Beginning BirdingExperience the birds of summer in the Marin Headlands by joining volunteer Jane Haley for an easy walk along Rodeo Lagoon. Bring field guides and binoculars. Meet at the Marin Headlands Visitor Center. For ages 8 and up; no pets allowed.
This month we celebrate Thanksgiving by highlighting the amazing feeding and hunting strategies of marine mammals! Find out about how orcas have learned together to wash seals off the ice in Antarctica, humpback whales use bubbles to trap fish and otters use tools to crack open their favorite foods!Program Summary FREE Classroom Programs: An Ocean Feast- 12 ...
Where: SausalitoCost: Free
A Tour Through Town: Reimagining HierakonpolisHierakonpolis has long been famous as the home of the palette of King Narmer, a potent icon for the birth of Egyptian civilization at c. 3100 BC. However, on-going work at the site is now extending back our view of its development by some 500 years. Explorations in the elite ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: free, but donations are welcomed
From Aristotle to Einstein, fine minds have failed to grasp key ideas in basic physics. Join the Sonoma JCC for lunch AND for an exploration of the juiciest misconceptions that plague our “common-sense†understanding of how the world works:The Earth moves through space."Now" has universal meaning.The "Old One" does not play ...
Where: Santa RosaCost: Free
Structure, Uncertainty, and the Flexibility of Human ThinkingHuman cognition is incredibly flexible, partly because common-sense knowledge is uncertain but highly structured. Probabilistic programming languages (PPLs) provide a formal tool encompassing probabilistic uncertainty and compositional structure. I will show that PPLs allow us to model human reasoning and language understanding. I will describe several experimental studies of reasoning ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Gamma-ray VisionDr. Kai Vetter of UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory will discuss his group's work towards "gamma-ray vision" and how it relates to their activities on Fukushima in Japan and here in CA (e.g. Radwatch & DoseNet).
Climate-Wise Choices in a World of Oil AbundanceIn the last five years, commercial-scale application of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing has opened up large resources of so-called “tight oilâ€.  At the same time, a decade of investment in unconventional resources such as the Canadian oil sands has allowed production from enormous deposits of low-grade hydrocarbons.  This abundance ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Sunset/Full Moon Walk to the Point Bonita LighthouseJoin park staff and docents for a tour down the Point Bonita Trail, through the hand carved tunnel and out to the Lighthouse. We will walk along a half-mile trail which is steep in places. Arrive early as parking is limited. Meet at the Point Bonita Lighthouse trailhead. Dress warmly ...
7:00-7:25: Mitch Altman(Noisebridge) on "The Hackerspace Movement: Socializing in the Post-Social World"There are now thousands of hackerspaces in the world...Read more7:25-7:50: Peter Walter(UCSF/ Biochemistry and Biophysics) on "Unfolding the Unfolded Protein Response"A large number of human diseases is tied to disrupted protein transport in cells...Read more7:50-8:10: BREAK. Before ...
Over the past sixty years, computers have shrunk, networks have spread and flickering bits of information have ever more thoroughly infiltrated all aspects of our lives. The boundary between the virtual world of information and the physical world we ultimately inhabit has been slowly fading to the point that it ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Tuesday, 11/15/16
Meet the Birds at Lake MerrittMigrating birds are here! See what winter visitors are currently at Lake Merritt, the nation's oldest wildlife refuge. A naturalist from the Rotary Nature Center will lead a short walk along the lake. Learn about the Pacific Flyway and how to identify some winter migrants as well as year-round residents.We'll begin ...
Latest Exoplanet Results from NASA's Kepler/K2 MissionThe all-sky TESS mission will soon revolutionize our view of planets transiting the nearest, brightest stars to the Sun, just as the four-year survey by NASA's Kepler mission transformed our understanding of exoplanet demographics. Using the repurposed Kepler spacecraft, the ongoing K2 mission provides a natural transition from Kepler to ...
Where: Mountain ViewCost: Free
EuroSoviet: Chernobyl to Moscowâ€'The nadir and the zenith of Soviet science and technologyThe Soviet Union was the largest country ever.  Rising from the revolutionary ashes of the Russian Empire, for 7 decades, through 1990, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was a major world power.  Soviet forces helped the USA and Allies to defeat Germany in Eastern Europe in World War ...
Traditional server systems where compute, storage and network reside in a single server box or blade have been around for quite some time. With the emergence of hyper-scale data centers with multi-cloud requirements and management of these servers have become more complex to support different types of cloud workloads. This ...
Where: San JoseCost: Free
Will Trump Force One Run Clean?While many people concerned about climate disruption have changed their cars and their diets, few have changed their flying habits. The greenhouse gas emissions from air travel often blows away all the carbon savings from other lifestyle changes. That could be about to change. The airline industry has agreed to ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, $12 Members, $7 Students
Mycological Society of SF General MeetingThe combined talk will consist of either each taking a turn speaking or a cumbaya panel discussion. Speakers: Larry Evans, Daniel Winkler, and Britt Bunyard (FUNGI Magazine)
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Porpoises, Dolphins, and Whales of the BayHarbor porpoises and bottlenose dolphins are back in the Bay, and humpback whales frolic close to shore. How is the Bay ecosystem changing to lead to this, what does it mean for our coast, and what can we do to help?Exciting tales and great photos from naturalist and environmental lawyer ...
An ongoing collaboration between the speaker and an international team of professional astronomers has demonstrated the scientific potential of using modest aperture, commercially produced, semi-robotic telescopes situated under steady dark skies and affordable off-the-shelf astronomical cameras to reveal extremely dim, diffuse structures on the outskirts of distant galaxies that shed ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Wednesday, 11/16/16
Meet the Birds at Lake MerrittMigrating birds are here! See what winter visitors are currently at Lake Merritt, the nation's oldest wildlife refuge. A naturalist from the Rotary Nature Center will lead a short walk along the lake. Learn about the Pacific Flyway and how to identify some winter migrants as well as year-round residents.We'll begin ...
Science and technology is a vehicle for research-based innovation, but social interaction and skills are the necessities for success. In this talk, Prof. Jes Broeng will share his experiences on establishing successful universities spin-out, and on ways to improve the tech transfer system. The talk will take base in photonics ...
Susan E. Walters is Senior Vice President at the California Emerging Technology Fund, which has the mission of closing the Digital Divide in California. Susan joined the Fund after working as the Regional Director of Community Relations for Citibank for Greater Southern California. Prior to Citibank she operated a consulting ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
CAISO Regionalization PanelTo discuss the proposed CAISO (California Independent System Operator) led, WECC (Western Electricity Coordinating Council)-wide regional energy market. The western regional energy market would coordinate electricity systems across the West, utilizing the CAISO’s infrastructure to develop one western grid with the intent of increasing renewable energy supply, while creating disincentives to ...
TASBot is an augmented Nintendo Robotic Operating Buddy that can play classic video games without any of the button mashing limitations us humans have. By pretending to be a controller connected to a game console, TASBot sends carefully crafted sequences of button presses and exploits weaknesses in video games to ...
Where: Santa ClaraCost: Free
Cloud Culture: Digital collections and the public domainOpen access to information, art and images via the public domain has democratized the exchange and development of art and ideas. This discussion dives deeper into questions such as: What can digital humanities reveal about historic artworks or movements, such as Dada? How do we respect the historical context of images, artworks and ideas when they are ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $0 - $15
Two Miles Underwater: A Voyage to the Bottom of the SeaJoin us for a talk by Dr. Julia Sigwart, Associate Professor and UC Museum of Paleontology Visiting Scholar. Social time with beverages and snacks  at 6:30PM; talk at 7:00 PM.Two miles below the ocean surface, deep-sea hydrothermal vents are home to a community of extraordinary animals. In an environment without ...
Where: OrindaCost: $5 General, $1 students & K-12 teachers
Birds of the BayBob Lewis will share the importance of the San Francisco Bay to shorebirds, waterfowl, and a variety of other avian species. An avid birder and photographer, Bob has been teaching birding classes for 22 years, and he has seen 4,700 of the world's 10,000 bird species.
Where: OaklandCost: Free
Nerd Nite SF #78: Impractical Materials, Black Holes, and Suggestibility!You know what sounds really good right now? A good stiff drink, and a reminder that despite all the ups and downs, the world is still an amazing and wonderful place. We’ll experience the glorious highs of seeing supermassive black holes in a new light, so to speak, and the ...
Meet the Birds at Lake MerrittMigrating birds are here! See what winter visitors are currently at Lake Merritt, the nation's oldest wildlife refuge. A naturalist from the Rotary Nature Center will lead a short walk along the lake. Learn about the Pacific Flyway and how to identify some winter migrants as well as year-round residents.We'll begin ...
Where: OaklandCost: Free!
Cooperative Mobile RobotsCooperative mobile robots are autonomous entities capable of self-coordinate their actions to solve common problems. For example, a set of mobile robots can be used to patrol a protected area more efficient than using only one robot. Other examples are intelligent vehicles. In this scenario, vehicles can self-coordinate the maneuvers ...
Alzheimer’s disease is a major global problem and now one of the leading causes of death in the United States. We have recently seen the publication of the first examples of the reversal of cognitive decline in early Alzheimer’s disease and its precursors, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and subjective cognitive ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, $8 Members, $7 Students
The Importance of an Open Model for Commercializing the IoT We all see that the path to digital transformation is well underway. The Internet of Things is already in our homes, cars, cities, jewelry, and even our clothing. But, it’s still just the beginning: Markets & Markets predicts an expected growth from $130.33B in 2015 to $883.55B by 2022.Products and ...
The Science of a Good Friendsgiving (African Hall) 7:30pm & 8:30pm, Just in time for Thanksgiving, gather ‘round for demos and workshops on how to make the most of your Thanksgiving mealâ€"at 7:30pm, explore the anatomy of a Turkey with Bel Campo Meat Co.. Then, at 8:30pm, get creative with ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15 General, $12 Members
Completely Cool Creative ChemistryWhat does a chemist do all day? How does chemistry relate to art, spying, and what we eat? Come find out just how cool chemistry can be and participate in hands-on experiences.Speakers: Casey Shea and Anna VanDordrecht
There is no place like California.Wildlife, drought, sea level riseEndangered species, species of concernAlternate energy, urbanization, species connectivitySpeaker: A. Keith Miles, USGSÂ
Award winning photographer Paul Bannick will present a new program featuring video, sound, stories from the field and several dozen new images from his brand-new book:Â Owl: A Year in the Lives of North American Owls. Paul uses intimate yet dramatic images to follow owls through the course of one year ...
One in a million doesn’t even come close.Not when we’re talking about the odds that you would happen to be alive today, on this particular planet, hurtling through space. Almost 14 billion years of cosmic history, more than 4 billion years of Earth history, and a couple million years of ...
Where: Palo AltoCost: $22 General, $12 Member, $8 Student
Rick Kerrigan was born and raised in California. He holds three degrees focused on mycology, including a doctorate from University of California, Santa Barbara (1989). His mentors include David Arora and Dr. Harry Thiers. Kerrigan has published many peer-reviewed and symposium papers on Agaricus, and a small volume on Agaricaceae ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Everything Matters: SulfurConsider the volcanic origins of sulfur’s fire-and-brimstone reputation and discern its ancient applications in medicine, fumigation, and alchemy. Sniff out sulfur’s essential role in cell biology, as well as its smelly signature in the odors of skunks and rotting eggs. Encounter the industrial importance of sulfuric acid and learn its ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free with admission to After Dark
Friday, 11/18/16
Meet the Birds at Lake MerrittMigrating birds are here! See what winter visitors are currently at Lake Merritt, the nation's oldest wildlife refuge. A naturalist from the Rotary Nature Center will lead a short walk along the lake. Learn about the Pacific Flyway and how to identify some winter migrants as well as year-round residents.We'll begin ...
Zoovie Night: Ice Age: Collision CoursePut 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
The History of Astronomical ImagingDr. Lance Simms will talk about the history of astronomical imaging. Most people know that Galileo revolutionized the field of astronomy when he pointed a telescope up at the heavens in 1610. What is not as widely known is that a similar revolution occurred when John William Draper first moved ...
Where: LivermoreCost: Free
Touring Antique Telescopes and Other Astronomical Sites around the WorldThe Antique Telescope Society was organized in 1992 to study the history of astronomical as well as other kinds of optics and their impact on the study of astronomy. In addition, many of the members collect, and in many cases, restore and use these fine old instruments for personal use. ...
Where: Los Altos HillsCost: Free ($3 parking)
Saturday, 11/19/16
Bird Watching for BeginnersIn this beginner’s program, we will go over the use of binoculars, how to use a bird guide, and identify the birds we see on the trail. Recommended for ages 10 and up. Wear comfortable shoes. A limited number of binoculars are available to borrow.  Heavy rain cancels. Led by ...
Where: FremontCost: Free
Meet the Birds at Lake MerrittMigrating birds are here! See what winter visitors are currently at Lake Merritt, the nation's oldest wildlife refuge. A naturalist from the Rotary Nature Center will lead a short walk along the lake. Learn about the Pacific Flyway and how to identify some winter migrants as well as year-round residents.We'll begin ...
Where: OaklandCost:
Guided Nature WalkExperience the beauty and rich natural history of this 535-acre preserve. Our half-day guided nature walks are on Saturdays throughout fall and spring. Participants are divided into small groups and paired with a trained Bouverie volunteer to explore the mixed evergreen forest, flower-carpeted oak woodland and rugged chaparral. Guided Nature Walks ...
Bair Island is now open! On this 1.5-mile walk, witness wetland restoration in progress. Hear the story of Bair Island and see how we are turning the former salt pond back into a healthy tidal marsh. RESERVATIONS RECOMMENDED. Go to http://innerbairtour.eventbrite.com. Questions? Call Julie at 408-262-5513 ext.104.
Where: Redwood CityCost: Free
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 ocean shores, to the gentle Leopard sharks that are common in our Bay. We will be feeding and touching our local Leopard sharks in ...
Join Environmental Volunteers and Save the Bay for a special talk on the impact of Phythopthora and Sudden Oak Death on the health of bay area ecosystems. Following the talk, Save the Bay will lead a short restoration activity to enhance the native flora and fauna of the Palo Alto Baylands ...
Where: Palo AltoCost: Free (donations encouraged)
Meet the Birds at Lake MerrittMigrating birds are here! See what winter visitors are currently at Lake Merritt, the nation's oldest wildlife refuge. A naturalist from the Rotary Nature Center will lead a short walk along the lake. Learn about the Pacific Flyway and how to identify some winter migrants as well as year-round residents.We'll begin ...
Is the very fast Ocean Biological Carbon Pump Stable? Berkeley’s new generation of autonomous robots aim to find out. The ocean’s biological carbon pump (OBCP) moves 10 Pg (1 Pg=10^15 grams) of carbon per year from surface waters to the deep sea. The strength of the pump is the ...
