Image via WCU.
West Chester University’s Science on Tap series brings faculty experts to Barnaby’s Restaurant for free monthly talks, combining engaging scientific discussion with a lively, informal dining atmosphere in downtown West Chester.
West Chester University’s (WCU) free Science on Tap talks by WCU experts will continue this semester at Barnaby’s Restaurant (15 South High Street, second floor). Programs take place once a month at 6:00 PM.
Each session features a different WCU expert sharing interesting ideas and research, new information, and discoveries. The program invites audience participation with opportunities to ask questions, spark discussion, and connect with fellow science enthusiasts. And of course, the audience can order from Barnaby’s food and beverage menus for a full dining and learning experience.
The Feb. 17 presentation is by Physicist Dr. Brandon Mitchell, Professor of Physics and Engineering, who will talk about “Taming Light: How Brightness, Color, and Direction Power the Modern World.”
Mitchell recently secured the University’s largest grant to date: a $10.26-million federal GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) grant from the U.S. Department of Education, launching a transformative seven-year initiative for the Center for STEM Inclusion to support 1,833 sixth- and seventh-grade students through their journeys to college completion.
Mitchell helped establish and currently leads the University’s Center for STEM Inclusion, which is dedicated to empowering southeastern Pennsylvania’s K-12 children and youth to pursue fields in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The center works to link experts in secondary and higher education, industry, government, and education-focused non-profit organizations directly with students from families with low socioeconomic means to support student success and expand the STEM workforce.
As one of the lead researchers in the University’s Center for Nanomaterials, Mitchell is working on the growth, fabrication, and analysis of novel semiconductor systems for photonics applications.
The University’s Science on Tap series is modeled after similar programs that pair scientific presentations with a restaurant atmosphere. WCU’s series aims to make scientific concepts accessible; connect the public with approachable, knowledgeable scientists; and overcome mistrust/misunderstanding of science. It is directed by Dr. Christopher Roemmele, Associate Professor and Assistant Chair of the Department of Earth and Space Sciences, who wants to “bring science out of the labs and the halls of academia and share it with the public in an informal setting.
“My goal is to promote science and science literacy,” said Roemmele. “My colleagues here at WCU do wonderful and thought-provoking science in their diverse respective fields. And I want the greater West Chester community to be made aware of that. We do a lot of teaching, but we also do great research here, and that should be communicated.”
For additional information, contact Roemmele.
Spring 2026 Science on Tap Talks
Feb. 17: Brandon Mitchell, Physics
Mar. 17: Meghan Ramick and Melissa Reed, Kinesiology
Apr. 21: Sabina Samipour-Biel, Psychology
May 12: Zach Voras, Chemistry
Learn more at WCU. Enrolling more than 17,000 students, West Chester University is the largest institution in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Founded in 1871, the University is a comprehensive public institution, offering a diverse range of more than 200 undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral programs in more than 50 fields of study. In addition to the main campus in West Chester, the University offers programs through its graduate center, the Philadelphia site, and online. The University comprises six colleges and two schools: University College, Colleges of Arts and Humanities, Business and Public Management, Education and Social Work, Health Sciences, and the Sciences and Mathematics, the Wells School of Music, and the Graduate School.