Lawrence Livermore’s Popular Science on Saturday Lecture Series Moves to Las Positas College

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) popular lecture series, “Science on Saturday,” returns Feb. 4 and runs through Feb. 25.

The new location of the lecture series will be held in the Mertes Theater, Building 4000 at Las Positas College, 3000 Campus Hill Dr., in Livermore.

The series kicks off on Feb. 4 and offers four different lectures with the theme, “70 Years of Science.” Each lecture is presented by leading LLNL researchers who are joined by high school science teachers. 

The presentations are targeted to middle and high school students and are offered each Saturday in February at 10 a.m. Tours of the Las Positas campus will be available following the presentations at 11:15 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. on a first-come, first-served basis.

Below is the schedule of lectures, which can be found on the Science on Saturday webpage. 

• Feb. 4 – “Bringing Star Power to Earth: Harnessing Nuclear Fusion,” presented by LLNL scientists Dave Schlossberg and Derek Mariscal with Granada High School teacher Tom Shefler. This presentation will overview the fusion science conducted at the National Ignition Facility, including experiments, simulations and the application of machine learning to better understand the physics of highly complex physical phenomena. Click here for more details.
• Feb. 11. – “Small Algae, Big World: The Impact of Microalgae on Global Carbon Cycling and Sustainable Biofuels,”presented by LLNL researchers Xavier Mayali and Ty Samo along with Erin McKay, a biology teacher at Tracy High School. This presentation will introduce the audience to the fascinating world of microalgae and discuss some of the research on this topic being conducted at LLNL. Click here for more details.
• Feb. 18 – “Supersizing Computing: 70 Years of HPC,” presented by LLNL scientist Jane Herrimann once again with Tracy High School teacher Erin McKay. This talk will discuss the increasing capabilities of supercomputing, some of the changes that have allowed these machines to become ever faster and the improvements that we expect to see in future. Click here for more details.
• Feb. 25 – “3D Printing: From Imagination to Realization,” presented by LLNL scientists Eric Duoss, Julie Mancini, Monica Moya, Dominique Porcincula, William Smith, Chris Spadaccini and Rebecca Walton along with retired Alamo Elementary School principal, Stan Hitomi. This presentation will discuss several aspects of 3D printing technologies including design processes at LLNL, creation of feedstock materials and testing of product performance. Click here for more details. 

Science on Saturday is sponsored by LLNL’s Science Education Program. Pre-registration is strongly recommended as seating is limited. The presentations and tours are free to attend.

The lecture series will be available to view at a later date on the LLNL YouTube Channel and the University of California Television Network (UCTV). 

For more information about Science on Saturday, visit the Science on Saturday webpage or contact Joanna Albala at [email protected] or (925) 422-6803.