SSU's Science Expo Seeks to Build Bridges Between School, Community

Sonoma State University professors and students are involved in many cutting-edge science projects, from water efficiency to finding alternative sources of energy production.

But the outside community seldom hears about the work, something the school has been trying to change in recent years.

On Tuesday, May 7, the School of Science and Technology, together with the WATERS Collaborative, a joint project of the university and the Sonoma County Water Agency that teaches watershed restoration, will host a science symposium where students will share their research with the public.

The symposium will highlight research students from the School of Science and Technology and collaborators from other departments (disciplines) are doing as well as work being done to increase majors in Science, Engineering, Technology, and Math (STEM).  

The goal is to nurture cross-campus interactions and sow seeds for new collaborations with community partners.

Following the expo, novelist, physicist, and science writer Ransom Stephens will deliver a talk titled “Your Pursuit of Greatness in a Technical World,” arguing that each person is obligated to pursue their greatest ambitions. (The talk will also include steps for achieving the goals.)

Stephens is the author of over 300 articles in the electronics industry, science journals, and magazines on subjects ranging from quantum physics to parenting teens. As a physics professor, he worked on experiments in laboratories across the United States and Europe, discovered a new type of matter and was on the team that discovered the top quark.

The Petaluma resident led a team of engineers in solving signal integrity problems and is the author of two techno-thrillers The God Patent and The Sensory Deception.

The Science Symposium will take place Tuesday, May 7 at the Green Music Center from 4-7 p.m.