Cal U Professor Gregg Gould and his son, Colin, will present scientific principles at the Faraday Lecture in Pittsburgh.
Colin Gould (left) and his dad, Cal U Professor Gregg Gould, will be the presenters at the Faraday Lecture.
Engaging, intriguing and educational.
That’s science, says Dr. Gregg Gould, a professor in the Department of Chemistry and Physics at Cal U.
To encourage a love of science among students in middle and high school, as well as the general public, Gould and his son, Colin, will present “Science You Can See (and Hear)” on Nov. 13 and 14 at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall in Pittsburgh.
The Faraday Lecture — named for 19th-century British scientist Michael Faraday, renowned for his study of electromagnetism and electrochemistry — is presented by the Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh and the Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh.
Both nonprofit organizations are dedicated to furthering scientific education in Western Pennsylvania.
The Goulds will perform demonstrations from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Nov. 13 and 10:15-11:45 a.m. Nov. 14 for students and at 7 p.m. Nov. 13 for the general public. Admission is free for the public event; no tickets are required.
The lectures will use unusually large equipment designed to make scientific principles of sound, magnetism and electromagnetism visible and audible to the audience.
“I like to get people intrigued and then begin to ask and answer questions about the science involved,” said Gould, who earned his doctorate in analytical chemistry from the University of North Carolina.
In one demonstration, the team will use a fishing magnet to lift a volunteer from the audience. In another, wave amplitude and frequency will be easy to see with a standing wave generator.
“It’s like a standing guitar string,” Gould said.
“The natural sciences are near and dear to my heart, so I like to share that fascination,” he said. “Science was very high profile during my childhood, with events like the Apollo missions. I’m afraid we’ve gotten away from that. Computer science is now what physics and chemistry used to be. It’s nice to have events like this, to get people excited about the natural sciences again.”
Colin Gould majored in chemistry and is pursuing his Ph.D. in molecular magnetism at the University of California.
“Nobody is going to mistake me for a college student,” Gregg Gould said with a smile. “It’s good to have someone younger to make a connection to the students.”
For more information about the Faraday Lecture, visit pittcon.org/faraday.