- Electricity and Magnetism with YSI
Experiment with electricity and magnetism! Make an electromagnet, investigate circuits, and discover how electricity and magnetism are used in our daily lives. Grades 3-6. Where: San Jose Cost: Free - It Pays to Do the Right Thing: Incentive Mechanisms for Societal Networks
In many of the challenges faced by the modern world, from overcrowded road networks to overstretched healthcare systems, large benefits for society come about from small changes by very many individuals. Researchers in the societal networks group at Stanford University are running a series of pilot projects aiming to develop ... Where: Stanford Cost: Free - May LASER Event
6:45pm-7:00pm: Socializing/networking.7:00-7:25pm: Shan Shan Sheng on "Reinterpreting the Great Wall of China for the Age of Globalization"An artist's view of the critical intersection of Chinese and Western culture.7:25-7:50pm: Sean Gourley (Quid) on "A global intelligence platform: the new AI - not Artificial Intelligence, but instead Augmented Intelligence"How to Augment our ... Where: San Francisco Cost: Free - Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature and Climate Change
Elizabeth Kolbert traveled the high Arctic visiting top scientists to get at the heart of the debate over global warming. Field Notes from a Catastrophe, the best-selling book based on her findings, asks what can be done to save our planet. She draws parallels to lost civilizations, separates science from ... Where: Mountain View Cost: $22
- Electricity and Magnetism with YSI
Experiment with electricity and magnetism! Make an electromagnet, investigate circuits, and discover how electricity and magnetism are used in our daily lives. Grades 3-6. Where: San Jose Cost: Free - For Goodness Snakes
This one-of-a-kind educational experience will introduce you to the fascinating world of reptiles. Come enjoy the opportunity to hold and interact with their docile animals. Where: San Jose Cost: Free - The Evolution and Diversity of Amphibians
Please join us in welcoming one of our newest curators as Dr. David Blackburn joins us as an assistant curator on the herpetology team in the Academy's research division. An explorer of biodiversity, Dr. Blackburn studies the evolution and diversity of amphibians, especially frogs on continental Africa. Nearly 90% of ... Where: San Francisco Cost: $12 General, Free Members, $10 Seniors
- The Climates of the Planet Mars
At the present time, Mars is a dry and cold planet. Surface ice is unstable for more than one season outside the polar regions, and the atmosphere is so cold or so dry that the presence of liquid water, never detected, is unlikely anywhere on the surface.Things may have been ... Where: Mountain View Cost: Free - History of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Join Ranger Bill to learn about the "When/Where/Why/What/How," the diverse, complex, many faceted missions, goals and objectives of the USACE's "Birth" in 1775 under General George Washington. Where: Sausalito Cost: Free - Bugs Know Best: What Insects tell us about the Health of Sausal Creek
Come hear about the Friends of Sausal Creek's volunteer aquatic insect monitoring program from program leaders Travis Peterson and Kathleen Harris. Travis will give an overview on the basics of aquatic ecology and biological monitoring, and will present data from Sausal Creek, explaining the trends in the data and the ... Where: Oakland Cost: Free - The Milky Way as a Dark Matter Laboratory
San Francisco Amateur AstronomersSpeaker: Michael Kuhlen Where: San Francisco Cost: Free - Nerd Nite SF #24: Kawaii, English, and Magnetometry!
Happy birthday to us! Nerd Nite SF turns two! Two awesome years of not-quite-sober education (inebrication? drunkademics?) and meeting great people. The tradition continues with talks on exploiting cuteness for fun and profit, why the English language is so fucked up, and how atomic magnetometry is the coolest form of ... Where: San Francisco Cost: $8
- Big trees, big problems: landscape traps threaten the world's tallest trees
Professor David Lindenmayer, an award winning, world authority on forests and conservation of the Australian National Univerisity will give the Boething Lecture this year. Where: Stanford Cost: Free - Darwin, Diet, Disease, and Dollars
Robert Lustig's research focuses on the regulation of energy balance by the central nervous system. He is currently investigating the contribution of nutritional, neural, hormonal, and genetic influences in the expression of the current obesity epidemic both in children and adults.Co-sponsored by the Center on Longevity and Stanford School of ... Where: Stanford Cost: Free - For Goodness Snakes
This one-of-a-kind educational experience will introduce you to the fascinating world of reptiles. Come enjoy the opportunity to hold and interact with their docile animals. Where: San Jose Cost: Free - Optimizing Grid Aggregation
Speaker: Dr. Bethany Corcoran, Stanford Where: Palo Alto Cost: Free - Why the Internet is (sometimes) better than the real-world for medical research
As people spend ever more time online, they produce content from which medical information can be gleaned. Such content can be used to generate new medical knowledge, and I will share examples from public health, post-marketing drug safety, and others.In some respects, this new source of information is superior to ... Where: Palo Alto Cost: Free - 'Thinking Like a River: Art, Advocacy, and the Legacy of David Brower' Opening Reception
Thinking Like a River: Art, Advocacy, and the Legacy of David Brower exhibition opening reception and artist talk. The exhibit's opening reception begins at 6 p.m. and will be followed by a conversation with Bill Curtsinger and Ken Brower.This photographic exhibition features the stunning images by renowned underwater and wildlife ... Where: Berkeley Cost: Free - Art of Illusion NightLife
Take a closer look at how people and animals create illusion-from special effects to art and camouflage. Check out a pop-up exhibit by local artist Thom Nguyen, whose work transforms under varied light sources. Meet the Academy's visualization studio team which uses special effects techniques honed in Hollywood to produce ... Where: San Francisco Cost: $12 General, $10 Members - Music, Memory & Creativity!
Speaker: Allen Bernstein, MD Where: Sebastopol Cost: $4 - 'Urbanized'
More than half the world's population now lives in an urban area, and 75 percent will call a city home by 2050. But while some cities are experiencing explosive growth, others are shrinking. The challenges of balancing housing, mobility, public space, civic engagement, economic development and environmental policy are fast ... Where: San Jose Cost: Free, registration required - Restoring Vital Bird Habitat in Carman Valley
For 25 years, Jim Steele monitored birds in the Tahoe National Forest around Yuba Pass, Sierra Valley, and Perrazzo Meadows. He was also the principal researcher in an intensive study of six wet meadows on the east and west slopes of the Sierra Nevada crest, funded by the U.S. Forest ... Where: San Francisco Cost: $5 General, Members free - Saving San Bruno Mountain: Past, Present, & Future
David Schooley has been leading hikes focusing on the nature, history and native culture of San Bruno Mountain for thirty years. He is one of the founders of San Bruno Mountain Watch, an environmental activist group dedicated to saving the mountain from development.Editor's Note: The talk originally scheduled for this ... Where: San Francisco Cost: Free
- Nanoparticle based sensors for environmental contaminants
Speaker: Peter Vikesland, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA Where: Stanford Cost: Free - How Science Can Determine Human Values
Sam Harris is the author of the New York Times bestsellers, The End of Faith, Letter to a Christian Nation, The Moral Landscape, and Free Will. He has spoken at forums and debates across the country on topics ranging from religious free will to the role that faith and organized ... Where: Stanford Cost: Free - Nightschool: Prom
Did you miss your prom? Did you go to prom and have an amazing time... an awful time? Have you ever wanted another chance to experience the magic? Celebrate prom, science center-style with the grown and geeky! Recycled wrapper corsage-making, photo booth memories, cafe conversations about relationships, sex and attraction, ... Where: Oakland Cost: $12 General, $5 Members - Come to Foothill Observatory and join us in the exploration of our Universe!
Foothill Observatory Friday Evening ProgramCome to Foothill Observatory and join us in the exploration of our Universe!Foothill Observatory is open for public viewing every clear Friday evening from 9:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. Visitors can view the wonders of the universe through the observatory's new computer-controlled 16-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope. Views ... Where: Los Altos Hills Cost:
- Capture the Wonders of Nature Using Field Photography
Photographer and naturalist Greg Damron will lead a class on field photography. Register online at brownpapertickets.com and search for "Pepperwood."Walk through Pepperwood's woodlands, grasslands, and wetland habitats as you practice the art of observation. Sharpen your skills for documenting landscape, flora, and fauna by learning how to find wildlife, compose ... Where: Santa Rosa Cost: $20 - Workshop on Identifying Grasses
Ecologist Peter Warner will provide a class on identification and ecology of common grass species. Register online at brownpapertickets.com and search for "Pepperwood."Peter Warner, M.A., is a botanical and ecological consultant for public agencies, non-profit institutions, and private landowners. His 30-year career includes work in residential landscape design, applied scientific ... Where: Santa Rosa Cost: $35 - Guided Nature Walk
We hope you'll join us for this special opportunity to explore the Bouverie Preserve. Our half-day guided nature walks are on Saturdays throughout fall and spring. Participants are divided into small groups and paired with a trained Bouverie volunteer to explore the mixed evergreen forest, flower-carpeted oak woodland, and rugged ... Where: Glen Ellen Cost: Free - Maker Faire
Come celebrate MAKE magazine's 13th Maker Faire and seventh anniversary in the Bay Area, showcasing creative and resourceful people in the areas of science and technology, engineering, food, and arts and crafts. Where: San Mateo Cost: Varies, including advance discounts - USGS 10th Triennial Open House
U.S. Geological Survey Open House Menlo Park, May 19 & 20, 2012 Please join us May 19th or 20th between 10AM & 4PM for our 10th Triennial Open House. Scientists at the USGS Menlo Park campus are leaders in research on earthquakes, water quality, volcanoes, coastal and marine geology, mineral ... Where: Menlo Park Cost: FREE - Reconciling Science and the Imagination in the Construction of the Deep Prehistoric Past
Traditionally, archaeologists when writing about the past, favor expository narratives in which the persona of the archaeologist-writer as well as his or her prehistoric people-subjects remain anonymous or – at best – in the far distant bird's eye view. And how else, you might ask, can you write about the ... Where: Berkeley Cost: Free - Butterfly Walk
Do you know the difference between butterflies, moths, and skippers? Learn all about them, including their life cycles and migration. Then take a leisurely walk around our butterfly garden to see some of these beautiful insects. Suitable for ages 7 and up. Call Debra for reservations. Where: Alviso Cost: Free - Trekking the Model
Join a ranger guided tour of the Bay Model, a 1.5 acre hydraulic model of San Francisco Bay and Delta. Discover the stories of the two major operations that took place at this location between 1942 – 2000. Where: Sausalito Cost: Free - SEE THE RINGS OF SATURN
Here's your chance to see Saturn through a telescope. Make a Pocket Solar System and then explore the rest of the universe as you tour the telescopes. Where: Walnut Creek Cost: Free - Enjoy an Evening of Late Spring Stargazing at Pepperwood
Escape from the city lights to experience nature's late spring night sky. Astronomers Bing Quock and Ron Dammann will guide you through a tour of the season's celestial sights using a combination of historic and modern telescopes. Register online at brownpapertickets.com and search for "Pepperwood."Check out the planets Mars and Jupiter ... Where: Santa Rosa Cost: $10 adults, $5 children - Charismatic Megafauna
The Exploratorium's Cinema Arts Department and the Artist Television Access' Other Cinema are pleased to co-present a film by Portland Oregon-based radical documentary filmmaker Vanessa Renwick. This screening of Renwick's Charismatic Megafauna will feature live musical accompaniment. Where: San Francisco Cost: $7 - Star Party
Join the Halls Valley Astronomical Group for a night of star gazing fun. Knowledgeable volunteers will provide you with a chance to look through high-powered telescopes and ask questions about the night sky. Meet at Halley Hill, across from campsite 22. Park entrance gate closes at 10pm. (408) 274-6121 Where: San Jose Cost: Free
- Workshop on Identifying Grasses
Ecologist Peter Warner will provide a class on identification and ecology of common grass species Register online at brownpapertickets.com and search for "Pepperwood."Peter Warner, M.A., is a botanical and ecological consultant for public agencies, non-profit institutions, and private landowners. His 30-year career includes work in residential landscape design, applied scientific ... Where: Santa Rosa Cost: $35 - Maker Faire
Come celebrate MAKE magazine's 13th Maker Faire and seventh anniversary in the Bay Area, showcasing creative and resourceful people in the areas of science and technology, engineering, food, and arts and crafts. Where: San Mateo Cost: Varies, including advance discounts - USGS 10th Triennial Open House
U.S. Geological Survey Open House Menlo Park, May 19 & 20, 2012 Please join us May 19th or 20th between 10AM & 4PM for our 10th Triennial Open House. Scientists at the USGS Menlo Park campus are leaders in research on earthquakes, water quality, volcanoes, coastal and marine geology, mineral ... Where: Menlo Park Cost: FREE - It's Not Who You Eat, It's When You Eat Them: The Insidious Relationship Between Salmon and Anchovies
Join UCSC's Baldo Marinovich for a look at Chinook salmon, anchovy, and krill, and the important role they play in the ecological and economic in the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem. Krill forms a critical component of the diets of both anchovy and juvenile Chinook salmon. The abundance of krill ... Where: Santa Cruz Cost: Free with admission - Partial Solar Eclipse
Witness the first partial solar eclipse since 2002. Learn about the phenomenon and:-View the eclipse through specially designed solar telescopes.-Discover how eclipses work through free demonstrations in the Planetarium from 1:00-4:00 p.m.-Talk with our friendly astronomy staff. Where: Berkeley Cost: Free observing on the Plaza - See the Partial Eclipse of Sun May 20 On Mt Diablo
Please join Mt. Diablo Astronomical Society for the May 20th viewing of the partial eclipse of the sun. You will be able to safely see 90% of the eclipse without having to drive 5 hours to Northern California. The eclipse starts at 2:00 PM and ends at sunset about 7:30PM. Mt ... Where: Walnut Creek Cost: $10/car park entry - Solar Eclipse Viewing Party - SOLD OUT
Join us as we observe the Solar Eclipse 2012. Watch as the Moon passes in front of the Sun, a beautifully rare sight in the Bay Area. Get a view from the rooftop of the East Bay hills on our Observatory Deck, with maximum eclipse at 6:32pm. Engage in hands-on ... Where: Oakland Cost: $5