BERKELEY -Whether you're a robotics enthusiast or a fan of children's literature, a sports buff or a classical music aficionado, or someone who is simply eager to hear what a Nobel-winning astrophysicist has to say about our expanding universe, the wide array of activities offered at Cal Day will keep you busy.

On Saturday, April 21, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the University of California, Berkeley, will open the campus to the public, offering free access to more than 370 events at labs, performance halls, museums, classrooms and more. An annual event, Cal Day is expected to attract 40,000 visitors this year.

In keeping with this year's theme, "Expand Your Universe," Chancellor Robert Birgeneau will interview Saul Perlmutter, who won a Nobel Prize in Physics in 2011, on Cal Day. Perlmutter, a UC Berkeley professor of physics and a faculty senior scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, led one of two teams behind the discovery that the expansion of the universe was accelerating instead of slowing, as had been previously thought.

Backyard stargazers should also note astronomy professor Alex Filippenko's talk about two rare celestial events that will soon be visible from California, and anyone wondering what went wrong with the 2012 Mayan calendar doomsday prediction should drop in on scientist Bryan Mendez's talk at the Space Sciences Laboratory.

More down-to-earth topics will be discussed by campus experts including former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, a UC Berkeley professor of public policy, who will analyze political civility during a campaign year. Ananya Roy, education director at the Blum Center for Developing Economies, will talk about how UC Berkeley students are addressing global poverty and inequality worldwide, and Jennifer Ahern, assistant professor of epidemiology, will explore how your neighborhood affects your health.

Other earthbound events include the mock dig site at the Archaeological Research Facility. Budding fossil hunters can also get up close and personal with Cretaceous era specimens, including turtle shells and dinosaur teeth, at the Valley Life Sciences Building, and hear integrative biology professor Kevin Padian, curator at the UC Museum of Paleontology, explain the growth of dinosaurs.

Newly admitted students and their families make up a large proportion of visitors to Cal Day, where they will get a special welcome from the chancellor and campus leaders at 8:30 a.m. Sessions about financial aid will include details of new support for middle-class families. Tours of student housing, academic departments, and sports and recreational facilities, along with hundreds of informational booths showcasing student organizations, will help orient newcomers to campus life.

Prospective students can also hear Anne De Luca, associate vice chancellor for admissions and enrollment, demystify the application process, and transfer students can drop in on special advising sessions.

Those who will not be college-bound in the near future will find plenty to enjoy, including performances of traditional Ghana dance, Taiko drumming, and a string quintet playing Franz Schubert compositions. Robotics will abound, including automated cars racing through obstacles, devices that can be controlled by users wearing sensors on their heads, and a robot that can fold laundry.

In addition to free entry to the Lawrence Hall of Science, the Botanical Garden and the Berkeley Art Museum, visitors will have free access to museums normally closed to the general public, such as the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and the Essig Museum of Entomology.

Humorist and author Mary Roach will give her take on UC Berkeley's famous collections in her talk, "Shrunken Heads and Edible Spacesuits," at the Valley Life Sciences Building.

Back by popular demand will be the Celebration of Children's Literature and Literacy hosted by the Graduate School of Education. Families can learn about new literacy research, check out the book fair, and meet notable authors such as Thacher Hurd, Marissa Moss and Anne Nesbet, who is also associate professor of Slavic Languages & Literature at UC Berkeley.

Source: UC Berkeley