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Tri-Valley educators accept LLNS contributions

Lab Director George Miller hosted a director's roundtable luncheon Thursday for Tri-Valley education leaders at the LLNS corporate office in downtown Livermore. Guests included representatives from the Chabot-Las Positas Community College District, Las Positas Community College, and the Livermore, Pleasanton, Dublin and San Ramon Valley school districts.  At the close of the luncheon, Miller and Kathy Vaselopolus, LLNS Office director, presented each guest organization with a check in the amount of $5,000 as part of the LLNS community gift program.

'Science on Saturday' returns

The Laboratory's popular lecture series, "Science on Saturday," returns Jan. 31 and runs through Feb. 28. This year's talks explore an array of topical subjects — the unusual material aerogel, the birth of the solar system, diverting asteroids with nuclear explosives, the path to limitless clean energy, and using wind power in our future. Lectures will be held in the Bankhead Theater located at 2400 First St. in Livermore.

Each presentation, a collaboration of a Lab scientist and a science teacher, highlights cutting-edge LLNL science for an audience of middle and high school students. The lectures are sponsored by LLNL's Science Education Program.

Kicking off the series on Jan. 31 is "Aerogels: The Materials Science of Empty Space", presented by Alex Gash, LLNL scientist, and Dean Reese, a Tracy High School teacher. This lecture explains how aerogels are a class of materials with fascinating properties but they are hardly materials at all as they can be composed of up to 99.8 percent empty space. During this lecture, the presenters will describe and demonstrate the structure, properties and advanced applications of aerogels, and even synthesize one.

The series of five free lectures and demonstrations targets middle and high school students. Topics are selected from the forefront of science and technology research in a variety of disciplines. In addition to the Jan. 31 lecture, the following talks are offered:

All lectures are open to the public and free of charge. Two presentations are offered each Saturday at 9:30 and 11:15 a.m. Seating is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis and there is no pre-registration.

For more information about Science on Saturday, directions and a map, go to the Science on Saturday Website or contact Richard Farnsworth at (925) 422-5059.

'Transition of Life' seminar offered in Tracy

"Transition of Life," will be presented at the Tracy Branch Library, 20 E. Eaton Ave., Tracy on Tuesday, Jan. 27, at 6:30 p.m. The free seminar is intended for adults of any age desiring to settle business matters before dying.

Such subjects as securing life insurance, preparing a will and/or power of attorney, and generally getting affairs in order will be discussed by Davis & Davis. The company's CEO, Alicia Harry-Davis, will present the seminar.

Additional presentations will be held at the Cesar Chavez Central Library on Saturday, Jan. 31, at 2 p.m. The final seminar is planned at the Margaret Troke Branch Library on Thursday, Feb. 19, at 6 p.m.

This program is provided through the Friends of the Stockton Public Library and the Tracy Friends of the Library. For more information, call (209) 937-8221 (Stockton), (866) 805-7323 (READ) (County), or visit the Stockton Library Website.

Jan. 23, 2009