What appears to be a normal coffee shop transforms into one of the countries oldest Science Cafes every third Wednesday of each month. 

Science Cafes are live events that take place in a casual setting, such as a coffee shop, and feature an open discussion and conversation with a scientist about an array of topics. Hopscotch Coffee is proud to host a Science Cafe event once a month with the help of IU’s senior scientist, Alex Straiker. 

Bloomington’s Science Cafe was started in 2007, and Straiker has been hosting it for the last seven years. Straiker said, “The idea was to really provide an opportunity for scientists and the public to get together and talk to each other”. He explained the event as a unique opportunity for the public to ask scientists questions on their research and also have conversations with them. 

On Wednesday night, Hopscotch Coffee’s W. Dodds St. location welcomed IU alum, Dr. Natasha Murataeva, who received her PhD in neuroscience to speak on the obesity epidemic sweeping the globe. The discussion topic was titled “Neurobiology of Obesity” and it helped answer questions regarding how the body regulates weight, how to keep the weight off, and what the future of obesity looks like in America. 

The event began at 7pm and roughly 40 people were in attendance. Hopscotch manager Miles Grimmer said they have seen “anywhere from ten to over 100 people come depending on the topic and other factors”. Grimmer also said the crowd usually attracts older attendees but the event draws different people to the coffee shop, in addition to their usual customers. 

The idea of Science Cafes was founded in the United Kingdom in 1998 and since then, they have been popping up in coffee shops and pubs all over the world. Since the turn of the century, Bloomington has been hosting one of its own. 

The city of Bloomington has both the researchers and a population that is interested in science, making Bloomington an ideal location for a Science Cafe. 

Straiker hopes by hosting these events he can help bridge the gap between the sciences and people’s understanding of the sciences. Straiker said, “[Science] is a big part of our society and our technological developments”. He believes having these interactions between scientists and the public is very important for a number of reasons. 

The Science Cafe benefits the scientists just as much as it benefits those attending. Straiker said, “They have to present their work to the public and make it understandable and just hear what other people are thinking”. 

Science Cafes are created for everyone to enjoy and little or no science background is needed to attend and participate at these events. 

Hopscotch Coffee will be hosting the next Science Cafe November 20th at 7pm on W Dodds St. The guest speaker is a structural biologist and the conversation topic has yet to be decided on. Everyone is welcome, the event is free, and great discussion is strongly encouraged. 

Bloomington’s Science Cafe will be taking a short break in the month of December but will be returning back to Hopscotch Coffee in January with a busy schedule for the rest of the new year.