POTSDAM -- "The Power of Paper and Printing: Their Origins and Travels" will be discussed by Ina Brockriede at the next Science Café at La Casbah, 6 Elm Street at 7:15 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9.

Today, we shred it, burn it, toss it onto roadsides, or dump it in landfills or the ocean without a second thought -- no respect where it's due. Paper and printing changed world history and helped preserve it.

Join Brockriede, a retired teacher from the Boulder Valley Schools (Boulder, Colo.) and now an avid student of the history of science and civilization in China, as she discusses the fascinating story of paper and printing.

Science Cafes bring together engineers, scientists and townspeople in a relaxed, informal setting, such as coffeehouses and pubs. The speaker makes a short presentation about a topic in his or her field, and then opens up the floor to discussion.

Find out more about Clarkson's Science Cafe at http://www.clarkson.edu/sciencecafe.

E-mail Daniel ben-Avraham at ScienceCafe@clarkson.edu with any questions or suggestions for future Science Cafe topics.