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
We tend to think of “home†as the building in which we live, or the town or city where we reside. Voyage to the edge of the known universe, and gain some perspective on the tiny planet we call home. See some of the amazing ways the universe is structured, ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free with Admission to the Exploratorium
The theme this month is Celebrating Our Oceans: The Big, The Small, and The Weird. Come learn about the amazing diversity of life that lives out in the Ocean, from the big to the small and everything in between.  Docent-led tours will take you around the hospital showcasing some of the patients we ...
Where: SausalitoCost: Free
Tidepool AdventureJoin Greater Farallones sanctuary naturalists for a tidepool adventure in Pescadero. Explore the amazing intertidal habitat at the edge of the sea while learning how the animals and algae survive under ever-changing conditions. Search for chitons, anemones, sea stars, sea urchins, nudibranchs and other creatures that call this biodiversity hotspot ...
The modern scientific search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) is decades old. Why, so far, have we gotten no hint of cosmic companionship? SETI pioneer Dan Werthimer will describe the rationale for past and future searches, and will show how new technologies are revolutionizing SETI.Speaker: Dan Werthimer, Berkeley SETI Research Center
In complex organisms such as ourselves, cells must coordinate their proliferation and differentiation to build and maintain normal tissues and structures. The Hedgehog signaling protein is one of the extracellular signals that cells use to coordinate their behavior. Hedgehog signaling has profoundly important roles in the normal processes of embryonic ...
Where: Menlo ParkCost: Free
GRAVITATIONAL WAVES FROM MERGING COMPACT BINARIESProf. Lynn Cominsky from Sonoma State University will present an introduction to LIGO's discoveries of gravitational waves and will review the most recent results reported from LIGO and Virgo.
Where: Rohnert ParkCost: Free
Advantages of Streaming Architecture in Management of Machine Learning ModelsThere is a massive shift underway, a change in the best way to build things, and a key aspect of that change is a widespread and fundamental use of streaming architecture. The advantages of an event-stream-based approach go far beyond just the need to address real-time or low latency applications ...
7:00-7:25: Deneb Karentz(USF/Biology) on "Considerations of Antarctic Ozone Depletion"What is expected for the future of our ozone layer? ...Read more7:25-7:50: Neeraj Sonalkar(Stanford/ Design) on "What improvised theater, jazz and design thinking have in common"Design thinking has a lot in common with the improvisational mindset practiced through improvisational ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Nerd Nite East Bay: Thermal Comfort, Quantum Communist, East Bay Hills HistoryQuestioning the Core of Quantum Physics with CommunistsQuantum physics attempts to explain reality, but Heisenberg and Bohr’s famous “Copenhagen Interpretation†of quantum mechanics fails to answer some simple questions and paradoxes about the real world. A revolutionary second theory, encouraged by Einstein, answered many of these questions with faster than ...
Where: OaklandCost: $8 Advance, $10 at door
Science vs Cinema: THE MARTIANFollowing the film, join Kishore Hari (@sciencequiche) and Jeff Silverman (@J_M_Silverman) as we dissect what is regarded as one of the most scientifically accurate sci-fi movies ever. Are ion propulsion engines real? Can you keep yourself warm with spent nuclear fuel? And even if you can you grow potatoes with ...
Reps. Mike Thompson, Jared Huffmanand Jackie Speier are hosting an Offshore Oil Drilling Listening Session Tuesday, March 27th to get feedback from local stakeholders, experts and government representatives regarding the Trump Administration’s proposals to allow offshore oil drilling on our pristine California coastline. These proposed changes would open California’s waters to expanded offshore drilling ...
Soil Health Series: Understanding Growth Media & the Chemistry of SoilIn the second class in the soil series, join the very knowledgeable Stephen Andrews (UC Berkeley Professor, specializing in soils) for a hands-on class to discover how the chemical reactions of soil clean our air, clean our water, and make nutrients available to plants. You'll understand chemistry like never before!You've ...
Where: SausalitoCost: Donations encouraged
'JANE' & Why Study Apes?Jane Goodall may be the world's foremost expert on our genetic and behavioral kin, the chimpanzees. She is certainly a brave and thoughtful steward of planet Earth. In the 2017 documentary Jane, we see the young, untrained researcher challenge scientific consensus on the road to revolutionizing people's understanding of the natural ...
Where: St. HelenaCost: $8
Exposed: Dieselgate's Impact on the Auto IndustryVolkswagen’s brazen cheating on air pollution rules rocked an industry with a long history of skulduggery. One VW executive went to jail for his role in Dieselgate and the plot thickened recently with revelations that VW, BMW and Mercedes paid researchers who locked monkeys in a room watching cartoons and ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, $12 Members, $7 Students
Profusa is pioneering sensors that continually and wirelessly report health status to a mobile device from within our body. Profusa’s novel sensors are based on fluorescent, soft, biomaterials that integrate with tissues permanently for long-term biomonitoring. After a 2016 regulatory approval in Europe, the company is accelerating commercialization activities while ...
Where: Santa ClaraCost: $9 adv/$10 door general; $4/$5 IEEE members
Roving on Mars: Revving up for Future Exploration of the Red PlanetOrbiters, followed by rovers sent to Mars, have yielded a dramatic increase in knowledge about Mars over the past decade. Today thanks to several years of data collected in situ and remotely we have a better understanding of its geology and habitability potential. Three SETI Institute planetary scientists who have ...
Where: Menlo ParkCost: Free
Heirs to our OceansJoin ACS-SF Bay Chapter for a fascinating presentation HEIRS TO OUR OCEANS. That’s who we are, along with your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and newly-spawned zygotes. Heirs to our oceans are the next generation and the future generations who will inherit this planet and all that comes with it…. after your ...
