See the Raiders of the Lost Ark on the Big Screen (and get a treasure of your own) on May 15

This is a note of local interest to our readers in the Modesto region...

The Geology and Anthropology Clubs at Modesto Junior College invite you to an evening of thrills, chills, and death-defying action, and that's just the Silent Fossil and Mineral Auction! Beautiful examples of geodes, petrified wood, dinosaur bone, fossils, crystals and rare minerals will be offered for purchase. Proceeds will go towards scholarships for students in the field studies program in Geology and Anthropology at Modesto Junior College.

The auction will be followed by a special showing of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, the classic 1981 adventure produced by George Lucas and directed by Stephen Spielberg, starring Harrison Ford and Karen Allen. If you have never seen Raiders of the Lost Ark on the big screen, you've been missing out. The State Theatre is one of Modesto's treasures, and it is a marvelous venue for watching classic movies.

The students of the geology and anthropology programs at Modesto Junior College have been working hard to assist their fellow students to attend the Summer Field Studies trip to Canada and the Pacific Northwest this summer, and this is their biggest fundraising event of the year. Come out for a great time, and come home with a treasure of your own!

Date: Thursday, May 15 at 6:30 PM (film at 7:30 PM)

Location: State Theatre, 1307 J Street, Modesto 209-527-4697

Donation: $10 Pay at the door or get tickets in advance from Garry Hayes (575-6294) to guarantee a seat. Make checks out to Modesto Junior College Geology Club.

On behalf of the students of MJC, we thank you for your support!

Garry Hayes AKA Geotripper

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Science on Screen at the State! Whale Rider, Sunday January 12 at 3:00 PM

For my Modesto area readers: I've been involved for the last 18 months with an innovative program at the State Theatre called Science on Screen. The program offers movies with science themes and speakers who can offer additional perspective (and sometimes "constructive" criticism) of Hollywood's version of science. I want to invite you to attend tomorrow's event, a screening of the movie Whale Rider, and a presentation by Kimberly Stevenot.

Read below for more information (from the State Theatre Facebook page):

Topic: Does Saving a Culture Sometimes Rely on Challenging its Traditions?
 
Science On Screen begins the New Year with Whale Rider, a magical film about a 12-year-old Maori girl who dares to defy tradition and challenge her family, only to bravely fulfill her destiny as the leader of her village. This family-friendly film is rich in its imagery, its depictions of the Maori tribe, and in its own bravery in seeing the need for cultures to change, possibly in order to save them. The speaker is Kimberly Stevenot, a noted Miwuk traditionalist, basket weaver, artist and teacher who will discuss tribal customs and cultures, and will also have native regalia, jewelry and baskets on display in the lobby. The Miwuk are native Americans who have long lived in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys, and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

Science On Screen at The State Theatre is made possible through a grant by the Coolidge Corner Theatre, with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. This pioneering program creatively pairs Hollywood films with notable experts from the world of science, technology, mathematics and medicine. Interactive activities and displays in the lobby from 2 to 3 p.m.; Ms. Stevenot, who will speak at 3, will return for a Q&A following the screening of the film.

Doors and interactive activities at 2; presentation and film at 3 p.m.; Q&A to follow film
 
Admission: $8 or $6 for student with ID
 
Group discounts are available for classes and organizations (comprised of 10 or more) wishing to attend films in the Science On Screen series. For more information please call State GM Sue Richardson at 209-527-4697.

"Another Earth" showing at the State Theatre, Modesto on Nov. 10

What happens if you meet yourself? What would you have to say?

To all of my Modesto area readers: I want to let you know about a great film series going on at our historical State Theatre in the downtown area (1307 J. Street). Science on Screen pairs films with a plot that includes a scientific component with experts in the field. Last month we paired "Spiderman" with a spider expert, with some very cool live arachnids in the lobby. This Sunday we are screening the movie "Another Earth", and our speaker will be Dr. Jim Hetrick, professor and chair of physics at the University of the Pacific (UOP) who will discuss the physics and astronomy in the film.

Another Earth stars William Mapother (Ethan in "Lost"), and Brit Marling (who also was one of the screenwriters) in a drama set at the time of the discovery of another Earth that might be a near exact match to our own planet. The planets in parallel Universes were identical up until the moment they became aware of the existence of the other. Tragedy at the time of discovery might not have happened on Earth II. Maybe.

The film was the first for director Mike Cahill, and when screened at the Sundance Movie Festival, it received a standing ovation and several accolades, including the Alfred P. Sloan Prize for "focusing on science or technology as a theme, or depicting a scientist, engineer or mathematician as a major character."

The State Theatre in Modesto is a wonderful 1930s vintage movie house that recently underwent a complete renovation. It is a marvelous place to watch a movie and other shows. We will have displays and activities in the lobby prior to the movie, which starts at 3:00 PM. The doors will open at 2:00.

Science on Screen is supported by a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and is a local effort to increase science literacy in our region. I've been on the steering committee for the last year and a half. It's a great program. I hope that my friends and readers in the area will take advantage of this great opportunity and come out for the show! More information can be found at the facebook page for the State Theatre at https://www.facebook.com/events/1426917090862479/. The website for the State Theatre at http://www.thestate.org/.

We have three more films in the Science on Screen series for this season: Whale Rider will screen on Sunday, January 12, Blue Butterfly on March 9, and Avatar on March 31. We also have a special program on April 13, Physics and Fastballs, a presentation by a recently retired Exploratorium expert on America's greatest sport (yeah, argue all you want).

Science on Screen: Jurassic Park at the State Theatre! Sunday, May 12

The final film in our State Theatre "Science on Screen" series is happening this Sunday, May 12 at 2:00 PM. I'm looking forward to this one especially because I will be serving as the speaker before the film. We will have some bone specimens in the lobby, and will be raffling off a few samples of bone to lucky kids (or their parents...). If you live in the Modesto area, I hope to see you there!

The following is an announcement from the State Theatre...

What better way to celebrate Mom's special day than treating her to one of the best adventure films of all time?  That's right, there is no better way than bringing her to The State for Jurassic Park  -- the old-school version NOT the 3D version because we're assuming Mom is old-school, like us! We're so honored to have Mom spend her day with us, that we're going to admit her for free. That's right, bring Mom to the May presentation of Science On Screen and Mom gets in at no charge. She'll love the interactive activities before the film and the presentation too. Be sure and check out the fossils and talk with the MJC geology club, or enter a drawing to win a HUGE, inflatable dinosaur. There will be lots more to do and experience so come early and stay late -- for the Q&A with Garry Hayes following the film.

Film: Jurassic Park, Steven Spielberg's blockbuster in which a theme park suffers a major power breakdown that allows its dinosaur exhibits, cloned from prehistoric DNA, to run amok. Starring Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Richard Attenborough.
 
Speaker: Garry Hayes, M.S. -- Dinosaurs: From Fossils to Film
Mr. Hayes is a geologist, local scientist and popular geology instructor at Modesto Junior College where he's taught and shared his passion -- and popularized paleontology -- with thousands of students since 1988.
 
Doors at 2 p.m.; presentation and film 3 p.m.
 
(Q&A following the film)
 
These programs are made possible by a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
A pioneering program pairing Hollywood films with presentations by notable experts from the world of science, technology, mathematics and medicine.

Science on Screen Series at the State Theatre: Robot and Frank on March 10

For my Modesto region readers, I would like to encourage you to consider an interesting movie-going experience, our Science on Screen Series. The State Theatre is a nicely renovated 1930s era movie house. Three more films remain in the series, over the next four months.  I'll be hosting the film Jurassic Park in May! Read on for information about next Sunday's movie:  

Science On Screen presents

Robot & Frank

Sun. March 10 at 3 p.m.

(PG-13) 1 Hr. 29 Min. In English

Science On Screen, a pioneering program pairing Hollywood films with presentations by notable experts from the world of science, technology, mathematics and medicine, was made possible through a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Robot and Frank, and the accompanying presentation by Doctor Kevin Gucwa, is the second in a four-program series being presented by The State from January through May, 2013.
 
Film: Robot & Frank starring Frank Langella and Susan Sarandon, Robot & Frank is an offbeat buddy movie about an elderly ex-jewel thief and his new caretaker robot.
 
Speaker: Kevin Gucwa, Ph.D. -- Turning Fictional Robotics Into Reality
Doctor Gucwa is Director Assistant at the UC Davis C-STEM Center, a program designed to improve computing, science, technology, engineering and mathematics education in K-14 education. He is also pursuing a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on robotics.
 
Community Partners: Program co-sponsor Doctors Medical Center will display and demonstrate its da Vinci surgical robot, and the Beyer High School Engineering and Robotics Pathway students will be on hand with their own student-designed, award-winning robots http://beyerrobotics.com. Attendees will have a chance to enter a raffle for mini bots, tiny robots made from the heads of toothbrushe

Doors at 2 p.m.; presentation and film 3 p.m.
(Q&A following the film)

For online ticket sales got to www.thestate.org. To purchase your tickets by phone, call the State Box Office at 209-527-4697 from noon to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. If still available tickets may also be purchased the night of the event up to the start of the presentation. The State Theatre is at 1307 J Street in downtown Modesto.

Science on Screen: Contact, January 27

For those of my readers in the Modesto vicinity, I would like to let you know of an interesting cinema series taking place over the next few months at the State Theatre. Science on Screen is an effort to increase science literacy in our region using popular movies and presentations by experts in some different scientific disciplines. The first movie in the series, on Sunday, January 27th, is Contact, based on the book by Carl Sagan regarding our first contact with extraterrestrial beings. Jodie Foster stars as a SETI researcher who finds radio signals from outside our Solar System, and the movie follows events that follow that discovery.

Our speaker will be Jill Tartar, PhD, on whom the Jodie Foster character is partly based. Dr. Tartar served as the director for SETI for a number of years. The event begins at 3 PM with the presentation, and a question and answer period will follow the movie.

The event itself will be interesting and fun, but if you have never seen a movie at the State Theatre, you are in for a special treat. The State dates back to the 1930s, and was recently renovated to provide an experience of watching a theatre movie when it was an event. The State Theatre is located at 1307 J Street in downtown Modesto. The movie series is made possible by a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Three more movies will make up the remainder of the film series: Robot and Frank, Day After Tomorrow, and Jurassic Park. Geotripper himself will be speaking at the dinosaur movie, presumably about dinosaurs...and movies. Hope to see you at all the programs!