Waterbirds 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 ...
A transition to a sustainable energy system that addresses climate change, reduces pollution, and provides energy services in an affordable and socially just way requires a portfolio of energy technologies and strategies. To evaluate the health, environmental, and climate change benefits of wind, solar, energy efficiency, vehicle electrification, and storage, ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Deep Robotic LearningQuick error detection (QED) is an existing technique that transforms existing SoC test suites to improve coverage and reduce error detection latency. I will discuss two recent results which use formal methods to greatly enhance the power of QED. First, Symbolic QED is a method which uses bounded model checking ...
Samer AlAshgar is the President of King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC), a global Energy Economics research center based in Riyadh.Prior to joining the Center he was head of Saudi Aramco’s EXPEC Advanced Research Center (EXPEC ARC), where since 2009 he led Saudi Aramco’s upstream research and development ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
An Astronaut's Journey - A Perspective on Human SpaceflightAstronaut Steve Smith, a 4 space flight veteran with 7 space walks, will show never-seen-before space videos, discuss his experiences, and share the wonder of what Earth looks like from space.Speaker: Steven L. Smith, AstronautBuilding 152
Where: Mountain ViewCost: Free
Tuesday, 03/14/17
Free Pi Day at the ExplOratoriumWelcome to the 30th annual Pi Day, the mathematical holiday founded at the Exploratorium and celebrated by number lovers around the world. To honor the never-ending number 3.14159... (and Einstein’s birthday), we’ll serve up π-themed activities, rituals, antics, and plenty of pie. Find out what's so special about this famous ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
A Journey to Alpha CentauriThe Alpha Centauri star system is ideal to search for habitable planets by various observing techniques due to its proximity and wide range of stellar masses. Following the recent discovery of an Earth-size planet candidate located inside the Proxima Centauri habitable zone, Dr. Marois will discuss this remarkable discovery and the planet’s ...
Where: Mountain ViewCost: Free
A New Plan to Spare the AirThe Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) offers a call to action and spare the air and cool the climate in its new report. The ambitious plan looks at the expected effects of climate change on the Bay Area and lays the groundwork for building a post-carbon economy. It also ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $10 General, Free for Members
Invisible Plants: Weeds at Lake MerrittWe see them everywhere, but what do we really know about them? Join us for a short stroll around Lakeside Park to identify and learn about some of the often-ignored and sometimes-reviled plants that we call "weeds".
Ask a Scientist's PI DAY Puzzle PartyTrying to decide how you're going to celebrate Pi Day (3.14) this year? Avoid the congested airports and typical math holiday madness, and join us instead for Ask a Scientist's Pi Day Puzzle Party �" a boisterous math and logic puzzle competition, hosted by Juliana Gallin and Wes Carroll. You can ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Is it a Smart Product, a Connected Product or an IoT Product?We hear the terms smart product, connected product and IoT product used interchangeably all the time, but do these terms all mean the same thing? The answer is a resounding NO!Understanding the differences is key to understanding the Internet of Things, and to explaining why some IoT products fail, why ...
Where: Santa ClaraCost: Free (advance registration required)
7:00-7:25: Theresa Wong(Composer and Performer) on "Multiplicity of Roots - Expanded Techniques and Harmonies of the Cello and Voice"How to free the cello from the cultural and historical connotations connected to it...Read more7:25-7:50: Piero Scaruffi(Author) on "Artificial Intelligence in the age of Deep Learning and Machine Art"Are machines ...
Tides combines lyrical prose, colorful adventure travel, and provocative scientific inquiry into the elemental, mysterious paradox that keeps our planet’s waters in constant motion.After nearly losing his 65-foot wooden schooner in a large Alaskan tide, writer, sailor, and surfer Jonathan White vowed to understand the tide. He knew the moon ...
Pass-Through of Solar PV Incentives to Consumers: The Early Years of California’s Solar PV IncentivesThis study examines the early years of California’s most recent wave of distributed solar PV incentives (2000-2008) to determine the pass-through of incentives to consumers. Examination of this period is important due to the high level of incentives provided and subsequent high cost to ratepayers; policymakers’ expectations that price declines ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Creating World-Class Computer Science at Stanford: 60 Years of InnovationThe seeds of Stanford’s currently most popular undergraduate major, computer science, grew from the university’s administrative needs, and those of science and engineering research. Provost Fred Terman’s prescient vision of an emerging disciplineâ€"the science and engineering of computationâ€"led to the 1957 hiring of George Forsythe to fill a Math Department ...
Where: StanfordCost:
Ars Technica Live: 15,000 years of evidence for climate change (location has been changed)In case you hadn't heard, weird weather is here to stay. California, after years of drought, is now lighting up with flash flood warnings. This is just one aspect of climate change that's been spurred on by human activity.How do we know that the climate is changing dramatically, and that ...
Where: OaklandCost: free
Is Anyone Out There Among the Stars: The Hundred-Million Dollar Breakthrough Listen ProjectWhat is the possibility of other intelligent life in the universe? Can we detect radio, infrared, or light signals from alien civilizations? Current and future projects searching for such signals, including the new $100-million Breakthrough Prize Foundation Listen project, may provide an answer. Dan Werthimer will describe the plans for future searches and ...
Where: Los Altos HillsCost: Free ($3 parking)
Nerd Nite SF #82: ET Eavesdropping, Cyborg Senses, and Aging!This month we have a feast for your super-senses! First, we’ll turn our mightiest eyes and ears skyward in search of alien communications. Then we’ll learn how close we all are to becoming cyborgs, although it’s taken a lot more than six million dollars to get there. And we have ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $8
Thursday, 03/16/17
Scientists at Work: Identifying Invertebrates in Ocean SedimentJoin biologistsâ€"marine benthic invertebrate taxonomistsâ€"from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s (SFPUC) Oceanside Biology Lab as they conduct their taxonomy work in the East Gallery’s Living Systems Lab. The taxonomists will be identifying animals found in marine sediment specimens from their Southwest Ocean Outfall sampling area, where the Oceanside Water Treatment ...
Tour: Fiber & Dye Plants from Around the WorldJoin Garden Program Coordinator Deepa Natarajan for a walk through the Garden's collection looking at and learning about plants that can be used for natural dyes and fibers.
Where: BerkeleyCost: $20 General, $15 Members, incl. Garden Admission
Making the Most of Disaster: From Forensic Investigations and Research to Changes in Policy and PracticeThe disastrous flooding of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 laid bare the effects of more than five decades of neglect with regard both policy and funding for U.S. levees and flood protection systems. In the immediate aftermath of Katrina’s arrival, the American Society of Civil Engineers “Report Card ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
It’s Ptough to Be a Pteropod!Children's Museum of Sonoma County at the Aquarium of the BayStudents will measure and observe changing chemistry in an ocean-like environment, explore the complex food web, and discuss potential solutions to slow that change.Animal Ambassador: Tidepool Invertebrates (with touch tank)
Celebrate the creatures who do NightLife rightâ€"this week, it’s all about nocturnal animals.Visit the West Garden to learn about their moonlit lifestyles and meet a couple VIP guests from Classroom Safariâ€"a two-toed sloth and a porcupine.For those of you that don’t have eyes specially adapted to the dark, you can ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15 General, $12 Members
Conservation VictoriesIt’s a long and proud list: California least tern, California Brown Pelican, California clapper rail (oops!! Ridgway’s rail), Alameda whipsnake, Suaeda californica (known as “California sea-blite†and yes - it’s a plant - but at GGAS we’re broadminded). What do they have in common? They all are endangered species who ...
President Trump’s bold dismissal of climate change as a legitimate concern is energizing a new generation of teenage activists. Some are marching in the streets. Others are taking the federal and state governments to court, attempting to apply an ancient legal doctrine to the climate fight. It’s a longshot move ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, $12 Members, $7 Students
Psilocybin Mushrooms in Mazatec Mexico: Glimpse an Indigenous WorldviewIn the mountains of southern Mexico, ancient cultures are changing. Until recently, certain Mazatec 'people of knowledge' were trained to quietly cure, pray, and influence the invisible world, often using one of the region's species of psilocybin mushrooms. The speaker will share what she has glimpsed of their techniques and ...
Where: Santa RosaCost: Free
In the Balance: Bringing Science to Justice with David FaigmanOn International Youth Day, August 12, 2015, 21 young people from across the United States filed a constitutional climate change lawsuit against the federal government in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon. Together with climate scientist Dr. James Hansen and the youth organization Earth Guardians, these plaintiffs ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free with After Dark Admission
The world needs to slash greenhouse-gas emissions by 80% or more by mid-century to avoid the most dramatic impact of climate change. That’ll be hard. It will require massive deployment of technologies that exist today â€" and the invention, development, and widespread deployment of transformational new technologies that have yet ...
Where: StanfordCost:
Sympathy for the little guys - RESCHEDULEDDouglas Smith has long concentrated on some of the smaller fungi, so his talk will address mushrooms that are mostly 1-2cm or less in size. Since most people don't look for these, or you don't see them at fairs, Douglas thought it would be good to show their diversity.Editor's Note: ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Everything Matters: CalciumCome be in your elements with Exploratorium host and scientific raconteur Ron Hipschman. Follow tales of intrigue and invention, join in dynamic demonstrations, and uncover fascinating connections between individual elements and our collective human experience.
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free with admission to After Dark
Friday, 03/17/17
NatureBridge's Preschool Playdates SeriesJoin us for a 2-hour hands-on program featuring techniques to help engage your children's sense of wonder and guide their natural curiosity during outdoor adventures. Gain a deeper understanding of inquiry based experiential learning while participating in field activities designed to develop your preschooler's observation skills. New themes each week.*Ages ...
Where: SausalitoCost: $75 per child (one adult admission included)
Tri-Valley StargazersThis month is the opportunity for club member to share their astronomical experiences through a series of mini-talks (5-10 minutes duration). Numerous presentations have been confirmed; Gert will talk about solar imaging, Roland will talk about eyepieces and exit pupils, Hilary will talk about some of his recent astrophotos, Swaroop ...
Where: LivermoreCost: Free
Saturday, 03/18/17
2017 B.A.T.S. Teen Career ConferenceAll Bay Area High School Students are invited to join us for our annual Teen Career Conference! This event is the perfect opportunity to meet and discuss your interests in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) with undergraduate and graduate students, researchers, and STEM industry and education professionals. You'll also gain ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free for Students (Parents Optional for $100)
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: MilpitasCost: free
Yes We Can: The Marin Solution for HousingAre you wondering about what opportunities exist to best add housing in Marin County? What are green, sustainable design solutions and how will they strengthen our community? What is the right place, the right size and the right design to consider in order to expand our understanding of housing potential? ...
Federally Listed as Endangered in 1976, the San Bruno Elfin (Callophrys mossii bayensis) is a nickel-sized, Burmese brown denizen of the top-most, rock outcrops of SanBruno Mountain.The butterfly is an exquisite study in browns: burnt sienna, mocha and russet, with grey thrown in. Â It's host is Stonecrop (Sedum spathifolium), the ...
Where: BrisbaneCost: Free ($6 - $8 park fee)
Water in motion: Mysteries of Northern California“Water is everybody’s businessâ€. Too much, too little, too early, too late can all be devastating and costly for society as well as for the biosphere. California just ended a four-year drought. How do some trees survive the drought? What are the climatic impacts of the drought? The ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Gadgets and Landscapes - Artist ReceptionLong fascinated by industrial architecture and mechanical gadgets, Sausalito artist Hilary Sheehan playfully incorporates these elements into her abstract paintings, prints and drawings.  Enjoy her short-format whimsical animations at vimeo.com/hilarysheehan. Visit her website hilarysheehan.com, or follow her on Instagram @hilaryr.sheehan.  Reception with live music by Kevin Gordon as well as animation ...
Where: SausalitoCost: Free
Outfall tourHave you ever wondered where your indoor water ends up? If you live in the south bay, it probably goes to the San Jose- Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility to be cleaned. Join us on a tour of the Facility’s Outfall and see firsthand how it helps keep the San ...
Hofagie Laamle (or “One People One Reef†in Ulithian) illustrates one community combating climate change in one of the most remote places on earth�"the far outer islands of Micronesia. This short documentary film by Kelsey Doyle artfully combines the atmosphere of life on the Ulithi Atoll, the science behind the ...
You're invited to an opening reception for CCNH Naturalist Tony Iwane's native California wildlife photos! Tony's photos encompass the breadth of our native plants and animals, revealing the beauty not only of birds and flowers, but of reptiles, insects, spiders and other invertebrates.The reception goes from 2-4pm on Sunday, March 19th ...
