October 20, 2012
Bio Blitz
The Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge is gathering scientists and naturalists on the refuge for a 24-hour BioBlitz! Meet the experts and see what they do first-hand. Become a field scientist and help the refuge document plants and wildlife, big and small at Refuge Headquarters in Fremont. Participate in one of our guided programs, or take a documentation sheet and head out on your own!
October 21, 2012
Romberg Tiburon Center’s Discovery Day Open House
During this open house, the public can visit and spend the day behind the scenes, meet staff scientists and learn about their important research in San Francisco Bay and beyond, see their laboratories and tools they use to do their work.
October 23, 2012
Stem Cell Awareness Day Public Symposium: Current Research & Applications
Join Dr. Ellen Feigal from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine and Dr. Matthias Hebrok from UCSF to learn about current research and applications of stem cell biology.
October 25, 2012
Zombie Nightlife
October 26, 2012
Bay Area Star Party
Take a tour of the night sky with our regional star party at over 10 different sites across the Bay Area. Colleges, schools, observatories and science centers around the Bay Area will be open for a special evening of astronomical fun
October 27, 2012
Hands-on Science at the Farmer’s Market
Ever wonder how plants live? Or how worms produce compost? Curious about solar beads and solar cookers? Get hands-on with science to find out! Join Cal scientists for some cool, food-related investigations at East Bay farmers’ markets during the Bay Area Science Festival.
Educator Giveaway
Calling all Educators! Thanks to donations from labs and companies across the Bay Area, educators will have access to high quality materials and equipment for their classrooms. Everything at the event is free, but please only take what you need for your classroom.
Flash Mob Science
Come experience “Flash Mob Science” at the Chabot Space & Science Center! Participate in guided hands-on experiments dealing with energy, light, sound, gravity forces and motion, fun activities for children of all ages.
Asteroids Rock!
Come learn about The Tech Challenge 2013, as teams of students collaborate to design innovative launching solutions to land sensitive research equipment at various locations on an asteroid.
Discovery Days: North Bay
See the work of North Bay Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics organizations. Enjoy over 50 hands-on experiments, demos, and exhibits. Save a droid ICU patient, create a pulsar, extract DNA, drive robots, eat liquid nitrogen, and more!
Creepy Happy Halloween
Build your own pumpkin catapult, launch a pumpkin and watch it fly. Head to the Ingenuity Lab and build a hydraulic crane to lift pumpkins. Visit the Animal Discovery Room to get up close and personal with the Hall’s creepiest critters!
Big Picture Science Live
Will the world end in fire, in ice or at the hands of our computer overlords? Join us for a live production of the Big Picture Science podcast and radio show as scientists separate fact from fiction in end-of-world scenarios.
SLAC Presents: Unveiling the Universe Day
In celebration of SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory’s 50th Anniversary, the laboratory, in cooperation with the Bay Area Science Festival, will open its doors for “Unveiling the Universe Day.” Participants will learn about the cutting-edge science underway at SLAC in fields ranging from physics and chemistry to astrophysics and materials science that is revealing the universe at its smallest and largest scales, at its fastest and most extreme.
EVENT CANCELED: “San Francisco Rocks” Walking Tour: Seismic forces that shaped our city
Explore the unique qualities that have made San Francisco’s landscape what it is, while getting to know the local geology and munching our way through edible seismic science activities.
Spooky Slough
What types of creatures lurk about and fly around at night at the Refuge? Find out at Spooky Slough! Kids are encouraged to come in costume, and will learn all about nocturnal wildlife in the Slough!
Haunted Hallows
Explore the dark side of Chabot with a night of spooky, ghoulish fun. Visit the Potions Lab, Electric Zone, The Laser Maze and The Haunted House.
Night Hike: Frightening Forest
Things go bump in the forest! In celebration of Halloween, we’ll lend a little fright to our normal moonlight hike. The redwoods are aged, majestic and full of wonder. Walk with us and see what pops up… if you dare.
An Evening with Alton Brown
Who said science happened in a test tube and not a test kitchen? Alton’s “Ten Things About Food I Feel Pretty Sure About” offers an interactive presentation featuring the celebrity chef.
Does a Scientific Approach to Cooking Kill the Joy?
Author Harold McGee and chemistry professor Richard Zare contend that science intensifies the joy of cooking. Come join McGee and Zare in spirited conversation about the joy of a scientific approach to cooking.
October 28, 2012
Passport to Science
Passport to Science Day highlights the incredible science resources in the Bay Area by offering a series of tours, hikes and active explorations. Over 15 tours are offered on Sunday, October, 28th, designed uncover those hidden gems. Come out for a unique, fun and educational glimpse into the scientific wonders in the Bay Area!
Hands-on Science at the Farmer’s Market
Ever wonder how plants live? Or how worms produce compost? Curious about solar beads and solar cookers? Get hands-on with science to find out! Join Cal scientists for some cool, food-related investigations at East Bay farmers’ markets during the Bay Area Science Festival.
Is the Bay Area prepared for a pandemic?
The Skoll Global Threats Fund invites the public to join us Sunday evening, October 28, 2012 at 7 p.m. (organ at 6:45 p.m.) for a special screening of “Contagion” in conjunction with the launch of Flu Near You, our collaborative project with the American Public Health Association and HealthMap.
Find out how you can help put the public in public health. Join us at www.flunearyou.org.
A panel of experts including technical consultants on the film will engage the local audience of invited public health officials, healthcare providers, teachers, students, law enforcement, military, churches and corporations in a town hall discussion after the film.
We are reserving a limited number of free admission tickets for the general public on a first come basis:
http://contagion.eventbrite.com.
The Skoll Global Threats Fund’s mission is to confront global threats imperiling humanity by seeking solutions, strengthening alliances, and spurring actions needed to safeguard the future.
Science on the Screen: Math & Pixar
Film making is undergoing a revolution brought on by advances in computer technology, computational physics, and math. Using numerous examples drawn from Pixar’s feature films, this talk will provide a behind the scenes look at the role that math is playing in the revolution.
Nerd Nite East Bay
Come join us for talks on Darwinian evolution, Oakland history, and nanocrystals from the Molecular Foundry, as Nerd Nite launches it’s events in the East Bay! Nerd Nite is a monthly lecture-in-a-bar series whose not-so-secret sauce is made from presentations, drinks, and socializing.
October 29, 2012
“Ask a Scientist” – Science Trivia Night
Ready to put your science smarts to the test? Ask a Scientist will be celebrating the Bay Area Science Festival the best way we know how — with a boisterous science trivia contest!
October 30, 2012
George M. Church: Regenesis
We eat genetically engineered foods, take drugs made in engineered bacteria and yeast, and someday soon may drive our cars using fuel produced by engineered microorganisms. Renowned molecular geneticist George Church will discuss where these technologies came from and where they’re going.
Hands-on Science at the Farmer’s Market
Ever wonder how plants live? Or how worms produce compost? Curious about solar beads and solar cookers? Get hands-on with science to find out! Join Cal scientists for some cool, food-related investigations at East Bay farmers’ markets during the Bay Area Science Festival.
Night Hike: Moon Rising
Our regular night hikes get a special flare tonight courtesy of the Universe. We’ll head out a bit earlier hiking in the sunset and stop to watch the moon rise in the night sky. This moderately strenuous 4-5 mile trek features discussions about the natural environment, celestial events, and objects in the sky.
The Mathematics Behind Math Midway!
Calling all middle school students, parents, and teachers!! Step right up
and join the Lawrence Hall of Science and the Mathematical Sciences Research
Institute for a fun, FREE evening to learn about the real math behind the
fun in Math Midway!
Dr. Paul Zeitz of the University of San Francisco will explain the math in
the fun midway exhibits. You’ll be surprised at how much you will learn!
After the lecture, you can enjoy yourself at the reception, explore Math
Midway activities such as the A-Maze-ing Maze, Organ Function Grinder, or
the Ring of Fire, and visit other museum exhibits.
There will be a reception following Dr. Zeitz’s presentation and the Math
Midway exhibit will remain open until 8:00pm for exploration.
For more information, please go to http://mathmidway.eventbrite.com/
EVENT CANCELED: Livermore Science Stroll
Check out quirky and fun science at downtown Livermore’s Science Stroll. Scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Lab will host such events as Fake a Quake, Dance Physics, Livermorium (aka Element 116), the Ouzo Effect and Other Alcoholic Oddities, Dancing with the Stars, Cool Lasers, Energy-Climate Connections, Bubble Photography, and the Art of Science.
The Science of Distilling
Get your hands dirty learning the science behind the still as we dive into the chemistry behind your cocktail. The Bay Area’s master distillers will indulge your mad scientist side, as you geek out over interactive beverage creation stations, and enjoy a drink.
Samuel Arbesman Salon Talk: The Half-Life of Facts
Samuel Arbesman is a mathematician and network scientist who has turned his powerful tools of quantification onto science itself. He’ll discuss his book The Half-Life of Facts at the Long Now Museum & Store on Tuesday, October 30th.
Citizen Science
Science Online Bay Area and Swissnex San Francisco invite the public to attend a talk with citizen scientists and researchers to share their views on the new interface between science and society.
The Female Brain
Kicking off a series of six public lectures, best-selling author, researcher, and UCSF Clinical Professor, Dr. Louann Brizendine will discuss “The Female Brain: Balancing Social Expectations and the Your Own Health.”
Rubik, Escher, Bank$
Join Stanford math professor Brian Conrad to learn about how the mathematics of symmetry provides answers to natural questions that arise in topics as diverse as the Rubik’s Cube, the art of M.C. Escher, and the security of financial transactions on the Internet.
October 31, 2012
Mima la Scienza!
Bay Area students will be joining us for an international science pantomime. Via a live-link to the Genoa Science Festival, our students will connect with students in Italy.
Hands-on Science at the Farmer’s Market
Ever wonder how plants live? Or how worms produce compost? Curious about solar beads and solar cookers? Get hands-on with science to find out! Join Cal scientists for some cool, food-related investigations at East Bay farmers’ markets during the Bay Area Science Festival.
November 1, 2012
Hands-on Science at the Farmer’s Market
Ever wonder how plants live? Or how worms produce compost? Curious about solar beads and solar cookers? Get hands-on with science to find out! Join Cal scientists for some cool, food-related investigations at East Bay farmers’ markets during the Bay Area Science Festival.
Art in Science Gallery Gala: The intersection of image and research
When the realms of art and science intersect, what will emerge? View original, stunning and astonishing images of scientific investigation, and meet the scientists who created them.
Do Fingerprints Tell the Truth?
Join Christophe Champod, professor of forensic science at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland and Joelle Vuille, researcher at the Department of Criminology, Law, and Society of UC Irvine, as they discuss the challenges of fingerprint and body trace analyses with a crime writer.
“RARE” – Film Screening
What would you do if your child were diagnosed with a rate genetic disorder? Learn about a mother’s struggle as you watch the film “RARE”, meet the filmmaker, and discuss clinical trials with representatives form UCSF and Stanford
Nerd Nite at Sea
Nerd Nite SF and the Aquarium of the Bay have teamed up to bring you an evening of science, cocktails, and music on the Bay!
Creative Brains: Music, Art & Emotion
Join the Director of the UCSF Memory and Aging Center Dr. Bruce Miller, San Francisco Conservatory of Music Professor Indre Viskontas, and Hellman Visiting Artist and fiddler Heidi Clare for an experiential exploration of the mind, music and creativity – and how they change.
After Hours: Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)
Explore The Tech Museum with other adults, enjoy Blood Orange Techtinis from our no-host bar, as you explore science & technology and celebrate the rich cultural traditions of the Day of the Dead
November 2, 2012
EVENT CANCELED – “The Science in Your Step” Walking Tour
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED. Investigate what goes on in your body during everyday exercise while scaling some of the city’s most scenic inclines and sauntering through hidden alleyway flats. We’ll experiment with balance, learn how food fuels us, and monitor our vital signs along the way.
Art in Science Gallery Gala: The intersection of image and research
When the realms of art and science intersect, what will emerge? View original, stunning and astonishing images of scientific investigation, and meet the scientists who created them.
Future Friday Speaker Series: Ray Jayawardhana, Observational Astrophysics
In Strange New Worlds, renowned astronomer Ray Jayawardhana brings news from the front lines of the epic quest to find planets – and alien life – beyond our solar system.
Science Superheroes
Meet five local scientists who are changing the way we understand the world. In this TED-style event, you’ll meet these hidden superheroes – learning about their science, feeling their passion, and hearing their incredible stories.
November 3, 2012
Discovery Days at AT&T Park
AT&T Park transforms into a science wonderland when the Bay Area Science Festival concludes with a free, family-friendly science extravaganza.
PR2 at The Tech Museum
Here’s your chance to meet Willow Garage’s PR2, a powerful research robot who can see, talk, pick up objects, and even dance around! Create your own programs for the robot and then see your programming in action.
Educator Extravaganza
Explore the Academy inside and out, gathering inspiration, resources and activities to bring science to life in your classroom.
When Worlds Collide & Star Gazing
Join Planetologist Kevin Zahnle from the NASA-Ames Research Center for a talk on Earth’s status as a “rock star” for powerful impacts from space.
Leatherback Sea Turtle Soirée
Join us for this evening lecture and art event dedicated to leatherback sea turtles! Marine Ecologist Scott Benson will discuss his current research, population dynamics and anthropogenic impacts on the population. Food and beverages for purchase.
November 4, 2012
PR2 at The Tech Museum
Here’s your chance to meet Willow Garage’s PR2, a powerful research robot who can see, talk, pick up objects, and even dance around! Create your own programs for the robot and then see your programming in action.
“Invented in San Francisco” Walking Tour
Explore seven surprising stories of innovation—from tech to tunes to treats—that exemplify San Francisco as a hotbed of creative thinking for nearly two centuries. We’ll investigate the science behind some of these inventions and stroll to stellar views and historic neighborhoods.

