Notes Notes (February 25, 2004)

Environmental forum on saving open space

Daniel Press, author and professor of environmental studies at UC Santa Cruz, will speak Tuesday, February 24, in Palo Alto on the politics, techniques and power involved in local efforts to preserve land and natural resources. The talk is part of an environmental forum that starts at 7 p.m. at the Hewlett-Packard Auditorium, Building 20A, 3000 Hanover St. in Palo Alto.

The talk will be accompanied by an open space open house starting at 6:30 p.m. and continuing after the talk. Environmental and government organizations concerned with local open space will have tables and displays. The program is sponsored by the Committee for Green Foothills.

SLAC launches lecture series

The Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) -- one of the world's great scientific research centers, and source of three Nobel Prizes -- wants the local community to know more about what it does.

Starting on Tuesday, February 24, at 7:30 p.m., SLAC will launch a lecture series to describe, in popular language, some of the groundbreaking research into the nature of matter and the universe that go on in its laboratories and tunnels.

Communications Director Neil Calder will lead off the series by describing "All about SLAC: What Goes on in the World's Longest Building?" The free, hour-long lecture will take place at 2575 Sand Hill Road, where SLAC has been churning out ground-breaking science for more than 40 years.

The lecture series will continue on the last Tuesday of every other month throughout the year. Future titles by SLAC scientists include: "Synchrotron Radiation: The Light Fantastic;" "Our Lopsided Universe: The Matter with Anti-Matter;" and "Metal, Molecules, Life and Death."

For more information, call Emily Ball at 926-2620.

Deadline March 2 for Cal Grants

High school seniors and recent graduates face a March 2 deadline to apply for Cal Grants of up to $9,700 for their college education in California. To receive a grant, students must have at least a 2.0 grade-point-average and satisfy certain financial requirements. The money does not have to be repaid. For information, go to www.calgrants.org or call toll free 1-888-CA-GRANT (224-7268.)

Government fellowships for college graduates

Three state government fellowship programs are accepting applications from college graduates interested in gaining firsthand knowledge of the inner workings of the California Legislature or executive branch.

The programs consist of graduate-student coursework, substantial work experience, and a monthly stipend plus benefits, according to a spokesperson in the office of Assemblyman Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto.

The 11-month fellowships are sponsored by the state government and the Center for California Studies at California State University, Sacramento.

The application deadline is February 25. Applications and information are available at http://www.csus.edu/calst/Programs/programs.html. Information may also be obtained by calling Assemblyman Simitian's office at 688-6330.

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