DURHAM, N.H. - Rising tides and flooding, the government's role in building the economy, and the commercialization of university research are on tap this spring at the Portsmouth Science Café. Hosted by the University of New Hampshire and NH EPSCoR to improve communication between scientists and the public, the cafes provide a unique opportunity for Seacoast residents to feed their minds with contemporary science in the relaxed atmosphere of a pub. The discussions, which are free and open to all, run from 6-8 p.m.; doors open at 5 p.m. for food and drinks. UNH research associate professor Cameron Wake is the moderator.

January 21, 2015:  Encroaching Tides: How Sea Level Rise and Tidal Flooding Threaten U.S. East and Gulf Coast Communities over the Next 30 Years
Panelists: Erika Spanger Siegfried is a senior analyst in the climate and energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists and one of the lead authors of the 2014 "Encroaching Tides" report, which includes a profile of Portsmouth.
Julie LaBranche is a senior planner with the Rockingham Planning Commission. 

February 18, 2015:  What's the Government's Role in Building the Economy?
What are the tensions between public and private sector investment? When is government the best tool for economic progress? How do funders, private or public, measure the impact of their investments?
Panelists: Michael Ettlinger is the founding director of the Carsey School of Public Policy and is leading the transformation of the Carsey Institute into a school of public policy.
Michael Swack is an economist at UNH, where he has appointments at the Carsey School of Public Policy and the Paul College of Business and Economics. He is the faculty director of the Center for Social Innovation and Finance.

March 25, 2015:  From Concept to Commercialization
How can companies develop breakthrough technologies by collaborating with universities?
Panelists:  Marc Sedam is the associate vice provost for innovation and new ventures at UNH and executive director of the N.H. Innovation Research Center
Christopher Dundorf is a local entrepreneur and the president of 2KR Systems in Barrington.

The Portsmouth Science Café is sponsored by NH EPSCoR, the University of New Hampshire, the Portsmouth Brewery and WSCA 106.1 Portsmouth Community Radio. For further questions or to be added to a mailing list regarding future events, contact Evelyn Jones at (603) 862-1804 or Evelyn.Jones@unh.edu.

NH EPSCoR is a program funded by the National Science Foundation to advance New Hampshire's competitiveness in science and engineering. It's critical for the state to broaden the capacity to conduct research; to support business, industry and society with a workforce educated in science, engineering and mathematics; and to improve communication between scientists and the public.

The Portsmouth Brewery is New Hampshire's original brewpub serving award-winning beers and creative cuisine featuring locally-sourced ingredients in the heart of Market Square since 1991. We serve all types and are proud to enable folks to do good while drinking well through a number of philanthropic activities.

The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,300 undergraduate and 2,200 graduate students.

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