Health and science briefs July 11

| The New Mexican

7/11/2009 - 7/11/09

Event today aimed at helping seniors master technology

The Senior Resource Alliance Senior Fair will host a free brunch event today from 10:30 a.m. to noon designed to help seniors learn how to send e-mails, use instant messaging and investigate other alternative forms of technological communication.

The event will be held in the Jemez rooms at Santa Fe Community College, 6401 S. Richards Ave.

Experts from Best Buy's Geek Squad will also be on hand to help seniors explore popular Internet sites such as Facebook and MySpace as a means of staying connected to grandchildren and other family members.

Call 424-4722 for information.

Free lecture looks in-depth at climate change issues

The Santa Fe Institute will host a free public lecture Thursday featuring two well-known experts on climate change.

The lecture, called "Will it Cost the Earth to Save the Planet," will be held at the 7:30 p.m. at the James A. Little Theater, 1060 Cerrillos Rd.

At the event, Amory Lovins, a technologist and co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute, and Partha Dasgupta, an economist and expert on issues social equality vs. environmental harm, will investigate global warming and its impacts on the world's economies, social structures and environment.

Visit santafe.edu for more information.

Los Alamos public fair to feature science exhibits, activities

Next Saturday, July 18, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos County and several other local groups will host a public fair at Ashley Pond in downtown Los Alamos.

The Next Big Idea Festival of Discovery is aimed at encouraging youth interest in science, technology, engineering, math and innovation.

Exhibits will include activities and experiments for kids ages 2 and older, displays of new inventions, information about solar energy for home and business owners, an introduction to geocashing and an investigation of soil chemistry, among other things.

The event is free and will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Taos program gets American Hospital Association award

The American Hospital Association has named the Taos First Steps Program at Holy Cross Hospital as one of five winners of the group's annual NOVA award.

The award recognizes hospitals and health systems for collaborative efforts toward improving community health.

The First Steps program gives new parents information, support and access to resources in the community that promote early childhood development and a positive family foundation. It also provides weekly home visiting services from the prenatal period until the child's third birthday.

The program will be honored with the other winners at AHA's annual Health Forum Leadership summit in San Francisco on July 25.