Monday, September 21 | 7:00 P.M.

Fiction-Science Pattern Mapping in Literary Stem

with Dr. Rhona Trauvitch

About Dr. Rhona Trauvitch: 

Dr. Trauvitch specializes in literary STEM, focusing on intersections of literature and science—those that manifest in science fiction, and those that enable fiction-science (or, 'fi-sci') pattern mapping.  In her research and teaching she aims to show that fictionality has the rhetorical power to make science more accessible to the public. She directs FIU's Science & Fiction Lab, recipient of a 2023 Humanities Initiatives award from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Wednesday, September 23 | 6:00 p.m.

The Past & Future of Human-Environmental Interactions in Florida

with Dr. Rebecca Clark

Dr. Clark's research focuses on the physical and socioeconomic drivers of repetitive flood insurance claims in South Florida, with particular emphasis on flood vulnerability and the impacts of climate change–induced sea level rise. Her work integrates predictive LiDAR modeling and hurricane simulations to identify future flooding "hotspots" projected for 2050 and 2100, providing valuable insights to support regional climate adaptation and urban planning.

Her latest project explores the use of emerging technologies to examine how people have interacted with Florida's environment over time. By incorporating 360-degree drone technology and virtual reality (VR) video production, she is working to create immersive educational experiences that will help college students and the broader community better understand the human impacts on Florida's natural systems.

About Dr. Rebecca Clark:

Dr. Rebecca Clark received a Bachelor of Arts in Earth Science and a Master of Science in Science Education from Florida International University. She also earned a Master of Science in Geographic Information Systems, and a Master of Science and Ph.D. in Geosciences from Florida Atlantic University. She is currently an Associate Professor of Geology at Broward College, where she mentors undergraduate students in hands-on scientific research and delivers lectures at the Buehler Planetarium on the A. Hugh Adams Central Campus in Davie, Florida. In recognition of her outstanding teaching and commitment to student success, she was named a 2026 recipient of the Cleveland Clinic Florida Endowed Teaching Chair Award.

Dr. Clark lives in West Palm Beach, Florida, with her husband and their five cats.

Wednesday, September 30 | 6:00 p.m.

Life in A Bubble: From Wallace Neff's Airforms to Goodyear Aerospace

with Dr. Katarzyna Balug

About Dr. Katarzyna Balug: 

Katarzyna Balug, PhD is a historian of modern and contemporary architecture. Her research explores feedback loops between techno-political change and subjectivity as mediated by architectural experiments. Balug’s current book project examines air-filled inflatable structures prevalent in the 1960s as a prescient meditation on human relations with the planet and its environment informed by the Space Race. Her curatorial work and public art practice reflect her commitment to making knowledge accessible and cultivating public space as a site of critique. Balug’s writing been published in, among others, Geoforum, Critical Sociology (co-authored), and the edited volume NASA in the American South (University of Florida Press). She holds a Ph.D. in Architecture from Harvard University and was previously a lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.