Public Lectures

Speaker: Dr. Risa Wechsler, Stanford University
Topic: Lighting Up the Dark: Galaxies As Probes of the Dark Universe
Date & Time: Monday, May 5, 2008, 4:00 p.m.
Location: Darwin Hall, Room 103 Sonoma State University, 1801 E. Cotati Ave., Rohnert Park, California

Dr. Risa Wechsler of Stanford University will describe how the dark matter that pervades our Universe is connected to the galaxies observed with telescopes, and how galaxy surveys can be used to understand the contents of our Universe.

Parking $2.50, coffee and cookies at 3:30

Free, undergraduate level, and open to the public. Call the Department of Physics and Astronomy at 707-664-2119 or go to http://phys-astro.sonoma.edu/wpd/ for more information.

Dr. Alex Vilenkin will be the next guest on Static Limit, KUSF (90.3 FM), Saturday, May 10, 9:45-11:00 pm. The producer of the program, David Reffkin, will speak with Dr. Vilenkin about his book, Many Worlds in One. They will explore many of the ideas related to the beginning and end of the universe, multiple universes and the contributions by scientists though the ages in discovering our place in the universe. Vilenkin is the Director of the Institute of Cosmology at Tufts University.

KUSF is streamed through kusf.org, live365.com, lala.com and the iTunes radio playlist.

The Center for Inquiry
San Francisco, CA

Speaker: Andrew Fraknoi
Topic: The White House Astrologer, the Roswell UFO, the "Face" on Mars, and a Young Universe: A Skeptical Look at Fiction Science
Date & Time: Friday, May 16, 2008, 6:30 p.m.
Location: World Affairs Council Auditorium, 312 Sutter St., 2nd Floor, San Francisco

Doors open at 6:00 pm; Presentation starts at 6:30 pm

Thanks to the popular media, an enormous amount of attention has been given to some pretty amazing claims on the fringes of astronomy. These include the idea that your life path and romantic destiny are determined by the position of objects in the sky at the moment of your birth; that extraterrestrial space-craft have regularly landed on our planet (and kidnapped innocent citizens without being noticed); that an ancient race left us a message on the planet Mars in the shape of a human face; and that the entire cosmos is less than 10,000 years old.

In this illustrated talk, astronomer and popular lecturer Andrew Fraknoi will discuss the most famous "fiction science" claims related to astronomy, and provide the background and analysis needed to appreciate them properly. He will unveil some recent detective work about these cases, and show how there is often a lot LESS to them than initially meets the eye. And he will demonstrate how a few skeptical questions and a bit of careful investigation can often help bring these extra-ordinary cosmic claims down to Earth.

Andrew Fraknoi is the Chair of the Astronomy Department at Foothill College and Senior Educator at the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. He served as the Society's Executive Director for 14 years, and has organized over 20 national workshops on teaching astronomy. Fraknoi is the lead author of "Voyages Through the Universe," which has become one of the leading astronomy textbooks in the country and recently wrote a book for children, "Disney's Wonderful World of Space." He appears regularly on local and national radio explaining scientific developments in everyday language. In 2007, he was selected as the California Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Endowment for Higher Education and won the Gemant Prize of the American Institute of Physics for a lifetime of contributions to combining physics and culture. The International Astronomical Union has named asteroid 4859 Asteroid Fraknoi in recognition of his contributions to the public understanding of astronomy.

$10 General Admission
Free to 'Friends of the Center for Inquiry'

For more information, contact: Michael D Adkisson, Coordinator,
Center For Inquiry | San Francisco
2215R Market St #418
San Francisco CA 94114
415.335.4618
www.centerforinquiry.net/sf.

Second Century Lectures Program
American Astronomical Society

Speaker: Dava Sobel
Topic: How Galileo and the Telescope Changed Everything
Date & Time: Monday, June 2, 2008, 8:00 p.m.
Location: St. Louis Convention Center Convention Center Ballroom (rooms 223-226), 701 Convention Plaza, Washington Avenue at 8th Street, St. Louis, Missouri

Free and open to the public.

The U.N. has designated 2009 as the International Year of Astronomy, celebrating the 400th anniversary of Galileo turning his telescope to the skies and revolutionizing humanity's view of its place in the universe. Dava Sobel, the best-selling science writer and former reporter for The New York Times, will discuss Galileo's background, explore the artistic and musical skills that he brought to his scientific work, and show how his development of the telescope changed the course of his life and set a new direction for the science of astronomy.

Dava Sobel is an award-winning science writer, who is the author of such books as Is Anyone Out There? (with Frank Drake), Longitude, Galileo's Daughter, Letters to Father, and The Planets. She has written about science for such magazines as Audubon, Discover, and The New Yorker. In 2006, she was the Robert Vare Nonfiction Writer-in-Residence at the University of Chicago. She received the 2001 Public Service Award of the National Science Board for fostering public awareness of science. Galileo's Daughter was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in biography in 2000. Two episodes of the PBS series NOVA have been based on her books and a third is in production. She is currently at work on a stage play about Copernicus.

This presentation is part of the Second Century Lectures Program, celebrating the Centennial of the American Astronomical Society, the main professional organization of astronomers in the United States. The Society will be meeting in St. Louis from May 31 to June 5. Part of its meeting will be a symposium on "Preparing for the International Year of Astronomy," held in cooperation with the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.

Pennsylvania State - Erie

Lectures by a faculty member or visitor are followed by astronomical observing, weather permitting. Most of the talks are about astronomy, although sometimes there is another science topic. Access the Full Schedule.

The Schedule is at http://www.pserie.psu.edu/science/Seminars.htm under "Open House Nights In Astronomy."

Steward Observatory Public Evening Series

Monday night public astronomy lectures
Location: Steward Observatory at the University of Arizona - Tucson

For more information on the lectures go to their website - Steward Observatory Public Evening Series.

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