A geneticist, a physicist, a climatologist and a biologist are on a stage talking about movies. This sounds like the set up to a bad joke, but it was actually the beginning of a fascinating evening of discussion about Hollywood and science and where the two intersect and where they diverge.
This event was put on by Friends of Berkeley Lab. Berkeley Lab, according to their web site, "... is a member of the national laboratory system supported by the U.S. Department of Energy through its Office of Science. It is managed by the University of California (UC) and is charged with conducting unclassified research across a wide range of scientific disciplines."
What made tonight's event so interesting was the way that the four scientists blended popular culture with science in a way that made discussing current issues (global warming, cloning, space exploration) understandable to the average person. You didn't have to have a PhD to get it. The speakers for the most part were smart, funny and engaging. What made the evening fun was the use of film clips from contemporary movies (examples: "Red Planet", and "Jurassic Park") to illustrate what is science and what is science fiction.
I thoroughly enjoyed this opportunity to gain exposure to a subject that can be intimidating in a safe environment - held at Berkeley Rep's Rhoda Theater in Downtown Berkeley.
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