SciTech Cafe

09/14/2026

Happy September, science friends!

We hope you all are settling into the new school year, if you observe the rhythm of it.

At SciTech Cafe, we rely on an extended team of humans, such as our student helper, our sound people, the fine folks at Abandoned Building Brewery, and the other fine folks at River Valley Coop to make these events happen.

However, there is just a tiny team of two that plans everything and activates the extended team. That's scheduling the speakers, promoting events, paying the bills, and an endless number of other tasks.

As you all know, life happens sometimes.

Both of us will be on leave from our normal work this academic year - I (Kerstin) am on a sabbatical (research) leave where I will be spending a lot of time away from the Valley, and our administrator Loryn will soon be on parental leave (congratulations!) for most of the year.

After some extended discussions, we have determined there is no elegant way to continue the events this year without compromising the quality our audience expects.

We will return in Fall 2027, with our normal monthly schedule.

We're sorry if you were counting on us, but we hope you'll give us the grace this year to take care of our needs.

Best,
Kerstin
SciTech Café Director

P.S. If you know someone who might like to join our tiny team, please be in touch or forward this email to them. We are looking for a permanent STEM faculty member at UMass, Smith, Amherst, or Mount Holyoke. The ideal candidate would feel comfortable hosting events and/or have prior outreach experience. The institutional affiliation is necessary to access funding sources.

05/20/2026

TODAY is the LAST SciTech Café of our 2025-2026 season!

Join us as we welcome Professor Jenny VanWyk, Assistant Professor of Ecology and Global Change at Hamsphire College, to SciTech Café!

Abandoned Building Brewery in Easthampton, MA
Doors open at 6pm, event begins at 6:30pm
SciTech Café is FREE to attend.. Always!

Light appetizers will be provided for your enjoyment: first come, first served… and they WILL go quickly! ABB welcomes you to bring your own food, too!

Scitechcafe.org

05/19/2026

Listen to SciTech Director Kerstin Nordstrom our next speaker Prof Jenny VanWyk on WHMP’s Talk the Talk

What a buzz! Hope to see you this Wednesday at the talk!

5/19/26 (Co-Host – Carrie Baker) Paradise City Arts Festival at the Fair Grounds this weekend—we visit with the show Director, Mariah Swanson—200+ artists and craftspersons, musicians (new, l…

05/18/2026

Professor Jenny VanWyk will be joining us for SciTech Café in 2 days to explore how a scientist shaves a bee… and why?!
Do you have questions for Professor VanWyk? Leave them in the comments!

Wednesday, May 20, 2026
Doors open at 6pm, event begins at 6:30pm
Abandoned Building Brewery, Easthampton, MA
SciTech Café is FREE to attend.. Always!
Scitechcafe.org

Light appetizers will be provided for your enjoyment: first come, first served… and they WILL go quickly!

05/17/2026

Bees come in all shapes and sizes: how can we build predictive models using a trait based approach?

Save the date for our next SciTech Café event of the season, where this question and MORE will be answered: Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Professor Jenny VanWyk (Hampshire College) will present, "Big Bees, Little Bees: What We Know About Insect Body Size in a Changing Climate” where they'll share more their vast knowledge on BEES! This is an event you DON’T want to miss!

Doors open at 6pm, event begins at 6:30pm
Abandoned Building Brewery, Easthampton, MA
SciTech Café is FREE to attend.. Always!
Scitechcafe.org

05/16/2026

Professor Jenny VanWyk (Hampshire College) will bring their expertise on entomology (bees!) to Abandoned Building Brewery next Wednesday, and we can't wait! Will you be joining us? Let us know in the comments!

Wednesday, May 20, 2026
Doors open at 6pm, event begins at 6:30pm
Abandoned Building Brewery, Easthampton, MA
SciTech Café is FREE to attend.. Always!
Scitechcafe.org

Light appetizers will be provided for your enjoyment: first come, first served… and they WILL go quickly! Remember to bring take-out with you to ABB, they allow outside food :)

This is our FINAL event for the 2025-2026 season!

05/15/2026

Professor Jenny VanWyk will be joining us for SciTech Café on May 20 to explore how bees come in all different shapes and sizes! Wow!
Do you have questions for Professor VanWyk? Leave them in the comments below!

Wednesday, May 20
Doors open at 6pm, event begins at 6:30pm
Abandoned Building Brewery, Easthampton, MA
SciTech Café is FREE to attend.. Always!
Scitechcafe.org

Light appetizers will be provided for your enjoyment: first come, first served… and they WILL go quickly!

05/14/2026

An Entomologist walks into a bar … to get a buzz!

Professor Jenny VanWyk (Hampshire College) is joining SciTech Café on Wednesday, May 20 to answer these compelling questions:

- Bees are under multiple stressors: what are they, and how do they interact?
- Bees come in all shapes and sizes: how can we build predictive models using a trait based approach?
- When half your PhD site catches on fire, what do you do?
- How does a scientist shave a bee?… and why?

SciTech Café brings local scientists into an informal setting, presenting science and the scientific process in an accessible way for ALL. We hope you’ll join us!

Wednesday, May 20, 2026
Doors open at 6pm, event begins at 6:30pm
Abandoned Building Brewery, Easthampton, MA
SciTech Café is FREE to attend.. Always!
Scitechcafe.org

05/12/2026

We can't wait to welcome Professor Jenny VanWyk to our FINAL SciTech Café event of the 2025-2026 season!

Jennifer VanWyk is an Assistant Professor of Ecology and Global Change at Hamsphire College. She is a community ecologist and entomologist. Her research addresses factors that govern community dynamics for native bee populations, including disease transmission, plant-pollinator networks, environmental stressors, and community response to human disturbances. VanWyk received her B.A. in biology with a focus in botany from Vassar College, and her M.S. and Ph.D. in ecology from the University of California, Davis. VanWyk focuses on how plant and insect traits mediate species interactions, and how these interactions — both mutualistic and antagonistic — affect bee population dynamics and broader ecological outcomes. Her current work on tomatoes, heatwaves, and a protozoan bee parasite, addresses basic ecological questions in an applied agricultural context. VanWyk’s work in pollination ecology and bee health has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Health, and the USDA-National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Are you ready for this buzzworthy presentation? Join us on Wednesday 5/20!
Doors open at 6pm, event begins at 6:30pm
Abandoned Building Brewery, Easthampton, MA
SciTech Café is FREE to attend.. Always!

Learn more: scitechcafe.org

05/11/2026

Have you ever wondered what kind of stressors bees are under?

Our next scientist will be sharing the answer to that exact question! We're welcoming Professor Jenny VanWyk to SciTech Café this month, who will be presenting, “Big Bees, Little Bees: What We Know About Insect Body Size in a Changing Climate”.

Wednesday, May 20, 2026
Doors open at 6pm, event begins at 6:30pm
Abandoned Building Brewery, Easthampton, MA
SciTech Café is FREE to attend!
Scitechcafe.org

Light appetizers will be provided for your enjoyment: first come, first served… and they WILL go quickly! ABB allows patrons to bring their own food: there are so many great restaurants in Easthampton, be sure to grab your favorite on your way to the event!