under 18 with a parent and legal guardian

**This event will be mixed seated/standing. Arrive early for best seat selection.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

IN-PERSON @ THE BELL HOUSE, Secret Science Club presents Biochemist Antonio Cerullo on Tuesday, April 23 @ 7:30PM, FREE!

Secret Science Club slips & slides into one of the most fascinating substances on Earth with BIOCHEMIST ANTONIO CERULLO!

IN-PERSON @ THE BELL HOUSE

Tuesday, April 23, 7:30PM (Doors open at 7PM), Free!

We’re not going to sugarcoat it: Mucus is miraculous.

Every day, humans produce at least a quart of this sticky, slimy, slippery stuff. We need it for everything from blinking our eyelids to digesting food to protecting our bodies against pathogens.

Creatures throughout the animal kingdom use mucus in astonishing ways, too. Hagfish pump out thick mucus to gum up the gills of sharks. Parrotfish blow mucous bubbles and use them as sleeping bags. Hippos secrete red mucus that serves as both an antibiotic and sunscreen for their skin.

At the next Secret Science Club, biochemist Antonio Cerullo is here to tell us that mucus is beautiful: “a choreographed chaos” of complex components “coming together to do wondrous things.” 

Dr. Cerullo has been collecting slime specimens—from snails, jellyfish, and even oysters—to study their wide-ranging and seemingly magical properties. Could these strange secretions hold the secrets to new cures and therapies?

Don’t miss a nanosecond of this ooey-gooey evening!

Before & After
-- Try our curious cocktail of the night, the Viscosity! It'll keep you lubricated....

--Groove to smoooth tunes

--Stick around for the scintillating Q&A

ANTONIO CERULLO is a biochemist, slime scientist, and editor at Nature Communications. While working on his PhD at the City University of New York’s Graduate Center, he investigated the compositions and properties of mucus from the world's most exotic animals, including hagfish, salamanders, jellyfish, frogs, and snails. He and his research on these secretions have been featured on NPR’s Short Wave, National Geographic, and Scientific American.

This edition of the Secret Science Club meets Tuesday, April 23, 7:30PM @ the Bell House, 149 7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn. Subway: F or G to 4th Ave, R to 9th St.

Doors to the performance space open at 7PM.

Please bring ID: 21+. No cover. Just bring your smart self!

What's next at Secret Science Club?
We’ll be back at the Bell House on Wednesday, May 15, with Theoretical Physicist Sean Carroll!

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

IN-PERSON @ THE DISCOVERY TANK ON PIER 57, Secret Science Club joins forces with Hudson River Park, Thursday, April 11 @ 6:30 PM, $10

SPECIAL EVENT! Secret Science Club teams up with Hudson River Park's "Ask a Scientist" to present a wild & woody evening in Lower Manhattan

Thursday, April 11 @ 6:30PM, $10. (Reserve your tickets.)

Secret Science Club flows into Hudson River Park's “Discovery Tank” on beautiful Pier 57 to explore NYC’s old-growth forests—both living and historic.

Join us for a fascinating night as ecologists Eric Sanderson and Caroline Leland uncover ancient woodlands in some very unusual places.

Eric Sanderson is a landscape ecologist, vice president of urban conservation at the New York Botanical Garden, Guggenheim Fellow, and author of Mannahatta: A Natural History of New York City. He is director of the Welikia Project, which focuses on the historical and contemporary ecology of the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island and the waters in-between. His research and writing have been featured in the New York Times, Scientific American, National Geographic, and numerous other outlets.

Caroline Leland is a dendrochronologist, postdoctoral researcher at William Paterson University, and affiliate of the Tree-ring Laboratory at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University. She studies the physiology, morphology, and growth histories of long-lived trees and uses tree rings to understand past environmental conditions. She also works to salvage and study timbers used in the construction of noteworthy historical buildings—the goal is to use the tree rings in these rare artifacts to learn about past climate events and how our climate is changing.

Get $10 tickets here (drinks included!)

Before & After the Talks
--Check out the cool interactive exhibits and the new "super scope" at the Discovery Tank

--Groove to spring-inspired tunes in our “Ebb Tide Lounge”

--Imbibe sprightly beers & soft drinks

--Ask a scientist (or two!) about tree rings, woodland creatures, forest “bathing,” what we can do to protect our urban forests, and more!

This program meets Thursday, April 11, 6:30PM at the Discovery Tank on Hudson River Park’s Pier 57. (The entrance to the pier is at the intersection of W. 15th St and 11th Ave in Manhattan.) Subway: A, C, E, L to 14th St/8th Ave; 1, 2, 3 to 14th St

Tickets are $10. Click here to reserve your spot!

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

IN-PERSON @ THE BELL HOUSE on Tuesday, March 12 @ 7:30PM, "ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, OUR BRAINS & OUR BODIES" with De-Shaine Murray & Matthew Liao, FREE!

Secret Science Club presents a “Dana Foundation Neuroscience & Society Talk” on “ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, OUR BRAINS & OUR BODIES” featuring Neuroscientist DE-SHAINE MURRAY and Bioethicist MATTHEW LIAO (in honor of Brain Awareness Week)

IN-PERSON @ THE BELL HOUSE IN BROOKLYN on Tuesday, March 12, 7:30PM (Doors open at 7PM), Free!

At the next Secret Science Club, neuroscientist De-Shaine Murray and bioethicist Matthew Liao explore the rapidly transforming world of neuro-engineering and artificial intelligence.

New brain-computer interfaces hold the promise of treating a plethora of ailments—from brain trauma & depression to paralysis & locked-in syndrome. But they also present new challenges and risks.

What are the pros and cons of hacking our brains?

DE-SHAINE MURRAY is a neuroscientist and bioengineer at Yale’s Wu Tsai Institute and the Yale Neuroscience Analytics Group, where he works on the development of multimodal monitoring tools for the brain. He is the co-founder of Black in Neuro, a nonprofit organization that celebrates and empowers Black scholars in neuroscience-related fields. Dr. Murray and his work have been featured in the Journal of Neuroscience, STAT News, and on NPR.

S. MATTHEW LIAO is the director of the Center for Bioethics at NYU. He uses the tools of philosophy to study the ramifications of novel biomedical innovations. He is the editor and author of several books, including Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, Moral Brains, Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights, and The Right to Be Loved. His work has been featured in the New York Times, Atlantic, Guardian, and numerous other outlets.

BEFORE & AFTER
--Try our wet-wired cocktail of the night, the Neuromancer

--Shimmy to synapse-soothing grooves

--Bring your questions for the scintillating Q&A

--Learn how you can participate in Brain Awareness Week, the global campaign to foster public enthusiasm and support for brain science

This mind-expanding edition of Secret Science Club - the “Dana Foundation Neuroscience & Society Talk” series presented in honor of Brain Awareness Week - is supported by the Dana Foundation. The Foundation’s mission is to advance neuroscience that benefits society and reflects the aspirations of all people.

Secret Science Club meets in-person on Tuesday, March 12, 7:30PM @ the Bell House, 149 7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn. Subway: F or G to 4th Ave, R to 9th St.

Doors to the performance space open at 7PM.

Please bring ID: 21+. No cover. Just bring your smart self.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

IN-PERSON @ THE BELL HOUSE, Secret Science Club presents Astrophysicist Jared Goldberg on Tuesday, February 20 @ 7:30PM, FREE!

We’re going SUPERNOVA!

Secret Science Club explores the Universe, massive stars, and explosions in space with ASTROPHYSICIST JARED GOLDBERG

IN-PERSON @ THE BELL HOUSE on Tuesday, February 20, 7:30PM (Doors open at 7PM), Free!

Dying stars do not go gentle into that good night. They go out with a bang—or let’s call it a blazing shockwave—more powerful than almost anything in the Universe. In the wake of these glorious explosions, they leave behind black holes or dense neutron stars.

At the next Secret Science Club, astrophysicist Jared Goldberg gets into supernovae, the strange behavior of the beloved red supergiant Betelgeuse, and what happens when these unstable giants of the Universe finally “burn and rave at close of day.”

JARED GOLDBERG is an astrophysicist and research fellow at the Flatiron Institute’s Center for Computational Astrophysics. He uses simulations to understand the structure and evolution of massive stars and supernovae, along with the observable emissions produced during their dynamic lives and explosive deaths. Originally from starry Southern California, Dr. Goldberg currently lives in Manhattan, where he builds stars on his computer for want of stars visible in the night sky.

Before & After
-- Try our intergalactic cocktail of the night, the Star Power!
--Groove to out-of-this-world tunes
--Stick around for the scintillating Q&A

This starry-eyed edition of the Secret Science Club meets Tuesday, February 20, 7:30PM @ the Bell House, 149 7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn. Subway: F or G to 4th Ave, R to 9th St.

Doors to the performance space open at 7PM.

Please bring ID: 21+. No cover. Just bring your smart self!

To support Secret Science Club, make a DONATION to our annual pledge drive!

Visit our secure pledge page and get cool pledge rewards like T-shirts, tote bags, lab notebooks, and other secret swag. Don't want pledge rewards?  Click here for faster check out.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

IN-PERSON @ THE DISCOVERY TANK ON PIER 57, Secret Science Club joins forces with Hudson River Park, Thursday, February 8 @ 6:30 PM, $10

SPECIAL EVENT! Secret Science Club teams up with Hudson River Park's "Ask a Scientist" to present an all-wild evening in Lower Manhattan

Thursday, February 8 @ 6:30PM, $10. (Reserve your tickets.)

Secret Science Club flows into Hudson River Park's “Discovery Tank” on gorgeous Pier 57 to explore the hidden lives of migrating animals wintering in Gotham

Biologists Shannon Curley, Maxine Montello and Jill Pryor all work hands-on with New York wildlife—and winter here can be an unexpectedly dynamic season. Whether they are rescuing sea turtles suffering from hypothermia or observing migrating birds that fly to NYC for the winter, these scientists are making surprising discoveries about wildlife populations in our not-so-concrete jungle.

Before & After the Talks
--Check out the cool interactive exhibits at the Discovery Tank

--Stop by the pier’s new food court “Market 57” with vendors curated by the James Beard Foundation

--Groove to sweet, salty & seasonal tunes tunes in our “Ebb Tide Lounge”

--Imbibe cozy cocktails & mocktails

--Ask a scientist (or two! or three!) about what it takes to care for cold-stunned sea turtles, the amazing migrations of birds in the Atlantic flyway, how we can help protect migrating species coming through our area, and more!

Get $10 tickets here!

Shannon Curley is an ecologist and postdoctoral fellow at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, where she researches bird migration using weather radar to understand how migration patterns change over time and differ between seasons. She works with the lab’s BirdCast team, which studies the mass night-time migrations of birds across North America—and makes the data available to the public via stunning visualizations, presenting live and historic bird movements, as well as the birds likely to be found in your area. Previously she has researched the wildlife species returning to Fresh Kills Park (once the city’s premier garbage dump) as it’s been reconstructed as a green space, as well as the heron species that secretively nest on islands around New York Harbor. She and her work have been featured in the Associated Press and on CNN.

Maxine Montello is the Rescue Program Director at the New York Marine Rescue Center in Riverhead, NY, where she leads rescue missions and the rehabilitation of sick and injured seals, dolphins, and sea turtles. At the rescue center, she has helped develop critical care methods for sea turtles that are found stranded and cold-stunned throughout the region. She has also developed the Center’s research program, which documents cases involving human interaction and tracks rehabbed and released animals via satellite. She received her masters from Pace University in Wildlife Ecology/Environmental Science where her thesis focused on the ecology and distribution of nesting sea turtles on the island of Barbuda. Her work has been featured in the New York Times and numerous other publications and outlets.

Jill Pryor is a senior biologist at the New York Marine Rescue Center where she provides clinical care to sick and injured seals and sea turtles. As a New York native, her passion for marine life and wildlife rehabilitation started at a young age exploring the coastal beaches of Long Island. She received her bachelor’s degree in Environmental and Ocean Science from the University of San Diego. Previously, she has worked as a marine mammal trainer with both the Long Island Aquarium and National Marine Mammal Foundation. She also has experience in veterinary medicine, working as a veterinary technician assistant in emergency and specialty vet hospitals in Hawaii and San Diego.

This program meets Thursday, February 8, 6:30PM at the Discovery Tank on Hudson River Park’s Pier 57. (The entrance to the pier is at the intersection of W. 15th St and 11th Ave in Manhattan.) Subway: A, C, E, L to 14th St/8th Ave; 1, 2, 3 to 14th St

Tickets are $10. Click here to reserve your spot!

What's next at Secret Science Club?
We will be in-person at the Bell House in Brooklyn on February 20. Stay tuned for details!

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

LIVE ONLINE: WEDNESDAY, January 31 @ 8PM, Secret Science Club & the Dana Foundation present an ENCORE PRESENTATION ON “ART & THE BRAIN” with Art Therapy Researcher GIRIJA KAIMA, Free!

Secret Science Club presents an ENCORE EDITION of the “Dana Foundation Neuroscience & Society Talk Series” on “ART & THE BRAIN” featuring Art Therapist & Researcher GIRIJA KAIMAL

Join us live via Zoom on Wednesday, January 31 @ 8PM (Eastern Time USA) "Doors" open at 7:30PM 

Here's how to sign up: Everyone on our mailing list will be emailed the Zoom link the night before. To join the Secret Science Club mailing list (or just request the Zoom link), send us an email (secretscienceclub@gmail.com)

So much about the human brain is still a mystery, and one of its greatest mysteries is the urge for self-expression through art—whether it be visual art, movement, music, literature, design, theater, or something else. Whatever drives us to create art, a growing body of research is revealing that making art (or even just experiencing it) can be therapeutic, soothing, and empowering.

At the next Secret Science Club Online, art therapy researacher Girija Kaimal explores how art-making affects our brains, our moods, and our mental health.

GIRIJA KAIMAL is a professor in the department of Creative Arts Therapies at Drexel University and directs the Health, Arts, Learning and Evaluation (HALE) lab, where she researches how visual art-making affects our physiological and psychological well-being. She is the current president of the American Art Therapy Association and her most recent book is The Expressive Instinct: How Imagination and Creative Works Help Us Survive and Thrive. In her own art practice, she explores identity and representation of emotion. As an art therapist and mental health researcher, areas of focus include traumatic brain injury, PTSD, and chronic stress among cancer patients and caregivers.

Before & After
--Mix up our cocktail & mocktail of the night, the Artist's Palette (recipe below!)

--Shimmy to synapse-soothing grooves

--Bring your questions for the live Q&A (and pen and paper for doodling)!

This encore edition of Secret Science Club - the “Dana Foundation Neuroscience & Society Talk Series” - is supported by the Dana Foundation as part of its Dana Education program. The Foundation’s mission is to advance neuroscience that benefits society and reflects the aspirations of all people.

THIS IS A FREE EVENT.

What’s next at Secret Science Club?
--On Thursday, February 8, we’ll be at the Hudson River Park Discovery Tank on Pier 57 in Manhattan with sea turtle scientists Maxine Montello & Jill Pryor and bird migration researcher Shannon Curley.
-On Tuesday, February 20, we’ll be back at the Bell House in Brooklyn. Stay tuned for details!

(Note: If you don't already have the Zoom meeting app on your computer or mobile device, you can download it for free at zoom.us)

Cocktail Recipe for the “Artist’s Palette” (created by the Secret Science Club experimental mixology lab)
Ingredients: 2 oz Tequila; 4 oz Orange Juice; 2 oz Fever-Tree Lime & Yuzu soda; ½ oz Grenadine; 1 or 2 Luxardo (or Amarena) Cherries
- Pour the tequila, then the orange juice, then the soda into a large highball glass filled with ice
- Over the back of a spoon, very slowly pour in the grenadine, letting it trickle down the side of the glass (to create a layered effect)
- Garnish with the candied cherries
For a mocktail version: Skip the tequila and add 4 oz of soda instead of 2 oz. Enjoy!

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

Rocket into 2024 with Secret Science Club!

Please join us in celebrating science as a vital part of culture and public life this holiday season.

Donate to our annual pledge drive and help launch Secret Science Club into 2024. (And get some cool pledge rewards, too!)

Thanks to all the amazing scientists who presented (both in-person and online) at Secret Science Club in 2023, and to our fabulous partners, volunteers, and supporters. And thanks to YOU – our wonderful, ever-curious audience members.

To make a donation and support Secret Science Club 2024 and an all-new season of free and low-cost public science events), visit our secure pledge page. You can get fun pledge prizes, too (SSC T-shirts, tote bags, lab notebooks, secret swag, and more!). For those of you who don't want pledge rewards, click here for faster check out.

Happy New Year, everyone! 

Secret Science Club is a program of Science Live Productions, Inc, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, and your donations are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by law.

For more information, contact secretscienceclub[at]gmail.com

IN-PERSON @ THE BELL HOUSE on Tuesday, December 5 @ 7:30PM, Secret Science Club & the Dana Foundation present ART & THE BRAIN, with Girija Kaimal & Constantina Theofanopoulou, FREE!

Secret Science Club presents the “Dana Foundation Neuroscience & Society Talk Series” on “ART & THE BRAIN” featuring Artist, Art Therapist & Researcher GIRIJA KAIMAL & Neuroscientist & Dancer CONSTANTINA THEOFANOPOULOU

IN-PERSON @ THE BELL HOUSE IN BROOKLYN on Tuesday, December 5, 7:30PM (Doors open at 7PM), Free!

So much about the human brain is still a mystery, and one of its greatest mysteries is the urge for self-expression through art—whether it be visual art, movement, music, literature, acting, design, theater, or something else. Whatever drives us to create art, a growing body of research is revealing that making art (or even just experiencing it) can be therapeutic, soothing, and empowering.

At this edition of Secret Science Club, art therapist Girija Kaimal and neuroscientist Constantina Theofanopoulou explore how art-making affects our brain chemistry, our moods, and our mental health.

Join us in celebrating both science and art at this special end-of-year program!

GIRIJA KAIMAL is a professor in the department of Creative Arts Therapies at Drexel University and directs the Health, Arts, Learning and Evaluation (HALE) lab, where she researches how visual art-making affects our physiological and psychological well-being. She is the current president of the American Art Therapy Association and her most recent book is The Expressive Instinct: How Imagination and Creative Works Help Us Survive and Thrive. In her own art practice, she explores identity and representation of emotion. As an art therapist and mental health researcher, areas of focus include traumatic brain injury, PTSD, and chronic stress among cancer patients and caregivers.

CONSTANTINA THEOFANOPOULOU is a neuroscientist and an award-winning flamenco dancer. She is director of the Neurobiology of Social Communication Lab at Rockefeller University and Visiting Scholar at New York University. She’s using her experience in dance to inform research on the connections between dance and speech—and the possibility that dance therapy might improve deficits in speech, particularly among people coping with Parkinson’s Disease and Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Before & After
--Try our arty cocktail of the night, the Creative Juices

--Shimmy to synapse-soothing grooves

-- Draw, sketch & color in our Art Lounge

--Bring your questions for the scintillating Q&A

This mind-blowing edition of Secret Science Club - the “Dana Foundation Neuroscience & Society Talk Series” - is supported by the Dana Foundation as part of its Dana Education program to spark interest in and support education around neuroscience and the many ways it interfaces with our everyday lives. This is one of the Foundation’s three programs working to advance neuroscience that benefits society and reflects the aspirations of all people.

Secret Science Club meets in-person on Tuesday, December 5, 7:30PM @ the Bell House, 149 7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn. Subway: F or G to 4th Ave, R to 9th St.

Doors to the performance space open at 7PM.

Please bring ID: 21+. No cover. Just bring your smart self.

*This event will be mixed seated/standing. Arrive early for best seat selection.*

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.