SEC meets at the High Sierra Grill, 521 Firestone Road
See meal choices below. Please reserve now, choose your meal, and pay now by credit card,
or pay at the door with cash or check.
Become a member of SEC! Just click here for application form
10-10-18 Looking for Planets Outside Our Solar System with Superconducting Photon Detectors
Our October Presentation:
In astronomy the only way to get a bigger signal is to build a bigger telescope or make a better camera for an existing telescope. While larger telescopes come roughly once every 30 years, better instruments and especially better detectors can be updated much more rapidly, leading to startling advances. UCSB's Dr. Ben Mazin will present his group’s work developing an entirely new kind of camera based on a revolutionary new photon sensor, known as a Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors, or MKIDs. These detectors are made of platinum silicide superconductors. They operate at 0.1 degrees above absolute zero and are the most powerful optical and near-IR photon detectors on the planet. He will also discuss how his group is using MKID cameras to directly image exoplanets around the nearest stars.
Please reserve by the Monday before the meeting: A reservation allows SEC to provide the restaurant an accurate guarantee of meal amounts and results in faster service. When reserving, make a meal choice. You can pay in advance by credit card or at the door with check or cash. Remember you are always welcome as a walk-in member or guest without a reservation.
Meal Choices: All meals are the same price. Please choose one when you reserve, to provide a count for the restaurant. Pay when you reserve, or walk-in and pay at the door.
Drinks: Diet soda, iced tea, lemonade and water are available.
- Tri-Tip Sandwich
- Smoked Turkey-Bacon Sandwich
- High Sierra Chicken-Apple-Pecan Salad
- Portobello Mushroom Sandwich with lettuce, tomato, onion
As you register, note the opportunity on the form to join SEC
as an individual or corporate member!
This meeting is sponsored in part by
Community West Bank
Bengal Engineering
For information about the Science & Engineering Council.
visit the new SEC web page at http://www.scieng.org
From our Co-Presidents Tim Murphy and Gary Kravetz:
All members and guests are encouraged to contribute
to the SEC scholarship program!
Contact a board member at an SEC meeting, send email to the SEC,
or simply visit our new web page and use the direct donation button. However you do it, the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara handles the actual fund and awards.
Donations may be tax-deductible.
Plan now for upcoming SEC meetings:
November 14: Elliot W. Hawkes, "Soft Robotics: Bringing Principles Found in Nature to Engineered Systems
December 12: Joshua Haggmark, Santa Barbara Water Resources Manager, speaking on desalination technology