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AI-for-Learning

AI for Learning – Sep 30

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AI tools are everywhere now, promising to help us write, solve, understand, and create faster and more easily than ever. But there is a growing concern: Are these tools actually helping us learn, or just making it look or feel like we know something? Can we develop AI systems to support deep human learning? Truly useful systems don’t just give answers, but help us to build metacognitive skills to think critically, reflect, and adapt as we learn.

Our Wonderfest speaker, Dr. Kelsey Urgo, is Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of San Francisco.


Dr. Kelsey Urgo

WHAT: Developing AI for Human Learning
WHO: Dr. Kelsey Urgo, Asst. Professor of Computer Science [https://www.kelseyurgo.com]
WHERE: HopMonk Tavern, 224 Vintage Way, Novato CA 94945 [https://www.hopmonk.com/novato]
WHEN: Tuesday, September 30 — 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.
Help share the scientific outlook - donate!
Sleep&Recovery

Sleep & Recovery – Sep 16

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Diet, exercise, connection, and sleep are four key determining factors in human health. Sleep, in particular, plays a critical role in recovery and resilience. Fortunately, recent eye-opening (*ahem*) research can help us harness sleep science to improve everyday life and long-term health.

Our Wonderfest speaker, Greg Tranah, PhD, is Professor of Epidemiology & Biostatistics at UC San Francisco. He is also Senior Scientist at California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute.


Dr. Gregory Tranah

WHAT: The Science of Healthy Aging: Sleep and Recovery
WHO: Dr. Gregory Tranah, Professor of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, UCSF
WHERE: HopMonk Tavern, 224 Vintage Way, Novato CA 94945 [https://www.hopmonk.com/novato]
WHEN: Tuesday, September 16 — 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.
Help share the scientific outlook - donate!
FusionEnergyAI

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, 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.
Help share the scientific outlook - donate!
EvolutionOnTrial

Evolution on Trial – July 8

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2025 marks the 100th anniversary of the “Trial of the Century”: Tennessee vs. John T. Scopes, the first major legal assault against the teaching of evolution in America. Mostly because of the fictional movie Inherit the Wind, the Scopes “monkey trial” is wrongly perceived as a victory for evolution over the forces of obscurantism. The full story is much more complex and interesting, involving science, religion, law, education, politics, celebrities, modern communications, and the politicization of science.

Our Wonderfest speaker is physical anthropologist Dr. Eugenie Scott, author of Evolution vs. Creationism: An Introduction, and former director of the National Center for Science Education. Genie is the recipient of numerous awards from both scientists and educators, including the National Academy of Sciences Public Welfare Medal.


Dr. Eugenie Scott

WHAT: The "Trial of the Century": Scopes at 100
WHO: Dr. Eugenie Scott, Former Director, National Center for Science Education [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenie_Scott]
WHERE: HopMonk Tavern, 224 Vintage Way, Novato CA 94945 [https://www.hopmonk.com/novato]
WHEN: Tuesday, July 8, 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.
Help share the scientific outlook - donate!
AI-Risk

How To Make A.I. Safe – Aug 1

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Artificial intelligence is advancing rapidly, demonstrating success in multiple areas in recent years. But by their very nature, AI problems don’t have definitive correct solutions. Programs can give wrong answers, be unfairly biased against some groups, and can be hard to understand. Dr. Peter Norvig literally wrote the book on artificial intelligence. In this informal presentation, Dr. Norvig will discuss the promise and peril of AI, welcoming attendee input.

Dr. Peter Norvig is Director of Research at Google, and he is a Fellow at Stanford’s Human-Centered AI Institute. Peter is co-author (with Stuart Russell) of Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach, the leading textbook in the field, and he is a member of the Wonderfest Advisory Board.

 


Dr. Peter Norvig

WHAT: How To Make A.I. Safe
WHO: Dr. Peter Norvig, Director of Research, Google [https://norvig.com]
WHERE: HopMonk Tavern, 224 Vintage Way, Novato CA 94945 [https://www.hopmonk.com/novato]
WHEN: 2023-08-01 — 7pm, Tuesday, Aug 1 (1.5 hour)
HOW:

Since Wonderfest is COVID-cautious, consider wearing a mask (provided upon request). 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.

PandemicsUpdate

Pandemic(s) Update – July 25

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The SARS-CoV-2 virus has killed 7 million people. (16% of those deaths were in the US, yet we have only 4% of global population!) Last century, the influenza virus killed more than 20 million. Humankind may face famine, war, and disease for centuries to come, but we are learning to lessen the death toll. Dr. Robert Siegel, infectious disease expert at Stanford, will discuss the progress that we’ve made — and must extend — against COVID and other, future, scourges. Welcoming attendee questions, he will address our growing understanding of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its affects on the human mind and body.

Dr. Robert Siegel is Professor of Microbiology & Immunology at Stanford University, and he is a member of the Wonderfest Advisory Board. Dr. Siegel has won numerous awards for his teaching at Stanford, and has given hundreds of public service interviews on radio and TV.

 


Dr. Robert Siegel

WHAT: Pandemic(s) Update
WHO: Dr. Robert Siegel, Professor of Microbiology & Immunology, Stanford [https://profiles.stanford.edu/robert-siegel]
WHERE: HopMonk Tavern, 224 Vintage Way, Novato, CA 94945 [https://www.hopmonk.com/novato]
WHEN: 2023-07-25 — 7pm, Tuesday, July 25 (1.5 hr)
HOW:

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.

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.