Dr Nick Abel is a professor of physics at University of Cincinnati - Clermont specializing in astrophysics. His research is focused on understanding the physical conditions of star-forming environments (nebula, galaxies) such as density, temperature, chemical abundances, magnetic fields, sources of radiation (cosmic rays, stars, AGN) by taking computer simulations of how light interacts with matter and comparing it to observations. 

Over the last 20 years, he has collaborated with colleagues internationally to interpret observations taken by ALMA, SOFIA, Herschel, Hubble, VLA, Spitzer, and JWST.  He has presented research at conferences in the U.S, Mexico, Canada, France, Sweden, Germany, The Netherlands, and Poland.  Since 2003, he has had over 50 publications in professional journals such as the Astrophysical Journal, Astronomical Journal, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, and Astronomy & Astrophysics.

Dr Abel is also a member of the Cincinnati Astronomical Society.

Topic: How to Teach Scientific Ideas to Non-Scientific People

Using the science of astronomy to teach scientific principles to non science majors, to make a more scientifically literate public who are the investors in the next generation of science. 

How to relate these topics to their everyday experience and a sometimes skeptical/resistant public:  Topics such as the rationale for orbiting telescopes, the relationship of climate to astronomy and how it leads to our understanding of what happened in Venus and what is happening to Earth. 

The idea that the same science that tells you the temperature of a baby by scanning their forehead tells us the temperature of a planets surface.  How the Cold War emphasis on nuclear weapons/power led to enhanced understanding of stars.  I will offer several demos to the audience.