Fall Nature HikeJoin a Park Docent on a 5-mile moderately strenuous hike to enjoy panoramic views and discover how these rolling serpentine grasslands provide critical habitat for endangered species. Meet at Calero Reservoir, then carpool to a trail nearby. Bring sun protection, water, camera, sturdy hiking shoes and layered clothing. Note: This ...
Where: San JoseCost: Free
Life on the Edge at Point Bonita LighthouseGather your family for a one-of-a-kind experience touring the historic Point Bonita Lighthouse. The 1/2 mile hike to the lighthouse is filled with stunning views and fun adventures through a tunnel and along a footbridge. Keep your eye out for seals sunbathing on the rocks below. Learn what it takes ...
Where: SausalitoCost: $10 per person
East Bay Mini Maker FaireA family-friendly festival of innovation, creativity and resourcefulness, and a celebration of the Maker movement. Tickets available online.
Where: OaklandCost: $15 Adult, $10 Children
Golden Gate Raptor Observatory Hawk Talk and Banding DemoCome to Hawk Hill in the Marin Headlands and get an up-close view of the fall raptor migration with the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory (GGRO), a cooperative program of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and National Park Service.A GGRO docent gives an hour-long talk about hawk monitoring and identification ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Tour of Clarum Palo Alto Passive HouseClarum Homes is finishing their second Passive House project, this one in Palo Alto, and will be hosting an Open House in collaboration with PHCA-Silicon Valley. Please join PHCA members Sean Misskelley and Katy Hollbacher for a tour and special presentation on this Passive House project, which features Advanced Framing ...
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
Monday, 10/15/12
Insect Discovery LabDiscover the world of insects with Insect Discovery Lab. See some live animals and learn about them at the same time. Children and families welcome.
Where: San JoseCost: Free
California's Climate Action PlansCommunities throughout the state have developed climate action plans aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Michael Boswell, Cal Poly professor of city and regional planning and co-author of Local Climate Action Planning, discusses these plans, what is working well and what the challenges have been. He will also present the ...
The last decade experienced a remarkable expansion of the deployment of renewable energy such as wind, solar and bioenergy occurred last decade in several countries including China, USA, Germany and Spain. This was largely driven by feed-in support schemes and tax breaks, accompanied by a wider enabling framework. Open global markets ...
A measure on the San Francisco ballot asks voters to consider a two-phase plan that could lead to draining the Hetch Hetchy reservoir. Leaders on both sides of the debate will tackle this thorny issue and look at other regional water issues in the age of climate disruption.Panel: Susan Leal, ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, Free for Members
At a time when our political system seems hopelessly gridlocked, Steven Johnson argues in Future Perfect that a fresh model of political change is on the rise, and he offers a new vision of progress for our networked age. The Time cover boy, popular TED talker, and bestselling author of ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $25-30 General, $20-25 Members, $15 Students
Tuesday, 10/16/12
California's Climate Action PlansCommunities throughout the state have developed climate action plans aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Michael Boswell, Cal Poly professor of city and regional planning and co-author of Local Climate Action Planning, discusses these plans, what is working well and what the challenges have been. He will also present the ...
Communities throughout the state have developed climate action plans aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Michael Boswell, Cal Poly professor of city and regional planning and co-author of Local Climate Action Planning, discusses these plans, what is working well and what the challenges have been. He will also present the ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $10 General, Free members
Programming with People: Integrating Human-Based and Digital ComputationAbstract: Humans can perform many tasks with ease that remain difficult or impossible for computers. Crowdsourcing platforms like Amazon's Mechanical Turk make it possible to harness human-based computational power on an unprecedented scale. However, their utility as a general-purpose computational platform remains limited. The lack of complete automation makes it ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
LTE and How To Meet the Exponential Increase In Traffic Demand351 operators in 104 countries are investing in LTE. LTE advanced can reach peak data rates of up to 1Gbps. In this talk we will give an overview on the development of LTE and the main technology components. In particular we will focus on the use of multi antenna techniques. ...
Because of the difficulty in making measurements under controlled conditions, most of what is known about the fluid dynamics of tornadoes comes from laboratory experiments that produce vorticies with features similar to those observed in a tornado. Numerical simulation of laboratory experiments has become a valuable analytical tool owing to ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Marasmius of BoliviaEach general meeting begins with mushroom identification and cultivation delights, then features a guest speaker on a selected mycological topic.Speaker: Brennan Wenck
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Microsoft Research's Rick Rashid in Conversation with John Markoff of The New York TimesAs Chief Research Officer, Richard (Rick) F. Rashid oversees worldwide operations for Microsoft Research, the largest computer science research organization in the world, encompassing more than 850 researchers across eleven global labs. Under Rashid's leadership, Microsoft Research conducts both basic and applied research across disciplines that include algorithms and theory; ...
Join us for a lively conversation jointly presented by the San Francisco Opera and the California Academy of Science where we will dive into the ocean's depths to explore the sights, sounds and science surrounding Herman Melville's great classic Moby-Dick as presented by the San Francisco Opera. This masterpiece of ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $12 General, $10 Members
Terry Henkel will focus some of the "concept-shattering" neotropical macrofungi recently discovered and described by Henkel and his colleagues. Concepts of higher mushroom taxa are shaped by our knowledge of fungi from the northern realms. In the tropics understanding of the macromycota has lagged far behind. Years of collecting in Guyana's rainforests ...
As we witnessed each launch of the Apollo program, we would forever remember the countdown, ignition sequence, images of the Saturn V rocket engines billowing out vast, fast and furious hot gas, and then lift off. We'll never forget those sheets of ice breaking off the exterior and raining down ...
We describe our research based on extensive interactions with Silicon Valley and other firms, including AOL, SAP, Cisco, IBM, healthcare and energy.I will focus particularly on Hierarchical Bayesian models, including Bayesian Kalman filtering, in addressing the following problems:- Online Advertising: Attribution modeling – Assigning credit for user commercial actions to ...
Where: BerkeleyCost:
Climate Change: What's Going On With the Sun? Throughout the past century, while greenhouse gas (GHG) abundances have been steadily increasing and influencing Earth's climate, the Sun has remained relatively bright and quiescent. Solar cycles have been steadily active, with instantaneous sunspot numbers at solar maximum exceeding 100 in every cycle since 1893 (Cycle 13). The climate warming ...
Where: Mountain ViewCost: Free
CityHash: fast hash functions for stringsThe CityHash project began at Google in 2010 when I realized that we should push engineers to use faster and better hash functions for strings. While researching exactly what to recommend, we developed our own family of hash functions that are excellent for hash tables.The primary goal of CityHash is ...
Finding the Next Earth: The Latest Results from KeplerFoothill College Astronomy Series.With the launch of NASA's Kepler spacecraft in 2009, humanity's quest to find planets orbiting other stars took a great leap forward. Dr. Batalha will describe the techniques used by the Kepler team to identify Earth-size planets and update us on the remarkable progress they are making. ...
Where: Los Altos HillsCost: Free ($3 Parking)
Nerd Nite SF #29: Explosives, Coral Reproduction, and Sideshow 'Freaks'Where else but NNSF do you get the sexiest, freakiest, most explosively drunken lectures around? We'll have a chemist talking about blowing things up, a biologist who lives to help sea creatures get it on, and a physician/scientist taking us beyond the sideshow and deep into the science of the ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $8
Politicizing the Classroom: Challenges to Climate Change Education in America's Public SchoolsEach year, thousands of school aged children in the US are taught "both sides of the climate change controversy," with school boards in over a dozen states having passed policies categorizing climate change along with evolution and human cloning as "controversial science." There are, however, some bright spots in the ...
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: ...
Dr. Hiroshi Shimizu, CEO of SIM-Drive Corporation and Professor at the Keio University School of Media and Governance, describes a new consortium developing advanced electric vehicle (EV) technologies in Japan. SIM-Drive, founded in 2009 to commercialize an in-wheel electric motor system for EVs, is now opening up further technology development ...
Exploring NASA Space Missions: Curiosity Rover and Beyond Have you ever wondered what it would be like to explore space? Engineers and scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) get to do that every day! From Earth science to astrophysics to planetary exploration, JPL is responsible for executing exciting and challenging robotic space missions like the on-going Mars ...
Where: Palo AltoCost: Free
Science and the Media: An insider's storyDavid Perlman from the San Francisco Chronicle and Charles Petit, founder of the MIT Science Journalism Tracker will be focusing on "Science and the Media".David Perlman is the Science Editor of the San Francisco Chronicle. His career as a journalist spans more than 70 years: in 2010 he received the ...
Celebrate innovation and the creative spirit with a sampling of creations from the maker movement. See original Maker Faire projects up-close in the Piazza, including the towering stalagmites of Glow Cathedral, pieces by Applied Kinetic Arts and an interactive Dancing Robot who will play songs of your choice, jukebox-style. Get in ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $12 General, $10 Members
Wild & Scenic Film FestivalJoin the California Wilderness Coalition for the Wild & Scenic Film Festival On Tour at the Clif Bar's Headquarters in Emeryville. Looking to do more? For just $35, you get regular admission to the event and a membership to CWC, helping to ensure the protection of our state's natural heritage ...
Where: EmeryvilleCost: $20 General, $10 Student, $35 w/membership
African Safari....Live, Exotic MammalsBonnie Cromwell and her exotic animals return to the Bone Room Presents! Featured, this time around, are an alligator, a ring-tailed lemur, a serval, and more!!!There is a $10.00, prepaid fee and seating is limited, so call the Bone Room Presents, today, to reserve your spot with these amazing creatures.
Native bees and native flowering plants have evolved together to produce a variety of relationships. Some relationships allow bees to use several plant types for pollen and nectar resources. This is the case in California with many native bee species. The flexibility enables bees to use garden plants and other ...
Benefit for the Mesa Refuge Writers Retreat. Twenty years ago, in The End of Nature, Bill McKibben offered one of the earliest warnings about global warming. Now, he insists, we've waited too long. Our old familiar globe is suddenly melting, drying, acidifying, flooding, and burning in ways that no human ...
Where: Point Reyes StationCost: $10-$20, sliding scale
The UNnatural History of San Francisco Bay Journalist and author Ariel Rubissow Okamoto will answer a few burning questions from her new book Natural History of San Francisco Bay: How do you "make" a wetland if you're not Mother Nature? If you throw a dead body of the GG Bridge where will it end up? Why splashing ...
Our education system is facing rapid, dramatic changes at both state and federal levels. Pressure to implement the Common Core standards, and the mystery surrounding the Next Generation Science Standards, makes your participation in this year's conference more important than ever. Get what you need to know about Common Core and NGSS ...
Where: San JoseCost: Varies, see website
Bird Walk with Master Birder Dominik MosurDominik identified 273 birds in San Francisco in 2011, setting the City's all-time record for a birding Big Year. We'll see how many we can spot on Corona Heights this morning! Meet in front of the Randall Museum.Leader: Dominik Mosur
Electric power distribution used to be so pleasant and simple: power flowed down the wires from a nice substation to a happy consumer, and if the circuit could handle peak load, it would be okay in all conditions. Today it's much more mysterious: with solar panels and wind turbines, nobody ...
Insect Discovery LabDiscover the world of insects with Insect Discovery Lab. See some live animals and learn about them at the same time. Children and families welcome.
Where: San JoseCost: Free
Houge Park Star Party - LOCATION CHANGEMeet with members of San Jose Astronomical Society for a Star Party, weather permitting.Due to construction at Houge Park, this event will be held at Rancho Canada del Oro instead. Map to Rancho
Where: San JoseCost: Free
Tensions in Energy: Aligning Innovation, Investment, and Policy: BERC Energy SymposiumThe BERC Energy Symposium is the premier energy event at UC Berkeley and the largest student-run energy conference on the West Coast. Key players from the research, business development, policy and economics communities converge on Berkeley's campus to explore innovative ideas and provide a platform for vibrant discussion among hundreds ...
Our education system is facing rapid, dramatic changes at both state and federal levels. Pressure to implement the Common Core standards, and the mystery surrounding the Next Generation Science Standards, makes your participation in this year's conference more important than ever. Get what you need to know about Common Core and NGSS ...
Explore 200 million years of geologic history and learn the fascinating story told by the rocks at the Golden Gate.Bring a lunch and wear comfortable walking shoes and a coat.Trip includes a short but strenuous down and up 200-foot bluff.Meet Ranger Will Elder in front of Fort Point. We will ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
A Few Sure Ways to Lose Your MoneyI will discuss a few games, some involving dice, some involving cards, some even simpler than these ones. The point is to test your intuition. In most cases it is "obvious" that you should win..... and yet life can be more complicated. F. Alberto Grunbaum is a Professor of ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Dive! Film Screening Join us for a screening of the documentary "Dive" followed by a discussion lead by Food Shift team member, Caleb Phillips, who helped to launch a bicycle food recovery program in Colorado, called Boulder Food Rescue. The 53 minute film will be followed by a discussion. We hope you will join us!
Where: OaklandCost: Free
Golden Gate Raptor Observatory Hawk Talk and Banding DemoCome to Hawk Hill in the Marin Headlands and get an up-close view of the fall raptor migration with the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory (GGRO), a cooperative program of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and National Park Service.A GGRO docent gives an hour-long talk about hawk monitoring and identification ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
A Fox's TaleJoin the Environmental Volunteers at the EcoCenter to find out more about the gray fox from specialist Bill Leikam. Participants will enjoy a short presentation and Q&A session with Mr. Leikam, see research equipment that helps scientists observe and better understand gray foxes, and we'll finish with a short guided ...
Where: Palo AltoCost: Free
Lasers: The Light FantasticJoin Exploratorium scientist Ron Hipschman for colorful explorations of the physical world.In 1960, the laser was known as "a solution looking for a problem." Now we can hardly imagine life without them. Learn what's special about laser light, how it's made, and how it's used in everything from DVD players ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free with admission
Trekking the ModelJoin 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: SausalitoCost: Free
Fish Feeding FrenzyHelp Ranger Bill feed the hungry inhabitants of our fresh and saltwater tanks. Watch the different feeding styles of rock cod, sea stars, and steelhead trout.
Where: SausalitoCost: Free
The ComBots Cup VII: Lucky Number 7!The Robots are Back!
Ameliorate your need for exciting robot combat at ComBots Cup: Lucky Number 7! From the science-loving techno gnomes that brought you nine straight RoboGames as well as ComBots Cup I-VI, the big bots return!
Buy tickets now before they sell out at our store <http://robogames.net/buy-tix-cup.php>!
Slap on some ear ...
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. ...
Muir Woods marks the southern front in a battle for survival between two competing owl species. On this strenuous five-mile dusk hike, we will look and listen for the owls that call Muir Woods home, learn more about their history and ecology, and receive the latest research updates on our ...
How do telescopes work? Take an inside look and learn about 400-year-old technology still in use today!Then as it gets dark, enjoy views of the universe through many telescopes!
Where: Walnut CreekCost: Free
San Mateo County Astronomical Society Star PartyThe City of San Carlos Department of Parks and Recreation and the San Mateo County Astronomical Society have open Star Parties twice a month.Reasons to AttendIf you have kids interested in space or planets bring them here for a real life view of planets, nebula, star clusters and galaxies.If you ...
Where: San CarlosCost: Free
Jazz Under the StarsVisit our roof top observatory and see the moon and Saturn thru our telescopes, while listening to KCSM Jazz 91 FM. Dress warmly.No food or drinks in the observatory. Children are welcome and need to be attended at all times. Parking is free in lot 5, Marie Curie
Where: San MateoCost: Free
MSL and the search for organics on MarsNASA's Mars Science Laboratory will arrive on the red planet in August. How can the mission's rover, Curiosity, with unprecedented research tools to study the early environmental history of Mars, contribute to the search for evidence of life on MarsSpeaker: Dr. Chris McKay NASA-Ames Research Center
