Upcoming Dahlonega Science Cafes
Science Cafes take place monthly on Monday nights at the Bourbon Street Grille in downtown Dahlonega, unless otherwise stated.
Oct 21, 2024
6:30 p.m.
Biohistorical Georgia and Florida
Dr. Tamara Spike
1565-1763: Disease, Epidemics, and Cultural Interactions
This talk explores the biohistory of La Florida from 1565 to 1763, focusing on how disease and epidemics shaped interactions between Indigenous peoples and European settlers. The arrival of the Spanish brought new diseases like smallpox and influenza, which devastated Indigenous populations and altered colonial dynamics, impacting labor, trade, and political relationships. The talk highlights how Indigenous communities adapted to these crises through resistance and negotiation. We’ll examine the role of disease in cross-cultural interactions and how epidemics shaped the historical trajectory of Georgia and Florida during this pivotal period.
Tamara Spike is a Latin American historian with a specializations in Mexico, the Caribbean, and indigenous history. Her first research project focused on indigenous La Florida and the Southeastern United States during the Spanish colonial period. She’s been at UNG since 2006.
Nov 4, 2024
6:30 p.m.
Blood
Dr. Jon Hager
The Spatter Tells the Story
Bloodstain pattern analysis weaved into pop culture through the Netflix series Dexter. Bloodstains will tell a story even when a victim or perpetrator was not present. Even the absence of blood will tell a story. Learn how to interpret bloodstain patterns and see a really COOL demonstration.
Jon Hager is an Associate Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at UNG with a focus on forensic science. Dr. Hager not only teaches the forensic science courses, but other criminal justice courses as well. He taught at UNG from 2014-2016 and from 2019 to the present.
Dr. Hager began his career as an autopsy technician at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN from 2001-2002. From 2002 to 2018, he worked as a medical examiner investigator for the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office in Atlanta, GA. During this time period, Dr. Hager was teaching too.
Recently, He was interviewed on a podcast to explain the autopsy report of a 1999 cold case of Elaine Nix in Gwinnett County. He has appeared in approximately five episodes of the First 48 in Atlanta, GA.
