Did you know that the sea otter is the furriest animal in the entire world? The smallest marine mammal is also one of the most special with adaptations to stay warm, find food, and even use tools! This month we celebrate the threatened species with our Sea Otter Spectacular in a ...
Our Hawk Talks and Banding Demonstrations occur every Saturday and Sunday from noon to 2pm (weather permitting – heavy fog or rain cancels) during September and October. The Hawk Talk begins at noon, when a GGRO volunteer speaks about hawk migration and identification, and what we do here at the ...
Oceans cover more than 70 percent of Earth's surface and contain most of its biodiversity. Yet, we know more about the surface of the Moon and Mars than we know about the floor of the world's oceans. Join biologist Steve Palumbi and writer Anthony Palumbi as they take us into the ...
Join Exploratorium scientist Ron Hipschman for colorful explorations of the physical world.What's the difference between heat and temperature? We use the terms interchangeably, but they have precise meanings to physicists. How does your thermostat work and how does a Thermos® know to keep a hot thing hot and a cold ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free with admission
Monday, 09/22/14
Agriculture and FrackingAs the process of capturing oil and natural gas through hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," expands nationally, it has come under fire for its impact on water quality and quantity, energy use, and climate change. Less explored, however, are the impacts of fracking on agriculture, the American food system, and public ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
TRAPPING AND STUDYING ANTIHYDROGEN ATOMSDr. Joel Fajans of University of California, Berkeley will discuss the ALPHA project and experiments with atomic antimatter.
Over the past 30 years, energy efficiency has become an important tool for reducing customer and utility costs and achieving sustainability goals, particularly avoided carbon emissions, but its impact is still limited. The widely used model for delivery of energy efficiency is a utility-centric approach funded through ratepayer or other ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Tuesday, 09/23/14
Are you living in a simulation?Philosophers have long considered the possibility that we live in an artificial or simulated reality. Dr. Beane will give a short overview of some of the simulation arguments/scenarios that he personally finds most compelling.Speaker: Dr. Silas Beane, Univ. of Washington
HAPPY HOLLOW EDZOOCATION presents Go Wild!Happy Hollow Park and Zoo comes to your library! Join us with yourwhole family for a fun filled program with live crittersand learn about adaptations, habitat, diet,and more
Where: San JoseCost: Free
Roberto Trotta: The Edge of the Sky - All You Need to Know About the All-There-IsRoberto Trotta, Theoretical Cosmologist, Astrophysics Group, Imperial College London; Author, The Edge of the SkyFrom the big bang to black holes, from dark matter to dark energy, from the origins of the universe to its ultimate destiny, Trotta's book The Edge of the Sky tells the story of the most important discoveries and ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 non-members, $8 members, $7 students
The computational array cameraComputational cameras have become ubiquitous in the research community (though not yet in the consumer space), as various architectures are being considered for creating output features that are not possible, or very difficult to obtain with "traditional" cameras. Computational cameras reflect our desire to capture more information about the world ...
Where: SunnyvaleCost: $10 General, $5 Members at door, Free members adv.
Astronomy Lecture With Speaker – Steve Gottlieb (Sky & Telescope mag.)Please join Mt. Diablo Astronomical Society for the September 23rd general meeting. Our monthly meetings begin with a short "What's Up" presented by one of our members (Mike Harms: "Recovery of the International Solar-Earth Explorer spacrecraft") followed by a speaker. This month's speaker is Steve Gottlieb, contributing editor for Sky ...
Dr. Ferdinand Rivera's research focuses on understanding the emergence of structures among children and adults in mathematical activities that involve patterns. His findings are synthesized in his most recent book, Teaching and Learning Patterns in School Mathematics: Psychological and Pedagogical Perspectives. Rivera is a full professor in the Department of ...
Where: San JoseCost: Free
Wireless Sensor Networks for Flash Flood and Traffic Monitoring in Urban EnvironmentsThis talk describes a new architecture for distributed flash flood and traffic monitoring in cities using combined Eulerian and Lagrangian sensing. Unlike current traffic sensor networks, the architecture maintains user privacy by using a distributed computing approach. In this system, probe vehicles broadcast speed data to local nodes, which estimate ...
Axial Seamount is the most active submarine volcano in the NE Pacific and is the site of the first volcano observatory on the deep seafloor. High-resolution pressure sensors that were developed for tsunami detection in the open ocean have been used at Axial Seamount to measure vertical movements of the ...
Speaker: David Anthoff is an environmental economist who studies climate change and environmental policy. He co-develops the integrated assessment model FUND that is used widely in academic research and in policy analysis. His research has appeared in the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Environmental and Resource Economics, the Oxford Review ...
Faults, scaling and Erlang concurrencyThis talk shows the intimate relationship between faults and scaling.We argue that systems that are designed for fault-tolerance will be easy to scale. Achieving fault-tolerance requires things like non-shared memory, which as a side effect makes them easy to scale.We discuss the history of fault-tolerant systems and define six underlying ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Go Wild! Nature Program for KidsEver wonder about the San Francisco Bay wetlands and the wildlife in your very own backyard? Join us for an adventure here at your local library. You'll get up close and personal with real feet and beaks of birds while you play bird games and create your very own wild ...
The riveting history of tuberculosis, the world's most lethal disease, the two men whose lives it tragically intertwined, and the birth of medical science. In 1875, tuberculosis was the deadliest disease in the world, accountable for a third of all deaths. A diagnosis of TB-often called consumption-was a death sentence. ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $12 General, Free for members
Science and Reason with Skeptics in the Pub, West BayIf ye value critical thinking, and if ye scorn the film-flam man, and if ye drink, drink with us, your friends. If ye shun the brewer's art, at least help us lay waste to bangers & mash!Skeptics in the Pub is a monthly meeting for discussion of topics of science, ...
Where: MillbraeCost: Free
The Physics of BaseballSpring is no longer in the air, and the grass is worn down. But excitement is building as the boys of summer become the play-off boys of October with the end of the Major League Baseball season. Please join two veteran physics teachers as they explain - and demonstrate - ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
CSI MarinSpeaker: Detective Rebecca Leonard, Marin County Sheriff's Office
Where: San RafaelCost: Free
History of the Cosmos (and our understanding of it)I will discuss our current picture of cosmic history from the Big Bang to today, including the composition of the universe. Taking an observer's point of view, I will review the major observations over the past century that have led us to our current picture including why we think dark ...
Where: Santa CruzCost: Free
Thursday, 09/25/14
The Dark Ages Radio Explorer (DARE) In the New Worlds, New Horizonsin Astronomy & Astrophysics Decadal Survey, Cosmic Dawn was singled out as one of the top astrophysics priorities for this decade. Specifically, the Decadal report asked "when and how did the first galaxies form out of cold clumps of hydrogen gas and start to shine-when ...
METHANE EMISSIONS FROM NORTH AMERICAN NATURAL GAS SYSTEMS: THE STATE OF THE SCIENCENatural gas has been proposed as a more climate-friendly replace-ment for coal and oil in near-term greenhouse gas mitigation strategies. In addition, its flexibility and efficiency as a fuel for dispatchable electric power means that natural gas will likely be useful for firming of grids with high renewable power fractions. ...
Where: Palo AltoCost: Free
Heather Burnett Gold: Empowering Communities with Gigabits to the HomeHeather Burnett Gold, President, Fiber to the Home Council North AmericaCertain communities around the United States have recently coalesced around an idea: America needs a critical mass of communities with exceptional bandwidth so we can foster human capital that knows how to design, build, operate and, above all, innovate using ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 non-members, $8 members, $7 students
Outbreak NightlifeExplore the fascinating and frightening history of pandemics as NightLife takes a look at the dynamic diseases that have shaped the world we live in. Pick the brains of Bay Area scientists during Emergence: The Potential for Pandemic, lightning talks featuring Academy microbiologist Dr. Shannon Bennett, Academy Fellow Dr. Vance Vredenburg, ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $12 General, $10 Members
What factors controlled the variability in ground shaking in the earthquake?Will the ground shaking in future earthquakes display similar patterns?Hear about the advances made in recording ground shaking over the past 25 years.Learn how USGS uses this information to quickly assess the impact of earthquakes.Speaker: Brad Aagaard, USGS
War crimes stemming from political conflict leave devastating scars upon its victims, including PTSD. The talk will address successful approaches to the healing of these wounds, including storytelling, and their incorporation into the international tribunal process.Speaker: Daryn Reicherter, MD, StanfordF
Where: Palo AltoCost: Free
South Asians and Heart DiseaseCoronary artery disease (CAD) strikes earlier in life and in a higher percentage of South Asians compared to other ethnic groups. This talk will review the incidence of CAD in South Asians living both here and abroad, as well as the primary mechanisms believed to underlie this risk. It will ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Full-Spectrum Science with Ron Hipschman: Heat and TemperatureJoin Exploratorium scientist Ron Hipschman for colorful explorations of the physical world.What's the difference between heat and temperature? We use the terms interchangeably, but they have precise meanings to physicists. How does your thermostat work and how does a Thermos® know to keep a hot thing hot and a cold ...
Night HikeJoin us for hikes through our redwoods! Trail walks are led by an experienced hiker and Chabot educator and feature discussions about the natural environment, events and objects in the sky.Hike under the beautiful crescent moon through the redwoods from twilight to moonlight on an easy 1-2 mile hike. After ...
Where: OaklandCost: $12
Saturday, 09/27/14
Family Science FestivalJoin the Academy for a day of family-friendly programming, including interactive demonstrations, chats with scientists, educational games, and more. Festival participants include: The Academy's Animal Health Department Meet the team that keeps our 38,000 live animals healthy and happy-from African penguins and rainforest birds to tropical reef fishes and invertebrates.National ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
The Bay Model Wants You!!! Become part of Sausalito's very own attraction known around the world! We have a variety of volunteer positions that are suited for people just like you! Greet visitors, lead tours, work with school groups, and more! Come and be a part of one of the largest working hydraulic models in ...
Where: SausalitoCost: Free
Caught in the Food WebOne of the most intricate food webs in the world exists right in our own back yard! Come discover what lives in the Bay, from plankton to sharks, and how it all connects in the food web, and to us. Games and activities abound including giant Jenga and plankton tows.
Where: SausalitoCost: Free
Science Saturday: DinosaursCelebrate Sea Otter Awareness Week at the Museum! Find out if you'd rather have otter fur or blubber, see what it's like to eat like a sea otter, examine real otter fur, make a craft to take home, and more! Discover just how important otters are to Monterey Bay as ...
Our Hawk Talks and Banding Demonstrations occur every Saturday and Sunday from noon to 2pm (weather permitting – heavy fog or rain cancels) during September and October. The Hawk Talk begins at noon, when a GGRO volunteer speaks about hawk migration and identification, and what we do here at the ...
As the world demands that more and more polluters pay for carbon emissions, a financial mystery unfolds: What are the costs? Who is responsible to pay for them? Who do you pay? How do you pay? And what are the potential impacts? In Carbon Shock: A Tale of Risk and ...
Where: Corte MaderaCost: Free
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
September 27th. Public Astronomy Program On Mt DiabloThis Saturday we will explore Supernovae ! Why do some stars explode? Which star is next? Would you exist without supernovae? Take home a sky map of stars will explode as supernovae. BONUS: Get ready for the eclipses in October! Also: society members will bring their binoculars and telescopes to ...
Where: Walnut CreekCost: $10 parking
Fall Equinox CarnivalWhat happened to summer? Our long days have quickly turned into the season of longer nights, but don't despair! Celebrate the changing of seasons with a fall carnival suited for you night owls. Relive your childhood through classic autumnal activities such as pumpkin carving and squash bowling, while indulging in ...
Where: OaklandCost: $12
NuSTAR's Sharper View of the UniverseLaunched in June 2012, NuSTAR is bringing the high-energy Universe into focus. Exploding stars, hidden black holes and other exotic objects are all being studied in an entirely new light.Speaker: Dr. Lynn Cominsky, Sonoma State
