 Neurobiologist and author Robert Sapolsky will be at National Geographic on Tuesday for a post-Killer Stress discussion. Photograph by John Heminway, courtesy of National Geographic. |
DCist’s guide to lectures and panel discussions in the D.C. area
Welcome to Talk to Me, Baby, a new feature where we highlight the city’s best talking events: the free, the cheap, and the spendy at the area’s museums, galleries, and auditoriums. As always, stay tuned to Popcorn and Candy for film screenings and their related discussions, and to Reader, Meet Author for book talks.
Tuesday:
>> Producers for the new National Geographic/PBS show Killer Stress will join Stanford neurobiologist and author Robert Sapolsky at the Grosvenor Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. See a premiere screening of the show as well as a discussion on the biology of stress, which is sure to include talk about his African baboon research. The show itself begins on Wednesday on PBS. Tickets cost $18.
>> Art lovers have two great options tonight. SAAM is holding the first in its Collector’s Roundtable Lecture Series, Buying at Auction at 7 p.m. in the McEvoy Auditorium. Eric Widing of Christie’s will lead the talk. Get tickets to all three in the series for $50, or spend $20 for tonight’s only. To register, call 202-233-8490, e-mail saamprograms@si.edu, or do it online.
>> Or, head to the Corcoran for Design in Spain Now: An Evening with Martin Azua and Juli Capella at 7:00 p.m. Capella specializes in architecture, interior design, town planning and design theory, and Azúa focuses on industrial design and research. The two will discuss their current projects and the influences of Spanish design worldwide. Lectures will be given in Spanish with English translation, and will be followed by a reception from the Embassy of Spain. Entry costs $25.
Wednesday:
>> Brainiacs, unite. Then, head to the Natural History Museum’s Baird Auditorium at 7 p.m. to witness astronomer Rocky Kolb, particle physicist Joe Lykken, and cosmologist Michael Turner seriously geeking out. They will “debate what dark matter and dark energy are, and discuss upcoming research, including how accelerators, particle detectors, and telescopes will be used to determine what the 96% unseen portion of the Universe is.” Tickets for The Dark Side of the Universe: Dark Matter and Dark Energy cost $20 or $10 for students with valid ID; call 202-633-3030 for more info.
>> History buffs should head to the Hirshhorn’s Ring Auditorium instead, from 6:45 to 9 p.m. U.S. Naval Academy professor Marcus Jones will be chatting it up about The Eastern Front: The Soviet-German Conflict of 1941-1945, specifically addressing “the central historical question of the war of why the Red Army managed to turn the tide of the war and help ensure the Allied victory over Germany.” $40.
