Water Birds at Lake MerrittMigrating birds are here! See which 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 ...
High-Frequency Power ConvertersThe talk will cover how increases in switching frequency enable the miniaturization of power converters and new ways to fabricate and design power converters. It will address how these design techniques can be used in applications spanning biology, healthcare, space propulsion and automotive that use Wide Bandgap Power semiconductors at MHz frequencies. ...
What are we doing here on this planet? Can a deep-time and deep-space viewpoint help us gain the perspective to create a sustainable civilization? Informed by comparative planetology and a survey of the major transitions in Earth history, David Grinspoon will describe a taxonomy of planetary catastrophes meant to illuminate ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15 General, $12 Members and Seniors
Tuesday, 01/10/17
The Late Veneer and Earth's habitabilityAsteroid impacts were a hazard to any life on the Hadean Earth. A traditional approach to geochemical models of the asteroid impactors uses the concentration of highly siderophile elements including the Pt-group in the silicate Earth. These elements occur in roughly chondritic relative ratios, but with absolute concentrations <1% chondrite. This veneer ...
Where: Mountain ViewCost: Free
Weeds of Lake MerrittWhat's a "weed"? Join us for a short stroll around Lakeside Park to look at some of the often-ignored and sometimes-reviled plants that are considered weeds.
Where: OaklandCost: Free! $20 suggested donation
Wonderfest: Healthy AgingHumans are living longer but are not necessarily healthier. The latest research on human health and longevity has identified factors that control the aging process. By increasing our understanding of the biology of aging, we are beginning to identify interventions that will significantly extend the years of health, happiness, and ...
Program (the order of the speakers might change):7:00-7:25: Dave Wolber (USF/ Computer Science) on "Democratizing Computing with App Inventor"The USF Democratize Computing Lab's mission is to to break down the "programmer divide"...Read more7:25-7:50: Erling Wold(Composer) on "The Descent of Opera"Trends in modern opera...Read more7:50-8:10: BREAK. Before or ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Welcome Back ottersMegan Isadore, head of the Bay Area River Otter Ecology Project, brings new research findings, fascinating photos, and the heartening story of how these lithe, elusive carnivores have returned to the Bay Area. Co-sponsored by Bay Nature Magazine (see the article on river otters in their current issue) and California ...
Schmidt Marine Technology Partners (SMTP) operates on the premise that marine technology offers great potential for ocean conservation, but has traditionally received far less support and recognition than needed to fully capitalize on that potential. Our program was created to take steps toward correcting this. We are a relatively new ...
Where: Moss LandingCost: Free
Discover Marine LifeDid you know that organisms from all over the world make their home in Lake Merritt? A naturalist from the Rotary Nature Center will guide you through a hands-on experience with marine invertebrates that live on the boat docks. Come learn about sea squirts, sponges, flatworms, bubble snails, and more! We'll ...
Join President Obama's principal advisor on energy and climate policy for a wide-ranging discussion on the future of energy and climate policy to be held at Tressider Memorial Union on Wednesday, January 11.As Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor, Brian Deese led implementation of President Obama's historic efforts to ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Nobel Laureate Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn and Dr. Elissa Epel: The New Science of Living YoungerHave you ever wondered why some 60-year-olds look and feel like 40-year-olds and why some 40-year-olds look and feel like 60-year-olds?Though many factors contribute to aging and illness, Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn, a Nobel laureate, and health psychologist Dr. Elissa Epel reveal the critical role that biological markers called telomerase and ...
A Royal Walk with the King Tide Join Exploratorium staff for a stroll along the waterfront to observe, photograph, and discuss the king tides the highest tides of the year. Today’s high tide is predicted to be 7.14 feet at 10:53 a.m. (NOAA’s prediction for Pier 41.)We'll talk about what causes ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free and open to the public. RSVP required.
The California King Tides Project Lab and LunchMarina Psaros, founder of the California King Tides Project, will talk about how citizen observations of king tides are helping us understand the future impacts of sea level rise in the Bay Area. Using a combination of art, science, photography, and community mapping, the Project has trained thousands of observers ...
Where: San FraniciscoCost: Free, RSVP required
National Security and Diplomacy: What’s Entrepreneurship Have To Do With It...Terrorists today live on the Internet and they are all early adopters. They do not need an office in Silicon Valley to figure out what’s out there. They are experts in leveraging Web 2.0 and 3.0 technologies and are able to collaborate on various platforms. Targeting, assessments, technology, recipes, and ...
Put down the button mushrooms and discover fungi’s true potential.Hear a fascinating talks by TED speaker Jae Rhim Lee of Coeio, inventor of the innovative mushroom infinity burial suit and Noah Siegel, author of popular myco-guide Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast.Under the expert guidance of Bay Area Applied Mycology, assemble your ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15 General, $12 Members
The NGC/IC Historical ProjectThe NGC/IC Project is a joint amateur/professional effort to re-examine the 100 to 200 year-old source material used by John Dreyer to compile the NGC catalogue in 1888. A staggering 15-20% of all NGC entries have problems due to poor positions, misidentifications, duplicate entries and incorrect classifications. Some of these ...
After World War I, as grieving widows and mothers wanted to contact their dead husbands and sons, thenumber of professional psychics and occult mediums exploded. Harry Houdini traveled across American exposing these people as the frauds they were. Being the world’s most famous magician, he knew all their tricks.Mark Tarses ...
Join 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 ...
Dr. Michael Castellano was born in Brooklyn and grew up in the Los Angeles area and on Long Island.  He received an A.A.S. in Forestry from Paul Smith's College, a B.S. in Forest Management from Oregon State University, an M.S. in Tree Physiology from OSU, and a Ph.D. in Forest Ecology ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Friday, 01/13/17
Green FridayThe January 13th Green Friday presentation will be given by  Stephanie Reyes, COO of Greenbelt Alliance which for nearly sixty years has worked for the improvement of open space in the San Francisco Bay Area and against irresponsible developments. Its goals include protecting the Bay Area’s 3.6 million-acre greenbelt of natural and ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: $3 donation requested
Grounds for Science: Neural machinery, natural and designedGrounds for Science presents cutting-edge research from the graduate student community at UC Berkeley in a relaxed science cafe setting. This month features short talks by Tomer Langberg and Ryan Neely, exploring the biological machinery that creates the senses, and technology being developed to understand the nervous system.Sensory perceptionTomer LangbergThe ...
Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary and Greater Farallones Association Present: Sanctuary Explorations: Gray Whale Watching Witness the mighty gray whale migration on this naturalist led half-day cruise. We “join†their annual southbound migration through our marine sanctuaries as they travel from Arctic feeding grounds to Baja California breeding grounds. With an expert naturalist, learn about ...
Where: Half Moon BayCost: $57/person
Solar Energy Training: Free Workshop on How to Install Rooftop PV SystemsJoin others who are interested in helping save the environment one rooftop at a time! This workshop is offered by SunWork (SunWork.org), a Bay Area nonprofit that installs rooftop PV systems on small-energy-footprint homes (those that use less than $100/mo, excluding electric vehicles). You'll learn the basics of rooftop solar ...
Where: Redwood CityCost: free
Marshlands of DreamsJoin Paul Mueller on a 1-mile walk of the LaRiviere Marsh Trail to find traces of the past. Prior to marsh restoration, learn how Californians utilized the area for farming, quarrying, salt production, and transportation.  There will opportunities for bird watching as well.
Where: FremontCost: Free
Santa Cruz Fungus FairCome to Santa Cruz and explore “Wild Mushroom Foragingâ€! Learn interesting and fun facts about the hundreds of beautiful and fascinating species of mushrooms found in the Santa Cruz/Monterey Area. Fungi will be beautifully displayed in a re-created woodland habitat. This unique Santa Cruz tradition features three days of fantastic fun, ...
Where: Santa CruzCost: $10 General, $5 Students and Seniors, under12 Free
San Francisco City Star PartyCome join us for our monthly San Francisco City Star Party. SFAA members provide telescopes for your viewing pleasure. Be sure to check the SFAA website for the latest updates…bad weather or overcast skies will cancel!
Santa Cruz Fungus FairCome to Santa Cruz and explore “Wild Mushroom Foragingâ€! Learn interesting and fun facts about the hundreds of beautiful and fascinating species of mushrooms found in the Santa Cruz/Monterey Area. Fungi will be beautifully displayed in a re-created woodland habitat. This unique Santa Cruz tradition features three days of fantastic fun, ...
Where: Santa CruzCost: $10 General, $5 Students and Seniors, under12 Free
TO THE TOP OF THE WORLD Measuring Toxic Mercury in the Arctic OceanJoin Katlin Bowman, as she discusses an Arctic expedition and her inspiration for writing a book for kids and young adults To the Top of the World: One Scientist’s Expeditions to the North Pole.Many predatory marine mammals and seabirds in the Arctic contain high levels of mercuryâ€"a toxic metal known ...
