What we’re about
Profs and Pints (https://www.profsandpints.com) brings professors and other college instructors into bars, cafes, and other venues to give fascinating talks or to conduct instructive workshops. They cover a wide range of subjects, including history, politics, popular culture, literature, law, economics, and philosophy. Anyone interested in learning and in meeting people with similar interests should join. Lectures are structured to allow at least a half hour for questions and an additional hour for audience members to meet each other. Admission to Profs and Pints events requires the purchase of tickets, either in advance (through the link provided in event descriptions) or at the door to the venue. Many events sell out in advance. Your indication on Meetup of your intent to attend an event constitutes neither a reservation nor payment for that event.
Although Profs and Pints has a social mission--expanding access to higher learning while offering college instructors a new income source--it is NOT a 501c3. It was established as a for-profit company in hopes that, by developing a profitable business model, it would be able to spread to other communities much more quickly than a nonprofit dependent on philanthropic support. That said, it is welcoming partners and collaborators as it seeks to build up audiences and spread to new cities. For more information email profsandpints@hotmail.com.
Thank you for your interest in Profs and Pints.
Regards,
Peter Schmidt
Upcoming events (2)
See all- Profs & Pints Richmond: Bird Songs—A Listeners’ GuideTriple Crossing Beer - Fulton, Richmond, VA
Profs and Pints Richmond presents: “Bird Songs—A Listeners’ Guide,” on hearing and understanding our feathered friends’ messages, with Stephen Ferguson, visiting assistant professor of biology at the University of Richmond and a physiobehavioral ecologist who extensively researches birds.
[Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/profsandpints/warble .]
Song fills the air each spring as birds shake off the winter and stake their claims. For millennia writers from Aristotle to Darwin have drawn inspiration from their melodies. Yet we remain nothing more than eavesdroppers of conversations in unknown languages and find ourselves wondering: What are the birds saying, and to whom?
Gain a better understanding of birds’ songs—and what we can learn from them—with Professor Stephen Ferguson, who has researched bird brains, behavior, and physiology throughout the nation and around the world.
He’ll discuss how male birds learn and remember how to sing, using a brain that shrinks and grows every year. He’ll show how the meaning of songs changes for different listeners, from lovers to rivals. Competition breeds excellence, and song is no exception–bird song drives mate choice and lays claim to territories and is passed on from father to son.
But that’s only half the story, for what is a performance without an audience? Diving into the world of female bird song, he’ll discuss the historical reasons that female song has been ignored, what that song accomplishes, and where you can hear it—maybe even in your own backyard.
You’ll leave the talk still an eavesdropper, but with much more comprehension of the messages being sent through the air and the drama unfolding all around you. (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. The talk starts 30 minutes later.)
Image: A singing wren. Photo by Andy Morffew / Creative Commons.
- Profs & Pints Richmond: The Physics of BaseballTriple Crossing Beer - Fulton, Richmond, VA
Profs and Pints Richmond presents: “The Physics of Baseball,” with Scott Paulson, professor of physics and interdisciplinary liberal studies at James Madison University.
[Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/profsandpints/slider .]
Profs and Pints is offering Richmond-area baseball fans an even bigger treat than Cracker Jack, an exploration of the physics underlying their beloved sport.
Professor Scott Paulson, who regularly teaches introductory physics classes that make the physics behind real-world phenomena accessible to all, will discuss the forces and phenomena that come into play in baseball during pitching, batting, and fielding. He’ll toss you basic physics concepts that help explain how baseball’s routine plays got to be that way, and he’ll explain what’s going on in some situations where the laws of physics seem to be violated by what’s happening on the field.
Ever wondered why curveballs curve or knuckleballs behave so strangely? You’ll learn how Newton’s laws and the Magnus force explain how pitchers get drastically different results from subtle differences in their releases.
Curious about what exactly the “sweet spot” of the bat is? Ever wondered how big an advantage batters get from the thin air of Mile High Stadium? We’ll explore the physics of the batted ball, examining the phenomena of waves and analyzing the interaction of ball, bat and batter with the help of high-speed video.
During one of the more exciting scenarios in a baseball game—the close play at the plate—fans often see outfielders throw to an infielder rather than directly to home. We’ll look at the pros and cons of this relay play, known as a “cut-off,” in the context of the physics of projectile motion.
Finally, we will also look into high-profile cheating scandals involving corked bats and doctored balls. Dr. Paulson will present models to explain how these alterations to the equipment can benefit the batter and pitcher respectively, and he’ll discuss how much these models are backed up by data.
These few hours in a brewpub will forever enhance your enjoyment of time at the ballpark. (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. The talk starts 30 minutes later.)
Image: Photo by Tage Olsin / Wikimedia Commons
