Towards a Sentiment Analyzing Discussion-BoardThe design and evaluation of a sentiment analyzing discussion board was used to support learning and interaction within an existing online social networking (OSN) system. More specifically, thisresearch introduces an innovative extension to learning management software (LMS) that combines real-time sentiment analysis with the goal of fostering student engagement and ...
Where: Rohnert ParkCost: Free
Long Life in the 21st CenturyBy the time today's children reach old age, living to 100 will be commonplace. Professor Carstensen will discuss scientific advances that can improve quality of life for all ages so that people arrive at old age mentally sharp, physically fit, and financially secure.Speaker: Laura Carstensen, Stanford
Changing the World One 3D Print at a Time“Changing the world one 3D print at a time†will introduce parents and kids to the fascinating world of personal design and fabrication. We are at a pivotal point where manufacturing is changing, every object is becoming smart, and all this revolution will have a huge impact on the education ...
Where: Santa RosaCost: Free
Demystifying Linear Time Varying CircuitsAn analog/mixed-signal designer encounters time varying circuits everywhere - sample-and-holds, chopper stabilised amplifiers, mixers, switched-capacitor amplifiers and filters, discrete and continuous-time delta sigma modulators, N-path filters. The analysis of signals and noise in these circuits is often associated with messy mathematics and algebra. This talk aims to demystify linear (periodically) time varying circuits. ...
Feed your brain and body this week as NightLife hosts an evening of yoga inside the greenest museum on the planet.Stretch it out in front of a Philippine coral reef*, get centered with under a tree, next to zebras as a colony of African penguins looks on*, and find your zen while ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15 General, $12 Members
Join us for a visual and auditory tour of sixteen fascinating California soundscapes in surround sound. Dan Dugan introduces you to the theory of soundscape analysis, demonstrate the difference between mono, stereo, and surround sound, and share a brief survey of the available equipment. Learn how our national parks are struggling ...
As we careen toward unknown climatic changes and near the end of an equally unpredictable election cycle, what will the political and planetary climate be in 2017? Is climate disruption an issue high on the minds of the voters and political leaders? As co-founder of 350.org, Bill McKibben has been ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, $12 Members, $7 Students
Sunset, Shooting Stars and Moonrise Join ACR Resource Ecologist Dave Self for sunset. Bring a lawn or lounge chair and blankets, and stay for the Orionids Meteor Shower, and midnight moonrise over the Mayacamas. Please bring your telescope! If skies are clear, it�should be a good show with�estimates of 20 visible meteors per hour. No ...
Where: GeyservilleCost: Free
Zoovie Night - FrankenweeniePut on your jammies and enjoy an evening of Zoovie magic with the whole family. Bring your pillows, blankets, and chairs and snuggle up in our auditorium for a specially selected family movie. Meet some of our education animals and Roosevelt, Oakland Zoo's costumed alligator mascot. Hot chocolate and popcorn ...
Where: OaklandCost: $6-7
Mary Ellen Hannibal: Citizen ScientistDigging deeply, Mary Ellen Hannibal traces today's tech-enabled citizen science movement to its roots: the centuries-long tradition of amateur observation by writers and naturalists. Combining original reporting, meticulous research, and memoir in impassioned prose, Citizen Scientist, is a literary event, a blueprint for action, and the story of how one woman ...
We invite people of all ages to a global celebration of birds and borderless migration rounts in the Americas. Migratory birds connect communities across continents, inspiring people to improve conditions for birds, all wildlife, and for ourselves. Activities include: Festival at Muir Wood's main entrance area; Bird walks from Muir ...
Where: Mill ValleyCost: Free
Solar Energy Training: Free Workshops on How to Install Rooftop PV SystemsJoin others who are interested in helping save the environment one rooftop at a time! Two workshops are being offered by SunWork, a Bay Area nonprofit that installs rooftop PV systems on small-energy-footprint homes. You'll learn the basics of rooftop solar energy and gain insights on how to install rooftop ...
Where: MilpitasCost: free preregistration is required
Hayward Fault Walking TourOver the last million years, the natural beauty of Fremont has been shaped by the Hayward Fault. Instructors will be leading these 'ground breaking' tours and exposing the science and beauty of the Hayward Fault. This fault is one of several active faults in the world actually creeping at 5 ...
Where: FremontCost: $15
Peninsula Gem & Mineral ShowThere will be display cases of our club lapidary classes, field trips, jewelry and member interests. Dealers will be selling hand crafted jewelry, gemstones, fossils, mineral specimens, collectable rocks for home display and other items. Raffle and door prize drawings! All children get a free ticket for the Treasure Wheel ...
Where: Los AltosCost: $4/adult, $2/12-18, free under 12
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. 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, U.S. ...
The Hawk Talk begins at noon, when a GGRO volunteer speaks about hawk migration and identification, and what we do here at the GGRO. Midway through, a banding volunteer brings up a newly banded hawk, talks about the banding program, shows everyone the hawk, and lets it go in front ...
Where: MarinCost: Free
Crowds, Computation, and the Creation of a Globally-Networked MindWhat if the smartest minds of our generation could be brought together with a single click? What would you do with them? I will talk about how design and technology intertwine in crowdsourcing, and show how computer science research is enabling the crowdsourced creation of short animated movies, mobile apps, ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Finding Oil to Volcano Hazards: Earth Sciences in Saudi ArabiaStanford’s involvement in Saudi Arabia includes the initial discovery of its massive oil fields to a collaborative study with the Saudi Geologic Survey of volcanic and earthquake hazards to the holy city of Al Madinah. Volcanologist Gail Mahood recounts this history and describes her experiences as a woman doing field ...
In 2009-2010, females made up less than 25% of participants in STEM career and technical school programs nationally. One study found that in-depth STEM programming correlates with positive changes in female students’ perception of their own abilities as well as their career interests. Women in Science was conceived to help girls ...
Where: Palo AltoCost: $10 per participant *See registration form
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
Breaking Codes and Finding PatternsHow did the allies break the Enigma code during World War II? How do codes enable us to exchange money over the internet? What is Bitcoin? What is the difference between a meaningful patterns and simple coincidences? Learn how data science was created by wartime code breakers and the influence ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Shouts and Murmurs from the Gravitational UniverseGravity, the mysterious force the powers so much of our universe, is best described by Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity. But how confident should we be that this theory is correct? In this talk Professor Blandford will explain why astronomers and physicists now have high confidence in the theory, ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Astrophotographer Tony RowellDigital slideshow of his new photography book, Sierra Starlight, which includes photos from EAS Barcroft High Altitude Star Parties. Join Tony as he shares and discusses images from a collection of iconic landscapes of the Sierra Nevada.
This month we celebrate Halloween with a creepy collection of stories about the animals that live in the deepest parts of the ocean! Learn how elephant seal's can dive to 5000 feet and stay underwater for 2 hours at a time without imploding (!), find out how a sperm whale ...
Where: SausalitoCost: Free
Native Plant Sale and Open HouseThe Friends of Sausal Creek's annual native plant sale and nursery open house will include more than 80 species native to California available for purchase. Native plant experts will be available all day to help shoppers pick appropriate plants for their specific planting areas. This year's theme is native pollinators. Check out the ...
Where: OaklandCost: Free
Peninsula Gem & Mineral ShowThere will be display cases of our club lapidary classes, field trips, jewelry and member interests. Dealers will be selling hand crafted jewelry, gemstones, fossils, mineral specimens, collectable rocks for home display and other items. Raffle and door prize drawings! All children get a free ticket for the Treasure Wheel ...
Where: Los AltosCost: $4/adult, $2/12-18, free under 12
The Hawk Talk begins at noon, when a GGRO volunteer speaks about hawk migration and identification, and what we do here at the GGRO. Midway through, a banding volunteer brings up a newly banded hawk, talks about the banding program, shows everyone the hawk, and lets it go in front ...
Where: MarinCost: Free
Full-Spectrum Science with Ron Hipschman: Science Fiction Turned FactScience fiction has predicted many things. Some have come true (think touch screens, submarines, bionic limbs), others, not so muchâ€"or at least, not yet. If you’ve ever wondered where your flying car or rocket belt is, or why you don’t yet have a robot servant, find out at Full-Spectrum Science.Presentations ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free with admission
A History of Our Milky Way Galaxy, 14 Billion BCE to the Present Day
Humankind has an innate need to understand the universe and its origin. Prior to the development of science, myths were invented by all cultures to explain the universe. From the philosophers of ancient Greece and early scientists, such as Copernicus and Galileo, an understanding based on observation and the scientific ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: $6.00
WWSS? -- What Would Steinbeck (and Ricketts) Say About Climate Change?Enjoy a challenging talk by Dr. Steve Webster. Steve helped to found the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and worked there as Senior Marine Biologist until his retirement n 2004. He is now active with the Citizens Climate Lobby, a group that lobbies for fee-and-dividend on fossil fuels.
Where: Pacific GroveCost: $5 General, Free for members
Celebration of Mind 2016: Math, Magic, Puzzles & Games!Come celebrate math with puzzles, games, magic, stories, and more! Kids ages 8 and up, and grown-ups who are kids at heart, will enjoy this afternoon filled with hands-on math activities.The event honors the life and work of Martin Gardner, former Scientific American columnist who inspired a generation of mathematicians and recreational math enthusiasts. In the spirit ...
Neutral Net Neutrality: Expressing User Preferences With Network CookiesShould applications receive special treatment from the network? And if so, who decides which applications are preferred? This discussion, known as net neutrality, goes beyond technology and is a hot political topic, even making it to John Oliver's weekly show. In this talk we will approach net neutrality from a ...
Where: StanfordCost: FRee
ProtoDESI: a Pathfinder for the Dark Energy Spectroscopic SurveyParker Fagrelius of UC Berkeley will discuss ProtoDESI, a pathfinder for the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), which aims to better understand Dark Energy through the measurement of Baryon Acoustic Oscillations and Redshift Space Distortions.
Where: Rohnert ParkCost: Free
Sampling-Based Motion Planning: From Intelligent CAD to Crowd Simulation to Protein FoldingMotion planning has application in many domains such as robotics, animation, virtual prototyping and training, and even protein folding and drug design. Surprisingly, sampling-based planning methods have proven effective on problems from all these domains. In this talk, we describe sampling-based planning and give an overview of some variants developed ...
Few things are more important to our lives than the availability and reliability of electricity. Electricity is the lifeline to our homes and the lifeblood of our digital economy.The grid is facing new challenges from extreme space and earth weather to the integration of renewables which will reduce the CO2. ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Nerd Nite East Bay #47: Spooktacular Lectures and DrinksThree lectures, beer, and a costume contest. Come dressed as your favorite scientist, or science experiment. Prizes will be awarded!They Are Getting Closer…To Killing You, Eating You, and Turning You: Zombie Research Has Arrived by Joseph ChenStem cell research is advancing like never before, but so is the looming Zombie ...
Twenty-six years ago, the United States and Europe joined hands and set off together on a spectacular adventure.�It was a mission named Cassini and it called for a journey across the solar system and into orbit around Saturn, followed�by an in-depth, comprehensive look at everything in the Saturn system.Cassini is ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15 General, $12 Members and Seniors
The History of the Martian South Polar Cap - RESCHEDULED from Sept 20In the last few years we have found that Mars' south polar cap has as much carbon-dioxide as Mars' current atmosphere. This raises numerous questions about how this massive deposit formed and what Mars was like when it was in the atmosphere. Using a combination of methods including spacecraft imagery, ...
Where: Mountain ViewCost: Free
Plug It In: California's Growing EV InfrastructureRoughly 220,000 EVs drive on California's roads today, and this number is expected to double or triple in the next handful of years as new EV models fill out the market. What's less certain is how to plan for and build the best the overall infrastructure network to charge them. ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $10 General, Free for members
Climate Change and the Future of CitiesWhat can cities do about climate change? How can they help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create more sustainable forms of collective life? How can they protect vulnerable people and places from the outbursts of extreme weather that are becoming ever more likely to arrive? And can they adapt to ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free and open to the public. RSVP required.
The DIY Costume PartyHalloween, a holiday made for makers! Come learn how to power up your costume with LEDs and Arduino, and learn about making props, armor and more. Costumes encouraged*, but no worries if you’re coming straight from the office: Our DIY accessories will get you in the Halloween spirit.Food, beer and ...
Dean Bernal first visited the Turks and Caicos Islands in 1981. Three small sociable dolphins swam in the shallow coastal waters. One would become known as JoJo and befriended by Dean and many island residents. The life of JoJo seems legendary, but the books and archive films are created directly from the ...
Where: SausalitoCost: $5 donation
How to Make a SpaceshipThe saga of SpaceShipOne is one of the most extraordinary stories of making the impossible possible. It’s not only about exploration and the ingenuity and tenacity involved in breaking limits, but also about the birth of an entirely new and exciting industry. A veteran journalist and best-selling author, Julian Guthrie has delivered ...
Makerspaces are places of possibility and a reflection of the community they benefit. They bring together people of all ages, skill levels, tools, and potential. They are environments that foster not just creations, but also mentorship, community, and memories. On the most basic level, makerspaces are places, real or virtual, ...
Climate change, prolonged drought periods, the lack of cultural awareness and funding for physical conservation pose severe threats to the preservation of California’s natural and cultural heritage. Digital technologies of data capture and data curation provide viable solutions for the documentation, interpretation, and preservation of heritage sites. Nonetheless, more work ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Understanding Others: Robot Learning in InteractionsWe are motivated by the problem of building autonomous robots that are able to work collaboratively with other agents, such as human co-workers. One key attribute of such an autonomous system is the ability to make predictions about the actions and intentions of other agents in a dynamic environment - ...
The Golden Shore: California’s Love Affair with the SeaAcclaimed author and ocean activist David Helvarg, founder and Executive Director of Blue Frontier (www.bluefront.org) will share the history, culture, and changing nature of California’s coasts and ocean in a public talk on December 10. In discussing his book, ‘The Golden Shore �" California’s Love Affair with the Sea,’ just ...
The structure of global tropical rainfall has sharply defined features, and it is also susceptible to change. Professor Chiang will outline an argument for how this structure may have changed in the past, and with implications for the future.  Several lines of evidence â€" paleoclimate observations, model simulations, and theory ...
America's best-known outdoors man and the SF Chronicle outdoors editor (lucky us), Stienstra will share dramatic photos, videos and stories from his expedition to climb the Lyell Glacier in Yosemite National Park, where he traces the melting drops of water to the Tuolumne River en route to San Francisco and ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, $8 Members, $7 Students
Processes of Exfoliation-Induced Rock Falls: Recent Studies from California’s Sierra NevadaGranitic rocks in the Sierra Nevada are known for their dramatic displays of exfoliation, " the “peeling off†of the outer layer of rock that often manifests itself in massive arches and domes such as found in Yosemite and Kings Canyon National Parks, among many other high and low peaks ...
Where: OrindaCost: $5, $1 for students and K-12 teachers
Holding global warming below 2°C with minimum investment cost, negligible land-use area, and acceptable riskWell-intentioned as they are and representing excellent progress along the required path, the INDC commitments on CO2 emission reduction made by 196 nations of the world at the Paris climate talks in December 2015 will not hold global warming below the environmentally critical value of 2°C by 2100.  To accomplish this vital objective, ...
If ye value critical thinking, and if ye scorn the flim-flam man, join us, your friends.  Skeptics in the Pub is a group of like-minded people informally discussing the latest in science or pseudoscience over good eats & ale.7PM  4th Wednesday each month (except November and December)
