K.C. Cole to participate in two science-related events this weekend

Journalism professor K.C. Cole will participate in two science-centered discussions this weekend. On Saturday, Oct. 1, Cole will moderate a debate titled “Three Planetary Scientists Talk Thrills, Chills & An Ex-Planet Named Pluto.” The hour-long discussion will take place at the 10^th Annual West Hollywood Bookfair at 2:15 p.m. The panel includes Mike Brown, the author of How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming, as well as David Baker and Todd Ratcliff, co-authors of The 50 Most Extreme Places in Our Solar System. Cole will also be at the signing for her book, Something Incredibly Wonderful Happens: Frank Oppenheimer and the World He Made Up, following the event. On Sunday, Oct. 2, Cole will partake in a panel discussion at the USC Research Cluster in Science, Technology and Society inaugural event.  She will be joined by USC Dornsife’s neuroscience chair Antonio R. Damasio and historian Deborah Harkness. The trio will discuss the impact of science on various aspects of public life, including politics and education. The event will be held in Doheny Library from 4 to 6 p.m. Professor Cole is a long-time science writer for The Los Angeles Times. She has also written eight nonfiction books, including The Universe and the Teacup: The Mathematics of Truth and Beauty, a national best-seller that has been published in 12 languages.