Old Media, in the form of the New York Times, catches on to the Cafe Scientifique phenomenon that Mark and I have blogged about before. Under a variety of different monikers, the idea of gathering people in a bar to learn about science and have an engaging conversation is apparently catching on all over.
The spirit of "Mr. Wizard’s World" has now reached an audience that can legally drink. The same late-night revelers who spent their high school and college years plodding through mandatory science classes are now gathering voluntarily to listen to presentations on principles of string theory or how orbitofrontal cortexes work — as long as it takes place far from the fluorescent lights of classroom. Science groups for young professionals who don’t wear white coats, like the year-old Secret Science Club at Union Hall, are cropping up in bars and bookstores all over the country, from Massachusetts to Montana. "If you have a certain type of job, after a while that part of your brain starts to deteriorate," said Amy Lee, 25, who works at an Internet startup and was attending her second Secret Science Club meeting. "You want to use it again. Plus, there’s alcohol." About 50 groups, with names like Science on Tap and Ask a Scientist, have formed in the last four years. There are three in New York City alone. Each month, they invite scientists, usually professors at nearby universities, to lecture on topics as varied as mass extinctions and frog mating calls. Anywhere from 50 to 100 people, none of whom wear pocket protectors, show up for an evening of imbibing hard science along with hard liquor.
The article exhibits a sense of bemusement that people could find all this sciencey talk interesting, and chooses to play up the less lofty angles.
Some science club attendees come more for the social benefits than for academic pursuits. "I figure it’s a great way to meet like-minded singles," said Lisa Dorenfest, 45, a project manager at an investment bank who was at Café Scientifique at Rialto, a restaurant and bar in downtown Manhattan. "If I do meet someone, lucky me. If not, I’m still entertained." At the meeting, she offered to share her handout with a nice-looking actuary.
That's okay; the great thing about science is that we can be lofty and earthy at the same time. The important thing is a shared passion for learning about the world.
"There’s a reason kids are into this stuff," Ms. Mittelbach said. "A guy told me that when one of the speakers started talking about life on Mars, he started crying. They can shake us to our core. I like being a little scared. I like hearing that we may be hit by an asteroid."
