Lectures and other science events taking place around the Bay area this week.

Not to be missed: George Lakoff on "The Political Mind."  Lakoff gave this lecture last week at the Commonwealth Club, and it is a truly mind-opening introduction to the cognitive science underlying current political discourse. Anyone who wants a deeper insight into the sophisticated ways in which language is being used to move people to act in the current campaign must see this talk.

Just Added: In 2008 Lick Observatory will present a summer concert series on Saturday nights to benefit the Lick Observatory Visitors Programs. Doors open and seating begins one half hour before the concert. Dates are June 28, July 12, July 26, August 9, August 23, and September 6. Talks by famous research astronomers will begin right after the music. Viewing through the 36-inch Great Lick Refractor follows, weather permitting. Amateur astronomer volunteers provide additional outside viewing and informal talks. Attendance not advisable for children under ten years old.

There is plenty more food for thought this week as well.

A short list of titles, dates, and times comes first, followed by the details.

Send information about your upcoming science events to: science.examiner (at) gmail.com

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Monday, June 23,   6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
The Political Mind: Understanding how Voters Think
George Lakoff, Richard and Rhoda Goldman Distinguished Professor of Cognitive Science and Linguistics, UC Berkeley
World Affairs Council Auditorium 312 Sutter Street Second Floor San Francisco, California 94108

Monday, June 23, 7:30pm – 9:30pm
Planetary Nebulae: Death Shrouds of Lonely Stars or Aftermaths of Binary Interactions?
Dr. Orsola de Marco, American Museum of Natural History
Jewish Community Center, 3200 California St, San Francisco
California Academy Benjamin Dean Lecture Series

Tuesday, June 24th at 7:30 pm
The Mysteries of Diamonds: Bizarre History, Amazing Properties, Unique Applications
Harris Kagan, Ohio State University
Stanford Linear Accelerator, Panofsky Auditorium, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park

Thursday, June 26, 2008 7:00 pm
Cleanup on Aisle 9: The Long Lasting Legacy of Nuclear Waste
by Dave Stonestrom, USGS Research Hydrologist
US Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, Conference Room A, Bldg 3, Menlo Park

Friday, June 27, 7:30pm – 9:00pm
The Dominant Animal, Human Evolution and the Environment
Paul Ehrlich, President of Stanford's Center for Conservation Biology
Cowell Theater at Fort Mason Center, San Francisco
Sponsored by: The Long Now Foundation

Friday, June 27, 6:30PM - 8:30PM
Evil Genes: Why Rome Fell, Hitler Rose, Enron Failed, and My Sister Stole My Mother's Boyfriend
Barbara Oakley PhD
World Affairs Council Auditorium 312 Sutter, 2nd Floor, San Francisco
Sponsored by Center for Inquiry

Saturday, June 28, 8:00PM
Music of the Spheres - Lick Observatory Benefit Concert and Lecture Series
Dave Rocha Jazz Trumpet Trio
Talk: "A Journey Back to the Big Bang"
Speaker: Raja Guhathakurta, UC Santa Cruz
Lick Observatory, summit of Mt. Hamilton in the Diablo Range east of San Jose.

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Details:
(text from sources)

Monday, June 23,   6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
The Political Mind: Understanding how Voters Think
George Lakoff, Richard and Rhoda Goldman Distinguished Professor of Cognitive Science and Linguistics, UC Berkeley
World Affairs Council Auditorium, 312 Sutter Street, Second Floor, San Francisco
Link: World Affairs Council

Progressives may have been fighting a losing battle in the United States for the last thirty years, largely because a majority of citizens might be voting against their own interests. According to George Lakoff, this is because people do not think about politics with a logician’s rationality, but use a deeper, unconscious rationality of values, metaphors, frames, and emotions. In The Political Mind: Why You Can’t Understand 21st-Century American Politics with an 18th-Century Brain, Professor Lakoff argues that when one sees how our brains really work, one can see why voters’ deepest values matter most, and why values, authenticity, and trust—not just policies—are paramount in elections.

George Lakoff sees the current presidential election as the opportunity Democrats need to not only win back the White House, but to wrest control of the terms of debate from the Republicans. He contends that conservative phrases like “tax relief,” “free trade,” and “cut and run” are not just trivial word choices, but are frames that affect the mind deeply. Dr. Lakoff will also discuss which presidential candidates have already successfully been using this strategy.

Please arrive early for registration


Monday, June 23, 7:30pm – 9:30pm
Planetary Nebulae: Death Shrouds of Lonely Stars or Aftermaths of Binary Interactions?
Dr. Orsola de Marco, American Museum of Natural History
Jewish Community Center, 3200 California St, San Francisco
California Academy Benjamin Dean Lecture Series
Link: Cal Academy Lectures

Some of the most beautiful objects in the sky, planetary nebulae are thought to be the death shroud of single, middle-weight stars, much like our own sun; however, evidence has been steadily accumulating that this picture might have fundamental flaws. Complex shapes, jets, and other structures suggest a new scenario, with planetary nebulae shaped by the action of a companion star, or even a large planet, orbiting the primary star at some distance. But theoretical plausibility is not enough to prove a conjecture, and observations are ongoing to find the binary stars in the center of the planetary nebulae and to finally show that it takes two to tango.


Tuesday, June 24th at 7:30 pm
The Mysteries of Diamonds: Bizarre History, Amazing Properties, Unique Applications
Harris Kagan, Ohio State University
Stanford Linear Accelerator, Panofsky Auditorium, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park
Links: SLAC Events   map

Diamonds have been a prized material throughout history. They are scarce and beautiful, wars have been fought over them, and they remain today a symbol of wealth and power. Diamonds also have exceptional physical properties which can lead to unique applications in science. There are now techniques to artificially synthesize diamonds of extraordinarily high quality. In this talk, Professor Kagan will discuss the history of diamonds, their bizarre properties, and their manufacture and use for 21st century science.


Thursday, June 26, 2008 7:00 pm
Cleanup on Aisle 9: The Long Lasting Legacy of Nuclear Waste
by Dave Stonestrom, USGS Research Hydrologist
US Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, Conference Room A, Bldg 3, Menlo Park
Links: USGS Calendar   map

Radioactive wastes:

Where do they come from?
How do we get rid of them?
Once buried, do the wastes stay put?
What are the risks of off-site migration?
How does basic research inform decision making?

Friday, June 27, 7:30pm – 9:00pm
The Dominant Animal, Human Evolution and the Environment
Paul Ehrlich, President of Stanford's Center for Conservation Biology
Cowell Theater at Fort Mason Center, San Francisco
Sponsored by: The Long Now Foundation
Links:  Long Now Foundation   Cowell Theater

Everything living evolves, but humans evolve culturally as well as biologically, and that puts us in a peculiar relation to the rest of life, with a peculiar responsibility. If we can understand how cultural evolution works, we'll have a better handle on how to manage our responsibilities.

The question that Ehrlich has been exploring lately is whether cultural evolution really does show patterns that would yield predictive theory. He now has data from Polynesian canoes that indicate the answer is yes, cultural evolution is patterned enough to predict with. We can discover a new way to comprehend our own behavior and perhaps influence it to the benefit of life.

Entomologist and population biologist Paul Ehrlich is President of Stanford's Center for Conservation Biology, author and co-author of books ranging from The Population Bomb (1968) to One With Nineveh (2004), recipient of many awards, including a MacArthur Fellowship, the Blue Planet Prize, and the Nobel-level Crafoord Prize.

Doors open 7:00pm, talk at 7:30pm lasting ~1.5 hours?


Friday, June 27, 6:30PM - 8:30PM
Evil Genes: Why Rome Fell, Hitler Rose, Enron Failed, and My Sister Stole My Mother's Boyfriend
Barbara Oakley PhD
World Affairs Council Auditorium 312 Sutter, 2nd Floor, San Francisco
Sponsored by Center for Inquiry
Link: Center for Inquiry

Prompted by clues in her sinister sister's diary, author Barbara Oakley takes the reader inside the heads of history's truly malevolent characters. Using a mixture of psychology and cutting-edge brain imaging, Oakley provides strong evidence that the behavior of 'evil' people is the result of variations in brain function. In fact, some deceitful, manipulative, and even sadistic behavior appears to be programmed genetically and may even be selectively beneficial under certain conditions. We may not like them - but we literally can't live without 'Evil Genes'.

Oakley deftly ties together the big picture implications of revolutionary neuroscientific and genetic discoveries, showing the eerily similar behavioral tics of Mao, Stalin, Hitler, and Slobodan Milosevic. The dramatic recent scientific findings presented in Evil Genes shed light not only on dictators far afield, but on politics at home, as well as business, religion, and everyday life. Evil Genes brilliantly melds scientific research with intriguing family history and puts both a human and scientific face to evil.

Currently an associate professor of engineering at Oakland University in Michigan, Oakley is a recent VP of the world's largest bioengineering society and holds a Doctorate in the integrative discipline of Systems Engineering. Evil Genes is her latest book published by Prometheus.

6:00 pm: Entrance
6:30 pm: Presentation

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


Saturday, June 28, 8:00PM
Music of the Spheres - Lick Observatory Benefit concert and Lecture Series
Dave Rocha Jazz Trumpet Trio
Talk: "A Journey Back to the Big Bang"
Speaker: Raja Guhathakurta, UC Santa Cruz
Lick Observatory, summit of Mt. Hamilton in the Diablo Range east of San Jose.
Links: Music of the Spheres   map

In 2008 Lick Observatory will present a summer concert series on Saturday nights to benefit the Lick Observatory Visitors Programs. Doors open and seating begins one half hour before the concert.

Talks by our famous research astronomers will begin right after the music. Viewing through the 36-inch Great Lick Refractor follows, weather permitting. Amateur astronomer volunteers provide additional outside viewing and informal talks.

Dates are June 28, July 12, July 26, August 9, August 23, and September 6. Doors open 7:30PM - Concert starts at 8:00PM.

Dave Rocha has been performing with his jazz group for more than 20 years. He is a precise technician as well as a mature and eminently musical improviser. His band plays an eclectic mix of jazz standards, “pop” tunes, and original compositions. They perform in a wide variety of styles from up-tempo bebop, “modal” tunes, swing and blues, to latin jazz, ballads and jazz waltz.

Keep in mind that at 4209 feet, evenings on Mt. Hamilton can be cool, so bring a sweater or coat. We provide wheelchair access to the concerts and to the 36-inch telescope. There is no gas station at the Observatory. Parking is limited so please car pool, if possible.