The Bay Area Festival of Science
The first weekend of November is science geek nirvana with the return of a Bay Area gem: Wonderfest, the Bay Area Festival of Science. The 2-day festival is Saturday, November 7^th (on Stanford’s campus) and Sunday, November 8^th (on Berkeley’s campus).

Every year, Wonderfest pairs researchers to answer provocative questions in the world of science. The point is to create an engaging dialogue between the scientists and the audience, empowering people to make up their own mind.

I’m always blown away by the scientific luminaries that take part in the dialogues. Just last year, there was a dialogue on our energy future featuring current Secretary of Energy (and Nobel Laureate) Steven Chu and co-lead author of the IPCC report on climate change Dan Kammen.

This year is no exception with an expanded line-up of exceptional dialogues:

Does Moore’s Law Apply to Energy Technology?
Does Media Violence Inspire Real Violence?
Is Evolution Still Darwinian?
Do Robots Make Better Astronauts?
Does Darwin Illuminate Emotion & Spirituality?
Can We Create Life?

Dialogues not your thing? This year brings the debut of the Amateur Science Forum, (exhibitions of local citizen science programs), the Bay Area Science Expo (shop for science inspired books, crafts, and music), and my personal favorite: the Mind Duel. The Mind Duel is a science quiz competition between a local high champion and a panel of local science professors. A Nobel Laureate humbled by a local high student…it’s possible and likely at Wonderfest.

Wonderfest 2009

When: Saturday 11/7 1-10 PM, Sunday 11/8 10 AM -5 PM
Where: Saturday – Hewlett Teaching Center, Stanford University
Sunday – Stanley Hall, UC Berkeley
Cost: FREE
Details: Through public discourse about provocative scientific questions, Wonderfest aspires to stimulate curiosity, promote careful reasoning, challenge unexamined beliefs, and encourage life-long learning. Wonderfest achieves these ends by presenting series of scientific events to the general public. At most of these events, pairs of articulate and accomplished researchers discuss and debate compelling questions at the edge of scientific understanding.

The LCROSS satellite, launched on June 18th, is slowly making itself ready to smack into the moon in late October. A plume of dust 37 miles high will be produced, which may be visible from Earth (most likely Hawaii). The envy of the Mythbusters, this explosion is designed to find water in permanently shadowed areas of the moon. Much has been written on LCROSS, from historical perspectives to cost containment.

As the impact grows closer, NASA is making an effort to talk about the locally driven mission. Many of the upcoming talks are suitable for any audience, from kids to adults.

Luna Philosophie: Hitch-hiking to the Moon

Where: Scribd, 539 Bryant St. (2nd Floor), San Francisco

When: Wednesday, 9/23 6-8 PM

Cost: Free, RSVP to Delia.L.Santiago@nasa.gov

Details: Dr. Kim Ennico, LCROSS Payload Scientist and the LCROSS Payload Integration & Test Manager, will provide an overview of the NASA LCROSS mission and discuss how NASA has been expanding the concept of “participatory exploration” with LCROSS as an example. This will be a lively discussion.

Andrew Chaikin on LCROSS

Where: Chabot Space & Science Center

When: Saturday, 9/26 3-430 PM

Cost: Free with Museum Admission

Details: Author, speaker, and space journalist Andrew Chaikin joins Chabot visitors for a night of moon conversation and exploration. Using the detailed program Google Moon, which he helped to develop, Chaikin takes the visitor on a guided tour of the moon’s surface. Chaikin will also discuss the recent LCROSS mission and his extensive knowledge of the Apollo missions.

To the Moon: A Look at NASA’s Upcoming Lunar Impact Mission and the History of Moon Exploration

Where: Exploratorium

When: Sunday, 9/27 2-4 PM

Cost: Free with Museum Admission

Details: Take a trip to our nearest neighbor in space with renowned science journalist and space historian Andrew Chaikin. Relive the achievements of Apollo lunar astronauts and learn about the ambitious LCROSS mission, which will send a rocket crashing into the moon’s permanently shadowed regions to kick up huge plumes of debris in the hopes of uncovering deposits of ice. In addition, Exploratorium educators will give an entertaining and interactive overview of moon science.

QUEST on KQED Public Media.

Go Bears! is more than a cheer, but a mantra to live life by…as long as you're a Berkeley alum like myself. On Saturday April 18^th, the University opens up to the public…lectures, interactive events, tours, all of the campus museums (most of which aren't usually open to the public)… and it's all free.

Many programs are geared for incoming students and their families. However, there are a few gems designed for everyone. This year's highlights feature hands on physics, discussions on energy & environmental issues, with the search for extra terrestrial life sprinkled in. For a complete listing of events, check out the Cal Day website. Here are my picks:

Darwin, Dover, and Intelligent Design: What's Next for Anti-Evolutionists?

10-11 am, 2050 Valley Life Sciences Building

Hear a national expert on evolution discuss the conflicts between evolution and creationism, and where this debate is headed.

Mobile Millennium: The System That Keeps Traffic Moving

10-11 am, Sibley Auditorium

This traffic-monitoring system collects data and sends it to your cell phone to help you take the best routes. Be an early adopter of this developing technology; learn how following the lecture or from 1:30 to 3 pm outside McCone Hall.

Are We Wired for Good?

11 am-noon, 145 Dwinelle Hall

Is the capacity for compassion, gratitude, and other positive emotions built into our nervous systems? Are such emotions the path to happiness? The founder of Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center has some answers.

What Is the Large Hadron Collider?

11 am-noon, 4 LeConte Hall

It's the world's largest and most powerful particle accelerator. Hear how it works and discover the exciting things it might reveal about our amazing universe.

Will Water Be the Oil of the 21st Century? A Quest for Sustainable Water Management

11 am-noon, 502 Davis Hall

Water is a limited natural resource, and its importance can be compared to that of oil. Examine the parallels between these two resources, and the future of water sustainability.

How Global Climate Change Will Affect the Oceans

Noon-1 pm, 141 McCone Hall

Warmer surface waters, rising sea levels, more storms, and increased carbon dioxide – all will have an impact on marine ecosystems, coasts, islands, estuaries, and wetlands.

The Dark Side of the Universe

Noon-1 pm, 100 Genetics & Plant Biology Building

The universe is mostly made up of "dark matter" – what evidence do we have that it exists? Hear how we're searching for this mysterious component of the universe.

Genes in a Bottle

Noon-2 pm, Latimer Hall

Learn how DNA is chemically extracted from organisms for research applications. Then extract DNA from your own cheek cells, and take it home in a fashionable necklace!

How Do Cars Fit Into a Clean-Energy Future?

1-2 pm, 105 Stanley Hall

Can car lovers also be planet lovers? How will our favorite vehicle evolve as the need to manage global warming intensifies? Energy and Resources Group Professor Dan Kammen

Is Anybody Out There?

1-2 pm, 3 LeConte Hall

Hear about Berkeley's SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) program at the world's largest telescope, the Allen array. Volunteers have a small but captivating chance that their computer will detect the first signal from a civilization beyond Earth.

Is this you in the kitchen?Here in the Bay Area, we're known the world around as foodies, especially given the recent popularity of the Slow Food Festival. As we approach the biggest food holiday of the year, it's a great opportunity to think about the science behind all of these scrumptious meals.

Last year, I stumbled across a new series of lectures on Food Ethics & Environment at Stanford University. Headlining the series was the incomparable Michael Pollan, who led an interactive discussion on the evolution of food culture in the U.S. I was amazed at the level of passion in the audience and moreover the knowledge level of the audience. I left inspired to take my time with food and eat a little healthier (that worked for about a week).

This year, Stanford again delivers a stellar lineup. Over the next few weeks and months– there will be discussions ranging from water, the affect of global warming on our food, fair trade coffee, and even a conversation with a organic farmer (it's Joel Salatin, one of the heroes from the "Omnivore's Dilemma").

So before you give thanks next week, consider a heaping serving of food science.

All events are free. They take place at the Annenberg Auditorium on the Stanford University Campus. The events are usually held on Thursday nights at 7pm. For more info, check out the Stanford Ethics Website.