Enlarge By Timothy J. Gonzalez, (Salem, Ore.) Statesman Journal Eric Brown, right, looks on as his wife, Emma Coddington, a Willamette University assistant professor of biology, leads a discussion "Stress Meets Love: The Hormones Behind Appropriate Decision Making" during an Oregon Museum of Science and Industry "science pub" at Brown's Town Lounge, in Salem, Ore.

The crowd of about 100 wasn't there for a popular band or a happy hour special. They came for a lecture on behavioral neuroendocrinology, by Emma Coddington, an assistant professor of biology at Willamette University.

Across the country, thousands of people are gathering for monthly science pubs such as this one — informal lectures combined with food and drink that cover everything from the physics of flight to fire ecology to crime forensics. They're part of a loosely coordinated global "science cafe" movement that's been around for a couple of decades but has surged in the past year.

"It's definitely more enjoyable in a bar," said Salem resident Loren Heacock, who hasn't been in a classroom for two years.

Last year, new science pubs started in at least 27 cities across the country, from Kirkland, Wash., to Washington, D.C., said Jennifer Larese, outreach coordinator for NOVA scienceNOW at WGBH public television in Boston, which uses grant money to promote science pubs.

"I like science," said Bill Vagt, a state worker attending Salem's second science pub in December. "But it's hard to keep up once you're out of school."

There's an emerging market for science packaged for adults set in a comfortable environment rather than a lecture hall, Larese said. "It's being able to present science in a different manner," she said. "Even shows on TV, CSI for example, they're solving puzzles with all these different clues to find."

The trend started in the United Kingdom in the late 1990s, according to Cafe Scientifique, a British organization that promotes and tracks science cafes worldwide. The Colorado Cafe Scientifique in Denver claims to be the oldest in the USA.

"We started in November 2003, so we're in our eighth year," said founder John Cohen, a professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. "Our second cafe started in 2010 to accommodate overflow."

By 2008, science pubs were operating in about 70 cities, Larese said. Today, there are about 150.

There's even a biennial conference that brings together science pub organizers, Larese said. Organizers range from museum staff to teachers to individuals who just have a passion for science, she said. "There's a whole variety. But they all try to reach out to audiences that aren't science savvy and make it an engaging conversation," she said. The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Portland launched its series in August 2006. "It has been ridiculously popular," said Amanda Thomas, who coordinates OMSI's adult programs.

OMSI now runs two events per month in Portland, averaging 350 people each, and has expanded the series to four other cities across the state, Thomas says. Some cities hold meetings in cafes, restaurants or theaters. The key is to keep it out of a traditional academic context, Thomas said.

"It's open to the public, and it's non-threatening," she said. "It's not a stuffy lecture in an auditorium hall. It's somewhere you can have a beer or a slice of pizza and have a good time."

Dee Brown, of Salem's Brown's Towne Lounge, said the events have drawn a different clientele — and some patrons have returned. "I was worried they were going to bring in the Bunsen burners," Brown said. "But it worked out wonderfully." The events usually start with a talk from an expert, typically a scientist or professor. Then, there's time for questions and answers or a general discussion.

Salem's Willamette University has supplied speakers for a few Oregon pubs.

Spokesman Adam Torgerson said there's been no shortage of volunteers.

"It's a way to showcase our faculty's expertise," he said. "It's not only important that we do this amazing science but that scientists take great effort to make sure it's communicated to the public."

Loew also reports for the Statesman Journal in Salem, Ore.