In Boston. Are you?

I'll be in Boston in about 10 days from now. On March 8th, I'll go to the Science Cafe - the website is not updated yet so I don't know what the topic is yet, but it's going to be fun for sure: science+pizza+beer, who can ask for more? So, if you come to that, try to spot me in the crowd and say Hello.

The next day, on Monday, March 9, 2009 at 6:00pm, we'll meet at Casablanca Restaurant which is at 40 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA. If you are a scientist, blogger, reader, come and let's eat and drink together. If you are on Facebook, I have made an Event page so you can get all the information.

Oh, and why am I in Boston in the first place? Good question.

Radio program The World, which has been going on for many years (but was only picked up by my local NPR station WUNC a few weeks ago, since when I have been dutifully listening and I have to say it's good), is broadcast from WGBH in Boston, and is a coproduction of BBC and Public Radio International. Recently, they got an NSF grant, together with Sigma Xi and NOVA to build an online companion to their radio show, specifically for their science coverage, something like an online Science Cafe of sorts with listener/reader participation.

So they invited me and a number of others to be their Web/science advisors and to meet at the station's headquarters for a day of planning: how to build and design the site, what to put there, how to connect it well with the radio program, how to run it, how to promote it and build a community of regular participants and commenters on their site, etc. This is bound to be an exciting and fun day of work!