Batteries are ubiquitous. However, today’s batteries are expensive, range-limited, power-restricted, die too quickly, charge too slowly, and susceptible to safety issues. For this reason, model-based battery management systems are of extreme interest. In this talk, we discuss eCAL’s recent research on electrochemical-thermal battery models, optimal experiment design for parameter identification, ...
HISTORY, TECHNOLOGY AND ART OF SWORDSWilliam Imler will discuss the history and technological development of swords from ancient times through modern days. Topics covered include a brief treatment of bronze, iron and steel metallurgy, proper heat treatment and alloying of steel for different purposes, and the development of pattern welding from the early efforts by ...
Lithium-ion batteries are ubiquitous in everyday life, and are transforming mobility through electric vehicles, and electricity grid through the storage of intermittent renewables. Metrics such as energy density, lifetime and safety are controlled by phenomena that span enormous length scales, ranging from sub-Angrostroms to centimeters and beyond. Despite the significant ...
A group of people are claiming that the Earth is flat. Â Meanwhile, much of humanity believes the Earth is round. Â Who is right, and who is wrong?Folks: we live in the Internet age, which means we can test these ideas with an EXPERIMENT. Â To participate, all you need are three ...
A Green Infrastructure Vision for Coyote ValleyConservation planners, water resource managers and climate resiliency experts are partnering to implement a new vision to protect and restore Coyote Valley’s wetlands, floodplains, groundwater recharge areas and wildlife corridors. Come learn how nature-based solutions can contribute to the region’s environmental sustainability and resiliency.Speakers: + Robin Grossinger / San Francisco ...
Where: San JoseCost: $10 General, Free for Members
Communication in Serious Illness: Getting to YesHigh-quality care for seriously ill patients depends upon communication that is patient-centered, clear, attends to the central role of affect in the medical encounter, and results in care consistent with patients’ goals. This talk will describe an evidence-based approach to effective serious illness communication that allows patients, families, and clinicians ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, $8 Members, $7 Students
'An Inconvenient Sequel'Film screening of An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power plus Q&A with the film's creators.
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Astronomy on Tap South BayJoin us at Uproar Brewing Company for astronomy talks, trivia (with prizes), and answers to all of your astronomy questions (well, most of them)! There is also amazing food and drinks for purchase! Our guest speakers will be: Amy Furniss (CSUEB): The universe’s most extreme environments James Radomski ...
Why do the whales come to San Francisco? What are they eating and why are they so close to shore? What other cetaceans do we see? What can we do to protect them and encourage their return? These questions will be answered and more! Join local naturalist Nicole Larson on ...
We humans are a puzzling species. No other animal comes close to our capacity for violently harming each other; yet at the same time, no other comes close to our capacity for cooperation, altruism, or compassion. Most challengingly, the same motoric behavior can count as appalling or noble, depending on ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Wonderfest: The Unconscious MindPsychologists are discovering that unconscious motivators dominate human behavior. The pervasive influence of the unconscious mind affects every aspect of our lives: from where we scratch (of course!) ... to whom we love, what we buy, and how we vote. Nevertheless, our fates are not sealed. These same psychologists can ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Fast transient event - Magnetars and morePlease join Mt. Diablo Astronomical Society for the October 24th general meeting. Our monthly meetings begin with a short “What’s Up†at 7:15 presented by one of our members followed by a speaker. This month’s speaker is Dr. Casey Law, UC Berkley
See the universe from Pier 17 in San Francisco with a Unistellar eVscope!  SETI Institute astronomer Franck Marchis will be there to demo the prototype.Join us to share views through our evScope and other telescopes of nebulae, galaxies, star clusters, double stars, and other objects visible in the night sky (weather permitted of ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Wednesday, 10/25/17
Sea change: Scaling up the emergent ecological effects of global changeMy research examines the ecological effects of climate change and ocean acidification on marine communities and ecosystems. This talk will focus on the importance of incorporating interactions - between multiple stressors and species - in the study of the emergent effects of global change, with examples from rocky intertidal, seagrass, ...
Rey (UCB ’96) is a scientist, entrepreneur, and investor. He specializes in the early commercialization stages of innovation, with a focus on startups working for a positive impact on society and the environment. He has successfully developed and commercialized new materials for industrial and consumer goods. Rey holds degrees in ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Black holes, BPS jumping, and special lociI discuss, in an elementary way, special loci in the moduli spaces of string compactifications where the numbers of BPS states jump. In simple examples, these loci are also related to natural objects in number theory. Understanding of these loci leads to new results or conjectures about refined BPS partition ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Four presentations at Romberg Tiburon CenterJillian Burns Examining larval longfin smelt diets in shoals and tidal marshes of the San Francisco Estuary Stephanie Owens Investigating the Impacts of Freshwater Flow Pulses on a Managed Floodplain Jessica Wilson Phytoplankton bloom composition in Drakes Estero before and after the removal of a commercial oyster farm Mandy-Tanita Brinkmann ...
When did our ancestors look the way we expect them to have looked? When did they behave in the way we expect them to have behaved?The search for what defines the genus Homo has spanned decades and is still debated among scientists today. In this talk, paleoanthropologist Dr. Bernard Wood ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15 General, $12 Members and Seniors
If ye value critical thinking, and if ye scorn the flim-flam man, join us, your friends. We are a group who informally discuss the latest in science or pseudoscience over good eats & ale. HOW:  Presented free by the Bay Area Skeptics.WHY:  Because science is fascinating!       ...
Where: MillbraeCost: Free- Pub is open for business
The basics of cancer invasion (with slime demo!)Cancer spreading to other parts of body is the cause of 90% of cancer-related death. Cancer invasion is the first key step in this process, in which cancer cells break through the tumor border and into neighboring tissues. Recent research from our group ...
The common narrative of the history of coal is wrong, and clearing up the misunderstanding will be key to a cleaner energy future. Overinvestment in railroads, the lack of unions in many important coal-mining regions, and the coal industry’s failure to agree on how much coal to produce all conspired ...
In the spring of 1818, British naturalist Joseph Arnold trekked into the rainforest outside of Padang, Western Sumatra, where he and his team of collectors discovered the "greatest prodigy of the vegetable world":Â Rafflesia arnoldi, the largest flower in the world, and perhaps the most repulsive. By mimicking the smell of ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
The Sierra Club at 125 Years: From Yosemite to Climate ChangeFounded in 1892, the Sierra Club has evolved into the most effective grassroots environmental advocacy organization in the United States. Over 125 years in action, the Sierra Club started as a group tasked with protecting the Sierra Nevada. The club expanded to work on climate change, environmental justice, gender equity, green jobs ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, $8 Members, $7 Students
Science fiction has predicted many things. Some have come true (think touch screens, submarines, bionic limbs), others, not so much - 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 ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free with After Dark Admission
The creatures come out at NightLife as the Academy partners with Bay Area Science Festival and Peaches Christ Productions to transform the museum into a spine-tingling, supernatural tribute to '80s horror movies and creatures even stranger than life.Come in costume for our annual Halloween bash for a fright night of ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15 General, $12 Members
Peripheral Arterial Disease: Is There a Holistic Approach to Treatment?What is the best approach to peripheral arterial disease (PAD)? Do all blockages need to be treated? Is there evidence that lifestyle changes and self-management can provide relief from the symptoms of PAD and alter its course? This talk will focus on these questions.Speaker: Matthew Mell, MD
The U.S. is increasingly reliant on supply of mineral raw materials from other countries.Advanced technologies are increasingly making use of nearly the entire periodic table of the elements.Dynamic studies of critical and strategic mineral supply and demand can identify emerging potential supply risks.The USGS - National Minerals Information Center has ...
Where: Menlo ParkCost: Free
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 General, $1 Teachers/Students
As an analogy for climate, music is familiar, accessible, andâ€"for most peopleâ€"much easier to relate to than data. The ClimateMusic Project was created to harness this universal language to tell the urgent story of climate change to broad and diverse audiences in a way that resonates and inspires.The ClimateMusic Project ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $10 - $15
Friday, 10/27/17
Nature Photography Friday Join other nature photographers (amateur and professional) on a meandering monthly excursion around the Modini Mayacamas Preserves and share your visions of nature with the world. After our field time, each of us will add a few of our best to an album that Friends of the Modini Mayacamas and ...
A Lighthouse on the Dark Cosmic ShoreMost of our universe is held together by invisible material, aka “dark matter.†We have no idea what dark matter is made of or how it came to exist in the first place. Come hear about how we might solve this mystery with the ...
The Festival of Bad Ad Hoc Hypotheses (BAH!) is a celebration of well-argued and thoroughly researched but completely incorrect evolutionary theory. Six brave speakers will present their bad theories in front of a live audience and a panel of judges with real science credentials, who together will determine which speaker takes home ...
Face your arachnophobia or bathe in your arachnophilia on Friday, October 27th! Come on a naturalist-led walk into Joaquin Miller Park where we'll look for the many spiders that live amongst the trees and buildings here in the Oakland Hills. Large hackled-mesh weavers, false widows, and even the elusive Hyptiotes ...
Where: OaklandCost: $20 suggested donation
Saturday, 10/28/17
Healing Forest Walk We invite you to join us for a quiet, peaceful, and meditative walk through the forests in the Presidio. Let’s experience the beauty and magic of nature in this part of the city, and find ways for calm and balance within and around us.We will explore simple ways to connect ...
Experience 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 ...
Point Bonita YMCA Outdoor & Environmental Education Open HouseThis October, come explore the magic of the Marin Headlands while learning about Point Bonita YMCA's Outdoor Education Program! The entire event is free and includes amazing coastal views, a tour of our campus, complimentary lunch in our dining hall, a naturalist-led hike to the Point Bonita Lighthouse, and examples ...
Cal State East Bay initiated its first science festival in1974 and its College of Science faculty, staff and students are particularly excited to kick off the Bay Area Science Festival with this Discovery Day.Approximately 50 activities are scheduled, with demonstrations, experiments, hands-on-activities, exhibits, lectures and much much more. Participation by ...
Where: HaywardCost: Free
Fixit Clinic CCXXXVI (236) San Mateo County CenterCelebrating repair by conveying basic troubleshooting skills, Fixit Clinics are do-it-together hands-on STEM-oriented fix-n-learn community-based exploration and discovery workshops where neighbors, friends, and families work collectively to learn about and repair their broken items.So bring your broken, non-functioning things -- electronics, appliances, computers, toys, sewing machines, bicycles, fabric items, etc.-- ...
Where: Redwood CityCost: Free
GGRO Hawk Talk & Raptor ReleaseOur Hawk Talks and Raptor Releases occur every Saturday and Sunday from noon to 2 pm (weather permitting - heavy fog or rain cancels) during September and October, except for Fleet Week weekend. The Hawk Talk begins at noon, when a GGRO volunteer speaks about hawk migration and identification, and ...
Where: SausalitoCost: Free
Fish DaysLearn about fresh water fish that are found in local ponds and rivers. Games show native and non native fish and how they arrived at Tule Ponds. Compare fishing ponds for people versus fishing ponds for wildlife.  Explore how the early peoples of area went fishing as well as the ...
Do you sometimes see paw prints in mud or scat (poop) on the trails and assume that a dog left it? It could be from something else. Come along with me and I will show you how to distinguish and identify the markings of a gray fox. Gain some insights ...
This acclaimed program returns, featuring the convergence of art and science. Journey through ancient and modern worlds, from the nano to cosmic scale. Explore exhibits of microscopy, painting, video installations and sculpture, created by artists and scientists probing our world for deeper understanding.Learn about ancient ceramic intrigue, explore physics and ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Jazz Under the StarsCome peer through our telescopes and see craters on the Moon, the visible planets, 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.
Adam Savage and Tested.com present Tested: Deconstructed, an evening of demonstrations of fantastic projects and conversations about the processes that make them possible. Join Adam Savage, robot builder Simone Giertz, the Tested team, and friends in the maker community as they reveal what makes their projects tick and the journeys ...
Advances in recent decades have allowed amateur astronomers to produce deep space and planetary pictures that rival those taken by professional observatories. This presentation will provide an overview of off-the-shelf instruments and methods anyone, with perseverance and patience, can use to take amazing astronomical images.Speaker: Jay GaBany, Advanced Imaging ConferenceEditor's Note: This ...
What happens when a top scientist and the cartoonist behind the popular geek web comic Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal get married and birth a book? A hilarious and informative investigation into future technologies that will improve and/or ruin everything. If you’re a fan of Mary Roach, popular science, Reddit (to ...
Where: Menlo ParkCost: $10 - $40
Seeing the Beginning: Insights from the Cosmic Microwave Background - RESCHEDULEDDo you ever wish we could look back in time? We can, by studying the cosmic microwave background (CMB), which reveals the fiery early universe when it was only 0.003% of its present age. This talk will show how studying the CMB allows us to learn about the origin, composition, ...
Cosmologists have now come to a detailed understanding of what our Universe was like as a child (400,000 years after the Big Bang) and what it is like as an adult (13.8 billion years later). But what was our Universe like as a teenager, when the very first stars and ...
Where: Mill ValleyCost: Free
Sunday, 10/29/17
Lake Anza and Wildcat Gorge Trail BioBlitzJoin our friends from WhollyH20 for a fun half day citizen science BioBlitz at Lake Anza and Wildcat Gorge Trail in Berkeley. Get ready to enjoy being a citizen scientist through simple observation and photo documentation.We'll be uploading photos to iNat (iNaturalist.org). Â We will do a short orientation to iNat ...
Join us a day of science at UCCE Elkus Ranch! Explore our agriculture, nutrition, and environmental education programs through hands-on activities presented by UC Cooperative Extension Advisors, Staff and Program Volunteers.Learn about pollination, beekeeping, aquatic insects and pests in your house.Sample fresh seasonal produce, learn to use edible herbs, taste ...
Where: Half Moon BayCost: $20 parking per vehicle
GGRO Hawk Talk & Raptor ReleaseOur Hawk Talks and Raptor Releases occur every Saturday and Sunday from noon to 2 pm (weather permitting - heavy fog or rain cancels) during September and October, except for Fleet Week weekend. The Hawk Talk begins at noon, when a GGRO volunteer speaks about hawk migration and identification, and ...
This acclaimed program returns, featuring the convergence of art and science. Journey through ancient and modern worlds, from the nano to cosmic scale. Explore exhibits of microscopy, painting, video installations and sculpture, created by artists and scientists probing our world for deeper understanding.Learn about ancient ceramic intrigue, explore physics and ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Dark Matter DayLearn all about how scientist and researchers are using accelerators and underground detectors to hunt for the mysterious particles that make up dark matter. Though astronomers cannot see dark matter directly, we know that dark matter drives the accelerating expansion of the universe. Watch our planetarium show Phantom of the ...
Wonderfest, the Bay Area Beacon of Science, shines light on the power of illusion with a live science + magic performance by physicist Marc “Zeke†Kossover, neuroscientist Dr. Luigi Anzivino, and master magician Robert Strong. Then St. Helena’s Cameo Cinema will present a special screening of The Illusionist(2006) - certified fresh by Rotten ...
Where: St. HelenaCost: $15
City Star Party @ The ExplOratoriumCome join us for our monthly San Francisco City Star Party. SFAA members provide telescopes for your viewing pleasure.
"We all know that learning is more fun when you’re drinking with friends and colleagues. Thus, Nerd Nite is a monthly event held in more than 90 cities across the globe!" - so sayeth the Nerd Nite website. Sharing concepts with booze. Such a simple premise, but when you add ...
