Physics of Compact ObjectsBlack holes cannot possibly exist for 2 simple reasons: 1) Quantum mechanics does not allow information to be destroyed 2) Black hole space-times do not possess a universal time. What remains for the astrophysics community to discover is not whether black holes exist, but what are the tell-tale phenomena that ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
THE LINAC COHERENT LIGHT SOURCE (LCLS) FREE ELECTRON X-RAY LASER ― OVERVIEW OF FACILITY AND ITS SCIENCEWith ultrashort and ultrabright X-ray pulses (> 1012 photons in pulses of < 100 femtosecond length), X-ray free electron lasers provide revolutionary new capabilities to study a wide range of science phenomena, including molecules in motion. Beginning operations in 2009, the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) at SLAC has been ...
Where: Palo AltoCost: Free
DIY NightlifeLet your inspiration run wild as you DIY throughout the museum with the help of the Bay Area maker community.Make out like a bandit and pick up sweet gifts for friends (or treat yourself!) at a pop-up maker shop with vendors from SF Bazaar. Then, meet artists from SF Maker ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $12 General, $10 Members
Update on Strokes: Understanding the Symptoms, Treatment and Preventive Care for StrokeUnderstanding stroke is important to its prevention and rapid treatment. The Stanford Stroke Center has pioneered major advances in medical therapies for treating and preventing stroke, innovative neurosurgical techniques for stroke prevention and ground-breaking interventional neuroradiologic procedures. This talk will cover these topics and more.Speaker: Gregory W. Albers, MD Director, Stanford Stroke Center and ...
Maria Mudd Ruth will share tales from her book, Rare Bird: Pursuing the Mystery of the Marbled Murrelet-part naturalist detective story, part environmental inquiry celebrating the world of this endangered seabird of the Pacific Coast. Maria will highlight the fascinating life history of the murrelet, the 185-year-long search for its ...
Fungi interact with forest ecosystems in many ways. Some of these interactions have direct and obvious effects on forests and others are more subtle but equally significant. This talk will guide you through several examples that make the point that forest systems are inescapably fungal systemsSpeaker: Tom Bruns, UC Berkeley
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Streams to Sewers - SF's Natural and Un-natural DrainageHow did the old Precita Creek become the complex sewer crossing which now goes under Highway 101? When, where and why did Mission Creek go into the sewer? What are the ramifications of our sewer history and the ancient creeks they sometimes follow for today's urban outflow systems? Greg Braswell will lead a pictorial exploration and ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Saturday, 05/17/14
Maker FaireMaker Faire is the Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth-a family-friendly festival of invention, creativity and resourcefulness, and a celebration of the Maker movement.Part science fair, part county fair, and part something entirely new, Maker Faire is an all-ages gathering of tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkerers, hobbyists, engineers, science clubs, ...
Where: San MateoCost: $32.50 Adult, $22.50 Student, $17.50 4-12
Biological Inspiration: How We Learn from Nature to Design Robots, Exoskeletons and AdhesivesBiological Inspiration is the use of principles from biology to generate novel designs through integration with the best human engineering. These fundamental principles have inspired the design of new manufacturing processes, control circuits, artificial muscles, self-cleaning dry adhesives, and autonomous legged, search-and-rescue robots. Animals have evolved simple control systems, multifunction ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
An Evening with NASA Astronaut Story MusgraveThe Pacific Coast Air Museum at the Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport is proud to present "An Evening with NASA Astronaut Story Musgrave."This is a not-to-be-missed opportunity to hear Dr. Story Musgrave's inspiring, multi-media presentation on his amazing experiences in space and his vision for creating a successful life. Story ...
Where: Santa RosaCost: Adults $35 and ALL students are just $10.
Endangered Species DayCelebrate Endangered Species Day all weekend and get hands-on with restoration projects to benefit the park's imperiled species! The Golden Gate National Parks are home to more federally protected species than any other unit of the National Park System in continental North America-the California red-legged frog, coho salmon, mission blue ...
Where: Cost: Free
Sunday, 05/18/14
Maker FaireMaker Faire is the Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth-a family-friendly festival of invention, creativity and resourcefulness, and a celebration of the Maker movement.Part science fair, part county fair, and part something entirely new, Maker Faire is an all-ages gathering of tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkerers, hobbyists, engineers, science clubs, ...
Where: San MateoCost: $32.50 Adult, $22.50 Student, $17.50 4-12
Seals and sea lions have the most highly specialized whiskers in the animal world. They use these highly sensitive whiskers to detect small disturbances in the water, helping them to find food and to navigate their fluid environment. They can detect the trails left by moving prey from 150 feet ...
Where: Santa CruzCost: Free with admission
Junior Academy: Naturalist Know-howCalifornia Academy of SciencesSundays at 2pm – 2:45pm (sign-up at 1:30pm) Naturalist Center / Lab (Level 3 across from the Planetarium exit)This program is designed for youth ages 8 to 11. Youth must be accompanied by an adult. Space is limited to 20 youth with attending adults. Onsite registration is ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free with Academy admission
Monday, 05/19/14
The Cluster Lensing and Supernova Survey with Hubble (CLASH) The Cluster Lensing And Supernova survey with Hubble (CLASH) combines the gravitational lensing power of 25 massive clusters with the panchromatic imaging power of HST. It's four primary scientific objectives are 1) map, with unprecedented accuracy, the distribution of dark matter in galaxy clusters and place constraints on the nature ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Can Fusion Step Up? Encouraging Developments in Laser Fusion Research and Prospects for a Future Energy SourceOne of the great challenges of this century is to determine if nuclear fusion of hydrogen isotopes can be demonstrated in the laboratory and developed into an unlimited carbon-free energy source. Recently, experiments on laser-driven targets have begun on the National Ignition Facility to reach temperatures and densities more extreme than the center of ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Tuesday, 05/20/14
Microgravity, the future of innovationThe International Space Station is a US taxpayers investment estimated at about $70 billion spent over 30 years (with an overall price tag of $100 billion by all member nations), thus it is natural to ask about the ISS's Return on Investment to justify its continuous operation and existence its scientific ...
Where: Mountain ViewCost: Free
Molecular Dynamics Simulations and the Mechanisms of Protein ComplexesIn honor of its 40th Anniversary, NERSC is sponsoring a series of lectures describing the research behind four Nobel Prizes. The Laureates are also long-time users of NERSC's supercomputing resources.Speaker: John Kuriyan, UC BerkeleyBuilding 66
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Ultracold Polar MoleculesProf. Debbie Jin (JILA, Univ. of Chicago) will give the May 20, 2014 Applied Physics/Physics colloquium describing experiments that produce and explore an ultracold gas of polar molecules
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Adventures in the TrenchesWe share our adventures in the pursuit of Fungi. Maybe even end with a sing-along. (This is also the annual meeting of the society and election of officers).
The Golden Shore has also been named one of the '10 Best Literary Travel Books of 2013′ by Booklist, the magazine of the American Library Association.The Pacific Ocean significantly defined California's storied history, from the San FranciscoBay to Monterrey to San Diego. Helvarg will discuss how Californians have related to ...
Where: SausalitoCost: $5
Sylvia Earle & Tierney Thys present 'Oceanic'Land animals on an ocean planet, we have a lot to learn about how the world works. The microbes of the sea are Earth's dominant life form. Ocean currents and temperatures drive climate and weather. Come ride a current to view bad news (dead zones, rising sea levels, melting sea ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15, free to Long Now members
Numerous seafloor emissions of methane have been identified spanning a wide range of oceanographic conditions. A fundamental question when assessing the transport and fate of this released greenhouse gas is "how much is biodegraded vs. dispersed and diluted in ocean waters?" For decades, measurements of natural stable isotopes have been ...
Dragonfly expert Kathy Biggs will mesmerize you with details on these colorful insects and their fascinating lives. Learn how you can support their life cycle by creating habitat for them. This meeting will open with a brief presentation from the Joaquin Miller Elementary Ocean Guardians on their work at Beaconsfield ...
Where: OaklandCost: Free
Monster Black Holes: What Lurks at the Center of GalaxiesBlack holes are among the most fascinating objects in the cosmos and have long entranced the public as well as astronomers. Today we understand that black holes can grow to monstrous size, swallowing the mass of millions or billions of suns. New telescopes and techniques in the past decade have ...
Where: Los Altos HillsCost: Free ($3 parking)
Conversations on Science: The Nueroscience of Music & Creativity A cognitive neuroscientist with UCSF and member of the faculty at the San Franciso Conservatory of Music, Indre Viskontas studies how memories, creativity and other cognitive processes are supported by neural networks using the latest techniques including direct recordings from neurons in the human brain and high-resolution functional MRIs. She ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $27 General, $25 Members
The Dusty DozenAmerica and NASA did the impossible. We met JFK's challenge to explore Earth's moon in an up-close and personal way. A dozen American astronauts would become humanity's first ambassadors to visit our companion world, Luna. In this presentation, we will be introduced to the "Dusty Dozen" lucky men who risked ...
Shall we put some stupid, bizarre, and even foreign ideas into your heads? Yes, yes, and yes! Make the merriest month the smartest one with an evolutionary biologist turning dumb ideas into smart research, an engineer teaching us the steps to the bioelectric slide, and a communications pro delving into ...
