The Challenges of Science Communication: What Does Storytelling Have to do with Climate Change?A fundamental of scientific analysis is the rejection of stories. Anecdotes can mislead you and solid analysis of the data is needed to ensure that coincidence is not mistaken for correlation. But one of the fundamentals of communication is the human need for stories to make an emotional connection to ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
VISUALIZING PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS & LIGHT-MATTER INTERACTIONS WITHIN INDIVIDUAL NANOPARTICLESIn Pixar's Inside Out, Joy proclaims, "Do you ever look at someone and wonder, what is going on inside?" Dr. Dionne's group asks the same question about nanomaterials whose function plays a critical role in energy, biology, and information-relevant processes. In this presentation, Jen will describe new techniques that enable ...
Modern technology has enabled massive innovation in our models for developing and scaling digital technologies, but the institutional ecosystem for advancing physical science innovations remains highly constrained. To support top technology innovators in addressing the world's most pressing problems, we need to build new habitats for hard technology: environments that leverage ...
T-Minus Zero: Why Space Startups Are Taking OffJoin Dan Berkenstock, co-founder of Skybox Imaging (acquired by Google), Peter Platzer, CEO and co-founder of Spire Global, and Barry Matsumori, SVP of Business Development at Virgin Galactic for this exciting event sponsored by the Computer History Museum NextGen Advisory Board. For details and registration, visit http://bit.ly/1Qqobjm and use discount code ...
Where: Mountain ViewCost: $15 - $20. Early bird and tickets-for-2 discounts
Charging AheadCalifornia creates more wealth per puff of carbon pollution than anywhere else on the planet, and its largest electric utility, PG&E, has become one of the cleanest power providers in the country. Now the state has laid out ambitious new goals for generating an even greener and smarter economy. That ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, $12 Members, $7 Students
Gathering LightWith digital cameras in every cell phone, everyone is a photographer. But people still aspire to the better zoom, the lower noise, and the artistic bokeh effects provided by the digital SLR cameras, if only these features were available in as convenient and light-weight a package as a cell phone ...
Maria Popova's wildly popular blog "Brainpickings," which started as a weekly e-mail to seven friends, now has fans like William Gibson, Drew Carey, Mia Farrow and Biz Stone and is included in the Library of Congress permanent web archive. A recent sampling includes Sylvia Bornstein on Pablo Neruda, 19th century ...
7:00-7:25: TBAAbstract forthcoming...Read more7:25-7:50: Andreas Weigend(Stanford and former chief scientist at Amazon) on "Data of the people, by the people, for the people: How the Social Data Revolution changes (almost) everything"Abstract forthcoming...Read more7:50-8:10: BREAK. Before or after the break, anyone in the audience currently working within the intersections ...
Our ability to identify birds by sight has grown dramatically since the early 20th century. Meanwhile, technical advances in optics and photography continue to change the way we see birds. Joe Morlan will present a history of bird identification, starting with early pioneers like Ludlow Griscom and continuing with a personal ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $5 donation
Everything Matters: NitrogenThe periodic table outlines the fundamental building blocks of all known matter in the universe. Composed of irreducible atoms, these elements arrived from the earliest reports of the Big Bang, the fusion wombs of stars and supernova, and collisions between interstellar matter and cosmic rays-as well as through artificial production ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free with admission
Friday, 10/16/15
UNCHARTED: The Berkeley Festival of IdeasUncharted was founded in 2013 as the Bay Area's first ideas festival. It brings together some of the world's great thinkers, designed to engage and inspire. It's an interactive, eye-opening two days of discussion, debate, workshops, and good food, beer and wine. Chris Anderson, Brad DeLong, and Masha Gessen are ...
Climate science tells us that our climate is changing. The question is, why aren't we? Research shows that more than half of all Americans believe in anthropogenic climate change yet energy consumption remains high and introducing sustainable solutions has been limited. Every good coach knows that the players on the ...
Where: OaklandCost: $26 General/$23 Members Advance, $30 at door
Third Annual LAST FestivalThe LAST (Life Art Science Technology) festival celebrates the confluence of art with the multiplicity of new media technologies and nascent sciences emerging from the intense cultural ecosystem of the Bay Area.See web link for activites and details.
James "The Amazing" Randi is a world-famous magician and escape artist who has devoted the past 40 years to debunking charlatans of all stripes, including self-described psychics, homeopaths and other medical frauds, claims of occult phenomena, and all manner of flim-flam. He's a bestselling author, an educator, as well as ...
Where: FremontCost: $15 general; $10 Students with ID
Not Quite Alone in a Sea of StarsWith the recent "buzz" surrounding our recent visits to Pluto, Ceres, and the discovery of surface water on Mars, just as The Martian hit the big screen, it is an opportune time to reflect on what we have learned in recent years about our place in the solar system, and ...
Where: LivermoreCost: Free
The Birth of StarsWe've all learned that space is an empty vacuum, but it's not. The space between the stars in our Galaxy contains, on average, about 1 atom per cubic centimeter. That's a better vacuum than the best vacuum chamber we know how to make, but there are a lot of cubic ...
Where: Los Altos HillsCost: Free ($3 parking)
Saturday, 10/17/15
Astronomy and Imaging Open HouseThis fall, the west coast's largest astronomy exhibition comes to the San Jose Convention Center, presented by the Advanced Imaging Conference. In past years, admission was restricted to attendees of this annual world famous meeting. But this year, for one day only, the Astronomy Exhibition is open to everyone. It's ...
Where: San JoseCost: $10 General, $5 mention your astronomy club
Every October we celebrate the return of white sharks to our National Marine Sanctuaries. Join shark specialists and educators celebrating and learning about sharks in this annual Sharktoberfest education event. Shark games, shark science and shark fun for the whole family.
Stardust was the first spacecraft ever to bring back to Earth extraterrestrial materials from beyond the Moon. It was two missions in one spacecraft. Stardust returned the first samples from a known primitive solar system body, the Jupiter-family comet Wild 2. Stardust also carried a separate collector that was exposed ...
Our Hawk Talks and Banding Demonstrations occur every Saturday and Sunday from noon to 2 pm (weather permitting – heavy fog or rain cancels) during September and October, except for Fleet Week weekend. The Hawk Talk begins at noon, when a GGRO volunteer speaks about hawk migration and identification, and ...
Where: SausalitoCost: Free
Saturday CinemaSaturday Cinema is a core weekly program that captures the ideas which animate the Exploratorium. We highlight works that blend observation, poetry, and surrealism, and celebrate films that utilize unique, handcrafted processes. Appropriate for all ages and mediated by cinema arts staff, these screenings encourage the viewer to respond to ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Included with museum admission
Third Annual LAST FestivalThe LAST (Life Art Science Technology) festival celebrates the confluence of art with the multiplicity of new media technologies and nascent sciences emerging from the intense cultural ecosystem of the Bay Area.See web link for activites and details.
Where: StanfordCost: $15 Donation
Family Science & Astronomy Festival + MakerspaceThe CSM Library Makerspace welcomes you to our free, drop-in crafting and tinkering workshops. Join us for hands-on projects and skill-sharing in electronics, crafts, media, and more! See this event for the keynote address on Pluto.
Where: San MateoCost: Free
Eat Like a Bird: Owl Pellet Dissection (Rotary Nature Center Adult Education Series)Owl pellets can be an excellent way to learn more about the eating habits and lifestyles of these nocturnal birds. Come and dissect some pellets and try to identify what the owls had for dinner! We'll also learn about digestion and eating habits of other birds (owls aren't the only ...
Where: OaklandCost: $15.00
Tthe Search for Alien WorldsWhy does Earth have abundant life, but nowhere else in our Solar System? Explore where weird life exists on Earth. What does that tell us about life elsewhere in the galaxy? What will the first alien life we discover likely look like? Which stars have planets where life might exist?Excitement ...
After a nine and a half-year journey at a speed of more than 30,000 miles per hour, the New Horizons spacecraft flew within a few thousand miles of the surface of Pluto on July 14, 2015. Images and other data for Pluto and its five moons obtained by the spacecraft ...
Where: San MateoCost: Free
Breakthrough Listen: Grand New Search for ETDr Worthier will discuss the potential effects of a $100 Million grant from The Breakthrough Prize Foundation given to UC Berkeley and other institutions for the most comprehensive Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) ever conducted. Discussing the rationale for past and future searches he will show how new technologies are ...
EAST BAY MINI MAKER FAIREA Maker Faire is about celebrating learning and doing - not just the finished and perfect end product. It's a place to show projects, and share what we're learning with others.Featuring both established and emerging local "makers," the East Bay Mini Maker Faire is a family-friendly celebration featuring rockets and robots, digital fabrication, ...
Where: OaklandCost: Adults: $14-20 Child/Student: $11-15 Children 3 an
Our Hawk Talks and Banding Demonstrations occur every Saturday and Sunday from noon to 2 pm (weather permitting – heavy fog or rain cancels) during September and October, except for Fleet Week weekend. The Hawk Talk begins at noon, when a GGRO volunteer speaks about hawk migration and identification, and ...
Where: SausalitoCost: Free
Third Annual LAST FestivalThe LAST (Life Art Science Technology) festival celebrates the confluence of art with the multiplicity of new media technologies and nascent sciences emerging from the intense cultural ecosystem of the Bay Area.See web link for activites and details.
Did you know that nearly three-quarters of UCSC's Coastal Science Campus is protected as Younger Lagoon Reserve? This unique urban reserve is part of the University of California's Natural Reserve System and is used for university-level teaching, research, and public service.The reserve provides protected habitat for over 100 resident and ...
Where: Santa CruzCost: Free with admission
Fall Tarantula Hike with Lindsay Wildlife at Mount DiabloExplore the habitat of local tarantulas along the north face of Mount Diablo with an experienced naturalist. Fall is the time for these eight-legged, carnivorous yet docile creatures to come out of hiding in search of mates. The hike covers a distance of 2 miles, hiking shoes and bottled water ...
Where: Walnut CreekCost: $10 members ($15 non-members)
Breast Cancer: Latest Research & OptionsIN RECOGNITION OF OCTOBER AS BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH, Congresswoman Jackie Speier will host a panel discussion about BREAST CANCER :: Latest Research & OptionsMonday, October 19th :: 12PM-1:30PMUCSF – Mission Bay600 16th Street, San FranciscoGenentech Hall – Byers AuditoriumRSVP by October 18th at www.RepSpeier.eventbrite.comFeatured topics will include:SCREENING: The Wisdom ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Distilling PhysicsDr. Michael Griffo is the distiller and Co-founder of Griffo Distillery of Petaluma. He applies his skills honed as a physicist to distill whiskey through formal analysis and fabrication of his own innovative process controls.
Where: Rohnert ParkCost: Free
Kapalakiko: Hawaiian Migrant Workers in 19th-Century San FranciscoAt least one thousand Hawaiians lived and worked in California in the mid-nineteenth century. As itinerant seamen and fur hunters they touched Alta and Baja California shores; as cowhide skinners, sea otter scalpers, agriculturalists and Catholic converts, they lived and worked in the Channel Islands and in Mexican ranching towns; ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Nerd Nite East Bay #35: Dams, Tiki, and Weed BotanyDam-nation: The fascinating end life of dams by Ann-Marie BenzWe have all seen pictures of mighty dams, the symbols of America's (and its engineers') great prowess and progress. The photos show big walls holding back huge amounts of water, supplying the arid West, generating power, and providing irrigation for farmers. ...
Where: OaklandCost: $8 advance, $10 door
Tuesday, 10/20/15
Are Old Galaxies Really Red and Dead?Galaxies are broadly divided into two classes: spiral and elliptical. Unlike the spirals, the ellipticals, often referred to as early-type galaxies, are largely composed of old stars that give them a reddish color, They typically have little interstellar material with which to form new stars; these galaxies are often referred ...
Governor Brown has proposed expanding California's renewable energy goals from 33% by 2020 to 50% by 2030. This would likely mean a substantial increase in "distributed energy resources," such as community solar, energy storage and microgrids. Which cities and counties are best prepared for this evolution and how might it ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $10 General, Free for members
What is the truth behind sexual cannibalism in the insect world? How do deathwatch beetles find their mates? Why do butterflies have spots on their wings? Award-winning conservationist and founder of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Goulson (A Sting in the Tale, A Buzz in the Meadow) shares his passion for ...
The role of electronics and software automotive industry has grown dramatically in the past couple decades, and they are critical in the design, development, and manufacturing of modern vehicles. Today's vehicles typically contain an in-vehicle network with over 70 Electronic Control Units (ECUs) responsible for most operational functionality, such as ...
The present Earth-Moon system formed in the aftermath of the impact of a Mars-sized body on our planet. The Earth was then mostly melted and the Moon accreted from a ring of vapor and liquid orbiting the Earth. Part of the impactor's core ended up in the Moon-forming disk around ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Wednesday, 10/21/15
New Approaches to study the marine carbon cycle Seven years of carbon dioxide (CO2) observations from the Kuroshio Extension Observatory (KEO) and Ocean Station Papa (OSP) moorings located in the North Pacific Ocean are used to evaluate drivers of the uptake and export of CO2. Annual organic carbon export at OSP is approximately half that at KEO; however, ...
Hosted by the Creativity Museum, in San Francisco, California, this free training will provide information about the Smithsonian Latino Virtual Museum (LVM) and its online resources and Teacher Tool Kit.The LVM is a transmedia hub for 2D and 3D collections, online games, simulations, and virtual worlds and programs in real-time. ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
From Lab to Life: Developing Energy TechnologiesRamamoorthy Ramesh serves as Berkeley Lab's Associate Laboratory Director for Energy Technologies and pursues a strategic vision for driving technology innovation from first discovery to first commercial use.In 2011 he served as Director of the SunShot Initiative through the U.S. Department of Energy. In June of 2013, Ramesh joined Oak ...
Autonomous Vehicles, Predictability, and LawFully autonomous or "self-driving" automobiles are vehicles "which can drive themselves without human supervision or input." They are likely to become an increasing presence in our physical environment in the 5 - 15 year time frame. Today people share a physical environment with moving machines that are controlled by other people ...
Where: StanfordCost: 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.
Since 2010 a series of bilateral and multilateral trade disputes have emerged in the solar photovoltaics (PV) industry. Specifically, the European Union and the United States responded to a rapid rise in Chinese import competition in solar PV by imposing tariffs and import constraints. The German government, on the other hand, as ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Open Access Week 2015 – Let's Collaborate! Boost your Citations and VisibilityCalling all Bay Area researchers: How will you increase the visibility of and citations to your work? Not alone, is the answer! Open Access Week is coming-with a 2015 focus on collaboration-and you are invited to come discuss ways to give your research a boost by working together and sharing what you ...
The U.S. Imperative for Wellness: The Cleveland Clinic Experience – How to Make Yourself Younger Chronic medical disease management now accounts for more than 80 percent of the nation's spending on medical care and is substantially increasing as the number of people with chronic disease rises. Roizen argues that these chronic disease costs are increasing income inequality and decreasing the standard of living. Yet, he ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General $8 Members, $7 Students
Join Sam Hodder in discussing how the iconic California redwoods catalyzed the nation's conservation movement a century ago. Those same woods now lead 21st-century conservation efforts. Modern conservation is comprised of a complex web of challenges and their solutions, from climate change, landscape protection and restoration to economics and access ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, $8 Members, $7 Students
Building Out an Application Security ProgramEver since the first security exploit, business and developers have been looking for effective ways to build security into products while maintaining realistic budgets and scope. Right after Robert Morris sent out the first virus into the world, vendors emerged to provide a technical solution to a technical problem. As ...
Where: Palo AltoCost: Free
To Infinity and Beyond: The Math and Science Behind Pixar FilmsIn this talk, Danielle Feinberg, Director of Photography for Lighting at Pixar Animation Studios, will discuss a series of problems faced while making various Pixar films and how the Pixar Animation Scientists used math and science to save the day!Danielle Feinberg began her career at Pixar Animation Studios in February ...
Nerd Nite SF #65: Life Beyond Earth, Wild West Science, and TBA!"Searching for Life Elsewhere: A discovery of Earth and a glimpse into the value of humanity" by Dr. Sanjoy SomAstronomers are finding thousands of planets orbiting far away stars. Why are we so keen in discovering them? We'll discuss the interdisciplinary approach of searching for life beyond Earth, and what ...
