Smarty Pints! Medical minerals and space rocks

Did you also have a recent work meeting or social event end with “Well, hopefully 2026 is better”? Well, get your 2026 off to a *better* start at our next Smarty Pints! On January 19 we’re going rock collecting – examining medical minerals and bringing home asteroid samples. See you at 6:30 in the taproom!

🩻 Dr. Jeff Otjen
Associate Professor, Department of Radiology, Seattle Children's Hospital & UW
Minerals in Medicine

Did you ever wonder what rocks and minerals have to do with medicine? Lots! This talk is an eclectic review of some of the ways minerals are used in medicine, some of the ways our bodies produce minerals, and some examples of when stones got to places they shouldn't have.

🛰️ Eric Sahr
Optical Navigation Lead Engineer, KinetX Aerospace
Navigating a Spacecraft to Asteroid Bennu and Back

Have you ever wondered about how NASA flies spacecraft across the solar system with such precision? This talk will cover how NASA engineers used images and ingenuity to successfully navigate a spacecraft to the surface of an asteroid, collect a sample, and bring that sample home for the scientists to study.

You bring a friend, and we’ll bring Nesse’s Introduction to Mineralogy!