Many events are being cancelled due to concerns related to COVID-19. While we strive to make sure information here is accurate, please check the host's website for up to date event details.
Ghosts of atmospheres past: modeling atmospheric formation and evolution on rocky planetsOne of the goals of near-term exoplanet observations is to identify habitable rocky planets and characterize their atmospheres. Solar System studies have taught us that the chemistry of the protoplanetary disk from which they formed, the physics and chemistry of the accretion process, and subsequent loss and exchange between the ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
The Bay Delta and the Future of Our Water SuppliesA recent decision by the California State Water Resources Control Board to leave more water in the state’s rivers is part of an attempt to sustain endangered and declining fish populations. However, the act could also affect the future of the Bay Area’s drinking water supplies. Come hear more about ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $10 General, Free for Members
Racing RobocarsFor a century the car industry has used racing to drive innovation. But with self-driving cars, it’s not happening. Companies are more concerned about embarrassing and expensive failures than speed and nimbleness, so much so that the biggest risk of robocars on the roads is slowing and blocking traffic. Fortunately, ...
After 40 years of remarkable progress in VLSI microprocessors, a variety of factors are combining to lead to a much slower rate of performance growth in the future. These limitations arise from three different areas: IC technology, architectural limitations, and changing applications and usage. The end of Dennard scaling and ...
Cannabis: Is it legal, or not? Cannabis became legal for recreational use in California in January 2018, but it remains a federally controlled substance. Dive into the social, judicial, economic, and environmental impacts of legalization, find out what has shifted in the legal and cultural landscapes surrounding marijuana, and indulge ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: 17.95 advance, 19.95 door, AD members free
Goat NightLifeWe asked, and you wanted goats. Join us for a very special “viewers’ choice” GOAT NightLife, celebrating the farm-favorite animal and some of science’s GOAT (Greatest of All Time) discoveries. Head outside to the West Garden to meet some grazing goats repping organizations that focus on sustainable landscaping, eco-farming, and ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15 General, $12 Members
Plasticine: A Reconfigurable Dataflow Architecture for Software 2.0The use of machine learning to generate models from data is replacing traditional software development for many applications. This fundamental shift in how we develop software, known as Software 2.0, has provided dramatic improvements in the quality and ease of deployment for these applications. The continued success and expansion of ...
How Climate Broke California’s Biggest UtilityPG&E has had a rough few years. A series of record-breaking wildfires culminating with 2018’s devastating Camp Fire propelled the California utility giant into lawsuits, $30 billion in liabilities and ultimately bankruptcy. Under new state laws, regulated utilities will have a hard time avoiding blame in fires where their equipment ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, $12 Members, $7 Students
Hardcore Natural History - The State of RedwoodsDr Emily Burns, lead scientist of the Save the Redwoods League, will be presenting an overview of the current status of the Coastal Redwood population. She will explore not only the whole population, but focus on our population of redwoods in the Santa Lucia range. Using recent research, she will ...
San Francisco’s Mountain Lake, neglected and degraded through centuries of urbanization, became a cesspool of invasive wildlife, toxic algae blooms, and poor water quality. Many native species that depended on the lake succumbed to local extinction, pushing the lake’s health further past the precipice. Beginning in the early 21 st ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $5 donation for non members.
Kame Richards Tides and Currents TalkRacers, cruisers, power boaters, kayakers, and swimmers will see and learn how the tide currents move on San Francisco Bay. For information and reservations, contact Jim Tantillo at website. This usually sells out, so don't delay!
How can we use images from space to help us understand changes to our coasts, rangelands, forests and wildlife habitats?How can they help to predict future changes?What more can we learn from advances in earth observing technologies?Speaker: Kristin Byrd, USGS
Where: Menlo ParkCost: Free
Friday, 04/19/19
Dark Matter From Light Sterile Neutrino NuggetsFrom cosmological observations we know that dark matter must display clustering properties similar to cold dark matter(CDM) at least on the largest scales. However, the particle nature of DM is still not known. But at smaller scales the situation remains unclear from astrophysical observations which does not agree well with ...
Where: Menlo ParkCost: Free
Botany Series: Plant TerminologyTaught by the knowledgeable team of Naomi LeBeau and Christina Crooker ( both of the Park Stewardship Restoration Team), this class will provide an introduction to terminology commonly used in identification of plants with a focus on leaf and flower parts. Illustrated examples and hands-on experience will be emphasized. This ...
Metabolite-based Diagnostics Enabled by MEMS DevicesA wide range of both volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and non-volatile metabolites are generated by almost all biological systems, and are now thought to represent end products associated with organism physiology and metabolism. This applies to many different types of systems ranging from humans, bacteria, trees, and plants. ...
Research in the Marinescu group focuses on fundamental research to understand, design, and synthesize novel catalytic systems essential to the development of efficient solar-to-fuel technologies. Inspired by biological systems, we innovate molecular catalysts that involve hydrogen bonding networks capable of small molecule activation, and multiple proton and electron transfers. We ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
'Love Notes to Newton'The Newton, created by Apple, arrived on the scene in 1993 and was an early pen-based mobile computer. It had spent 6 years in production, was elegantly designed and highly anticipated, in the end, the dream didn’t last long and in 1998 Apple stopped selling the product. Though it was ...
Where: Mountain ViewCost:
Lectures & Lasers - The Neuroscience of CannabisWant to impress your friends with your knowledge of science and culture? Looking for a new date night activity? Just want to kick back and watch a laser show? Join us at Chabot for our new Lectures & Lasers series! Every month we’ll be joined by experts, writers, and entertainers ...
Where: OaklandCost: $15
Reflections on Human Space Flight (Why Single-planet Species Don't Survive)Speaker: Jim NewmanThis presentation starts with personal reminiscences about the first assembly mission for the International Space Station and the fourth repair mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. Following a brief review of a couple of Hubble's accomplishments and a short digression on the topic of the definition of intelligence, ...
Where: LivermoreCost: Free
Saturday, 04/20/19
Mt Tam Earth Day: Bald Hill Broom Bust April 20, 9 am to 1 pmPlease join One Tam, MMWD, and Marin County Parks for our annual Bald Hill Broom Bust! Volunteers will focus on containing the spread of French and Scotch broom monocultures and also eradicate pioneer patches.We can meet at Deer Park and hike, bike or carpool to the site. Group leaders will ...
Where: FairfaxCost: Free
Wildflower Walk at Presidio Coastal BluffsWhat are those blooming beauties in the park? It’s springtime, and it’s time to find out! Join the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy’s Park Stewardship team on a leisurely walk to learn about the folklore, medicinal uses, and biology of wildflowers. Spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean and an appreciation ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Donations encouraged
CuriOdyssey's Celebration for the PlanetCelebrate Earth at CuriOdyssey’s Party for the Planet on Saturday, April 20. Enjoy and conserve the beauty of nature with a Coyote Point Park beach cleanup 9-11am with San Mateo County Parks. Watch raptors soar overhead at CuriOdyssey with Full Circle Falconry at 11:30 and 12:30pm. Create a conservation craft ...
Where: San MateoCost:
Earth Day Salmon FestThis Earth Day, join hands-on habitat restoration to save Marin County’s endangered coho salmon!The Salmon Protection and Watershed Network (SPAWN) is hosting a Salmon Fest at our headquarters in Olema - the site of our largest habitat restoration site.The event will begin with featured speaker Nick Tipon, enrolled member and ...
Where: LagunitasCost: Free!
Earth Day San Francisco Street FestivalOn April 20, 2019, thousands of people from the Bay Area will converge at Valencia Street in San Francisco to celebrate Earth Day SF 2019! This year we are excited to announce our new location -- one of the hippest, greenest, and most culturally diverse neighborhoods in the city -- ...
Calling All Eco-Explorers! Youth ages 5-15 will be up to their elbows in FREE, hands-on activities. Learning through fun interactive, nature science experiences and regional field trips, your kids will find out all about the Bay Area ecosystem and become the next generation of Citizen Scientists! We have extended Welcome ...
Where: OaklandCost: Free
Earth Day with YSICelebrate Earth Day with YSI! Join us for our Earth Day Celebration in Alum Rock Park where you can learn about local pollinators, sustainable gardening and native plants, take an hike led by staff from iNaturalist, get your face painted and meet YSI's live animals ambassadors.
Where: San JoseCost: Free
Permaculture Design: Regenerate your LandscapeCare for the earth, care for the people, and return the surplus! Permaculture works with nature instead of against it - saving energy, minimizing waste, and lowering environmental impact. Local permaculture expert Nicholas Hardy will discuss how to holistically restore and regenerate the degraded ecology of our local landscapes and ...
Where: San MateoCost: Free
From Wings to WingsLooking for help identifying a wide variety of non-native plants? Wear comfortable shoes, bring your binoculars, and learn about the US Army Corps of Engineers' involvement in the transformation of the former Hamilton Field, U.S. Army Airbase into 1,000-acres of wetland restoration. Hike is approximately a 1.5-miles round trip on ...
Where: NovatoCost: Free
New Horizons, NASA’s Pluto-Kuiper Belt Mission and the 2014 MU69 (“ULTIMA THULE”) EncounterIn 2006, NASA dispatched an ambassador to the planetary frontier, The New Horizons spacecraft. After 10 years and more than 3 billion miles, on a historic voyage that has already taken it over the storms and around the moons of Jupiter, New Horizons has shed light on new kinds of ...
Say hi to your micro-neighbors!Have you ever wondered what happens around you in the small micro-world? Put on your explorer's outfit, assemble the microscope we provide and come take a hike with our experts to discover a hidden world (you get to keep your paper microscope!)Here is how our journey ...
Where: Redwood CityCost: $10
Wild and Scenic Film Festival:Land, Sea, and Sky - Films to Change our WorldFilms include:The New Environmentalists: Defending the DeepGhosts of the ArcticHear the Call: Salmon nationMoonlineOur National Parks Belong to Everyone. So Why are they so White?Too Precious to MineBlueMountain Yellow Legged FrogThe Rhino GuardiansGrizzly Country
Where: BerkeleyCost: $15 General, $10 Students
Monday, 04/22/19
Multi-Variate Dependent Halo and Galaxy Assembly BiasInvestigating the clustering of halos and galaxies helps us learn about cosmology and galaxy formation physics. The clustering of dark matter halos is found to depend on not only halo mass but also halo properties related to their formation history or environment, which is called halo assembly bias. If galaxy ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Black hole formation, growth, and feedbackOver the last decade, we have come to appreciate that supermassive black holes of millions of solar masses and above are commonly hosted by massive galaxies, but are also present in local dwarf galaxies. Black holes are a fundamental component of galaxies and galaxy evolution, but their origin is still ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Understanding Stimulation of Crystalline Rock: The EGS Collab ProjectEnhanced or engineered geothermal systems (EGS) offer tremendous potential as an energy resource estimated in excess of 500 GWe, supporting the energy security of the United States. There are technological challenges associated with developing this resource including: (1) lack of a thorough understanding of techniques to effectively stimulate fractures in different rock ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Engineering the Topology of Graphene NanoribbonsTopological insulators (TIs) are novel states of matter that possess an insulating bulk while hosting low-dimensional conducting boundary states. This behavior emerges as a result of a non-trivial Berry phase encoded in the symmetry of bulk electronic wavefunctions. Over the past decade many experimental and theoretical studies have demonstrated the ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Measuring gravitational waves with atom interferometryIn recent years, atom interferometry and atomic clocks have made impressive gains in sensitivity and time precision. The best atomic clocks have stability corresponding to a loss of less than one second in the lifetime of the universe. Matter wave interferometers have achieved record-breaking coherence times (seconds) and atomic wavepacket ...
The Black Hole Shadow in the M87 GalaxyThe Event Horizon Telescope recently revealed the first picture of the black-hole shadow in the center of the M87 galaxy. I will discuss the technological and theoretical advances during the last decade that led to this result. I will then focus on how this picture allows us to accurately measure ...
A 2°C aligned transition could generate opportunities for sustainable growth, competitiveness and financial stability. Nevertheless, policy uncertainty creates new sources of risks. Traditional financial and climate economics models are not able to price countries’ (mis)alignment with the 2°C target. We develop a novel climate stress-test methodology to price climate transition ...
Join us this Earth Day for a special screening of the award-winning documentary, "Point of No Return", following the first solar powered flight around the world. Brief synopsis: Point of No Return is a suspenseful, behind the scenes look at what it took for two Swiss pilots and their team ...
Where: San RafaelCost: 11.75
Pub trivia: taste of scienceFreewheel Brewing Co.'s Monday night trivia is taking a strange and scientific spin as shameless and playful MC Liliana Urbain leads three (loosely) science-based rounds of trivia. We should warn you, she tends to get weird with her categories. Only hint she'll give about what's to come: it's time to ...
Where: Redwood CityCost: $5
Serverless Stream Processing: Using Serverless concepts to the streaming worldThe last few years have seen the emergence of serverless as a paradigm for event processing. Its very simple programming model has attracted developers in droves. At the same time, its ability to elastically scale has simplified operations significantly. Combined together with the ubiquity of their presence across all cloud ...
The Wild & Scenic Film Festival inspires environmental activism, outdoor adventure, and a love for nature. These films share an urgent call to action. They encourage festival-goers to learn more about what they can do to save our threatened planet by showcasing global environmental challenges and opportunities, frontline activism, and ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: $15 General, $10 Students
Tuesday, 04/23/19
Cosmology with Very-High-Energy Gamma-raysVery-high-energy gamma-ray astronomy is typically concerned with standard astrophysical processes, such as particle acceleration and emission mechanisms in gamma-ray sources. However, gamma-ray observations can also be used to study the magnetic fields and low-energy photon fields encountered by the gamma rays as they travel cosmological distances to reach the observer. ...
The simultaneous chemical, physical, electronic, and mechanical connections that materials make to one another and to the outside world are critical. Just as the properties and applications of conventional semiconductor devices depend on these contacts, so do nanomaterials, many nanoscale measurements, and devices of the future. We discuss the important ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Sonoma State Biology ColloquiumSonoma State Biology ColloquiumSpeaker: Dr. Joseph Lin, Sonoma State UniversityEditor's Note: This speaker replaces the originally scheduled presenter.
Where: Rohnert ParkCost: Free
Wildlife Picture Index ProjectCome contribute to the Marin Wildlife Picture Index Project! Volunteer community scientists assist with research by helping maintain motion-activated cameras and processing photos. At this event, we view the images on the computer, identify the mammals, and enter the results in a database. New and experienced catalogers welcome, as training is ...
Where: Corte MaderaCost: Free
Simulating the Cosmic Dawn The upcoming radio telescope SKA is expected to detect the 21-cm signal from the cosmic dawn for the first time, allowing us to probe the astrophysical processes of this previously unobserved era. The 21-cm differential brightness temperature fluctuations from the cosmic dawn are predominantly due to early inhomogeneous heating of ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Music for the Cosmos: An Exploration of Art & PhysicsArt Meets Science at SLAC Lecture Series A visit to SLAC in October 2018 inspired Nitin Sawhney to create an original audio composition for two short visualization movies on the origins of the universe. At this presentation, he will discuss what inspires him compositionally from a philosophical, universal, theological, anthropological and ...
Global temperatures would be soaring even higher were it not for a powerful heat-trapping ally: oceans. From regulating the temperature of the planet to generating half of the oxygen we breathe, oceans are a vital part of sustaining life on Earth. Increasing their temperature as little as two degrees, however, ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, $12 Members, $7 Students
taste of science + Nerd Nite SV mixerJoin us for this amazing collaboration between taste of science and Nerd Nite Silicon Valley! Hear directly from the scientists about their fun science at Tabard Theater!!Speakers: Anand Rao, Stanford; Matt Gebbie, Stanford;
Where: San JoseCost:
Wildlife and Drones: How We Can Reduce Disturbance While Capturing ImagesOur California coastline is home to a large biodiverse group of species from seabirds to whales, dolphins, porpoises, and more. Some species of marine wildlife are adapting to the ever-changing coastline and managing to survive alongside the increase of human activities in these wild spaces.Drones can be purchased easily and ...
Van Jones began his career as an activist in the Bay Area pushing for criminal justice reform. He then moved to focus more on the environment, promoting green jobs as a solution for including disenfranchised communities in the economy while addressing environmental problems. His work in the area, through the ...
Where: Mountain ViewCost: $40 General, $20 Students
Wednesday, 04/24/19
Digital Health 2019 Health 2019 is an initiative to unite the diverse research and communities to work under one roof and explore every single aspect related to digital health. It aims to gather leading educational scientists, researchers and research students to exchange & share their experiences and research results about all aspects of ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $599
Complex and Open Quantum SystemsThe Center for Quantum Coherent Science presents The Spring 2019 Berkeley Quantum Science and Technology Seminar. Join the group for talks and conversations over refreshments. Talks feature distinguished scientists in the fields of Math, Physics, Chemistry, Engineering, and Computer Science.Speaker: Birgitta Whaley, UC Berkeley
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Realizing the Promise of Quantum ComputationImpressive advances in quantum technologies have enabled construction of prototypical quantum computers with tens of qubits, enabling small scale implementation of quantum algorithms. Realizing the full promise of quantum computation however, in particular its potential to surpass the capabilities of classical computation, requires overcoming substantial challenges in control and protection ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
The Gravitational-Wave Background: Sources and Detection Our Universe should be filled with a stochastic gravitational-wave background due to several traditional astrophysical sources and possibly some early-Universe sources. I will review some of these sources and then discuss work on an array of techniques to seek/constrain the gravitational-wave background, including measurement of small- and large-scale CMB temperature/polarization ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Estuaries as Labs: Lessons from Recent Large Scale Flow Experiments in the Upper San Francisco EstuaryTed Sommer received his PhD from University of California at Davis, where he studied under noted fisheries biologist Dr. Peter Moyle.His dissertation and a key topic of his research since then has been on the ecology of the Yolo Bypass floodplain.Dr. Sommer is the Lead Scientist for the California Department ...
Where: TiburonCost: Free
Designing Catalytic Materials on the Atomic Level for Sustainable Biomass ConversionRapid consumption of energy and material resources demands that we identify more sustainable manufacturing processes. Sustainable processes inherently involve minimizing waste. Indeed, the key challenge is achieving highly active and selective catalytic materials for converting resources such as biomass. Our group develops precise synthetic methods to produce uniform and well-defined ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Energy and Resources Group ColloquiumWith societies worldwide already beginning to face the impacts of climate change, there is an increased urgency to design and implement adaptation measures that are informed by robust climate science. However, despite advances in climate science and modeling, the actual use of climate information in adaptation plans and actions is ...
Policy Implications of Artificial IntelligenceAlthough artificial intelligence (AI) may increase productivity, it also creates instability. Will AI and other automation lead to widespread job losses that necessitate a new type of social safety net? Will the shift in occupations and ways to learn require a new type of education system? Will the dominance of ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $10 General, Free for members
Where: OrindaCost: $5 General/Members, $1 Students & Teachers
'Anthropogenic landscapes of fear: How human activity affects interactions between predators and prey' Fear is a fundamental aspect of predator-prey interactions, motivating prey to alter their behavior in an effort reduce the risk of death from predators. Ecologists are increasingly realizing that such predator-induced fear can have far reaching-effects across ecosystems by affecting where and how prey spend their time, and that preserving ...
Skeptics in the Pub: MillbraeScience and Reason with Skeptics in the Pub West Bay, Fiddlers Green, Millbrae sponsored by Bay Area Skeptics.If ye value critical thinking, and if ye scorn the film-flam man, and if ye drink, drink with us, your friends. If ye shun the brewer’s art, at least help us lay waste to bangers & mash!Skeptics ...