

Past Event
Sarafina El-Badry Nance: Discovering the Cosmos
As a child, Sarafina El-Badry Nance spent nearly every evening with her father gazing up at the flickering stars and pondering what secrets the night sky held. The daughter of an American father and Egyptian mother, Sarafina dreamed of becoming an astronomer. But it wasn’t long before she was told, both explicitly and implicitly, that girls just weren’t cut out for math and science.
In a field that sees few women and women of color, Sarafina reflects on the obstacles that she faced to pursue her passion for the cosmos.
Join us for an in-depth talk with astrophysicist Sarafina El-Badry Nance.
MLF Organizer
Gerald Harris
Notes
A Technology & Science Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums.
In association with Wonderfest.
This program is part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation.
Nance photo by Kelly Mooney.
June 8, 2023
The Commonwealth Club of California
110 The Embarcadero
Toni Rembe Rock Auditorium
San Francisco, CA 94105
United States
Speakers

Sarafina El-Badry Nance
Astrophysicist; Analog Astronaut; Author, Starstruck: A Memoir of Astrophysics and Finding Light in the Dark; Twitter@starstrickenSF

Gerald Harris
President, Quantum Planning Group; Chair, Technology & Society Member-led Forum, The Commonwealth Club of California—Moderator
Format
5 p.m. doors open & check-in
5:30–6:30 p.m. program
6:30 p.m. book signing
(all times PDT)
COST
In-person:
$10 members
$20 nonmembers
$40 members with a book
$50 nonmembers with a book
Online:
Members free
$5 nonmembers
$30 members with a book
$40 nonmembers with a book