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Insect Encounters – Aug 26

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Dr. Vernard Lewis first encountered insects as a child, capturing grasshoppers and ants in California’s central valley. Since then, he has traveled to fifty countries to discuss many creepy-crawlies, sometimes as a member of the United Nations Global Termite Expert Group. This Wonderfest event offers a rather personal account of a bug-rich life, including oakworm adventures on Mt. Tamalpais, and (tiny) pest removal at San Quentin Prison. Dr. Lewis will share “field experiences” with termites, with bedbugs, with cockroaches, and with courtrooms (as an expert witness). He will also display real insects — both dead and alive — and the damage they can do.

Our Wonderfest speaker is Vernard Lewis, Cooperative Extension Specialist (emeritus) at UC Berkeley. Dr. Lewis has earned three degrees in entomology, and is a global authority on termites.


Dr. Vernard Lewis

WHAT: My Weird Encounters with Insects
WHO: Dr. Vernard Lewis, Cooperative Extension Specialist, Emeritus [https://ourenvironment.berkeley.edu/people/vernard-lewis]
WHERE: HopMonk Tavern, 114 Vintage Way, Novato CA 94945 [https://www.hopmonk.com/novato]
WHEN: Tuesday, August 26, 2025 — 7pm (1.5 hr)
HOW: This event is free and unticketed ... and valuable. But what value does it have FOR YOU (and, indirectly, for society)? Accordingly, please use the DONATE button (below) to support Wonderfest in its nonprofit mission to share the scientific outlook.
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FusionEnergy

Fusion Energy – Aug 12

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Fusion research aims to bring sun-like energy production safely to Earth. Recent advances have been momentous, including scientific breakthroughs at Lawrence Livermore Lab’s National Ignition Facility, where Earth’s most energetic lasers drive hydrogen atoms to fuse in a controlled thermonuclear reaction. What challenges remain as we work to put the world’s first fusion power plant on the grid?

Our Wonderfest speaker is Ellie Tubman, Assistant Professor of Nuclear Engineering at UC Berkeley. Dr. Tubman was Research Associate at the UK’s Imperial College, London.


Dr. Ellie Tubman

WHAT: The Future of Fusion Energy on Tap
WHO: Dr. Ellie Tubman, Asst. Professor of Nuclear Engineering
WHERE: HopMonk Tavern, 224 Vintage Way, Novato CA 94945 [https://www.hopmonk.com/novato]
WHEN: Tuesday, August 12, 2005 — 7pm (1.5 hr)
HOW: This event is free and unticketed ... and valuable. But what value does it have FOR YOU (and, indirectly, for society)? Accordingly, please use the DONATE button (below) to support Wonderfest in its nonprofit mission to share the scientific outlook.
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QuantumGravity1

Quantum Gravity – July 29

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By allowing space and time to bend, Einstein’s theory of gravity, General Relativity, explains how apples fall, how planets move, how the universe expands, and how black holes form. Quantum Mechanics, on the other hand, describes subatomic physics — in a very different language that seems incompatible with General Relativity. Yet, unlike any other classical theory in physics, General Relativity “knows” about Quantum Mechanics. Einstein’s theory allows us to compute how many quantum states a black hole has, and how much quantum information fits in the universe. Somewhat like an oracle, it has revealed to us profound properties of quantum theory that have since been rigorously proven. Amazingly, gravity encodes quantum information using sophisticated tools that are central to emerging quantum technologies.

Our Wonderfest speaker is Raphael Bousso, Professor of Physics at UC Berkeley. Dr. Bousso leads the Bousso Group at the Berkeley Center for Theoretical Physics.


Dr. Raphael Bousso

WHAT: Gravity as a Quantum Computer
WHO: Dr. Raphael Bousso, Professor of Physics, UC Berkeley [https://lightsheet.berkeley.edu]
WHERE: HopMonk Tavern, 224 Vintage Way, Novato CA 94945 [https://www.hopmonk.com/novato]
WHEN: Tuesday, July 29, 2025 — 7pm (1.5 hr)
HOW: This event is free and unticketed ... and valuable. But what value does it have FOR YOU (and, indirectly, for society)? Accordingly, please use the DONATE button (below) to support Wonderfest in its nonprofit mission to share the scientific outlook.
Donate