Science Café Las Vegas, supported by the UNLV College of Sciences, is an organization geared towards bringing fascinating science discussions to the public of Southern Nevada.

We invite scientists to give short (~10-15 minute) presentations to the public at our fantastic venue, McMullan's Irish Pub, and then have roundtable discussions about anything you could possibly wish to know.

Science Café Las Vegas is on the first Wednesday of every month from 6:30-8 p.m.

Come on down to the pub for lively science discussion, delicious brews, fantastic food, and a great time! Family friendly (under age 21 allowed).

Drew Peltier, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, UNLV School of Life Sciences

“What do trees remember? or: how I stopped worrying and learned to love the bomb-spike.”

Many people are familiar with dendrochronology: the reconstruction of the past using tree-rings. But tree-rings also show trees remember extremes. For example, trees may grow slowly after drought, even 5-10 years later. I study this ‘ecological memory’ and in this talk, I’ll focus on the role of stored energy, like sugars. I’ll talk about how nuclear bomb-testing just outside Las Vegas in the 1950’s and 1960’s has allowed us to study how trees use stored sugars. Using the ‘bomb-spike,’ our research has shown long-lived trees like coast redwood can store and use sugars that are more than 60 years old.

McMullan's Irish Pub

4650 W. Tropicana Ave. #110
Las Vegas, NV 89103
702-247-7000