I am going to expose the worst kept secret in all of the Bay Area: I am a nerd. I prefer data to opinion. I still have all my old college textbooks (I’ve busted out the calculus book on occasion). I choose the scientific method over method soap. My cat is named after an element in the periodic table. I have been to more science events in the last month than sporting events in my life. And I have no idea who Edward and Jacob are. And no, I do not dress like the guys from Revenge of the Nerds (though I do think pocket protectors need to make a comeback).

Back when I was in school, such a proclamation would have gotten me beat up. Luckily, I live in San Francisco, which was just shown to be the nerdiest city in America according to the US Census Bureau. Nerd culture has boomed locally over the past few years. There are nerd podcasts, nerd variety shows, and plenty of nerd couture. Add a new addition to the mix, a nerd social night – the revival of NerdNite SF. It is a night of presentations, music, and socializing. Their classic description is “It’s like the Discovery channel, with beer”.

NerdNite started where many great scientific ideas get launched: a bar. A small group of guys kept bothering their scientist friend to tell tales from his field research. He got tired of retelling the story individually, so he came up with a format to share the work to a larger group. NN has maintained that casual, social spirit as it expanded to cities across the world (Austin, Berlin, Boston, Chicago, DC, Dublin, LA, Munich, NYC, Toronto, and Wellington). Topics range from the strange curiosities to borderline insane. Check out the example from NerdNite NYC featuring a rap song, with lyrics

The SF edition brings a few twists: DJ Alpha Bravo spinning some nerd tunes, presentations on designing spacecraft, kinetic art robots, and competitive bearding (of course!) As a veteran of a few NerdNites, I can attest to the fun: you’ll meet plenty of other nerds (of all types) and enjoy a wild array of entertainment. My favorite moment: At the last NerdNite SF a presenter was booed when he mentioned his data was “hypothetical”.

Can NerdNite speed dating be far behind?

NerdNite #4 on Sex Mishaps, Synthetic Biology, and Old Time SF is Wednesday, August 11th at 7:30PM, $8: http://sf.nerdnite.com/

Cal Day is back and better than ever this year. Faced with campus tension and strife amid crippling budget cuts, UC Berkeley is still committed to showcasing the best science on campus during their annual open house on Saturday, April 17^th. Lectures, interactive events, tours, all of the campus museums are free. I highly recommend the incomparable Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, the library of dead animals.

This year’s highlights feature hands on physics, discussions on energy & environmental issues, with the search for extra terrestrial life sprinkled in. For a complete listing of events, check out the Cal Day website.

Here are my picks:

QUEST@Cal Science Video Presentations. Check out your favorite QUEST videos followed by short talks and Q&As with the Cal scientists featured in the pieces. (Suitable for all ages)
When: 9 AM – 4 PM
Where: 2063 Valley Life Sciences Building
Details:
9 AM: Illuminating Northern Lights–John Bonnell
10 AM: Tracking Raindrops–Todd Dawson
11 AM: Dark Energy–Saul Perlmutter
12 PM: Better Bees–Claire Kremen
1 PM: Bio-Inspiration: Nature as Muse–Robert Full
2 PM: Disappearing Frogs–Tyrone Hayes
3 PM: Disappearing Plants–Scott Loarie

Planetary Science with a Handful of Atoms
When: 9-10 AM
Where: 141 McCone Hall
Who: Professor Burkhard Militzer
Details: Hear a lecture on Jupiter and its icy moons that includes demonstrations with liquid nitrogen, computer simulations, and discussion of NASA missions. And touch a meteorite!

Sleep: How Much You Really Need and How to Get It!
When: 10-11 AM
Where: 145 Dwinelle Hall
Who: Associate Professor of Psychology Allison Harvey
Details: To keep up with this fast paced world, many of us cut our sleep-time short. Catch up on the latest science about how much sleep you really need to maintain your health and optimal functioning. Then find out how to get that sleep.

Science@Cal: Genes in a Bottle (Suitable for all Ages)
When: 11 AM–1 PM
Where: Latimer Hall-Pimentel Hall patio
Details: Learn how DNA is chemically extracted from organisms for research applications. Then extract DNA from your own cheek cells, and take it home in a fashionable necklace! Sponsored by Bio-Rad Laboratories.

Why Are There Stars? New Answers to an Old Question
When: 11 AM–noon
Where: 3 LeConte Hall
Who: Associate Research Astronomer Steven Stahler
Details: There are 100 billion stars in our galaxy alone. How are they born? Learn about our current understanding of this most basic and beautiful process of nature.

The Genome and Cell Biology of Our Single-Celled Ancestors
When: Noon–1 PM
Where: 2060 Valley Life Sciences Building
Who: Assistant Professor Nicole King
Details: The recipient of the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship or “Genuis Award,” discusses her cutting-edge research, including explaining how the single-cell progenitors of animals lived (and died) over 600 million years ago, and how scientists can reconstruct their biology by comparing the genomes and cell biology of living organisms.

Electronic Sound Garden: A Music Demonstration (Suitable for all Ages)
When: Noon–4 PM
Where: Hertz Hall, north courtyard
Details: Hear sound artists and composers–students in the Center for New Music and Audio Technologies–as they present a sound experience in a cozy, forgotten courtyard. Listen closely as the sonic foliage reveals its secrets! (Rain cancels.)

Alternative Fuel Vehicles Q&A
When: 1–2 pm
Where: McCone Hall plaza
Details: New green-car technology is reaching the marketplace. Talk to one of Berkeley’s experts on alternative fuel vehicles, peak under the hood, and learn about the way research subjects are adapting to the new technologies.

Combining Physics and Engineering to Find a Cure for Cancer
When: 2–2:45 PM
Where: 4 LeConte Hall
Who: Director Jan Liphardt, UC Berkeley’s Physical Sciences-Oncology Center, Chemist Jay Groves, Cancer Biologist Mina Bissell, and other UCB PS-OC investigators.
Details: Hear about the discoveries being made in cancer research by physicists, chemists, engineers, and mathematicians, and how these discoveries might help find a cure.

The Maker Faire in collaboration with the Exploratorium have been hosting a monthly series called Open MAKE, a program for the young maker. There will be a wide variety of tinkering possibilities while encouraging a pilot group of Young Makers to realize their own inventions in time for this year’s Maker Faire.

This Saturday 3/27 is Make Your own Music Saturday. Artist Walter Kitundu (former artist in residence at the Exploratorium) will be one of the featured Makers.

Watch this KQED Spark video on Walter’s amazing self made musical instruments:

According to a email sent by the Alex Zwissler, Executive Director/CEO of the Chabot Space & Science Center to members of the Mount Diablo Astronomical Society, a proposed City of Oakland FY 2010-11 budget will include drastic cuts in the City’s contribution to the Chabot. In the proposed budget document, the budget cuts, designed to eliminate a $32M shortfall would include the elimination or significant reduction of yearly contributions to a number of social and cultural programs along with the Chabot, programs like the Oakland Zoo, the Symphony in the Schools program, and the Oakland Asian Cultural Center.

In the case of the Chabot, the proposed budget will zero out the City’s contribution of nearly $500,000:

On Tuesday, February 16th, a Special Concurrent Meeting of the
Oakland Redevelopment Agency/City Council will take place to
recommend measures to balance the city of Oakland 2009-2010 budget and to recommend cuts for the 2010-2011 fiscal year that will be considered by the Council in the spring.

The proposal from the Office of the City Administrator for the 2010–2011 budget recommends eliminating 100% of the current funding for Chabot Space & Science Center. This proposal will decrease our allocation in 2009-2010 of $480,000 to a 2010-2011 allocation of $0.

The elimination of the City of Oakland contribution, a $300,000 subsidy and an additional $180,000 grant, looks to be a massive cutback, but would not cause the shutdown of the museum, which sees 150,000 visitors annually. According to a strategic plan document available at the Chabot website, the loss would represent about 5% of the Chabot’s total yearly revenue of $9.9M and a little over 7% of the $6.6M in grants received annually. However, since most non-profits operate will little budgetary maneuvering room, a cut of even 5% could force reductions in programs, staff, and even hours of operation.

We appreciate the difficult choices the city currently faces, and
over the last couple of years we have withstood these increasing
city funding cuts by making our own significant cuts to our staff
and programs, while working diligently to increase our other sources of funding – not an easy task in these challenging economic times.

We are fully prepared to share the burden…however, we must be able to maintain our services to the community and to the 50,000+ students we serve each year. Chabot is partially owned and administered by the City under a Joint Powers Agency Agreement, so Completely eliminating Chabot from the city budget is untenable.

We need your help in sending a message to city officials that this elimination of any funding to Chabot will result in the Center
having to cut services and programs we consider to be critical in
achieving our mission to the community.

The email includes a call to action to contact the following city officials.

City Administrator Dan Lindheim: dlindheim@oaklandnet.com

Mayor of Oakland Ron Dellums: rdellums@oaklandnet.com

Oakland City Council

• Jane Brunner (President): jbrunner@oaklandnet.com
• Jean Quan (chair, finance committee): jquan@oaklandnet.com
• Desley Brooks: dbrooks@oaklandnet.com
• Ignacio De La Fuente: idelafuente@oaklandnet.com
• Rebecca Kaplan: rkaplan@oaklnadnet.com
• Pat Kernigan: pkernighan@oaklandnet.com
• Nancy Nadel: nnadel@oaklandnet.com
• Larry Reid: lreid@oaklandnet.com

If you want to contact the City on behalf of the Chabot, Zwissler requests you cc: him at:

Alex Zwissler, (Chabot CEO): c/o jgordon@chabotspace.org

An emergency City Council meeting to adopt an amended budget for FY2009-10 is scheduled for February 16th, at 5pm. The agenda for the meeting is posted online, and includes Open Forum time for making public comment. A formal proposal of the FY2010-11 budget is set for later in May.

There is no question the Chabot Space & Science Center provides a significant resource to this community. Its telescopes are open to the public many nights of the year, and its educational programs reach 50,000 Bay Area children each year. Over 2,000 K-12 teachers receive science training annually, and over 150,000 yearly visitors, many of them adults, experience the wonders of space through their exhibitions, special programs, lectures, and classes.

I would encourage you to consider becoming a member of the Chabot Space & Science Center, and to make a donation.

I’m sure that the email from the Chabot was not to create a competion among various City-funded agencies for these scarce resources, but I do want to include a list of additional cultural programs that are on the list of proposed reductions:

• Vietnamese Senior Services %100 reduction
• Cypress-Mandela Training Center %100 reduction
• Hacienda Peralta %100 reduction
• Oakland Asian Cultural Center %100 reduction
• School of the Arts %100 reduction
• Symphony in the Schools Program %100 reduction
• Women’s Business Initiative %100 reduction
• Day Laborer Program %100 reduction
• Art Grants %50 reduction
• Zoo Subsidy %25 reduction
• Jack London Square Aquatic Center Project %100 reduction
• Human Services – Academies Program %100 reduction

I’m sure these are all worthy programs, and the loss of any of them would be to the detriment of a city that needs to protect and nurture the cultural health of its adults and children, especially when times are tough.

As museum and zoological parks around the country look for ways to appeal to broader (older, hipper, willing to part with discretionary income) audiences, Valentine’s Day provides the perfect opportunity for a community that typically caters to the under-12 set to let down their hair for a little after-hours action, if you know what I mean.

Here’s a list of events around the Bay Area for those looking to mix a little science with pleasure:

Sexplorations
Exploratorium
Thursday, February 4, 6pm

The Pitch:

Join us as we delve into the whys and wherefores of sex, and investigate the ways nature is both conservative and creative in its pursuit of procreation. Explore insect peep shows, collect your DNA, enjoy the latest reproductive dress fashions, and check out a variety of sperm from across the plant and animal kingdoms. See sex-related exhibit prototypes that will one day grace the Life Sciences collection in an Exploratorium greenhouse, films, and much more!

Featuring:

• Mary Roach, author of Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex
• Project Inform Evening of Hope: A Night of Life-Saving Fashion
• Condom Couture Fashion Show

Sign me up:
$15/free to members

Nightlife: Romance and Reproduction
California Academy of Sciences
Thursday, February 11, 6pm

The Pitch:

We have a pre-Valentine’s day treat, “Romance and Reproduction”. Throughout the Academy, you can learn about how different plants and animals from many different parts of the natural world reproduce. Among other things, you’ll see baculum (penis bones) from a variety of different mammals, learn about how the invertebrates in the tidepool exhibit reproduce, and find out exciting information about the frequency and duration of lion mating, penguin mating and zebra mating.

Featuring:

• DJ Jeff Stallings co-founder of “REAL BAD” party at Folsom Street Fair
• San Francisco Amateur Astronomers, led by blogger

Paul Salazar

Sign me up:
$12/$10 for members

Woo at the San Francisco Zoo
San Francisco Zoo
Saturday February 13, 6pm (Evening Event)
Sunday, February 14, 11am (Brunch Event)
Sunday, February 14, 6pm (Evening Event)

The Pitch:

“Woo At The Zoo – Finally turns 21! Be you penguin, primate or possum you are cordially invited to celebrate a San Francisco Zoo original – the 21st Annual Sex Tour/Woo At The Zoo led by Jane Tollini. Come join us for her exciting presentation full of wild animal facts and kinky information about animal mating. It includes all animals A to Z including U! Heads and Tails above flowers and candles, there is no better way to impress your Valentine. If that isn’t enough, there will be up-close animal encounters from some Zoo residents to top off this unique event.

Featuring:

• Romantic brunch including mimosas, A French toast station, maple sausages, scrambled eggs, pastries, fresh fruits and delicious desserts.
• Evening event dinners of beef tenderloin, herbed couscous, salad, chocolate delights, champagne and more.

Sign me up:
Brunch: $65/$60 for members
Dinner: $75/$70 for members
Reservations recommended

Animal Amore Tour
Oakland Zoo
Saturday, February 13, 9am
Sunday, February 14, 9am

The Pitch:

Ever wonder about the love lives of Animals? Are they Monogamous or Romantic? Do they really fall in Love?

This Valentine’s Day, surprise your sweetie with something unique—an animal encounter you both will never forget! Join us for “Animal Amore” and learn about the courting, mating, and child-rearing habits of some of Oakland Zoo’s most amorous Zoo animals. We’re featuring a special walking tour in honor of Valentine’s Day!

Sign me up:
$11/free to members
Reservations recommended

Valentine’s Day Love Missions
Chabot Space and Science Center
Saturday, February 13, 1:30pm and 3:30pm
Sunday, February 14, 1:30pm and 3:30pm

The Pitch:

Celebrate with your Valentine on a simulated space mission to the Red Planet. This package includes an all access pass to the Center, chocolates, fizzy Martian beverage, and a souvenir of your trip.

Sign me up:
$85 per couple/$80 members
Reservations recommended.

What is a Science “Zine”?

Imagine a mini-magaZine you make yourself. Now make it smaller – nope, smaller still! From a single 8 ½ x 11 sheet of paper you can make an 8 page booklet that fits in the palm of your hand. You’ll be amazed how much entertaining science can be packed into a zine and shared with the world!

Curious how to participate? Just follow these four simple steps–

1. Choose a topic and theme.

(You can zine about anything in science — from pigeons to earthquakes to neutrinos — but we are going to ask you to align it with one of our YoS themes.)

2. Design it!

(Here’s a template.)

3. Fold it!

(These instructions make it easy.)

4. Submit it!

(Complete the online submission form here.)

What is the contest deadline?

All submissions must be postmarked by November 1, 2009.

Click for more tips on creating a great zine and examples on the Small Science Collective Web site.

What might you win?

Your zines will be read by a panel of scientists, artists, and students from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Field Museum of Natural History. There are three entry levels by age: Youth (8-12 years), High-School (13-17), Adult (18 and older) and there are twelve themes … so there will be 36 different awards! Each winner will receive prizes donated by YoS partners and:

• One top zine contributor will receive a $500 grand prize!
  The grand prize is generously provided by Shodor: A national resource for computational science education
• Two prize winners will receive a $250 prize each.
  These two awards, sponsored by UnderstandingScience.org, will be given to the zine authors who best reinforce the process of science in their design and text (see Understanding Science.org for ideas and information)

Selected zines will also be highlighted and shared through the Year of Science 2009 website & the Small Science Collective.

July is Astronomy month and we’re featuring one of our astronomical partners: The Astronomical Society of the Pacific. The ASP has been around a whopping 120 years and they are celebrating with their annual meeting in Millbrae. This year’s theme is Science Education and Outreach: Forging a Path to the Future.

ASP regularly holds local events in the Bay Area (under the guise of the Silicon Valley Astronomy Lectures). They podcast many of the lectures including a popular lecture making the Bay Area rounds:

Dr. Patricia Burchat (Stanford University): “The Dark Side of the Universe: Dark Matter and Dark Energy”
In the last decade or so, astronomers have been forced to accept two mysterious observations. About a quarter of the universe is made of “dark matter,” which attracts things with its gravity, but is otherwise invisible. And roughly two-thirds of the universe is composed of “dark energy,” which causes space itself to expand at an ever-increasing rate. That means only a small fraction of the universe is made of ordinary matter — the stuff we understand! In this non-technical presentation, Dr. Burchat explores the evidence for the dark side of the cosmos, and the experiments that are being developed to investigate it further..

You can sign up to receive advance e-mail notification of each lecture by clicking here.

Possible impact site is dark spot at the top of the image

Images depicting a mysterious dark spot on Jupiter are starting to come in from amateur astronomers around the world. According to Anthony Wesley, the Australian astronomer who first reported the find on Sunday, July 19, 2009, the dark blot in Jupiter’s southern hemisphere is an impact mark.
Yes, you read that right, initial reports are beginning to confirm the very real possibility that earth-based telescopes have once again imaged the remnants of either an asteroid or cometary impact with Jupiter. According to Wesley:

Glenn Orton from JPL has imaged this site using the NASA Infrared Telescope on Hawaii and confirms that it is an impact site and not a localised weather event.

You may recall the 1994 Shoemaker-Levy 9 impacts as the last time the world witnessed an impact on the solar system’s largest planet. It looks like it has happened again, albeit with a smaller object, and with no prior warning.
Professional astronomers are currently working to point their telescopes at Jupiter in the coming days in a continuing effort to confirm that the dark spot is an actual impact site and not some kind of weather phenomenon.
Wesley has set up a mirror site with additional images.

For the last couple of days, the science blogs have been going nuts over photos, shot from the ISS, of an in-progress volcanic eruption. Back on June 12, Sarychev Peak on Ostrov Matua (Matua Island) in the Kuril Island chain erupted right around the time the ISS was passing over. You can download hi-resolution versions of the pictures from the Gateway of Astronaut Photography.

Video Animation:

The pictures are quite stunning as they reveal a number of interesting eruption features, not normally seen from above.

Sarychev Eruption

For example, I counted at least 3 pyroclastic flows coming down the flanks of the volcano; you can see the steam erupting from where two of them enter the sea at the 1 o’clock and 9 o’clock positions on the island. Note the bubble of condensation at the top of the mushroom cloud. Scientists are not sure if that’s caused by moisture erupting from the volcano itself (that’s why the ash cloud is whitish), or from atmospheric moisture shoved up into the stratosphere. Also, there seems to be some dispute over the cause of the round “hole” in the clouds surrounding the island:

One explanation is that the hole in the clouds has nothing to do with the eruption at all. In places where islands are surrounded by oceans with cool surface temperatures, it is common for a sheet of clouds to form and drift with the low-level winds. When the cloud layer encounters an island, the moist air closer to the surface is forced upward. Because the air above the marine layer is dry, the clouds evaporate, leaving a hole in the cloud deck. These openings, or wakes, in the clouds can extend far downwind of the island, sometimes wrapping into swirling eddies called von Karman vortices.

The other two possibilities that scientists have offered appeared in the original caption. One is that the shockwave from the eruption shoved up the overlying atmosphere and disturbed the cloud deck, either making a hole or widening an existing opening. The final possibility is that as the plume rises, air flows down around the sides like water flowing off the back of a surfacing dolphin. As air sinks, it tends to warm and expand; clouds in the air evaporate.

The NASA Earth Observatory site has some interesting pictures taken from their satellites showing the ash cloud as it dispersed over several days. What is more interesting to me are the beautiful von Karmann vortices surrounding the islands.

Kuril Islands

I broke out the Shake and made an animation of the eruption. It’s not quite the morph the NASA guys did, but I thought I’d teach myself something about image stabilization. Enjoy:

Sarachev eruption: Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center
MODIS satellite of Kuril Islands: NASA

The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that once again, San Francisco Department of Public Works crews are undertaking the arduous task of removing sand from the Great Highway adjacent to Ocean Beach.

No matter how many times work crews clear it off the Great Highway and the adjacent pedestrian promenade at the city’s western shore, it keeps coming back.

“It’s a regular cycle,” said Mohammed Nuru, deputy director of the San Francisco Department of Public Works.

As it does every year, the city will undertake a major project to remove sand from Ocean Beach, and the adjacent walkway and highway between Noriega and Santiago streets in the Outer Sunset, and relocate it a bit south to shore up an eroding seawall.

Anyone that visits the SF Zoo or the beach knows there are dunes everywhere, but where does all that sand come from?

Some of it is just ordinary beach sand eroded from the sandstone cliffs near Fort Funston to the south. These cliffs are the exposures of a pair of rock formations geologists refer to as the Merced and the Colma.

These sandstone formations are relatively young (1.8-0.01 Myo.), and stretch down the peninsula coastline from Lake Merced to just past Mussel Rock. Because they’re weak, Pacific winter storms regularly chip away at the cliff faces, causing landslides threaten to carry parts of Daly City’s subdivisions to the beaches below.

Interestingly, the rest of the sand actually comes from a source 100 miles to the east and 16,000 years in the past: the Sierra Nevadas.

Back during the last glacial period, around 20-16 Kya, glaciers ground down the granite rocks that make up the Sierra, and seasonal melt waters fed those sediments to the tributaries of a Pleistocene Era Sacramento River.

However, back then sea levels were considerably lower, on the order of 400 ft. lower, so while sediments nowadays get dropped into the Bay, the Sacramento would have been able to deposit its sediments onto a vast shelf of relatively dry land stretching out past the Farallon Islands, because there was no bay to flow into.

After the runoff floods receded, all that alluvial sand dried out, leaving it vulnerable to northerly winds which picked it up and carried it right back across the what is now the Bay Area, all the way to Oakland. Check out this portion of the USGS Geologic Map of The San Francisco Bay Region:

Click to see larger version

The areas marked “Qs” are Q(uaternary) s(ands). Nearly half of modern San Francisco sits on top of these ancient dunes. Visitors to Golden Gate Park and can see the residual hilly outlines of these ancient dunes. When Western San Francisco was built, there was no way to truck out all the sand, some of which had piled into dunes 60 ft. high, so they were stabilized with acres and acres of vegetation.

Examination of the sand reveals its origins in the Sierra Basolith. It’s composed of translucent quartzes; black magnetites (you did bring a magnet?); and if you’re lucky, even traces of gold. If you plan to mine it for Cash4Gold, the Department of Public Works can probably direct you to where they’d like you to start digging.