Duke of EnergyWill the United States adopt a nationwide plan for generating electricity with clean energy? How will that affect consumer prices? How will it affect the country's greenhouse gas emissions? Are electric utilities ready for electric cars? One of America's most prominent energy executives, Rogers has been featured on ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $65 General, $45 Members
Cognitive Computing: Neuroscience, Supercomputing, and NanotechnologyThe ultimate goal of the DARPA SyNAPSE project is to build brain-like cognitive computing chips that scale to human cortex by moving beyond the von Neumann architecture and become the brains behind IBM's Smarter Planet vision. The project leverages nanotechnology, supercomputing, and neuroscience and is a collaboration of four universities ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Computational Science and EngineeringCSE is a rapidly growing multidisciplinary field that encompasses real-world complex applications (scientific, engineering, social, economic, policy), computational mathematics, and computer science and engineering. High performance computing (HPC), large-scale simulations, and scientific applications all play a central role in CSE. i4Science will focus mainly on smaller subset of CSE applications ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Siberia's Lake Baikal: a Nature Lover's ParadisePresentation and Slide Show. Young activists from Siberia's Lake Baikal region speak about the planet's deepest and oldest freshwater lake and its growing sustainable tourism. Presented by the Center for Safe Energy of EII
Where: BerkeleyCost:
Sustainability MattersFrances Moore Lappé says our greatest problems are not global climate chaos or global hunger, for solutions to these challenges are known. All we really have to worry about, she says, is our widespread sense of powerlessness to pursue solutions. Ms. Lappé will challenge us to develop an "eco-mind"-able to ...
Where: San JoseCost: Free
What Has Quantum Mechanics to do with Factoring?Prof. N. David Mermin, the Horace White Professor of Physics (Emeritus) of Conrell University, will give the Applied Physics/Physics colloquium on April 5, 2011. The colloquium is entitled, "What Has Quantum Mechanics to do with Factoring?" and the abstract reads, "Quantum computer science will be introduced in the context of ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Running out of water - CANCELLEDRecognized water expert Susan Leal will discuss her new book, Running Out of Water: The Looming Crisis and Solutions to Conserve Our Most Precious Resource. Co-authored with Peter Rogers, the book examines the impending water crisis and identifies successful solutions that have improved water security for everyone from farmers in ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $5 General, Free Members
Dobsonian Telescope MakingBuild a telescope the Dobson way. You will learn about John Dobson and his reflector telescopes, as well as how these telescopes work. You'll learn the step-by-step method for grinding and polishing the mirror, building the mount, and assembling a complete telescope. Seeing the rings of Saturn, the moons of ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $170 + materials & supplies
Wednesday, 04/06/11
Animating People You Know: Building Character Systems with PersonalityNew software products are emerging that use animated, conversational characters in applications ranging from health coaches to tutoring systems. As the computer interface takes on a human appearance, users will apply social judgements to it. The perceived personality of the characters can directly impact the application's effectiveness. In this talk, ...
The O/OREOS (Organism/Organic Exposure to Orbital Stresses) nanosatellite is the first science demonstration mission of the NASA Astrobiology Small-Payloads Program. On November 19, 2010, O/OREOS was launched successfully to a high-inclination (72°), 650-km Earth orbit. O/OREOS consists of 3 conjoined cubesat (each 1000 cm3) modules: a control bus; the Space ...
Where: Mountain ViewCost: Free
Digital Divide or Digital Bridge: Can Information Technology Alleviate Poverty?The past decade has seen great interest in information and communication technologies applied to international development, an endeavor sometimes abbreviated ICTD. Can mobile phones be used to improve rural healthcare? How do you design user interfaces for an illiterate migrant worker? What value is wireless technology to a farmer earning ...
Re-staging the Spectacular: Digital Displays Inside and Outside the HomeThis talk addresses the ways in which contemporary digital display technologies, traversing and confounding the social and personal boundaries of work and leisure, domestic and public space, and intimacy and self-display, will frame the experience and meanings of moving images consumed inside and outside the home. Examining the transition from ...
What's the use of a bunch of dead things in cabinets? Are museums just dusty old things of the past? HARDLY! As part of the BNHM, UC Berkeley's Museum of Vertebrate Zoology is one of the most active vertebrate research museums in the United States. Not only does it have ...
In the Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our LivesFew companies in history have ever been as successful and admired as Google, the startup that has transformed the Internet and become an indispensable part of our lives. How has Google done it? Veteran technology reporter Steven Levy was granted unprecedented access to the company, and in this revelatory book ...
Where: Mountain ViewCost: Free
Enduring Voices – All Roads PhotographyConversations at the Herbst: Chris Rainier In Conversation With Mary Ellen HannibalAs a National Geographic explorer and one of the leading documentary photographers working today, Rainier's mission is to record the remaining natural wilderness and the indigenous cultures around the globe by putting these wonders to film and using the ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, $18 Members
Forensic Science Lecture Series: Familial DNAInspector Hofsass has served SFPD for over 20 years as an officer, a criminalist, a CSI, a sexual assault investigator, and a homicide investigator. She earned her MSFS at UC Davis, and has presented casework and scientific findings at seminars and conferences in the US and abroad. Inspector Hofsass has ...
Since Fall 2002, the Charles W. Davidson College of Engineering has hosted the Silicon Valley Leaders Symposium (SVLS). The Symposium hosts industry and technology leaders to talk about business and technology trends. It also features prominent leaders who discuss broader societal and political issues that shape our life and society.Speaker: Mark ...
Experience the wildlife and natural beauty that make Younger Lagoon an exceptional local treasure on this docent-led tour to the lagoon and its beach habitat. Learn about the ongoing research and habitat restoration work that help this vital ecosystem thrive. Tour includes a short hike and is best suited for ...
Power Optimized Solar Panels /PV Systems: Where is the Value?Solar market in the United States has seen a number of companies, ranging from start ups to Fortune 500, introduce electronics to be married with solar panels to improve/increase power harvest, simplify installation and provide performance information per panel. These products, DC-DC power optimizers and micro-inverters, were introduced as standalone ...
Where: Rohnert ParkCost: Free
Stalking Dark Energy and the Mystery of the Accelerating UniverseSaul Perlmutter is a professor in Berkeley's Department of Physics and a senior scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He received his A.B. from Harvard in 1981 and his Ph.D. in physics from UC Berkeley in 1986. He leads the Supernova Cosmology Project, an international collaboration of research teams ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Before it Strikes: Viral Forecasting for Pandemic PreventionCurrent global disease control efforts focus largely on attempting to stop pandemics after they have already emerged. This fire brigade approach, which generally involves drugs, vaccines, and behavioral change, has severe limitations. Just as we discovered in the 1960s that it is better to prevent heart attacks than try to ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Connecting Urban Open Space: Implementing Metropolitan Greenways in North American CitiesIn communities across North America, the protection of open space is a critical priority, with the protection and restoration of natural landscapes seen as key ways to control sprawl, reverse environmental degradation, and curb urban blight. The importance of connected patches and corridors of green space across metropolitan landscapes is ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Cosmic Wisdom: An Astronomer Looks at Human History...and Our Future Prospects We now know more about the distant universe in many ways than we do about our own planet. Using breathtaking images and computer simulations, cosmologist Faber will tell the story of how human beings got here and where we are headed, cosmically speaking. This "cosmic wisdom" is essential knowledge, she ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $8 members, $20 non-members
Cafe InquiryMeet up with rationalists, skeptics, and freethinkers south of San Francisco. Beers and Books is a social event co-hosted by the Center for Inquiry|San Francisco. We'll meet at Cafe Borrone http://www.cafeboronne.com/ between Kepler's Books and the British Banker's Club! Look for the black balloon.
Tonight, explore the science of shredding when the Exploratorium transforms into an impromptu skatepark. Learn about the history of skateboarding and the urban landscape from experts all while watching professional skateboarders demonstrate science in motion.
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15 General, Free Members
Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin, with a night dedicated to exploring the final frontier. Hear from Mary Roach, author of best-selling Packing for Mars, about the surreal realities of life in space; and Team FREDNET, a group of scientists and engineers who are ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $12 General, $10 Members
Infilling California: Policies and Programs for Sustainable Urban FuturesGain insight into public policies and initiatives that offer hope for creating sustainable patterns of future urban growth from a widely respected and visionary architect/urban designer, Peter Calthorpe, and two progressive urban planners who have been active in creating and managing infill strategies in San Diego and Portland. These thought-leaders ...
'The Theatre of Insects': Talk & Signing By Jo Whaley Jo Whaley will give a short presentation and sign her book of entomological photography, "Theater of Insects". Inspired by old dioramas found in natural history museums, Whaley creates theatrically staged images of exquisitely colored insects against imaginary-almost dreamlike-backgrounds composed of weathered, man-made materials.
Where: BerkeleyCost: FREE
The Coming Transformation of American MedicineAmerican medicine is poised for a transformation – one aimed at raising the quality of medical care and reducing its cost. Such a transformation is both needed and possible. In this talk, the outlines of the coming transformation are discussed. What needs to be done, and why? How will the ...
The Origin of Domestic Dogs' Sensitivity to Human ActionsDomestic Dogs are ubiquitous in human societies throughout the world. That dogs are highly responsive to humans is just as widely observed. Far less clear, however, are the origins of this sensitivity to human actions and intentions. Several authors have argued that dogs developed cognitive skills unique in the animal ...
Should California relicense its two existing nuclear power plants? Should it build a new one? A French engineering giant, AREVA aims to participate in President Obama's planned revival of nuclear energy in America. Is that for real? How can renewable electricity help meet California's growing energy needs? How will the ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, Free for Members, $7 Students
Emerging Cyber Security Issues of the Smart GridSpeaker: Isaac Ghansah, CSUSPart of the Spring 2011 i4Energy Seminar Series. Live broadcast at mms://media.citris.berkeley.edu/webcast; Questions can be sent via Yahoo IM to username: citrisevents. The schedule for the spring i4energy series is at http://www.citris-uc.org/events/i4energy-spring2011.
How to assess the potential of on-site technologies for future urban water managementBernhard Truffer, Head of the Social Science Research Department, Swiss Federal Institute for Environmental Science & Technology, will speak about on-site technologies' role in future urban water management.Speaker: Bernhard Truffer, Head of the Social Science Research Department, Swiss Federal Institute for Environmental Science & TechnologyRoom 534
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Are There Library Patrons on Other Worlds: The Search for Life Among the StarsRecent discoveries have given scientists new optimism about finding life elsewhere in the cosmos. We now have evidence for over a thousand planets around other stars, and this year we have discovered Earth-size planets out there for the first time. Radio astronomers report signals that indicate the presence of the ...
How did five idealists on a budget save a $30 million forest? Join Park Ranger George Durgerian and find out, while hiking through the quietest redwood and mixed evergreen woodlands in the Golden Gate National Parks.Fairly strenuous, 6½ miles.Meet at the lot beyond the entrance kiosk at Huddart County Park ...
Where: WoodsideCost: $5
Berkeley-Stanford Cleantech Conference (BSCC7)The 7th Berkeley Stanford Cleantech Conference will explore the topic of green jobs and the greening of the economy from both the perspectives of China and the U.S. Keynote address by Secretary of Energy Steven ChuThe 7th Berkeley-Stanford Cleantech Conference will explore how China and the U.S. will collectively (and ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $35 to $300, see website
Yuri's DayCome celebrate the achievements of cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first human to journey into outer space, with hands on activities and demonstrations. The W Foundation will be on hand with artifacts and pictures to commemorate the event.
Where: OaklandCost: Free with admission
Extreme Plants: Desert Gardens for KidsChildren of all ages, together with accompanying parent/guardian, will explore those amazing plants known as succulents that thrive in extremely dry environments. The program features a mini-tour of the Arid House and Desert collections, refreshments made from edible succulents and a garden project kids can take home.Price includes one adult ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: $20 General, $17 Members, $12 Add'l Family Members
Climate in Crisis -- Ecology and SocialismJoin us for an evening with Chris Williams and a discussion of his new book, Ecology and Socialism, and Anuradha Mittal, Executive Director of The Oakland Institute. Around the world, consciousness of the threat to our environment is growing. The majority of solutions on offer, from using efficient light bulbs ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Jazz Under The StarsOnce a month we invite the public to our rooftop observatory for night sky viewing, while listening to KCSM Jazz 91.1FM. See the first quarter moon, Jupiter, and more through our telescopes. This is an outdoor event, please dress warmly and check back here for weather updates. If it's cloudy or ...
Bedtime with the Beasts is a special overnight program for youth groups (ages 6-18) and their chaperones. An Oakland Zoo education specialist will lead your group on an evening hike around the zoo where you'll get a look at what the zoo is like after all of the guests leave. ...
Where: OaklandCost: $60
Sunday, 04/10/11
Complementing Cancer Care; The Use of Vitamins and SupplementsLunchtime Lecture SeriesComplementing Cancer Care; The Use of Vitamins and Supplements Speaker: Donald Abrams, MDDonald I. Abrams, MD has been providing integrative oncology consultations at the UCSF Osher Center now for the past 6 years. During this time he is frequently asked "Can I take this" by people undergoing active conventional ...
Experience the wildlife and natural beauty that make Younger Lagoon an exceptional local treasure on this docent-led tour to the lagoon and its beach habitat. Learn about the ongoing research and habitat restoration work that help this vital ecosystem thrive. Tour includes a short hike and is best suited for ...
Where: Santa CruzCost: Free with admission
A Quarter Century of ChernobylA Quarter Century of Chernobyl: New Perspectives, First-Hand Accounts, Insights for Japan. Three brave anti-nuclear activists from Russia offer new perspectives and first-hand accounts on Chernobyl -- and its relevance to Japan today. Natalia Manzurova was a lead cleanup engineer at Chernobyl for five years and advocates for radiation victims ...
Activities directed at "including'' more people in the use of digital technology are predicated on the assumption that such inclusion is invariably a good thing. It appears so, when judged solely by immediate practical convenience. However, if we also judge in terms of human rights, whether digital inclusion is good ...
Speaker: Burton Richter, Director Emeritus, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Where: StanfordCost: Free
San Francisco: Still Wild at HeartLocal filmmaker Melissa Peabody will show & discuss her film San Francisco: Still Wild at Heart. The film chronicles the return of coyotes to San Francisco's urban landscape and celebrates urban wildlife, which adds such richness and surprise to our city lives. We learn from scientists about impacts to our ...
