Spring 2025 will mark our 36th gathering of H-LSAMP students who love to read, talk about books and films, and explore ideas about life and science woven into compelling stories.

stack of books

Science Café participants are expected to engage in this activity by paying careful attention to the details in the selected film or book, taking the time to learn about the science, history, and/or culture that informs the plot and themes and, importantly, actively contributing to group discussion.

We share dinner prior to our discussion, which we hope will not only stimulate appetites but also good conversation. A shared table builds community! That's why we call it Science Café!

David von Miller (H-LSAMP Director) and Dr. Greg Passty (Professor, Department of Mathematics) lead our seminar-style discussions by providing questions for a close reading of chosen books and guide our analysis and criticism of chosen films.  See our Spring 2025 book choices below.

Fall 2025 Film Choices

Oppenheimer Movie Poster

A dramatization of the life story of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the physicist who had a large hand in the development of the atomic bomb, thus helping end World War 2. We see his life from university days all the way to post-WW2, where his fame saw him embroiled in political machinations.

The Imitation Game Movie Poster

During World War II, the English mathematical genius Alan Turing tries to crack the German Enigma code with help from fellow mathematicians while attempting to come to terms with his troubled private life.

Bring Him Home Movie Poster

An astronaut becomes stranded on Mars after his team assumes him dead, and must rely on his ingenuity to find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive and can survive until a potential rescue.

Dune Movie Poster

Paul Atreides unites with the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future.

Asteroid City Movie Poster

World-changing events spectacularly disrupt the annual Asteroid Day celebration in an American desert town.

The mosaic below is a history of the books and films we have read and discussed over the years.....