One on Stardust at Home:

and the other on SETI at Home:

These are part of a larger project.

Christoph Weniger (Max-Planck-Institut für Physik, Germany) will present the SSL colloquium on May 3rd: `Recently, we identified a tentative gamma-ray line in the Galactic center
observations of the Fermi LAT, which would be an unequivocal smoking-gun
signature for dark matter annihilation in the Universe. One year after
discovery, the signature is still as ambiguous as it could be. I discuss
recent experimental and theoretical developments and show how the situation
could be clarified until end of next year.’

More information on the ICON mission, the NASA press release and the UC Berkeley press release.

Join us for Cal Day, Saturday, April 20th, the one day each year that Space Sciences Lab opens its doors to the public. Shuttles will be transporting the public every 20 minutes from Mining Circle on campus to SSL. Hours of activities 11 am – 5 pm.

Activities

Walking Tours See UC Berkeley’s cutting-edge space science research lab. Learn about the illustrious 50-year history of NASA missions, visit our 60′ high bay, the cosmochemistry laboratories that analyzed lunar samples, a clean room where a Hubble instrument was built, and a Nobel laureate’s office. Tours start at 11 am and leave every 20 minutes to 4:40pm.

Passports to Science@Cal

Surfin the Solar Wind Participate in fun activities including an trying out an infrared camera, a solar Jeopardy game, and a coronal mass ejection video launcher. Hang out with cool ultraviolet wave “Sonny.” Teen Solar Investigators will be hosting the booth. This event is specifically for teens.

Talks and Panels below will be in the Addition Conference Room

12 – 1 pm   Venus and Maya Astronomy, Nancy Ali

As one of the brightest objects in the night sky, people have observed the planet Venus for thousands of years. This lecture will investigate the science behind Venus’ appearances as both the Morning and Evening Star and explore how these cycles were recorded and understood by Maya people in southern Mexico and Central America.

1 – 2 pm   NASA Missions at SSL

The Space Sciences Laboratory aims to stimulate faculty and student participation in space research with funding from NASA. A panel of a postdocs, scientists and engineers who build and test the instruments will talk about current missions and will be available for questions.

2 – 3 pm   Cool Careers in Space Science

How do you get to do the cool jobs at the Space Sciences Lab? Please join us for an informal panel discussion with scientists, engineers and students to learn about the various paths that have led them to the exciting work that goes on at our laboratory. Don’t miss this great opportunity to explore careers in Space Science.

For the official Cal Day website for SSL info click  here.

Visit Our Neighbor: Lawrence Hall of Science

See how the Hall is inspiring the next generation of scientists, engineers, and designers. Have your Science@Cal passport stamped as you explore the wonderful world of science, and get a free paper “Bunny Copter” to test in our wind tubes. Join free Planetarium presentations, design your own nano creations, and explore real-time datasets on Science On a Sphere. For more information, visit the Hall’s Cal Day page [link to: http://www.lawrencehallofscience.org/visit/events/cal_day]