A student effort brings science out of the lab and into your local

Professor of Genetics Gary Ruvkun, PhD ’82, was the featured speaker at the March rendition of Science by the Pint, a fantastic series of community gatherings hosted by the GSAS student organization Science in the News (SITN).

Held most months at The Burren, a warmly lit, convivial pub in Davis Square, Somerville, Science by the Pint offers a chance for non-scientists to connect to the research communities in Boston and Cambridge and to learn about new discoveries and promising areas of inquiry. These free events, which typically draw crowds of between 60 and 100 people, open with a short chat by a top-tier Harvard or MIT scientist. They allow plenty of time for audience members to talk one-on-one with the guest scientist and their lab members over dinner and a beer.

Science by the Pint is coordinated by Jean Anne Currivan (physics) and Nicole Espy (biological sciences in public health). They are part of the larger Science in the News group — codirected by Amy Gilson (chemical physics) and Kelsey Taylor (molecular biology) — an organization of PhD students who explore the science behind the headlines and health claims we hear every day, hoping to separate fact from speculation.

The group runs a popular lecture series each fall and spring, and it publishes accessible articles on an impressive array of topics, including climate change, low-glycemic-index diets, performing enhancing drugs, and cutting-edge advances in limb prosthetics. SITN also works to bring science into local elementary and secondary schools, offering an educator’s guide and an outreach program to bring graduate students into local classrooms.

See the complete spring lineup of Science by the Pint dates.