Tucker

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 astronomer Fatima Abdurrahman debunks sci-fi movie tropes and explains exactly what a black hole is, why they're so hard to find, and how we can circumvent that difficulty to find them.
• Stanford neuroscientist Tyler Bonnen explores how an experience becomes a memory. He'll provide a sketch of information processing in the brain — from perceptual encoding to conscious recollection.

In the last decade, the commissioning of new observatories (both on Earth and in space) and the development of new techniques for analyzing large datasets (including the application of deep learning) have allowed dramatic advancements in our understanding of extrasolar planets. This talk will explore how exoplanets are formed, what techniques allow their discovery, and why they have been fundamental to understanding our place in the Universe.

Our speaker, Dr. Megan Ansdell, is a Postdoctoral Fellow at UC Berkeley's Center for Integrative Planetary Sciences.

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 biologist Daniel Friedman discusses how ants have conquered the world through their use of collective (emergent, colony-level) behavior.
• UC Berkeley physicist Yi-Chuan Lu explores how a thin layer of air generates a beautiful blue sky and reveals a process of radiation transfer that is responsible for our warming climate.

Einstein's vision of gravity has shaped our understanding of the universe for 100 years. Chasing Einstein is a new documentary that follows Nobel laureates and six other physicists to the LIGO gravity wave detector, to the CERN particle accelerator, and beyond in order to better understand gravity and the cosmos. Following a special Science On Screen presentation of Chasing Einstein, its producer/director Steve Brown will discuss Einstein's cosmic legacy — and future — with UC Berkeley physicist Robert McGehee.

Robert McGehee is a PhD candidate in theoretical physics at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a Wonderfest Science Envoy, as well. When not enlightening the public, he reinterprets experimental data so as to determine what the mysterious stuff called dark matter (80% of the material universe!) can and cannot be.

Humans love certainty, intuitive explanations, and discovering patterns. Yet our world is complicated and filled with randomness. Statistical thinking provides us with practical tools for making sense of an uncertain world. It can lead us to make surprising conclusions from the data of everyday life. And it also teaches us humility in the face of uncertainty.

Our speaker, Dr. Jacob Bien, is Associate Professor of Statistics at the University of Southern California. He is also a founding member of Wonderfest's Board of Directors.

First Man is 2018's Oscar-winning dramatization of events — and emotions — leading up to the Apollo 11 Moon mission in 1969. Following a special Science on Screen showing of First Man at St. Helena's Cameo Cinema, Wonderfest presents expert analysis of those events and emotions by NASA Mission Control insider Jay Trimble, and by The Apollo Chronicles author Brandon Brown.

Jay P. Trimble is Founder and Lead at Open Mission Control Technologies, NASA Ames Research Center. Brandon R. Brown, PhD, is Professor of Physics & Astronomy, University of San Francisco.

David Sloan Wilson is one of Earth's foremost evolutionary biologists. His new book, This View of Life: Completing the Darwinian Revolution, "moves us in the direction of sustainable living at all scales ... with the compass of evolutionary theory." Professor Wilson will be in conversation with another of the planet's research luminaries, neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky.

David Sloan Wilson is Distinguished Professor of Biological Sciences and Anthropology at Binghamton University; he is also co-founder of the Evolution Institute. Robert Sapolsky is Professor of Biology, Neurology, and Neurosurgery at Stanford University; he received Wonderfest's 2008 Carl Sagan Prize for Science Popularization.

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 computational cognitive scientist Rachel Jansen on What Is Math?  How is it that math summons feelings of anxiety—and even fear—for some, while others hold it in the highest esteem?
• Stanford computer scientist Andrey Kurenkov on What Are Present-Day AI Researchers Actually Doing?  How can recent, cutting-edge achievements give us the right (or wrong!) idea about what constitutes artificial intelligence?

NASA's recent Kepler Mission discovered that most stars in our Milky Way Galaxy host planets. Among those planets, Earth-size worlds are remarkably common. But the conditions for planets around their host stars vary with both distance from the star and mass of the star. Astronomer Gibor Basri will explore the issues surrounding habitability — the ability to support life — for planets and space around ALL types of stars.

Dr. Gibor Basri is Professor of Astronomy at UC Berkeley. In 2016, he received Wonderfest's Carl Sagan Prize for Science Popularization. 

NASA's recent Kepler Mission gave us good reason to believe that the Milky Way Galaxy is home to billions of habitable worlds. Of course, "habitable" does not mean inhabited, far less intelligent. In this Wonderfest presentation, science writer Michael Wall will discuss the big questions that permeate humankind's search for extraterrestrial intelligence: What are we looking for? How are we looking? How would the world respond to confirmed contact? Dr. Wall will also discuss the long view of human space travel — our effort to get out there, in the flesh.

Michael Wall, PhD, is Senior Writer for Space.com. His recent book is "Out There: A Scientific Guide to Alien Life, Antimatter, and Human Space Travel (for the Cosmically Curious)."

Despite its universal scope (every little thing) and precision (better than 10 parts per billion), quantum physics retains profound mysteries. What is really going on down there in the heart of matter?! Atom interferometers are instruments that rely on the quantum "wave nature" of matter for measurements of fundamental constants AND for use as super-sensitive detectors of acceleration, rotation, and gravity. This talk will explore the importance of atom interferometers in probing the quantum realm.

Our speaker, Eric Copenhaver, is a physicist at both UC Berkeley and Stanford. He is also a Wonderfest "Science Envoy," trained in — and reveling in — crystal-clear science communication.

Archaeology, the study of human history & prehistory through analysis of physical remains, is embracing modern technology. Advances in digital imaging and mobile capabilities are transforming the ways archaeology is practiced, experienced, and understood. This talk will explore remarkable breakthroughs in archaeology by visiting exemplar field projects from around the world, and discuss modern efforts for both sharing and saving our collective past.

Our speaker, Dr. Michael Ashley, has worked to modernize dozens of archaeological projects worldwide. He is Founder & President of Codifi, Inc., and he helps to lead the nonprofit Center for Digital Archaeology.

After Michael Crichton, but before Andy Weir, there was — and is — sci-tech thriller writer James Rollins. This New York Times #1 bestselling author has been featuring cutting-edge science and technology in his novels for 20 years. In his latest work, Crucible, Rollins explores how groundbreaking research in artificial intelligence may shine light onto the Spanish Inquisition and medieval witchcraft. Wonderfest joins BookShop West Portal in presenting James Rollins on A.I. in Crucible.

Our speaker, Steve Palumbi, is one of the planet's leading marine scientists. He is Director of the Hopkins Marine Station and Professor of Marine Science at Stanford University. He'll be joined by his son, author Anthony Palumbi.

• UC Berkeley astronomer Deepthi Gorthi on "The Cold Boiling Universe" — How, when, and why was the entire cosmos "boiling" not too long ago?
• UC Berkeley physicist Robert McGehee on "Illuminating Dark Matter" — What is the invisible stuff that constitutes over 80%(!) of the material universe?

Researchers have shown that an assortment of CRISPR proteins can be programmed to cut any sequence of DNA. The ability to precisely edit the genome of nearly any organism has revolutionized biology, medicine, and agriculture. From curing deadly genetic disorders to engineering drought-resistant plants, CRISPR genome editing technology will reshape modern medicine and equip us with tools to cope with a changing planet. UC Berkeley biophysicist Kevin Doxzen will unravel this groundbreaking technology and outline pressing questions that now confront society.