Ocean acidification impacts on krill and krill predators in the Southern OceanThe Western Antarctic Peninsula region of the Southern Ocean, a National Science Foundation Long-Term Experimental Research Site, has exhibited a subtle but steady increase in surface water temperature and a rapid decline of sea ice during recent decades, posing an eventual threat to the physiological and biochemical adaptations of krill, ...
Where: Moss LandingCost: Free
Stability and Flexibility in Motor NetworksFor us to interact with the outside world, our brains must plan and dictate our actions and behaviors. In many cases, we learn to reproducibly execute a well-defined series of muscle movements to perform impressive feats, such as hitting a golf ball or playing the violin. In other cases, however, ...
Where: OrindaCost: $5 General, $1 Teachers/Students
Peninsula Gem & Geology Society monthly meetingHans Thern will show a short video and discuss the Moore Creek Mine (Garnet Hill area). He will cover collecting molybdenite, epidote, garnet, quartz and tungsten ore. There will also be a door prize drawing and many rocks and related items available by silent auction.
Where: Los AltosCost: Free
Science on TapSpeaker: Regina Spranger, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Dept., UC Santa Cruz
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. Sponsored by Bay Area Skeptics.WHY: Because we’re curious creatures.
Where: MillbraeCost: Free
taste of science: The STEMinistsWomen and their microbesJust like our guts, vaginas have their own microbiome too. In this presentation, I will talk about which microbes live "down there", how they are associated with a woman's reproductive and general health, and how mothers transfer their microbes to their babies.Speaker: Dr. Elisabeth Bik, uBiomeA blind ...
Where: Redwood CityCost: $5
Name that Bloodsucker!Marin Science SeminarSpeaker: Eric Engh, Marin-Sonoma Mosquito Vector
Where: San RafaelCost: Free
Saving the Bay from “the Futureâ€!From the weird madness of the Reber Plan to dam both ends of the Bay into freshwater lakes in the 1950s to the Save the Bay movement of the early 1960s that helped create the Bay Conservation and Development Commission, we’ve come a long way in a half century. Today’s ...
How and Why We Control Invasives in the Park - Talk and Field Workshop!Join Chrissy Sullivan (Natural Resource Specialist, Tennessee Valley) for this informative and interesting class on something we should all be aware of: the threats posed to the parks by invasive plants. Learn results of research within the park showing negative effects to habitat value when non-local, invasive plants are introduced, ...
Where: RichmondCost: Free for presentation, $10 for refreshements
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: The Trouble with BiasCity Arts & Lectures Conversations on Science SeriesKate Crawford is a leading researcher, academic and author who has spent the last decade studying the social implications of data systems, machine learning and artificial intelligence. She is a Distinguished Research Professor at New York University, a Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research ...
Where: San FranciscoCost:
Fingerprinting the Climate SystemFingerprint research seeks to improve understanding of the nature and causes of climate change. The basic strategy is to search for model-predicted patterns of climate change (“fingerprintsâ€) in observed climate records. Such studies exploit the fact that different factors affecting climate have different characteristic signatures. These unique attributes are clearer ...
Where: LivermoreCost: $32 - $40 Adults, $12 Students
Wonderfest: How Machine Learning Changes Software DesignTraditionally, software is built by programmers who consider the possible situations and write rules to deal with them. But recently, many software applications have been created by machine learning: the programmer is replaced by a trainer, who shows the computer examples until it learns to complete the task. This shift ...
The Wild & Scenic groundswell continues in the city by the bay. Join us for a night of environmental and adventure films that will inspire activism and transport you to the farthest reaches of the globe. Mix and mingle with special guests, filmmakers and learn more about the South Yuba ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 Advance, $25 at door
Saturday, 03/31/18
Big Hike with Fawn Lilies Join this Big Hike with the best views and a stop to visit the St. Helena Fawn Lilies - a rare species that only occurs on a few mountains in the mid-Mayacamas Mountains. This will be a fairly strenuous lollipop hike of about 7.5 miles, with an elevation gain of ...
Where: GeyservilleCost: $20 suggested donation
Birding at Lake MerrittDon't know a goose from a grebe? We're here to help! Whether you're a first time birder or seasoned pro, join two CCNH naturalists, Angela and Lo, for birding at Lake Merritt. We'll be talking about bird identification, ecology, and the latest efforts to bring night herons to roost at the Lake.Bring ...
Where: OaklandCost: $20 suggested donation
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 ...
Where: Redwood CityCost: $20
The Crucible's 2018 Spring Open HouseJoin us this Spring for a taste of what you can create in the fine and industrial arts! With inspiring and educational demonstrations in nineteen of our departments, including Neon, Ceramics, Glass Blowing, Blacksmithing, Welding, and more, you will walk away with greater knowledge of how to get started on ...
Where: OaklandCost: Free
Trekking the ModelJoin a Ranger or docent on a guided tour of the Bay Model, a 1.5-acre hydraulic model of the San Francisco Bay and Delta. Discover the stories of the two major operations that took place at this location between 1942 - 2000. Â
Join us on this fairly strenuous 5-mile hike to the top of a nearby ridge, where we will watch a Pacific sunset and then return to the trailhead by moon light. Along the way we will make several stops along our route to learn more about our stealthiest visitor - ...
Where: Mill ValleyCost: Free
Sunday, 04/01/18
Beginning BirdingExperience the birds of winter in the Marin Headlands by joining volunteer Jane Haley for an easy walk along Rodeo Lagoon. Bring field guides and binoculars. Meet at the Marin Headlands Visitor Center. For ages 8 and up; no pets allowed.Reservations required
Where: SausalitoCost: Free
Sunset/Full Moon Walk to the Point Bonita LighthouseJoin park staff and volunteer docents for a tour down through the history of Point Bonita while the sun sets over the Pacific. We will walk along the half-mile trail which is steep in places. Arrive early as parking is limited. Meet at the Point Bonita Lighthouse trailhead. Dress warming ...
Rapid wave-powered profiling of bio-optical properties from an autonomous Wirewalker platform reveals a high variability (minutes to days) in phytoplankton physiological rates. Highly resolved diel cycles in beam attenuation (a proxy for particulate organic carbon) allow detailed quantification of phytoplankton growth and losses throughout the water column, and for the ...
This colloquium will be given by Associate Professor Leonardo Senatore of the Stanford Institute for Theoretical Physics.
Where: StanfordCost: Free
2D Magnets and HeterostructuresSince the discovery of graphene, the family of two-dimensional (2D) materials has grown to encompass a broad range of electronic properties. However, until recently 2D crystals with intrinsic magnetism were still lacking. Such crystals would enable new ways to study 2D magnetism by harnessing the unique features of atomically-thin materials, ...
We present four new findings regarding the state of knowledge and remaining uncertainties concerning the anthropogenic agents of climate change. These agents include the long-lived greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and the short-lived climate forcers including methane and aerosols.  First, using modern laboratory spectroscopy we show that we can ...
SUMMER AT CERNZachary Kurland is a graduating physics student at Sonoma State University. In the summer of 2017, he was awarded the NSF-IRES award to perform research at CERN on the ATLAS experiment of the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva Switzerland for eight weeks. He will be discussing his research, how he ...
Where: Rohnert ParkCost: Free
Droplet Microfluidics: Biology One Picoliter at a TimeThis talk will describe the use of microfluidic technology to control and manipulate drops whose volume is about one picoliter. These can serve as reaction vessels for performing biology experiments. These drops can be manipulated with very high precision using an inert carrier oil to control the fluidic. Small quantities ...
Solar energy, once a niche application for a limited market, has become the cheapest and fastest-growing power source on earth. What’s more, its potential is nearly limitlessâ€"every hour the sun beams down more energy than the world uses in a year. But in his new book, Taming the Sun: Innovations to ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Cosmic Collisions Reveal Einstein's Gravitational-Wave UniverseFor the first time, scientists have observed ripples in the fabric of spacetime called gravitational waves, arriving at the earth from a cataclysmic event in the distant universe. This confirms a major prediction of Albert Einstein’s 1915 general theory of relativity and opens an unprecedented new window onto the cosmos. Gravitational waves carry ...
Designer microbes that convert sugars into bioproducts provide a sustainable alternative to the synthesis of chemicals from petroleum. One of the major challenges in the engineering of microbes for the production of chemicals is the rapid identification of the highest chemical-producing microbe from a pool, akin to finding a needle ...
Once a year, the Ernest S. Kuh Distinguished Lecture Series presents an opportunity to hear from scientists and engineers who are tackling our world’s most pressing problems. The series is made possible by a generous gift from Professor Emeritus Ernest Kuh and his wife, Bettine. Professor Kuh was dean of ...
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 ...
Where: SausalitoCost: Donations encouraged
Physics and Statistics of the Massive Halo Population New observations and simulations of the most massive cosmic halos that host groups and clusters of galaxies are providing details of the interlocking physical processes that drive astrophysical evolution across this population. In the first part of this talk I will use a few cherry-picked results from last week’s SNOWCLUSTER ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Lessons learned from the ISS: enabling future space flight collaboration for US and Russia The International Space Station (ISS) has seen Americans and Russians actively work hand in hand over the past decade. Scheduled to be deorbited in 2024, the future of spaceflight collaboration after its end remains uncertain. Lessons learned from collaboration on ISS are key to proposing areas for cooperation in similar ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Twenty years of SDSS spectra: lessons for DESI We have played with SDSS spectra for almost two decades and enjoyed performing all sorts of statistical analyses with them. In this talk we will take a critical look at these explorations and discuss what has worked well and what has not, what mistakes were made and some of the ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Printing Soft Matter in Three Dimensions3D printing enables one to rapidly design and fabricate materials in arbitrary shapes on demand. I will introduce the fundamental principles that underpin 3D printing methods pioneered by our group. I will then describe the design, composition, and rheological properties of functional, structural and biological inks that we have developed, ...
Atmospheric models that accurately describe the fate and transport of trace species for the right reasons aid in development of effective air quality management strategies that safeguard human health, in particular to mitigate the deleterious impacts of fine particulate matter (PM2.5). Controllable emissions from human activity facilitate formation of biogenic ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
The three worst ideas in the world, and how they shape American educationJonathan Haidt is a social psychologist at New York University Stern School of Business and the director of Heterodox Academy. He is the coauthor of the forthcoming book, 'The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting up a Generation for Failure'
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
The Dawn of Gravitational-Wave AstrophysicsIn the past two years the gravitational-wave detections enabled by the LIGO detectors have launched a new field in observational astronomy allowing us to study compact object mergers involving pairs of black holes and neutron stars. I will discuss what current results reveal about compact object astrophysics, from binary black ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Developing Fully Automated Infrastructure Policy and Trust SystemsModern infrastructure management serves to run applications, but in many cases, all attention is spent on micromanagement of elemental details with no focus or understanding of the applications. This breaks down in two fundamental ways. First is the explosion of number of application service definitions, all hardwired for specific use ...
At a first glance, our galaxy appears to be made of stars separated by vast and empty space. However, we now know that this space is filled with things that are more difficult to see â€" gas, photons and the elusive dark matter. We do not know what kind of particle dark ...
