Marcelo Gleiser: The Island of Knowledge - The Limits of Science and the Search for MeaningTo be human is to want to know, but what we are able to observe is only a tiny portion of what's "out there." Brazilian theoretical physicist Marcelo Gleiser traces our search for answers to the most fundamental questions of our existence and reaches a provocative conclusion: science, the main ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 non-members, MEMBERS FREE, $7 students
A neural basis for attention in humans and monkeysThe Stanford Neurosciences Institute hosts a weekly seminar series to bring together members of the Stanford neuroscience community to hear about and discuss cutting edge basic and/or clinical research that is relevant to the future of neuroscience.Speaker: Robert Desimone, MITRooms 101-102
Where: StanfordCost: Free
STUDYING X-RAYS FROM SOLAR FLARESDr. Lindsay Glesener of University of California, Berkeley will discuss her work using sounding rocket experiments to study solar X-rays.
Where: Rohnert ParkCost: Free
The Revolution in Graph Theoretic OptimizationGraph theoretic optimization problems that have been dormant for fifty years are now seeing new and exciting algorithms. These advances have been made possible by Spectral Graph Theory, the interplay between linear algebra and combinatorial graph theory. One application of this interplay is a nearly linear time solver for Symmetric ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Answering Calls of Our Time: Energy Technology Transitions and EquityHow can we deploy clean energy technologies on a scale that matters and in a time frame that makes a difference? Market conditions that motivate private equity investments are framed in part by public policy decisions taken in contexts where social equity is a factor. Claims for justice are persistent ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Collecting New and Hardy Plants in the Mountains of Northern VietnamPlant explorers Bleddyn and Sue Wynn-Jones will talk about their plant-collecting expeditions in the north of Vietnam. They have explored that region's mountainous forests seven times since 1999, discovering new species and other exciting plants-"exciting sometimes to the extreme," they report. The main emphasis will be on the plant ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: $25
Joshua Wolf Shenk, author of 'Powers of Two: Seeking the Essence of Innovation in Creative Pairs'What drives creative success? According to Shenk the magic number is two. Even when we're alone, we are "collaborating" with the voice inside our head.Shenk examines dynamic duos in all fields of business, entertainment, social activism, etc. and unveils the "electrified space" of a partnership. He also identifies some of ...
Peter Thiel, who co-founded PayPal and made the first outside investment in Facebook, says we must think about the future for more than just 140 characters or 15 minutes at a time to make real long-term progress. He discusses some of the ideas in his new book, Zero to One, ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $40 - $80
A Planet for GoldilocksNot too hot, not too cold reads the prescription for a world that's just right for life as we know it. Finding evidence of life beyond Earth is one of the primary goals of astronomy focused science agencies in the United States and abroad. The goal looms closer as a ...
