Menu

Eric

About Eric

Posts by Eric Yao:

Quantum Strangeness

Quantum Strangeness Beneath Our Everyday World

/ , , , / , , /

Quantum StrangenessQuantum theory is our best description of the micro-world. Quantum phenomena underly all processes in nature (except possibly gravitation). Some of these phenomena — superposition and entanglement, in particular — seem very strange to those of us living and functioning in the macro-world. Please join UC Berkeley’s Dr. Birgitta Whaley in exploring how quantum strangeness works — in nature and in information and computation — to make many important processes possible that we take for granted.

Wonderfest works every day to promote the scientific outlook. For as little as $1/month, why not become a Wonderfest Patron? As the Medici family were patrons of popular art in old Italy, you can become a patron of popular science and rationality in the modern Bay Area. (And you’ll get that tax-deduction that the Medici never did!) Please become a regular supporter of Wonderfest, and help enlarge the concept of scientific community.

If you shop at Amazon.com, why not shop at AmazonSmile? It doesn’t cost you a dime extra, selection and prices are the same, and a small percent supports Wonderfest and science!  http://amazon.wonderfest.org.

Watch more videos: http://videos.wonderfest.org

Join us on:
http://facebook.com/wonderfest
http://twitter.com/wonderfest

Her - Wonderfest

An Evening with Peter Norvig and HER, Movie Screening & Talk – Jun 24

/ , , /

Her - WonderfestIt’s a great pleasure of modern life to watch a wonderful movie, and then to discuss it with a smart friend. Even better when the movie is Her, Spike Jonze’s 2013 sci-fi-rom-com about a man who falls in love with a female-voiced operating system (think Siri) — and the smart friend is Peter Norvig, world expert in artificial intelligence. 

Her is 94% “Fresh” at RottenTomatoes. Moira MacDonald of the Seattle Times called it, “A touching, buoyant pleasure.” Rafer Guzman of Newsday wrote, “Her goes light-years beyond science-fiction cliches.” 
 
Peter Norvig - Wonderfest 
 
Peter Norvig is Director of Research at Google, and has co-written Earth’s leading AI textbook. He’s good before an audience, too, having co-taught an online AI class that inspired 160,000 students to sign up.

Please join Wonderfest and SF in SF for An Evening with Peter Norvig and Her — an intriguing modern pleasure for sure.

Wonderfest works every day to promote the scientific outlook. For as little as $1/month, why not become a Wonderfest Patron? As the Medici family were patrons of popular art in old Italy, you can become a patron of popular science and rationality in the modern Bay Area. (And you’ll get that tax-deduction that the Medici never did!) Please become a regular supporter of Wonderfest, and help enlarge the concept of scientific community.

If you shop at Amazon.com, why not shop at AmazonSmile? It doesn’t cost you a dime extra, selection and prices are the same, and a small percent supports Wonderfest and science! http://amazon.wonderfest.org.

Watch more videos: http://videos.wonderfest.org

Join us on:
http://facebook.com/wonderfest
http://twitter.com/wonderfest

Evolution of Science

The Evolution of Science – May 13

/ , , / , , , , /

Author and physicist Leonard Mlodinow (PhD, UC Berkeley) will explore how humans have won such a grand grasp of nature’s workings — and what deeper understandings may lie ahead. He is the author of five bestsellers including two co-written with Stephen Hawking: A Briefer History of Time and The Grand Design. Dr. Mlodinow’s The Drunkard’s Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives was an Editor’s Choice New York Times Bestseller and Notable Book of the Year, and was short-listed for the Royal Society Book award. He has taught at Caltech, has debated Deepak Chopra on ABC’s Nightline, and has written screenplays for MacGyver and Star Trek: the Next Generation. In 2013, Dr. Mlodinow received the PEN/E.O. Wilson Award for literary science writing.

Get the WONDERFEST 40% ticket discount: http://bit.ly/science-evolution. (But DON’T click on “Apply.”)

  • WHAT:  The Evolution of Science
  • WHO:  Dr. Leonard Mlodinow
  • WHEN: 7pm (check-in at 6:30), Wednesday, May 13, 2015
  • WHERE:  Schultz Cultural Hall, Oshman Family JCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto
  • HOW:  Get the WONDERFEST 40% ticket discount here: http://bit.ly/science-evolution; do NOT click “Apply.”
  • WHY:  Because we’re curious creatures. Big thanks to the Commonwealth Club Silicon Valley.

Wonderfest works every day to promote the scientific outlook. For as little as $1/month, why not become a Wonderfest Patron? As the Medici family were patrons of popular art in old Italy, you can become a patron of popular science and rationality in the modern Bay Area. (And you’ll get that tax-deduction that the Medici never did!) Please become a regular supporter of Wonderfest, and help enlarge the concept of scientific community.

If you shop at Amazon.com, why not shop at AmazonSmile? It doesn’t cost you a dime extra, selection and prices are the same, and a small percent supports Wonderfest and science!  http://amazon.wonderfest.org.

Watch more videos: http://videos.wonderfest.org

Join us on:
http://facebook.com/wonderfest
http://twitter.com/wonderfest

Love, Sex, & DNA

Love, Sex, & DNA – May 11

/ , , / , , , /

Love, Sex, & DNACan 21st-century molecular biology answer age-old questions about the human experience? Can studying proteins and DNA help us understand how we make our choices in sex and love? How we communicate? Where our emotions come from? Or why we age and die? Using stories of people and animals, Peter Schattner will show how the amazing new world of molecular biology is revolutionizing our understanding of what it means to be human.

  • WHAT:  Love, Sex, & DNA
  • WHO:  Dr. Peter Schattner
  • WHEN:  7 PM, Monday, May 11, 2015
  • WHERE:  PianoFight, 144 Taylor Street, San Francisco, CA
  • HOW:  Please register below.
  • WHY:  Because we’re curious creatures.

Wonderfest works every day to promote the scientific outlook. For as little as $1/month, why not become a Wonderfest Patron? As the Medici family were patrons of popular art in old Italy, you can become a patron of popular science and rationality in the modern Bay Area. (And you’ll get that tax-deduction that the Medici never did!) Please become a regular supporter of Wonderfest, and help enlarge the concept of scientific community.

If you shop at Amazon.com, why not shop at AmazonSmile? It doesn’t cost you a dime extra, selection and prices are the same, and a small percent supports Wonderfest and science!  http://amazon.wonderfest.org.

Watch more videos: http://videos.wonderfest.org

Join us on:
http://facebook.com/wonderfest
http://twitter.com/wonderfest

Science of Ancient Greece and Rome

The Sciences in Ancient Greece & Rome: How far did they get?

/ , , , , / /

Dr. Richard Carrier is an expert in ancient science. Since earning his PhD at Columbia University, he has written numerous books on modern philosophy and ancient history. In this lively, illustrated talk, Dr. Carrier will compare modern science (from the Scientific Revolution to today) with science in the ancient Greco-Roman world, where science as we know it began. We will understand what the Greeks and Romans achieved — and how close they got to their own scientific revolution.

  • WHAT: The Sciences in Ancient Greece & Rome: How Far Did They Get?
  • WHO: Dr. Richard Carrier
  • WHEN: 7pm, Wednesday, April 15, 2015
  • WHERE:  Chabot Space & Science Center, 1000 Skyline Blvd, Oakland, CA 94619
  • HOW:  Co-produced with Chabot Space & Science and with Ask A Scientist.
  • WHY:  Because we’re curious creatures.
 

Wonderfest works every day to promote the scientific outlook. For as little as $1/month, why not become a Wonderfest Patron? As the Medici family were patrons of popular art in old Italy, you can become a patron of popular science and rationality in the modern Bay Area. (And you’ll get that tax-deduction that the Medici never did!) Please become a regular supporter of Wonderfest, and help enlarge the concept of scientific community.

If you shop at Amazon.com, why not shop at AmazonSmile? It doesn’t cost you a dime extra, selection and prices are the same, and a small percent supports Wonderfest and science!  http://amazon.wonderfest.org.

Watch more videos: http://videos.wonderfest.org

Join us on:
http://facebook.com/wonderfest
http://twitter.com/wonderfest

Future with Bees

Our Future with Bees

/ , , , / , , , , , , , /

Future with BeesBees are amazing critters. They build ideal hexagonal honeycombs; they communicate through dance; and they solve the “traveling salesman” math problem while pollinating $20 billion worth of US crops each year. The world’s bees can improve economic and ecological sustainability, too, if only we let them. We know the vital importance of bees, yet we also know that they are dying off. What does the future human condition look like in a world that incorporates bees into our architecture, healthcare, and everyday lives? Join Noah Wilson-Rich for a dynamic discussion about bees and how they fit into our future.

noah-wilson-rich-wonderfest
Noah Wilson-Rich, PhD, is a behavioral ecologist and beekeeper. He is the author of The Bee: A Natural History (Princeton University Press, 2014) and founder of The Best Bees Company.

 
  • WHAT:  Our Future with Bees
  • WHO: Dr. Noah Wilson-Rich, behavioral ecologist, The Best Bees Company
  • WHEN:7pm, Monday, April 6, 2015
  • WHERE:  PianoFight, 144 Taylor Street, San Francisco (close to BART Civic Center)<http://tinyurl.com/ol8qntj>
  • ADMISSION:   FREE admission.  Please register, below.
  • WHY:  Because we’re curious creatures.

Image Credit: inhibitat.com Snohetta Vulkan Beehive

Wonderfest works every day to promote the scientific outlook. For as little as $1/month, why not become a Wonderfest Patron? As the Medici family were patrons of popular art in old Italy, you can become a patron of popular science and rationality in the modern Bay Area. (And you’ll get that tax-deduction that the Medici never did!) Please become a regular supporter of Wonderfest, and help enlarge the concept of scientific community.

If you shop at Amazon.com, why not shop at AmazonSmile? It doesn’t cost you a dime extra, selection and prices are the same, and a small percent supports Wonderfest and science!  http://amazon.wonderfest.org.

Watch more videos: http://videos.wonderfest.org

Join us on:
http://facebook.com/wonderfest
http://twitter.com/wonderfest

Love in the Time of Facebook

Love in the Time of Facebook

/ , , , / , , , , , /

Facebook is a great way to share news, keep in touch with friends, and make fun of old photos. It’s also a gold mine of information about human relationships. Data scientists have studied the communications of people who change their Facebook relationship status from “Single” to “In a relationship.” We now know how their timeline posts change, and how their use of positive wording (“love,” “nice,” “happy,” etc.) evolve. Aggregate, anonymized Facebook data tells us a lot about the formation of love, its duration, its stages, and the role of other factors like religion and age. Join Facebook scientist Dr. Carlos Diuk as he mines the data to explore love and relationships in the modern era.

  • WHAT:  Love in the Time of Facebook
  • WHO: Dr. Carlos Diuk, Facebook Data Scientist
  • WHEN: 7pm, Wednesday, March 18, 2015
  • WHERE:  Patreon HQ, 230 – 9th Street, San Francisco (close to BART Civic Center) <http://tinyurl.com/lljx2da>
  • HOW:  Purchase $5 tickets via Eventbrite, below. Complimentary snacks & drinks provided by Patreon. Co-produced with Ask a Scientist.
  • WHY:  Because we’re curious creatures.

Wonderfest works every day to promote the scientific outlook. For as little as $1/month, why not become a Wonderfest Patron? As the Medici family were patrons of popular art in old Italy, you can become a patron of popular science and rationality in the modern Bay Area. (And you’ll get that tax-deduction that the Medici never did!) Please become a regular supporter of Wonderfest, and help enlarge the concept of scientific community.

If you shop at Amazon.com, why not shop at AmazonSmile? It doesn’t cost you a dime extra, selection and prices are the same, and a small percent supports Wonderfest and science!  http://amazon.wonderfest.org.

Watch more videos: http://videos.wonderfest.org

Join us on:
http://facebook.com/wonderfest
http://twitter.com/wonderfest

Bad Physics

BAD PHYSICS: Five Common Misconceptions in the Most Basic Science, Jan 13

/ , /

 Bad Physics

From Aristotle to Einstein, great minds have failed to grasp basic ideas in physics. Aristotle thought that all objects naturally prefer to be at rest; Einstein believed that, “God does not play dice.” Both these geniuses were mistaken, and, today, plenty of everyday geniuses continue to misunderstand key ideas in the most basic of the sciences.
 
Please join celebrated* physics teacher Tucker Hiatt in exploring five of the juiciest misconceptions that plague our “common-sense” understanding of the way the universe works:
• The Earth moves through space.
• Nature loves all energies equally.
• Radiation is dangerous.
• Mass can be converted into energy according to E=mc^2.
• God does not play dice.
  • WHAT:  Secrets of the Sleeping Brain
  • WHO: Tucker Hiatt, Wonderfest Executive Director & former Stanford Visiting Scholar
  • WHEN: 7:00 PM, Tuesday, January 13, 2015
  • WHERE:  StrEat Food Park, 428 – 11th Street, San Francisco 94103 <http://goo.gl/maps/u6fVu>
  • HOW:   FREE admission, but please register with Eventbrite. Co-produced with Ask a Scientist (http://www.askascientistsf.com).
  • WHY:  Because we’re curious creatures.

Wonderfest works every day to promote the scientific outlook. For as little as $1/month, why not become a Wonderfest Patron? As the Medici family were patrons of popular art in old Italy, you can become a patron of popular science and rationality in the modern Bay Area. (And you’ll get that tax-deduction that the Medici never did!) Please become a regular supporter of Wonderfest, and help enlarge the concept of scientific community.

If you shop at Amazon.com, why not shop at AmazonSmile? It doesn’t cost you a dime extra, selection and prices are the same, and a small percent supports Wonderfest and science!  http://amazon.wonderfest.org.

Watch more videos: http://videos.wonderfest.org

Join us on:
http://facebook.com/wonderfest
http://twitter.com/wonderfest

Love Among the Neurons

LOVE AMONG THE NEURONS: A Neuroscience Guide to Valentine’s Day – Feb 13

/ , / , , /

Love Among the NeuronsMathematician Blaise Pascal famously wrote, “The heart has reasons that reason cannot comprehend.” Perhaps. But, on Valentine’s Day Eve, and with the expert help of UCSF’s Thomas Lewis, Wonderfest and Ask a Scientist will give comprehension a try.

How did the human race evolve from solitary predators into the intensely social creatures that we are now? Where in the brain can we find the roots of our multiple connections to each other, and how do those connections reverberate within and between us? Join Dr. Thomas Lewis, assistant clinical professor at UCSF and professor at USF’s Fromm Institute, and coauthor of A General Theory of Love, as we explore the nature of togetherness and the multifaceted bonds that connect us.

  • WHAT:  Love Among the Neurons: A Neuroscience Guide to Valentine’s Day
  • WHO: Thomas Lewis, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, UCSF
  • WHEN: 7:00 PM, Friday, Feb 13, 2015
  • WHERE:  StrEat Food Park, 428 – 11th Street, San Francisco 94103 <http://goo.gl/maps/u6fVu>
  • HOW:   FREE admission, but please register with Eventbrite. Co-produced with Ask a Scientist.
  • WHY:  Because we’re curious creatures.

Wonderfest works every day to promote the scientific outlook. For as little as $1/month, why not become a Wonderfest Patron? As the Medici family were patrons of popular art in old Italy, you can become a patron of popular science and rationality in the modern Bay Area. (And you’ll get that tax-deduction that the Medici never did!) Please become a regular supporter of Wonderfest, and help enlarge the concept of scientific community.

If you shop at Amazon.com, why not shop at AmazonSmile? It doesn’t cost you a dime extra, selection and prices are the same, and a small percent supports Wonderfest and science!  http://amazon.wonderfest.org.

Watch more videos: http://videos.wonderfest.org

Join us on:
http://facebook.com/wonderfest
http://twitter.com/wonderfest

Particle Fever

Particle Fever: Film Screening with Special Commentary, Feb 10

/ , / , , /

Particle Fever

“Mind blowing.” – New York Times          “It plays out with all the suspense of a thriller.” – Washington Post

Imagine being able to watch as Edison turned on his first light bulb, or as Franklin received his first jolt of electricity. Particle Fever follows six brilliant scientists during the launch of the Large Hadron Collider, marking the start-up of the biggest and most expensive experiment in the history of the planet, pushing the edge of human innovation.

As they seek to unravel the mysteries of the universe, 10,000 scientists from over 100 countries joined forces in pursuit of a single goal: to recreate conditions that existed just moments after the Big Bang and find the Higgs boson, potentially completing our understanding of ordinary matter. After the film, join producer/physicst/co-star David Kaplan for a discussion of this far-reaching work.
 
  • WHAT: Particle Fever: Film Screening with Special Commentary
  • WHO: David Kaplan, Producer, Physicist, Co-Star
  • WHEN: 6:30 PM, Tuesday, February 10, 2015
  • WHERE: Lucie Stern Theater, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto <http://tinyurl.com/kqp8lfj>
  • HOW: Co-produced with Commonwealth Club Silicon Valley. For full “Member” ticket discount, please follow these instructions:
    1. Visit <http://www.commonwealthclub.org/events/2015-02-10/particle-fever-special-film-screening>.
    2. Add General Admission Member tickets into basket.
    3. Proceed to Check Out page, and enter ticket & credit card info.
    4. For the Member ID, enter wonderfest.
 

Wonderfest works every day to promote the scientific outlook. For as little as $1/month, why not become a Wonderfest Patron? As the Medici family were patrons of popular art in old Italy, you can become a patron of popular science and rationality in the modern Bay Area. (And you’ll get that tax-deduction that the Medici never did!) Please become a regular supporter of Wonderfest, and help enlarge the concept of scientific community.

If you shop at Amazon.com, why not shop at AmazonSmile? It doesn’t cost you a dime extra, selection and prices are the same, and a small percent supports Wonderfest and science! http://amazon.wonderfest.org.

Watch more videos: http://videos.wonderfest.org

Join us on:
http://facebook.com/wonderfest
http://twitter.com/wonderfest

Photo: One of the LHC’s first lead-ion collisions, as recorded by the ALICE detector’s Inner Tracking System.
http://ow.ly/He9II

Secrets of the Sleeping Brain

Secrets of the Sleeping Brain, Dec 12

/ , /

 Secrets of the Sleeping Brain

We spend one third of our lives asleep, yet doctors and scientists still have no complete understanding as to why. It is one of the great scientific mysteries. Sleep researcher and UC Berkeley Professor, Matthew Walker, will describe new discoveries suggesting that sleep is a highly active process, essential for improving brain functions including learning, memory, creativity, and emotional regulation.

 

  • WHAT:  Secrets of the Sleeping Brain
  • WHO: Matthew A. Walker, Associate Professor of Psychology, UC Berkeley
  • WHEN: 8:00 PM, Friday, December 12, 2014 (with wine and light food reception at 7:00 PM)
  • WHERE:  Chabot Space & Science Center, 10000 Skyline Blvd., Oakland CA 94619
  • HOW:  Purchase tickets here: <http://wonderfest.org/sleeping-brain-tickets>
  • WHY:  Because we’re curious creatures.

Wonderfest works every day to promote the scientific outlook. For as little as $1/month, why not become a Wonderfest Patron? As the Medici family were patrons of popular art in old Italy, you can become a patron of popular science and rationality in the modern Bay Area. (And you’ll get that tax-deduction that the Medici never did!) Please become a regular supporter of Wonderfest, and help enlarge the concept of scientific community.

 

Wonderfest works every day to promote the scientific outlook. For as little as $1/month, why not become a Wonderfest Patron? As the Medici family were patrons of popular art in old Italy, you can become a patron of popular science and rationality in the modern Bay Area. http://patreon.com/wonderfest (And you’ll get that tax-deduction that the Medici never did!) Please become a regular supporter of Wonderfest, and help enlarge the concept of scientific community.

This Christmas, shop on Amazon Smile. It doesn’t cost you a dime extra, a small percent will go to support Wonderfest and science!  http://amazon.wonderfest.org.

Watch more videos: http://videos.wonderfest.org

Join us on:
http://facebook.com/wonderfest
http://twitter.com/wonderfest

Gifts of Carl Sagan

Gifts of Carl Sagan

/ , , /

Since its founding in 1997, Wonderfest has been dedicated to the memory of astronomer Carl Sagan, perhaps the greatest science popularizer of the 20th century. We at Wonderfest join thousands of individuals and organizations around the world in celebrating Carl Sagan Day on November 9, 2014, the 80th anniversary of Carl’s birth.
 
Here is a *wonderful* 6-minute audio essay entitled “The Gifts of Carl Sagan.” It is written and spoken by Lauren Becker of the Center for Inquiry (CFI). Ms. Becker first presented it in 2006 on an episode of CFI’s “Point of Inquiry” podcast.

Natalie Batalha, NASA

A Planet for Goldilocks, Sept 5

/ , /

Natalie Batalha, NASA“Not too hot, not too cold” reads the prescription for a world that’s just right for life as we know it. Finding evidence of life beyond Earth is one of the primary goals of science agencies in the United States and abroad. The goal looms closer as a result of discoveries made by NASA’s Kepler Mission. Launched in March 2009, Kepler is exploring the diversity of planets and planetary systems orbiting other stars in the galaxy. Finding inhabited environments is a path of exploration that stretches decades into the future. It begins by determining if Goldilocks planets abound. Dr. Batalha will describe the latest discoveries of NASA’s Kepler Mission and the possibilities for finding inhabited environments in the not-so-distant future.

WHAT:  A Planet for Goldilocks
WHO:  Dr. Natalie Batalha, astrophysicist at NASA Ames Research Center and the Kepler Mission Scientist
WHEN:  7:00pm, Friday, September 5, 2014
WHERE:  Chabot Space & Science Center, 10000 Skyline Blvd., Oakland CA 94619 <http://goo.gl/maps/1ZAj1>
HOW: Produced in collaboration with Ask a Scientist and Chabot Space & Science Center.
WHY:  Because we’re curious creatures.
ADMISSION: Purchase tickets through Chabot: <https://14884.blackbaudhosting.com/14884/page.aspx?pid=196&tab=2&txobjid=ac932ff8-80f1-4d88-b1b3-11be1a248c0f>. But please also register with Wonderfest: <http://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-planet-for-goldilocks-tickets-12860274427>.

Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to Wonderfest to help us promote the scientific outlook. Even a modest gift will make more events like this possible.

 
Are We Alone in the Cosmos?

Are We Alone in the Cosmos? — Oct 27

/ , /

Are We Alone in the Cosmos?When science fiction portrays the galaxy as an arena of interstellar commerce and, occasionally, of star wars, could it be accurate? We now know that billions of hospitable, Earth-like planets are sprinkled throughout our Milky Way Galaxy. Yet billions of short-term searches for ET have turned up nothing. Where is everybody?!  Premier planet hunter Geoff Marcy and expert alien detective Dan Werthimer will debate this most fascinating of scientific questions: Are We Alone in the Cosmos?

After the debate, Paul Salazar, the Urban Astronomer, will be present a brief laser-guided tour of the night sky.

WHAT:  Are We Alone in the Cosmos? science debate
WHO:  Geoff Marcy, Professor of Astronomy, UC Berkeley, and Dan Werthimer, SETI@home Chief Scientist, UC Berkeley
WHEN:  7:30pm, Monday, October 27, 2014
WHERE:  Thurgood Marshall Auditorium, 45 Conkling Street, San Francisco, CA 94124 <http://goo.gl/maps/HwzU6>
HOW: Presented as part of the Bay Area Science Festival.
WHY:  Because we’re curious creatures.
ADMISSION: FREE! But please register with Eventbrite, below.

Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to Wonderfest to help us promote the scientific outlook. Even a modest gift will make more events like this possible.

Image: “Invasion of the Saucer Men” movie poster, 1957

Mind Puzzles Wonderfest

Mind Puzzles

/ , , , /

Mind Puzzles WonderfestWhat if our soundest, most reasonable judgments are beyond our control? Are the feelings of being rational and having free will generated by conscious decisions or involuntary brain mechanisms? Is there a way to resolve the conflict between our innate biology and our traditional beliefs? Dr. Robert A. Burton, author of A Skeptic’s Guide to the Mind, reveals what neuroscience can (and cannot) tell us about ourselves.

Burton Wonderfest

WHAT:  Mind Puzzles
WHO:  Dr. Robert A. Burton, former Chief of Neurology, Mt. Zion UCSF http://www.rburton.com
WHEN:  7:00pm (check-in at 6:30), Wednesday, August 13, 2014
WHERE:  Oshman Family JCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto, CA http://goo.gl/maps/o8jci
HOW: Produced in collaboration with the Commonwealth Club Silicon Valley. For full “Member” ticket discount, please follow these instructions:

1. Visit http://www.commonwealthclub.org/events/2014-08-13/mind-puzzles.
2. Add General Admission Member tickets into basket (2 tickets, max, per transaction).
3. Proceed to the Check Out page, and enter ticket & credit card information.
4. For the Member ID, enter WONDERFEST.

WHY:  Because we’re curious creatures.

 

Join us: Facebook: http://facebook.com/wonderfest | Twitter: http://twitter.com/wonderfest

Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to Wonderfest to help us promote the scientific outlook. Even a modest gift will make more events like this possible: http://patreon.com/wonderfest | http://wonderfest.org/donate

Contribute to Wonderfest when shopping — as you normally do, and with the full selection of merchandise — at Amazon.com.  It doesn’t cost you anything additional, and a percentage goes to us!  Start here: http://amazon.wonderfest.org

 

Image Credit: bobbybobby85 http://ow.ly/zummj

What are you made of?

What Are You Made Of? July 21

/ , /

What are you made of?

Particle Fever is the remarkably popular account of humankind’s deepest exploration into the structure of matter. According to Kenneth Turan of the L.A. Times, Particle Fever is “so mind-bending you can almost feel your brain cells growing,” and it has earned a 95% “Fresh” rating at RottenTomatoes.com. After the screening, UC Berkeley physicist Dr. Surjeet Rajendran will provide insights into the making of the movie AND into the making of … everything else in the universe!

 Particle Fever - WonderfestSurjeet Rajendran Wonderfest

 

WHAT:  What Are You Made Of?  Special screening of 2013’s Particle Fever with expert commentary and Q&A
WHO:  Surjeet Rajendran, Professor of Physics, UC Berkeley
WHEN:  8:30pm, Monday, July 21, 2014
WHERE:  Cameo Cinema, 1340 Main Street, St. Helena, CA 94574 <http://goo.gl/maps/elyxH>
WHY:  Because we’re curious creatures.
TICKETS: https://www.cameocinema.com/ticketing.php

About the image: “The silicon strip tracker of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) nears completion. Shown here are three concentric cylinders, each comprised of many silicon strip detetectors (the bronze-coloured rectangular devices, similar to the CCDs used in digital cameras). These surround the region where the protons collide.” http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/11/large_hadron_collider_ready_to.html

Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to Wonderfest to help us promote the scientific outlook. Even a modest gift will make more events like this possible. 

homo erectus - wonderfest

Whatever Happened to Homo erectus?

/ , , , /

homo erectus - wonderfestWho’s your (ancient) daddy? Did he walk upright? Could he control fire? Did he have a brow ridge that wouldn’t quit?! Then maybe he was a Homo of the erectus — not so sapient — type. Many new Homo erectus specimens have been added to the global repository in the past decades, and many new interpretations have followed. It is more that most can easily digest. Come join professor Henry Gilbert, discoverer of the Daka Homo erectus cranium, to have the Pleistocene evidence of your ancestors’ evolutionary history explained.

WHAT:  Whatever Happened to Homo erectus?
WHO:  Henry Gilbert, Assoc. Professor of Anthropology, CSU East Bay, and Researcher, Human Evolution Research Center, UC Berkeley
WHEN:  7:00pm, Wednesday, August 20, 2014
WHERE:  SoMa StrEat Food Park, 428 – 11th Street, San Francisco
HOW: Produced in collaboration with Ask a Scientist.
WHY:  Because we’re curious.
ADMISSION: FREE – Please register.

Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to Wonderfest to help us promote the scientific outlook. Even a modest gift will make more events like this possible.

Science Comedian Normal Goldblatt

Science Laughs with Norm Goldblatt, July 23

/ , /

Science Comedian Normal GoldblattCome laugh with Dr. Norm Goldblatt, physicist and laser engineer. He’ll take you on a tour of his crazy world that unites left and right brain. Come one come  all, young or old. NOT for geeks only. Everyone will enjoy thinking and giggling. Laugh AT him or WITH him; he doesn’t care.

Norm divides his time between working with light and making light of his work. He has performed at all the local comedy clubs as well as conferences and corporate events. His quips have been published in the San Francisco Chronicle, both in the late great Herb Caen and Leah Garchik columns. His work has been published in prestigious journals such as the ever-popular Physics Today and the Journal of Irreproducible Results. He has appeared on Public Radio’s Science Friday as well as at Wonderfest and the US Science and Engineering Festival in Washington DC. Norm has written jokes for several comics, most notably Jay Leno.

WHAT:  Science Laughs with Norm Goldblatt
WHO:  Norm Goldblatt, Science Comedian http://www.normgoldblatt.com
WHEN:  7:00pm, Wednesday, July 23, 2014
WHERE:  SoMa StEat Food Park, 428 – 11th Street, San Francisco, CA http://somastreatfoodpark.com
WHY:  Because we’re curious creatures.
ADMISSION: FREE – Please register.

Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to Wonderfest to help us promote the scientific outlook. Even a modest gift will make more events like this possible.

Load More