Starstruck – June 8

Egyptian-American Sarafina El-Badry Nance is a PhD candidate in Astrophysics at UC Berkeley. She has just published her first book, Starstruck: A Memoir of Astrophysics and Finding Light in the Dark, the principal subject of this presentation. The book intertwines two content strands: each chapter begins with an intriguing science lesson, and concludes with an account of personal and social obstacles overcome, including racism, sexism, anxiety, self-doubt, and even cancer. This event happens both in-person and online, simultaneously. Sarafina will join the Commonwealth Club’s Gerald Harris in conversation, and audience questions are encouraged.

Sarafina El-Badry Nance, also going by Starafina, is an astrophysicist and “Analog Astronaut.” Gerald Harris is President of Quantum Planning Group, and Chair of the Commonwealth Club’s Technology & Society Member-led Forum.