ASU Sci-Fi TV Dinner Serves Up a Taste of STEM Tonight at Scottsdale Center

Scottsdale -- Arizona State University's Center for Science and Imagination will present an all-new ASU Science Fiction TV Dinner tonight, Sept. 30, at 7 p.m. at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts.

The event is free and open to the public, with reservations requested through www.housetvdinner.eventbrite.com. Local gourmet food trucks will offer dinner for purchase starting at 6 p.m.

ASU Science Fiction TV Dinner is a launch pad for imaginative, engaging conversations about science, technology, art and society. Founded in 2012, the series has developed an enthusiastic following on and off campus, providing the opportunity for people of all ages and backgrounds to come together, learn and explore visions of the future in an entertaining and informal setting. Previous events have featured episodes of popular science-fiction shows such as The Walking Dead, Star Trek and Quantum Leap.

For its first Scottsdale presentation, ASU Science Fiction TV Dinner will feature a screening of the House, M.D. episode "Cane and Able," in which misanthropic genius diagnostician Gregory House (played by acclaimed actor Hugh Laurie) and his team tackle the case of a young boy who believes he has been abducted and tortured by aliens. The story turns on a truth stranger than fiction: human chimeras who carry the DNA of more than one person in their bodies.

Following the screening, Center for Science and the Imagination Editor and Program Manager Joey Eschrich will moderate a conversation with Dr. Cathy Seiler, the scientific liaison for the DNASU Plasmid Repository and the Virginia G. Piper Center for Personalized Diagnostics at the Biodesign Institute at ASU, and Dr. Kenneth S. Ramos, associate vice president of precision health sciences and professor of medicine at the Arizona Health Sciences Center of the University of Arizona.

"If we want a better future, we don't just need more scientific knowledge or more effective technologies. We also need to tell better stories about the kind of future we want to build and live in together," remarked Eschrich. "ASU Science Fiction TV Dinner provides an arena for inclusive, public conversations about the future, using science fiction as a meeting place for people from all walks of life to share their ideas and perspectives."

Additional information about the event is available at www.ScottsdalePerformingArts.org.

ASU CENTER FOR SCIENCE AND THE IMAGINATION - Arizona State University's Center for Science and the Imagination brings writers, artists and other creative thinkers into collaboration with scientists, engineers and technologists to reignite humanity's grand ambitions for innovation and discovery. The Center serves as a network hub for audacious, moonshot ideas and a cultural engine for thoughtful optimism. It provides a space for productive collaboration between the humanities and the sciences, brings human narratives to scientific questions and explores the full social implications of cutting-edge research. The Center's projects have been supported by Intel Corporation, the World Bank, the U.S. National Science Foundation, the U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and The John Templeton Foundation. http://csi.asu.edu/

SCOTTSDALE CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS - One of the premier performing-arts halls in the western United States, Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts showcases a diverse season of dance, music, theater and film from around the world. More than 1,000 indoor and outdoor performances, educational programs, festivals and other events are presented and hosted by the Center each year serving approximately 250,000 participants. The Center's education and outreach programs reach nearly 20,000 children and adults each year. Most events take place in the state-of-the-art, 853-seat Virginia G. Piper Theater, recognized for its intimacy, acoustics and comfort. Additional venues include the 137-seat Stage 2 and neighboring 1,800-capacity Scottsdale Civic Center Amphitheater. Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts is located on Scottsdale Civic Center Park, a 21-acre urban oasis next to the city's Old Town and gallery districts.

The nonprofit Scottsdale Cultural Council is contracted by the City of Scottsdale to manage the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA) and Scottsdale Public Art.

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts is located at 7380 E. Second St. in downtown Scottsdale, two blocks south of Indian School Road and three blocks east of Scottsdale Road. Free parking is available in the public parking garage located to the west of Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts on Wells Fargo Avenue. Additional free parking is available at the Old Town Parking Corral at East Second Street and Brown Avenue and at the Civic Center Library parking garage located on Drinkwater Boulevard at East Second Street.

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts offers performance accommodations to enhance audience members' experience, including: American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation or live audio description with two weeks advance notice. Assistive-listening devices and wheelchair seating are always available. Visit www.ScottsdalePerformingArts.org or contact the Patron Services Box Office at 480-499-TKTS (8587) [TDD: 480-874-4694] for further details.

HOW TO REACH US
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
7380 E. Second St.
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Patron Services Box Office: 480-499-TKTS (8587)
TDD: 480-874-4694
Web: www.ScottsdalePerformingArts.org
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/ScottsdalePerformingArts
Twitter: www.Twitter.com/ScottsdaleArts
YouTube: www.YouTube.com/ScottsdaleArts
Email: info@sccarts.org