SCIENCE ON SATURDAY: Sean Wu of Princeton Academy takes part in a magnet experiment with Arturo Dominguez, now head of science education, at a 2019 Science on Saturday talk. This year’s series begins on February 4 at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), in person for the first time in three years. (Photo by Elle Starkman/PPPL Office of Communications)

By Donald Gilpin

Featuring presentations on a genetic variant in dogs and humans that’s connected to friendliness, the impacts of climate change on the weather, the latest developments in technology, a 1905 version of voicemail, and a fusion energy power plan — Science on Saturday is back in person, and also online, February 4 through March 11 at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL).

In its 39th year, the PPPL Ronald E. Hatcher Science on Saturday lecture series will present the first of five weekly lectures this Saturday at 9:30 a.m. with Yasaman Ghasempour, Princeton University assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, discussing “The Race for 6G Wireless: The Challenges and Opportunities Ahead.”

“I guarantee you will be enthralled by the discoveries that are presented,” said Andrew Zwicker, head of strategic relationships at PPPL and the host of Science on Saturday. “Our speakers are presenting their cutting edge research — Where do black holes come from? How do we know they exist? How do bacteria communicate among themselves? How are we going to design a space ship to get human beings to Mars? These are questions that you think about all the time when you think about science and discovery.”

Noting that the typical audience ranges in age from 9 to 90 and is drawn together by its love of science, Zwicker continued, “Scientists are so excited about presenting and sharing their work, and there’s this wonderful give and take.”

PPPL Science Education Department head Arturo Dominguez emphasized the impressive range of topics offered in the series. “I strive to never miss these lectures myself because they’re so interesting,” he said in a PPPL press release. “You never know what you will learn!”

Following Ghasempour’s opening lecture on 6G wireless, the series will continue on February 11 with a presentation by Bridgett von Holdt, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Princeton University, focused on “Dogs and Humans with Williams Syndrome.” She will discuss her team’s discovery that dogs and humans with Williams Syndrome share a handful of genetic variants connected to friendliness.

On February 18, Adam Finkelstein, Princeton University computer science professor, will discuss the sonorine, an early 20th century form of voicemail; and on March 4, Lisa Thalheimer of the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security will explore with participants the impacts of climate change on the weather through the rising seas.

This year’s final lecture will take place on March 11, when Devon Battaglia, of Commonwealth Fusion Systems and formerly of PPPL, will discuss “High-field Tokamaks: The Fastest and Surest Path to a Fusion Energy Power Plan.”

The lecture series is aimed at high school-age students, but the hundreds of fans in the audience typically include science enthusiasts of every age, according to the press release, with some families in which three generations of Science on Saturday lovers are attending. The series is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Fusion Energy Sciences.

Both Zwicker and PPPL Science Education Senior Program Leader Deedee Ortiz, who organizes the program, emphasized how excited they are to be back at Science on Saturday in person, sharing the science and also sharing coffee, hot chocolate, bagels, and doughnuts.

“If you’re on the fence about waking up early and heading outside on a cold Saturday morning, you’re in luck!” Ortiz wrote in an email. “At the PPPL Ronald E. Hatcher Science on Saturday Lecture Series, you’ll be greeted with a warm smile, a hot cup of coffee, and a doughnut as a thank you for coming out. Find a spot in the auditorium, make some new friends, and learn about some really cool science. While watching online is certainly convenient, there’s nothing quite like face-to-face interaction with the other members of the public and chatting with the speaker after the lecture.”

Ortiz noted that the most educational part of the event is often the Q&A, with the best and most difficult questions coming from the young children in the audience. Zwicker added, “The younger the audience member, the tougher the question. Young kids have no fear. They ask anything, and often they stump the scientists. When I see a young person raising her hand, I’m thrilled — can’t wait to hear the question that’s going to be asked.”

Zwicker noted that after the pandemic shut down the series in the first week of March 2020, Science on Saturday went online for the end of 2020 and for the 2021 and 2022 sessions. “It was great to see our audience expand not just nationally but internationally,” he said. “I loved that it meant that we could reach an even wider audience with these wonderful talks, but there’s something you can never replace and that is gathering together to interact with people, who are all there because they love science, to talk about science or their daily lives, whatever it might be. To come back together is so exhilarating. I can’t wait to see everybody again in the auditorium.”

PPPL urges visitors to arrive early for coffee, bagels and doughnuts, as well as a short COVID-19 health screening (face masks are optional), before the 9:30 to 11 a.m. presentations. Visit pppl.gov and find Science on Saturday under the “Events” tab for further information.