Join William Condee for his Café Conversation, “Fracking the Opera House,” on Wednesday, Oct. 16, at 5 p.m. in the Baker Front Room.
‘Fracking” and “opera house” are not two phrases most people would put together. But William Condee, J. Richard Hamilton/Baker and Hostetler Professor of Humanities and Professor of Theater, begs to differ and argues that the relationship of opera houses and industry isn’t new.
As highlighted in his book, coal companies would restore opera houses in exchange for the use of the land for mining. According to Condee, operas were usually never performed in these houses, but the name was more “culturally legitimate.” Recently, Condee has come to the realization that there is a similar correlation between opera houses and fracking.
During Condee’s cafe he plans discuss the fracking industry and this complex relationship in a way that is relatable yet informative. With regards to to this somewhat controversial topic, he plans to ask two major questions. “What are my ethics as a researcher?” and “Where do I stand in relation to the research?”
Condee believes that these questions are something researchers everywhere ask themselves on a daily basis, regardless of their research. “I hope the audience leaves the café realizing that the economics and ethics of fracking are very complex, and there aren’t simple answers,” Condee says. “I hope we can learn from the coal mining boom in the 19th century to refer to the fracking that is happening now.”
Science Cafés are venues for students interested in the sciences and engineering to informally share their interests during a conversational exchange with faculty, staff and the community in a friendly setting.
Café events are free and open to students, faculty and staff. Café Conversations and Science Cafés are both venues for students to share their interests informally during a conversation exchange in a friendly setting. The Science Cafe is hosted by Dr. Sarah Wyatt, Professor of Environmental & Plant Biology and Vice President of the Ohio University Chapter of Sigma Xi. The two series are sponsored by the Ohio University chapter of Sigma Xi and the Office of the Vice President for Research. Find the Science Café on Facebook and Twitter.
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