Animal locomotion requires modulation of force and power output in response to variable environmental demand. Through the use of experimental gas mixtures, I show how physiological and biomechanical limits to hovering performance in birds and insects can be decoupled to elucidate general physical constraints on flight. Such constraints are also ...
Overcoming learning obstacles while teaching is a major time and energy drain. In order to have a successful class requires being able to adapt to individual learning styles of the various students. This adaptation can also be a major drain of resources but I have discovered by recognizing and igniting ...
Modeling the Complex Impact of Genetic Variation on Gene ExpressionNon-coding and regulatory genetic variation plays a significant role in human health, but the impact of regulatory variants has proven difficult to predict from sequence alone. Further, genetic effects can be modulated by context, such as cell type and environmental factors. We have developed machine learning approaches to model the ...
A single ant colony from Argentina has now filled almost six hundred miles of California’s coastline creating something called a super colony. Learn about the surprising behavior of these ants and the research being done on them here at UC Berkeley. Also discover the unseen world of insects right below ...
Where: AlbanyCost: Free
Thursday, 04/05/18
Botany Series: Plant TerminologyTaught by the skilled team of Naomi LeBeau (Park Stewardship Restoration Specialist) and Eric Klein (former Park Stewardship Manager), this class will provide an introduction to terminology commonly used in identification of plants with a focus on leaf and flower parts. Illustrated examples and hands-on experience will be emphasized. This ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Donations encouraged
Fire Ecology in CaliforniaThe UC Botanical Garden is pleased to host David Ackerly, PI of the Ackerly Lab at UC Berkeley and a leader of the Berkeley Initiative in Global Change Biology for a talk on fire ecology in California and the Bay Area. As our climate changes and we face more extreme ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: $20 General, $15 Members
Gaia and the Galactic haloIn this talk, the Gaia data is used to study the properties of the Milky Way stellar halo. I will present new constraints on the halo spin, the halo accretion history, measurements of the tangential motion of the largest halo substructures such as the Sgr stream and the Monoceros Ring, ...
Please join us for the CITRIS Silicon Valley Forum, a new monthly series from CITRIS and the Banatao Institute. Our second panel of the Spring 2018 series invites Ken Goldberg, Professor of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research and Juan Aparicio, Head of Research Group Advanced Manufacturing Automation at Siemens to discuss Robots on ...
Speaker: Horst D. Simon, Ph.D., Deputy Laboratory Director for Research and Chief Research Officer, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Where: San JoseCost: Free
Science at AI Speed: Towards a Biomedical Air Traffic Control SystemIt's nice to know what your specific calling is, and to be able to describe it in one short phrase. Mine is: Help scientists do science efficiently. Two years ago, in this very forum, I talked about helping oncologists individualize cancer treatments based upon individual patients' molecular profiles. Back then ...
From Silent Spring to Silent Night: A Tale of Toads and MenDr. Hayes is an advocate for critical review and regulation of pesticides and is best known for his research findings concluding that the herbicide atrazine is an endocrine disruptor that demasculinizes and feminizes male frogs. His findings conclude that herbicides can cause adverse health effects and contribute to health disparities ...
Where: San JoseCost: Free
Fundamental Physics from the Foreground-Obscured Microwave Sky: Inflation, Neutrino Masses, and BeyondThe cosmic microwave background (CMB) remains a key source from which to extract information about fundamental physics, due to its clean, well-understood origin and immense constraining power on many types of new physics. The next decade of CMB observations will yield answers to at least two fundamental questions: (1) did ...
Feeding 7 billion people -- a number likely to grow to 9 billion and perhaps more -- will require smarter agriculture. Knowing where crops grow, and how that’s changing amid global warming, is a crucial first step. Today, dumb technology prevails: on-the-ground surveys, which take too much time, require too ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
A New Era of Open Invovation- CANCELEDToday, more than ever before, a sole approach to R&D has become obsolete. The collision of cyber plus the physical worlds is demanding innovation across a myriad of advanced technologies, from AI to sensors to data analytics. Ideas must stay agile, and organizations need to understand how to see around ...
John Harte investigates the effects of human actions on, and the linkages among, biogeochemical processes, ecosystem structure and function, biodiversity, and climate. His work spans a a range of scales from plot to landscape to global, and involves field investigations, mathematical modeling, and theory development. A long-term climate manipulation experiment ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Astronomy on Tap Santa Cruz - Black HolesJoin us for our inaugural Astronomy on Tap. We will begin mingling on the 2nd floor beginning at 6:00pm. Postdoctoral Scholar and Hubble Fellow Josiah Schwab, and Graduate Student Researcher Namrata Roy will give a joint presentation, "Black Holes!" The event is free of charge and open to all ...
Where: Santa CruzCost: Free
Cafe InquiryMeet up with rationalists, skeptics, and freethinkers south of San Francisco.Cafe Inquiry is a social event hosted by the Center for Inquiry|San Francisco.For more information or if you have questions please email sf@centerforinquiry.net
Evolution is often referred to as “the survival of the fittest.†And being fit can mean being clever, resourceful, or even downright sneaky. Explore the stealthy side of lock picking, card counting, magic tricks, biomimicry, and more.===Sneaky Strategies in Evolutionary Biology With Barry Sinervo |Why do sneaky strategies evolve so readily? ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: 17.95 advance, 19.95 door, AD members free
SpaceAge NightLifeThis week - Journey back in time as NightLife launches its very first Space Month with a celebration of the imagination, culture, and technological advances of the Space Age - from Sputnik to Apollo.Lectures presented by Computer History Museum & B612 Foundation -----> Forty years after its launch in 1977, ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15 General, $12 Members
Exoplanets, Habitability, and the Search for Earth-like PlanetsIn this talk I will discuss the discoveries made by the Kepler Space Telescope that have completely changed the way we look at planets beyond the solar system. While the first planets outside of our solar system were found only 23 years ago, we now know that planets are ubiquitous in the ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Friday, 04/06/18
Contact: Cultures of the Imagniation ConferenceCONTACT 2018 is our 30th conference! Come celebrate with a full line-up of speakers on a broad range of topics.CONTACT has evolved into a premier forum on the future. After 29 years of our multi-disciplinary conferences, CONTACT includes some of the brightest of the new generation at NASA and SETI, ...
Getting the Best of Nanomaterials: Intercalated Graphene/Quantum Dot Hybrid Photodetector: Nano Seminar SeriesRecently, hybrid graphene quantum dot (Gr/QD) systems have emerged as high responsivity photodetectors, taking advantage of the high charge carrier mobility of graphene and the high light absorption of PbS quantum dots. However the performance of this hybrid system is still limited by the charge carrier diffusion length of quantum ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
First Friday Family Night at CuriOdysseyFamilies with small children can swing into the weekend with music, science, food and fun! On the first Friday of every month, from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m., parents and kids celebrate together at CuriOdyssey. Dance to live music including soul, funk and jazz of the 60’s and 70’s. Purchase ...
Where: San MateoCost: $12.50-9.50 / Free with Admission / Members Free
2018 B.A.T.S. Teen Career ConferenceJoin Us for the 2018 Bay Area Teen Science Teen Career Conference on Saturday April 7, 2018 at the San Francisco Zoo & Gardens!All 8th-12th grade Bay Area students are invited to this event which includes:Presentations by Noted Scientists and Engineers Insider Advice on College and Career PrepHands-On Knowledge ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Biodiversity BioblitzCome explore the Modini Mayacamas Preserves with other serious “nature nerds†and experts. Our goal is to add species records each season to the Biodiversity of the Modini Mayacamas on iNaturalist. Each of us tends to spot, and share enthusiasm and knowledge about, species that others rarely notice. Mark your ...
Where: GeyservilleCost: $20 suggested donation
Contact: Cultures of the Imagniation ConferenceCONTACT 2018 is our 30th conference! Come celebrate with a full line-up of speakers on a broad range of topics.CONTACT has evolved into a premier forum on the future. After 29 years of our multi-disciplinary conferences, CONTACT includes some of the brightest of the new generation at NASA and SETI, ...
Where: SunnyvaleCost: $50 - $150
Predictive, Preventive, Personalized Medicine - Spring ConferenceThis conference will expose Stanford students, faculty and local professionals to ideas at the most exciting frontiers of biomedical engineering, and this year, focusing in particular on the application of emerging methods, tools, and policies that are driving the precision health movement. Predictive, preventative, and Personalized Medicine is our conference ...
Where: StanfordCost: $12
“Going Solar†Workshop by a Nonprofit for Those Interested in PV SystemsIf you’re thinking about going solar, or perhaps just curious about it, please join us for this free 1.25-hour workshop. It’ll help you understand the basics of solar photovoltaics (PV), the technology options, the economics, how you tie into the power grid, purchasing tips, etc.The workshop is offered by SunWork ...
Where: Santa ClaraCost: free
CuriOdyssey's 'Bots & Bugs' EventBe amazed and inspired at CuriOdyssey’s “Bots & Bugs†event on April 7-8, 10am-3pm, with an opening night event on April 6, 5-8pm. Kids and their families can interact with robotic creations built by kids and professionals, make and wear technology-inspired art, meet living insects and learn how bugs influence imagination ...
Where: San MateoCost: Included with Admission
Ship Operations in the BayJoin Captain Craig Thomas of Agile Marine as he provides a better understanding of commercial shipping operations and movements in the Bay. The program includes the types of ships, ship construction and layout, commercial considerations, types and locations of terminals in the Bay Area, manning requirements including careers and International, ...
Where: SausalitoCost: Free
Art at Sunset: Family Night Hike & CampfireCreate sunset-inspired works of art! You and your family will hike to a beautiful vista and make gorgeous, two-dimensional art pieces to remember your evening. NatureBridge will provide the art supplies. After the hike, gather around the campfire for skits, songs and S'mores! Recommended for kids in grades 3 - ...
Where: SausalitoCost: $15
Sunday, 04/08/18
Contact: Cultures of the Imagniation ConferenceCONTACT 2018 is our 30th conference! Come celebrate with a full line-up of speakers on a broad range of topics.CONTACT has evolved into a premier forum on the future. After 29 years of our multi-disciplinary conferences, CONTACT includes some of the brightest of the new generation at NASA and SETI, ...
Where: SunnyvaleCost: $50 - $150
CuriOdyssey's 'Bots & Bugs' EventBe amazed and inspired at CuriOdyssey’s “Bots & Bugs†event on April 7-8, 10am-3pm, with an opening night event on April 6, 5-8pm. Kids and their families can interact with robotic creations built by kids and professionals, make and wear technology-inspired art, meet living insects and learn how bugs influence imagination ...
We search for the origins of life on Earth and the potential for life elsewhere, but what are we actually looking for? What is life? Is there only one way to construct a living organism, or are we Earthlings but one possibility out of a multitude?Speaker: Dr. Lynn Rothschild, NASA ...
Where: AlamedaCost: Free
Monday, 04/09/18
Primordial Non-Gaussianities (PNG) and zero bias tracers of the Large Scale StructureThe statistical properties of the primordial curvature perturbations are a key ingredient of the success of the LCDM model in explaining the Universe as we observe it today.In simplest model of inflation initial fluctuations are Gaussian for all practical purposes, and measurements of the CMB bispectrum by the Planck satellite ...
In this talk, I will explore the physics of water blocking in unconventional tight formations. Fracturing is necessary to achieve economical production rates in these formations, but a sizable amount of fracturing fluid is left behind in the formation, potentially inhibiting production. Through experimental results, I will show how this ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Charge order fluctuations in the cuprate superconductor Nd2-xCexCuO4 measured by ultra-high-resolution RIXSCharge order has now been ubiquitously observed in cuprate high-temperature superconductors. However, it remains unclear if the charge order is purely static or whether it also features dynamic correlations. In this talk I will describe a resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) experiment on the electron-doped cuprate Nd2-xCexCuO4 that demonstrates the ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
THE MYSTERIOUS MASS OF THE HIGGS BOSONThe discovery of the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in 2012 triumphantly completed the Standard Model of particle physics and opened the experimental program studying this new particle. At the same time, particle experiments are searching for physics beyond the Standard Model, including an those that explain ...
Where: Rohnert ParkCost: Free
A Neutron Star Merger Seen In Both Gravitational Waves and Light Last August, the discovery of the merger of two neutron stars heralded the first time we have detected both gravitational waves (GW) and light from the same event. Gamma-rays measured only seconds after the GW signal put strong constraints on the speed of gravity. Optical and infrared observations over the ...
In the 21st century, the subsurface environment will be a valuable resource for disposal of greenhouse gases and storage of energy via compressed fluids. Reliable development of these technologies will rely on our ability to predictably describe fluid flow in porous and fractured media, and its evolution in response to ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Why Algorithmic Systems Possess No UnderstandingMany examples of highly effective algorithmic systems, such as AI devices, have been constructed in recent years. We have computer-controlled machines like self-driving cars and algorithmic systems that play chess and GO at levels that can out-perform even the best of human players. But do such devices actually “understand†what ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Meet the Neighbors: Searching for Nearby Planets with the Transiting Exoplanet Survey SatelliteThe NASA Kepler mission revealed that our Galaxy is teeming with planetary systems and that Earth-sized planets are common, but most of the planets detected by Kepler orbit stars that are too faint to permit detailed study. Excitingly, the NASA Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) is scheduled to launch this ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15 General, $12 Members
taste of science: Machining our GenesBenificial Uses for VirusesViruses are nature's way of doing more with less. They're crafty, highly engineerable, infectious parasites with properties that make them ideal drug delivery tools for the clinic. Come hear about different ways viruses can be used to deliver genetic medicines that not only treat, but have begun ...
Soil Health Series: Drought, Climate Change, & SoilsCalifornia's drought discussions have been dominated by media attention and public discourse about the supply of water while the impact on soil resources has been largely ignored. Hear Stephen Andrews (UC Berkeley Professor specializing in soils) discuss climate change and drought through a soils lens, and learn how soil depletion ...
taste of science: The Science of MagicWith a deft sleight of hand or a mind-boggling trick, magicians have enthralled and captivated audiences over the centuries. What is really going on that tricks your mind into seeing something appear out of nothing or vanish into thin air? Are there limitations of our brain that magicians are using ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $8 Advance, $15 at door
Diabetic Eye DiseaseDiabetic eye disease is a group of eye conditions that can affect people with diabetes. Early detection, timely treatment, and appropriate follow-up care of diabetic eye disease can protect against vision loss. This lecture will include discussion about the risks of these conditions, prevention and treatment.Speaker: Diana Do, MD, Stanford
7:00-7:25: Carrie Hott(Media Artist) on "Nets for the Unweighable: a Brief History of Nets"From the earliest known nets to the development of the electric grid...Read more7:25-7:50: Blair Kaneshiro(Stanford CCRMA) on "Musical Engagement through Discovery"Salient musical events drive an increase in queries during a song...Read more7:50-8:10: BREAK. Before ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Crafting a New Natural History for the PresidioOur final spring Bay Currents talk brings the fascinating story of bringing back nature while honoring history in San Francisco's Presidio -- a fort since 1776. Michael Boland, Chief of Park Development and Operations, regates us with tales of "reconciliation biology" -- re-creating dunes and marshes, freeing a creek buried ...
