The private life of lipid membranes in model organisms Organisms have evolved a tremendous diversity of different lipid molecules that they utilize to construct their membranes. Lipids control the physical properties of membranes, such as their viscosity, bending modulus, or ability to phase separate. Organisms ranging from bacteria to deep sea animals regulate lipid biosynthesis in order to maintain ...
Tissue Inspired Hydrogel DesignImproved in vitro models are needed to better understand cancer progression and bridge the gap between in vitro proof-of-concept studies, in vivo validation, and clinical application. Many methods exist to create biomaterial platforms, including hydrogels, which we use to study cells in contexts more akin to what they experience in ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
CO2 Plume Migration and Dissolution in Layered ReservoirsIn carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) projects, the presence of layered permeability heterogeneity can strongly affect the migration of the supercritical CO2 plume and CO2 dissolution. By conducting a systematic study of plume migration in layered reservoirs with a  wide range of permeability contrast between the layers, we show that the relationship ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Roberto Carlino and the TESSCome join us on for an exciting guest speaker from NASA Ames Research Center! Roberto Carlino will be conducting a technical talk about MIT's replacement for the Kepler Telescope, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), which will increase the amount of sky analyzed by the Kelper Telescope by 350x! This ...
Speaker: Catherine de Rivera is a professor of Environmental Science in the Department of Environmental Science and Management, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Portland State University.
 Join us for a conversation with Dan Widmaier, co-founder and CEO at Bolt Threads, a biotech startup that produces biofabricated silk fibers based on proteins found in nature. With experience in both business development and science, Widmaier uses expertise in biology to lead Bolt Threads through tech development and financing. ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Conversations About Landscape: Artistic Practice Toward Urban ResilienceWhat happens when two artists team up with two scientists to engage the public with the slow-moving disaster of climate change?Composer Byron Au Yong and architect/designer Sara Dean spent a year embedded with environmental engineer Mark Stacey and environmental policy expert Mark Lubell. The researchers are part of a project ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free (advance registration required)
Where: OrindaCost: $5 General, $1 students & K-12 Teachers
Do we inherit experiences? Lessons in epigenetic inheritance (gene expression)The nature of inheritance has inspired debate since ancient times. How are traits inherited from one generation to the next? Can acquired traits or experiences be passed on? The field of genetics points to the genes encoded in our DNA. But we now know that there are mechanisms outside of ...
Where: Santa CruzCost: Free
Nerd Night SF #102: Animal Encounters, the Albany Bulb, and Cosmic Elements!Get wild, get creative, and get cosmic, as we throw out the rule book and host our monthly gathering of the gray matter on the fourth Wednesday instead of on the third! We’ll look big in the urban-wildland interface with a journalist who knows when to run and when to ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $8
taste of science: Big Data and DiabetesHow Big Data can Inform Effective Treatments in DiabetesIt's been said that big data is new oil, tofu etc. In this talk, we'll interact over pint(s) to understand how big data in healthcare can be utilized to investigate the effectiveness of treatments in Type-2 Diabetes. We'll discuss the oppurtunities, challenges ...
Speaker: Braven Panel on Leadership and Career AcceleratorThis event will be rescheduled during the spring semester.
Where: San JoseCost: Free
Gaia: mission status and results from the second data releaseI will present the Gaia mission status, the plans for an extended mission, and a summary of the contents planned for future Gaia data releases. This is complemented by highlights from the science harvested from Gaia DR2.6 C (2SD). We discuss whether our data support current carbonaceous parent body models.Speaker: ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
The Brayton BatteryProf. Robert B. Laughlin, the Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor in the School of Huamnities and Sciences, will give a special colloquium.
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Mind Over Chatter: Exploring Climate PsychologyHuman psychology is one of the biggest obstacles to greater understanding and action on climate. Perhaps the climate issue is too closely associated with the faces of polar bears rather than humans when climate is a profoundly human story. It touches on our deepest fears and desires, whether we recognize ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, $12 Members, $7 Students
After dark: WhalesHere in the Bay Area, we are neighbors to a variety of giant marine mammals. Just before gray whales appear traveling south, join us for an evening on all things cetacean - including our shared history.
Where: San FranciscoCost: $17.95 advance, $19.95 at the door
The Least Bell's Vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus) is a songbird that is endangered in CaliforniaWhat type of research is the USGS doing to help understand the threats these and other birds face?How has our research during the last 30 years given us optimism of what is in store for their ...
Where: Menlo ParkCost: Free
Wonderfest: Boiling Universe; Dark MatterWonderfest Science Envoysare early-career researchers with special communication skills and aspirations. Following short talks on provocative modern science topics, these two Science Envoys will answer questions with insight and enthusiasm:UC Berkeley astronomer Deepthi Gorthi on "The Cold Boiling Universe" - How, when, and why was the entire cosmos "boiling" not ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Friday, 11/30/18
Gravitational lensing of line intensity mapsGravitational lensing of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) has emerged as a powerful cosmological probe, made possible by the development and characterization of nearly-optimal estimators for extracting the lensing signal from temperature and polarization maps. One can ask whether similar tools can be applied to upcoming "intensity maps" of emission ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Opportunities and challenges of fiber-optic seismology for permanent monitoring of subsurface processesContinuous seismic monitoring can be a crucial tool to provide early warning of potentially hazardous conditions developing in the subsurface, as well as monitoring the flow of natural resources such as water and hydrocarbons. However, the cost of continuous monitoring is a significant obstacle to its widespread application. Distributed Acoustic ...
Where: Santa CruzCost: Free
Using Topology to Engineer the Electronic Structure of Bottom-Up Synthesized Graphene NanoribbonsThe idea of classifying materials by their topological properties is useful for predicting their behavior, especially at interfaces between insulators. When a topologically nontrivial insulator (often referred to as a topological insulator) is fused to a topologically trivial insulator then metallic states arise at the interface between them. This concept ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Digital Liberation: Human Rights in the Age of AIArtificial intelligence is shifting our understanding of human rights like no other technology. Simultaneously regarded as the 21st century’s biggest hope and most dire threat coming from the tech world, AI has sparked considerable debates on ethics and policy within companies, governments, and international organizations.To celebrate the 70th anniversary of ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $10 advance, $15 at door
Sunday, 12/02/18
Science Film Festival: 'Jurassic Park'The classic film captured the imagination of young and old alike, with its groundbreaking visual representation of dinosaurs. Incredible advancements in science, according to the film, have enabled scientists to create an island full of living dinosaurs. What happens when the scientists lose control of their own creations.Speaker: Lee Bishop, ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: See weblink
Exploring the Final Frontier with the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST)Phil Marshall, Ph.D. is one of many scientists and engineers getting ready to operate the LSST, a big new survey telescope being built in Chile that will use the world's biggest digital camera, currently under construction at SLAC, the national lab down at Stanford University. This remarkable new machine will ...
Where: San FranciscoCost:
Wonderfest: Extreme Life of the SeaSome of Earth's most marvelous - and most alien - lifeforms reside in the ocean, where overfishing and climate change pose huge challenges. Marine scientist Dr. Stephen Palumbi will share deep insights and unforgettable stories about fragile aquatic ecosystems - from the icy arctic to boiling hydrothermal vents and on ...
Where: AlamedaCost: Free
Monday, 12/03/18
4th International Conference on Drug Discovery Development and Lead OptimizationThis conference will be a valuable and important platform for inspiring international and interdisciplinary exchange at the forefront of drug research. Over the course of 3 days, internationally-renowned speakers will describe how their research journey have developed in response to contemporary challenges: inspirational and innovative lessons in drug research. The ...
As we are in the business of making molecules, forming and breaking bonds are like two sides of the same coin: the construction of molecules with the desired architecture necessitates the ability to break specific bonds at will. We aim to break stable carbonâ€"carbon bonds in order to create new ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Gravitational lensing of line intensity mapsGravitational lensing of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) has emerged as a powerful cosmological probe, made possible by the development and characterization of nearly-optimal estimators for extracting the lensing signal from temperature and polarization maps. One can ask whether similar tools can be applied to upcoming "intensity maps" of emission ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
People and Robots SeminarNew advances in parallel real-time scheduling theory and concurrency platforms are enabling a new generation of cyber-physical systems, which can support a challenging combination of (1) significant computational demands, (2) stringent timing constraints, and (3) dynamic and substantial changes in how resources are allocated, at run-time. This talk will describe ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Lessons on Super-Eddington Accretion Learned from Tidal Disruption Events In a tidal disruption event (TDE), a star approaches very close to a supermassive black hole and is therefore torn apart by the overpowering tidal force. Stellar debris is then fed to the black hole at a rate largely exceeding the Eddington accretion rate. Therefore, TDEs provide a unique opportunity ...
The 25th anniversary of the commercialization of lithium-ion batteries marks their wide-spread use in handheld consumer electronics and coincides with a period of intense efforts for powering electric vehicles. Managing the potent brew of lithium ions in the large quantities necessary for vehicle propulsion is anything but straightforward. From spacecraft ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Machine Learning and Empiricism from the Lens of Silicon ValleyI look at how and where machine learning is deployed in practice, pulling lessons and anecdotes from academia, venture capital, and various industries. Central to this is a working thesis around "radical empiricism" which seeks to analyze the evolving duality between machine learning and epistemology. I point this lens across ...
The Stanford Institute for Theoretical Physics (SITP) Monday Colloquium will be given by Professor Greg Moore of Rutgers University.
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Perovskite Chalcogenides: New Semiconductors for Visible to Infrared OptoelectronicsPerovskite Chalcogenides are a new class of semiconductors, which have tunable band gap in the visible to infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Besides this band gap tunability, they offer a unique opportunity to realize large density of states semiconductors with high carrier mobility. In this talk, I will discuss ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Proper use of (Gaia) astrometric dataThis talk is aimed at providing guidance on the use of Gaia astrometric data, following the paper by Luri et al. (arXiv:1804.09376). In addition a subset of the material in the slideset by Lindegren et al.(https://www.cosmos.esa.int/documents/29201/1770596/Lindegren_GaiaDR2_Astrometry_extended.pdf/1ebddb25-f010-6437-cb14-0e360e2d9f09) will be presented, focusing on systematic and correlated uncertainties in the Gaia catalogue.Speaker: Anthony ...
In this talk I will review the research on the benefits of diversity for innovation, and unpack the critical factors that teams should consider when seeking to leverage the benefits of diversity for innovation. Participants will leave the session with research-based actions to further inclusion and innovation on their teams.
Where: Menlo ParkCost: Free
People and Robots SeminarAutonomous systems, such as self-driving cars, are becoming tangible technologies that will soon impact the human experience. However, the desirable impacts of autonomy are only achievable if the underlying algorithms can handle the unique challenges humans present: People tend to defy expected behaviors and do not conform to many of ...
Eric leads a team of 80+ Data Scientists who are altering fashion retailing through data science. His team is responsible for an extensive collection of algorithms that are applied to nearly every function of the company: merchandising, inventory, marketing, forecasting & demand, operations, and the styling recommender system.
Where: StanfordCost: Free
The History and Science of Paper in Manuscripts of Central AsiaManuscripts from the Silk Road have been used as a key source in the study of religions, literature, and the cultural history of Central Asia. However, they have hardly ever been viewed as artifacts in their own right. As one of the most important physical features of a manuscript, paper ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Training for field collection of mushrooms in Alameda CountyThis event is a training session for field collection and preservation of mushrooms in Alameda County. Citizen Scientists are needed to gather and process mushrooms for long-term storage in study collections. When training is completed participants will be invited for forays to gather mushrooms of all shapes and sizes. Volunteers ...
Journeys to the Moon with NASAAs NASA, the nation, and the world prepare to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first human landing on the Moon, we will examine NASA's missions of lunar exploration. We will review the missions that led to Apollo as well as the six individual Apollo ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15 General, $12 Members & Seniors
Tuesday, 12/04/18
4th International Conference on Drug Discovery Development and Lead OptimizationThis conference will be a valuable and important platform for inspiring international and interdisciplinary exchange at the forefront of drug research. Over the course of 3 days, internationally-renowned speakers will describe how their research journey have developed in response to contemporary challenges: inspirational and innovative lessons in drug research. The ...
Gaia Science ResultsI will present the Gaia mission status, the plans for an extended mission, and a summary of the contents planned for future Gaia data releases. This is complemented by highlights from the science harvested from Gaia DR2.Speaker: Anthony Brown, Leiden Univ.
People and Robots SeminarAutomated driving is breaking new ground where "smart", connected and eventually collaborating machines are deployed for increasingly complex tasks in unstructured environments. This provides a wonderful stage with numerous opportunities and challenges, especially considering the societal impact and broad variety of applications, from automated machines in mines to SAE level ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Maps of a rising water table: The hidden component of sea level riseMap-based data viewers have been available for several years that reveal where coastal flooding is likely to occur as oceans warm and ice sheets melt. Recently, geologists have begun to study the influence of sea level rise on groundwater, and have concluded that in some coastal areas, as much or ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Blitzscaling: The Lightning-Fast Path to Building Massively Valuable Companies For most of the world, the terms "Silicon Valley" and "startup" are synonymous. Indeed, Silicon Valley is home to a disproportionate number of companies that have grown from garage startups into global giants. But what is the secret to these startups' extraordinary success? Contrary to the popular narrative, it's not ...
What do Uber, Airbus, Larry Page, Amazon, Chipotle’s, UPS and Domino’s all have in common? They are planning on air taxis, flying cars, flying burritos, and drone deliveries landing and taking off at a place near you in the next few years … and they are committing hundreds of millions ...
Where: Santa ClaraCost: $9 adv/$10 door general; $4/$5 IEEE members
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15, students free with ID
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
Science at the Library: Solar System and BeyondThere are 4 activities at each presentation after a show presentation. Parents work with their children to learn about science. Recommended for elementary age children. Families are encouraged to attend.  Limited seating.The planets are not the only components of our Solar System. Learn about the Oort Cloud and Kuiper Belt ...
Famed primatologist Jane Goodall forever changed our understanding of culture and animal intelligence when she discovered that wild chimpanzees were fashioning tools from sticks. Her mentor Louis Leakey exclaimed “Now, we must redefine ‘tool,’ redefine ‘man,’ or accept chimpanzees as humans.†In the 21st century, we continue to redefine ourselves ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15
Astronomy on Tap San FranciscoThe folks at Astronomy on Tap have overcome many an academic challenge to bring you another edition of your favorite bar-based space event, just in time for the solstice! Come for another night of talks from local scientists, Astronomy in the News, trivia and prizes! This time, we’ll be hearing ...
