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Science on Saturday starts tomorrow
Free student lecture series also to be streamed live

by Dolores Fox Ciardelli

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's lecture series for students, "Science on Saturday," returns tomorrow and runs through March 3, with topics including the Lab's work on the Mercury Messenger; effects of earthquakes; space junk; and restoring sight to the blind.

The lectures are free of charge and will be held in the Bankhead Theater, 2400 First St. in Livermore. Two presentations are offered, at 9:30 a.m. and 11:15 a.m., plus the talks will be streamed live via the LLNL Facebook page.

"This is an excellent way to reach out to students no matter where they live," said Richard Farnsworth, manager of the Lab's Science Education Program.

Each lecture highlights cutting-edge LLNL science presented by leading Lab researchers joined by master high school science teachers.

The schedule is as follows:

* Feb. 4: "The Gamma-Ray Spectrometer at Mercury: A Seven-Year Journey to the Innermost Planet," by LLNL scientist Morgan Burks and teacher Dan Burns

* Feb. 11: "Sleuthing Seismic Signals: Understanding Earthquake Hazard and Monitoring Nuclear Explosions," by LLNL scientist Sean Ford and teacher Ken Wedel

* Feb. 18: "Space Junk: Traffic Cops in Space," by LLNL scientist John Henderson and teacher Tom Shefler

* March 3: "Restoring Sight to the Blind: Bridging the Medical Gap with Technology," by LLNL scientist Sat Pannu and teacher Kirk Brown.

Lectures and demonstrations are targeted at middle and high school students, sponsored by LLNL's Science Education Program. Seating is on a first-come basis. There is no pre-registration.