Sharp Minds

Start the month the smart way

Engage with local scientists as they discuss their latest research and discoveries in a friendly, inviting environment. These lectures address hot topics on the first Monday of every month, in the Heikoff Giant Dome Theater. Stay for a special noon documentary showing. 

The Sharp Minds lecture is free with general admission or a Senior Monday ticket.  

 

Lecturers

Dave Stegman
Neil Farber, MD
Jan 6
Astrobiology: The Search for Life
Professor Adam Burgasser. Portrait of a man on a dark background with a blue shir smiling.t
Professor Adam Burgasser
Feb 3
New Views of the Universe: What We are Learning about the Cosmos from JWST
Dr. Andrea Tao.
Dr. Andrea Tao
Mar 3
The Art and Chemistry of Plasmonics
Amidst a laboratory backdrop, a woman scientist stands confidently, dressed in a crisp white lab coat. The lab coat features her name, Amy L. Non, Ph.D., elegantly embroidered on the left side, while the seal of the University of California adorns the right sleeve.
Dr. Amy Non
Apr 7
The Misuse of Race and Ancestry in Genetics Research
A fair-skinned woman with blonde hair stands next to a black-painted window and door unit. She is wearing a black and white striped shirt underneath a black, translucent, long-sleeved button-up shirt with white polka dots. She wears her shoulder-length hair parted to the left. Her earrings are visible, hanging near her right ear. Outside, green trees can be seen through the window. She has a slight smile on her face.
Cassidy Tomlinson
May 5
Epigenetics: Trauma's Embodiment
A medium-shot studio portrait of a light-skinned, middle-aged woman with straight, chin-length black hair parted to her left, wearing a deep plum-colored, loose-fitting blouse, and gold, ornate dangling earrings set against a solid black background.
Dr. Sukanya Chakrabarti
Jun 2
Our Accelerating Cosmos

Save the Date  

Our Accelerating Cosmos
Jun 2 at 10:30–11:30am

For most of human history, the night sky has appeared to us as if it's fixed in time. The recent revolution in time-domain astronomy and precision measurements now reveals a dynamic universe and offers us a view of the lives of galaxies on human timescales.  Our team has been carrying out precision measurements of the accelerations of stars that live within our Galaxy. These acceleration measurements now show a very different picture of the Milky Way - we see that the dark matter zig zags around the Galactic disk, and that the Galaxy is bottom heavy, wobbling much like a toddler. I will talk about these recent discoveries and end by talking about the future of acceleration measurements in the next decade in probing the universe at large.

GCal Outlook
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