The president of Liftport, a company that aims to produce space elevators, will be speaking at the Lunar Observatory Event in Dundee, Scotland. To learn more about the company’s ideas and designs, visit www.liftport.com.
STEAM: It is what happens when you boil water because it’s really cold outside and you want tea. It’s also an acronym, which is why I capitalized it, that stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. That’s a mouthful, but it’s an important mouthful, one whose premise is that what we consider left-brained disciplines and right-brained disciplines are more interrelated — and intracranial — than we think. British scientist and novelist C. P. Snow was one of the first to articulate this idea, in his lecture entitled “The Two Cultures” — those two being humanities and science — which said the fences separating those cultures should be ripped down.
David Evans and his Scotland-based group, Discover Science, Engineer, and Arts (DSEA), would agree. They’re organizing a sort of STEAM party called the Lunar Observatory Event, which will be held at the Dundee Science Center March 9 or 10. Check the website for details to come.
The festivities will feature three 30-minute talks about the Moon and our future on and around it. One speaker will be Michael Laine, the president of Liftport. Liftport plans to build one of those fancy space elevators — one that lets you ride a cable into space instead of sitting atop thousands of tons of rocket fuel. And the company is also interested in STEAM and in bringing together writers, illustrators, jewelers, and other artists to bring the ideas of lunar science and space travel to the public.
Members of the Dundee Astronomy Society will also be on hand during the event. They’ll answer questions about the Moon satellite and show participants our pockmarked satellite through telescopes and binoculars.
So if you’re in Scotland at the right time, check out the Lunar Observatory Event. And even if you’re not, learn more about STEAM and start ripping down some fences.