Aero Workshop: HelicoptersPut 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
The Leonardo ConveningThe Leonardo Convening is the culminating event of our 50th anniversary. The event’s aim is to initiate a challenging, vital network-wide experience. The event is designed to bring together attendees from diverse disciplines and experiences. We want this event not only to celebrate 50 years of building our network but ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: 215
Monday, 11/05/18
New Directions in Galaxy Formation and Cosmology Following the First High-z 21-cm DetectionOn March 1st, the EDGES collaboration reported the detection of a sharp absorption signal in the all-sky radio spectrum at ~80 MHz. This frequency is roughly consistent with early theoretical predictions for the global 21-cm signal, a sky-averaged spectral signature of neutral hydrogen atoms in the intergalactic medium before cosmic ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Neutrino Torquing We show how galaxy spin alignment directly measures the initial tidal field, thus doubling the information content of galaxy surveys. The initial density field can be recovered to $ksim 1$ using spin alignment and non-linear galaxy displacement reconstruction, separately. By measuring two scalar fields, we measure the gravitational field of ...
Increased demands of high energy density, long lasting batteries, low cost and safe batteries for applications in consumer electronics, electric vehicle and grid with renewable energy integration present great opportunities and challenges to the society. This seminar will review the status of existing battery technology and present the challenges, opportunities ...
'Nature in the City' MapThe program will begin with an introduction to the map and a pop-up exhibit. The Nature in the City map may just be the first of its kind. A collaboration among artists, scientists, mapmakers, and more, it seeks to express the built world of San Francisco within the larger, older, unfolding, ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Revolutionary Materials Path for Computing beyond CMOS TransistorsComputing is at a momentous point as devices approach the 10 nm dimensions even as new breakthrough AI/QC architectures evolve. In this talk, I will outline the framework that combines the energy/dimension scaling (Moore’s law), computer error rates (Shannon computing) and modern AI architectures. I also outline how the next ...
People and Robots SeminarThe promise of driverless vehicles to transform the urban mobility experience is contingent on them behaving well within the human driving and pedestrian ecosystem. Driverless vehicles must behave in a socially acceptable manner. This talk will unpack what this means and explore how the technologies for achieving this.Speaker: Liam Pedersen, ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Sketching Big DataA "sketch" is a data structure supporting some pre-specified set of queries and updates to a database while consuming space substantially (often exponentially) less than the information theoretic minimum required to store everything seen, and thus can also be seen as some form of functional compression. The advantages of sketching ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
THE PHYSICS OF 2-D MATERIALSDr. Jairo Velasco of UC Santa Cruz, a recent recipient of the NSF CAREER Award, presents his research on the characterization and control of Dirac fermions within nanoscale p-n junctions.
Digitalization, data sets, computing, technology, analytics are all rapidly advancing. Our energy analytics approach and collective tool kit of models and capabilities has advanced considerably over the past decades.  Today, we are at yet another precipice of change, with exponential increases in data availability, advanced analytics (including AI/ML/NNs), and scalable ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Toy Models‛Toys’ here have a special sense: objects from daily life which you can find or make in minutes, yet which, if played with imaginatively, reveal behaviors that puzzle good physicists for a while. (In particular, if you can buy one from a toy store, it's almost certainly not a ‛toy’ ...
Where: Menlo ParkCost: Free
Light of the Stars: Alien Worlds and the Fate of the EarthOur Earth is just one of ten billion trillion planets in the Universe. Using the latest science, in this talk we'll see that we’re likely not the first time a technological civilization has emerged from planetary evolution. More important, all those other worlds and other possibilities have a lesson to ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15 General, $12 Members and Seniors
How Do We Become “Robot Proof†in Our Professional Lives? How Will AI Put Humanity Back to Work?In this talk, Vivienne Ming will address the challenge that technology is changing faster than culture, and many of the jobs available today will soon be radically de-professionalized by automation and AI. How can society adapt to this change? How do professionals maintain their value in this ever-developing technological climate?Speaker: ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Tuesday, 11/06/18
Two KIPAC Tea TalksTBASpeaker: Vera Gluscevic, Institute for Advanced StudiesThe GRB-170817A afterglow: simulations, light curves, and radio imagesSpeaker: Jonathan Zrake, Columbia
A Perturbative Treatment of Intrinsic Alignments Intrinsic alignments (IA), correlations between the intrinsic shapes and orientations of galaxies on the sky, are both a significant systematic in weak lensing and a probe of the effect of large-scale structure on galactic structure and angular momentum. In the era of precision cosmology, it is thus especially important to ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
IndieBio Demo DayIndieBio, an SOSV accelerator, is the world’s leading seed-stage biotech accelerator. At IndieBio, we are devoted to building startups dedicated to solving humanity’s most pressing problems with life itself. Our 4-month program includes $250K funding, lab space, and mentorship to foster the next generation of biotech entrepreneurs.Come see the culmination of IndieBio's ...
Throughout history medicinal molecules have changed the path of human societies. The foundational art and science of synthetic chemistry powers modern strategies for the discovery and development of new medicinal compounds. This seminar will explore the interplay between target molecules, molecular design, synthetic strategy, and reaction discovery in the context ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Tales from the front lines of wrangling earth science dataBuilding the data capabilities and products needed to help enable understanding of watershed dynamics, tropical forests, carbon flux, and soil carbon. are just a few of the areas where we are working. This talk will describe the role inter-disciplinary data science is playing in helping to address these challenges. Many ...
The Miracles of MicrosurgeryThe concept of microsurgery is fairly new in the history of surgery. Microsurgery is a technique that allows the surgeon to repair one millimeter blood vessels and nerves using an operating room microscope and suture finer than the human hair. In the mid-1960s, Gregory Buncke’s father, Harry Buncke, M.D., recognized ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, $10 Members, $8 Students
Mini-Med School: Snoring and Sleep Apnea: What is it and how do I stop?We all have concerns about our health, but when should we ignore them and keep fingers crossed, and when should we see the doctor? With the internet a part of our daily life, does ready access to information ameliorate or amplify these concerns? We have assembled a group of leaders ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15, students free with ID
Join us at the San Mateo Public Library for an informative talk with Stanford neurologist and sleep expert, Dr. Clete Kushida. Learn how to optimize your sleep & recognize serious sleep problems. Dr. Kushida is is a neurologist who specializes in the diagnosis and management of sleep related breathing disorders ...
Where: San MateoCost: Free
San Francisco Orchid Society MeetingSkills Session: begins at 7:00pGeneral Meeting: begins at 7:30pmSkills Session: hands-on demonstrations of re-potting or other skills related to growing orchidsSpeaker: Every month we have a different guest lecturer - see our website for more info (http://www.orchidsanfrancisco.org)Plant Opportunity Table: A variety of orchids are available to all attendees at each ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Odd Salon: UnknownJoin us for stories of unsolved phenomena and secret histories, unanswered questions, uncharted territory, and enduring enigmas of science
Clarity and Transparency for MPAsSpeaker:Â The Honorable Dr. Jane Lubchenco, Distinguished University Professor and Marine Studies Advisor to the President, Oregon State University
The characteristic variability of coastal carbonate chemistry continues to provide significant hurdles for understanding coastal acidification dynamics. This talk addresses natural and anthropogenic carbon cycling interactions on diel, seasonal, and decadal time scales to estimate current and future acidification trajectories in estuary habitats typical of the northern California Current. Our ...
This paper investigates the role of income-driven differences in consumption patterns in explaining and projecting energy demand and CO2 emissions. We develop and estimate a general equilibrium model with non-homothetic preferences across a large set of countries and sectors, and trace embodied energy consumption through intermediate use and trade linkages. ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
The Political Economy of Shifting Renewable Energy Targets: A Global PerspectiveIn order to incentivize renewables, governments often utilize the setting of targets as a clear expression of policy priority. By 2015, 173 countries had adopted at least one type of renewable energy target. While the design of targets may vary, representing various levels of ambition and commitment, they ultimately aim ...
Can the culture of STEM help reproduce inequality?The professional cultures of STEM, which give each discipline its particular “feel†and unite discipline members under a taken-for-granted system of meanings and values, are not benign. Drawing from several NSF-funded survey and interview-based studies, I argue that these professional cultures can have ...
Join us for a conversation with Emily Melton, partner at Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ). Melton began her career in entrepreneurship at DFJ, where she spent eight years building her skillset investing in companies like Meebo, Kudo and Flux. She worked at the Mayfield Fund for a just over a year, ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, $10 Members, $8 Students
Illuminating Biology at the Nanoscale and Systems Scale by ImagingAs a fundamental unit of life, a cell is comprised of numerous different types of molecules that form intricate interaction networks, which function collectively to give the cell its life. Dissecting the inner workings of a cell thus requires imaging methods with molecular specificity, molecular-scale resolution, and dynamic imaging capability ...
Can we use the ocean without using it up? The task is daunting given current trajectories in fisheries, plastics and other pollutants, and the increasingly serious impacts of climate change and ocean acidification. However, new scientific insights, tools, and partnerships are providing hope that it is not too late to ...
Where: TiburonCost: Free
IMPACT Speaker Series - Taking Flight with California CondorsRachel Westenholme, Condor Program Manager in Pinnacles National Park will be detailing the current efforts to save California Condors.After suffering dramatic declines and dropping to just 22 individuals by the 1980s, critically endangered California condors were raised in zoos and their reintroduction back in to the wild began in the ...
Where: OaklandCost:
Hardcore Natural History: Eucalyptus: Controversial and MisunderstoodTasmanian blue gum Eucalyptus has become a prominent feature of the California landscape since it "migrated" here in the mid-19th century. Join us and sponsor Wrath Winery to discuss the history, ecology, and human impacts of Eucalyptus in California with amateur naturalist Rick Van Stolk. Rick has almost a half ...
Where: Pacific GroveCost:
The Politics and Environment at the U.S. - Mexico borderBorders create separations but they are also meeting points, as well as frontiers where new experiments in bilateral cooperation are tested. This talk will use the US--Mexico border to explore the overlaps between migration and environmental issues. As it slices between nations, a border wall would block animal migration corridors ...
The Search for Axion Dark MatterDark matter is the dominant source of matter in our Universe. However, while dark matter dictates the evolution of large-scale astrophysical systems through its gravitational effects, the particle nature of dark matter is unknown. This is despite the significant effort that has gone into the search for particle dark matter ...
Assembling our GalaxyI will review ongoing work aimed at understanding when and how the major structural components of our Galaxy came into place. The combination of Gaia DR2 and spectroscopic data has revealed that the stellar halo contains a remarkable degree of structure, and appears to have formed partially by dynamical processes ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Monte Carlo Methods for Nanoscale FlowsThe Direct Simulation Monte Carlo method (DSMC) has long been the approach of choice for simulating these flows. In this talk we will begin with a brief introduction to rarefied gas flows, including discussion of the governing Boltzmann equation, and an outline of the DSMC method. We then discuss several ...
Where: San JoseCost: Free
After Dark: Curious ContraptionsCelebrate the opening of Curious Contraptions, a temporary exhibition where whimsical machines are brought to life by intricate arrangements of handmade cams, cranks, and other simple mechanisms. Admire unique as well as familiar contraptions.
Where: San FranciscoCost: $17.95 advance, $19.95 at the door
Migration NightlifeIt’s time to fly south with NightLife as we explore the patterns of migration in the natural world, from birds and butterflies to whales and humans.Learn about the seasonal routes of marine mammals and seabirds frequently spotted along the California coast with scientists from Point Blue Conservation Science, which helps ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15 General, $12 Members
Water and California: The Pivotal Role of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, a venue about 60 miles from Berkeley, is the conduit for much of the water transferred through the state.Today it is a disturbed, vulnerable and artificially-created landscape. It is an important part of California as it is home to productive agriculture and battleground for many environmental ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
SciComm Studio 013: Can Science Save Democracy?“The most important political problems of the 21st century are also scientific problems. If you don’t bridge the gap between science and the public, you can’t really understand what’s happening in the world.†- Yuval Noah HarariAs the pace of scientific innovation accelerates faster than the public can make sense ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Mini-Med School: The Internal Studio Model: Project by Project Human Centered Innovation UCSF has a long history of pioneering innovation and advancing its bold vision for health worldwide. Whether it’s a new drug molecule, medical device, digital health application, or care process, our goal is to ensure that innovation reaches our patients and benefits patient care. UCSF leaders in innovation--representing a wide ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15, students free with ID
Thousands of planets have been found circling stars other than our own in the last few decades! Come and learn about some of the underlying physics of planet hunting, as well as learn to focus your skeptical lenses to cut through to the truth for a variety of different planetary ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free as a public service by the Bay Area Skeptics
Friday, 11/09/18
Introduction to Garden MaintenanceLearn gardening techniques to help care for your landscape, maintain aesthetic and keep it looking fresh! Desmond Murray (Presidio Seed Specialist & Longtime Bay Area Gardener) and Kaiya Giuliano (Intern at Presidio Nursery)will emphasize natural pruning techniques, fertilizing, pest care, and water management for California native plants. Tools and gloves ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Donations encouraged
Two KIPAC Tea TalksCharacterization of the LSST CameraSpeaker: Bela Abolfathi, UC IrvineA Perturbative Treatment of Galaxy Intrinsic AlignmentsSpeaker: Denise Schmitz, Caltech
Where: Menlo ParkCost: Free
Making neural net classifiers more robust and explainable: Lessons from Adversarial AI As deep neural nets achieve ever greater successes, efforts to break them and learn about their failure modes are also ramping up. Security experts and malicious actors are interested in weaknesses per se, and we scientists are more interested in what we can learn about robustness to inputs somewhat different ...
'Nano' Implies Nonlinear DynamicsOne thing that we who have worked in the nano area for the past 20 years keep claiming is that new properties and opportunities arise from materials crafted at the nanometer scale. One of the major changes is that the response of materials to stimuli becomes increasingly nonlinear, and that ...
Green FridayThe Green Friday presentation for November will be by staff for East Bay Community Energy (EBCE), the new local electricity supplier in Alameda County. EBCE will provide cleaner, greener energy at lower rates to customers. EBCE is a not-for-profit public agency formed by the County of Alameda and 11 of ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: $3 donation requested
HISTORY OF TELESCOPES - the Modern EraReflecting telescopes ultimately predominated at professional observatories in the aftermath of the enormous success of this type of instrument at Mt. Wilson. This was followed by the epic construction of the 5 meter telescope for Mt. Palomar which was to remain the world’s largest for a generation. A spate of ...
