Smarty Pints! Clouds, grasses, and climate

Need interesting talking points for Thanksgiving? Come on over to Burke-Gilman Brewing for the next Smarty Pints! We're going to touch grass, watch clouds, and tie it all back to ancient and modern climate change.

🌾 Dr. Caroline Strömberg

Professor in UW Biology & Curator of Paleobotany at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture

How grasses took over the world

Grasses are all around us, whether in the form of lawns, golf courses, wheat fields or the contents of your popcorn bag. Yet few people think of grasses as an evolutionarily extremely successful group, or wonder how they came to be so ubiquitous in less than ~30 million years. This talk will explore what we know about the evolutionary history of grasses and grassland ecosystems and how it related to climate change and animal evolution.

☁️ Aakash Manapat

Graduate student, UW Atmospheric and Climate Science

How clouds control our climate

Clouds are ubiquitous features of Earth's weather. However, their mundaneness hides a surprising level of complexity. Join me to learn about why scientists still struggle to understand clouds, and why clouds represent a major uncertainty when trying to understand climate change.

Smarty Pints is not responsible for any family arguments arising from discussions related to Smarty Pints events. Trust your judgement. Maybe talk about the great beer you had.