The Berkeley Seminar Program has been designed to provide new students with the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member in a small-seminar setting. Berkeley Seminars are offered in all campus departments, and topics vary from department to department and semester to semester.

The elements in our bodies, the planet we live on and the phones that we carry in our pockets all have their origins in stellar cores, supernovae and colliding neutron stars. In addition to naturally occurring elements, there are synthetic elements used to generate power, fuel space exploration, treat and diagnose illness and build some of the most dangerous weapons ever created. Many of these applications were pioneered in Berkeley (which is one of three cities in the world that has an element named after the country, state and city in which it's located!). In this seminar, we will explore how the elements are formed and how they are used by society to generate energy, treat disease and form the basis for our nuclear deterrent. Researchers working in nuclear science and engineering throughout the Bay Area and beyond will visit and interact with students. Students will choose an element to study and then prepare a short report and presentation. No mathematics beyond basic algebra is required.

Requisites

• Students with 1-2 Terms in Attendance

Repeat Rules