POTSDAM — Clarkson University will once again host its annual Science Café events this fall with a lineup of discussions dealing with climate change, cannabis business, drones, local economics and criminal forensic investigations.

Science Cafés bring together engineers, scientists and townspeople in a relaxed, informal setting, such as coffeehouses and pubs. The speaker makes a short presentation about a topic in his or her field, and then opens up the floor to discussion.

This season, organizers are attempting to get back to the Science Café’s pre-epidemic format of face-to-face meetings starting with Dinosaurs, Asteroids, and Climate Change in Canton on Tuesday, Sept. 20 and in Potsdam on Wednesday, Sept. 21.

Café meetings in Canton will be Tuesdays, 7:15 p.m., at the Rushton Conference Room, Best Western University Inn, 90 E. Main St.

The meetings throughout the season in Potsdam will take place on Wednesdays at 7:15 p.m., at the Potsdam Civic Center, Community Room, 2 Park St.

Scheduled are:

• Dinosaurs, Asteroids, and Climate Change in Canton on Sept. 20, and Potsdam on Sept. 21.

The dinosaur killing asteroid hit the surface of the Earth about 66 million years ago and resulted in a cascade of natural disasters; widespread wildfires, tsunami, an impact winter, and a hypothesized period of sustained global warming. Using the stable isotopic signatures preserved in microscopic fish fossils, we were able to test the global warming hypothesis and provide the first empirical evidence of warming following the asteroid impact. Join Associate Professor Page Quinton (Earth and Environmental Sciences, SUNY Potsdam) to learn about how geologists study past climates and how we can use this information to understand the causes and consequences of modern climate change.

• The Green Rush: The Business of Cannabis in Canton on Oct. 4, and in Potsdam Oct. 5.

One would think that there would be nothing left to discuss regarding a plant first cultivated 12,000 years ago in Central Asia. Despite being consumed in practically every culture, cannabis has a long and harrowed history with health, abuse, racial injustice, and now it offers us a new business model...CannaBusiness. Navigating the laws (Federal and State), sociopolitical conversations, and the twists and turns of moving from the black to the grey market, the cannabis industry is predicted to generate $1.25 billion in tax revenues over the next six years in the state of New York alone. Join Dr. Christa Haifley (Business Administration Department, SUNY Potsdam) for an engaging evening discussing a budding new industry.

• Protecting Drones from Themselves and Others in Canton Oct. 18, and Potsdam Oct. 19.

Autonomous drones and rovers perform critical tasks for government agencies and emergency services, ranging from fighting forest fires to exploring distant planets. Computer hacks and software bugs can disrupt vehicle operation, either by causing crashes or hindering successful completion of missions (e.g., a sample is not collected or a camera is misaligned). How can an autonomous vehicle fend for itself when such malfunctions occur? Join Assistant Professor Kevin Angstadt (Computer Science, St. Lawrence University) as he discusses drone technology and explores automatic techniques to help them recover from hacks and malfunctions.

• Sustainability and Policy: An Economist’s Perspective in Canton Nov. 1, and Potsdam in Nov. 2.

Led by the urge for private economic gains (the “invisible hand”), human activities have been a central cause of local and global environmental changes. Environmental policies are the “visible hand” to direct human activities in a way that minimizes social economic losses, while promoting the equitable distribution of these losses. Join Dr. Qingran Li, Clarkson University Assistant Professor in Environmental Economics and Sustainability, as she talks about an economist’s perspective of sustainability and how economic research can inform environmental policy designs.

• Cutting Edge Investigations in Canton Nov. 15, and in Potsdam Nov. 16.

In 1930, a legal precedent was set for the use of tool marks in U.S. courts, declaring that “the edge on one blade differs as greatly from the edge of another as the lines on one human hand differ from the lines on another” (Washington 1930). But how unique are these features when interpreted from toolmark evidence in bone? Saws are one of the most common tools encountered in forensic anthropological investigations, particularly in cases involving dismemberment. Investigators must understand how saws create marks, determine what these marks relay about a blade’s characteristics, then assess how accurate these features are at identifying a saw or group of saws. Join Alicia Grosso, Clarkson professor of Physical Therapy, as she reviews how microscopic saw mark analysis helps forensic anthropologists identify potential saw blades in forensic investigations.

Find out more about Clarkson's Science Cafe at http://www.clarkson.edu/sciencecafe.