HOP TALK Beer livens up a lecture on physics.

Photo: University of Chicago/Dan Dry

When he talks about mapping the ancient universe using 13-billion-year-old light waves on Monday 17, University of Chicago professor Clem Pryke won’t be holding a piece of chalk and pointing at diagrams. Like the other scholars who present on a variety of brainy topics at Cafe Scientifique gatherings, Pryke will probably be clutching a frosty mug of beer. And the classroom? The Map Room, a mellow, smoky Bucktown pub known for its long list of drafts (all Belgian brews are $1 off Monday nights), will replace the stogy, desk-clad lecture hall.

The inspiration for Monday’s event dates back to 1998 in Leeds, England, when a local pub hoped to rally locals around a new kind of barroom brawl—a scientific debate. A sign was posted: where, for the price of a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, anyone can come to discuss the scientific ideas and developments which are changing our lives. The meetings took off around England and eventually made their way to the States, popping up in bars in Colorado and New York.

In April 2006, the phenomenon hit Chicago, thanks to the efforts of Randy Landsberg, the director of public outreach for the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Chicago. In his mission to make classroom topics accessible to Chicagoans, Landsberg dreams up creative ways to get everyday folks excited about science. The Cafes were already on his radar, but after reading an article about them in the New York Times, he decided to launch gatherings here.

Soon Landsberg found a willing partner, Laura Blasingame, owner of the Map Room. She finds science lectures “scintillating” and notes that science chatter and beer is a natural combo. “It’s a conversational lubricant,” she says. The events draw a mix of regulars and curious folks, but they’re specifically designed to attract and engage people who aren’t necessarily part of the scientific community in the city. “We purposely don’t advertise [the Cafes] on campus,” Landsberg says.

So far, so good. On one Cafe night, the topic of cosmology drew a capacity crowd, including Kevin McGillen, a 30-year-old who lives in the West Loop. “It wasn’t exactly light material. But as a nonscientist, I felt intellectually stimulated,” McGillen says. No matter how intense the topic, the atmosphere is always laid-back. “Randy makes it feel really casual,” Blasingame says. “You’re at a bar first and a lecture second. If you want to get up and get a beer while the professor is talking, you should.”

The quarterly Cafes have tackled diverse issues such as biomechanics, the biology of gender, the big bang theory and global warming, but the basic formula stays the same. At 7pm a presenter—preselected by Landsberg based on the speaker’s availability and area of research and expertise—talks for about 15 minutes. Then there’s a brief break so folks can grab another drink. After the crowd refuels, the presenter takes questions. At 9pm, the bar goes back to its regular life.

To tie in with the Festival of Maps, a citywide fete of exhibits and talks on the topic, Pryke’s Monday 17 Cafe is titled, “The Biggest Map in the Universe—the Afterglow of the Big Bang.” “People have wondered since we lived in caves,Where did it all come from, and how will it end?” Pryke says. The presentation also will touch on the gear and equipment Pryke’s team uses for its research at the South Pole in Antarctica. “Many people find the story of how we get there, and what it’s like to work in such extreme conditions, fascinating,” he says.

If last spring’s capacity crowd, cosmology–themed Cafe is any indication, things could get feisty. “People wanted to share their opinions of different theories,” McGillen says. “One fundamentalist Christian girl wanted to share her ideas on creationism, which was completely inappropriate but made for a good time.”

As much fun as the bargoers have learning about something out of their normal realm, it’s quite possible the professors enjoy it even more. “Since we spend our time obsessing over the minute details of our work it’s always good to step back and try and explain it to nonspecialists—[it] reminds me of how amazing it all is,” Pryke says. “To do it in a bar is even better—I’m a big fan of beer.”

Cafe Scientifique geeks out the Map Room on Monday 17 at 7pm.