ST. LOUIS -- There were plenty of reasons to camp out inside the cavernous America's Center convention hall in St. Louis last weekend. They included in-depth discussions on biological imaging, black holes and the evolution of the human brain as well as on neurobiological clues to questions about why we invest money the way we do, where our moral codes come from and what causes autism.

And there was no shortage of gatherings focused on how best to combat the intelligent design movement. Plus, the convention hall offered a welcome refuge from St. Louis' bitter cold snap.

This year's annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world's largest science meeting, included more than 200 symposia, lectures, seminars and other sessions, about a dozen of them featuring Cornell researchers. Founded in 1848, AAAS represents the world's largest federation of scientists and serves 262 affiliated societies and academies of science from more than 130 countries.

Among the many take-home lessons was that the issues of science are critically important. Take Cornell crop and soil scientist Johannes Lehmann's studies of terra preta, the nutrient-rich black soil found only in select areas of the Amazon region, which may offer clues into increasing crop production in developing countries. Or Cornell Professor Per Pinstrup-Andersen's sobering work to raise awareness to combat the painful reality of world hunger.

But sometimes, the issues of science are also just fun.

Cornell Professor of Theoretical and Applied Engineering Jane Wang's Sunday (Feb. 19) presentation on insect flight to a packed room (the session was one of the best-attended, despite its 8:30 a.m. timeslot) set an intellectual, scholarly tone for the symposium. But for audience members who thought scientists were a disinterested bunch just plodding through data, Wang's passion and enthusiasm were strong evidence to the contrary.

Also fun was the work of co-panelist Michael Dickinson of the California Institute of Technology, (the man behind the Grand Unified Fly Model). Dickinson's research into the neurobiology of flight was at once educational and evidence that sometimes, scientists are just kids who like to watch flies do goofy things. (Occasionally with a little help from their human friends.)

A slightly surreal moment came at a Saturday (Feb. 18) press conference on Mathematics in Fact and Fiction, which included the expected panel of three eminent, senior mathematicians. Beside them sat an oddly familiar-looking, rangy-haired twenty-something in sneakers. A genius upstart? No. But he does play one on TV.

David Krumholtz, better known as Charlie Eppes on the CBS show Numb3rS (also known to ER fans as psychotic murderer Paul Sobriki), was perhaps the only speaker who failed middle school algebra . . . twice. But at a conference packed with sobering news about avian influenza, global warming, world poverty and inadequate levee systems -- and focused particularly on how to better educate an often apathetic and uninformed public -- Krumholtz offered a glimmer of hope.

Every week, he pointed out, 14 million viewers learn a little about math by watching his show. "Those viewers span every culture, every age," he said. "There is a huge segment of the population that's interested in learning. I get to see the effect of the show on people, and it's really inspiring.

"I was the kid at the back of the classroom who would constantly shout 'How am I ever going to use this? How is it going to apply?'" Krumholtz added. "And now, I can easily pay the check. And put together the tip."