In an effort to raise awareness and engage our residents in the amazing science of the region, the Bay Area’s museums, cultural institutions, universities, and corporations have joined forces to create and contribute to the BayAreaScience.org and the Bay Area Science Festival.
University of California, San Francisco
The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. It is the only campus in the 10-campus UC system dedicated exclusively to the health sciences.
Buck Institute for Research on Aging
The Buck Institute is the nation’s first independent research facility focused solely on understanding the connection between aging and chronic disease. Our mission is to increase the healthy years of life. World-class scientists work in a uniquely collaborative environment to understand how normal aging contributes to the development of conditions specifically associated with getting older such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, cancer, stroke, osteoporosis, heart disease, diabetes, macular degeneration and glaucoma. Our interdisciplinary approach brings scientists from disparate fields together to develop diagnostic tests and treatments to prevent or delay these maladies. The Buck Institute is the host institution for the North Bay Discovery Day.
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California was chartered in 1868 and its flagship campus — envisioned as a “City of Learning” — was established at Berkeley, on San Francisco Bay. Today the world’s premier public university and a wellspring of innovation, UC Berkeley occupies a 1,232 acre campus with a sylvan 178-acre central core. From this home its academic community makes key contributions to the economic and social well-being of the Bay Area, California, and the nation.
Stanford University
Stanford is recognized as one of the world’s leading universities. Established more than a century ago by founders Jane and Leland Stanford, the university was designed to prepare students “for personal success and direct usefulness in life” and “promote the public welfare by exercising an influence on behalf of humanity and civilization.” Today Stanford University remains dedicated to finding solutions to the great challenges of the day and to preparing its students to become the next generation of leaders.
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University, located in one of the world’s most vibrant and beautiful cities, is a recognized leader in addressing issues both global and close to home. SF State’s pioneering commitment to community and civic engagement is prevalent throughout the curriculum. More than 500 courses combine academic study with community involvement, and our location in a center of business, technology and culture provides a laboratory for community-service projects, work-study opportunities and internships. The University has been named by Princeton Review one of 81 “Colleges with a Conscience,” and is classified as one of the Carnegie Foundation’s “Community Engagement” institutions.
California State University – East Bay
California State University, East Bay is known for award winning programs, expert instruction, small classes, a highly personalized learning environment—and a choice of more than 100 career-focused fields of study. With two scenic campuses—one in the Hayward Hills overlooking San Francisco Bay and the other in the Concord foothills of Mt. Diablo—plus a professional center in dynamic downtown Oakland, Cal State East Bay is where all your possibilities come into view.
San Jose State University
San José State University’s location in the Silicon Valley makes it an exceptionally rewarding learning environment for students. Silicon Valley firms and agencies seek SJSU students for internships, summer work programs and for assistance with research and development projects. Silicon Valley firms employ more graduates from SJSU than from any other university in the nation.
Located on 154 acres in downtown San José, the university offers the excitement of studying at a large, metropolitan campus where many cultures meet. Yet students find personal attention from faculty members in the smaller setting of the university’s eight colleges.
California Academy of Sciences
The California Academy of Sciences is a multifaceted scientific institution committed to leading-edge research, to educational outreach, and to finding new and innovative ways to engage and inspire the public.
The Academy’s mission – to explore, explain and protect the natural world – extends to all corners of the institution; from a research expedition in the highlands of Papua New Guinea, to a teacher training program in a California classroom, to an interactive game on the museum exhibit floor.
The Lawrence Hall of Science is a renowned resource center for preschool through high school science and mathematics education, and a public science center with exciting hands-on experiences for learners of all ages. The Hall’s mission is to inspire and foster learning of science and mathematics for all, especially those who have limited access to science.
Chabot Space & Science Center
The mission of Chabot Space & Science Center is to be a place for students of all ages to learn and be inspired about the Universe and our Planet Earth. Founded as an observatory in 1883, today Chabot offers visitors the very latest in hands-on, interactive exhibits, displays, Planetarium shows and large-screen films that explore the mysteries of the universe and of life here on earth. Combined with a full program of activity-filled classes, workshops, summer camps, outreach programs and special events, Chabot Space & Science Center has become the Bay Area’s go to destination for visitors of all ages who want to discover and learn about space and earth sciences.
San Jose Children’s Discovery Museum
The purpose of Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose is to serve the needs of children, families and schools as a center for learning and discovery. For children, it is first and foremost a place to call their own, offering interactive exhibits and programs in a warm and inviting setting. Its educational mission encompasses the themes of Connections, Community, and Creativity. In its unique environment, children actively make connections among ideas, people and cultures. The Museum’s programs also encourage children to define their role in and contribution to both local and global communities. Finally, as a center for creative play and expression, Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose provides opportunities for all of us to discover the world through the eyes of our children.
The Tech Museum
The idea for The Tech Museum was little more than a dream back in 1978 when the Junior League of Palo Alto – and later the San Jose Junior League – struck upon a grand plan to create a dynamic learning center devoted to science and technology. Twelve years later, “The Garage” swung open its doors at downtown San Jose’s former convention center on San Carlos Street and quickly became a valuable educational resource for children and young adults. Just eight years later, The Tech Museum moved into a bigger, dazzling 132,000-square-foot mango-and-azure-colored domed building, unlike any other in the Silicon Valley or the world. The Tech has become a landmark for visitors seeking a glimpse of the most inventive place on Earth and a showcase of the latest blockbuster exhibits, high-tech gizmos and wondrous gadgets that continue to define Silicon Valley.
Exploratorium
The Exploratorium is a museum of science, art, and human perception located in San Francisco, California. We believe that following your curiosity and asking questions can lead to amazing moments of discovery, learning, and awareness, and can increase confidence in your ability to understand how the world works. We also believe that being playful and having fun is an important part of the process for people of all ages.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
In the world of science, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) is synonymous with “excellence.” Eleven scientists associated with Berkeley Lab have won the Nobel Prize. Fifty-seven Lab scientists are members of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), one of the highest honors for a scientist in the United States. Thirteen of our scientists have won the National Medal of Science, our nation’s highest award for lifetime achievement in fields of scientific research. Eighteen of our engineers have been elected to the National Academy of Engineering, and three of our scientists have been elected into the Institute of Medicine. In addition, Berkeley Lab has trained thousands of university science and engineering students who are advancing technological innovations across the nation and around the world.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Lawrence Livermore has earned the reputation as the Laboratory of choice for science and technology solutions to the most pressing national and global security problems. At LLNL, physicists, chemists, biologists, engineers, computer scientists and other researchers work together in multidisciplinary teams to achieve technical innovations and scientific breakthroughs that make possible solutions to critical problems of national and global importance. LLNL pushes the frontiers of knowledge to build the scientific and technological foundation that will be needed to address the national security issues of the future, is a leader in transforming scientific breakthroughs and cutting-edge engineering into solutions to real-world problems, and excels in business and operations and our responsible stewardship of the resources entrusted to us.
USGS
The USGS is a science organization that provides impartial information on the health of our ecosystems and environment, the natural hazards that threaten us, the natural resources we rely on, the impacts of climate and land-use change, and the core science systems that help us provide timely, relevant, and useable information. As the Nation’s largest water, earth, and biological science and civilian mapping agency, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collects, monitors, analyzes, and provides scientific understanding about natural resource conditions, issues, and problems. The diversity of our scientific expertise enables us to carry out large-scale, multi-disciplinary investigations and provide impartial scientific information to resource managers, planners, and other customers.
KQED QUEST
KQED’s QUEST is a new multimedia series about the people behind San Francisco Bay Area science and environmental issues and how their work is changing the way we live. KQED’s most ambitious local offering ever, QUEST utilizes all of our media platforms, educational resources and extraordinary partnerships. QUEST includes a half-hour weekly HD television program, weekly radio segments, an innovative website and unique education guides. QUEST’s geographic coverage spans from Mendocino to Monterey and from Sacramento to Santa Clara, and focuses on nine content areas: astronomy, biology, chemistry, engineering, environment, geology, health, physics and weather.
BayBio
BayBio is Northern California’s life science association. We support the regional bioscience community through advocacy, enterprise support, and enhancement of research collaboration. We maintain Northern California’s leadership in life science innovation by supporting entrepreneurship, science education and life science career development through the BayBioInstitute. Our members include organizations engaged in, or supportive of, research, development and commercialization of life science technologies.
Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Founded in 1889 on the Pacific Coast of the U.S., the Astronomical Society of the Pacific today is an international scientific and educational organization with its headquarters in San Francisco. The Society’s main goal is to advance the cause of scientific literacy through astronomy, using its programs, publications, meetings, awards, and outreach. The ASP’s members and participants include research scientists, educators at all levels, students, amateur astronomers, and members of the public who share and support its work. Its publications include a technical journal, a popular-level magazine, a newsletter for teachers, conference proceedings, an iPhone app, and a rich website full of resources for teaching and enjoying astronomy (www.astrosociety.org).
SETI Institute
The mission of the SETI Institute is to explore, understand and explain the origin, nature and prevalence of life in the universe. The Institute comprises 3 centers, the Center for SETI Research, the Carl Sagan Center for the Study of Life in the Universe and the Center for Education and Public Outreach. SETI Institute scientists conduct research into the origins of life on Earth, and the habitats in which it can survive, as well as planetary and space science research related to the potential for life that might exist in our solar system and beyond. The Institute produces both formal and informal science curricula, and supports a variety of public understanding of science endeavors such as the Bay Area Science Festival. In addition to conducting fundamental astrobiology research, the Institute provides key scientific and software support to NASA missions such as Kepler, Sofia, and others. Founded in November 1984, the SETI Institute began operations on February 1, 1985. Today it employs over 150 scientists, educators and support staff.
Mathematical Sciences Research Institute
The Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) is dedicated to the advancement and communication of fundamental knowledge in mathematics and the mathematical sciences, to the development of human capital for the growth and use of such knowledge, and to the cultivation in the larger society of awareness and appreciation of the beauty, power and importance of mathematical ideas and ways of understanding the world.
Bay Area Biotechnology Education Consortium
The Bay Area Biotechnology Education Consortium (BABEC) is a regional network of local science education organizations based in the Northern California Bay Area. BABEC is dedicated to increasing student understanding of key concepts in molecular biology and raising student awareness of applications and careers in biotechnology. In the process, BABEC is enabling systemic reform in an important area of science education by helping teachers bring relevant, thought-provoking, hands-on activities into the classroom.
Wonderfest
Wonderfest is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to expanding the concept of “scientific community.” Back in 1998, Wonderfest was America’s first regional science festival. Today, Wonderfest produces monthly science gatherings for the Bay Area and online science video for the entire world.
