Sunrise Tour of Muir WoodsYou are cordially invited to attend a sunrise guided tour through Muir Woods National Monument. While the early hour may seem uncivilized, if not down-right obscene, sunrise is a particularly beautiful time to visit an old-growth redwood forest. Participants will be introduced to the local plant and animal residents (more ...
Where: Mill ValleyCost: Free
Wildlife Camera Walk with Ginny FifieldSpend the morning learning about some of the wildlife that inhabits the Preserves with Ginny Fifield, Wildlilfe Camera Specialist, ACR Mountain Lion Project Team, and Modini Mayacamas Preserves Volunteer. We’ll learn about identifying field signs of mountain lions, bobcat, coyotes and more. Based on what we find, we'll guess what ...
Where: GeyservilleCost: $20 suggested donation
Aero Workshop: Mars LanderPut your engineering skills to the test in the Aero Workshop! Each session is a special 2-hour mini design challenge designed for children ages 8-12. Each workshop centers on a particular problem in aerospace illustrated by a pair of hands-on experiences. Participants then work in small teams of 3-5 to ...
Where: San CarlosCost: Free with admission
Collecting Evolution: The Galapagos Expedition That Vindicated DarwinIn 1905, eight sailor-scientists from the California Academy of Sciences set out on an 89-foot schooner from San Francisco for a scientific collecting expedition in the Galapagos Islands. By the time they finished in 1906, they had completed one of the most important expeditions in the history of both evolutionary ...
Insights about the Assembly of Massive Central Galaxies using Hyper Suprime-CamPredicted by the promising hierarchical formation model, the stellar halos of massive galaxies should keep vital fossil records regarding their assembly history and galaxy-halo connection. However, due to its low surface brightness, much of this information is yet to be understood.  Using the deep i-band images from the Subaru Hyper ...
Correlative microscopy: a guide to effective materials explorationQuantum materials have fascinating properties due to the collective coupling of electrons, phonons, etc. to new quasiparticle states, mediated by a particular potential landscape. Our ability to study and explore these properties depends on our capability to build these materials with high specificity and an exquisite level of control over ...
Where: BerkeleyCost:
From the Accelerating Universe to Accelerating Particles: Cosmic PhilanthropyIn this talk, I will show how the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, your philanthropic neighbor on Page Mill Road, helps fund basic science. With an annual science budget of $100 Million per year, we are small compared to federal agencies, but we are free to select topics and methods ...
Where: Menlo ParkCost: Free
Safe by design, developments in autonomous and proprioceptive soft robotsThe nascent field of soft robotics has emerged as an exciting area of research that stands to revolutionize our interaction with machines. Soft robots possess many attributes that are difficult, if not impossible, to achieve with conventional robots composed of rigid materials. Yet, despite recent advances, soft robots generally require ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Theory of Quantum Anomalous Hall and Axion InsulatorsTopological insulators (TIs) are insulating crystals in which the electronic wave functions are topologically twisted in a certain sense. In recent years, a bewildering variety of types of TIs have been proposed. In this talk I will focus on two. First, I will introduce 2D quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) insulators, ...
During his undergraduate and post-baccalaureate studies, Rocky Ng researched Trichomonas vaginalis pathogenesis and Propionibacterium acnes/Mycobacterium smegmatis bacteriophages. He was able to isolate a novel bacteriophage from his own face, sequenced, and annotated the genome.Rocky Ng is a biotechnology and chemistry teacher at South San Francisco High School. He earned his B.S. ...
Where: San BrunoCost: Free and open to the public.
Mindful Travel in the Age of Climate ChangeHopping on an airplane is one of the worst things anyone can do for the climate, quickly blowing away the emissions savings earned by a vegetarian who walks to work and otherwise treads lightly on the Earth. So how do people still justify international travel? To see the wonders of ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, $12 Members, $7 Students
In recent decades, our ability to study the universe with telescopes detecting a range of wavelengths of light -Â enabled by placing them on mountain tops, on airplanes, on balloons, to rockets and satellites in orbit -Â has revealed a beautiful, mystifying, dynamic, and rather extraordinary place. Infrared light, in particular, penetrating ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15 General, $12 Members & Seniors
Tuesday, 03/20/18
WATER CONSERVATION SHOWCASE 2018Water is a limited natural resource, heavily impacted by the built environment. Using sustainable practices in a building's development speaks to the triple bottom line - people, profit & planet.Since 2004, hundreds of advocates, researchers, business leaders, product manufacturers and government officials have gathered every year to address the most pressing water ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free, registration required
Rightsizing Carbon Removal in Ambitious Climate Change ResponsesIn addressing climate change, technologies for carbon removal can compensate for ongoing emissions of heat-trapping gases, helping keep ambitious warming limits in reach. Against a backdrop of increasing calls for carbon removal, this presentation will briefly introduce the range of options, including strategies grounded in improved ecosystem stewardship and strategies ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Soil Health Series: Physical Properties of SoilWhat is soil? Well, it's certainly not dirt! Join the knowledgeable and enthusiastic Stephen Andrews (UC Berkeley Professor, specializing in soils) in discovering the beauty and complexity of this essential natural resource by examining the physical properties that characterize what soil is. This class will also delve into the question ...
Lighting up the Dark UniverseRecent progress in cosmological observations reveal a simple yet strange universe. Our preferred cosmological model relies on mysterious components such as Dark Matter, Dark Energy and an early period of accelerated expansion. The challenge in the next decade will be to understand the nature of these components and reveal new ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Earthquakes and VolcanoesThroughout the world we have a pattern created by earthquakes and volcanoes. Learn what it means and explore how the Hayward Fault is ripping Fremont in half. Stories: 3 Earthquake Dolls; Leaving the Fiery Slopes of Mt. Etna
A new experiment at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory reveals how large diamonds may be formed with just hydrogen and carbon, in the deep interior of ice giant planets such as Uranus and Neptune. Experimental simulations using high powered optical lasers revealed "diamond rain" forming in real time. Scientists predict that ...
Winona LaDuke is a Native American environmentalist and the executive director of Honor the Earth, a Native American environmental advocacy organization. Honor the Earth held several events to support Standing Rock and are currently active in the Dakota Pipeline protests. She is known for her work on Native American tribal ...
China is developing and pilot-testing a new measure of ecological performance, Gross Ecosystem Product (GEP), as a guide in securing the well-being of people and nature.  The aim of GEP accounting is to help reveal the contribution of ecosystems to society; show the ecological connections among regions (e.g., between suppliers and ...
With their immense size and peculiar appearance, leatherback turtles resemble species that inhabited Earth in the distant past. A swimming and diving machine, they are uniquely adapted for life at sea. This ancient mariner is the most widely distributed sea turtle, spanning tropical and subarctic waters worldwide. The endangered western ...
Where: SausalitoCost: $5 donation
Extending the search capabilities of liquid xenon dark matter experimentsA promising solution to the dark matter problem is the Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP), a proposed beyond-the-standard-model particle that would permeate the galaxy and interact extremely weakly with baryonic matter. WIMPs in the vicinity of Earth would produce rare low energy (1's - 10's of keV) nuclear recoils that ...
Social and environmental justice activists are increasingly asking how technology can help them achieve their goals, and a growing number of engineers, computer scientists, and other technical experts are eager to help. But successful collaborations depend in no small part on taken-for-granted infrastructural elements, including an “installed base†of technology ...
In this presentation, Benedikt Bünz will give a brief technical introduction to cryptocurrencies and will touch on a few research problems related to improving the scalability and privacy of cryptocurrencies.
Meeting will be a talk and hand-on workshop by Peter Werner on homemade darkfield, Rheinberg, polarizing light, and oblique filters, applicable to just about any compound microscope. Members of SFMS will also be electing a new slate of officers to the SFMS Board.
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Demystifying Cloud SecurityAnkur Shah, VP of Products, RedLock Inc. will discuss methods to effectively detect and respond to threats within your AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud environments. Proliferation of clou d has fundamentally changed the way applications are developed, deployed and secured. Security teams not only need visibility & control over what ...
Gil Friend, chief sustainability officer for the City of Palo Alto, will speak on Palo Alto's Sustainability and Climate Action Plan (S-CAP) and where progress can still be made despite the federal administration's climate and environmental policies. He’ll also share his views on cities around the world that are leading ...
Where: Palo AltoCost: $10
Thursday, 03/22/18
The Milky Way - evidence for Seyfert activity in the recent pastThe Galaxy's supermassive black hole is a hundred times closer than any other massive singularity. It is surrounded by a highly unstable gas disk so why is the black hole so peaceful at the present time? This mystery has led to a flurry of models in order to explain why ...
Juliana Schroeder, Assistant Professor in the Haas Management of Organizations Group, will speak about her research on the impact of giving machines human-like voices. Treating a human mind like a machine is an essential component of dehumanization, whereas attributing a humanlike mind to a machine is an essential component of ...
Towards a Unified Model for Star Formation: Forging Order from RandomnessAstronomy has entered a new era of survey science in which large statistical samples can be scrutinized with unprecendented resolution. However, moving beyond the study of individual objects has revealed fresh puzzles. Three recent observations of protostars and molecular clouds pose a challenge to current star formation models. First, protostellar ...
Michelle Munson will discuss how the expanded use of cloud computing and other developments in the information technology sector will usher a new era in which content such as pictures, videos and other data will prove key.Speaker: Michelle Munson, Eluvio
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, $8 Members, $7 Students
A Big Bang Machine on the Moon, with James BeachamCERN's Large Hadron Collider was built for one purpose: To explore the mysteries of the universe. In 2015 it began colliding protons at thirteen teraelectronvolts, the highest energy ever achieved at a collider, and began a twenty-year research program. The experiment ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $17.95 advance, $19.95 at the door
Get your dose of mechanical mayhem as NightLife hosts a salute to all things robotic.-----> Prepare to be amazed as you look to the future in African Hall, where several robotics companies will show off their innovative work.-----> Meet Misty, of Misty Robotics, the new autonomous open-source robot for the ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15 General, $12 Members
Living with WolvesIt’s time for modern wild wolf recovery in California! Wild wolves have returned to our state after being absent for almost a century, yet they remain in a fragile state of recovery. California Wolf Center has created an innovative alliance with those that share the landscape with the endangered predator. ...
Where: OaklandCost: $10 - $30
Snow and Avalanche Science: Highlights of applied avalanche research and forecastingAvalanches impact transportation corridors, with subsequent economic ramifications, including the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park.Large magnitude avalanches affect the landscape creating new habitat for flora and fauna.Dendrochronology (study of tree-rings) is used to develop an avalanche chronology and examine contributory climate and weather factors.Speaker: Erich Peitzsch, USGS Physical ScientistÂ
Where: Menlo ParkCost: Free
Leonard Mlodinow with Michael ShermerOut of the exploratory instincts that allowed our ancestors to prosper hundreds of thousands of years ago, humans developed a cognitive style that Mlodinow terms elastic thinking, a collection of traits and abilities that include neophilia (an affinity for novelty), schizotypy (a tendency toward unusual perception), imagination and idea generation, ...
Where: Menlo ParkCost: $15, $25, $50
The Use of Psilocybin Mushrooms in Recreation, Mental Health and SpiritualityThis presentation begins with the 1957 Life Magazine article of R. Gordon Wasson, “The Discovery of Mushrooms that Cause Strange Visions†which introduced Psilocybin mushrooms to North American readers and prompted pilgrimages to Mexico. At this time, The Evergreen State College was coming into existence. In 1975, Paul Stamets, Jeremy ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Friday, 03/23/18
Fire, Flowers, Forage & People in Shaping of the Modini MayacamasLearn about fire in the geologic past; plant adaptations to fire, smoke and ash; use of fire as a tool employed by Native cultures in the management of useful plants and habitats, the effects of historic over-grazing on fuel structure and fire recovery; historic fires in the area; intentional burning ...
Curious Minds and Materials Discoveries: Nano Seminar SeriesCuriosity-driven discoveries can often inspire new hypotheses in scientific research and solutions for problems. I will share a few such discoveries from my research group and my classrooms. For example, crumpled paper balls in a wastebasket inspired a new form of ultrafine particles that becomes aggregation-resistant and can ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Towards Vision Zero: Intelligent Intersection Infrastructure to enhance safe operations of (self-driving) carsVision Zero plans concentrate on intersections that present a demanding environment. Challenges arise from complex vehicle trajectories; absence of lane markings to guide vehicles; split phases that prevent determining who has the right of way; conflicting vehicle approaches with no line of sight; illegal movements; simultaneous interactions among pedestrians, bicycles ...
The Life Art Science Technology (LAST) Festival on March 23-24, in the futuristic setting of SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, will combine a program of science talks and art installations to discuss how technology is changing the nature of humanity and what role Silicon Valley is playing: How far can biomedicine extend ...
Where: Menlo ParkCost: Free
Did You See That? A Theory of Visual PerceptionCome learn about cutting-edge research from the graduate student community at UC Berkeley in a relaxed, sci-fi-themed cafe setting. This month features a short talk by theoretical neuroscientist Dylan Paiton.The audience is encouraged to interrupt and ask questions and engage in discussion with our speakers.Optical illusions and visual hallucinations are ...
Where: EmeryvilleCost: Free
Saturday, 03/24/18
Saturday Seminar Series: Converging and Emerging towards EquitySuccessful use of language in academic settings requires that students make decisions about what they say or write, how they do this, and for what purposes. This requires that teachers understand discourse-level features of language, which are not always apparent. It is necessary to design pedagogy and curricula that teach ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Hayward Fault Walking TourOver the last million years, the natural beauty of Fremont has been shaped by the Hayward Fault. Instructors will be leading these 'ground breaking' tours and exposing the science and beauty of the Hayward Fault. This fault is one of several active faults in the world actually creeping at 5 ...
Where: FremontCost: $15
Science Saturday: Bees, Wasps, Honey, and HivesExplore the sweet-side of science as Science Saturday turns its attention to Bees, Wasps, Honey, and Hives. Do all bees make honey? How do you tell a wasp from a bee? Do all bees sting? Find the answers to all of your buzzing questions as you complete a craft, taste ...
Where: Pacific GroveCost: 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 ...
The Life Art Science Technology (LAST) Festival on March 23-24, in the futuristic setting of SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, will combine a program of science talks and art installations to discuss how technology is changing the nature of humanity and what role Silicon Valley is playing: How far can biomedicine extend ...
John Reber, the Man with Grand IdeasBack in the 1940s, John Reber would look out over the San Francisco Bay and visualize a massive civil works project of dams and locks to harvest fresh drinking water, and barriers that would support railway systems and a highway. His intention was to improve the quality of life for ...
Where: SausalitoCost: 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!
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Gravitational Waves presented by Science TimeScience Time is funny, informative, and will probably be laughably incorrect 100 years from now. In this installment, you'll hear all about gravitational waves. Alex, a regular at Upright Citizen's Brigade in Los Angeles, will also interview a real-life scientist, and you'll get some snippets of recent science news as ...
Where: Pacific GroveCost: $10 General, $5 Members, $15 at door
