Making Molecules

Wednesday, March 14, 2012, 8:00 pm

Synthetic chemists spend a lot of timeimagining new molecules and figuring out how to make them. While this can be a terrific intellectual game, making molecules can also serve a greater purpose. Dr. Peters will attempt to convey both the inherent fun of molecular synthesis, as well as provide examples of how synthetic chemistry may help us continue to provide food and fuel for the inhabitants of our planet.

Jonas Peters is the Bren Professor of Chemistry at Caltech.

Earnest C. Watson Lecture

Caltech's Beckman Auditorium located at 332 S. Michigan Ave., Pasadena, CA 91125

Lecture is free, no tickets or reservations required.

Location information: http://events.caltech.edu/find.html

Ticket office: http://events.caltech.edu/tickets.html

Jupiter String Quartet

Sunday, March 11, 2012, 3:30 pm

When we’re "whole," we’re strong. And it’s no accident that the Jupiter String Quartet is named after the Roman god associated with happiness and strength. As the RichmondTimes Dispatch remarked, “Not just any musicians could pull off such a blazing performance.”

The Boston-based quartet lives up to its august name on another level, too. At the time of its formation, Jupiter was the most prominent planet in the night sky. Similarly, in the world of music, the Jupiter String Quartet’s prominence continues to grow. “String quartets, like fine wines, get better with age; the Jupiters are a very fine vintage indeed,” wrote the St. Louis Post Dispatch.

Program:

Mozart - Quartet in E-flat Major, K. 428
Prokofiev - Quartet No. 2 in F Major, Op. 92
Schubert - Quartet No. 15 in G Major, Op. 161, D. 887

Tickets: $45.00, $38.00, $31.00 and $24.00. Youth high school age and under $15.00

Caltech's Beckman Auditorium located at 332 S. Michigan Ave., Pasadena, CA 91125

Location information: http://events.caltech.edu/find.html

Ticket office: http://events.caltech.edu/tickets.html

The All American Boys Chorus

Saturday, March 10, 2012, 8:00 pm



The best of Broadway, cool California sounds, toe-tapping tune from the Roaring Twenties, swinging songs from the Big Band era, dynamic Dixieland melodies and jazz classics are served up by this 32-voice ensemble, whose members range in age from 9 to 14 years old.

A Salute to America's Music!




Tickets: $26.00, $21.00 and $16.00. Youth high school age and under $10.00. Senior rush tickets may be purchased 30 minutes before the performance for $10.00, subject to availability.

Caltech's Beckman Auditorium located at 332 S. Michigan Ave., Pasadena, CA 91125

Location information: http://events.caltech.edu/find.html

Ticket office: http://events.caltech.edu/tickets.html

Equator - Reef of Riches

Saturday, March 3, 2012, 2:00 pm

The Indonesian archipelago in the Indo-Pacific Ocean comprises thousands of islands, atolls and the largest concentration of coral reefs in the world. This rich and varied environment is a product of a unique set of natural circumstances. The equatorial sun powers ocean currents among the tiny dots of land.Where the archipelago meets the western tip of New Guinea an intersection of ocean currents crates perhaps the world's richest reefs - in the region of the Rajah Ampat Islands.

This stunning high-definition movie will serve as the springboard for a lively discussion about the science behind the beauty and wonder of nature. This is a NHNZ, NHK, France 5, ORF and ZDF co-production in association with Discovery HD Theater & Animal Planet International.

James Maloney, a lecturer in chemistry at Caltech, will introduce the film and guide the post-screening discussion.

Recommended for ages 8 and up.

Caltech's Beckman Auditorium located at 332 S. Michigan Ave., Pasadena, CA 91125

Tickets: $5.00 - unreserved seating

Location information: http://events.caltech.edu/find.html

Ticket office: http://events.caltech.edu/tickets.html

The Science of Magic and Illusion

Friday, March 2, 2012, 7:00 pm

Art and science clearly come together as Bob Friedhoffer performs one amazing feat after another, and proves that our senses can truly be fooled. Obvious, but amazing, tricks our mind plays on us are revealed. How are people really fooled by magic? Is it principles of physics, chemistry or biology? Or is it the science of our mind, psychology and neurology?

Caltech's Beckman Auditorium located at 332 S. Michigan Ave., Pasadena, CA 91125

Due to an unanticipated family situation, Bob Friedhoffer will be unable to present the Science of Magic and Illusion at Caltech on March 2, 2012.

Tickets: $15.00. Youth high school age and under $10.00

Ticket office: http://events.caltech.edu/tickets.html

Location information: http://events.caltech.edu/find.html

Website: http://events.caltech.edu/index.html

Journeying to the Earth's Past in the Isotope Time Machine

Wednesday, February 29, 2012, 8:00 pm

Earth Science is a form of history with the basic goals of reconstructing and understanding the unique events and life forms of our planet's past, many of which are beyond our experience of the modern world. This talk will explore how the study of isotopes in rocks and fossils lets us peer into the past and quantitatively reconstruct geological and biological evolution. Isotope geoscience began with the pioneers of the Manhattan project; recent innovations allow us to reconstruct ice ages hundreds of millions of years in the past and measure the body temperatures of dinosaurs.

John Eiler is the Robert P. Sharp Professor of Geology and Professor of Geochemistry at Caltech.

Earnest C. Watson Lecture.

Beckman Auditorium located at 332 S. Michigan Ave., Pasadena, CA 91125

Free event, no tickets or reservations required.

Location information: http://events.caltech.edu/find.html

Ticket office: http://events.caltech.edu/tickets.html

Takacs String Quartet

Sunday, February 26, 2012, 3:30 pm.

The human heart has inspired countless composers, including Claude Debussy, whose Quartet is included in this post-Valentines Day program. “ I love music passionately,” he wrote. “And because I love it, I try to free it from barren traditions that stifle it.”

Returning for its eighth performance with Coleman since 1984, the Takács String Quartet has long been recognized as one of the world’s premiere string quartets—performing inNorth America, Europe, Australia, and Japan. The recipient of a Gramophone Award, the ensemble is equally renowned for its award-winning recordings on the Decca label.

“This is chamber-music playing of overwhelming intensity, insight and intelligence, simply the best…ever heard in concert,” raves the Guardian.

Program:

Dvorak - Quartet No. 10 in E-flat Major, Op. 51
Britten - Quartet No. 3 in G Major
Debussy - Quartet in G minor, Op. 10

Caltech's Beckman Auditorium located at 332 S. Michigan Ave., Pasadena, CA 91125

Ticket prices: $45.00, $38.00, $31.00, and $24.00. Youth high school age and under $15.00.

Location information: http://events.caltech.edu/find.html

Ticket office: http://events.caltech.edu/tickets.html

Cinema Vivant

Saturday, February 25, 2012, 8:00 pm

Imagine yourself in the idyllic French countryside in the 1930s. Sometime before dark, a gypsy caravan sets up camp in a field outside of town, luring the locals out for an evening's fun. The wanderers travel with a film projector, pointing it at the side of a barn. As the images flicker to life beneath the stars, gypsy musicians play their guitars and fiddles, matching every movement on the screen with characteristic virtuosity, passion and humor. Reviving this lost entertainment, The Hot Club of San Francisco presents Cinema Vivant, an evening of vintage silent films accompanied by live gypsy swing.

Caltech's Beckman Auditorium located at 332 S. Michigan Ave., Pasadena, CA 91125

Ticket prices: $26.00, $21.00, and $16.00. Youth high school age and under $10.00. Senior rush tickets may be purchased 30 minuets before the evening performance for $10.00, subject to availability.

Location information: http://events.caltech.edu/find.html

Ticket office: http://events.caltech.edu/tickets.html

Il Voce

Friday, February 17, 2012, 8:00 pm

Il Voce puts a fresh face on the global phenomenon of the genre labeled "Classical Crossover" or "Popera." Their amazing sound is created by the combination of these four magical voices and complimented by their beautiful and distinctive look. This is what truly sets Il Voce apart.

Il Voce is comprised of soprano Tiffany Desrosiers, tenor Marc Devigne, coloratura soprano Melody Mercredi and bariton DJ Calhoun. Bringin passion and virtuosity to their unique interpretations of romantic, classical, pop and opera favorites,simply put, Il Voce is "The Voices."

Caltech's Beckman Auditorium located at 332 S. Michigan Ave., Pasadena, CA 91125

Ticket prices: $26.00, $21.00, and $16.00. Youth high school age and under $10.00. Senior rush tickets may be purchased 30 minutes before the evening performance for $10.00, subject to availability.

Location information: http://events.caltech.edu/find.html

Ticket office: http://events.caltech.edu/tickets.html

What Parents Want: Evidence From Child Adoption

Wednesday, February 15, 2012, 8:00 pm

Adoption is an important phenomenon in the United States. Approximately 2.5 percent of all children, or 1.6 million, are adopted. The adoption process is fascinating for social scientists, allowing inspection of fundamental questions about preferences of parents for child attributes, such as race and gender, that are difficult to identify with biological chilen, where parents have limited freedom of choice. A new data set enables us to examine parents' attitudes and behavior in the domestic adoption process, while providing policymakers an evidence-driven base for evaluating the implications of highly debated policies, such as those restricting adoption by single-sex and foreign couples.

Leeat Yariv is Professor of Economics at Caltech.

Earnest C. Watson Lecture Series

Lecture is free, no tickets or reservations required.

Caltech's Beckman Auditorium located at 332 S. Michigan Ave., Pasadena, CA 91125

Location information: http://events.caltech.edu/find.html

Ticket office: http://events.caltech.edu/tickets.html

Life: Primates

Saturday, February 11, 2012. 2:00 pm

Life - Primates, a BBC/Discovery Channel coproduction, explores the intelligence, adaptability, and resourcefulness that have enables privates to thrive ini an incredible diversity of habitats. Primates have found extraordinary ways to improvise, espeically when faced with challenges beyond their physical means.

This stunning high-definition movie will serve as the springboard for a lively discussion about the science behind the beauty and wonder of nature. This is a BBC/Discovery Channel/SKAI/Open University co-production in association with RTI Spa.

Adler Dillman, a graduate student in biology at Caltech, will introduce the film and guide the post-screening discussion.

Recommended for ages 8 and up.

Tickets $5.00, unreserved seating.

Caltech's Beckman Auditorium located at 332 S. Michigan Ave., Pasadena, CA 91125

Caltech ticket office: http://events.caltech.edu/tickets.html

Location information: http://events.caltech.edu/find.html