by Lyn Hunter

From Greta Garbo to edible fungi, Cal Day offers visitors a number of discussions and demonstrations for every interest.

At the annual campus open house April 19 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., faculty and scholars will share their expertise on subjects ranging from manufacturing on the Internet to antique musical instruments.

Astronomer Geoff Marcy, the celebrated co-discoverer of two planets, will discuss these discoveries and the study of planetary systems. His lecture, "First Reconnaissance of Planets Orbiting Other Stars," begins at 10 a.m. in Pimentel Hall.

"From Smoke Signals to the Internet: A History of Communications From Antiquity to the Present," presented by Professor Randy Katz, will provide an engineering perspective on the evolution of communication systems. The lecture begins at 10 a.m. in Bechtel Engineering Center's Sibley Auditorium.

Film critic Mick LaSalle will examine how the films of Greta Garbo, Jean Harlow and Norma Shearer made between 1929 and 1934 helped shape the image of modern woman-hood in the days before Hollywood's strict production code. The discussion, which includes film clips, begins at 2 p.m. in 4 Le Conte Hall.

How shaky is the future of the Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge? Find out when Professor Hassan Astaneh speaks on "Seismic Retrofitting the Bay Area Bridges for the 21st Century." The lecture begins at 2 p.m. in Bechtel Engineering Center's Sibley Auditorium.

The kitchen gourmet meets the plant biologist when mycologists in Professor John Taylor's lab prepare savory mushrooms for visitors to nibble at "Yum, Yum, Yum!: A Sampling of Edible Fungi." Tastings begin at 10 a.m. and continue through noon at Koshland Hall's entrance.

Using DNA to help solve crimes is now as common as dusting for fingerprints. But how reliable is DNA identification? Professor Terry Speed, who testified in the Simpson criminal trial, offers statistical analysis of this sophisticated process at 10:30 a.m. in 1011 Evans Hall.