Now in its sixth year, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and The State Theatre in Modesto will bring "Science on Screen" to the theater two Saturdays a month in March and April. The 2020 theme delves into space.
Science on Screen is a free educational program geared to middle, high school and college students that creatively pairs cutting-edge science by leading LLNL researchers with a feature film on a similar subject matter, providing the perfect combination of enlightenment and entertainment. Students may receive extra credit for attending and prizes will be awarded to the top three classrooms with the most students attending over the four programs.
The series will be held at The State Theatre, 1307 J. St. in Modesto, and will kick off Saturday, March 7. Doors will open at 11:30 a.m. with the lecture portion beginning at noon. The feature-length film will follow at 1 p.m. Seating is on a first-come basis. There is no pre-registration.
Here is the complete schedule:
- March 7: "Health in Space: Developing New Tools for the Trip to Mars," by LLNL scientists Matt Coleman and Matthias Frank, along with NASA Ames researcher David Loftus. This lecture is paired with the 2015 movie "The Martian," rated PG-13.
- March 14: "Monitoring Microbiomes: Detection on the International Space Station," by LLNL scientists Crystal Jaing and Nick Be. This lecture is paired with the 1998 movie "Lost in Space," rated PG-13.
- April 4: "Return to Apollo," by LLNL scientist Lars Borg. This lecture is paired with the 2018 movie "First Man," rated PG-13.
- April 18: "Planetary Defense: Avoiding a Cosmic Catastrophe," presented by scientists Megan Bruck Syal and Mary Burkey. This lecture is paired with the 1998 feature film "Deep Impact," rated PG-13.
Science on Screen is funded by a grant through the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the Coolidge Corner Theatre. The privately funded, nonprofit State Theatre is partnering with LLNL's University Relations and Science Education Program to provide the science-based content highlighting LLNL's cutting-edge research. This partnership hopes to inspire and engage students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education.
