Restoring San Francisco's Rare ManzanitasSan Francisco hosts two of the rarest manzanitas in the world: Raven's Manzanita (Arctostaphylos montana subsp. ravenii) and Franciscan Manzanita (Arctostaphylos franciscana). These endangered species grew together in a distinct maritime chaparral habitat that once covered the serpentine hilltops of San Francisco. Their story is one of discovery, loss, salvage, ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: $20 General, $15 Members, Free UCBstaff & students
The freest of lunches: Using out-of-domain data to boost oceanographic image classificationOver the past decade, the biological oceanographic community has increasingly relied on in situ digital imaging to sample the denizens of the sea. These data sets have grown intractably large, requiring countless hours of human labor for analysis. Oceanographers have begun to leverage advances in machine learning to automate the ...
Where: Moss LandingCost: Free
Lab and Lunch: Conserving the CanopyJoin forest ecologist Nalini Nadkarni to hear how she brings her research on the science of forest canopies to churches, poetry slams, and prisons. She hopes to both learn from these audiences and inspire them to care more about science, trees, and nature. “Part of the scientific enterprise is to disseminate ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free - Registration required
Medicine in the Digital Age Healthcare has entered the digital age. You can track your heart rate with wearable devices like Fitbit or Motiv. Smartphones send patients reminders to take their medication. And according to the CDC, 86.9% of office-based physicians are using electronic health records. However, many medical professionals and technologists alike believe tech ...
Rescheduled to May 16 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
2001: A Space Odyssey at 50. HAL's Legacy: 2001's Computer as Dream and RealityAlong with celebrating 50 years of software engineering, we can also celebrate the premiere of one of the most famous science fiction movies in history, 2001: A Space Odyssey. One of the central characters in the movie was the supercomputer HAL, the most powerful computer imagined at that time. Possessed knowledge superior to that of a human, HAL controlled the spaceship, found solutions to the most complex problems, played chess with the astronauts, and served them continuously. Then something went wrong. Why? ...
Where: Menlo ParkCost: Free
Thursday, 05/24/18
'Bright Spots & Landmines': The Diabetes Guide I Wish Someone Had Handed MeAuthor Adam Brown will discuss some of the subjects he covers in his diabetes handbook. Bright Spots & Landmines focuses on food, mindset, exercise, and sleep strategies. It includes: what to eat to minimize blood sugar swings; helpful strategies to feel less stressed, guilty, and not burned out; and simple ways to ...
Where: Palo AltoCost: Free
After Dark: SoundJoin Exploratorium scientist Ron Hipschman for colorful explorations of the physical world.What is sound? How high a pitch can you hear? Can you measure the speed of sound with a yardstick? Can two sounds add up to no sound? Explore these questions and more in this resonant presentation.Part of After ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free with After Dark Admission
Bones NightLifeTonight we pay tribute to Ray “Bones†Bandar, long-time friend of the Academy and legendary collector, with close-up views into his world-renowned bone collection.During his lifetime, he collected over 7,000 specimens - most of them skulls - which will now join the Academy’s scientific collections. Make no bones about it, ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15 General, $12 Members
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!
A cohort of basic technologies appears frequently in ancient meteorological explanations, whether in the theories of the Presocratic physikoi and Aristotle, or in the later accounts of Lucretius and Seneca. Wine skins pop, iron rods hiss and mirrors reflect. Canvas flaps, pipes burst and lead bullets melt. This talk looks ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
eSports Extravaganza featuring the San Francisco Shock & Sansar Esports and virtual reality are two of the fastest growing industries in tech. What is possible when they collide? Join us on May 25th as we engage in a discussion on the intersection of these two fields. Speakers will provide an overview of the current state of Esports and ...
Where: Mountain ViewCost: Free
To Grow or not to grow: How cells balance growth in healthy bodies and how cancer tips the scaleEach cell in our body is constantly making decisions. One of those decisions is the choice of whether to grow and divide, a choice that depends on both the cell’s ability to sense the availability of nutrients in its immediate environment as well as the presence of long-range hormonal signals ...
Where: EmeryvilleCost: Free
Saturday, 05/26/18
Geology of the Mayacamas Learn some of the local and regional geology on a field excursion up Pine Flat Road with Iain Jamieson, a retired geologist who worked at the Geysers in the 1970’s. Iain is now a Bouverie Preserve docent, which has expanded his interest in nature. Be prepared for a drive with ...
Where: GeyservilleCost: $20 suggested donation
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: Water WildWe're making a splash during this last Science Saturday of the school year, as we dive into the wonderful world of water. What is a watershed? Where can you find a steelhead? Find out while we explore all-things aquatic while completing a craft, activities, and more.
Marine Science Sunday: Back from the Brink - Saving SpeciesThis month we celebrate the work taking place to help save endangered and threatened marine mammals found along the California coast and Pacific Ocean, including the threatened Guadalupe fur seals, Southern sea otter, the rarest seal in the United States, the Hawaiian monk seal. Docent-led tours will take you around the ...
Where: SausalitoCost: Free
Full-Spectrum Science with Ron Hipschman: SoundWhat is sound? How high a pitch can you hear? Can you measure the speed of sound with a yardstick? Can two sounds add up to no sound? Explore these questions and more in this resonant presentation.Presentations at 1:00 and 3:00.
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free with Admission to the Exploratorium
Quantum physics describes the realm of the very smallwith exquisite accuracy. However, quantum experiments can give such strange results that physicists often need to assume disparate "interpretations" of quantum physics in order to make sense of what they observe.Amid this quantum uncertainty, it’s become fashionable for the names of everyday ...
Where: NovatoCost: Free
Monday, 05/28/18
Nerd Nite East Bay #64The California Field AtlasThe #1 best-selling California Field Atlas from Obi Kaufmann blends science and art to guide readers outside normal conceptions of California. Learn about the grand scale of natural systems like tectonic plates and watersheds and the small scale details of wildflower gardens that combine to make up ...
Where: OaklandCost: $8 Advance, $10 at door
Tuesday, 05/29/18
The Mesozoic-Cenozoic sedimentary record of Andean mountain buildingAccurate reconstructions of the Andes are fundamental to understanding the geodynamics of subduction-related mountain building along convergent plate boundaries and the climatic and biological evolution of South America. Andean sedimentary basins evolved in diverse structural settings, with retroarc crustal shortening, flexure, and rapid accumulation in long-lived foreland and hinterland basins, ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Climate Winners and LosersThe new climate reality means that even those living on a hill will be affected by flooding in the valley, and those living in Northern states will be affected by droughts in the South. But as the corn belt moves to higher latitudes and new industries emerge, there will be, ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, $12 Members, $7 Students
Kame Richards Tides and Currents TalkRacers, cruisers, power boats, kayaks, and swimmers will see and learn how the tide currents move on San Francisco Bay. For information and reservations, contact Jim Tantillo at 707.759.2045 or jimtantillo@comcast.net. This usually sells out, so don't delay!
Where: SausalitoCost: $15 cash only
The New Grid: 100% Clean Energy for AllThe grid that transmits our electrical power needs a radical transformation. The structure of the grid has not changed fundamentally since its creation a century ago. But today’s grid faces new challenges: Clean energy sources like solar and wind are feeding more power into the grid, replacing centralized fossil fuel plants ...
Where: Menlo ParkCost: 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 ...
Where: SausalitoCost: Free
The Opioid CrisisCity Arts & Lectures Conversations on Science SeriesDr. Carl Hart is the Chair of the Department of Psychology at Columbia University and the Dirk Ziff Professor of Psychology in the Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry. Professor Hart has published numerous scientific and popular articles in the area of neuropsychopharmacology and is ...
