COMING UP

THE ENLIGHTENMENT MOMENT — Dr. Bruce Elliott appears as the Marquis de Faux for an illuminating tour of French Court Society in Paris, 1750 at the height of the Enlightenment. 2-3:30 p.m., Sunday, February 10, Evert B. Person Theatre, Valentine Benefit for Sonoma State Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. $15. Public is welcome. 4-2691.

"Art from the Heart Reaches 24th
Annual Auction, Feb. 9

The 24th annual Art from the Heart silent art auction and party at the University Art Gallery is set for Saturday, February 9 from 6 to 9 p.m. Proceeds from the auction directly benefit the Art Gallery's exhibition, publication, and lecture programs. There will be a free preview of the artwork from 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Wednesday, February 6, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Thursday February 7, and 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Friday February 8.

More than 100 artists from Sonoma County and across the United States have created original works of art especially for Art from the Heart, including Chester Arnold, Todd Barricklow, Ray Beldner, Stephen Galloway, Cynthia Hipkiss, Bob Hudson, Karen Kelly, Kurt Kemp, Tony King, Judith Linhares, Jann Nunn, Stella Monday, William O'Keeffe, Sylvia Seventy, Richard Shaw, Marg Starbuck, Inez Storer, Jennifer Sturgill, Masami Teraoka, Greer Upton, John Watrous, and Shane Weare, among many others. Tickets are $30 suggested donation. For more information, phone Carla Stone, University Art Gallery, 4-2295.

More events...

YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW Celebrating the wonderful world of Lieder. Carol Menke, soprano, Marilyn Thompson, pianist, and a special guest artist perform the works of Robert Schumann, Joseph Marx, Gabriel Faure, Federico Mompou, Olivier Messiaen, and the English songs of Robert Sheldon. Sonoma County Choral Society. 8 p.m, Saturday, February 2 at Ives Recital Hall. $10 general; $8 SSU FANS; $6 students/seniors. 4-2353 or online www.sonoma-choral.org; worth@sonoma.edu.

BLUES TRIBUTE CONCERT The Faculty Jazz Sextet performs a tribute to the blues ranging from Louie Armstrong to John Coltrane. Featuring Mel Graves on bass, drummer George Marsh, guitarist Randy Vincent, Saxophonist Charles McCarthy, John Simon on the piano, Pete Estabrook on trumpet, Jason Carr on bass. 8 p.m., Saturday, February 2, Warren Auditorium. General: $12; Faculty, alumni, Staff, $10; Students/Seniors, $8. Sonoma State University students free with ID. Center For Performing Arts Box Office at 4-2353. www.sonoma.edu/performingarts/perf.

MASSIVE SKY SURVEYS OF THE NEXT DECADE Dr. David Wittman of the University of California, Davis describes how systematic imaging of the sky to much fainter levels than ever before is expected to reveal everything from 200-meter rocks in Earth-crossing orbits to very distant galaxies. What Physicists Do lecture series. 4 p.m., Monday, February 4, Darwin 103. 4-2119.

THE LAGUNA WATERSHED SCIENCE PROGRAM - A COLLABORATIVE AND INTEGRATIVE APPROACH TO CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT AND RESTORATION Presentation by Dr. Christina Sloop, Research Director, Laguna Foundation. Biology Colloquium. Tuesday, February 5, Noon-1 p.m., Darwin 103.

LIFE IS WITH PEOPLE: PERSPECTIVES ON EASTERN EUROPEAN JEWISH HISTORY AND CULTURE Zachary Baker, Stanford University, presents a lecture as part of the 25th Holocaust and Genocide Lecture Series whose theme is "Lost and Found: Living in a Post-Holocaust World," 4-5:40 p.m., Tuesday, February 5. Warren Auditorium, 4-4296.

FIRE IN OUR MIDST (A STATISTICIAN'S PERSPECTIVE) Mathematical statistician Haiganoush Preisler of Cal State East Bay describes some of the exploratory analysis technique he uses in his work on a variety of data analysis issues concerning wild fires. These range from studies on effects of evolving climate on probabilities of forest fires to studies on effects of fires on the quality of the soil under trees and the air above them. Math Colloquium, Wednesday, February 6, Darwin 103. 4-3324.

REDUCING SPANISH ON THE MARGINS OF EMPIRE Robert Train, Modern Languages & Literatures, offers a historical perspective on ideologies and ecologies surrounding the Spanish language in Sonoma County. Arts and Humanities Forum. Noon, February 7, Schulz 3001.

CLAIRE PORTER AND "PORTABLES" Claire Porter brings her ingenious one woman show, Portables, as a series of comedic movement monologues that take audiences on a humorous journey in funny, absurd, and touching pieces of movement. Porter studied at SSU and will work with the Intermediate/Advanced Dance Block on an ensemble as part of her program. 7:30 p.m., Thursday, February 7; 8 p.m., Friday, February 8; and 8 p.m., Saturday, February 9. Evert B. Person Theatre. Tickets: Center For Performing Arts Box Office, 4-2353. www.sonoma.edu/performingarts/perf

BIOINFORMATICS IN THE DRUG DEVELOPMENT PROCESS Dr. Thomas Wu, Genentech, discusses how bioinformatics is performed in an industrial setting and how it contributes towards various aspects of the drug development process. Examples of how gene expression data can be used to identify possible drug targets and how genomic data can be used to improve an understanding of cancer will be presented. Engineering Science Lecture Series. 4-4:30 p.m., reception; 4:30-5:15 p.m., lecture; 5:15-5:30 p.m. Thursday, February 7. Cerent Engineering Science Complex, Salazar 2009A. 4-2030.