Seen as scintillating curtains and swaths of light in the night sky, the aurora borealis (“or northern lights”) are most readily visible in the far northern regions of the Earth. Dr. Shane Larson, research associate professor of astronomy at Northwestern University and associate director of CIERA, returns to discuss what causes these fantastic displays of lights, what the colors mean, and why they are always changing.

Widespread adoption of electric vehicles and solar power are critical to meeting carbon reduction goals in the next decade. What does the future look like for these industries? What hurdles do they face in attaining mass adoption, and how are they addressing those hurdles? Presented by Sam Sperling, a current product manager at Sila Nanotechnologies, and Josh Lutton, founder of the solar consulting firm Certasun.

Join us for an evening with Madeline Miller–a leader in Greek retellings, New York Times bestselling author, and Orange Prize for Fiction winner–to discuss her works, “The Song of Achilles” and “Circe.” Madeline Miller’s first novel, “The Song of Achilles,” was awarded the 2012 Orange Prize for Fiction and was a New York Times bestseller. Her second novel, “Circe,” was an instant #1 New York Times bestseller.