Laser Micro-imaging; Mental Time Travel – Mar 24
Wonderfest Science Envoys are early-career researchers with special communication skills and aspirations. Following short talks on provocative modern science topics, these two Science Envoys will answer questions with insight and enthusiasm:
• UC Berkeley physicist Jeske Dioquino on “Laser Micro-imaging” — With the help of the electron microscope, researchers are taking pictures of some of nature’s smallest biological structures. To improve the contrast in these images, allowing us to study even smaller structures, a high-intensity laser joins the fray.
• Stanford neurobiologist Marc Harrison on “Mental Time Travel” — As we grow older, our ability to mentally time travel via episodic memory begins to change. Recent advances that utilize biomarkers of disease states, in combination with neuroimaging, have opened exciting new doors in the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease.
This event is FREE. But what value do these science insights have FOR YOU? Accordingly, please use the space below to contribute to nonprofit Wonderfest, and help to promote the scientific outlook broadly — as through our outstanding Science Envoy Program.
Gene Editing & The Future – Mar 17
UC Berkeley biochemist Jennifer Doudna is “The Code Breaker” in historian Walter Isaacson’s new book. Doudna and colleagues created the phenomenal CRISPR gene editing tool, with unparalleld promise (and peril) to transform life on Earth. In humans, CRISPR facilitates DNA decoding — and engineering — that can make us less susceptible to viruses, promote muscle growth, enhance IQ, etc. (That’s a potent et cetera !)
Doudna won the 2020 Nobel Prize for her CRISPR research. Earlier, in 2017, she earned Wonderfest’s Carl Sagan Prize for her science outreach. In The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race, Walter Isaacson extends and deepens Doudna’s “reach” with a compelling account of her truly revolutionary discovery.
Wonderfest joins The Commonwealth Club in presenting historian & biographer Walter Isaacson, in conversation with Kishore Hari. Isaacson has written 11 books including biographies of Leonardo, Einstein, and Jobs. He has been the President and CEO of the Aspen Institute, the Chair and CEO of CNN, and the editor of Time magazine.
Via the "Tickets" link below, enter data for GENERAL ADMISSION; then secure a $10 discount with code WONDERFESTPROMO; then enter "Contact" data; finally, "Checkout" with payment. Review your order, and click "Submit." You will receive a Commonwealth Club email with instructions and a live-stream link.
Woman In Motion – Mar 15
Hailing frequencies open! Woman in Motion (2019) tells the inspiring story of Nichelle Nichols, recipient of NASA’s Public Service Award and portrayer of Lt. Uhura, Communications Officer for the glorious starship Enterprise (2019 + 2.5 centuries). Movie Nation’s Roger Moore says that this compelling documentary “underscores Nichols’ undeniable contribution to broadening NASA’s horizons and drumming up interest in STEM education among minority students all over America.” Moore also describes the film as “warm, sentimental, and delightful … transcending its natural ‘Star Trek’ fan appeal.” Alongside the movie, in a livestream video that starts at 8pm PST, we’ll enjoy the insights of another woman in motion: planetary scientist Erin Redwing will describe her own “search for new (solar system) life” through research at the University of California.
Erin Redwing is a 4th-year PhD student in Earth and Planetary Science at UC Berkeley. She has done research at Keck and Lick observatories, and has aided exploration at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab and Goddard Space Flight Center. Erin is also a Wonderfest Science Envoy.
Erin Redwing, UC Berkeley
Pre-order a ticket for Woman In Motion via the "Tickets" link, below. Then, on the Ides of March (3/15), starting at 12:15am PDT, you'll have 72 hours to start watching. At 8:00pm on that Monday, consult the same "Tickets" link to join the livestream with Erin Redwing. The movie and recorded livestream can viewed any time until March 19th at 1:15am.
Life’s Edge – Mar 10
At least since physicist Irwin Schrödinger published “What Is Life?” (1944), the popular imagination has struggled alongside scientific exploration to recognize what is alive, and what isn’t. The question hangs over some of society’s most charged conflicts — whether a fertilized egg is a living person, and when we ought to declare a person legally dead. We even wonder if we can create life in the lab, and we certainly hope our billion-dollar interplanetary probes know how to look for it in space. This is the subject of Carl Zimmer’s brand new book, Life’s Edge: The Search for What It Means to Be Alive.
Wonderfest joins The Commonwealth Club in presenting science writer Carl Zimmer, in conversation with CalMatter’s Rachel Becker. Zimmer has written 14 books (including two biology textbooks), numerous essays (for The New York Times, Discover, National Geographic, and more), and he is an adjunct professor in Yale University’s Department of Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry.
Prescribed Burns; Exploding Stars–Mar2
Wonderfest Science Envoys are early-career researchers with special communication skills and aspirations. Following short talks on provocative modern science topics, these two Science Envoys will answer questions with insight and enthusiasm:
- Stanford evironmental scientist Rebecca Miller on "Prescribed Burns in California" — Over the past several years, California has experienced record-breaking wildfire seasons. Recent wildfires have prompted important policy conversations about prescribed burns, fires that are purposefully set to remove ground vegetation and reduce fire risks. What are the challenges that have prevented us from using prescribed burns in California, and how might we wisely expand the use of this valuable fuel treatment?
- UC Berkeley astrophysicist Kishore Patra on "Exploding Stars" — The atoms in everything around us — the oxygen in the air, the carbon in our bodies, the gold in our jewelry — were forged in stellar furnaces. We owe our very existence to stars that died in cataclysmic explosions known as supernovae. What is the cosmic story of our elemental origins? What do we know about supernovae, and how do astronomers study them?
What value do these science insights have FOR YOU? Accordingly, please use the space below to contribute to nonprofit Wonderfest, and help to promote the scientific outlook broadly — as through the outstanding Science Envoy Program.
The Most Famous Equation – Feb 24
Around the world, people recognize that E=mc^2 oozes cosmic insight. But what does this "most famous equation" really say? What are energy and mass? And what makes the speed of light, c, so important? [Hint: mass, moving at speed c, doesn't turn into energy!] Using little more than common experience and middle-school math, Einstein's "special relativity" gem can come to life — with surprising insights into the nature of reality.
Speaker Tucker Hiatt, founding director of Wonderfest, has taught physics for a looong time. In 2006, he won the Amgen Award for Science Teaching Excellence, and, from 2008 to 2014, he was a Visiting Scholar in the Stanford Chemistry Department.
Tucker Hiatt
If you expect these E=mc^2 insights to have value FOR YOU, please consider contributing to Wonderfest, accordingly, via the Eventbrite "donation" space below.
Speaker Tucker Hiatt, founding director of Wonderfest, has taught physics for a looong time. In 2006, he won the Amgen Award for Science Teaching Excellence, and, from 2008 to 2014, he was a Visiting Scholar in the Stanford Chemistry Department.
AI Collaboration; Coral Survival – Feb 21
Wonderfest Science Envoys are early-career researchers with special communication skills and aspirations. Following short talks on provocative modern science topics, these two Science Envoys will answer questions with insight and enthusiasm:
What value do these science insights have FOR YOU? Accordingly, please use the space below to contribute to nonprofit Wonderfest, and help to promote the scientific outlook broadly — as through this outstanding Science Envoy Program.
Neurobiology; Astrobiology – Feb 10
Wonderfest Science Envoys are early-career researchers with special communication skills and aspirations. Following short talks on provocative modern science topics, these two Science Envoys will answer questions with insight and enthusiasm:
What value do these science insights have FOR YOU? Please contribute to Wonderfest accordingly, and help to promote the scientific outlook broadly — as through this outstanding Science Envoy Program — in the space below .
Exoplanets & Alien Life – Jan 29
Humanity has looked up at the stars for millennia and wondered whether we’re alone in the Universe. Yet only in the past few decades have we begun to discover planets outside our Solar System: to date, we’ve found over 4,000 such “exoplanets.” Further, we have statistical reasons to believe that roughly one billion exoplanets — in our Galaxy alone — are promising abodes for life. Come learn about exoplanets and the exciting search for Earth-like and potentially habitable worlds.
Our speaker, Andy Mayo, is a PhD student and researcher in the UC Berkeley Astronomy Department. He is also a Wonderfest Science Envoy.
Andrew Mayo
What value will these insights have for you? Via the Eventbrite portal below, please consider a donation to nonprofit Wonderfest in accord with this value.
Deepfake Detection – Jan 20
Computer vision systems now surpass the performance of human experts in fields like radiology and dermatology. Can they also help us discern real videos from deepfakes — videos manipulated by artificial intelligence? This Zoom presentation will provide an overview of the state-of-the-art machine-learning models for detecting deepfakes. It will also present evidence that reveals how most people are more accurate at spotting deepfakes than the best machine-learning models. We will examine results of a recent experiment suggesting that humanity’s specialized ability for recognizing faces lies at the heart of our superior performance. (No face shown above belongs to a real person!)
Our speaker, MIT’s Matthew Groh, is a PhD student and research assistant at the MIT Media Lab where he is a member of the Affective Computing Group. Before MIT, Matt cofounded Proprio Labs, worked as a data scientist at Qadium, RaiseMe, and DARPA, and was a research assistant at Innovations for Poverty Action and the World Bank.
Matthew Groh
What value does this admission-free experience have for you? Accordingly, please contribute to nonprofit Wonderfest via the Eventbrite portal, below.
Madame Curie – Dec 21-23
"Nothing in life is to be feared; it is only to be understood." - M. Curie
Wonderfest is delighted to present Madame Curie, a new musical-theater tribute to Earth's most accomplished female scientist. As Maria Sklodowska was becoming Marie Curie, she emigrated 1000 miles from Poland to France, overcame xenophobia and sexism, and pioneered our understanding of radioactivity. In the process, she earned Nobel prizes (plural!) in physics and chemistry, and treated — directly and indirectly — over a million WWI soldiers with her mobile X-ray units.
"I have frequently been questioned, especially by women, regarding how I could reconcile family life with a scientific career. Well, it has not been easy." - M. Curie
Madame Curie brings to life the story and spirit of a revolutionary. It features a compelling narrative, beautiful music, and eleven experienced actors who sheltered in their respective homes during recording! Fully orchestrated in the Rodgers and Hammerstein tradition, Madame Curie will revive your love of science, and it will especially inspire young women to heed their call to the passionate exploration of Nature.
"All my life through, the new sights of Nature made me rejoice like a child." - M. Curie
Music and Libretto by David Kurkowski [https://www.curiethemusical.com]
Produced by Cate Cammarata [https://createtheater.com]
Madame Curie's YouTube Premiere took place on the evening of December 21st. This musical experience will continue to be available at the Wonderfest Science YouTube channel through the morning of December 24th. Simply visit the webaddress above for an inspiring start to your next revolution of the Sun ... with a revolutionary!
COVID Perspectives – Dec 9
We are confronting a challenging Pandemic paradox. Just as vaccines have begun to show promise and new coordinated policies provide a sense of optimism, the virus onslaught rages uncontained producing a wave of death and disease exceeding anything we have seen. Stanford virus expert Dr. Bob Siegel will discuss humanity’s year-long struggle with COVID-19: where we are now, how we got here, and where we might be heading. He will discuss the unusual biology of SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses, and he will identify some key unanswered questions. Dr. Siegel will also respond to audience queries pertaining to all things viral.
Robert Siegel, MD/PhD, is Professor of Microbiology & Immunology at Stanford University. Bob has won more than a dozen awards for his teaching at Stanford, and he has served as Wonderfest Advisor for nearly twenty years.
Dr. Robert Siegel
Before joining with the Zoom link above, please make a Wonderfest contribution — via the Eventbrite portal below — commensurate with the value this event has for you.
Cultural Intelligence? – Dec 3
How can we explain humanity's extraordinary evolutionary success? In this talk, psychologist Jan Engelmann will explain and explore a series of experimental studies comparing humans to one of our closest living relatives, chimpanzees. He will argue and present evidence that — maybe surprisingly — humans are not individually but are collectively smarter than other animals. Counterintuitively, our cooperative nature also gives rise to novel and powerful forms of competition among individuals and whole groups.
Jan Engelmann is Assistant Professor of Psychology at UC Berkeley. Dr. Engelmann earned his PhD at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, and has received numerous awards and grants for his research.
Dr. Jan Engelmann
Please take part in this admission-free event via the Zoom link ("WHERE") above. And please consider contributing to Wonderfest, below, in accord with the value this experience has for you.
N~1: Alone in the Milky Way – Oct 24
The Drake Equation famously “quantifies our ignorance" regarding the number, N, of technological civilizations in our galaxy. Even though planets are plentiful, and even though life may be a natural — even common — product of cosmic chemistry, we may truly be the only galactic civilization capable of interstellar communication. I.e., perhaps N~1.
Our speaker, Pascal Lee, is a planetary scientist at the SETI Institute, and co-founder of the Mars Institute. During the video premiere of "N~1: Alone in the Milky Way," Dr. Lee will answer questions in the YouTube "chat" bar. Live Q&A will continue, immediately afterward, via Google "Meet."
Dr. Pascal Lee
This event is co-produced by Wonderfest and the Mount Tamalpais Astronomy Program. Visit the Mt Tam Astronomy YouTube channel ("WHERE" link, above) to set a reminder for the YouTube Premiere on Saturday, October 24th. One week thereafter, the video can be viewed at the Wonderfest Science YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/wonderfestscience.
BTW, if you benefit from science events like this, please donate accordingly — via the inaptly-named "Tickets" box below — to help nonprofit Wonderfest share the scientific outlook.
Share the Night Sky – Oct 22
Join San Francisco's "Urban Astronomer" Paul Salazar and KPOO's DJ Marilynn for a VIRTUAL guided tour of the glorious night sky.
Just find a dark, unobstructed view of the sky, and tune into KPOO-FM (89.5 MHz) or visit <https://kpoo.com/stream> with a smart phone. Then, look upward and let SF's Urban Astronomer guide you toward the setting Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn in the west, and then toward Mars, the Pleiades star cluster, and the Andromeda Galaxy in the east. (Folks stuck indoors or under clouds can participate "virtually" via a free astronomy app such as SkyView Lite.) Stargazing households congregating in backyards and socially-distanced strangers on sidewalks will feel united by the grandeur — and the wonder — of the night sky.
SF Urban Astronomer Paul Salazar w/ DJ Marilynn
Night Sky Network, administered by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific [https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov]
Mt Tam Astronomy Program [http://www.mttamastronomy.org]
San Francisco Amateur Astronomers [https://www.sfaa-astronomy.org]
From a dark location with a clear view of the sky, use a radio or Internet-ready phone to tune into the KPOO-FM broadcast (89.5 MHz) or live-stream (https://kpoo.com/stream).
This event is part of the Bay Area Science Festival. Big thanks to Andy Fraknoi, former Chair of the Foothill College Astronomy Department (and 1st recipient of Wonderfest's Sagan Prize!), for inspiration.
Seeking Alien Civilizations – Oct 17
A search is underway to find intelligent life in the universe. Can SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) researchers detect radio, infrared, or optical signals from other civilizations? Current and future SETI projects, including the new $100-million Breakthrough Prize Foundation "Listen" project, may provide an answer.
UC Berkeley astronomer Dan Werthimer, Chief Scientist at Berkeley SETI Research Center, will describe the rationale for past and future searches, and will show how new technologies are revolutionizing SETI. Dan is the 2019 recipient of Wonderfest's Carl Sagan Prize for Science Popularization.
Dan Werthimer
This Zoom online gathering will begin with collective viewing of the new Wonderfest video entitled "Are We Alone? — Seeking Alien Civilizations" by Dan Werthimer. Then, Dan will answer juicy extraterrestrial questions posed by the Zoom audience.
This online event is produced in collaboration with the Alameda Free Library, Castro Valley Educational Foundation, and Castro Valley Science. Please consider contributing to Wonderfest's science outreach efforts via the inaptly named "Tickets" box, below.
Critical Thinking – Sep 29
"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure, and the intelligent are full of doubt." So said philosopher, mathematician, and Nobel laureate (in literature!) Bertrand Russell. Indeed, overconfidence leads us to delude ourselves with wishful thinking, take too many risks, and waste time on doomed ventures. Under-confidence dissuades us from taking risks and pursuing ventures that can enrich life in so many ways. Psychological evidence and insight help us to thread the needle between foolhardy overconfidence and stultifying under-confidence.
Wonderfest joins the Commonwealth Club in presenting UC Berkeley's Donald Moore, Mitchell Chair in Leadership at the Haas School of Business, in conversation with Patrick O'Reilly, Chair of the Commonwealth Club's Psychology Forum. Dr. Moore's latest book is Perfectly Confident: How to Calibrate Your Decisions Wisely.
Dr. Donald Moore
Register for this FREE online event via the Commonwealth Club weblink, above. Registration ends one hour before event begins.
Please consider supporting Wonderfest's science outreach work via the inaptly name "Tickets" box, below.
What is AI? – Sep 3
The artificial intelligence (AI) that we've seen in fiction bears little resemblance to the AI we have in the real world. Stanford PhD researcher Andrey Kurenkov will analyze the real-world meaning of AI, describe what researchers in AI actually do, and explore how impressive — or not — recent AI achievements really are.
Andrey Kurenkov does research at Stanford's Vision and Learning Lab. He produces the weekly Skynet Today newsletter ("Putting AI News in Perspective"), and he is a Wonderfest Science Envoy. Andrey will answer questions during the video premiere via the YouTube "chat" bar, and afterward, via live Zoom session.
Andrey Kurenkov
Map: [https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89677333093]
First, at 8:00pm, watch the YouTube video Premiere of "What is AI?" as Andrey Kurenkov answers questions via the YouTube chat bar: https://youtu.be/h5vpSfB5l3o
Then, immediately after the video, log in to a LIVE Zoom Q&A session with Andrey: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89677333093
Please consider helping Wonderfest to produce events like this — sharing the clear-eyed optimism of science with the Bay Area ... and the world — via the inaptly named "Tickets" block, below.
Galactic Weather – Aug 22
Just as Earth has an atmosphere, and stars (like the Sun) have coronas, galaxies are embedded in invisible halos of atomic gases. As galaxies evolve, these gaseous halos exhibit many interesting phenomena similar to rains and droughts on Earth. What do these enormous galactic climate systems look like, how are they studied, and how do they behave?
Our speaker, Dr. Yong Zheng, earned her astronomy PhD at Columbia University, and is now a Miller posdoctoral scholar in the UC Berkeley Astronomy Department. During the video Premiere of "Galactic Weather," Dr. Zheng will answer questions in the YouTube "chat" bar. Live Q&A will continue, immediately afterward, via Google "Meet."
Dr. Yong Zheng
This event is co-produced by Wonderfest and the Mount Tamalpais Astronomy Program. In mid-August, when the "Galactic Weather" video is formally posted, visit the Mt Tam Astronomy YouTube channel ("WHERE" link, above) to set a reminder for the actual Premiere on Saturday, August 22nd. Thereafter, the video can be viewed at the Wonderfest Science YouTube channel: <https://www.youtube.com/wonderfestscience>.
BTW, if you benefit from science events like this, please donate accordingly — via the inaptly-named "Tickets" box below — to help nonprofit Wonderfest share the scientific outlook.
The Very First Stars – July 25
The Big Bang Theory, describing the origin of our universe, is very well established today. We have ample evidence that the universe originated from a hot "singularity," then expanded and cooled over time. Nevertheless, there is still a missing piece of the cosmic puzzle: How did the first stars form?! This presentation will explore the observational challenges we face in answering such a fundamental question.
Our speaker, Deepthi Gorthi, is a 5th-year doctoral researcher in the UC Berkeley Astronomy Department. She is also a Wonderfest Science Envoy. During the video Premiere of "The Very First Stars," Deepthi will answer questions in the YouTube "chat" bar. Live Q&A will continue, immediately afterward, via Google "Meet."
Deepthi Gorthi
This event is co-produced by Wonderfest and the Mount Tamalpais Astronomy Program. In mid-July, when the "First Stars" video Premiere event is formally posted, visit the Mt Tam Astronomy YouTube channel ("WHERE" link, above) to set a reminder for the actual Premiere on Saturday, July 25th. Thereafter, the video can be viewed at the Wonderfest Science YouTube channel: <https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCccr2q6IgFSOglvh66VFSLw>.
BTW, what value will this admission-free event have FOR YOU? Please donate accordingly — via the inaptly-named "Tickets" box below — to help nonprofit Wonderfest share the scientific outlook.