Alcatraz Historic Garden TourBeginning in 2003, the Garden Conservancy formed a partnership with the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and the NPS to rehabilitate the Historic Gardens of Alcatraz. Join Shelagh Fritz (Project Manager of the Gardens), to learn about the preservation process of a cultural landscapes: through the planning stages, preparation of ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Donations encouraged
Two KIPAC Tea TalksLine Intensity Mapping with COMAPSpeaker: Dongwoo ChungTBASpeaker: Noemie Globus
Maker Faire Bay Area - FRIDAY@MakerFaireImmerse yourself in creative culture with over 800 exhibits and 8+ presentation and performance stages - all showcasing the creative and experimental folks who make, play, tinker and hack in areas like:+ Robotics + Large-scale and kinetic art + Digital & analog fabrication + Electronics + Cosplay + Craft, ...
Where: San MateoCost: $75 Adults, $35 Students and Youth
Live and immersive arts at The Exploratorium, California Academy of Sciences, and Z Space. A range of performances and installations exploring our new space age, the extraordinary scientific advances in this field, and how they change the way we see ourselves and Earth.Presented by MAX, dedicated to Illuminating scientific exploration ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Advance full pass $59-$99 or at venue
Saturday, 05/18/19
Free science gear for educators and researchersBiolink Depot, a 12 year-old charitable organization, collects science supplies and equipment and then distributes them for free through a series of open houses.The next open house is in Oakland on May 18 (Saturday).Any teacher or researcher from an accredited institution can register for this event. There is a large ...
Where: OaklandCost: Free
Wildflower Walk at Presidio Coastal BluffsWhat are those blooming beauties in the park? It’s springtime, and it’s time to find out! Join the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy’s Park Stewardship team on a leisurely walk to learn about the folklore, medicinal uses, and biology of wildflowers. Spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean and an appreciation ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Donations encouraged
Maker Faire Bay AreaImmerse yourself in creative culture with over 800 exhibits and 8+ presentation and performance stages - all showcasing the creative and experimental folks who make, play, tinker and hack in areas like:+ Robotics + Large-scale and kinetic art + Digital & analog fabrication + Electronics + Cosplay + Craft, ...
Where: San MateoCost: $40 Adults, $25 Students and Youth
Calling All Eco-Explorers! Youth ages 5-15 will be up to their elbows in FREE, hands-on activities. Learning through fun interactive, nature science experiences and regional field trips, your kids will find out all about the Bay Area ecosystem and become the next generation of Citizen Scientists! We have extended Welcome ...
Where: OaklandCost: Free
Bird eggs of the Bay Area - Scavenger HuntThe Environmental Volunteers are hosting a family scavenger hunt around the baylands preserve! Join us and enjoy the outdoors, while learning about the birds of the bay area! Win some prizes too!Find the eggs!The hunt is on for hidden informational placards about different bay area birds (and their eggs!), hidden ...
Where: Palo AltoCost: free
MAX Festival at the Exploratorium 2019Join us for the inaugural MAX (Media, Arts, Exploration) Festival at the Exploratorium as we celebrate humanity’s modern frontier: space. Illuminating scientific exploration through artistic expression and shared experiences, the MAX Festival has gathered local and international artists who explore the new space age.Spacewoman of the Underground With Christine Zuecher ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free with Admission to the Exploratorium
Science Lecture - Climate change in US national parksFrom wildfires burning in Yosemite National Park, California, to glaciers melting in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska, published scientific research has detected changes in United States national parks and attributed them to human-caused climate change. Since 1895, climate change has exposed the national parks to twice the heating of the ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Open House: Going Back Through TimeWant to travel back in time? Come to the open house at the Children’s Natural History Museum! Dr. Angeline Catena, a professor and paleontologist known for her work with Bolivian fossils will take children and their families on a journey to explore Ice Age era Fremont. The expedition will start ...
Where: FremontCost: 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.
Where: SausalitoCost: Free
Full Moon Night HikeHave you ever wondered what animals come out after the sun goes down? Now is your chance to find out! Â The Youth Science Institute's Night Hike is back by popular demand. Come join us for a mild walk through Alum Rock Park and discover who is waking up as the ...
Where: San JoseCost: $15
Your Place in the Universe: Understanding Our Big, Messy ExistenceOur universe changes every day. It was different in the past, and it will be different in the future. This is something we just learned about a hundred years ago, and we're still wrestling with the implications. Including, but not limited to, the fact that someday no more stars will ...
Live and immersive arts at The Exploratorium, California Academy of Sciences, and Z Space. A range of performances and installations exploring our new space age, the extraordinary scientific advances in this field, and how they change the way we see ourselves and Earth.Presented by MAX, dedicated to Illuminating scientific exploration ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Advance full pass $59-$99 or at venue
Sunday, 05/19/19
Maker Faire Bay AreaImmerse yourself in creative culture with over 800 exhibits and 8+ presentation and performance stages - all showcasing the creative and experimental folks who make, play, tinker and hack in areas like:+ Robotics + Large-scale and kinetic art + Digital & analog fabrication + Electronics + Cosplay + Craft, ...
Where: San MateoCost: $40 Adults, $25 Students and Youth
What We Gain From What Was Lost: Eelgrass Restoration Success in Elkhorn SloughSeagrasses are in global decline despite restoration efforts. To date, the majority of these efforts have been unsuccessful. Locally, Elkhorn Slough suffered massive seagrass loss in the mid 1900s. Since 1980, there has been some natural recovery in the slough - though small relative to historical extent. Unfortunately, that rate ...
Where: Santa CruzCost: Free with admission
Monday, 05/20/19
How to not run cosmological n-body simulationsExtracting cosmological information from current survey data is increasingly reliant on computationally-intensive n-body simulations of large-scale structure. For weak-lensing surveys, the matter distribution is directly measured from simulations on scales where linear perturbation theory fails. For galaxy-clustering surveys, haloes are identified in simulations and then populated with galaxies to provide ...
The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL or MagLab) is a facility at Florida State University, the University of Florida, and Los Alamos National Laboratory that performs research at high magnetic fields in materials physics, chemistry, geochemistry, and biology. It is the only magnet Lab in the US and is ...
Where: Menlo ParkCost: Free
Decoding the cancer genome one codon at a time and its therapeutic implicationsDr. Davide Ruggero, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Urology and Cellular & Molecular Pharmacology, he holds the Helen Diller Family Endowed Chair of Basic Cancer Research at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Dr. Ruggero has made numerous breakthrough discoveries in the area of mammalian translational ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Stanford Energy SeminarSpeakers: Julie Mulkerin, Manager of Climate Change Strategy, and John White, General Manager of Energy Transitions at Chevron
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Scalable Agreement is What We NeedFast rise of decentralized systems and cloud computing introduces a new challenge, designing highly scalable algorithms; algorithms that have asymptotically-small communication, computation, and latency costs with respect to the network size. Moreover, systems with thousands or even millions of parties distributed throughout the world which are not controlled by a ...
Where: SunnyvaleCost: Free
Tuesday, 05/21/19
Using Gaia, Pan-STARRS 1 and 2MASS to map the Milky WayGaia is revolutionizing our view of the Milky Way. Taken together with ongoing and upcoming surveys, such as LSST, we are at an exciting moment in the study of our Galaxy. In this talk, I will discuss a new 3D dust map based on Gaia parallaxes, as well as optical ...
The Acasta Gneiss Complex (AGC) is a unique exposure of 4.0 to 2.9 billion-year-old (Ga) meta-igneous rocks in the Northwest Territories, Canada. The AGC represents the oldest known silicic and zircon-bearing terrestrial crust and thus can provide critical insight on the tectonic processes operating on the early Earth. The primary ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Botany Series: Introduction to Grass IdentificationJoin the talented team of Maria Alvarez (Restoration Ecologist), Chrissy Sullivan (Natural Resource Specialist), John Anderson (Restoration Technician), and Patrick Nicholson (Seasonal Restoration Technician) for a Park Academy class on the identification of grass species - especially those within our parks! This will be an interactive class, sure to improve ...
Where: SausalitoCost: Donations encouraged
Wonderfest: Climate Change and the Human BodyHumans are homeotherms, maintaining constant body temperature in both cold and hot environments by virtue of shivering or sweating. In the future, however, if our atmosphere absorbs enough carbon dioxide, the temperature and humidity will exceed survivable values for many Earthlings. Wonderfest Science Envoy Yi-Chuan Lu will use climate models ...
If You Won’t, We Will: Youth Action on ClimateFour years ago, 21 plaintiffs served the U.S. government with a lawsuit. The government, they asserted, had violated their constitutional rights to life, liberty and property by failing to act on climate change. All plaintiffs were students under the age of 23.On the other side of the world, 15-year-old Greta ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, $12 Members, $7 Students
Hope for Reefs: Addressing the Coral Reef CrisisWhile they cover less than 1% of the ocean floor, coral reefs support approximately one-quarter of marine biodiversity on Earth and the livelihoods of tens of millions of people. The ecosystem services that coral reefs provide (e.g., fisheries, coastal protection, habitat, cultural services, tourism) are valued at nearly $400 billion ...
I will be discussing common and less common edible fungi found in urban environments like parks and residential zones to the coast to the Sierra. My talk is geared towards beginners but seasoned mushroomers will also enjoy my presentation.Speaker: Kingman Bond-Graham
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Seeing is Exploding: Snapping Biological Images with X-ray Laser BlastsSLAC's X-ray laser, the Linac Coherent Light Source, launched a new generation of light sources when it opened 10 years ago last month, with beams 10 billion times brighter than any before. The energy from those powerful beams is enough to destroy any molecule put in its path, yet LCLS ...
Dr. Jen Gunter is OB/GYN and a pain medicine physician, writing on topics of sex, science, and social media. A fierce advocate for women’s health, Gunter is devoted to correcting the myths and misinformation perpetuated by the internet around women’s well-being and reproductive health. She is the author of The ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $29
Wednesday, 05/22/19
Artificial Intelligence for Industry (AI4I) Forum - SPR2019Co-Design of Deep Neural Nets and Neural Net Accelerators for Embedded Vision ApplicationsSpeaker: Kurt Keutzer, UC BerkeleyBenchmarks for Post General Purpose Computing EraSpeaker: Lingjie Xu, Alibaba Low-Power Computer Vision: Status, Challenges, and OpportunitiesSpeaker: Yung-Hsiang Lu, PurdueAI: What Makes it Hard and Fun!Speaker: Pradeep Dubey, IntelSee weblink for speaker bios and ...
What is Consciousness?What is consciousness, exactly? Does the brain create it? Or is a spiritual phenomenon that can't be reduced to matter? In most of human history, these kinds of questions were studied solely by philosophers. But in the last two decades, the question of consciousness has reached the fields of neuroscience ...
Where: OaklandCost: Free!
Emerging AI Applications & Infrastructure Systems w/ Active Storage-class MemorySince the rise of deep learning in 2012, much progress has been made in deep-learning-based AI tasks such as image/video understanding and natural language understanding, as well as GPU/accelerator architectures that greatly improve the training and inference speed for neural-network models. As the industry players race to develop ambitious applications ...
Where: Santa ClaraCost: Free
Skeptics in the Pub: MillbraeNOTE: The Warriors won the series which means that there won't be a game Wed evening. Come and celebrate either that we get to have Skeptics in the Pub or that the Warriors won in 4 and we can have our regularly scheduled Skeptics in the Pub!Science and Reason with ...
Where: MillbraeCost: Free
Free coding club for kidsThe Raspberry Pi Foundation has a free coding club, called a Dojo, for kids at the office space located in WeWork City Center. The team is incredibly excited to continue engaging in the community by providing a fun and social environment for kids to freely explore technology and watch their ...
Where: OaklandCost: free
Thursday, 05/23/19
Understanding the Interiors of Neutron StarsNeutron stars have long beckoned to physicists from many fields as realms of extreme physics beyond what we can test in terrestrial laboratories.  In the realm of nuclear physics, the lure is that the cores of neutron stars are several times denser than atomic nuclei and yet are technically cold; this ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
The story of how low frequency radio waves connect space, underground, and everything in between The simple act of recording very low frequency (VLF) radio waves (3-30 kHz) is incredibly simple, yet unlocks a bevy of connections across science and engineering. Â Lightning releases VLF energy which travel thousands of miles, allowing lightning to be characterized, geolocated, and integrated into weather forecasting. VLF waves reflect from ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Time to change a paradigm: non-specific effects of vaccinesUnknown to most people, vaccines were never tested for their effects on overall health before being introduced. Everybody was so certain that vaccines only affect the target infection that it did not seem necessary. Our population-based epidemiological studies in one of the world’s poorest countries, Guinea-Bissau, have now revealed that ...
Explore the many converging facets of identity on this journey to the center of the self. Question your assumptions, weigh your psychic baggage, and dare yourself to try on a new persona as you explore both self and society. Come as you are and let’s take a look in the ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: 17.95 advance, 19.95 door, AD members free
Tiny NightlifeThis week, we’re shrinking NightLife down to size with a celebration of all things tiny, miniature, and microscopic.Interested in downsizing and shrinking your footprint? Learn about the how-tos and challenges of living that tiny home lifestyle.See what NASA advisor and Spacehack.org founder Ariel Waldman found when she traveled to Antarctica ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15 General, $12 Members
Where: Pacific GroveCost: $10 General, $5 Members, $15 at door
The Science Of Magic - With Live DemonstrationsFrom ancient conjurers to quick-handed con artists to big ticket Las Vegas illusionists, magicians throughout the ages have been expertly manipulating human attention and perception to dazzle and delight us (or scare us, or steal our watches). Of course you know that the phenomena of cognitive and sensory illusions are ...
Where: Castro ValleyCost: FREE
Friday, 05/24/19
Quantum Computing with Superconducting QubitsQuantum entanglement is a very real effect, in which (usually nearby) quantum states of real materials can become so very well connected that acting on one component will strongly affect the other. This effect of entanglement, which can be present in materials not used for quantum computing as well, plays ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Small scale structure of the IGM: A Dark Matter Tale The intergalactic medium (IGM) plays a unique role in constraining the (small scale) matter power spectrum, since the low-density, high redshift IGM filaments are particularly sensitive to the small scale properties of dark matter. The main observable manifestation of the IGM, the Lyman-alpha forest, has provided important constraints on the ...
I will describe our efforts to understand and design stiffness-changing soft matter with inspirational structure and rheology. Polymer networks and fibrous elastic components are common themes across the three different stories. First, a new design paradigm experimentally realized: soft solid materials that can change stiffness by up to 100 times ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Astronomy 101: Sights of the Cosmos, Intro to AstronomyThis event provides a different introduction to astronomy than our Intro to the Night Sky talks. During this hour, you'll gain an appreciation for the size and scale of the cosmos and our place within it. You'll see many examples of the beautiful objects visible in the night sky, learn ...
Where: San JoseCost: Free
Saturday, 05/25/19
Gardening with Nature in MindJoin renowned environmental educator Judy Adler in this in-depth tour of her half-acre Walnut Creek garden. Judy’s suburban garden, part farm, part classroom, part nursery, and part nature preserve, features happy chickens, a rainwater harvesting system, a pond, and many California native and/or pollinator-friendly plants. Judy’s was one of the first gardens ...
Where: Walnut CreekCost: $35
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.
Calling All Eco-Explorers! Youth ages 5-15 will be up to their elbows in FREE, hands-on activities. Learning through fun interactive, nature science experiences and regional field trips, your kids will find out all about the Bay Area ecosystem and become the next generation of Citizen Scientists! We have extended Welcome ...
Learn what Treasure Island was planted on - and what was planted on Treasure Island for the Golden Gate International Exposition. Today, Treasure Island’s soil is being reinforced with fill from the Caldecott Tunnel’s fourth bore. Did you know that its perimeter was built in 1937 using boulders from the ...
Everything is made of elementary particles, the stars, our planet, our bodies… One of the most ghosty and sneaky of these particles is the so-called neutrino, a neutral tiny particle that can go through entire planets like light through glass. Even if they are the most abundant massive particle in ...
This 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 ...
Beginning in the 1960s, a handful of young scientists headed out into the wilderness, driven to understand how nature works. Immersed in some of the most remote and spectacular places on Earth - from the majestic Serengeti to the Amazon jungle, and from the Arctic Ocean to Pacific tide pools ...
This month learn why humans don’t live underwater (and all the bad things that happened when we tried), see how the East Bay urban landscape was transformed by the Black Panther Party, and hear how EBMUD is using engineering to replace 4,200 miles of East Bay pipelines.Why Don't We Live ...
Where: OaklandCost: $8 web, $10 door
Tuesday, 05/28/19
Unsolved problems in digital geoscience... and how to solve themWhat are the most pressing problems in digital geoscience? David Hilbert's 23 problems in mathematics propelled generations of researchers; today the Clay Mathematical Institute's Millennium Problems are similarly motivating. As we enter a new era of computational discovery, Dr. Hall believes a similar list of unsolved problems in geoscience, and ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
One Tam: Wildlife Picture Index ProjectCome contribute to the Marin Wildlife Picture Index Project! Volunteer community scientists assist with research by helping maintain motion-activated cameras and processing photos. At this event, we view the images on the computer, identify the mammals, and enter the results in a database. New and experienced catalogers welcome, as training is ...
Examining Southern Hemisphere Humpback Whale Migratory Routes from Foraging to Breeding GroundsSouthern hemisphere humpback whale populations spend a large portion of the year breeding in tropical waters and migrating between this region and their summer feeding grounds in the Antarctic. They travel great distances during their seasonal migration, the farthest migration of any mammal, with distances up to 11,706 miles recorded. Despite ...
There 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 Oceans have many organisms from tiny diatoms (one celled plant) to shells (invertebrates) to the largest animal that ...
Where: FremontCost: Free
Wonderfest: Vision in Mind & Modeling EvolutionWonderfest Science Envoys are 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 neuroscientist Malak El-Quessny, in "Visualizing Neural Circuits: From Detection to Perception of our Sensory World," explores how neural circuits ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Wednesday, 05/29/19
Designing for Our Future: Solutions for Digital Well-Being Join Common Sense, the Stanford d.school and the Computer History Museum for a conference on technology and well-being. Featured speakers include Craig Newmark, Tristan Harris, and Dr. Jenny Radesky, who, along with other industry leaders and child health experts, will explore ethical design that creates a healthier digital ecosystem for all. ...
Where: Mountain ViewCost: $35 General, See weblink for free qualifications
In this talk, Angus Forbes will present recent projects that introduce current trends in the field of information visualization and explore opportunities for creating interfaces to facilitate the interactive analysis of complex scientific data. In addition to describing details about a range of data visualization projects that investigate bioinformatics data, ...
Join us for a special sneak preview of new documentary Once Was Water from director Christopher Beaver and producer Diana Fuller, the creative team behind Racing to Zero: In Pursuit of Zero Waste (SFGFF 2015). This event is a Summer Benefit for the 2019 San Francisco Green Film Festival! ONCE WAS WATERLas Vegas, Nevada: the thirstiest city ...
Astronomy on Tap South BayPutting the Science in Science FictionExplore the versions of reality presented by popular scifi films! Are they based more in science or fiction?Speaker: Nicholas Saunders, Kepler/2 Mission at NASA AmesUnderstanding Strange New Worlds: Super-Earth Exoplanets and their AtmospheresFind out how scientists perform meteorite experiments and atmospheric simulations to study exoplanets ...
Exploring Planetary Systems Orbiting Nearby StarsThe 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) launched in April 2018 and ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Quantifying Watershed Behavior using Geophysical MethodsQuantifying how terrestrial systems respond to climate change and other perturbations is challenging due to the complexity of associated processes that occur from bedrock-to-canopy and over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. This presentation describe the development of several new approaches to help bridge these compartments and scales ...
Come for an evening of learning about how foods have changed over centuries and how they are being modified today. Â Use of modern tools of genetics allows researchers to make changes in the genetic makeup of some foods we use and eat in a than we have made such changes ...
Where: Palo AltoCost: Free
SuperSight: Spatial Computing and the Evolution of EyesThe human eye is amazing. It contains 120 million photoreceptors, discerns 10 million colors, blinks in less than a tenth of a second, and aside from the brain, is the body’s most complicated organ. But, for all of its sophistication, the human eye hasn’t evolved in thousands of years. That’s ...
Mirrors, arguably the first “virtual reality†technology, lie at the intersection of nature, culture, and self-recognition. Once small, rare, and owned only by the wealthy, today mirrors are everywhere and are key to many modern tools, from HDTVs to solar-power plants and space telescopes. Reflect on mirrors and the nature ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: 17.95 advance, 19.95 door, AD members free
NightLife Spotlight: FlightSoar with NightLife as we explore the wonderful world of flight.Get your late-night science wings while learning about the science of flying with birds, butterflies, and bats.Learn about the evolution of flight in a wide range of creatures with specimens from our scientific collections, from fossils to terrestrial arthropods and ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15 General, $12 Members
New Mapping of the Rodgers Creek Fault: It's longer and more complex than we thought+ Remote sensing technology reveals surface traces of the fault covered by trees and buildings+Greater fault length and linkages to neighboring faults make larger earthquakes possible+Fault complexity has implications for hazards from ground shaking and surface fault ruptureSpeaker: Suzanne Hecker, USGS
Where: Menlo ParkCost: Free
Friday, 05/31/19
Alcatraz Historic Garden TourBeginning in 2003, the Garden Conservancy formed a partnership with the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and the NPS to rehabilitate the Historic Gardens of Alcatraz. Join Shelagh Fritz (Project Manager of the Gardens), to learn about the preservation process of a cultural landscapes: through the planning stages, preparation of ...
Twilight HikeTake advantage of this rare opportunity to experience the beauty and rich natural history of this 535-acre preserve as dusk arrives and the animals start to appear. Our twilight hikes are on select Fridays throughout spring and fall. Participants are divided into small groups and paired with a trained Bouverie ...
Where: Glen EllenCost: $20 suggested donation
Saturday, 06/01/19
Blossoms and Bugs Bioblitz at Potrero Meadows, Saturday, June 1, 11AM to 2PMIt’s that time of the year when the mountain is blooming and buzzing. Join us for a closer look at the flowers and bugs of this special meadow habitat. We will photograph and identify the living things we see using iNaturalist with the goal of contributing new scientific knowledge for ...
Where: Mill ValleyCost: Free
Neurobiology of MoralityUntil recently, morality and religion have been closely linked. From well before the time of the ancient Greek philosophers, religion has guided our moral judgments. Contemporary moral psychologists provide compelling evidence that humans - whether male or female, atheist or religious, American or Aboriginal - make remarkably similar moral judgments. ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Monday, 06/03/19
A first look at a super massive black holeOn April 10, 2019, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), a very long baseline interferometry experiment, released the first image of a black hole resolved to event horizon scales. I will discuss the image of M87 and aim to convince the audience that a flux depression in the image is necessary ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Yes, Your Research May Indeed Be Useful... Many graduate students may wonder whether their research may one day be useful to industry. This presentation offers hope to current students (in a touch-in-cheek manner) that yes, your research may indeed be useful beyond your degree and the ERE Department. In fact, it may have greater impact than you ...
Fueled by advances in software, computation, microelectronics, and large optics fabrication, a novel type of sky survey will begin in 2022. In a rapid campaign of 30 second exposures, the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope will cover the southern sky deeply for ten years, opening a movie-like window on objects that ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15 general, $12 members and seniors
Join us at Public Works SF for six stories of compelling evidence and undeniable corroboration, of credible theories and inferential arguments, and the measure of truth and spiritsStories from the odd corners of history, science, art, and adventure.WHAT: Six storytellers bring strange-but-true stories from history, science, art and adventure, to the stage, ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15 - $25
David Byrne: Good News & Sleeping BeautiesDavid Byrne has become a scholar and promoter of new good ideas that work in the world.He finds them in health, education, culture, economics, climate, science & technology, transportation, and civic engagement. He has great examples and great slides--as you might expect from an acclaimed visual as well as musical ...
How do we represent ourselves through the literal-and metaphorical-filters of popular culture, and how much control do we have over our own image? Ponder the ways popular culture can shape us as individuals by reflecting, forming, or refracting our concept of self, then consider the spaces where we take back ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: 17.95 advance, 19.95 door, AD members free
Cafe InquiryCenter for Inquiry San Francisco's monthly get together to talk about whatever interests us.
Where: Menlo ParkCost: Free
Under the Sea Prom NightLifeYou’re invited to have the time of your life at NightLife’s inaugural prom! Come dressed to go “Under the Sea†and celebrate World Oceans Day and the beauty and wonder of coral reefs.
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15 General, $12 Members
Interpretation of Juno measurements of Jupiter's compositionPreliminary Juno Microwave Radiometer measurements have confirmed observational constraints over the past two decades on Jupiter's O/H ratio, finding a modest supersolar enrichment. The Juno O/H ratio is consistent with supersolar enrichments of other volatile species previously measured by the Galileo Probe. Although the O/H ratio is an important cosmochemical ...
Where: Santa CruzCost: Free
Astronaut Q&A with Daniel BurschNASA Astronaut Daniel Bursch, will be visiting the Pleasant Hill Library. Join us as he shares his experiences on the International Space Station, moderated by NASA Scientist, Dr. Margaret Race! As a former Naval Test Pilot and NASA Astronaut Mr. Bursch is a veteran of four space flights. He has logged ...
Where: Pleasant HillCost: Free
Astronaut Q&A with Daniel BurschFormer NASA astronaut Daniel Bursch is coming to Danville to talk about his experiences in space and to answer your questions! Bursch has been on four space flights, logging over 227 days in space, including 196 days as a flight engineer on the International Space Station, one of the longest ...
Where: DanvilleCost: Free
$5 First Friday: Dinosaurs!Meet paleontologists, uncover fossils, participate in a giant dig and understand what life was like for animals in prehistoric times!See weblink for full event schedule
Where: OaklandCost: $5
Algorithms and the LawThis panel will explore the contemporary promises and challenges of computer algorithms from the perspectives of lawyers, ethicists, philosophers, and computer scientists. What is missing from the current technological debates on the fairness and privacy of algorithmic decision making and their impact on the social fabric? What are promising tools ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Silicon Valley Skeptics in the PubWe'll meet up, drink, and socialize. All while not believing in ridiculous things! We are a group of skeptics, freethinkers, and nonbelievers in Silicon Valley. We enjoy intellectually stimulating conversations and provocative debate.Join us on the 1st Friday of each monthÂ
As Director of the Technology for Liberty Program at the ACLU of Massachusetts and MIT Media Lab Director’s Fellow, Kade Crockford works to protect and expand core First and Fourth Amendment rights and civil liberties in the digital 21st century, focusing on how systems of surveillance and control impact not ...
Dr. Amy Furniss received her PhD in Physics from UC Santa Cruz in 2013 where she studied extreme galaxies, some of which she observed with the Shane 3-meter telescope at Lick Observatory. Currently, Dr. Furniss' research aims to understand the physics happening within some of the most extreme galaxies within ...
Where: Mt. HamiltonCost: $25
Saturday, 06/08/19
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: $20 General, $15 Fremont residents
The Bay Model Wants You!!! Become part of Sausalito’s very own attraction known around the world! We have a variety of volunteerpositions that are suited for people just like you! Greet visitors, lead tours, work with school groups, and more! Come and be a part of one of the largest working hydraulic models in existence. ...
Where: SausalitoCost: Free
One Tam: Wildlife Picture Index ProjectCome contribute to the Marin Wildlife Picture Index Project! Volunteer community scientists assist with research by helping maintain motion-activated cameras and processing photos. At this event, we view the images on the computer, identify the mammals, and enter the results in a database. New and experienced catalogers welcome, as training is ...
Our ocean has been the guardian of life on earth. Now it is our turn to be guardians for the ocean.“BLUE is a cinematic song for our oceans; beautiful, intimate and grand. Fearlessly truth-telling, yet passionately hopeful. See this film and you will want to rise up with the waves. ...
Where: TiburonCost: $9
Call of the Sea's Annual GalaCome celebrate the new tall ship Matthew Turner and on-the-water experiential education under sail. Ticket includes a tour of our sailing vessels and a party at the Bay Model with food, music, libations, ‘live and silent auction’, and much more.
100 years ago, Einstein predicted that light rays would deviate from straight-line paths in the space near massive objects. Today, we use this fact to weigh galaxies, discover planets of other stars, and “see†invisible black holes. How did this idea of gravitational lensing come about, and how do we ...
In the last 20 years, we have learned that planets orbit most of the stars in our galaxy. Now that we have a better understanding of planet populations, the field is moving from detecting exoplanets to characterizing them. The direct imaging technique is uniquely capable of characterizing cold planets, long-period ...
Come peer through our telescopes and see craters on the Moon, the visible planets, star clusters, and more while we listen to CSM's very own KCSM Jazz 91 FM. Dress warmly. Free parking in Marie Curie Lot 5. Directions are available on the Maps, Directions & Parking page.
SkeptiCal is the Northern California conference on science and skepticism, a day-long event with speakers and discussions on critical thinking.This year our diverse topics span science frontiers, policy, and misuse to paranormal investigation and conspiracy theories... Jim Underdown (CFI) - Feet to the Fire: Investigating Paranormal ClaimsLynn Rothschild (NASA) - Is ...
Where: BurlingameCost: $65 public $50 members
Marine Science Sunday: What Are Marine Mammals Saying?Marine mammals make the craziest sounds! Ranging from the loudest noises of any animals (blue whales) to the songs of humpback whales to elephant seals which sound kindof like evil chickens, each marine mammal has their own voice. Come learn more at What Are Marine Mammals Saying and test your ...
Where: SausalitoCost: Free
Mori Point Biodiversity WalkCome help us find representatives of as many different phyla (major life forms) at Mori Point. The focus is on how many different major life forms we can find - things with backbones, flowering plants, red algae, echinoderms (sea stars, urchins) etc. Think of it as trying to find as ...
Where: PacificaCost: Donations encouraged
City Star Party @ Point LobosCome 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!
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Monday, 06/10/19
Probing cosmology with Type Ia Supernovae: A new perspectiveWe present a method to reconstruct the probability distribution of the weak lensing magnification of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) from observational data. The method is directly applicable to future data from surveys like WFIRST. With a realistic synthetic catalog, we measure the weak lensing signature and express the observable ...
Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Driving Change in Food and AgricultureWe face some unprecedented challenges today related to how we grow, produce, distribute and consume food. Changing climatic conditions, population growth and decades of unsustainable growing practices are leading to growing consumer demand for higher quality provenance and production practices and healthier food options. Entrepreneurs are at the forefront of ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, $10 Members, $8 Students
Astronomy Talks @ ClarmontEver look up at the night sky and wonder what’s all that up there? Have you been following the news about the black hole and the event horizon and would like to understand more about these phenomena and other Astronomy concepts? Join us and get a download on what’s hot ...
Fifteen minutes. That’s all the time they have to collect their data at 500 feet. Dressed like “aquanauts,†they’re the first divers to ever visit this reef. After documenting the habitat, conducting transects and collecting potential new species, they begin their ascent. It will take six hours of decompression before ...
Climate change continues to create a “new normal†in terms of flooding, weather, hurricanes, heat waves, drought - and the behavior of wildfires in California is no exception. But what factors and drivers are actually changing, and how might we re-examine practices and ways of thinking when grappling with how ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free with RSVP
If Software, Then SpaceHumanity’s activities in space have changed how we understand our place in the Universe, and have become essential to life as we know it. Space science - from astronomy to planetary science - have provided new understandings of how we and our planet fit into the cosmic puzzle. Space services ...
 You Should Know This! is like a TedTalk meets comedy game show. Listen to experts discuss fascinating topics while comedians riff on stage and you win fun, silly prizes for being a nerd.This month's show is The Physics of Time Travel. Does time flow? Is "now" objectively meaningful? Is there a fundamental direction/arrow ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: 20
Thursday, 06/13/19
Frontal cortical dynamics during decision-makingIn a dynamic environment, animals must adjust their action plans to match the behavioral demands. For example, the same sensory stimulus may require different motor responses depending on the context. The mammalian prefrontal cortex is thought to be a central node mediating flexible behavior, however the synaptic and circuit mechanisms ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Meet Leela: A New Constructivist Approach to AILeela is a semantic artificially intelligent agent modeled on the child development theories of Jean Piaget. She builds increasingly abstract semantic models of the world from her experiences of exploration, play, and experimentation. She uses a similar mechanism to map language exposure to experience and meaning. As Leela is an ...
Where: Palo AltoCost: Free
After Dark: You Are What You EatLiterally and metaphorically, we are what we eat. Â From vitamins and minerals to our cultural heritages, food is physiologically and emotionally important. Cuisine is passed down from one generation to the next, becoming apart of who we are. Come explore how historical and current conditions shape our relationship to food ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $17.95 advance, $19.95 at the door
Design NightlifeNightLife partners with San Francisco Design Week to explore the many ways design impacts lives, culture, and science - from AR to architecture, and beer labels to field experiments. Plus, celebrate the release of Lost Type Co-op’s new series of fonts, created in collaboration with and inspired by the Academy’s scientific collections.
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15 General, $12 Members
Hardcore Natural History: Saving the Ocean, One Golf Ball at a TimeJoin us for a conversation about one teenager’s personal project to clean the oceans in our area. Alex Weber and her father Mike have been free diving off the coast for sometime. A few years ago, Alex was struck by the number of golf balls that littered the ocean floor ...
Where: Pacific GroveCost: Free with admission
Building New Elements: Beyond the Periodic TableLike modern day and much more scientific alchemists, nuclear chemists work to construct elements that don’t exist on earth but may reside on proton-packed Islands of Stability off the far end of the periodic table, where these new heaviest elements could be long lived. Learn how six new elements were ...
7:00-7:25: Kimford Meador(Stanford/ Neurology) on "How does the brain damage affect how we think?"Abstract forthcoming...Read more7:25-7:50: Irving Weissman(Stanford) on "How normal stem cells regenerate the body but sometimes lead to cancer"Abstract forthcoming...Read more7:50-8:10: BREAK. Before or after the break, anyone in the audience currently working within the intersections of ...
Wildflowers, Plants, and Animals of Alum Rock ParkHave you ever walked through the park and wondered what that flower or animal it is that you see? Or have you been curious if every plant here is native? If you answered yes, YSI has got you covered!Come join us for a light nature walk in the park to ...
Where: San JoseCost: $16
Mapping syntactic structure in the brainWe all remember learning sentence diagrams and part-of-speech in grade school, but are those the underlying representations of syntactic structure in the brain? Neuroimaging allows us to answer this and other questions about language by providing a mechanism to test hypotheses about cognitive processes.Speaker: Lydia Majure, UC Berkeley
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Earth, Water, Paint - Artist ReceptionToni Littlejohn is a mixed media artist living and working in Point Reyes Station. She has exhibited her work extensively in the Bay Area and is a founding member of Gallery Route One. For 26 years she has been leading Wild Carrots, an arts workshop for artists and people new ...
Where: SausalitoCost: Free
Cultural Tales of the Night’s SkyThe journey begins at sunset from the Center into the beautiful surrounding redwood forest. We’ll hike along some of the most popular trails and learn about local history as we uncover evidence from early settlers and will examine local plants as we discuss the ecology of the forest. At sunset, ...
Where: OaklandCost: $30 General, $27 Member
Assembling Life: How can life begin on Earth and other habitable planets?Dr. Deamer and his colleagues are testing the hypothesis that hydrothermal fresh water pools associated with volcanic land masses are a plausible site for life to begin. In his presentation, he will discuss the implications related to the search for life on Mars and icy moons like Enceladus and Europa.Speaker: ...
Where: OaklandCost: Free
Astronomy Talk: Our Journey Toward MarsOur journey toward Mars began when first looked up to the night sky and noticed the ruby red glow of this celestial body. Join Mars scientist, Dr. J.R. Skok, on the journey from our first sight of the planet, through the telescopes, satellites, rovers, and samples that have transformed Mars ...
Where: San JoseCost: Free
Sunday, 06/16/19
Marine Science Sunday: Summer with the Sea Lions Did you know that over half of all California sea lions are born on June 15 each year?  Come celebrate a special Marine Science Sunday where we highlight one of California's most iconic marine mammals and learn about what makes this animals so special. Guided tours will take you around the ...
Where: SausalitoCost: Free
Family Day at the Garden: Bug Day!The UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley presents “Bug Dayâ€, a family-friendly interactive event that explores the world of insects. From plant-eating bugs to bug-eating plants, “good bugs†and “bad bugs,†insects that travel through water, soil or air, the beautiful and the bizarre, there is so much to discover. Visit ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free with admission
Science Sunday: Cephalopods Are the New Dinosaurs: A Squid’s-Eye View of the History of LifeBefore there were mammals on land, there were dinosaurs. And before there were fish in the sea, there were cephalopods - Earth’s first truly substantial animals and the ancestors of modern squid. With dozens of tentacles and formidable shells, they presided over an undersea empire for millions of years.Join scientist ...
Humans love certainty, intuitive explanations, and discovering patterns. Yet our world is complicated and filled with randomness. Statistical thinking provides us with practical tools for making sense of an uncertain world. It can lead us to make surprising conclusions from the data of everyday life. And it also teaches us ...
