Relativistic jets from tidal disruption events The tidal disruption event (TDE) of a star by a supermassive black hole provides us with a rare glimpse of these otherwise dormant supermassive black holes in galactic centers. It has long been predicted that the disruption will be accompanied by a thermal "flare", powered by the accretion of bound ...
After Dark: Extended CinemasThe warm glow of the projected image invites us to in-between worlds. During this cinematic celebration, now an annual favorite, the passive act of watching turns to listening, peering, touching, and interacting as Exploratorium Cinema Arts takes over museum spaces to provide experiences-both on and off the screen-created by artists ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15 General, $10 Members
Wake up and smell the coffee at NightLife's first-ever tribute to the Bay Area's favorite way to get buzzed.Sip samples from your favorite local roasters while learning everything there is to know about caffeine-and the hippest ways to get your fix. Enjoy siphon and roasting demonstrations as well as tastings from Andytown ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15 General, $12 Members
Let's play with robotsDomo arigato and welcome to the world of robotics! What's in store for us as we move into the deep unknowns of Artificial Intelligence? Have the doomsday preppers been right all along or will we be entering a golden age of robotics?Today, robots build cars, clean your ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 Students / $25 General Admission
First-Photon Imaging and Other Imaging with Few PhotonsLIDAR systems use single-photon detectors to enable long-range reflectivity and depth imaging. By exploiting an inhomogeneous Poisson process observation model and the typical structure of natural scenes, first-photon imaging demonstrates the possibility of accurate LIDAR with only 1 detected photon per pixel, where half of the detections are due to ...
Adam Skolnick's book, "ONE BREATH: Freediving, Death, and the Quest to Shatter Human Limits," reveals the captivating world of elite freedivers addicted to the buzz that comes from tempting their own fate. Join Adam Skolnick as he discusses his book, freediving, marine plastic pollution, and the tantalizing thrill of exploring the ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $10
Friday, 03/04/16
Birds and Botany HikeHike the forests, meadows and hills around Pine Flat and up Redhill with ACR Volunteer Patrick Woodworth & ACR Resource Ecologist Dave Self. We'll be watching (and listening) for birds on the hike out. After lunch, we'll botanize as we consider the seasonal interplay between bird foods, habitat history and current activity ...
Where: GeyservilleCost: Free
Mineral, Gem & Jewelry Show & SaleMineral & Gem Society of Castro Valley. Annual show & sale. Local Irvington District Fossils. Large Fluorescent Mineral display. GIA Gem Identification. No.CA Geological Society Rock ID. 40+ Dealers. 40+ Exhibits. Live Demonstrations. Geode Splitting. Kid's Spinning Wheel. Opal Pendant Raffle. Live Auction. Door Prizes. Free Parking. Fri. 10:00 am-6:00 ...
Where: NewarkCost: $6/3 days
Shedding Light: Understanding the Role of Externalities in Energy Efficient Technology AdoptionThrough a two-stage randomized control trial, we estimate the impact of energy efficient lightbulbs (compact fluorescent lightbulbs or CFLs) on household electricity consumption and local electricity reliability. The CFL treatment reduces household electricity consumption by a quantity within the range of the technologically feasible savings. Estimates not controlling for externalities ...
The Bone Room is once again partnering with Mysterious Creatures Art Collective, this time to put on our first collaborative bone based craft fair. Featuring local artists and vendors, it should be a fabulous evening filled with art and natural history. The Bone Room will have a booth set up ...
Where: OaklandCost: Free
Gemini Planet Imager - Direct Imaging of ExoplanetsSPEAKER: Dr Eric NielsenStanford University, Department of PhysicsKavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and CosmologySMCAS General meeting at 7:00 p.m. ISC Room, room 110
Where: San MateoCost: Free for everyone including parking
Saturday, 03/05/16
6th Annual San Francisco Bay Area STEM Career FairThe 6th Annual San Francisco Bay Area Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Career Fair and Exhibition will provide K-12 students with an opportunity to explore careers and meet and interact with professionals in these fields. In an environment similair to a job fair, students will visit the table of STEM ...
Where: OaklandCost: free
Mineral, Gem & Jewelry Show & SaleMineral & Gem Society of Castro Valley. Annual show & sale. Local Irvington District Fossils. Large Fluorescent Mineral display. GIA Gem Identification. No.CA Geological Society Rock ID. 40+ Dealers. 40+ Exhibits. Live Demonstrations. Geode Splitting. Kid's Spinning Wheel. Opal Pendant Raffle. Live Auction. Door Prizes. Free Parking. Fri. 10:00 am-6:00 ...
Where: NewarkCost: $6/3 days
Shark DayMSI loves sharks! Our special Shark Day invites one and all to learn about these amazing creatures, from the great whites that swim just off our shores to the gentle Leopard Sharks that are common in our Bay. We will be feeding and touching our local Leopard Sharks in our ...
Join local lepidopterist Liam O'Brien to look for what is called "The Most Beautiful Small Butterfly in the United States." Imagine if you can a small butterfly, about the size of a nickel, slowly fluttering before you like a piece of electric blue foil. That is the Sonoran Blue. This ...
Where: San JoseCost: $14 (Plus $6 parking per car)
Ship Operations in the BayJoin Captain Craig Thomas of Agile Marine as he provides a better understanding of commercial shipping operations and movements in the Bay. The program includes the types of ships, ship construction and layout, commercial considerations, types and locations of terminals in the Bay Area, manning requirements including careers and International, ...
Where: SausalitoCost: 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
Learn to Solder WorkshopWant to try your hand at soldering? Learn the basics as you solder a light-sensitive Weevil! Soldering experience not required.
Where: San JoseCost: $20 for members, $30 for non-members
Mars and the Human ImaginationMars has long been an object of intense interest in ancient and modern myths. Its ruddy glow inspiring visions of conflict and war, and its surface markings creating a whole genre of popular (mis)representations of Mars as the abode of life in a variety of forms. In this presentation, discover ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: free (donation requested)
Sunset Explorations: A Centennial Celebration - SOLD OUTJoin in the centennial celebration of our national parks with NatureBridge! Hike with us to find the perfect spot to see the gorgeous sunset while learning about the rich history of the Marin Headlands.This program features a hike and campfire led by our environmental science educators. Our evening hikes are ...
Where: SausalitoCost: $12/person
Sunday, 03/06/16
Mineral, Gem & Jewelry Show & SaleMineral & Gem Society of Castro Valley. Annual show & sale. Local Irvington District Fossils. Large Fluorescent Mineral display. GIA Gem Identification. No.CA Geological Society Rock ID. 40+ Dealers. 40+ Exhibits. Live Demonstrations. Geode Splitting. Kid's Spinning Wheel. Opal Pendant Raffle. Live Auction. Door Prizes. Free Parking. Fri. 10:00 am-6:00 ...
Memory Systems and Theoretical Ways to Improve ThemWe will discuss models of short- and long-term memory, explore case studies that examine the loss or enhancement of memory, and learn about notable scientists who have contributed to our understanding of memory. We will also examine practical and theoretical ways to improve our memory and overall brain health, including ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Tea and the Taste of Climate Change: Effects of Global Change on Specialty Crop Quality and Agroecological ManagementSelena Ahmed is an Assistant Professor of Sustainable Food Systems at Montana State University where she leads the Agroecology and Phytochemistry Group of the MSU Food and Health Lab (http://www.montana.edu/food-health-lab/). Her research, teaching, and service interests are at the intersection of the ecological, cultural, and health aspects of food systems. ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
NEW HORIZONS MISSION TO PLUTO Dr. Leslie Young, New Horizons Deputy Project Scientist from the Southwest Research Institute will discuss the latest results from the historic 2015 Pluto flyby.
Where: Rohnert ParkCost: Free
Mega-DroughtTrends indicate that a major drought event is looming in the not-too-distant future. In as few as three decades we could experience conditions that would make the Dust Bowl of the 1930s seem like an oasis. Efforts to conserve, while admirable and desperately necessary, may already be too late. This ...
Where: San JoseCost: Free
From Comets to Startups - Building Europe's SpaceTech Entrepreneurship Ecosystem - w European Space AgencyIn our final Session Eight of 'European Entrepreneurship' we discuss the emerging SpaceTech startup and venture finance ecosystem in Europe, and the role that the European Space Agency (ESA) is playing here. Stanford Mechanical Engineering presents three founders from the ESA business incubator network across Europe, which is operated by ...
Valerie J. Karplus is the Class of 1943 Career Development Professor and an Assistant Professor of Global Economics and Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Her research focuses on resource and environmental management in firms operating in diverse national and industry contexts, with an emphasis on emerging markets and the role of ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Could it Happen Here?In Benjamin Parzybok's eco-fiction novel Sherwood Nation, he speculates about what an American city would be like if an extended drought limited water rations to one gallon of water per person a day. Hoarding, riots, neighborhoods filled with abandoned homes and businesses, fires left to burn themselves out, power outages ...
AWIS Palo Alto has invited Dr. Maria Grazia Roncarolo to inspire you. You will hear how this leading scientist has surmounted hurdles in her career to become co-director of the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at Stanford.
Where: Palo AltoCost: $15 General at door, $10 advance, Free Members
At our meeting grounds under the Muir Woods archway, we catch our first glimpse of Redwood Creek. We will make our way upstream keeping an eye and ear open for the coho salmon. This tour is part of a series, and as the weather changes so too will the tour. ...
Exploring the outer Solar System: now in vivid colourThe outer reaches of our Solar System are home to hundreds of thousands of small icy worlds. Their present orbits are a sculpted signature of the early migrations of the giant planets, particularly Neptune. Yet the faintness and highly eccentric orbits of most of these worlds mean only a tiny ...
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) was originally created to help the state protect the environment, but a comprehensive statistical study released last year shows that CEQA lawsuits actually hurt the transit, renewable energy and infill housing development projects that would further our state's environmental goals. Hear about the challenges ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $10 General, Free for members
Total Solar EclipseGather at the Exploratorium to watch our live broadcast of the total solar eclipse happening in Micronesia. Our webcast team will travel to the coral island of Woleai, in the Pacific Ocean 500 miles north of New Guinea, to bring you this astronomical event. Special monitors have been set up to ...
The clash at the Paris Climate Conference between developed and developing nations, which sunk the Copenhagen Climate Conference, was navigated deftly and miraculously, with the possibility that billions of people can soon benefit from green power. Yosef Abramowitz, a pioneer of Israel's and Africa's solar industries, and a member of ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
The Fight for WaterThis historical documentary, set during the 2009 California Water Crisis, follows the stories of two Central Valley farmers. They discuss how water restrictions and environmental regulations have threatened their way of life, their American dream and their community. The crisis point was an environmental ruling to protect an endangered fish ...
Where: San JoseCost:
Social Isolation Under the Microscope: Dangerous Health Effects and How We Meet this ChallengeThis panel will present eye-opening information about serious health and psychological effects of social isolation on youth. This dynamic panel of experts and student leaders will discuss everything from root causes of social isolation and alarming statistics that impact everything from academic failure-including increased school truancy rates-to adverse medical outcomes-including ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General $8 Members, $7 Students
Engaged Locally and Globally: Young Climate Researchers at UC BerkeleyJoin four energetic, engaged UC Berkeley grad students for a to glimpse the fascinating range of climate-related research that young people are doing in our back yard – as well as a their aims for the future. Ian Bolliger models the Sierra snowpack – and in his spare time works ...
Where: AlbanyCost: Free
The Threat of Rising WatersSilicon Valley is the lifeblood of the Bay Area economy. But rising waters and extreme weather brought about by climate change put major tech companies and other businesses at risk. Scientists and experts warn that our region is due for the next severe storm, but are Bay Area residents and ...
Carbon is naturally sequestered in the deep ocean by organic particles and organisms that sink out of the surface ocean in a process called "the biological pump". The amount of carbon that is transported by this process is difficult to constrain due, in part, to the complex ecological interactions that ...
Where: Moss LandingCost: Free
Combating CybercrimeParisa Tabriz manages Google's information security engineering team at Google, which is responsible for improving Google's product security. This team of "hired hackers" conducts security design and code reviews, builds and enhances Google technology to make secure development possible and easy, conducts security engineering training, and does vulnerability response.
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Measuring Regenerative Medical TechnologyDr. Jan Nolta is the Director of the Stem Cell Program at UC Davis School of Medicine. Her current research is focused on developing therapies that will use mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to deliver factors for treating Huntington's disease and other disorders and injuries. Her group focuses on "bench to ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Himalayan Tectonics, Isotopes, and the Late Cenozoic Carbon Cycle: A Work in ProgressThe Himalayan orogeny is widely believed to have had impacts on global climate, erosion and weathering fluxes, and the carbon cycle. Despite many proposals, the connections between late Cenozoic Himalayan tectonic history, geochemical tracer records such as 87Sr/86Sr, 187Os/188Os, and d7Li, and the carbon cycle remain uncertain. Both modern river ...
Does morality come from God, as many religions believe, offering a foundation of theocracy, or could there be biological explanations that have more to do with evolution than Divine design? In this lecture, De Waal will discuss the sense of fairness in animals and will review expressions of empathy in ...
Where: StanfordCost:
Mega-DroughtTrends indicate that a major drought event is looming in the not-too-distant future. In as few as three decades we could experience conditions that would make the Dust Bowl of the 1930s seem like an oasis. Efforts to conserve, while admirable and desperately necessary, may already be too late. This ...
Where: San JoseCost: Free
Building ExoskeletonsExoskeletons offer a world of possibilities in augmenting human ability. We can help restore motion to those who have been injured and we can provide extra strength to soldiers or builders. The super suits offer a lot of possibility for improving our world, but creating them is not as easy ...
Speaker: Philip HarrimanEditor's Note: Per the speaker, this talk has been rescheduled to next week, 3/16.
Where: SebastopolCost: $5
SF Microscopical Society: An Evening of Microbial AppreciationWe will have various phase contrast, dark field, and Rheinberg microscopes set up for viewing of live specimens. I'll also be bringing various aquatic samples from Marin County where I've had good protozoan activity from before. I've also put together some baited freshwater and soil samples in order to get ...
