By Tom Robinson

A trio of Arctic researchers and scholars from Old Dominion University highlight the next Science Pubs ODU, the free, community outreach program that gives the general public opportunities to engage with ODU scientists in an informal setting.

Oceanography professor Greg Cutter, associate research professor Victoria Hill and French and International Studies professor Peter Schulman, a Jules Verne scholar, will present "Exploring the Changing Arctic: A Trip to the North Pole for Jules Verne's 188th Birthday."

The Science Pub will be held Tuesday, Feb. 16 at Wasserhund Brewing Company, 1805 Laskin Rd., in Virginia Beach. A trivia contest starts at 5:30 p.m. with the Arctic presentation to follow at 6 o'clock.

Before writing "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" and "Around the World in 80 Days," Verne produced "The Adventures of Captain Hatteras," a novel set in the North Pole in the mid-19th century. Experienced Arctic visitors Cutter and Hill will discuss their research in that modern-day landscape.

Cutter last summer participated in a 65-day journey to the Arctic aboard the U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker Healy, part of the National Science Foundation's U.S. Geotraces series.

RSVPs to the Science Pub are encouraged but not required. The first 20 people to arrive receive a beverage on the ODU team.

This is the third installment of Science Pubs ODU. Joshua Behr, research associate professor at ODU's Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center, discussed storm-related attitudes and behavior in Hampton Roads at O'Connor Brewing Company in Norfolk last September. And Ben Hamlington, assistant professor of Ocean, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, conducted a science pub on sea level rise at St. George Brewing Co. in Hampton. Hamlington's presentation was featured in a story in the Virginian-Pilot.

For more information on Science Pubs ODU, visit its website or Facebook page.