Discover the science of stars, groundwater, plant evolution, fluids in small spaces
Cal State L.A. Science Series begins
free monthly lectures Wed., Feb. 11
Los Angeles, CA – Sun formation, streams and groundwater, evolution of plants, and microfluidic systems will be explored in Cal State L.A.’s Science Series, free public lectures by University faculty members focusing on their innovative research.
Sponsored by the Physics and Astronomy Department at Cal State L.A., the lectures will be held Wednesdays at 8 p.m. in Physical Sciences building, room 158. Here’s the full lineup:
Feb. 11
“The Time When the Sun Formed: Clues From Other Stars.” Physics Assistant Professor Susan Terebey will discuss her group’s research with NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope to study the early history of stars similar to the Sun.
March 11
“Salinity Sources in Shallow Aquifers and Streams—Is It Natural or Anthropogenic?” Geological Sciences Professor Barry Hibbs will describe isotopic and geochemical techniques used to distinguish between natural and anthropogenic (or human-generated) salinity in streams and groundwater.
April 22
“Drying Without Dying: The Evolution of Desiccation Tolerance in the Land Plants.” Biology Assistant Professor Kirsten Fisher will explain how understanding the evolutionary relationships of genes involved in plant desiccation tolerance can help scientists trace the history of this trait, linking it to key events in the diversification of plants on land.
May 20
“Microfluidics: The Unbearable Lightness of Being Small.” Chemistry Professor Frank Gomez will describe his work in developing microfluidic devices for a broad range of scientific and industrial applications. Microfluidics focuses on the behavior, precise control and manipulation of fluids that are geometrically constrained to a very small scale.
Cal State L.A. is located at the Eastern Avenue exit, San Bernardino (I-10) Freeway, at the interchange of 10 and 710 Freeways. Public (ticket dispenser) parking is available in Lots 7 or the upper level of Parking Structure C.
For more information, call the Cal State L.A. Department of Physics and Astronomy at (323) 343-2100.
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Working for California since 1947: The 175-acre hilltop campus of California State University, Los Angeles is at the heart of a major metropolitan city, just five miles from Los Angeles’ civic and cultural center. More than 20,000 students and 205,000 alumni—with a wide variety of interests, ages and backgrounds—reflect the city’s dynamic mix of populations. Six colleges offer nationally recognized science, arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education and humanities programs, among others, led by an award-winning faculty. Cal State L.A. is home to the critically-acclaimed Luckman Jazz Orchestra and to a unique university center for gifted students as young as 12. Programs that provide exciting enrichment opportunities to students and community include an NEH- and Rockefeller-supported humanities center; a NASA-funded center for space research; and a growing forensic science program, housed in the Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center. www.calstatela.edu