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AstroForEarth

Astronomy for Earth – June 20

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The past few decades of astronomical discovery have been breathtaking: thirty years of awe-inspiring images from two Space Telescopes (Hubble & Webb), thousands of planets found circling nearby stars, mind-bending and spacetime-bending gravity waves and, quite recently, a stunning image of the black hole at the center of the Milky Way. What is the value of all of these discoveries? Can learning about our place in the Universe inspire us, as Carl Sagan put it, to preserve and cherish the Pale Blue Dot?

Our speaker, Dr. Adrienne Cool, is Professor of Physics & Astronomy at San Francisco State University. She is also co-founder of Astronomers for Planet Earth, an international organization working to address climate change from a cosmic perspective.


Dr. Adrienne Cool

WHAT: Astronomy for Planet Earth
WHO: Dr. Adrienne Cool, Professor of Physics & Astronomy [https://astronomersforplanet.earth]
WHERE: HopMonk Tavern, 224 Vintage Way, Novato CA 94945 [https://www.hopmonk.com/novato]
WHEN: 2023-06-20 — 7pm, Tuesday, June 20 (1.5 hour)
HOW:

Since Wonderfest is COVID-cautious, consider wearing a mask; the warm feeling of Wondernaut(!) camaraderie radiates through masks and across wide seat-spacing.

This event is FREE and unticketed ... and valuable. But what value does it have for you? Accordingly please consider a donation to nonprofit Wonderfest via the Eventbrite window, below.


Starstruck

Starstruck – June 8

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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.


Sarafina El-Badry Nance

WHAT: Starstruck: Finding Light in the Dark
WHO: Sarafina El-Badry Nance, Astrophysicist and Science Communicator [https://starafina.com]
WHERE: Commonwealth Club, 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, AND online
WHEN: 2023-06-08 — 5:30pm PDT, Thu, June 8 (1 hour)
HOW:

Purchase tickets for either the in-person OR online event via the Commonwealth Club "Tickets" link, below. Near the bottom of the ticketing "Checkout" webpage, use discount code WonderfestPromo for $10 off in-person and virtual tickets. This discount will bring the virtual ticket price to a nicely round figure of ZERO dollars.


Collaborators:
Commonwealth Club of California
TICKETS:
https://www.commonwealthclub.org/events/2023-06-08/sarafina-el-badry-nance-discovering-cosmos
32-Sounds

32 SOUNDS – June 4

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Wonderfest joins St. Helena's Cameo Cinema to present a Science on Screen special: 32 SOUNDS, from documentary filmmaker Sam Green, is "a meditation on the power of sound to bend time, cross borders, and profoundly shape our percetion of the world around us." Rolling Stone's David Fear calls 32 SOUNDS "the greatest documentary you've ever heard." Immediately following the screening, musician Jack Conte and otolaryngologist Dr. Lois Montague will offer additonal insights and answer questions regarding our sonic realm.

Jack Conte is a musician and a Wonderfest Science Ambassador. His creations currently enhance the work of musical groups Pomplamoose, Scary Pockets, and Magaziine. Dr. G. Lois Montague is a head and neck surgeon practicing in Napa since 2017. Her medical training includes residency at the University of Chicago and fellowship training in pediatric otolaryngology at UC San Francisco.


Jack Conte & Dr. Lois Montague

WHAT: 32 SOUNDS - Exploring Our Sonic Realm
WHO: Jack Conte & Dr. Lois Montague
WHERE: Cameo Cinema, 1340 Main Street, St. Helena, CA 94574 [https://www.cameocinema.com]
WHEN: 2023-06-04 — 2pm, Sunday, June 4th (2.5 hr)
HOW:

Please purchase tickets via the Cameo Cinema link, below.


TICKETS:
https://ticketing.uswest.veezi.com/purchase/3553?siteToken=ngdcybs2pe7aqsn3zewdgzctjm
WorldInSand

World in a Sandgrain – May 30

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Might modern geology offer insight into the poetry of William Blake?

To see a world in a grain of sand
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour.
 
By some measures, modern geology has pushed our knowledge of Earth's birthdate backward in time by a factor of a million: from 4,000 BCE to 4,000,000,000 BCE! Detrital zircon geochronology is a geological dating technique that affords insights into the structure and origin of planet Earth’s diverse components. Even locally, including on Mount Tamalpais, the rocks are speaking to us. Can we really see a world in a grain of sand?
 
Our speaker, Dr. Owen Anfinson, is Associate Professor of Geology at the Sonoma County campus of California State University.

Dr. Owen Anfinson

WHAT: To See a World in a Grain of Sand
WHO: Dr. Owen Anfinson, Associate Professor of Geology, Sonoma State University
WHERE: HopMonk Tavern, 224 Vintage Way, Novato, CA 94945 [https://www.hopmonk.com/novato]
WHEN: 2023-05-30 — 7pm, Tuesday, May 30th (1.5 hour)
HOW:

Since this event is COVID-cautious, consider wearing a mask. The warm feeling of Wondernaut(!) camaraderie radiates through masks and across wide seat-spacing. Also, please consider donating to nonprofit Wonderfest in the Eventbrite space, below. (This event is free and unticketed; ignore any mention of "sales" or "tickets.")