Join us for adult evening-science programs at Lawrence Hall of Science. All events include full access to exhibits, a cash bar, hors d’oeuvres, and the best view in the East Bay.

Sep 15
Scream Machines
Rube Goldberg engineering mayhem
Oct 20
Dark Energy
What is it? How do we know it's there?
Nov 17
Light Speed
Ultrafun with the Ultrafast
See the Events Below

Cost:

$10 ($8 for members & UCB students)
Buy tickets at the door or online

Times:

7:00–10:00 p.m.
Wednesdays, September 15,
October 20, and November 17

Location and Transportation:

Lawrence Hall of Science
On Centennial Drive about ½ mile from Grizzly Peak Blvd. in Berkeley. Paid parking is available.

LHS Google Map See Public Transportation Options We are sorry, but the Geek Out! Shuttle is no longer available.

Scream Machines

Challenge
Scream Machines
Geek Challenge • September 15th, 7:00 pm

Party with the Berkeley Engineers and Mentors club (BEAM) and their army of Legos, programmable microchips, marble-runs, and wind tubes. Get your ball running on your very own highway as you invent hilarious ways to perform simple operations on the marble-run. And if these Rube Goldberg-like devices aren’t enough to set your geek heart aflutter, then see if you have what it takes to win the skyscraper building contest. Choose from a variety (but not unlimited supply) of materials, and try to build the highest tower. Bring your best — this ain’t your average competition.

Dark Energy: Finding your way in the dark.

Talk
Dark Energy
Geek Talk • October 20th, 7:00-10:00 pm, talk begins at 7:30 pm

While we can't tell you if it's the stuff that gave Darth Vader all that power, we can help you understand what dark energy is, why it’s important, and how we might be able to prove that it is there.

Dr. Alexie Leauthaud of Lawrence Berkeley National lab will speak on dark energy, a hypothetical energy that is the leading current explanation for the observed accelerating expansion rate of the universe.

After you’ve heard about dark energy from an expert, create your own visual, artistic interpretation of dark energy and add it to our Geek Out gallery.

Dr. Alexie Leauthaud is a fascinating person with serious geek appeal! Check her out here.

Light Speed: Ultrafun with the Ultrafast.

Talk
X-Ray
Geek Talk • November 17th, 7:00-10:00 pm, talk begins at 7:30 pm

You think Superman is fast? Well, can he do what Dr. Roger Falcone can do in a femtosecond? That’s one millionth of a billionth of a second, and the timescale on which chemical bonds are formed (or broken). Dr. Falcone’s current work focuses on the use of ultrafast pulses of x-ray and laser light to study phenomena in condensed matter, molecular, and atomic physics. Much of his recent work has been conducted at the Advanced Light Source (ALS) synchrotron at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab.

Doing hands-on activities with prisms, refracting gratings, and lasers not only helps you understand what Dr. Falcone is talking about, it’s also a great way to have fun!

This event will be the 5th Annual Warren William Chupp Distinguished Lecture, presented by Lawrence Hall of Science and the Department of Physics at UC Berkeley.