Cafe Scientifique Explores Brains & Bombs

Your luggage will get an MRI at the airport if LANL researcher Michelle Espy has anything to say about it. She says this core medical technology can detect explosives in airline baggage, making security lines shorter and passengers safer. Her talk will launch Cafe Scientifique’s 2009-2010 program on October 1.

Espy is a researcher in the area called National Flow Cytometry Resource, located in the Bioscience Division at Los Alamos National Laboratory where she developed MagViz, the technology behind her proposal. According to LANL, MagViz “identifies chemicals by measuring the magnetic interaction of their protons with the local molecular environment” and it “not only detects liquid explosives in less than 60 seconds, it scans multiple containers simultaneously, detects volumes as small as one milliliter, and “sees through” metal containers.” It uses MRI technology but at “fields are one thousand to one million times lower than MRI machines used in hospitals.”

Café Scientifique is a popular program that brings teenagers from all walks of life together to explore, discuss, and debate the latest ideas in science and technology. Stimulating conversations with experts working on the cutting-edge of scientific research take place in a social setting. It is a place where all teens are welcome and ideas are shared. For each Café, follow-up events are scheduled to give participants a chance to explore aspects of the Café topic in greater depth.

The Café program is for—and is run by—high school age teens. Motivated teens from the four participating towns have volunteered to play a leadership role in organizing and running the Café program as members of the Youth Leadership Team. The Cafe Project Team is there to support them. This dedicated group of teens is the heart of the program, and the key to its success. Any teen is welcome to be on the leadership teams and to participate in the Café meetings. Click the logo below for more information.