Events

Enjoy the talented youth at RJ Fisher and help us get into the holiday spirit. 

Chie Kawahara organizes green home tours to help architects and homeowners experience the comfort of science based energy efficient homes. As a member of Santa Cruz Downtown Toastmasters, she speaks about conserving water and energy at the home. In her prior career, she managed information technology implementation projects. Chie Kawahara received a bachelor of arts degree in economics from University of Hawaii and a masters of business administration degree from San Francisco State University. She lives in Santa Cruz with her husband and enjoys trail running, baking, and playing flute.

Website: http://midorihaus.com

Highlights of Modern Astrophysics and Cosmology

Dr. Edwin F. Erickson, NASA Ames Research Center, Ret.

From Exoplanets to Gravitational Waves, from Black Holes to the Cosmic Microwave Background, from Dark Matter to Dark Energy – modern observations are revealing exciting details of these and other phenomena of fundamental astronomical significance.  As technical capabilities extend our limits of perception, theoretical astrophysicists strive to interpret the observations, elevating our understanding of – and raising intriguing questions about – the origin, the evolution, and the future of the Universe:  Cosmology. 

Successful theories not only describe and explain what is observed, but predict as yet unseen and even unobservable features of nature.  Driven by curiosity, the astronomers and physicists  are pursuing development of new facilities and ideas to further extend our limited perception and understanding.  The talk will describe some basic Physics principles and their application to astronomy, to demonstrate some of what we know, how we know it, and what we don’t know.  

As District Attorney, Mr. Rosen created an innovative and nationally acclaimed Conviction Integrity Unit to investigate innocence claims and implement the most professional practices in criminal prosecution.  

One of the state's most forward-thinking District Attorneys, Jeff Rosen of Santa Clara County, discusses the paradigm shift happening -- and needed -- in California's justice approaches.

Since arriving in the Bay Area, Mr. Rosen has served as president of a large synagogue, taught trial advocacy at Santa Clara University Law School, and trained police officers in report-writing.

Mr. Rosen received his undergraduate degree from UCLA where he majored in Philosophy and graduated Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa. He also won the prestigious Truman Scholarship and the Outstanding Senior Award. Mr. Rosen received his law degree from UC Berkeley School of Law, where he served on the Moot Court Board and taught English to immigrants.

Mr. Rosen's wife serves as a Mr. Rosen's wife serves as a Superior Court Judge for the State of California.  They have two daughters.

Mr. Rosen enjoys playing sports, reading, and cheering for the Green Bay Packers.

An admirer of President Harry Truman, Mr. Rosen believes, "The buck stops here."