Ever wonder how we know the age of very old things? The age of the Earth, when life began, when the dinosaurs died out, when Hawaii was formed, when homo sapiens evolved - these are important dates that provide a framework for understanding our world and how we fit into it. In part 1, you will learn the basics of radiometric dating, including the techniques, assumptions and verifications that go into the process and how it ties in with relative dating methods. In part 2, we'll also take a look at the most common arguments used by young Earth creationists against radiometric dating techniques and geoscience in general.

Ever wonder how we know the age of very old things? The age of the Earth, when life began, when the dinosaurs died out, when Hawaii was formed, when homo sapiens evolved - these are important dates that provide a framework for understanding our world and how we fit into it. In part 1, you will learn the basics of radiometric dating, including the techniques, assumptions and verifications that go into the process and how it ties in with relative dating methods. In part 2, we'll also take a look at the most common arguments used by young Earth creationists against radiometric dating techniques and geoscience in general.

As you read this, you are in Earth's global magnetic field. Thousands of kilometers above you, it is protecting you from deadly solar radiation. Thousands of kilometers below you, the field is being maintained by complex flow patterns in the Earth's core. Every few hundred thousand years, the field temporarily weakens, then reverses direction, for reasons we don't fully understand. This course is an introduction to the nature of geomagnetism, one of the coolest problems in science today. We will focus on the following: Basics of Earth's magnetic field and how we know Applications to geology Source of the field - dynamo action (including a crash course in electromagnetism and fluid mechanics) Magnetic fields in extraterrestial bodies Polarity reversal Aurorae, the northern (and southern) lights Exceptionally awesome: - No prior knowledge needed - Lots of cool demonstrations - We will take a tour of an MIT laboratory!!

We're in the midst of an energy revolution! So what technologies actually exist and what can we do with them? How do you make a battery with a virus? A windmill without turbines? A powerplant in the ocean? Come learn about solar concentrators, geothermal heat pumps, carbon nanotubes, hydrogen fuel cells, superconducting cables and more! We'll end with a discussion of smart technology grids and an energy internet: science fiction or inevitable development? You decide!