Thursday, January 28: The Department of Physics Presents: Frontiers in Science.Cal-Bridge and CAMPARE: Engaging Underrepresented Students in Physics and Astronomy with Dr. Carol Hood from CSU Long Beach. 12-1PM in SCI 2, Room 242.
February 2019
Thursday, February 7: The Department of Physics Presents: Frontiers in Science. Habitable Worlds Around Dark Stars: How TRAPPIST-1 Changes the Search for Life Beyond
Earth with Dr. Adam Burgasser, UC San Diego. The search of life beyond Earth is one of
the “big goals” of astronomy and astrobiology today, and is made possible by our ability
to find exoplanets orbiting other stars. Transit surveys have demonstrated that terrestrial
worlds are more likely to be found among the lowest-mass stars, which are themselves
the most common and longest-lived stars in the Milky Way Galaxy. The recent discovery
of seven terrestrial worlds orbiting one of the lowest-mass stars known by the TRAPPIST
survey has emphasized the importance of these systems, and spurred new efforts to
hunt for planets around these small, dim stars. In this talk, I will motivate the
search for terrestrial worlds around small stars, and the projects now underway to
find them. I will summarize what we have learned about the TRAPPIST-1 system, and
the ongoing theoretical and observational work aimed at determining how this system
formed and whether habitability is even a possibility for its planets. 12-1PM in SCI 2, Room 242.
Friday, February 8: The Department of Biological Sciences Presents: The Spring 2019 Seminar Series. Collectively Improving Our Science Teaching: Department-wide Efforts in Scientific
Teaching that Produced Classroom Transformations, Unanticipated Discoveries, and Scholarly
Publications. Dr. Kimberly Tanner, Department of Biology, San Francisco State University. 10:30-11:30AM in UH 101.
Wednesday, February 13: CSM Presents: STEM on Tap, hosted by Wavelength Brewing Co. in Vista Village. Heroics, Villainy, and Science: Trivia from Comic Books with Dr. Stephen Tsui, Associate Professor, Department of Physics. All ages welcome!7PM at Wavelength Brewing Co.
Thursday, February 21:The Department of Physics Presents: Frontiers in Science. Taking the Pulse of Earth's Biosphere & Cryosphere from Spacewith Dr. Tihomir Kostadinov, Department of Liberal Studies, CSUSM. 12-1PM in SCI 2, Room 242.
Friday, February 22: The Department of Biological Sciences Presents: The Spring 2019 Seminar Series. Back From the Grave: Projects for Management of Avian Reproduction, Population, and
Conservation Genetics. Dr. Thomas Jensen, Senior Scientist in Reproductive Sciences, San Diego Zoo Institute. 10:30-11:30AM in UH 101.
Friday, February 22: The Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry Spring Seminar Series. TBA. 12:30-1:30PM in TBD.
Thursday, February 28: The Reid Lecture Series. Power in Numbers: Unveiling Mathematical Hidden Figures. Dr. Talithia Williams, Department of Mathematics, Harvey Mudd College. The movie
“Hidden Figures” brought visibility to the lives of African American women who served
as NASA “human computers” in the 1960s, women who dreamed the impossible in a field
where their presence was lacking. Meeting the demands of a 21st century STEM workforce
requires that we look beyond traditional talent pools to recruit and train individuals
typically underrepresented in math, science and engineering. During this talk, Dr.
Williams will discuss her personal journey as a woman of color in STEM and examine
current benchmarks shown to be effective in retaining underrepresented students in
STEM. Using data to capture the many facets of the problem, she will highlight best
practices embraced by institutions that have had success in these areas. This talk
will explore the disruptive innovation used to motivate girls of color to embrace
mathematics and Data Science, and envision themselves as future STEM leaders. By
challenging the status quo, we allow for ongoing innovative contributions to our society
and the world in general. Doors open at 6PM with presentation from 6:15-7:15PM in the USU Ballroom. Book signing
to follow at 7:15PM.
Thursday, 3/28:The Physics Department Seminar Series, co-hosted by Arts & Lectures, and the American Physical Society. Fire, Blood and Phyics: The Science of Game of Thrones, with Dr. Rebecca Thompson, Head of Public Outreach for th e American Physical Society. The book series, A Song of Ice and Fire, and the associated TV show, Game of Thrones, takes place in a fantasy world with ice walls, fearsome medieval weapons, unpredictable
seasons, and dragons. Though a fictional world, many of the more fantastical aspects
have a basis in science. Come listen to Dr. Thompson's talk about the heat of dragon
fire, the metallurgy of weapon-grade steel, th e science of seasons, th e biology
of a beheading, and many more science topics! Co-hosted by Arts & Lectures, the Department
of Physics, and The Society of Physics Students. 6:00-8:00PM, USU Ballroom.
Thursday, April 11 (*Note: may change to April 18): The Department of Physics Presents: Frontiers in Science. From Huygens' Clocks to Hurricanes with Dr. Daniel Borrero Echeverry, Department of Physics, Willamette College . 12-1PM in SCI 2, Room 242.
Friday, April 26:The Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry Spring Seminar Series. TBA. Dr. Jane Dyson, The Scripps Research Institute.12:30-1:30PM in TBD.
May 2019
Sunday, May 19: CSM Commencement! Join us to celebrate our Bachelor's and Master's of Science degree recipients! 1PM at the California State University San Marcos Mangrum Track & Field.
