Fuel cells, red-blue politics, and bitcoin and beyond — those are the topics for three upcoming lunchtime talks at UC Center Sacramento.

The programs are scheduled on consecutive Thursdays, July 31 to Aug. 14, each from noon to 1 p.m.; admission is free and open to the public. The center is at 1130 K St., Suite LL22 (lower level), and the talks are held in LL3.

Here are topics, speakers and dates:

• Fuel Cell Science Technology and Commercialization Update: Transportation and Power Generation — Scott Samuelson, director of the Advanced Power and Energy Program, and the National Fuel Cell Research Center at UC Irvine, where is a professor emeritus of mechanical, aerospace and environmental engineering. July 31.

• Political Representation in Red and Blue Shades: How the Culture War Changes the Way Citizens Speak and Politicians Listen — David Barker, professor of government and director of the Institute for Social Research, California State University, Sacramento. Aug. 7.

• Is There a Public Interest in Payment? Bitcoin and Beyond —Bill Maurer, dean of the School of Social Sciences and the director of the Institute for Money, Technology and Financial Inclusion, UC Irvine. Aug. 14.

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