Past Meetings
2022
March 2022, James Golden, "Huntington Beach Seawater Desalination Facility"
January 2022, Jonathan Feng, Ph,D., "Discovering the Universe on a Shoestring Budget"
2021
November 2021, Luke Walker, JPL, "What Happens After the Seven Minutes of Terror? The Perseverance Rover’s Early Days on Mars"
September 2021, Brian Prasad, Ph.D., "Product Development Process (PDP) for IoT-ready Products"
June 2021, Amir S. Gohardani, Ph.D., "Future Challenges in Space Activities"
March 2021, Kerry T. Nock, “A Mars Transportation Architecture for Sustained Human Exploration"
January 2021, Nicholas Pinter, Ph.D, “Climate-change adaptation and disaster mitigation through managed retreat: 140+ years of moving towns.”
2020
October 2020, Dr.James LaMotte, Ph.D., O.D. , “Coronavirus vs the Human Immune System.”
March 2020.
Meetings at the Doubletree canceled due to the Coronavius epidemic.
Online Zoom metings are scheduled to begin in October 2020
January 2020, Brent Freeze, Ph.D., “Cubesats to measure pulsar x-rays, the edge of quantum mechanics and relativity”
2019
November 2019, J. Michael McCarthy, Ph.D, “Computer Aided Design of a Mechanical System to Draw a Curve”
September 2019
Peter Kurzhals, Ph.D. becomes Sigma Xi Orange County President.
September 2019, David Lubman, “Were Ancient Maya Builders Sophisticated Sonic Designers?”
September 2019
Stan White steps down after 14 continuous years as President (and 42 years since the group reorganized)
May 2019, Roland A. Boucher, “The Pendulum, the Pyramid, the Parthenon, and the Pound (The pendulum and standards of measure in the ancient world.)”
March 2019, Linda J. Levine, Ph.D., Department of Psychological Science, UCI, “Bias in Predicted and Remembered Emotion.”
January 2019, Shane Ardo, Ph.D., Assist. Prof of Chemistry, UCI, “Development of a Plastic Water Bottle for Sunlight-Driven Desalination.”
2018
September 2018, Virginia Trimble, “What You Might Want to Know About Special Relativity and How to Get Started”
May 2018,Valentino Gantz, Ph.D, "The New World of CRISPR applications"
March 2018,Brian Hart, Ph.D, Astrophysics: “Explaining to the General Public How to do Cosmology by Observing Clusters of Galaxies.”
January 2018,James Bullock, Ph.D., Prof. of Physics and Astronomy, Center for Cosmology, School of Physical Sciences, UCI, “From Dark Matter to Habitable Worlds.”
2017
November 2017, Daniel Whiteson, Ph.D, “We Have No Idea; A Guide to the Unknown Universe.”
September 2017, Stan White, Ph.D, Sigma Xi OC Chapter’s founding president, "The Reversible Dementia, iNPH (Idiopathic Normal-Pressure Hydrocephalus), or Adult Onset Hydrocephalus"
May 2017,
March 2017,
January 2017,
2016
November 2016,
September 2016
Peter Kurzhals, Ph.D. becomes Sigma Xi Orange County Treasurer.
September 2016,
May 2016, Paul Chodas, manager of the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), "The Planetary Defense Coordination Office". NASA’s Near-Earth Object (NEO) Program, which started in 1998, has achieved its initial goal of finding 90 percent of the NEOs larger than 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) in size, but more work needs to be done on detection and tracking small to mid-sized NEOs. Congress has set a new goal of finding 90 percent of NEOs down to 140 meters (260 feet) in size, and that may take many decades to achieve.
March 2016, Gultekin Gulsen, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the School of Medicine Department of Radiological Sciences, plus Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engi-neering, Computer Science and Physics Departments and Director of the In-Vivo Onco-Imaging Shared-Resource of Chao Family Cancer Center at UCI; “The State of Medical Imaging in the 21st Century.” Newly combined modalities provide previously unimaginable detail, insight and diagnostic and treatment pathways.
January 2016, Virginia Trimble,“The Impact of WW1 on Chemistry, Physics, Astronomy and Other Sciences.” The economic and social impacts were, unsurprisingly, profound and permanent. The incomparable Dr. Trimble gives an in-depth guided tour.
2015
November 2015: James Bullock, Ph.D., Professor of Physics and Astronomy and Director for the Center for Cosmology at UCI; “Galaxies and Dark Matter at the Frontier.” New discoveries reveal much about dark matter that most cosmologists believe builds the universe’s scaffolding structure formation.
September 2015: Peter Ditto, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology and Social Behavior, School of Social Ecology at UCI.“Through the Partisan Looking Glass: The Psychology of Political Polarization”
May 2015: Roland A. Boucher, MS, Aerospace Engineer; “The Pendulum and Three Standards that Measured the Ancient World.”
March 2015: John M. Goodman, Ph.D., writer, designer, consultant and inventor; “Our Energy Dilemma and an Audacious Solution.”
January 2015: Craig Stark, Ph.D., Director of Center for the Neurobiology of Learning & Memory, UCI, "Where did I Put My Keys? Tales from the Hippocampus for Anyone Over 30.”
2014
November 2014, George Streidter, Ph.D., Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology joint appointment), School of Biological Sciences and Fellow of the Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, “Evolution of the Brain: Changing its Structure While the Motor is Running!”
September 2014, Greg Thomas, MD, Director of MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute, “Mummy Imaging Research.” We’re still dying of the same causes as the pharaohs!
May 2014, Gregory S. Hickok, Ph.D., Prof. of Cognitive Science; Founder and Director of the Center for Language Science And the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, “Inside the Language Instinct; How the Brain Creates Language.”
March 2014, the redoubtable Virginia Trimble returns to present the controversial "Anybody but Hubble". Don't miss it; she has never disappointed a scientific audience.
January 2014, Ronald Koons, MD, FACP, UCI Clinical Professor of Medicine; Member, Ethics Committee; "The Science of Medicine and the Art of Medicine".
2013
November 2013, Virginia Trimble, Ph.D., Professor of Astronomy, History of Science and Scientometrics; "Blurring the Boundaries of Physics, Chemistry and Astronomy; The Mosely Centenary".
September 2013: Mikael Nilsson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Chemical & Biological Engineering and Materials Science, Henry Samueli School of Engineering, UCI; "Nuclear Fuel/Waste Reprocessing".
May 2013, James T. Randerson, Ph.D., Chancellor’s Professor of Earth System Science at UCI, "Climate Change and Forest Fires".
March 2013, Athan J. Shaka, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, “Future Power”.
January 2013, Kerry Parker Burnight,Ph.D., , University of California, Irvine, “Aging Brilliantly".
2012
November 2012, Kenneth J. Shea, Ph.D., University of California, Irvine, “What Can Synthetic Chemistry Do For Us? From ‘Plastic Antibodies’ to Fuels, From Biomass to Pest Control?”
September 2012, Donald G. Saari, Ph.D., University of California, Irvine, "We Vote, But Do We Elect Whom We Want?"
May 2012, Daniel Whiteson, Ph.D., University of California, Irvine, “Exploring the Unknown Universe with the Large Hadron Collider".
March 2012, Marc D. Rayman, Ph.D., Chief Engineer/ Mission Director, JPL, “To Boldly Go – Well, You Know: NASA’s Dawn Mission to the Asteroid Belt”.
January 2012, Aniruddh D. Patel, Ph.D., The Neurosciences Institute, San Diego. “The Biological Significance of Human Music”.
2011
November 15, 2011, Larry Cahill, Ph.D., School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine: “Sex Influences on Brain Function and Emotional Memory.”
September 20, 2011, Don V. Black, Ph.D., Director and Chief Scientist at Digital ChoreoGraphics, Irvine, CA: “Special Relativistic Visualization – Einstein’s Visions.”
May 17, 2011, Gregory Benford, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Physics and Astronomy, UCI, and world-famous award-winning science-fiction author: “Smart SETI – Searching for Cost-Optimized Interstellar Beacons.”
March 15 2011. Speaker taken ill. An informal SETI discussion forum was held.
January 18 2011, Bruce Betts, Ph.D., Director of Projects for The Planetary Society, Alumni Senior Scientist of the Planetary Science Institute and Adjunct Professor at California State University, Dominguez Hills: “The Sky is Falling! Should We Care? Assessing the Near-Earth Asteroid Threat” We don’t want to go the way of the dinosaurs.
2010
November 16 2010, Steven Gross, Ph.D., Professor of Developmental & Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences and Professor of Physics, UCI; “Do Cell Phones Cause Cancer?” The jury’s still out, but a review of the physics and the epidemiology provides a useful snapshot of what is and what is not known today.
September 21 2010, Dan Berlau, Ph.D., Assistant Adjunct Professor, UCI School of Medicine; “Living Long and Living Well.” Results (some quite surprising) of a study of factors associated with healthy, productive longevity into the 90’s and beyond by the staff of the Clinic for Aging Research and Education.
May 18 2010, Fred M. Johnson, Ph.D., Principal, Exceptional Experts, Professor Emeritus and Former Chair of Physics at California State University, Fullerton, CA: “Forensic Accident Reconstruction.” Using physics to analyze the accident record and find the truth.
March 16 2010, Michael J. Prather, Ph.D., Fred Kavli Chair and Professor of Earth Systems Science, School of Physical Sciences, UCI: “To everything there is a season, but the times they are a-changin’: whom should you believe on climate change?” We may not see much change (although it’s there) in our lifetimes, but our grandkids will wonder why we let this happen!
January 19 2010, Francisco J. Ayala, Ph.D., University Professor and Donald Bren Professor of Biological Sciences, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Professor of Philosophy; and Professor of Logic and the Philosophy of Science, UCI: “Darwin’s Gift to Science and Religion.” There is no conflict between science and religion. None!
2009
November 17 2009, Jeffrey D. Johnson, Ph.D., Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, Dept. of Neurobiology and Behavior, UCI: “Human Episodic Memory and Brain Imaging.” I just met her and already forgot her name? Why?
September 15 2009, Richard Nielsen, Ph.D., Boeing Technical Fellow, Boeing Defense Systems, Anaheim, CA: “Acoustic Detection of Low-Flying Aircraft.” A well researched and documented engineering assessment of an important homeland-security/border issue.
May 19 2009, Michael T. Kleinman, Ph.D., Professor of Toxicology and Co-Director of the Air Pollution Health Effects Laboratory, Occupational and Environmental Division, Department of Medicine, UCI: “Bioterrorism, the Dark Side of Science.”
March 17, 2009, Sandra Thompson, Ph.D., J.D., Patent Attorney at Buchalter Nemer, Orange, CA. “The Power of Greenovation,” explores the new “green innovation” technologies and their patentability and manufacturing impacts in California, and what to expect in the next 1-10 years.
January 20, 2009, Anyes Taffard, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy, School of Physical Sciences, UCI, and Experimental Particle Physicist working on the ATLAS detector on the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva, “Journey to the Heart of Matter,” an insider’s view of the LHC’s how, why and status.
2008
November 18, 2008, Virginia Trimble, Ph.D.; VP, International Astronomical Union, Sigma Xi National Lecturer, Professor of Astronomy and Professor of History of Science and Scientometrics, Department of Physics and Astronomy, UCI: “Yesterday’s Paradigm is Tomorrow’s Wooden Nickel (Adventures in Astronomical Misunderstandings).”
September 16 2008, Dr. Simon LeVay, M.D., Ph.D., neurobiologist, international lecturer, author and Harvard Medical School and Salk Institute researcher: “The Science of Sexual Orientation … it’s not Choice,” a review of the physical evidence for the biological basis of sexual orientation.
May 20 2008, Dr. William J. Cooper, Ph.D., Director and Professor, Urban Water Research Center, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UCI: “Water Scarcity, Global Changes and Groundwater Management Issues.” This is a much bigger problem than generally recognized by both policy makers and the general public.
March 18 2008, Brian Hart, Ph.D., UCI Center for Cosmology, “Evolution of Substructure in Galaxy Clusters as Observed in X-Rays.”
January 15 2008, Marc D. Rayman, Ph.D., Dawn Spacecraft Mission Manager and Project System Engineer, Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA: “Now Flying Through a Solar System Near You: The Dawn Mission to the Asteroid Belt and its Incredible Ion-Propulsion System.”
2007
November 20, 2007, Terry McDermott, Los Angeles (CA) Times Feature Writer: “A Reporter’s Take on Science Reporting.”
September 18, 2007, Linton C. Freeman, Ph.D., Research Professor, Institute for Mathematical Behavioral Sciences and Department of Sociology, School of Social Sciences, UCI: “Centrality: A Structural Property of Social Networks.”
July 17 2007, Larry Adkins Ph.D., Professor of Astronomy, Cerritos College, Norwalk, CA: “The Temple of the Fox, an Ancient Peruvian Temple Aligned with the Stars; a Tale of Archeoastronomy.”
May 15, 2007, Gloria Mark, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Informatics, UCI: “Multi-tasking in the Workplace: Examining the Nature of Fragmented Work - Constant Multi-tasking Craziness.” Examination of an institutionalized productivity wrecker!
March 20, 2007, Fred M. Johnson, Ph.D., Professor of Physics, Emeritus, at California State University, Fullerton (CSUF), CA: “Clues to the Origin of Life Throughout the Galaxy; The Diffuse Interstellar Bands.” The building blocks of life are everywhere, but where is everybody?
January 16, 2007, Roxanne Cohen Silver, Ph.D. Professor, Dept. of Psychology and Social Behavior and Dept. of Medicine, UCI: “Thinking Critically About Coping with Life’s Traumas.” Some people are great survivors, some not. Why?
2006
November 21, 2006, Arnold Goodman, Ph.D., Professor and Associate Director of the UCI Center for Statistical Consulting, “Nature’s Dance of Life: System Models and Uncertainty, Paul Silverman’s Final Visions for a New Systems Biology of the Cell.”
September 19, 2006; Steve Noland, M.S., MRO Systems Engineer, Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena: “The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO),” the mission purpose, the vehicle, its support systems, and the mission status.
July 18, 2006; Manoj Kaplinghat, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy, UCI: “Trying to Demystify Dark Matter.” A review of recent observational and analytical results.
May 16, 2006; Marco Iacoboni, MD, Ph.D., neurologist and neuroscienti Dept. of Psychiatry and Biobehavorial Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA and Director of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Laboratory of the Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, “Mirror Neurons, Imitation and Empathy.” The mechanism underlying neurology-based learning and relational strategies common to all social mammals.
March 21, 2006; Jorge A. Vasquez, Ph.D., Civil Engineer and Archeologi “Project ‘Joya de Ceren’.” A dangerous journey to an archeological treasure trove.
January 17, 2006; Frederick M. Hawthorne, Ph.D., University Professor of Chemistry, UCLA: “Toward Inorganic Rotary Molecular Motors.” A science-fiction medical tool comes closer to reality!
2005
November 15, 2005; Elizabeth J. Barton, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy, UCI: “Cosmology – Explorations of the Light and Dark Universe.” Probing the beginning of time, where physics, metaphysics and philosophy meet.
September 20, 2005; Maura Hofstadter, Ph.D., Reeve-Irvine Spinal Cord Center, UCI: “Stem-Cell Research Update.” A review of both the state of the research and the clinical applications of this new science.
July 19, 2005; Larry Cahill, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Neurobiology and Behavior and Fellow at the Center for Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, UCI: “Sex Influences on Emotional Memory.” Why do husbands and wives have such different memories of commonly experienced events? Dr. Phil, listen up! Dr. Cahill has the answer!
May 17, 2005; Virginia Trimble, Ph.D., Professor of Astronomy, History of Science and Scientometrics; Physics and Astronomy Department, the University of California at Irvine, CA: “The Quest for Other Worlds from Myth through Literature to Scientific Exploration.” From the earliest myths to the most modern astronomical search, mankind searches for habitable “other” places. But habitable for whom? Would you recognize an alien life form if it introduced itself?
March 22, 2005; Dave Doody, M.S., Project Scienti Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA: “Status Report on the International Cassini/Huygens Mission Exploring Saturn and Titan.” The hard science, the unexpected findings and where we hope to go from here.
January 18, 2005; David Lubman, M.S., Archeological Acoustician: Maya Sound Magic at Chichen Itza, Mexico.” How did these ancient pyramid constructors master acoustic science and engineering more dramatically than anything built since? Where did this knowledge originate? Why did it vanish?
January 3, 2005
President Ted LaChapelle suffers stroke. Founder Stan White returns as President, John C. Pinson is new Secretary-Treasurer.
2004
November 16, 2004; Harold R. Smith, M.D., Clinical Professor of Neurology, College of Medicine and Medical Director, UCI Sleep Disorders Center: “Normal Sleep and Sleep Disorders – the Physiology and Neurochemistry.” Society is affected more than you may realize. Take that nap; you need it!
September 21, 2004; John W. Kenney, III, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Physics, Concordia University, Irvine, CA: “High-Pressure that Glitters – the Diamond Connection.” What creates the impression of “beauty” in a diamond? How well can it be synthesized? Industrial diamonds present little problem, but can the diamond jewelry market protect itself from seemingly perfect synthetic gems? Hey, guys, would you buy a synthetic one for her?
May 18, 2004; Scott Samuelson, Ph.D., Director, National Fuel Cell Center, UCI: “Hydrogen Fuel Cells.” The science, the infrastructure issue, market practicality issues.
March 16, 2004; Barbara Becker, Adjunct Professor of History, Dept. of History, UCI: “Origins of Astrophysics: Late-Victorian Amateur Astronomer William Huggins and Nebular Spectroscopy.” Back when ‘professional scientists’ were rare, amateurs carried the load!
January 20, 2004; Jonathan Feng, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, UCI: “Dark Matter, Black Holes, and the Search for Extra Dimensions.” The frontiers of physics will keep expanding forever.
2003
September 16, 2003; Albert R. Vogeler, Ph.D., retiree from Departments of History and Liberal Studies, California State University at Fullerton; “Crop Circles – Part 2: Complex and Unusual Patterns.”
July 15, 2003; Albert R. Vogeler, Ph.D., retiree from Departments of History and Liberal Studies, California State University at Fullerton; “Crop Circles – Part 1: Enigma and Paradox.”
March 18, 2003; Gregory Benford, Ph.D., Professor, Physics and Astronomy Dept., UCI: “Sailing the Seas of Outer Space to the Stars.” Harnessing solar wind and light pressure.
January 21, 2003; Michael Abrams, Ph.D., Associate ASTER Team Leader, Jet Propulsion Laboratory/NASA, Pasadena, CA: “Watching Volcanoes from Space.” An increasing number of solar-system “dead bodies” are found to be volcanically active.
2002
July 16, 2002; Michael Dennin, Ph.D., Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow and Associate Professor, Department of Physics, UCI: “Foams and Patterns: The Physics of Shaving Cream and Animal Stripes.” The power of physics to explain seems boundless!
May 21, 2002; Wilson Ho, Ph.D., Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Professor of Chemistry, UCI: “Nanotechnology and the Manipulation of Individual Atoms and Molecules.” Assembling new substances using atoms like bricks creates incredible opportunities to create custom molecules for both medicine and manufacturing.
March 19, 2002; Lisa Grant, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Dept. of Environmental Analysis and Design, School of Social Ecology, UCI: “Earthquakes in Orange County – Past (Coastal Uplift > 1635 A.D.) and Future (?)” Is OC going to experience its own “big one?”
January 15, 2002; Alan G. Barbour, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, UCI; Donald N. Forthal, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, UCI. Both were epidemic intelligence service officers, U.S. Centers for Disease Control: “Biological Agents of Terrorism: What Are the Risks and Preventions?” This is an increasingly important element in national defense/security. The science is pretty well in hand; the staffing and funding aren’t.
2001
November 20, 2001; Michael Goulden, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Earth System Science, UCI: “Determining the Rate of Global Warming: Terrestrial Ecosystems.” During our lifetimes we will see the extinction of tens of thousands of plant and animal species due to global warming. The science is undeniable; the planet is trapping excessive heat due to human activity.
September 18, 2001; Gary L. Peterson, Ph.D., Professor of Geology, Dept. of Geological Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA: “The Geological Case for Life on Mars.” As the surface of Mars dried, the last traces of liquid water and life most likely retreated under the surface. The problem will be to find it!
July 17, 2001; Qun-yong Zhou, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in Pharmacology, UCI: “From Snake Venom and Frog Skin Secretions to Possible New Treatments for Digestive Disorders.” Nature’s pharmacopeia has been scarcely explored. Here are a couple of interesting findings.
May 15, 2001; Virginia Trimble, Ph.D., Professor, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, UCI: “Astrophysics Faces the Millennium.”
March 20, 2001; Hung Fan, M.D., Ph.D., Professor and Director, Cancer Research Institute, School of Medicine, UCI: “Update on Cancer – the Latest Discoveries and Possible Therapies.”
January 16, 2001; Andrea Ghez, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy, UCLA: “Observing the Fastest Moving Stars in Our Galaxy: Evidence of a Supermassive Black Hole at the Center of the Milky Way.”
2000
November 21, 2001; Carl W. Cotman, Ph.D., Director of the Institute for Brain Aging and Dementia, Professor in the Department of Neurology and Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, School of Medicine, UCI: “Problems of an Aging Brain.”
September 19, 2000; Paul Chodas, Ph.D., Research Scienti Solar System Dynamics Group, Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA: “Near-Earth Objects and the Chance of Collision with the Earth.”
July 18, 2000; Gerald LaRue, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor in Gerontology and Emeritus Professor of Religion, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA: “Ancient Myth and Modern Life.”
May 16, 2000; Robert L. Staehle, M.S., Deputy Manager of Outer Planets/Solar Probe Project, Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA; “Missions to the Most Difficult Solar System Destinations: Europa, Pluto and the Sun.”
March 21, 2000; John W. Armstrong, Ph.D., Research Scienti Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA: “The Cassini Gravitational Wave Experiment.”
January 18, 2000; Gary Peterson, Ph.D., Professor of Geological Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA: “Basaltic Flooding of Planetary Landscapes.”
January 3, 2000
Stan White steps down to devote more time to sons’ medical problems. Theodore J. LaChapelle elected President, Richard Nielsen elected as Secretary-Treasurer.
1999
November 16, 1999; James L. McGaugh, Ph.D., Founding Director of the Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory and Research Professor of Neurobiology and Behavior, UCI: “Making Lasting Memory: Role of Stress Hormones and the Amygdala.”
September 21, 1999; Michael Rose, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, UCI: “Darwin’s Spectre: Evolutionary Biology in the Modern World.”
July 20, 1999; Stacy Weinstein, M.S., Orbiter Payload Lead Systems Engineer for the Mars Sample-Return Mission, Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA: “Mars Sample Return Mission: An Overview.”
May 18, 1999; John H. Schwarz, Ph.D. (NAS), Harold Brown Professor of Theoretical Physics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA: Unsnarling the Knots and Tangles of String Theory.”
March 16, 1999; Mark Vagins, Ph.D., Research Physici UCI: “So Neutrinos Oscillate … So What?”
January 19, 1999; Virginia Trimble, Ph.D., Professor of Physics and Astronomy at both UCI and University of Maryland at College Park, MD: “1999 State of the Universe Address.”
1998
November 17, 1998; Stanley A. White, Ph.D., P.E., President, SPACE Corp.; Scientific Advisor, Rockwell International Corp.; Adjunct Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UCI and in Aerospace Engineering at UCLA: “A Quick Look at the Roles of Mathematics, Mysticism, Manipulation, Manufacturing, Money and Miscellaneous Mish-Mash in the Development of Music in Western Civilization.”
September 15, 1998; C. Ronald Koons, M.D., Radiation Oncologi Professor, Ethici UCI: “Living and Dying: of Medicine and Ethics in Hospice Care.”
July 21, 1998; Kenneth J. Shea, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry, UCI: “A Chemist’s Perspective of Materials Science – Natural and Unnatural Glass.”
May 19, 1998; Joseph Weber, Ph.D., Professor and Senior Research Scienti Dept. of Physics and Astronomy at UCI, and University of Maryland at College Park, MD: “The Search for Gravitational Radiation.”
March 17, 1998; Armen Shahbazian, M.D., Owner and Director of Pacific Radiation Oncology Center, Orange, CA: “Prostate Cancer vs. Photons: a Tale of an Ongoing Fight Against Cancer.”
January 20, 1998; Arthur Benjamin, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Mathematics, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA: “The Art of Mental Calculation, or How to Look Like a Genius Without Really Trying.”
1997
November 18, 1997; Justin D. Call, M.D., Chief of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, UCI: “Correlates of Early Brain Development with Normal, Neurological and Psychopathological Development in Infancy.”
September 16, 1997; Jeffry M. Schwartz, M.D., Associate Research Professor of Psychiatry, UCLA: “Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.”
July 15, 1997; Russell F. Doolittle, Ph.D. (NAS), Research Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Department of Biology, University of California at San Diego, CA: “Evolution and the Family Tree of Life Forms.”
May 20, 1997; Rui P. de Figueiredo, Ph. D., Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Professor of Mathematics, Director of the Laboratory for Machine Intelligence and Neural and Soft Computing, UCI: “A Perspective on Human-Centered Systems.”
March 18, 1997; Gordon L. Shaw, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Physics, member of Center for Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, UCI: “Musical Training Causes Long-Term Enhancement of Spatial-Temporal Reasoning and Mathematical Concepts in Young School Children.”
January 21, 1997; Diana Deutsch, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, University of California at San Diego, CA: “The Psychology of Music.”
1996
November 19, 1996; Arthur H. Vaughn, Ph.D., Senior Scienti Jet Propulsion Laboratory/ California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA: “The Hubble Space Telescope Repair Story in Retrospect.”
September 17, 1996; Tom Streeter, J.D., Senior Intellectual Property Attorney, Rockwell International Corp., Anaheim, CA, and humor columnist for Mensa: “What Every Engineer and Scientist Should Know About Patent Law.” Even Edison made mistakes. Learn how to avoid them!
July 16, 1996; Ralph Cicerone, Ph.D. (NAS), Dean and Professor of Physical Sciences, UCI: “Sustainable Development: An Oxymoron?”
May 21, 1996; Virginia Trimble, Ph.D., Professor of Physics and Astronomy, UCI, and University of Maryland at College Park, MD, and VP of the International Astronomical Union: “1996 State of the Universe Address.”
March 19, 1996; Dave Doody, M.S., Mission Operations, Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA: “Space Missions, The Gravitational ‘Slingshot’ Effect and Orbit Transfer: Just How Does that Work?” How to steal orbital energy for your spaceship from planets, moons and asteroids.
January 16, 1996; Francisco J. Ayala, Ph.D., Donald Bren Professor of Biological Sciences, Dept. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UCI: “Science and Religion: Teaching Evolution in the Schools.” And we thought the Scopes trial was in the past!
1995
November 21, 1995; Rich Terrile, Ph.D., Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA: “The Search for Other Planetary Systems.” New methods and results!
September 19, 1995; Stephen Edberg, Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA: “Chasing and Observing Solar Eclipses.” Astrophysicist turns adventurer.
July 18, 1995; Fred Shair, Ph.D., Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA; Professor of Chemical Engineering; Sigma Xi National Lecturer and President: “A Perspective on the Evolving Role of Science in Our Society.” Science policy begins at home.
May 16, 1995; John Allman, Ph.D., Hixon Professor of Psychobiology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA: “Brain Size and Survival.” Not a simple correlation!
March 21, 1995; James McGaugh, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Neurobiology, UCI: “Memory.” Why does it work as it does? Is its failure with age certain?
January 17, 1995; Richard J. Haier, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry, UCI: “Brain Imaging Studies of Learning, Imaging and Intelligence.”
1994
November 15, 1994; Michael Klein, Ph.D., Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA: “In Search of Other Earths: Scientific Investigations of Planets Beyond Our Solar System.” First of a pair of lectures on new detection methods.
September 20, 19994; Ron Blom, Ph.D., Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA: “The Trans-Arabia Expedition: Space Technology and the Lost City of Ubar.” Meet the scientist who was featured on the NOVA series. He tells it like it was. Wow!
July 19, 1994; Michael S. Mega, M.D., Ph.D., Reed Neurological Research Center, Department of Neurology, UCLA School of Medicine: “Language and the Brain.” Incredible story of discovery.
May 17, 1994; Carl Cotman, Ph.D., Director of Irvine Research Unit in Brain Aging, Professor of Psychobiology and Professor of Neurology, UCI: “Successful Aging: Emerging Developments.” How can we maximize our functionality with age?
March 15, 1994; Joseph L. Keirschvink, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Geobiology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA: “Magnetite Biomineralization in Human Tissues – Do We Have a Built-In Compass?”
January 18, 1994; Leonard Vincent, Ph.D., Professor of Biology, Fullerton College, Fullerton, CA: “What’s So Special About Spiders?”
1993
November 16, 1993; Kent Colbath, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Earth Science, Cerritos College, Cerritos, CA: “Mass Extinctions and Earth History.”
September 21, 1993; Norman Rostoker, Ph.D., Professor of Physics, UCI: “An Alternate Approach to Controlled Fusion.”
July 20, 1993; Fiorella Terenzi, Ph.D., Acoustic Astronomer and Professor of Mathematics and Physics, Liceo Scientifico, Milan, Italy: “Music From the Galaxies.”
May 18, 1993; Alex Maradudin, Ph.D., Professor of Physics, UCI: “The Role of the Research University.”
March 16, 1993; Hideo Gamo, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, UCI: “Magic Mirrors: Unconventional Imaging Optics, Technology and History.”
January 19, 1993; Virginia Trimble, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Physics, UCI and Professor, Astronomy Program, University of Maryland at College Park, MD; Astronomy Section Chair, AAAS; Sigma Xi National Lecturer: “Cosmology: Man’s Place in the Universe.”
1992
November 17, 1992; Gordon Shaw, Ph.D., Professor of Physics and member of the Center for Neurobiology, Learning and Memory, UCI: “Brain Model Translated into Music.”
Sepember 15, 1992; Nathan Rynn, Ph.D., Professor of Physics, UCI: “Plasma Physics and Fusion Energy.”
July 21, 1992; Jonathan Ericson, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology, UCI: “Living in Space: Problems and Potentials of Space Stations.”
May 19, 1992; William Heidbrink, Professor of Physics, UCI: “Hot Fusion Research.”
March 17, 1992; Joie Jones, Professor of Radiological Sciences, School of Medicine, UCI: “Medical Imaging: a New Revolution in Diagnostic Medicine.”
February 18, 1992
Installation Ceremony. Orange County Sigma Club was elevated to Chapter status by Fred Shair, Ph.D., former Sigma Xi President (International Headquarters). Former Club officers were reelected as Chapter officers: President, Stan White; Secretary-Treasurer, Theodore J. LaChapelle; Membership Chairman, John DeNike; Member-at-Large, John Olmsted III.
January 21, 1992; Frank Awbrey, Ph.D., Professor of Biology, California State University at San Diego, San Diego, CA: “The Evolution vs. Creationism Confrontation in Education and Society.”
1991
November 19, 1991; Geoffrey Blake, Ph.D., Professor of Cosmochemistry, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA: “From Dust to Us.”
September 17, 1991; Al Sekel, Executive Director, Southern California Skeptics, Los Angeles, CA: “Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science.”
July 16, 1991; Hiroo Kanamori, Ph.D., Director and John E. and Hazel S. Smits Professor of Geophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA: “Earthquakes and Earthquake Prediction.”
May 21, 1991; Andrew Lankford, Ph.D., Professor of Physics, UCI: “The Superconducting Super Collider: Purpose, Co Competition and True Value to Science and Society.”
March 19, 1991; Kathleen Spellman, Ph.D., Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA: “The Mars Observer Mission.”
January 15, 1991; Gregory Benford, Ph.D., Professor of Physics, UCI and award-winning science-fiction writer; “Science and Fiction.”
1990
November 20, 1990; Michael Rose, Ph.D., Professor of Biological Sciences, UCI: “The Cause of Aging.”
September 18, 1990; Leroy Price, Ph.D., Professor of Physics, UCI: “Gamma-Ray and Neutrino Astronomy.”
January 5, 1990
The Orange County Club of Sigma Xi (SW-569) is officially established. President, Stan White; Secretary-Treasurer, Theodore J. LaChapelle; Membership Chairman, John DeNike; Member-at-Large, John Olmsted III.
July 17, 1990; Karel Lambert, Ph.D., Professor of Philosophy, UCI: “Logic and Reality.”
May 15, 1990; Kenneth Dumars, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Pediatrics, Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation; and Professor of Social Ecology, UCI: “What’s New in Genetics?”
March 21, 1990; Russell Steinberg, M.D., Ph.D., Behavioral Pediatrician and Lecturer in Teacher Education, UCI: “Boy Brains, Girl Brains (there IS a difference!) and Learning Disabilities.”
January 16, 1990; Andrew P. Ingersoll, Professor, Executive Officer of Planetary Science and member of the Voyager team, Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA: “The Voyager Encounter with Neptune.”
1989
November 15, 1989; Judith V. Grabiner, Ph.D., Professor of Mathematics and History of Science, Pizer College, Claremont, CA and Sigma Xi National Lecturer: “Descartes and Problem Solving: the Development of Analytic Geometry.”
September 20, 1989; Moshe Rubenstein, Ph.D., Professor, School of Engineering and Applied Science, UCLA: “Human Creativity and Problem Solving.”
July 19, 1989; Donald Blake, Ph.D., Senior Research Associate, Department of Chemistry, UCI: “The Reality of Atmospheric Threats of CFC’s, Methane and Other Trace Gasses.”
May 16, 1989; Ronald Dreaver, Ph.D., CIT/MIT Gravity-Wave Project Leader, Department of Physics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA; “The Gravity-Wave Experiments: Looking for Ripples in the Fabric of Space-Time.”
March 21, 1989; Virginia Trimble, Ph.D., Professor of Physics, UCI and Astronomy Program, University of Maryland at College Park, MD; Astronomy Section Chairman, AAAS; Sigma Xi National Lecturer: “Supernovae: Bigger and Better Bangs.”
January 17, 1989; John Preskill, Ph.D. (NAS), Professor of Physics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA: “Quantum Cosmology: The Physics of the Early Universe 10-35 Seconds After the Big Bang.” The evolution of our understanding the evolution of the universe.
1988
November 15, 1988; Judith V. Grabiner, Ph.D., Professor of Mathematics and History of Science, Pizer College, Claremont, CA and Sigma Xi National Lecturer: “The Centrality of Mathematics in the History of Western Thought.” Cultures that vigorously embraced mathematics flourished the best. There are lessons to be learned from that revelation!
September 20, 1988; Gerald Gilbert, Ph.D., Weingart Prize Research Fellow in Theoretical Physics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA: “Current Issues in String Theory.” Dr. Gilbert joined our Autonetics Club!
July 19, 1988; Roger de Wames, Ph.D., Chief Scienti Rockwell International Science Center, Thousand Oaks, CA: “Superconductivity.”
May 17, 1988; Samuel Golkis, Ph.D., SETI Project Scienti Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA: “Listening for Cosmic Footsteps.”
March 15, 1988; Mary-Louise Keane, Professor of Cognitive Sciences and Linguistics, Department of Sociology, UCI: “Vivaldi’s Left Hemisphere: Myths of Mind and Brain.” The first meeting of the new organization was a resounding success!
January 19, 1988;
Autonetics Club formally, albeit probationally, reestablished. Probation to last one year; three-year additional “watch” period established after which the Club September petition for upgrade to Chapter status.
1987
January 18, 1987
A reorganization and business meeting of the revitalized Autonetics Club of Sigma Xi was held. Stan White was elected President, Theodore J. LaChapelle was elected Secretary-Treasurer. Committee members selected were John de Nike, A. Donald Rankine, Margil W. Wadley and James B. Weddell. About a dozen other members attended. The successful bimonthly social hour/dinner/lecture format was established.
August 15, 1987
Stan White formally petitions Sigma Xi National Headquarters in the name of the Autonetics Club for a charter extension.
September 14, 1987
Stan White takes control of and responsibility for the Club to save its existence; asks all members of record for assistance. Contacts were made with all active and lapsed Sigma Xi members with Orange County ZIP codes. Ted LaChapelle volunteers to help.
September 9, 1987
Sigma Xi national headquarters notified all Autonetics Club members of record that the charter of the Autonetics Club of Sigma Xi will be revoked due to nearly a decade of Club inactivity. Concerned members contacted one another and held two meetings. Unfortunately, nothing useful emerged because of disagreements over organization, mission and leadership.
1974
In 1974 RESA and Sigma Xi, two very similar organizations, merged to form Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society of North America; however, after the organization began to spread into Latin America, the Far East and Europe, the “of North America” was dropped from the name. The Autonetics RESA Branch was reclassified as a Sigma Xi “Club.” The late laser pioneer, Dr. R. A. Gudmundsen, was elected President, SAW was elected Treasurer.
1978
May 1978; Duane L. Merry, Ph.D., creator of the award-winning PBS series, “Dimensions in Cultures,” adventurer, anthropologist, and Instructor at Orange Coast College; “Early Civilizations and my Life with the Bedouin.” This was the last meeting before the Club lapsed into inactivity for a decade after the Research Division was gutted by funding cuts and layoffs.
1965 - 1978
No paper record can be located that documents the Chapter’s 1965-1978 activities, but Stan White (Treasurer 1974-1978) has personal memories of quarterly lecture/dinner meetings since January, 1966, when he (already a Sigma Xi member) was inducted into RESA.
1965
April 2, 1965
the Autonetics Branch of RESA, The Scientific Research Society, was formally installed by the Founding Dean of UCLA’s Engineering School, Llewellyn M. K. Boelter, Ph.D.