{"id":27730,"date":"2019-09-05T18:12:51","date_gmt":"2019-09-05T23:12:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/?p=27730"},"modified":"2019-09-05T18:12:51","modified_gmt":"2019-09-05T23:12:51","slug":"apsus-science-on-tap-fills-strawberry-alley-ale-works-pilsner-room","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/2019\/09\/05\/apsus-science-on-tap-fills-strawberry-alley-ale-works-pilsner-room\/","title":{"rendered":"APSU\u2019s Science on Tap fills Strawberry Alley Ale Works\u2019 Pilsner Room"},"content":{"rendered":"

Written by Kyle Watts<\/h2>\n

\"AustinClarksville, TN<\/strong> – On Tuesday, September 3rd, 2019, Austin Peay State University (APSU) kicked off its inaugural Science on Tap \u2013 a monthly lecture series that unites two great things, science and local brews \u2013 at Strawberry Alley Ale Works.<\/p>\n

\"Austin<\/a>

Austin Peay State University\u2019s Dr. J. Allyn Smith talks black holes at the inaugural Science on Tap Sept. 3, 2019, at Strawberry Alley Ale Works. (APSU)<\/p><\/div>\n

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\u201cWe\u2019ve been working on Science on Tap for about two to three years,\u201d said Dr. J. Allyn Smith of APSU\u2019s Department of Physics, Engineering and Astronomy. Smith was the speaker on Tuesday and gave a lecture about black holes.<\/p>\n

The evening began with a brief introduction from Dr. Karen Meisch, interim Dean of the APSU College of STEM. The main objective of Science on Tap is \u201cto bring science, as much as we can, into the community,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

About 70 professors, Austin Peay State University alumni and students filled The Pilsner Room at Strawberry Alley Ale Works to hear Smith simplify something even the greatest minds in science do not fully understand.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe target audience (for Science on Tap) is the average Clarksvillian, not necessarily an APSU student,\u201d Smith said. \u201cNot everybody knows about black holes so there needed to be a few slides on what the heck a black hole is.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first few slides gave a brief history of black holes, how they were discovered and by whom. Smith then segued into the anatomy of a black hole, describing the differences between a neutron star and stellar, intermediary and supermassive black holes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to get the basics of black holes and then have some fun with it,\u201d he said. \u201cPart of it is what\u2019s a hot topic, what\u2019s exciting for the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

To give context to the crushing gravity of a black hole, Smith asked the audience whether or not he could fit an aircraft carrier into a coffee cup. He explained that it\u2019s possible, but only if the atoms are shrunk to such a degree that they fall through the bottom of the cup.<\/p>\n

As beer and hamburgers made the rounds, one of Smith\u2019s former students, Bill Foust, talked about the event: \u201cI think it\u2019s great (Austin Peay) is reaching out to the community. It\u2019s a really good thing to try and get everybody interested and share the knowledge.\u201d<\/p>\n

[320left]The turnout surprised Smith. \u201cI figured the first time with not necessarily a lot of advertising if we\u2019d have 25 people there it would have been good.\u201d<\/p>\n

The evening ended with discussions about humanity\u2019s place in the universe.<\/p>\n

Science on Tap happens on the first Tuesday of every month at Strawberry Alley Ale Works.<\/p>\n

The next \u201cScience on Tap\u201d is scheduled for October 1st, when APSU chemistry professor Dr. Allen Chaparadza will discuss the science of beer, aka fermentation.<\/p>\n

To Learn More<\/h3>\n