Are you looking for friendship, companionship, and maybe even love? Tired of looking in all the old places? Don’t have the time or patience for the been-there-done-that dating scene? And oh — you weren’t born yesterday, right?

“So many of our members find themselves in this boat,” said Michelle Burke, activities director at the Edmonds Senior Center. “So in honor of Valentine’s Day, we decided to try something new. Speed dating for seniors.”

Speed dating has been around since the late 1980s. It typically takes the form of an organized event where a group of men and women rotate between tables and meet each other over a series of three- to eight-minute “dates” during which they converse, ask questions and learn about each other. At the end of each interval, the organizer signals the participants to move on to the next date.

Participants complete confidential rating sheets for each date, saying who they liked and, most importantly, who may receive their contact information. At the end of the event, the organizers collect the score sheets, look for mutual likes and when there’s a match forward contact information to both parties.

“We’ve been putting out the word for a few weeks now, and 11 men and 11 women signed up,” said Burke.

It all came together on Monday afternoon in the senior center downstairs meeting room, with beverages, hors d’oeuvres, and a series of tables dressed up with maroon tablecloths and Valentine motif centerpieces. As a few last-minute additions joined the group, Burke explained the ground rules (including no political conversation!), and the speed dating began.

Last week, The Exchange held its popular Science Speed Dating event at Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and it was no ordinary speed dating! Starting at 7 p.m., seven scientists rotated among seven groups to make the most of 7 minutes to explain their life’s work. Suffice it to say, luck would be on their side! The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more.

Conversations varied from serious to hilarious, with participants asking each other about likes, dislikes, history, education, work — anything except politics — as their pencils scratched out scores on the rating sheets.

“I came here mainly out of curiosity,” said Christie. “But it’s turning out to be more fun than I expected.” Asked if she’d met anyone particularly interesting, she coyly responded, “Well…maybe!”

Don from Everett was more straightforward. “I’ve been on my own for a long time,” he said. “I like my own space, but as time goes by I find myself wanting something more. Yes, I’d like to meet someone special, and honestly, I was really impressed with one woman in particular that I met today.”

Now the task falls to Michelle Burke to evaluate the score sheets, determine the matches, and contact the participants — and see if love blooms.

— Story and photos by Larry Vogel

Last week, The Exchange held its popular Science Speed Dating event at Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and it was no ordinary speed dating! Starting at 7 p.m., seven scientists rotated among seven groups to make the most of 7 minutes to explain their life’s work. Suffice it to say, luck would be on their side! The fast-paced presentation is a challenge of self-discipline for both the speakers and the audience. Was it love at first sight? Let’s find out…

This authentic experience began the minute attendees stepped through the glass doors leading to the vast and elegant lobby of CAA. Each of them fished a vintage style motel keychain out of a metal bucket before joining a convivial reception on the second floor. The night’s attendance of about 150 was as varied as the science menu. Some were screenwriters, others were producers, and they spanned about everything in the entertainment industry, from documentaries and animation movies to television series and video games.

After a while, Rick Loverd, The Exchange’s program director asked the attendees to gather as he described how the evening would unfold. He celebrated the diversity of the night’s crop of scientists: it mostly included underrepresented minorities and also featured five women. One by one, Loverd called the seven groups and invited attendees to join their own. The keychains—and the numbers they bore—were the participants’ tickets to the conference rooms that would serve as the speed dating venues for the night.

Dr. Gregory A. Cajete

In group 5, the night kicked off with Dr. Gregory A. Cajete who spoke eloquently about his love for native science. He described it as a discipline connecting human knowledge and cosmology while integrating the spiritual dimension and embracing both observation and participation. One minute before the end, a mysterious voice distorted by speakers stated in a Big Brother style: “you have one minute!” Cajete concluded with what he described as a “saying of my people: ‘we are all but kernels of the same corn cob.’”

Dr. Nadine Burke Harris

Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, an engaged and dynamic physician who opened a clinic in one of San Francisco’s most underserved areas, followed Cajete. Within a few months of starting her practice, Harris realized there was a strong correlation between early childhood adversity such as psychological and sexual abuse and long-term health outcomes. Partnering with researchers, she investigated the impact of early stress on general health factors and in 2012 she opened the Center for Youth Wellness to tackle the adverse effects of such trauma. Ending her presentation on a hopeful note, she passed the torch to the next speaker, Karishma Shah.

Karishma Shah

An employee at X (formerly Google X) Shah picked up on the hopeful vibes of Dr. Harris to speak of dreams fueled by Google’s innovation. She described how her team attempts to solve “grand grand challenges” through radical solutions. Ideas like beaming Wi-Fi in remote areas from weather balloons and making smart contact lenses that monitor glucose levels for diabetes patients. Crazy concepts that seemed impossible 15 years ago, she insisted, are now being deployed all over the world. Soon enough, the countdown had already begun and much like Groundhog Day, the group had to start all over again with a new expert.

Dr. Tshaka Cunningham and Dr. Risa Wechsler

Enter Dr. Tshaka Cunningham, a charismatic molecular biologist with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Cunningham himself dreams of a world of precision medicine, where individual genomes are used to design personalized drugs. With enthusiasm, and a bit of courage, he describes his wish for a future where the powers of biotechnology are unlocked for good.

As the talks progressed, while speakers were certainly challenged to fit their career’s work into a few minutes, what was truly impressive was that the audience continued to hunger for more. But the clock was inflexible. “3, 2, 1,” the steady voice invariably stated as the session drew to a close and the next scientist approached.

Dr. Risa Wechsler

This time, Dr. Risa Wechsler, an astrophysicist, summarized 13.5 billion years of the universe’s history in 6 minutes and then used the last minute to address current mysteries in the physics of the cosmos such as dark matter and dark energy. Just as for every other presentation, the audience was entirely absorbed by Wechsler’s talk. While some frenetically took notes about the captivating mysteries of the universe, others sat there mesmerized by the topic.

Dr. Aida Awad

The following speaker, Dr. Aida Awad, a geologist and science teacher, described her initiative to develop student-led programs in high schools to empower students with their own experimental methods. She spoke of hopes to change lives, one student at a time, and insisted on science’s engagement in society—in particular when it comes down to education and politics.

Dr. Raychelle Burks

Last but not least, Dr. Raychelle Burks inspired wild ideas for police procedurals all across the room as the chemist formerly involved in crime scene investigations recounted some of her craziest tales on crime scenes. She talked about improving tests for opioids and finding bodies in burnt houses. She described the impressive progress of CSI and insisted on the relative background role these experts play in real investigations.

Burke Speed Dating On Youtube

After all presentations were done, attendees gathered in an auditorium where the panel of speakers, moderated by Kieran Fitzgerald (Snowden’s screenwriter), answered questions from the audience. The panel deplored the shortcomings of the entertainment industry in portraying scientists. Rightfully so, none of the evening speakers abided by the crazy, confused, and socially inept stereotype so often portrayed in movies. Nevertheless, they saluted the efforts of The Exchange in tackling these flaws, with some recognizing movies for which the program had sparked connections, like Thor, and Doctor Strange, as being significantly beneficial.

In all, this was an evening full of passion: scientists spoke from their hearts and attendees fell in love. Whether this love at first sight will last well into an entertainment project is a story for another time.

Burke Speed Dating Only