These hour-long sessions give Adler guests an opportunity to meet astronomers, scientists, and historians in an informal atmosphere, ask questions, and explore visualizations in the SVL, Space Visualization Lab, with an expert guide. Check http://www.adlerplanetarium.org for further scheduling information.

For centuries, mathematical theories have proven uncannily accurate at describing - and predicting - the physical world. What is it that gives mathematics such powers? Dr. Livio, author of the recent book, Is God a Mathematician?, will thoroughly review this question in his talk. Dr. Livio will explore such fields as mathematics, cosmology, physics and the cognitive sciences, and will offer an accessible and lively account of the ideas of some of the greatest mathematicians and scientists in history, from Archimedes to Galileo and Descartes, and from Newton to Hilbert and Gödel, on up to the present day. Along the way he will discuss another question with which mathematicians, philosophers, and neuroscientists have struggled for centuries: Is mathematics ultimately invented or discovered? Dr. Livio is a senior astrophysicist and the Head of the Office of Public Outreach at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. He is the author of The Golden Ratio, a prize winning book about mathematics and art.

What can science tell us about art? Visit LUMA this summer to discover what Joe Barabe, a scientist at McCrone Associates of Westmont, IL, found when he looked at paint samples under a microscope. What were the paints used by this 18th-century artist made of and from where did they come? See too what a painting looks like in an x-ray. Curator, Jonathan Canning and conservator, Maura Checconi, interpret these scientific discoveries in light of the art history and painting practices of 18th-century Spain.

Watch a great white shark capture its prey, follow penguins glide beneath the ice, and take an ocean voyage with seals through Crittercam. Crittercam is a scientific video- and data-gathering tool safely worn by wild animals, offering researchers insights into animal behavior and clues to protecting animals and the world we share. The exhibition focuses on Crittercam's deployment on seals and sea lions, sharks, sea turtles, whales, penguins, bears and lions. National Geographic Crittercam: The World Through Animal Eyes is organized and traveled by the National Geographic Museum, Washington, DC.

The “Greenest Home in Chicago” is back at the Museum of Science and Industry, redesigned and updated for 2009. The home - built by Michelle Kaufmann Designs and built by All-American Homes -- showcases the ways you can make eco-friendly living a part of your life, and highlights what the future may bring for consumers.

Smart Home offers guided tours of the 2,500 square-foot home and grounds. Discover the new interior, reinterpreted with the help of Chicago Home + Garden magazine and featuring bold colors, fresh green stories, and new products and furniture. New and unique home technologies are also on display, courtesy of WIRED magazine. Explore the updated landscaping, which offers techniques for urban gardening such as vertical gardens and EarthBox planting.

From September 2008 â€" August 2009, citizens enjoyed unparalleled access to more than 1,200 dynamic in-person science experiences and countless ways to explore and share science on the web. Learn more and enjoy highlights of the Science Chicago year here: http://www.sciencechicago.com/finalreport/