If you're thirsty and have always wanted to know about looking for space microbes on Europa, what medieval people really thought about dragons, how to make energy from alternative sources, or what a philosopher has to say about what the heck is actually going on, come to Public Works! It's a free event in the style of Nerd Night but designed just for Ithaca. We're bringing a variety of intellectually-stimulating presentations right to you for your entertainment and educational pleasure at The Downstairs, the bar below The Watershed. Come hear talks given by Cornell and IC graduate students, professors, community experts, and everything in between! Each session will feature one to three accessible talks, followed by a Q&A session where audience participation is highly encouraged but not required!
Bring a friend, make a friend, ask an expert, and drink a beer!
The September 4th Public Works event will feature 2 talks:
a musicology talk:
"Musical Sound Effects (and Sound-Effect Music) in Video Games"
by Dr. Elizabeth Medina-Gray
Associate Professor of Music Theory at Ithaca College
What makes a sound a “sound effect,” and what makes a sound “music”? While there are many examples of sounds in media that fit easily into one of these categories or the other, some sounds may seem to cross or blur the boundaries between these categories in interesting ways. In this presentation, I highlight some sounds in video games that are both sound effects and musical/music. I consider a variety of sounds from select games, for example very early games like Pong (1972), and more recent games like Super Mario Galaxy (2007). How might such musical sound effects (or sound-effect music) impact a player’s/listener’s experience with a game? Video games provide a rich field in which to explore blurry categories of “sound effect” and “music,” and these questions of function and musicality are also relevant more widely in our media-filled world.
and a political dialogue talk:
"Model United Nations: Practicing for the Next Generation's Global Community "
by Amaya Michaelides, Judah Kircher, Benjamin Forman, and Juliet Asperschlager
Members of the TeenDay Ithaca Model United Nations Team
As Kofi Annan, a previous Secretary General of the United Nations (UN) and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, said, “More than ever before in human history, we share a common destiny. We can master it only if we face it together. And that, my friends, is why we have the United Nations.” All around the world, high school and college students are coming to understand the world’s most complex issues by becoming the delegates who debate them. Model United Nations (MUN) is a simulation of the UN, and it usually appeals to people interested in global politics, problem-solving with other like-minded delegates, public speaking, and debate. The TeenDay Ithaca MUN team will give an overview of the UN and what MUN is. We will explain how MUN allows students from all walks of life to explore new possible careers, and develop life skills such as public speaking, collaboration, and more. The end of the presentation will see a brief demo of what takes place in a MUN conference. Any and all points of inquiry will be addressed as long as decorum is maintained.
Time and Location
First Wednesday of every month, 7 PM.
The Downstairs
121 W. State Street
Ithaca, NY
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We want to hear from you! Come talk to us at a Public Works event or send us a message at ithacapublicworks@gmail.com. Are you an academic? Feel free to list your Public Works talk as an outreach event on your CV! Are you not an academic? We still want to hear from you!
