Science Movie Night

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Journey to the Center of the Earth

(1959) G

Professor Lindenbrook leads his intrepid party on an expedition to the center of the Earth via a volcano in Iceland, encountering all manner of prehistoric monsters and life-threatening hazards along the way. Join Michael Thorne, Assistant Professor in the Department of Geology and Geophysics at the U of U, who will discuss this classic movie’s portrayal of the Earth’s interior in comparison with our current understanding.

129 minutes

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Who Killed the Electric Car?

(2006) PG

This lively and informative documentary begins 100 years ago with the original electric car. By the 1920s, the internal-combustion engine had rendered it obsolete. By the 1980s, however, car companies started exploring alternative energy sources, like solar power. This, in turn, led to the late, great battery-powered EV1. Throughout the movie, hard science and complex politics are translated into lay person's terms and everyone gets the chance to have their say: engineers, politicians, protesters, and petroleum spokespeople. Join staff from the Office of Sustainability at the U of U for an in-depth discussion of this thought-provoking documentary.

92 minutes

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

No Movie due to Election

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Newton's Dark Secret

(2005) NR

Besides revealing Newton’s secretive and vindictive personality, this NOVA special shows how he made the bold intellectual leaps that transformed science. This movie also recreates one of Newton’s little-known alchemical experiments using his secret recipes, which have only recently been deciphered. Join staff from the Department of Physics and Astronomy for discussions on this important scientific figure. 

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Supervolcano - It's Under Yellowstone.  And It's Overdue.

(2005) NR

Based on scientific data and the planning and evacuation strategies of various government agencies, this "docufiction" portrays the potential eruption of the volcanic caldera under Yellowstone National Park.  The movie also explores the effects an eruption may have across the globe environmentally, polictically, ecnomonically, and socially as the massive ash cloud drifts into the upper atmosphere.  Join Jamie Farrell of the University of Utah Deparment of Geology and Geophysics for a discussion of his research on the seismicity and volcanic hazards of the Yellowstone Hotspot.

105 minutes

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Jurassic Park

(1993) PG-13

This classic sci-fi thriller tells the story of a fictional island where scientists have created an amusement park of cloned dinosaurs that goes horribly awry.  Who hasn't sat on the edge of their seat as the unnervingly smart Velociraptors hunt for Tim and Lex in the kitchen? But how much do the dinosaurs in the movie look and act like real dinoasurs? Join staff from the Utah Museum of Natural History's Paleontology Department to explore scientists' latest understanding of the Jurassic world.

127 minutes