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.
Michaelangelo will present selected portions of his dissertation titled “Leveraging New Data for Renewable Integration and Energy Efficiencyâ€, which seeks to answer two questions. First, how will the locations of photovoltaic (PV) generators affect the variability and uncertainty of the power they generate? And as a result, will locations of ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Rigidity of black holesThe gravitational waves detected recently by LIGO were produced in the final phase of the inward spiraling of two black holes before they collided to produce a more massive black hole. The experiment is entirely consistent with the so-called Final State Conjecture of general relativity, according to which general solutions ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Is Mt. Tam at Peak Health?One Tam is the community initiative of the Tamalpais Lands Collaborative and is focused on expanding stewardship and engaging the community to ensure a healthy future for the mountain. Hear about the results of a recent science-based health assessment of Mt Tam and its plants and wildlife and measures to ...
Where: RossCost: $20
A Message from the Sea: Climate Change and Marine EcosystemsDrawing from his experiences in diverse places across the Pacific Rim, Dr. Michael V. McGinnis will discuss how climate disturbances impact diverse coastal cultures. He is passionate about forging a more sustainable future that includes the protection of  the ecosystems we are connected to and dependent on.
Where: Pacific GroveCost: $5 General, Free for members
Mass extinctions â€" episodes during which many groups of previously successful organisms disappeared from Earth in a geologically short timespan â€" are one of the most striking and earliest recognized features of the fossil record. As the modern biodiversity crisis unfolds, scientists are increasingly turning to these events to understand ...
Where: AlbanyCost: Free
Thursday, 02/02/17
Respect: A Developmental Science Approach to ‘Wise' Behavior Change in AdolescenceIn this presentation he will discuss a conceptual framework for more effective behavior change interventions in adolescence through the use of developmental-science informed approaches. This builds on a series of studies he and his colleagues have conducted focusing on the challenges and limitations in many traditional approaches to behavior change ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Global Technology Supply Chains: What they are and why you need to know about themThe Global Technology Supply Chain is an AND world! As electronic instruments and products become more complex, and more prevalent, designers are challenged to design state of the art equipment that is state of the art AND cost competitive AND environmentally responsible. In this lecture we will explore what a ...
Where: Rohnert ParkCost: Free
The Problem of StabilityThe gravitational waves detected recently by LIGO were produced in the final phase of the inward spiraling of two black holes before they collided to produce a more massive black hole. The experiment is entirely consistent with the so-called Final State Conjecture of general relativity, according to which general solutions ...
Engineering in the United States was long regarded as masculine territory. For decades, women who studied or worked in engineering were popularly perceived as oddities, outcasts, unfeminine, or inappropriately feminine. Amy Bix tells the story of how women gained entrance to this traditionally male world, starting with a handful who ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Cafe InquiryMeet up with rationalists, skeptics, and freethinkers south of San Francisco
Where: Menlo ParkCost: Free
Lunar New Year NightlifeKick off the Lunar New Year with lion dance performances, martial arts, tea tastings, and more!SCHEDULE OF EVENTSLion Dance ​(African Hall) 7:30-8:45pm, Celebrate the "Year of the Rooster" with  four powerful performances by SF’s own Jing Mo Athletic Association, a Chinatown-based martial arts performance troupe and renowned Bay Area magician, Dan Chan.7:30pm - Chinese ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15 General, $12 Members
Plumas Audubon, in partnership with other Northern California chapters and Audubon California, has been working to conserve grebes and owls. Clark’s and Western Grebes are colonial water birds that nest on floating mounds of vegetation and have elaborate courtship rituals including a “rushing†display where pairs dance across the water ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Friday, 02/03/17
Birds & BotanyHike 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
The Cyber-Circus -- What The Rise of Hacking Everyday Things Means for All of UsIn 2017, cybersecurity is about the trust people place in “everyday†things like baby monitors, cars, insulin pumps and anything in between, and researchers are eager to demonstrate just how untrustworthy these can be. Amid media frenzy, stunt hacks, Internetâ€ofâ€Things attacks and highâ€profile disclosures, can friendly hackers help industry build ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Traffic Estimation and Control in an Era of Mixed Human Piloted and Automated VehiclesThis talk will explore some new directions in estimation and control when the traffic stream is composed of a mix of human piloted and autonomous vehicles. The first part of the talk investigates the problem of modeling and estimating traffic streams in this mixed setting. A connection between the generalized ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
The Problem of CollapseThe gravitational waves detected recently by LIGO were produced in the final phase of the inward spiraling of two black holes before they collided to produce a more massive black hole. The experiment is entirely consistent with the so-called Final State Conjecture of general relativity, according to which general solutions ...
Hungry For Answers: Why do we waste so much food?Food. Essential for life, it sustains us as it propels economies. Defines cultures. Fuels industries. But even as our sophistication at food production increases, we seem unableâ€"or perhaps just disinclinedâ€"to recognize and attempt to solve the enormous and perpetual problems surrounding food.We grow and produce higher quantities of food today ...
Where: SausalitoCost: $20 Advance, $25 at door
Nature Walk by the BayTake a gentle walk around the Marina’s flat dirt trails and enjoy the local weather and bayside wildlife. We’ll keep the pace slow for all ages and abilities. Meet in the parking lot near the restroom. Questions? (408) 355-2240
Where: AlvisoCost: Free
Geology Hike with Iain JamiesonLed by Bouverie Preserve docent and retired geologist Iain Jamieson. Be prepared for a moderate hike with many stops to discuss the rock formations and geological history.Limited to 15 participants, pre-registration required at weblink.
Where: GeyservilleCost: Free
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 ...
Where: GeyservilleCost: $15 Donation suggested
Family Bird WalkLet family walks become a shared time of nature learning. We’ll begin by helping kids create their personal bird watching field guides, and then head out onto the trails to find those birds. A limited number of binoculars are available to borrow. Recommended for children ages 5-10. RESERVATIONS REQUIRED. Register ...
Our wetlands are an important stop on the Pacific Flyway, a major bird migration route. Stroll with docent Laurel Stell to learn why birds migrate, why they stop along the San Francisco Bay, and to spot the birds in action. Trail is easy and level. All ages and abilities welcome. Meet at the SF2 trail ...
Where: Menlo ParkCost: Free
Valentine's Day Nature Art WorkshopGuests are invited to use natural watercolors made from a variety of plant materials (spinach, cabbage, berries) to decorate Valentine's Day cards.
Where: Palo AltoCost: Free
Genetically Altered: BioArt Performance and Gallery EventWe know that scientific tools can be much more that ways of solving problems: scientific tools can be used as a form of protest, reverence, communications, and beauty. Join us Feb. 4 when we take you into a future where biotechnology has been unleashed, questioning human form, natural, and transcendence. This ...
Where: OaklandCost: $15-50
Jazz Under the StarsCome peer through our telescopes and see craters on the Moon, the visible plants, star clusters, and more while we listen to CSM's very own KCSM Jazz 91 FM. Dress warmly.  Free parking in Marie Curie Lot 5.  Directions here.Event is weather dependent.
Join us for a three-mile stroll (mostly flat, with a relatively steep section) through an old-growth redwood forest. Wander through an awakening forest, hear tall tales, soar in the sounds and smells, and wonder and the historical and ecological story of Muir Woods.Designed to engage adults; may be over the ...
The effect of the physical environment on the living environment is a key aspect of marine ecosystem dynamics across scales from microbes to whales. My research has focused on biophysical interactions in the ocean to understand the impacts of oceanographic processes on marine ecosystem production and trophic structure. Throughout my ...
Where: Moss LandingCost: Free
Water Birds at Lake MerrittMigrating birds are here! See which winter visitors are currently at Lake Merritt, the nation's oldest wildlife refuge.  Join us for 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 the walk in front of the ...
Where: OaklandCost: Free! $20 suggested donation
Optimal Design and Operation of Power Systems with Large Shares of Renewable EnergyPower systems with large shares of renewable power will also need better hour-by-hour forecasts for these resources. In the second part of this seminar I will discuss research which shows that forecast models can be improved significantly if they are trained using asymmetrical cost functions, reflecting the high cost of ...
Can Clean Tech Clean Up Our Future? - SOLD OUTWith stock market values at near-record highs, again, how is the clean tech sector doing? One index of solar stocks is down 50 percent from a year ago and the industry was stung by the high-profile flame-out of SunEdison. Overall, however, the clean energy industry is growing and creating jobs. ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, Free members, $7 Students
The High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) observatory, which is located at 14000’ elevation in central Mexico, began operating in March 2015 and is detecting the highest energy gamma rays ever observed. These gamma rays come from supermassive black holes in distant galaxies as well as sources within the Milky Way ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15 General, $12 Members and Seniors
Join Eureka! as we discuss Population Stabilization with physician, hedge-fund manager, and investor Dr. Joon Yun. Tix here:Â http://tix.eurekacomedy.com/eurekc742Joining hosts Allen Saakyan and Kevin Whittinghill will be the hilarious comedians Mark Smalls (SF Sketchfest) and Justin Lucas (HBO). Put on your smarty pants and enjoy this evening of laughter and learning.
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15
Tuesday, 02/07/17
Stellar occultations of planetary rings: from Palomar to CassiniChance observations of stars as they pass behind planets have provided some of our most valuable data on the structure of planetary ring systems, beginning with the discovery of the uranian rings with the Kuiper Airborne Observatory in 1977. As a graduate student at Caltech in the 70s, I became ...
California has the most ambitious climate policy framework in the world, and the Bay Area has the resources, political temperament and innovative spirit to demonstrate how to work toward eliminating fossil fuel use. But is that spirit enough to go fossil-free? San Jose is doing exploratory work on a clean ...
Where: San JoseCost: $10 General, Free for members
Oaks in OaklandLearn all about the trees that Oakland is named after! We'll look at the different oaks around Lakeside Park. We will discuss the natural history of oaks and how to identify different both native and exotic species.
The Bee-Friendly GardenPlanting pollinator gardens not only ensures your vegetables, flowers and fruit trees are pollinated, but can help perpetuate plants that depend on pollination - over 80% of the world’s plants! Though many of us think of honeybees when we think of pollinators, there are 1600 species of native bees in ...
