What emotional state are you in about global warming? Shock, denial, anger, depression… or acceptance and readiness for action?Bring a brown bag lunch and help move yourself toward action.Meet Ranger Will Elder at the temporary visitor center, 105 Montgomery St. at Lincoln Blvd.Fully accessible.
As changing weather patterns create uncertainty about the future, farmers and ranchers, like many other business owners, are facing the question of how to both reduce their contribution to climate change and adapt to its effects. Meanwhile, the implementation of California's cap-and-trade legislation is presenting both financial opportunities and challenges ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $10 General, Free for Members
This talk will discuss ongoing research at the JHU Engineering Research Center for Computer-Integrated Surgical Systems and Technology (CISST ERC) to develop CIIS systems that combine innovative algorithms, robotic devices, imaging systems, sensors, and human-machine interfaces to work cooperatively with surgeons in the planning and execution of surgery and other ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Chopin and the Nature of Genius - Firinn TaisdealChopin was a musical genius. Yet what do we mean by "genius," exactly? Is genius only a matter of specialized brain function, or is it the result of specific character qualities operating over time? After all, in every era there are prodigies, but most prodigies only go on to become ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
River Management Challenges: a European perspective to 2020The need to advance an interdisciplinary approach to river management that incorporates hydrology, geomorphology, ecology, engineering and the social sciences is now widely accepted by both academics and policy makers. This talk explores what this means in practice for river management in an environment dominated by human-modified landscapes with uncertain ...
Paleontologist and evolutionary biologist Neil Shubin is famed for discovering the fossilized Tiktaalik roseae, the missing link between ancient sea creatures and land dwellers. His bestselling book, Your Inner Fish, shows parallels between human anatomy and the structures of the fish that first wriggled landward 375 million years ago. In ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $25 General, $20 Members, $15 Students
Overconfidence and the Frailty of KnowledgeWhile self-confidence is a prized human attribute, too much confidence can be obnoxious, pernicious, and even deadly. This audience-participation skeptalk will present a simple 10-question quiz to measure an important aspect of individual self-confidence. With analysis and discussion of these measurements, audience members will be better able to calibrate properly their ...
Not long after the transit tunnels of Muni and Bart went in below Market Street in the '70s, a San Franciscan butterfly - the Western Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio rutulus) moved into an ecosystem freshly lined with one of her host trees: the London Plane sycamore (Plantanus acerifolia). She lays eggs ...
Strategic Energy and ControlFind out why strategic energy control (SEC) can be a smart approach for reducing energy consumption in this informative free event. SEC expert Yilmaz Sahinkaya describes the benefits of controlling the amplitude and duration of electrical power and outlines the technical specifications of these breakthrough technologies. He then goes on ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
What's Trending? Sustainable, Prosperous and Greener CorporationsToday, leading companies are using dramatically fewer materials, less energy and safer chemicals when they manufacture products. These innovations impressively address climate change and natural resources depletion while generating corporate profits, community benefits and professional pride. Engineers, managers and interested citizens hear a hopeful, future story based on real-world examples ...
Mandrills are the largest of old world monkeys and according to Darwin are the most brightly colored of all primates. Over the last 5 years the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) in the Republic of Congo has rehabilitated nearly 20 of these highly threatened and heavily hunted primates as they were ...
Where: OaklandCost: $12-20 General, $10-20 Members
BLUEMIND: Putting The Science of Emotion Into Ocean ConservationDr. Wallace J. Nichols believes that the environmental "Green Movement" misses the boat with ocean conservation. "J," as he is known, proposes a makeover, what he calls a "Blue Movement," and has founded BLUEMiND: The Mind + Ocean Initiative, merging the fields of cognitive science and ocean exploration. His approach to conservation ...
Where: SausalitoCost: $5 Suggested Donation goes toward Student Research
Why Girls Love ScienceDr. Close is an Assistant Professor at Stanford University's Aero/Astro Department. She heads up the Space Environment and Satellite Systems Lab. She co-hosted the 2011 series, "Known Universe," for the National Geographic Channel. Also, Dr. Close was featured on the PBS Nova program, "Space Dangers." This branch meeting will focus ...
Southernmost South America evokes images of incredible mountain scenery, Cape Horn, and expansive Patagonia. It also has some of the oldest forests on Earth, the Pampas grasslands made famous in stories of the gauchos, and the little-known Chaco dry forest. The Humboldt Current is perhaps the richest part of the ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: $5 donation General, members free
Was it ecocide? The collapse of the mini-civilization on Easter Island (Rapa Nui) has long been considered one of the great Green morality tales. Once the people there cut down the last tree, story goes, they were doomed. Their famous statues were an arms race that completed the exhaustion of ...
Celebrate the 23 years of sea lions in San Francisco this month with special sea lion encounters at Pier 39's famous K-Dock.Pier 39, Aquarium of the Bay and The Marine Mammal Center invite you to enjoy this anniversary January 18-21 with free, 20-minute educational walking tours hosted by interpretive naturalists ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Houge Park Start PartyMeet with members of San Jose Astronomical Society for a Star Party, weather permitting.
Where: San JoseCost: Free
Night School: MasqueradeBe anyone you want at this month's Masquerade themed event. Fanciful, space themed, sophisticated masks or just come as yourself. Regardless, you're sure to have a great time at the East Bay's premiere place for mingling under the stars. Music, drinks, live shows and beautiful views every third Friday.21 and ...
Where: OaklandCost: $12 General, $5 Members
Saturday, 01/19/13
Bay Area Environmental Education Resource Fair (BAEER)Discover the latest in classroom materials, environmental education programs, and field trip sites. Join in the fun and attend workshops introducing conservation and wildlife education, school gardens, and strategies for fostering environmental awareness! The event is specially designed for teachers, community educators, students, families, and all concerned about the environment ...
Where: San RafaelCost: $12 General, $10 HS Students & Seniors, $8 Youth
Living Machines, Greywater, Constructed WetlandsGreenbuilding consultant Roy Nordblom will present a talk on living machines, greywater, and constructed wetlands. He will lead a tour of the sustainable features at the ELSEE campus, including greywater and rainwater systems with edible native wetland species providing rootmass and biofilter in the greywater bog the garden sink, which ...
Discover the tools, techniques, and ingenuity of local Makers and make your own artistic and innovative creations. People in cities around the world rely on new inventions. Come make something new out of recycled materials that will positively impact your city. Featured Makers and activity leaders include: -Craig Hansen ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free with admission
Central coasting, with emphasis on our diverse marine algae Join us for our popular series of free public lectures on a broad array of topics related to plants and natural history. Named in honor of its founder, the Wayne Roderick Lecture Series takes place in the Visitor Center of the Regional Parks Botanic Garden. These illustrated presentations are enjoyable for ...
Celebrate the 23 years of sea lions in San Francisco this month with special sea lion encounters at Pier 39's famous K-Dock.Pier 39, Aquarium of the Bay and The Marine Mammal Center invite you to enjoy this anniversary January 18-21 with free, 20-minute educational walking tours hosted by interpretive naturalists ...
Most people think that "seeing" is something that happens in the eyes, but many aspects of our perception of the world are determined by neural computations that occur in the brain. The visual cortex - the part of the brain that processes vision - takes up nearly a third of ...
In celebration of Underwater Parks Day, Aquarium of the Bay, together with Ocean Conservancy, will host a presentation by photographer and author Marc Shargel on Saturday, January 19, 2013. Shargel's images transport viewers to the state's newly protected underwater parks and give insights into the marine life that call them ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free with admission
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
Celebrate the 23 years of sea lions in San Francisco this month with special sea lion encounters at Pier 39's famous K-Dock.Pier 39, Aquarium of the Bay and The Marine Mammal Center invite you to enjoy this anniversary January 18-21 with free, 20-minute educational walking tours hosted by interpretive naturalists ...
Whales spend over 90 percent of their lives underwater and out of view. In order to understand how these ocean giants navigate, feed, socialize, and maneuver, scientists have engineered tags that allow a glimpse into their watery world. Dr. Friedlaender will share his experiences tagging humpback whales and recreating the ...
Where: Santa CruzCost: Free with admission
Salt Marsh WalkTake a walk with docent Gregg Aronson around the wetlands of the wildlife refuge and learn about their history. See examples of salt collection ponds and learn what is being done to convert them back to their original, natural salt marsh state. Hear how wildlife is affected by the two types of habitat and why ...
Celebrate the 23 years of sea lions in San Francisco this month with special sea lion encounters at Pier 39's famous K-Dock.Pier 39, Aquarium of the Bay and The Marine Mammal Center invite you to enjoy this anniversary January 18-21 with free, 20-minute educational walking tours hosted by interpretive naturalists ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Beginning Mushroom Identification IIUse Mushrooms Demystified by David Arora to identify actual mushrooms. You will be given a brief tutorial on how to use the keys in the book and receive help with guiding you through the identification process in a hands-on manner. Reservations required.Mycological Society of San FranciscoRoom 401
Where: San FranciscoCost: $5 General, Members free
What can black hole dynamics tell us about Quantum Gravity?Forty years ago, Jacob Bekenstein and Stephen Hawking showed that black holes are "hot," with characteristic temperatures and entropies that depend on properties of their event horizons. The Hawking temperature and the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy are quantum and gravitational -- they depend on both Planck's constant and Newton's gravitational constant -- ...
Responding to climate change involves both mitigation and adaptation, and these impacts prove to be particularly profound on the built environment. Come hear from two leading climate practitioners, Cole Roberts and Alisdair McGregor, both of Arup, as they present their recently released book. Two Degrees: The Built Environment and Our ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $10 General, Free for Members
Synthetic biology was once-upon-a-time reserved for big pharma and the multimillon dollar chemical manufacturing industry. But today, startups and hackers in their garages and basements are using cloud based services and low cost labs, tools and equipment to manipulate organisms to produce materials and products of economic value.Startups like Lygos ...
Where: StanfordCost: $40.00 - $50.00
Annual CES DownloadThis is one of our more popular meeting topics - a look at some of the latest and greatest, and sometimes weirdest new products shown at the Consumer Electronics Show. Both Gary and Tom have attended CES for over a decade each, and both are in Las Vegas for ten ...
Where: Santa ClaraCost: $10 General, Members Free in advance, $5 at door
An Evening with Elon MuskElon Musk is living two ultimate boyhood fantasies: creating a sports car company and a rocket launch corporation. As co-founder of PayPal, Elon helped transform payment online systems and then, like a true revolutionary, set his sights on electric cars and space transport.Today Elon Musk is CEO of both Tesla ...
Where: Mountain ViewCost: TBA
Dark Energy and the Runaway UniverseJoin us to hear Alex Filippenko, Professor of Astronomy, UC Berkeley, as he discusses the expansion of our Universe and how it is speeding up with time, driven by mysterious "dark energy." Dating back to 1998, observations revealed that the expansion rate of the Universe is speeding up with time, ...
Denis R. Benjamin, MD, grew up in South Africa, emigrating to the Pacific Northwest in 1970. He practiced pediatric pathology at the children's hospitals in Seattle, Washington and Fort Worth, Texas. He became an amateur mycologist soon after his arrival in the USA. He recently returned to the east slopes ...
