Category: Monthly Gathering

This program will be presented on Zoom only at 7:00 p.m. (Eastern), Saturday, December 16, 2023

In 2016 dive teams spent 12 days searching the waters of Elliot Lake in northern Ontario for the body of a drowned canoer and didn’t find a thing. When the cadaver dogs were called in, they needed just 15 minutes.

When a person drowns, their bodies may float to the surface. Alternatively, they may be snagged and held underwater, or if the water is deep and cold, they may never rise from the bottom. When bodies fail to rise, underwater searches by divers, especially in waters of limited visibility, are not always successful, and may be extremely hazardous. Consequently, cadaver dogs may offer another method of recovering sunken bodies that may otherwise never be found. Enter our guest speaker this month, Dr. Mary Cablk, the owner of Detection Science Solutions LLC, who is in the unique position of being both a scientist and a cadaver dog trainer. 

Join us at 7pm on Saturday, December 16, when Dr. Cablk will provide us with an overview of the world of cadaver dogs. These fascinating critters, with highly specialized training, are capable of picking up the scent of human remains buried more than ten feet underground, under collapsed buildings, or thick snow, and – most impressively, they can pinpoint the scent of human remains under almost 100 feet of water!

With a research career focused on applied science disciplines and decades of experience training, testing, and deploying detection K9s, Dr. Cablk possesses a unique skill set pertaining to the science of detection, both olfactory and optical. An internationally recognized expert, she has been fortunate to have been invited around the world to teach, speak and engage with detection K9 professionals in many disciplines, including human remains, explosives, narcotics, live humans, wildlife, and others. Dr. Cablk provides support for programs, provides expert witness consultation, translates detection science to practitioners, and addresses other needs relating to detection.

Dr. Cablk received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Virginia Tech, Masters Degrees in Environmental Science and Environmental Management from Duke and her PhD in Forestry from Oregon State.

The Zoom room opens at 6:30pm (Eastern) for mingling. The program starts at 7:00pm (Eastern). Please remember that all attendees need to pre-register by clicking on the following link: https://tinyurl.com/SEMM-1223-Gathering . 

There is no charge for the Zoom presentation, but, due to rising costs, your donation via PayPal is greatly appreciated. Please donate! The amount is up to you. To donate go to http://www.paypal.com and click on the “Send Money” tab. Enter the e-mail address treasurer@nullmensadetroit.com and your payment amount. 

This program will be presented live and simulcast on Zoom at 7:00 p.m. (EDT), Saturday, October 21, 2023

Just in time for Halloween! Guided by Wayne State University professor Dr. Eric H. Ash, let’s take a look at how alchemy, astrology, and magic helped shape the modern scientific method.

Join us at 7pm, on Saturday, October 21, to gain a deep understanding of how the development of modern science represented less of a clean break from the irrational-seeming world of the occult, than an evolutionary emergence from it. Among the questions that you’ll hear tackled: Why did virtually all learned scholars in early modern Europe believe in the occult sciences? How did those sciences work? And what impact did they have on the development of modern science?

We’ll learn how throughout the Renaissance, magic, alchemy, and astrology seemed like perfectly reasonable and profitable pursuits to the scientists (or “natural philosophers”) of the time. During the Scientific Revolution of the 17th century, many leading scientific thinkers continued to regard the “occult sciences” as a means to understand and control the world around us. Such beliefs and practices did not really decline until the middle of the 18th century, and astrology arguably remains alive and well today

Dr. Eric H. Ash is a Professor of History at Wayne State University, where he is the recipient of their President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. He received his doctorate in the History of Science from Princeton University and is a specialist in the science and technology of the Renaissance and early modern eras. Professor Ash is the author of two books, including his most recent, entitled The Draining of the Fens: Projectors, Popular Politics, and State Building in Early Modern England.

You’ll thank your lucky stars for having attended this fascinating talk! 

Please note that this program will be presented live and on Zoom. You can attend the live presentation, for a chance to also mingle with your fellow Mensans and guests, at our usual location:

Northwest Unitarian Universalist Church in Southfield
23925 Northwestern Highway
Southfield, MI 48075

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. (EDT). The program begins at 7:00 p.m. (EDT). Please note that starting with this month’s gathering, admission prices for the live presentation will increase to $5 for Mensa Members, $6 for non-Mensans. Checks will no longer be accepted at SEMM events.

Following the presentation, please join us for dinner at Buddy’s Pizza, located at 31646 Northwestern Highway, in Farmington Hills, just northeast of Middlebelt Road.If you’d prefer to participate on Zoom, you’ll need to pre-register by clicking on the following link: https://tinyurl.com/SEMM-1023-Gathering , The event’s Zoom URL and instructions for connecting will only be sent to those who are pre-registered. There is no charge for the Zoom presentation, but, due to rising costs, your donation via PayPal is greatly appreciated. Please donate! The amount is up to you. To donate go to http://www.paypal.com and click on the “Send Money” tab. Enter the e-mail address treasurer@nullmensadetroit.comand your payment amount. The Zoom room opens at 6:30 p.m. (EDT). for mingling.

Talk 7:00pm (EST), Saturday, September 16, 2023

A combination of advancing technologies and climate change concerns is driving a rapid transition in how we produce and use energy. The shift to solar and wind energy generation is well underway in the electric power industry, though unevenly across the country. Electric vehicles are now mass produced and capturing growing market share. There are government calls to switch to electric heating, and end natural gas pipeline connections. 

What can we expect during this transition?

Leading us in this discussion will be John Richter, Senior Policy Analyst and board member, of the Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association. Mr. Richter will cover such topics as: What is climate change? Why is the CO2 level rising? Prior transitions from wood, coal, oil, gas, and nuclear, and more.

John Richter is a co-founder of the Institute for Sustainable Energy Education (ISEE). He’s an expert witness in Michigan Public Service Commission cases and he has presented to the U.S. Congressional Staff on wind energy policy impacts. He has also presented renewable energy policy recommendations to Michigan Legislators and staff. He has a Master’s degree in Renewable Energy from Murdoch University, and taught solar energy at Macomb Community college. He has been a regular speaker at renewable energy conferences for more than two decades. 

Please note that this program will be presented live and on Zoom. You can attend the live presentation, for a chance to also mingle with your fellow Mensans and guests, at our usual location:

Northwest Unitarian Universalist Church in Southfield
23925 Northwestern Highway
Southfield, MI 48075

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. (EDT). The program begins at 7:00 p.m. (EDT). Please note that starting with this month’s gathering, admission prices for the live presentation will increase to $5 for Mensa Members, $6 for non-Mensans. Checks will no longer be accepted at SEMM events.

Following the presentation, please join us for dinner at Buddy’s Pizza, located at 31646 Northwestern Highway, in Farmington Hills, just northeast of Middlebelt Road.

Donations welcome. If you’d prefer to participate on Zoom, you’ll need to pre-register by clicking on the following link: https://tinyurl.com/SEMM-0923-Gathering , The event’s Zoom URL and instructions for connecting will only be sent to those who are pre-registered. There is no charge for the Zoom presentation, but, due to rising costs, your donation via PayPal is greatly appreciated. The amount is up to you. To donate go to http://www.paypal.com and click on the “Send Money” tab. Enter the e-mail address treasurer@nullmensadetroit.com and your payment amount. The Zoom room opens at 6:30 p.m. (EDT). for mingling.

Recent New York Times articles have stated that since John Roberts became Chief Justice in 2005, the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of religious organizations in orally argued cases 83% of the time. That is far more than any court in the past seven decades. And that a recent series of decisions have allowed for a larger role of religion in public life, such as school prayer and funding for religious education. The ACLU claims that the Supreme Court has recently adopted an approach that would see the lines between church and state hopelessly blurred, if not eliminated altogether. Further, that the court has increasingly treated the Establishment Clause, the First Amendment’s guarantee of protection against governmental endorsement and imposition of religion, as a historical footnote, threatening the religious neutrality of the state. All this even though declaring the United States a Christian nation and ending federal enforcement of the separation of church and state are minority views among American adults, according to the Pew Research Center.

Our speaker this month, Professor Mike Whitty, will attempt to help us deconstruct all this, and offer some possible positive ways to reduce the rising tide of divisiveness. 

Professor Mike Whitty has taught at University Detroit-Mercy, Wayne State and Oakland Universities, University of Michigan- Dearborn, and several universities in California, Minnesota & Canada. He has presented before American Humanist Association Chapters, on topics dealing with the exploitation of easily targeted scapegoat groups. Dr. Whitty has researched and published extensively on American political extremism and the world’s human rights struggles.

Please note that this program will be presented live and on Zoom. You can attend the live presentation, for a chance to also mingle with your fellow Mensans and guests, at our usual location:

Northwest Unitarian Universalist Church in Southfield
23925 Northwestern Highway
Southfield, MI 48075

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. (EDT). The program begins at 7:00 p.m. (EDT). Admission: $4 for Mensa Members, $5 for non-Mensans. 

Following the presentation, please join us for dinner at Buddy’s Pizza, located at 31646 Northwestern Highway, in Farmington Hills, just northeast of Middlebelt Road.

If you’d prefer to participate on Zoom, you’ll need to pre-register by clicking on the following link: https://tinyurl.com/SEMM-0623-Gathering , The event’s Zoom URL and instructions for connecting will only be sent to those who are pre-registered. The Zoom room opens at 6:30 p.m. (EDT). for mingling. There is no charge for the Zoom presentation.