Saturday Morning Science is returning this month to The University of Toledo.

The free, public talks will begin at 10 a.m. in Wolfe Hall Room 1205 on Main Campus.

Another eclectic and cool slate of topics will be explored, according to Dr. Joseph Schmidt and Dr. John Bellizzi, co-directors of Saturday Morning Science.

“There’s really an aspect of randomness to selecting the topics,” Schmidt, professor of chemistry, said. “If it’s something that sounds fun and is even tangentially related to science we’ll do it.”

“We try to do stuff that is on the mind of people in the community as well,” Bellizzi, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry, added. “For instance, we had someone from Flint come down and talk about clean water.”

Schmidt and Bellizzi would like people to leave these talks with an appreciation and a greater understanding for any given field of science.

Sessions are appropriate for middle school students and older.

Listed by date, Saturday programs and speakers will be:

• Feb. 22: “Glass Is a Verb, and So Are You” by Dr. Jane Cook, director of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences Museum and Art Gallery at Pennsylvania State University in University Park.
• Feb. 29: “Bon Bon Bon and the Chemistry of Chocolate” by Alexandra Clark, chocolatier and owner of Bon Bon Bon in Hamtramck, Mich.
• April 4: “What’s Happening With Solar Cell Science and Technology These Days?” by Dr. Michael Heben, professor in the UToledo Department of Physics and Astronomy, and Endowed Chair at the Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization.
• April 25: “The Science of Jams, Preserves and Marmalade” by Tara Grey, jam maker and owner of Gus & Grey in Detroit.
• May 2: “Life, But Not Alive” by Dr. Kate Adamala, assistant professor of genetics, cell biology and development at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

All talks include complimentary light refreshments donated by Barry’s Bagels. The program is funded by the Office of the Dean of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.