Lectures

Conversations at the Herbst Theatre

Thomas Lovejoy in conversation with Kevin Welch

Monday, June 9, 8 pm
Thomas Lovejoy is an innovative and accomplished conservation biologist who coined the term "biodiversity." Since 2002, he has served as President of the Heinz Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment based in Washington, D.C. Before assuming this position, Lovejoy was the World Bank’s Chief Biodiversity Advisor and Lead Specialist for Environment for Latin America and the Caribbean as well as Senior Advisor to the President of the United Nations Foundation. Spanning the political spectrum, Lovejoy has served on science and environmental councils under the Reagan, Bush, and Clinton administrations. At the core of Lovejoy’s many influential positions are his seminal ideas, which have formed and strengthened the field of conservation biology. In the 1980s, he brought international attention to the world’s tropical rainforests, and in particular, the Brazilian Amazon, where he has worked since 1965. Lovejoy also developed the now ubiquitous "debt-for-nature" swap programs and led the Minimum Critical Size of Ecosystems project. He also founded the series Nature, the popular long-term series on public television. In 2001, Lovejoy was awarded the prestigious Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement.
 
Lecture: $17 members/ $19 non-members
Series: $90 members/ $102 non-members
 
To order tickets, please call City Box Office at (415) 392-4400 or visit www.cityboxoffice.com.

 

Benjamin Dean Lecture Series

Planetary Nebulae: Death Shrouds of Lonely Stars or Aftermaths of Binary Interactions?

Monday, June 23, 7:30 pm
Some of the most beautiful objects in the sky, planetary nebulae are thought to be the death shroud of single, middle-weight stars, much like our own sun; however, evidence has been steadily accumulating that this picture might have fundamental flaws. Complex shapes, jets, and other structures suggest a new scenario, with planetary nebulae shaped by the action of a companion star, or even a large planet, orbiting the primary star at some distance. But theoretical plausibility is not enough to prove a conjecture, and observations are ongoing to find the binary stars in the center of the planetary nebulae and to finally show that it takes two to tango.
 
Dr. Orsola de Marco, American Museum of Natural History
 
Program begins at 7:30 pm in Kanbar Hall at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, 3200 California Street (at Presidio Aveune). Ticket prices: $5 per lecture or $20 for the complete series available in advance or at the door. Parking is available across the street in the UCSF Laurel Heights campus parking lot for $1.25 per night. Parking in the JCC garage is $1.25 per half-hour. The #1 California, #3 Jackson, #4 Sutter, and #43 Masonic MUNI lines stop directly in front of the building. The #38 Geary and #24 Divisadero buses stop only a few blocks away.
 
Tickets: Buy Online or at the door.
 
More information: (415) 321-8000.