PHYSICS IN WORDS AND PAINTINGS: A UC Davis research physicist and a Woodland artist are offering “Another Look at Particle Physics" at the Commonwealth Club of California. The program is scheduled for Monday, May 16.

Richard Breedon, a senior researcher with the Experimental High Energy Physics Group, said he will talk about the compact muon solenoid, or CMS, which is an experiment connected to the world’s largest particle accelerator, CERN’s large hadron collider, outside Geneva, Switzerland. CERN is the European Organization for Nuclear Research.

CMS scientists are studying the high-energy collisions of protons in the collider, in search of some of the most fundamental questions about our universe. UC Davis has been collaborating on CMS for nearly 20 years.

Marianne Ryan will talk about her life-changing visits to the collider — where she saw the CMS before and after it was lowered into the underground collider — and her resulting artwork.

The Commonwealth Club plans an exhibition of some of Ryan’s work in an exhibition titled "New Nation Under God Particle,” from May 13 to July 15, in the club’s Gold Room.

A flier describes the exhibition as follows: “Marianne’s suite of work, which explodes with light, color and energy, was inspired by particle physics, and the ongoing experiments at CERN, that seek to understand the fundamental structure of matter upon which life is based. Marianne returns to this earliest of times to explore mankind’s first thoughts, and actions.”

During the CMS experiment’s construction and commissioning, Breedon took many photos — a few of which are included in the exhibition, to complement Ryan’s paintings.

The May 16 program is scheduled to start with a reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by talks by Ryan and Breedon at 6.

Admission: Members, free; students, $7 with valid ID; nonmembers, $20. For reservations, call the club, (415) 597-6705. The Commonwealth Club of California is on the second floor at 595 Market St., San Francisco. More information, including directions.

KNOW YOUR FARMER, KNOW YOUR FOOD: A top official is due at UC Davis next week to discuss the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food program, aimed at connecting consumers with nearby food producers.

Kathleen Merrigan, deputy secretary of agriculture, is scheduled to give a presentation on Wednesday afternoon, May 18, in the AGR Room at the Buehler Alumni and Visitors Center. The organizers with UC Davis' Agricultural Sustainability Institute said Merrigan’s talk is free and open to the public.

Merrigan oversees the day-to-day operation of the USDA’s many programs and spearheads the department's $149 billion budget process. In addition, she manages the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food program.

The National Restaurant Association annual chefs survey, released in December, found that locally sourced meats and seafood and locally grown produce are the top two industry trends for 2011. Merrigan, in her talk at UC Davis, is expected to discuss that trend — and its economic, health and community benefits.

The day’s program will start at 2 p.m. with the presentation of the Eric Bradford and Charlie Rominger Agricultural Sustainability Leadership Award, a $1,000 prize given by the institute in recognition of leadership, work ethic and integrity — as epitomized by the award’s namesakes: Bradford, a UC Davis livestock geneticist; and Rominger, a Yolo County farmer. Both are deceased.

The Agricultural Sustainability Institute, established in 2007, focuses on research, education and communication to identify solutions to big and emerging issues in food and agriculture — from farm to fork.

NATIVE AMERICAN STUDIES CONFERENCE: The Department of Native American Studies is hosting the 2011 conference of the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association. The conference is scheduled from May 19 to 21 at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Sacramento.

The conference website lists these highlights:

• Welcome and blessing — During the opening session, 8:15-9:30 a.m. Thursday, May 19.
• Literary Potlatch — 8-10 p.m. Thursday, May 19.
• Reception — 6-10 p.m. Friday, May 20, at the California State Museum, in conjunction with the new exhibition, California Indians: Making A Difference.