UCSF Video Recap of Discovery Days at AT&T Park

Radiolab, produced by WNYC in New York, sounds like nothing else on the radio. An immersive, perspective-shaking experience, Radiolab is an expedition of the mind—where vivid storytelling, cutting-edge sound design, and a genre-bending spirit of inquiry pull listeners into a world of curiosity and discovery.

Radiolab’s signature sound derives from an electric chemistry between hosts Jad Abumrad, an award-winning radio producer, and Robert Krulwich, a highly-acclaimed science reporter. Together, they bring a sense of surprise, humor, and hands-on eagerness to complex topics, and explore big ideas with an infectious enthusiasm for the mysteries of science, and the magic of real-life experiences.

When: Friday, November 4th, 8-10 PM

Where: Zellerbach Hall, 101 Zellerbach Hall # 4800, Berkeley, CA, 94720

Cost: $30/$40

Buy Tickets>> 

These shows, presented at 7:00 and 8:30pm, will be the only shows given on these first Friday weekends. Show content will vary with emphasis on the stars, constellations, planets, and other interesting facts in or about the sky that night.
Although admission is free, donations to support SRJC’s Planetarium are gratefully appreciated. Seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis; so arrive early enough to pick up your free parking permit, return it to your vehicle, and arrive back in the planetarium by the scheduled show start time.

When:  Friday, November 4, 2011, Shows at 7 PM and 8:30 PM

Where:  Santa Rose Junior College Planetarium, 1501 Mendocino Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA 95401-4395

Space is limited; seating is first come, first served.

When: Friday, November 4th, 7-9 PM

Where: Cantor Arts Center, 328 Lomita Dr, Stanford, CA 94304

Cost: FREE

Speakers: Curtis W. Frank & Michael F. Marmor

Moderator: Piero Scaruffi

Professor Frank is Senior Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs, School of Engineering. He received a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana. Frank is the 1990 Winner of the C.M.A. Stine Award of the Division of Materials Science and Engineering of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and was Chairman of Division of Polymer Chemistry of the American Chemical Society. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society. He is on the Editorial Boards of Polymer and Polymers for Advanced Technologies. Professor Frank is working with Stanford’s Department of Ophthalmology to design and synthesize a fully interpenetrating network of two different hydrogel materials that have the potential to be used as a substitute for the human cornea.

Professor Marmor studies medical retinal disease: in particular, retinal dystrophies, macular dystrophies, toxic retinopathy, disorders of retinal function such as night or color blindness, and unexplained visual loss. He served as Chairman, Department of Ophthalmology at Stanford University School of Medicine from 1984 – 1992. Over the past 32 years, the Harvard-educated physician has published 200-plus scientific articles on the science of eye disease while at the same time writing about famous artists and how eye disease may have affected their artwork. He authored one book, Degas Through His Own Eyes, and co-authored another, The Eye of the Artist, with James G. Ravin.

More details at: http://www.thetech.org/bayarea_science

When: Friday, November 4th, 6:30-10 PM

Where: The Tech Museum, 201 S Market St, San Jose, CA 95113

Speakers: Astronaut Megan McArthur

Cost: $39.99 Adult & $19.99 Child
Members: $29.99 Adult & $14.99 Child

Buy tickets: http://tickets.thetech.org/calendar/view.asp?id=26918

We’re delighted that the always interesting science writer Carl Zimmer will be joining us around 8:30 this evening! The author of eleven books, including the new SCIENCE INK:

Tattoos of the Science Obsessed [really!], Zimmer is a frequent guest on radio programs such as Radio Lab and This American Life, and, since 2003, has written the award-winning blog, The Loom.  He is, to his knowledge, the only writer after whom a species of tapeworm has been named. Read more about him here.

Bring any book that tickles your neurons (science fiction counts!), provided you can still talk about it after three drinks, and then be prepared to bittersweetly part with it.  Don’t fret about giving it up!  Most patrons leave with armfuls of free books.

When: Friday, November 4, 6:30PM – 9:30PM

Where:  Booksmith, 1644 Haight St., San Francisco, California 94117-2816

Cost: Tickets are $25, and this event ALWAYS sells out.  Tickets must be purchased in advance, in the store, or at Brown Paper Tickets  (or phone 800-838-3006).

Adults Only!

When: Friday, November 4th, 6-9:30 PM

Where: San Francisco, Mission District

Events and Locations (More added daily): 

Nerd Speed Dating – Make Out Room 6-930PM

Nerds need love too! The goal of Nerd Speed Dating is to introduce like-minded nerds for a chance at romance (Or maybe you are just looking for someone to join you on your couch for the next season of Doctor Who). Drop in whenever for mini talks on dating and romance – at critical mass the speed dating will begin!

Chocolate & Beer – Gestalt Haus 6-7 PM

Brewers from Speakeasy and chocaltiers from TCHO will discuss their latest collaboration – Sutro’s Coffin Varnish Stout. Sutro was a prominent political figure in early San Francisco history and Coffin Varnish was another name for bootleg whiskey or moonshine. The beer is an oatmeal stout brewed with lactose (milk) for body/creaminess, with a late “dry-hopping” edition of Ecuadorian cacao nibs in collaboration with TCHO chocolate.

A Guided Tour of Natural Oddities – Paxton Gate 6-7 PM

Join an entomologist on a guided tour of all of the natural oddities hiding in plain sight across Paxton Gate.

Physics Circus – Atlas Cafe 6-7 PM

Come one, come all: the Physics Circus makes a special appearance this week. Join ringmaster Zeke Kossover in a wide array of physics demonstrations. Can you really break the bottom out of beer bottle just with your hand? Are personal hovercrafts the wave of the future? Ping pong balls instead of bullets? Is walking on glass as safe as physicists claim? These questions and more will be answered as Zeke and his crew will explain the physics behind the dazzling experiments. You may even be drafted into the show. After all, Zeke can’t sledgehammer a bed of nails into his chest by himself.

Shaky Ground in the Bay Area – Muddy Waters 6-7 PM

Take a Google Earth View of what would happen to the Bay Area when the next big one strikes! All Bay Area residents live on an active plate boundary, where earthquakes are frequent events. We know that earthquake faults in the Bay Area produce large earthquakes.  We know large and damaging earthquake are certain to occur in the future. Learn how to reduce losses in future earthquakes.

Solar Bot Symphony  - The Lab 7:15 PM

Build your own miniature solar animabots and hear them chirp and coo like birds and insects. This hands-on workshop, based on the SolarSoundModule by Ralf Schreiber, combines simple analogue circuits, piezo speakers, and tiny photovoltaic panels to create unique electronic organisms that come alive with light. Next, join workshop leader and SF-based Swiss sound artist Jorge Bachmann in a collective performance.

Science Ink – Black & Blue Tattoo 715-815 PM

Science writer Carl Zimmer will discuss his new book Science Ink, a compendium of the greatest science tattoos ever photographed.

Create better coffee though Science!  - Ritual Roasters 715-815PM

This brewing workshop will discuss the many variables that affect your morning brew – for better or worse.

Science of Orgasm – Good Vibrations 715-815

Dr. Carol Queen, resident Sexologist at Good Vibrations, will present the scientific research on human arousal and the orgasm. This interactive conversation will take you on a guided tour of the Good Vibrations store.

Previous Earthquakes and Preparing for the Next One! – Atlas Cafe 715-815 PM

How close to a fault do you live? The San Francisco Bay Area is sliced and diced by a series of faults that together accommodate the relative motion between the Pacific and North American plates. This interactive tour of San Francisco Bay Area faults and earthquake history features ground-shaking maps, historic photographs, quotes from earthquake survivors, and more.

Yoga & Meditation – YogaKula 745-930PM (There is a charge for the class)

Join yoga instructor Wataya in an hour long contemplative class followed by a scientific talk on the effect of mindfulness meditation on the brain with Dr, Philippe Goldin of Stanford.

Science of Science Fiction – Borderlands 715-815 PM

Dancing on the tightrope between “Science” and “fiction.” Real science doesn’t give us monsters, zombies or other undead monsters, and lab work usually doesn’t result in gunplay. How do near-future scifi authors toe the line between keeping the science real, and fudging it enough to tell an exciting story?

Authors: Scott Sigler, Jeff Carlson, Mira Grant

Experiments in Beer – Zeitgeist 8:30-9:30 PM

Ninkasi head brewer Jaime Floyd showcases the many experimental brews on tap at Zeitgeist. Get ready for a history of beer

View Science Crawl in a larger map

When: Friday, November 4th 6PM-9PM

Where:  First Love Gallery, 2440 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland, CA 94612-2405

Speaker:

Nia Imara is an artist and astronomer. Her artwork consists primarily of oil painting. In 2010, Nia graduated with her PhD in astrophysics from the University of California, Berkeley.

Cost: FREE

When: Friday, November 4, 2011, 6 PM – 9 PM

Where:  Chabot Space & Science Center, 10000 Skyline Blvd. Oakland, CA 94619

Cost:  $7