The Lawrence Hall of Science and Ignite San Francisco have teamed up to bring you Champagne Supernova:

• The Lawrence changes lives through science learning: we make curriculum for schools nationwide, welcome young visitors to our Berkeley science center, and conduct research that changes science learning around the world. 

• Ignite Talks delight audiences across the globe with their signature program of high-energy 5-minute talks, earning their motto: “Enlighten us, but make it quick!”

As you explore science through entertaining lightning talks, you’ll be inspired by the bright scientific future we’re building at The Lawrence. We’ll eat, drink, laugh, and raise funds for The Lawrence’s important work!

The Lawrence Hall of Science and Ignite Talks present

Science Night Live:

Today’s Science, Tomorrow’s Scientists 

Everyday, kids who visit our Berkeley science center – and use Lawrence curriculum in their classrooms at school – experience that science is astounding and learning is fun!

Grown-ups, now it’s your turn. With a wide-ranging line-up of flash presentations — on particle physics, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, climatology, and more — this “science variety program” showcases science specialties as diverse as those featured at The Lawrence and in our curriculum. If a standard science talk is a meal at a restaurant, this evening is your trip to the Tapas Bar!

Speakers include some of today’s most distinguished science leaders alongside youth leaders we expect will shape the science of the future, all of them taking on Ignite Talks’ signature challenge: share your expertise and passion in a presentation that is precisely 5 minutes. This peppy program keeps talks lively, speakers sharp, and audiences captivated.  

Join us in the joyful act of learning together at Champagne Supernova on November 6th. As we learn, we’ll raise funds for The Lawrence’s important work — getting today’s kids excited about learning, fascinated by science, and inspired to build a brighter, more scientific tomorrow.

Science Night Live at Champagne Supernova brings together many of the Bay Area science community’s brightest luminaries:

• “Conservation in a Changing World” – David Ackerly, Dean of UC Berkeley’s Rausser College of Natural Resources
• “Particle Physics? In THIS Economy?” – Cara Giovanetti, Postdoctorate Affiliate at UC Berkeley’s Leinweber Institute for Theoretical Physics
• “Heavy Metal Playground: Impact of Lead on our Communities and Children” – Vinan Adhikesavan, high school student and participant in The Lawrence’s East Bay Academy for Young Scientists
• “Decoding mRNA” – Liana Lareau, Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at UC Berkeley
• “From Sierra Snow to Your H₂O” – Clifford Chan, General Manager of EBMUD
• “The Brain’s Memory Dust: How Experience Rewrites Our Genes” – Arya Devanath, high school student at California High School and aspiring neurosurgeon
• “From ‘Why?’ to ‘What Now?’: How Childhood Curiosity Prepares Us to Navigate Conflict” – Andrea Prebys-Williams, consultant and parent of a young Lawrence fan.
• “Accelerating Discovery: AI for Scientific User Facilities” – Tanny Andrea Chavez Esparza, Research Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory