SETI Live: Birth of Planets: Caught!How do planets start? Host Simon Steel (SETI Institute) speaks with Melissa McClure (Leiden University), lead author of a new study that caught the earliest spark of planet formation.Using JWST and ALMA, the team detected silicon monoxide (SiO) - both gaseous and likely crystalline - and pinpointed where hot, rock-forming minerals are condensing inside the protoplanetary disk of HOPS-315, ~1300 light-years ...
Solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery energy storage systems (BESS) are increasingly being deployed on underutilized land, including retired landfill areas. This talk introduces a newly developed PV and BESS design tool that optimizes system configuration by maximizing PV size while minimizing BESS requirements, all within the local distribution system’s current ...
Government healthcare payors in Asia and globally may face financial incentives to restrict use of high-cost medications. Yet, restrictions on access to high-value medications may have deleterious effects on population health. Advance purchase commitments (APCs), wherein a payor commits to purchase a certain quantity of medications at lower prices, offer ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
The Power of Community in Climate Education: NNOCCI Then & Now - LivestreamSince the early 2010s, the National Network for Ocean and Climate Change Interpretation (NNOCCI) has trained more than 850 climate communicators from 530+ organizations across 46 states. Through a train-the-trainer approach, NNOCCI helps educators build confidence and skills to talk about climate change in hopeful, solutions-focused ways. Together, these communicators ...
Join Mozilla co-founder Mitchell Baker and Carnegie Endowment for International Peace President Mariano-Florentino (Tino) Cuéllar for a conversation on AI governance, trust, and the future of open technology.Mozilla co-founder Mitchell Baker brings decades of experience building collaborative, open-source ecosystems and advocating for internet freedom, while Tino Cuéllar of the Carnegie ...
Where: Palo AltoCost: Free
The Impact of Sleep on Blood Glucose Regulation - LivestreamJoin us for an engaging discussion on the crucial relationship between sleep and blood glucose regulation. Discover how improving your sleep habits can lead to better diabetes management and enhanced overall health.Speaker: Carl Ching, Stanford Health CareSee weblink for stream information
Where: Cost: Free
Mushrooms of Sonoma CountyWelcome to the “official” beginning of mushroom season in Sonoma County! If you didn’t know, mushrooms can be picked year-round in California if you are willing to travel, but this presentation will focus on when and where to find local mushrooms during this time of year (and the upcoming months), ...
Where: SebastopolCost: Free
After Dark: Dancing in the SkyBuckle in for an evening of mystery, adventure, and airborne entertainment! Prepare to be dazzled by a performance from Earth Circus, where jaw-dropping moves from acrobatic dancers will have you questioning gravity. Uncover the secrets behind aerobatics with the Snowbird squadron, Canada’s iconic flight demonstration crew. And don’t miss a ...
The human body is invincible - at least from the perspective of modern medicinal innovation. Mary Roach, New York Times bestselling author of Stiff and Fuzz, follows the astonishing evolution of body part replacement, from sculpting noses from brass to crafting body parts from scratch using stem cells and 3-D ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $22 in person, $10 online, member discounts
NightLife: AvenuesNightLife is dedicated to showcasing the unique community, culture, and entertainment of San Francisco, and 'Avenues' is our effort to amplify all that the city's west side has to offer. Think block party in a museum. Shop and connect with local businesses and organizations curated by The Faight, Fleetwood SF, ...
Although black holes have become part of our movies and our everyday language, few people really understand the exciting science ideas behind the science fiction. You will learn why falling into a black hole is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience, how black holes make a serious kind of time machine possible, ...
For over a century, Aves Argentinas has been at the forefront of bird and nature conservation in Argentina. As the country’s leading ornithological and conservation NGO and the national partner of BirdLife International, its mission is to protect birds and biodiversity through science, education, advocacy, and collaboration.Hernan Casanas and Tamara ...
Every day the average person draws in 2,000 gallons of air - and with it, thousands of living things. The bacteria, fungi, algae, and other organisms that inhabit the air constitute one of the last great frontiers of science. This invisible ecosystem known as the aerobiome remains so mysterious that ...
Where: Cost: Free
Building and Preserving the Web: A Conversation with Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Brewster KahleSir Tim Berners-Lee and Brewster Kahle will be in conversation about the rise of the internet, its continuing and explosive impact on society, the importance of the Internet Archive and other developing issues in the growth and use of the internet.Tim Berners-Lee is the inventor of the World Wide Web, ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $30 General, $10 online, students free
Expanding the Toolbox for a Safe, Equitable Climate FutureClimate change endangers life on our planet - and even under the most ambitious mitigation timelines, we face devastating consequences to humans and ecosystems around the globe. Low-lying nations could face catastrophic flooding, equatorial regions may suffer lethal heat stress, vulnerable communities could see crop and water systems collapse, and ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $18 General in person, $9 online
Geoengineering, Global Warming & Sunlight Reflection MethodsIn addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and removing CO2 from the atmosphere, sunlight reflection may be necessary to avoid the worst impacts of global warming. The topic of geoengineering is rife with misinformation and conspiracy theories. Yet the research to understand shading options is critical for good policy making. Join ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $18 in person, $9 online
Friday, 10/10/25
BoardGPT - Using AI in the Boardroom - LivestreamThe Rock Center for Corporate Governance hosts BoardGPT: Using AI in the Boardroom, a timely webinar exploring how directors are engaging with artificial intelligence. The session will examine practical applications where AI adds value to board work, cautionary tales of where it should not be used, and governance considerations for ...
As Moore’s law has continually marched forward, shrinking chip designs in an exponential manner, there has been a corresponding progression on the chip manufacturing side. This progression has led to increasingly strong and complex diffraction effects during imaging which must be overcome to print chip designs accurately. In this talk, ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Generative Frictions: A Conversation on AIThis conversation brings together Lucy Suchman, Professor Emerita of the Anthropology of Science and Technology at Lancaster University, and Terry Winograd, Professor Emeritus in the Computer Science Department at Stanford University. Considering their influential body of work??"individually, in dialogue, and in collaboration with one another??"we will examine the relevance of ...
The chemistry that enables protein function remains to be fully elucidated. To better understand how proteins developed their chemistry, we examine the hypothesized ancestors of proteins: peptide assemblies. Our long-term goal is to answer the question “can peptide assemblies behave and evolve like proteins?” If simple peptides recapitulate the basic ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Saturday, 10/11/25
Forest bathing and walkJoin Megan Carson, a certified forest bathing guide as she gently leads you through a series of mindful, sensory-based invitations designed to deepen your connection with nature.Participants can expect:Slow, intentional walks under the park’s majestic oaks and among vibrant fall foliageGentle breathing exercises and mindful pauses to heighten awareness of ...
Where: Glen EllenCost: Free
Family Nature Adventures: Spidey Spectacular - Adventures with Arachnids!Spin your way into the fascinating world of spiders and arachnids! This month’s adventure is packed with discovery and excitement: Learn all about native spiders, their incredible adaptations, and even how they behave in space. Grab a magnifying glass and set off into the redwood forest to find hidden spiders, marvel at ...
Where: OaklandCost: $25 General, $35 ages 3 - 8, $10 off members
Foothills Family Nature WalkJoin us at Foothills Nature Preserve for a family-friendly nature walk, guided by EV docents. Good for ages 6 and up; all children must be accompanied by an adult.Please click the link to register via EventBrite.
Where: Los AltosCost: Free
Spooky Solar Critters WorkshopCreepy Crawlies, Haunted Bugs, and Solar-Powered Scares - summoning spooky science at The Tech Interactive! Join us if you dare for a frightfully fun outdoor experience where science meets the supernatural! Get hands-on with eerie electronics as you design and build your own solar-powered spooky critter - a creepy, crawly ...
Where: San JoseCost: $10 General + admission, $7 Members
Cosmic Treasure Hunt: Finding Stardust in MeteoritesHave you ever wondered where the stuff that makes up planets, asteroids, and even our bodies comes from? When stars reach the end of their lives, they create most of the elements found around us, like the carbon which makes up life on Earth and the oxygen we breathe. These ...
Where: OaklandCost: Free
Starry Nights Star PartyJoin the San Jose Astronomical Association (SJAA) and Santa Clara County Open Space Authority (OSA) for an unforgettable night of exploring the night sky. Our knowledgeable docents, members of SJAA, will be your guides to providing valuable insights into the wonders of our universe. The viewing site, Rancho Canada del ...
Where: Morgan HillCost: Free
Sunday, 10/12/25
Marine Science Sunday - Creatures of the DeepVisit our hospital and visitor center in Sausalito, California, to learn more about what The Marine Mammal Center is doing to help save marine mammals found along the California coast and beyond, and learn more about how you can help.These interactive presentations hosted by our award-winning educators feature multimedia, pictures, ...
Where: SausalitoCost: Free with admission
Spooky Solar Critters WorkshopCreepy Crawlies, Haunted Bugs, and Solar-Powered Scares - summoning spooky science at The Tech Interactive! Join us if you dare for a frightfully fun outdoor experience where science meets the supernatural! Get hands-on with eerie electronics as you design and build your own solar-powered spooky critter - a creepy, crawly ...
Where: San JoseCost: $10 General + admission, $7 Members
A key challenge in solving the climate problem is the difficulty of estimating and verifying greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions rates from energy systems around the world. In recent years, satellites have increasingly been used to detect methane emitted from oil and gas infrastructure, coal mines, landfills, and other sources. Some ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Environmental Defense Fund and the Quest for a Sustainable Water Future for AllAnn Hayden will talk about the work of the Climate Resilient Water Systems team at Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and their quest for a sustainable water future for all. Under her leadership, the Water team is focused on rebalancing water systems across the arid U.S., India and China, so that ...
The screened Coulomb interaction is a central quantity in condensed matter, which determines critical properties of materials. The formation of bound excitons, Cooper pairs, and exotic states of matter, all depend on the strength of the interaction between electrons and holes, which is screened by the surrounding medium. The vast ...
Synergistic Enhancer Networks Revealed by Live-Cell 3D Chromatin Imaging and PerturbationThe 3D genome plays a critical role in regulating transcription, cellular functions, and diseases. We explore innovative technologies for perturbing the 3D genome organization and imaging interaction between regulatory elements in real-time. We systematically perturb enhancers and reveal a synergistic enhancer network that regulate oncogene expression. Genome profiling confirms that ...
Cosmological and astrophysical measurements provide clear evidence for the existence of dark matter, and in recent years they have started to map dark matter over large volumes of the cosmos - but we still do not know the mass or interaction properties of the dark matter particle(s?). I will describe ...
California electricity rates are among the highest in the nation. Over the last decade, ratepayers have funded significant, new wildfire mitigation activities and recovery costs. For the average PG&E residential customer, these costs represent about a quarter of their bill today. New costs, including to support rapid electrification and modernizing ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Reimagining the Exploration of Fundamental Interactions with AIParticle, nuclear, and astrophysics experiments are producing massive amounts of data to answer fundamental questions about the basic constituents of our universe. While researchers in these areas have been using advanced data science tools for decades, modern machine learning has introduced a paradigm shift whereby data can be directly analyzed ...
As the data center industry increasingly focuses on sustainability, understanding the environmental trade-offs of siting, design, and operational decisions is more important than ever. In this session, we will explore the Cloud LCA Tool, an open-source life cycle assessment platform published by Microsoft and WSP in Nature. This tool enables ...
The ability to study proteins in a cellular context is crucial to our understanding of biology. In this presentation, I will discuss our recent technology development projects to empower the biomedical research community. First, I will describe a new technology for “intracellular protein editing”, drawing from intein-mediated protein splicing, genetic ...
During former President Barack Obama’s 2013 State of the Union Address, he remarked on the potential for additive manufacturing - or colloquially, “three-dimensional (3D) printing” - “to revolutionize the way we make almost everything.” Despite this potential, progress has been impeded by broad challenges associated with 3D printing technologies at ...
Earth is unique among the rocky planets of the solar system in having compositionally evolved continental crust - the reason for life as we know it. Many differentiation processes have been proposed to explain its existence. Starting with mafic, mantle-derived basalt, differentiation produces a diverse range of more evolved compositions ...
For centuries, formulas for mathematical constants such as pi and e appeared sporadically, discovered by figures like Newton, Euler, Gauss, and Ramanujan. Inspired by experimental physics, the Ramanujan Machine collaboration was established - a program of experimental mathematics that discovers formulas at scale, including new identities for pi and for ...
Over the past decade, atmospheric chemistry has been experiencing a “Molecular Revolution,” thanks to advances in mass spectrometry and chromatography. In this talk, I provide three broadly relevant examples from my group’s work advancing and deploying chemical ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (CI-ToF-MS) for studying atmospheric chemistry. I will ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Greta and Grandpa: An Intergenerational Dialogue on Climate SolutionsA few years ago, when a group of youth climate activists urged Senator Dianne Feinstein to sign the Green New Deal, the octogenarian responded, “You come in here and say, 'It has to be my way or the highway' and I don't respond to that … I’ve been doing this ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, $15 Members
Nature’s Hardware Store: Building the Future with BiologyWhat if the solutions to humanity’s greatest challenges - on Earth and beyond - have already been invented by nature? In this forward-looking talk, evolutionary biologist and astrobiologist Dr. Lynn Rothschild explores how life’s patterns, materials, and mechanisms, refined over billions of years, can serve as a blueprint for building ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $25 General (+ fees)
Skeptics in a PubEnjoy an evening of socializing and feasting with fellow Bay Area science-forward folk in an Irish Pub on the Peninsula with great food. < Menu >Please join us. This event is brought to you by Bay Area Skeptics. All are welcome.
Where: MillbraeCost: Free
Astronomy on Tap East BayThis month, we have two very exciting and wildly different talks lined up: Eliza Diggins (UCB) will tell us all about the mysteries of dark matter. Then stick around for a talk by Prof. Courtney Dressing (UCB), who will talk about nearby planetary systems!Two Pitchers is all ages and pet ...
Where: OaklandCost: Free
Wild Farm AllianceRecognizing that our food system is tightly linked to landscape health and habitats, the Wild Farm Alliance (WFA) has a vision to support farmers to deliver a diverse food supply while simultaneously enhancing ecosystem health and complexity. It can be done! Established in 2001 in Watsonville, CA, the WFA is ...
Where: Pacific GroveCost: Free
Wednesday, 10/15/25
Winter Bird WalkJoin Chris Carmichael in search of both resident and migrant birds in the Garden’s many bird friendly micro habitats. Chris will be joined by Susan Greef, Garden Member and avid birder. Beginning and experienced bird watchers are welcome.This walk follows uneven terrain, with areas of paved and unpaved trail. For ...
As the scientific community faces increasing volatility and uncertainty, questions abound. How can we get folks outside of academia to support research? Which projects should we promote? What messages will resonate with people? Clearly communicating the value of ocean science has never been more critical. As a professional science communicator with over ...
Where: Cost: Free
LASER October Event - LivestreamSarah Cole (Columbia University) on "Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway"John Wehrle (Muralist and Phtographer) on "Visual Stories, Public Works, and Private Thoughts"
Quantum computing holds the promise of generating novel data efficiently that classical systems cannot - data that fuels AI models, drives scientific discovery, and unlocks new ways of understanding our world. But to realize this potential, quantum computers must become dramatically more reliable, capable of producing high-accuracy outputs at scale. ...
The San Francisco Estuary is a valuable “field laboratory” for studying how aquatic food webs respond to stressors. Drawing on recent work from my group, I will show how biological diversity, phenological synchrony, and energy-pathway recovery influence estuarine ecosystem resilience. Time-series analysis on long-term biomonitoring data reveals that diverse fish ...
Where: TiburonCost: Free
RoboBusiness: Advancing Human-Robot Collaboration Through Natural Language AIExplore SRI’s Shared Understanding for Wide-Area human-robot Collaboration (SUWAC) project that uses large language models (LLMs) to transform how humans communicate with diverse robot teams - terrestrial, aerial, and underwater. SRI’s AI-based platform enables natural language interaction with mobile robots across dynamic 3D environments, supporting complex, multi-robot operations from remote ...
Where: Santa ClaraCost:
Unraveling Flavor Chemistry Sensory Experience and Food Innovation - LivestreamFlavor is far more than taste - it's a multisensory experience shaped by complex chemical interactions and human perception. This talk will explore the research activities at the Flavor Research and Education Center, where we investigate the molecular drivers of flavor and their role in food choice, preference, and health. ...
From the reintroduction of beavers for natural flood management to the managed grazing of cattle for biodiversity gain, the inclusion - or use - of nonhumans in/as environmental interventions is gaining traction as ‘win-win’ governance techniques for the Anthropocene, associated with a policy turn towards ‘Nature-based Solutions’ (NbS) to climate ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Vitamins and Minerals Unpacked: Your Guide to Nutrient Powerhouses - LivestreamExplore essential information about vitamins and minerals, focusing on commonly supplemented nutrients for the average adult. Learn about micronutrient-rich foods to incorporate into your daily diet and promote optimal health.This webinar will be presented by Shirley Siu, RD, CSOWM, who is a registered dietitian and certified specialist in obesity and ...
Judy Dater (Photographer) on "Tell me who you are: My Life in Photography" Daiane Lopes da Silva (Kinetech Arts) on "DanceHack - The Intersection of Dance and Technology" Danika Cooper (UC Berkeley) on "Dry Matters: How desert landscapes are essential to our collective futures"Please note change in start time ...
ViridisChem: AI-Driven Tools Enabling Green Chemistry Adoption - LivestreamViridisChem was started by founders Neelam Vaidya and Rahul Vaidya, to address the needs of scientists involved in product development within the Pharmaceutical, Agrochemical, Petrochemical, Cosmetics, Textile, Paint and House-hold products.As the foundation of its AI-powered solutions, ViridisChem has built one of the largest and most curated toxicity databases with ...
It has been more than 30 years since Simon Peacock proposed that the forearc mantle of the Cascadia subduction system is partially serpentinized. Geophysical evidence published since then strongly supports his hypothesis. Similar observations in southwest Japan also point to the Nankaido subduction system as another warm-slab subduction system having ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
SETI Live: Do Aliens Speak Physics?Do Aliens Speak Physics?: And Other Questions about Science and the Nature of Reality (Whiteson & Warner, 2025) is a mind-bending exploration into what it would mean, scientifically and philosophically, for humans to communicate with an extraterrestrial intelligence through the language of physics. Daniel Whiteson, a particle physicist, and Andy ...
Electron transfer is the basis of most cellular processes, ranging from photosynthesis to cellular respiration. These processes have evolved over billions of years to be highly efficient, far surpassing engineered systems. Our research harnesses this natural efficiency by integrating electrochemistry with synthetic biology to develop versatile, low-cost, and user-friendly sensing ...
Mijin Cha (UC Santa Cruz) researches and writes about climate and environmental justice, just transition??"how to transition to a carbon-free economy in a way that protects workers and communities, labor/climate coalitions, and the relationship between inequality and the climate crisis.See weblink to watch the lecture or attend in person
This presentation explores the rise of “God-like AI” - ultra-intelligent systems with capabilities that could surpass human cognition and decision-making. It highlights how rapid advances in artificial general intelligence (AGI), machine learning, and neural networks may lead to the creation of autonomous entities that can influence economies, governments, and societal ...
Since its debut in 2016, Stranger Things now entering its final season - has been a pop culture phenomenon. The show follows a group of friends in the 1980s in Indiana as they face epic threats against the very fabric of reality as we know it. Along the way, they ...
Where: Cost: Free
NightLife Presents: NASAYA & FriendsNASAYA’s bringing his signature sound - glitchy, global, and built for late-night movement. He’s headlining a night of lush, layered sound with openers edapollo and Seb Wildblood. Plus, dance it up in the Piazza with Ghost Dragon & J-Blenz. If your perfect vibe lives somewhere between hypnotic and high-energy, this one’s ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Varies
'FOLLOW THE RAIN' - a journey into the exquisite world of fungiWe are thrilled to be able to share a screening of the new Australian documentary FOLLOW THE RAIN - a journey into the weird and exquisite world of fungi.Filmed over several years across some of the wildest landscapes in Australia, Follow the Rain is about fungi and the living, breathing ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $12.51
After Dark: CMYKShow off your true colors at After Dark! Put on a selection of eye-catching accessories (or bring your own) and strut down a runway in front of our iconic Colored Shadows exhibit. Uncover the secrets of primary colors, play with optical illusions, and learn about the hidden hues beyond the ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $22.95 General, Free for Members
Bats consume large quantities of insects each night. Learn about these fascinating flying mammals and meet live native ambassador bats.Speaker: Mary Jean (Corky) Quirk, NorCal BatsClick here to watch
The United States operates the world's largest nuclear power fleet: ninety-three commercial reactors at fifty-four nuclear plants across twenty-eight states. But the vast majority of those were constructed in the 1970s and 1980s. Just three reactors have been constructed since the turn of the century. With electricity demand growing on ...
Superconducting and photonic circuits are among the most advanced platforms for quantum information processing. However, superconductivity and optics are incompatible in many aspects as superconductors could absorb photons, and optical excitations are known to lead to excess microwave noises. I will present an ongoing effort at Yale that brings superconductivity ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Transitionmetal Catalysts for the Use of Less-Utilized Carbon ResourcesIn the last century, chemical industry made progress utilizing fossil resources for the synthesis of carbon-based chemicals now widely used in our daily life. Historically, coal and then oil played the major role as resources and in the recent years, natural gas has expanded its use as a cleaner hydrocarbon ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
In Town Star PartyCome join San Jose Astronomical Association (SJAA) for an evening of stargazing.Event details:Events are held at the parking lot of our headquarters, Houge Park San Jose. The event duration is 2 hours. SJAA volunteers will share night sky views from their telescopes.Please refrain from bringing your own telescopes (Binoculars are ...
Fall Baylands BioblitzJoin the Environmental Volunteers, in partnership with Nuestra Casa, for a Fall BioBlitz in the Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve and Byxbee Park. Fall is a wonderful time for migrating birds, and our waterways will be full of interesting critters. Join us to learn about some of our native and ...
Where: Palo AltoCost: Free
Green@Home Tour: Peninsula & South BayExplore homes throughout San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties, ranging from new construction to those transitioning from gas.Gain valuable insights from tour hosts on appliance selection, contractor decisions, installation processes, tax credits and incentives, making your transition to electric living informed and cost-effective.Attendees will have the opportunity to see firsthand ...
Where: Cost: Free
Starry Nights Star PartyJoin the San Jose Astronomical Association (SJAA) and Santa Clara County Open Space Authority (OSA) for an unforgettable night of exploring the night sky. Our knowledgeable docents, members of SJAA, will be your guides to providing valuable insights into the wonders of our universe. The viewing site, Rancho Canada del ...
Where: Morgan HillCost: Free
Sunday, 10/19/25
Bair Island Walking TourJoin Peninsula Open Space Trust for a walking tour at the Bair Island Unit of the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge! You’ll be guided by POST ambassadors who will share the history of this beautiful protected space, information about the species that live there, and what you ...
Theories of social interaction posit that in order to coordinate with other people effectively, separate minds must mutually adapt to each other and converge on overlapping mental representations. Through this, one can anticipate the behavior of other people, form joint goals, and operate as cohesive social units. However, the dynamics ...
In the absence of massive government subsidies, the economic viability of large-scale thermochemical conversions of biomass to biofuels is tenuous at best. While hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) is an efficient way to upcycle wet biomass wastes, the resulting biocrudes require significant upgrading, and up to 50% of the feedstocks’ carbon partitions ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Macroalgae on a macro scale: Overcoming the scaling challenges of seaweed cultivation for climate mitigationThere is growing interest in seaweed cultivation as an environmentally regenerative form of aquaculture, a source of biofuels, low-carbon food and animal feed, and a potential strategy for carbon sequestration. To help address questions about the expansion of seaweed cultivation we have developed a dynamical model, the MacroAlgae Cultivation MODeling ...
Better, Bigger Ambitions for AIThe event will explore how AI can help us deliver positive impacts on people’s lives in areas such as developing better drugs faster, closing educational gaps, creating better weather forecasts, and others. The conversation between UC Berkeley Executive Fellow in Applied Technology Policy Dr. Arati Prabhakar (former Science and Technology ...
When an intense laser interacts with a gas of atoms, high-order harmonics are generated. In the time domain, this radiation forms a train of extremely short light pulses, of the order of 100 attoseconds. Attosecond pulses enable the study of electron dynamics in atoms and molecules using pump-probe techniques. This ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Just what is the Connection Between Physics and Music?What we are nowadays hearing of the language of spectra is a true "music of the spheres" within the atom, chords of integral relationships, an order and Harmony that becomes ever more perfect in spite of the manifold variety." - Sommerfeld (1919).From the Neanderthals to Pythagoras, through the Enlightenment, to ...
This session with the leaders of Stanford's Sustainability Accelerator will showcase the amazing work being undertaken by the Accelerator. The Sustainability Accelerator speeds the translation of Stanford research into scalable technology and policy solutions to address urgent global sustainability challenges. It also serves as a launchpad for catalyzing innovative ideas ...
CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics based in Geneva, is the world’s leading research center for high-energy particle physics. Over its 70-year history, the Organization has been adorned with groundbreaking discoveries - not least the Higgs boson in 2012 - which have significantly advanced humankind’s understanding of the fundamental ...
This talk highlights recent advances in piezoelectric acoustic devices for applications in millimeter-wave (mmWave) signal processing, ultrasound transducers, power resonators, sensors, and emerging technologies. We begin by introducing transferred thin-film lithium niobate (LN) and sputtered scandium aluminum nitride (ScAlN) as platforms for mmWave acoustic resonators and filters, demonstrating record-high electromechanical ...
Pre-eruptive magmatic H2O content influences whether eruptions are effusive or explosive, and therefore the hazard posed to nearby populations. Many arc volcanoes proximal to population centers (e.g., Pinatubo, Mt St Helens) have been active during historic times, elucidating the possible style of future eruptions. Others have been dormant, and knowledge ...
Extreme Ultraviolet light sources based on high-order harmonic generation in gases consist of extremely short light bursts, in the 100-attosecond range, allowing for outstanding temporal resolution. Attosecond pulses enable the study of atoms in an entirely new way. It is now possible to measure tiny time delays in photoionization and ...
Speaker: David Liu, Harvard UniversityG. N. Lewis Memorial Lecture
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Inside Data Science: Hackers and the Making of a New ProfessionData scientists dominated conversations in the big-data era, as industries, disciplines, and public agencies that had previously done without coding and math sought new specialists. But the new hires had no clear tasks and felt uneasy under the spotlight.How did some scattered nerds and hackers turn mostly familiar and partly ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Popping the Science Bubble - Two TalksSolving Cold Cases is Star-Forming RegionsSpeaker: Eleanor Greenspoon, UC BerkeleyOur greatest telescopes are billions of light years awaySpeaker: Riley Owens, UC BerkeleyAttend in person or click here to watch online
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
SHARKTOBER with the Monterey Bay White Sharks TeamThe Monterey Bay White Shark Project is an interdisciplinary research program involving scientists from Stanford University, UC Santa Cruz, the Middlebury Institute of International Studies and the University of Washington. Together the team is using cutting-edge technologies including electronic tags, genomics, environmental DNA, drones, and ecological and oceanographic models to ...
Let's dive deep into the magical world of fungi and fermentation spotlighting koji - an ancient fungi whose role has affected human civilization for over 2,500 years. In this talk, we will learn what koji is, and its historical significance in food preservation. Learn how a fungus is able to ferment simple ingredients into extraordinary ...
Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems (MCEs) in the Hawaiian Archipelago are low-light and presumably oligotrophic environments, yet contain a high diversity and abundance of macroalgae. What processes are driving the high abundance and diversity of these algae? Measurements of macroalgal tissue nutrients, stable isotopes, and irradiance profiles in the water column were ...
Where: Cost: Free
Establishing AI Risk Thresholds: A Critical Global Policy Priority - LivestreamAs artificial intelligence continues to impact our lives, it increasingly poses serious risks to our economy, security, and social institutions. From job displacement, discrimination, and fraud to new emerging threats in bioweapon creation and cyberattacks, the risk space has grown as capabilities advance. This raises a critical question; who is ...
Where: Cost: Free
Accelerating Medical Innovation - From Ideas to Biomaterials to ImpactAccelerating medical innovation depends on approaches that efficiently move promising ideas toward patient care. Translation is often slowed by technical complexity, regulatory requirements, and the challenges of bridging laboratory research with clinical practice. Combining materials science, clinical insight, and bioinspired design offers a path to overcome these barriers and create ...
Climate warming heats up the web of biological interactions and accelerates community change from the base and top of oceanic food chains. Warming oceans have fueled the decade long epidemic of sea star wasting disease, causing a top-down trophic cascade and massive changes to near-shore kelps from California to British ...
This talk explores the forms of public and private governance that facilitate localized corporate domination, aiming to contextualize contemporary enclaves - like Elon Musk’s municipal incorporations in Texas, Disney’s special district near Orlando, and global “private city” movements - within a longer history of capital-governed communities. I argue that local ...
Spices are dried plant parts, including seeds, fruits, bark, roots, and buds, used to flavor and color food for thousands of years. They contains high levels of polyphenols and other bioactive compounds. These compounds offer antioxidant, anti-inflammaroty, and antimicrobial properties that may help prevent chronic diseases like cancer, cardiovascular conditions, ...
The semiconductor industry is entering a new era. The explosive growth of AI is driving exponential demand for advanced logic and memory devices, requiring lateral and vertical scaling, complex 3D architecture design, all while managing cost efficiency and prioritizing sustainability goals. This complexity of manufacturing next-generation chips is quickly surpassing ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Bay Area BatsCome learn about our CA native bats with Director of NorCal Bats Corky Quirk. Through her slideshow and audio presentation, we will dive into the nature of bats, and discover the importance of bats in our environment. We’ll also discuss the harmful myths that surround these animals. Live bats will ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: $5 -$20
A Storm of Stars - POSTPONEDJoin the NASA Night Sky Network along with Shane Larson, where we’ll discuss the discovery of the Milky Way, how our perceptions of it constantly shape and change our understanding of other galaxies, and the Cosmos on much larger scales.For most of human history, we have been aware of the ...
Where: Cost: Free
Language of the Land: Life in the North Bay for Mountain LionsMountain lions in the North Bay live a fragile existence, precariously trying to survive in a densely human-inhabited landscape.This talk, hosted by Sonoma Land Trust, will explore what has been learned from almost 10 years of studying these elusive and iconic American top-carnivores, and how one goes about coexisting with ...
Who do you call when you've found an injured raptor? We're speaking with Craig Nikitas, of Bay Raptor Rescue, about his work in the San Francisco Bay Area.Bay Raptor Rescue is operated by Craig Nikitas, a retired San Francisco urban planner. He has worked with wild, rehabilitating, and captive raptors ...
The spooky season is finally here! Dust off your cobwebs, set up your 12ft tall yard skeletons, and mark your calendars for the Nerd Nite SF 2025 season finale! It’s our last show of the year and we’ve got talks to cover spooky situations like falling into a time vortex ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15
Virtual Skeptics in the PubThis is a casual night of socializing with fellow science-forward skeptics and with others inhabiting our oblate spheroidal planet.
Changing the Conversation: An Introduction to Effective Climate Change Communication - LivestreamStruggling to get people to connect with climate change? Facts and science are essential, but they’re not always enough. Social science gives us proven strategies for making climate change messages resonate. Join the National Network for Ocean and Climate Change Interpretation (NNOCCI) for a special ASL (American Sign Language)-accessible presentation ...
As both climate disasters and climate denial intensify, the battles over how - and how quickly - to transform our industrial systems have become increasingly heated. Drawing on comparative case studies from Europe, Asia, and the US, this talk examines how coalitions can succeed in driving rapid sustainability transitions despite ...
After Dark: Death and LifeCelebrate life - and its decline and renewal - tonight with fascinating talks, thought-provoking exhibits, and a close look at how the end of life leads to new beginnings in nature. Find out what death has taught scientists about living beings, revive tardigrade from cryptobiosis, and honor Dia de los ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $22.95
Artful Intelligence: A Panel Discussion on Empowering Human CreativityThere is a growing sense that AI and algorithmic thinking are encroaching on key areas of our social, professional, and creative lives. In partnership with the newly launched Artful Intelligence Institute, and to celebrate the release of Thinking Like a Human: The Power of Your Mind in the Age of ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $5 early bird, $10 general
Where: Pacific GroveCost: $15 General, $10 Members
NightLife: Día de los MuertosDónde la música y la memoria se encuentran. Join us for our third annual Día de los Muertos celebration, una noche en Oaxaca, honoring tradition through art, music, and community. In partnership with CarnavalSF, Mission Lotería*, and Academy Latine affinity group CONCIENCIA, we’re transforming the museum into a vibrant showcase ...
Fred Ritchin, a prominent figure in visual journalism, explores how photojournalists and visual storytellers need to rethink authenticity through new ethical frameworks, transparency standards, and contextual tools that help maintain credibility in an age where images can be created, not just captured. Moderator: Professor Ken Light.
Where: BerkeleyCost:
Friday, 10/24/25
Morning Hike at Lower Bear Creek RedwoodsJoin us for this beautiful hike! A POST volunteer will share a few words about POST’s decades of conservation success before the hiking group explores a moderate 3.5 mile hike with ~350 feet of elevation gain.In one of the county’s best-preserved, second-growth coastal redwood forests, we’ll pass redwoods, oaks, and ...
We know that some professional authors are beginning to use AI tools to help produce their fiction writing. Are readers using AI to generate fiction, too? Thanks to a unique public dataset called WildChat - containing more than one million “real world” conversations with ChatGPT, all shared with user consent ...
Expanding the spatiotemporal control of light into the subwavelength and subcycle domain represents an important milestone in the development of new photonic materials and technologies. In this talk, I will introduce high-Q dielectric Mie resonant metasurfaces as a viable material platform in this endeavor and show how subwavelength all-optical refractive ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Spooky AstronomyGet in the Halloween spirit with a night of cosmic chills and family thrills. Join us for a frightfully fun event featuring ooey gooey science demos, creepy crafting, pumpkin carving, and not-so-scary storytime! See weblink for ticket information
Where: OaklandCost: TBA
Bats Alive! - An Evening ExplorationJoin the Youth Science Institute (YSI) for a fascinating evening all about one of nature’s most misunderstood creatures - bats! Hosted by YSI’s former Executive Director and bat expert, Dave Johnston, this special program will shed light on the vital role bats play in our ecosystems. Learn about their incredible adaptations, ...
Where: Los GatosCost: Free
Saturday, 10/25/25
Birds by the Bay: San Francisco’s World Migratory Bird Day Celebration This event highlights the incredible journeys of migratory birds and the importance of creating bird-friendly cities and communities. The Bay Area is a critical stopover and year-round home for many bird species, and the Presidio is a national park site that’s an important habitat refugia, making it the perfect place to ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Family Nature Day at Huddart ParkPOST and our partners invite you for a family-friendly morning with hikes for all ages, hands-on learning experiences, and arts activities. Register now to reserve a free ticket for you and your friends and family!Throughout the day, there will be activities that include:Ongoing kid-friendly walks and nature scavenger huntsStory time ...
Where: WoodsideCost: Free
Bioblitz: Find Your Biobliss in The PresidioJoin Bay Nature Magazine and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy to find your biobliss! Come learn more about the local wildlife and plants through your own joyful discoveries, with guidance from enthusiastic naturalist experts.A BioBlitz is an event where participants use the app iNaturalist to record as many species ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Science Saturday: Spooky ScienceJoin us for a spine-chilling Science Saturday dedicated to exploring the spooky and creepy aspects of nature. Discover the eerie world of nocturnal creatures as we delve into the lives of bats, owls, and other mysterious animals that thrive in the darkness. Learn about the fascinating adaptations of these creatures ...
Where: Pacific GroveCost: Free with admission
Stewardship Saturday: Uncovering the Wonders of WetlandsJoin the the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory and The Marine Mammal Center for a hands-on exploration of the Bay’s wetlands and learn about the incredible biodiversity of this ecosystem. During this event, we’ll conduct a Bioblitz and nature journaling to discover hidden wildlife, learn about the vital connection between ...
Where: HaywardCost: Free
Tech or Treat at The Tech InteractiveTech or Treat is back! Join us if you dare for a day of spooky science at The Tech Interactive. This family-friendly celebration combines the thrills of Halloween with the wonders of science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM). Come curious and in costume for a frightfully fun day designed ...
Where: San JoseCost: $38 General, $28 Child/Senior/Student
The 12th edition of the Bay Area Science Festival, Northern California’s largest celebration of science, returns to San Francisco. For the festival, we will be transforming the beautiful expansive lawn and pine grove at the Koret Quad of UC San Francisco's Mission Bay campus and adjacent renowned educational, medical and ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Electric Vehicle Frunk-or-Treat Bring the whole family for costumes, and spooky fun at our Electric Vehicle (EV) Frunk-or-Treat! Join us on Saturday, Oct. 25, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 433 Charles Street. Costumes encouraged, candy guaranteed. Ghouls and goblins of all ages welcome!At our event, you'll have the opportunity to:View a lineup ...
Where: SunnyvaleCost: Free
Spooky Solar Critters WorkshopCreepy Crawlies, Haunted Bugs, and Solar-Powered Scares - summoning spooky science at The Tech Interactive! Join us if you dare for a frightfully fun outdoor experience where science meets the supernatural! Get hands-on with eerie electronics as you design and build your own solar-powered spooky critter - a creepy, crawly ...
Where: San JoseCost: $10 General + admission, $7 Members
Bat Week: Caller IDBats can be tricky to spot and are often next to impossible identify to species if you're lucky enough to see one whizz by. Thankfully, their echolocation calls can sometimes reveal which species you have flying around you.In celebration of Bat Week, join us for a presentation that will cover ...
Where: AlvisoCost: Free
Sunday, 10/26/25
Wetlands: Natural Shields Against Climate ChangeInternational Day of Climate Change is on October 24th. Celebrate over the weekend by joining us for this presentation and walk at the Refuge! You'll learn about how wetlands act like natural shields against climate change, and why the wetlands protected by the Refuge are so important to all of us! ...
Where: AlvisoCost: Free
Marine Science Sunday - Creatures of the DeepVisit our hospital and visitor center in Sausalito, California, to learn more about what The Marine Mammal Center is doing to help save marine mammals found along the California coast and beyond, and learn more about how you can help.These interactive presentations hosted by our award-winning educators feature multimedia, pictures, ...
Where: SausalitoCost: Free with admission
Spooky Solar Critters WorkshopCreepy Crawlies, Haunted Bugs, and Solar-Powered Scares - summoning spooky science at The Tech Interactive! Join us if you dare for a frightfully fun outdoor experience where science meets the supernatural! Get hands-on with eerie electronics as you design and build your own solar-powered spooky critter - a creepy, crawly ...
Where: San JoseCost: $10 General + admission, $7 Members
Why do Economists and AI Experts Disagree About the Future?Economists expect economic growth to continue at around 2% per year, more or less indefinitely. By contrast, many top AI researchers predict we'll soon have Dyson spheres.This talk aims to explain the gap, why economists are skeptical, and what evidence might change their minds.Speaker: Tamay Besiroglu, Mechanize IncAttend in person ...
The diffusion and transport of elongated and deformable particles, such as fibers, filaments, or threads, through micro-structured media in an extra dilute form has wide range of applications in various fields, including environmental science. In this talk, I will present our ongoing work to examine the applicability of classic diffusion ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Driving Water Resilience in the San Francisco Bay AreaThe San Francisco Public Utilities Commission is the third largest municipal utility in California, providing drinking water for more than 2.7 million residents and businesses within San Francisco and three other Bay Area counties. San Francisco customers enjoy some of the nation’s highest quality drinking water. The Regional Water System ...
What do we understand when we understand language? Human language offers a broad window into the landscape of our thoughts. We talk about what we see, believe, and imagine, posing questions and communicating our plans. Language, in turn, stocks our mental inventories with new concepts and theories, communicating ideas that ...
Away from equilibrium, energy can serve as a resource that opens the door to what seems like limitless potential for novel phenomena. To date, however, our understanding of energy’s role has been largely gleaned through individual case studies, leaving it an open question to identify universal principles. In this talk, ...
Dan Wang will speak about his new book, which is based on six years of technology research in China. Breakneck presents China as an engineer state, which builds a lot and makes big mistakes, in contrast with America's lawyerly society, which blocks almost everything, good and bad. In addition to the book, ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Light Dark Matter eXperiment: A Discovery Experiment for Sub-GeV Dark MatterNearly a century after first observing dark matter, we have an impressive understanding of its astronomical and cosmological properties but remarkably little knowledge of its fundamental nature. One leading paradigm postulates new fundamental particles that were in thermal equilibrium with ordinary matter in the early universe - thermal relics - ...
Macro-energy systems modelers are regularly asked to capture greater detail in technology and behavior, often without a sense of how these additions to models could affect projected outcomes. In this talk, Valerie will discuss which attributes of technology and behavior can most affect modeled outcomes and policy prescriptions, using examples ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
The Power of Curiosity: Unlocking the World through Basic Science - LivestreamIt is impossible to predict the future applications of curiosity-driven research, but that is what makes it so exciting. Fundamental science done at Berkeley has proven to uncover major discoveries that change the way we see the world - just take CRISPR-Cas9, the laser, and telomerase, for example. Come hear ...
Where: Cost: Free
United for Disability and Climate Justice - LivestreamDaphne Frias is a 27-year-old Latina and Disability rights advocate with Cerebral Palsy. She was featured in The New York Times, Teen Vogue, and on NPR. In this talk, Daphne explains how disability rights connect to protecting the environment. She also shows how we can learn from the strength of ...
Recent advances in quantum hardware have highlighted both the importance and the growing feasibility of scaling up quantum systems and distributing entanglement across physically separated qubits. Researchers are pursuing multiple paths toward this goal: on one front, novel hardware platforms (e.g. new qubit technologies) promise to support much larger qubit ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
SETI Live: Ripples on the Cosmic Ocean - LivestreamJoin Beth Johnson for a thought-provoking conversation with Professor Dagomar Degroot, an environmental historian at Georgetown University. They delve into the themes of his new book, Ripples on the Cosmic Ocean, set to be released on October 28, 2025.Ripples on the Cosmic Ocean offers a sweeping history of human encounters with ...
The sinking of gravitationally unstable lithosphere beneath high-elevation plateaus is proposed to be a key driver of their uplift and is proposed to have occurred across our planet including beneath the Andes Tibet Anatolia Colorado Plateau and Nevadaplano. Where the lithosphere is actively sinking geophysical imaging affords a snapshot of ...
A deep property of quantum field theory is the irreversibility of the renormalization group flow: as we move to longer length scales, the number of relevant degrees of freedom only decreases. In this colloquium, we will show how ideas from quantum information theory provide a new understanding of this irreversibility. ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Southeast Alaska - The Splendor and Magic of the Inside Passage - LivestreamPlease join us as photographer-extraordinaire, Jodi Frediani leads us on a trip through the Inside Passage. We'll meet lunge feeding humpback whales, black and brown bears, eagles, lots of other critters and take in this majestic landscape. Along the way, Jodi will share her collaboration with researchers, film crews, and ...
A common model of AI suggests that there is a single measure of intelligence, often called AGI, and that AI systems are agents who can possess more or less of this intelligence. Cognitive science, in contrast, suggests that there are multiple forms of intelligence and that these intelligences trade-off against ...
Where: NovatoCost: Free
Understanding AI - If Anyone Builds It, Everyone DiesIn 2023, hundreds of AI luminaries signed an open letter warning that artificial intelligence poses a serious risk of human extinction. Since then, the AI race has only intensified. Companies and countries are rushing to build machines that will be smarter than any person. And the world is devastatingly unprepared ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $18 General in person, $9 online
Much of the discourse around AI frames it as an alien and inscrutable intelligence. But in fact our success at creating "real" AI with general capabilities in the 2020s has come not only by taking many pages from computational neuroscience, but by performing large-scale modeling on human language-- the "DNA" ...
In this talk, I explore the work that is accomplished by centering engagement with Black dance music in urban studies and vice versa. Combining my training as an urban geographer with my practice as a DJ, I argue that mixing insights from urban, sound, and Black studies allows us to ...
Synchronized operation of a large number of similar entities can generate behavior that cannot be expected from single one. This principle combined with the physical concept of coherence in waves enables creation of programmable 3-dimensional focal points that can be used to enable many applications such as wireless energy transfer ...
When Worlds Collide: Galaxy MergersSpeaker: Abigail ReynoldsStudying Carbon Fusion with Machine LearningSpeaker: Valarie MiltonClick here to watch on YouTubeEditor's Note: Baton Rouge is in the Central time zone. Their webpage shows the start and end times in Eastern Daylight time, which we assume is incorrect. We adjust the time for our ...
Where: Cost: Free
Technology for a Sustainable TomorrowThis presentation is part of the College of Environmental Design’s interdisciplinary fall lecture series, Technology for a Sustainable Tomorrow, which explores the role of technology in shaping our landscapes and cities, past and present. Technological innovations of the past 150 years - especially “advances” in transportation, construction, and energy - ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Thursday, 10/30/25
Federal Funding Impacts for Sustainability & ResilienceFederal rollbacks are reshaping the future of sustainability and resilience. From cancellations of major FEMA hazard resilience grant programs, to repeals of climate provisions from the Inflation Reduction Act, to new tariffs driving up the cost of clean energy, the federal government is pulling back just as the need to ...
Internal wave solitons with amplitudes as large as 150 m propagate westward across the South China Sea, eventually interacting with the continental slope near Dongsha Atoll. Here, we present some of the first coherent observations of these waves from deep water (>500 m), through their shoaling transformation all the way ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
SETI Live: This Microbe Breathes Two Ways! - LivestreamJoin host Beth Johnson on SETI Live as she talks with Dr. Eric Boyd from the University of Montana about a groundbreaking discovery: microbes that can breathe in two ways at once! These extraordinary bacteria simultaneously perform both aerobic (oxygen-based) and anaerobic (sulfur-based) respiration, challenging everything we thought we knew about cellular life.Discover how this incredible metabolic flexibility ...
With the advent of cloud computing and now generative AI, demand for datacenters has never been more robust. This has led to unique challenges with interconnection to the electric grid, with most utilities unable to satisfy interconnection requests in a reasonable (~ 2 years) timeframe. This talk focuses on mitigation ...
Power, Control Technologies, and Sovereignty in the AI AgeBig Tech companies aren’t just large corporations. They’re political actors and economic planners. And their deep pockets and control over social media and personal data only partially explain their dominance, argues economist Cecilia Rikap, University College London.Rikap’s talk at BESI will show how big tech’s real power lies in its ...
Ghost stories and monster sightings have long been an important way for humans to deal with their fears of the unknown. Often these tales come from situations where folklore stepped in to explain science that people didn’t understand yet. Nowhere did this play out quite as spectacularly as in eighteenth ...
Where: Cost: Free
Fright NightLifeTricks, treats, and thrills all night long - summon your crew for our annual after-dark haunt featuring performances by Oaklash. Costumes are highly recommended and welcomed.
Where: San FranciscoCost: Varies
After Dark: CreepatoriumJoin us at Pier 15 for an unforgettable evening of thrills and chills! Traverse through a specially decorated Tactile Dome. Soak in spooky vibes with live jazz from John Brothers Piano Company, touch a carnivorous plant, and dress to impress for our costume contest. Don’t forget to uncover the creepy ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $22.95 General, free for members
Familes on the LandWe welcome you to an easy "challenge by choice" type of hike day with staff and docents at Bouverie Preserve. Explore the different trails and ecosytems of the preserve or enjoy a nice picnic, this day's adventure is all up to you!Register at weblink
Where: Glen EllenCost: Free
First Saturday: Free Tour of the Santa Cruz ArboretumAround the World in 60-90 Minutes!On the first Saturday of each month, the Arboretum offers a docent or staff-led tour of the Arboretum.Sometimes you will see New Zealand, South Africa, California, and Australia. Sometimes you might see combinations of several gardens or the developing World Conifer Collection or Rare Fruit ...
Where: Santa CruzCost: Free with admission, and for members
Join the San Francisco Bay Wildlife Society for a virtual conversation with Bill "The Fox Guy" Leikam! Bill will tell stories about gray foxes that he has studied and learned from here in the Bay Area. Come with your questions about these incredible animals!About Bill Leikam: Since October 2009, Bill Leikam ...
Where: Cost: Free
City Public Star PartyCome join the San Francisco Amateur Astronomers for free public stargazing of the Moon, planets, globular clusters and more!The event will take place in Tunnel Tops National Park, parking is located adjacent to Picnic Place (210 Lincoln Blvd for GPS) with the telescopes setup in the East Meadow.Dress warmly as conditions ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Jazz Under the StarsJazz Under the Stars is a FREE monthly public stargazing event! Join us for a night of smooth jazz, bright stars, and a lot of fun! We play our jazz from CSM's own KCSM 91.1. Founded in 1964, KCSM has grown to become one of the top 35 most listened to non-commercial ...
Where: San MateoCost: Free
Sunday, 11/02/25
Morning Hike at WavecrestJoin Peninsula Open Space Trust for a very easy 2-mile walk at Wavecrest Open Space in Half Moon Bay! We’ll walk through groves of trees and fields where we’ll have a great chance to spot a variety of birds, especially raptors! We’ll also walk along the coastal bluffs where we ...
Where: Half Moon BayCost: Free
History of Drawbridge - LivestreamJoin Ceal Craig, Ph.D., a 20+ year volunteer for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, for a unique opportunity to dive into the history of Drawbridge, a historic town that once housed a thriving community on an island along the South San Francisco Bay. How did this community survive in ...
Achieving climate change mitigation goals will likely require increasing the shares of variable renewable energy (VRE) from around 15% today to at least 70% by mid-century. Best-in-class macro-energy systems (MES) models explore important features of potential systems but make computational trade-offs in their resolution of grid features, weather, and land ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Toward Safe Water for All: From Geochemistry to Equity in AccessonSufficient freshwater to meet the needs of humanity is increasingly lacking. A changing climate coupled with increased demand challenges our ability to provide a sufficient, safe, economically viable, and equitable water supply for domestic use, food production, and industrial processes. California is no exception and, in fact, epitomizes the stresses ...
The Internet is at an inflection point. As AI and synthetic media explode, the world's digital knowledge faces unprecedented threats. At the same time, a new generation of web technologies known as "Web3" offer new opportunities to protect the security and integrity of data. This talk will outline a new ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
SETI Live: Welcome Moiya!Dr. Moiya McTier is an astrophysicist, folklorist, and science communicator in New York City who loves planets, galaxy evolution, her cat named Cosmo, and old stories about space. She is also the latest addition to our rotating cast of hosts for SETI Live! Join communications specialist Beth Johnson for an ...
While photophoresis, or “light-driven motion,” has long explained how aerosol layers remain aloft in the middle atmosphere, practical applications have only recently been gaining attention. Advances in nanofabrication now allow us to build lightweight structures that can propel themselves upward using photophoretic forces alone. These “photophoretic flyers” can sustain flight ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Biomolecular condensates: Interactions, emergent properties and potential functionsPhase separation compartmentalizes cells via the formation of membraneless organelles, also called biomolecular condensates. Phase separation influences many fundamental biological processes, from transcription to sorting of molecules and the stress response. Phase separation is mediated by a combination of associative and segregative phase transitions, or networking and a density transition, ...
Virtually all of the isotopes heavier than iron would not exist without neutron-induced reactions. Despite there importance in many different astrophysical scenarios, there are almost no direct measurements for isotopes with half-lives shorter than a few years. A radically new approach is necessary to overcome this constraint. Ion storage rings ...
Until about decade ago, the central focus of climate mitigation efforts was how to make progress - how we might drastically reduce fossil energy emissions. By 2018, though, it was increasingly clear that electricity from renewables would beat fossil fuels on cost, and the focus shifted from just making progress ...
From lunar samples returned by the Apollo missions in the 1960s and 1970s to measurements taken from satellites orbiting the Moon in the present day, we've learned that the Moon used to have a global magnetic field just like the Earth does today. At some point, this global field disappeared. ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15 General, $12 Members & Seniors
Tuesday, 11/04/25
Dubious News and the Aging American: Understanding Discernment and Engagement Among Older AdultsWhy do older adults engage more with misinformation online, even when they often identify falsehoods correctly in surveys? In this talk, I investigate that paradox using a host of survey experiments and behavioral trace data. Analyses across multiple nationally representative samples show that older Americans disproportionately consume and share low-credibility ...
A long-standing debate in the Earth Sciences bears on the question of whether top-down erosion processes govern mountain building processes, but how do we measure the topographic signature of the climate drivers independent of tectonics? I’ll discuss two natural experiments to disentangle topographic signatures previously attributed to climate. I’ll demonstrate ...
This talk will discuss Josephson junction networks from the double-junction SQUID to the frustrated dice-lattice array, examining aspects of 4e superconductivity leading to flat bands and opening a route to protected Josephson qubits. The experiments take advantage of superconductor-semiconductor hybrid materials.Speaker: Charles Marcus, University of Washington
In low-permeability fractured media, such as granites and shales, flow and the associated transport of dissolved solutes is controlled primarily by fractures embedded within the rock matrix. Interplay of individual fracture geometry with network structure determines the properties of the fluid flow field therein. However, relevant lengths scales within a ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Taiwan Rising - The Origins of a High-Tech IndustryHow did Taiwan ascend to such great heights in high-tech manufacturing? Honghong Tinn, author of Island Tinkerers, shares the fascinating history of how hobbyists and enthusiasts in Taiwan helped transform the country through innovative and creative computer use. Here's what you'll learn:Why the stereotype that “the West innovates, and the East ...
Woods Affiliate Lily Hsueh is an Associate Professor of Economics and Public Policy at Arizona State University and the author of Corporations at Climate Crossroads (MIT Press, 2025). Previously a Visiting Scholar at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, Lily Hsueh’s work has been featured in major news outlets, ...
The Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctic contains the coldest and most thermally stable waters on Earth, and supports a diverse and highly endemic fauna that has evolved under these conditions for millions of years. Many unusual phenomena like gigantism, anti-freeze capacity, extraordinarily long development, and stenothermality have been described in Antarctic ...
Where: Cost: Free
From Cells to Circuits: The New Era of Bioelectronic Precision MedicineThe seamless integration of biology with modern electronics is redefining how we study, diagnose, and treat disease. In this new era of bioelectronic precision medicine, advances in two-dimensional (2D) materials such as graphene are enabling direct electronic interfaces with biological molecules, cells, and tissues, transforming the way we decode and ...
Beginning in 2013, sea star wasting disease (SSWD) swept the Pacific Coast of North America, devastating sunflower sea star (Pycnopodia helianthoides) populations from Mexico to Alaska by more than 90%. The rapid disappearance of P. helianthoides further contributed to a trophic cascade involving unchecked population growth of their sea urchin ...
In The Pacific Circuit, the award-winning journalist Alexis Madrigal sculpts an intricate tableau of the city of Oakland that is at once a groundbreaking big-idea book, a deeply researched work of social and political history, and a vivid rendering of the defining themes of the twenty-first century.Oakland’s stories encompass everything ...
we are excited to hear from UT San Antonio’s Dr. Lindsay Fuller: “Canary Islanders: A random walk from Spanish Colonial Texas to Modern Astronomy in San Antonio” and UT San Antonio/Southwest Research Institute’s, Dr. Caleb Gimar: “Strange Stars, Strange Particles, Strange Planets: My Journey to a Physics Ph.D.“Click here to ...
Where: Cost: Free
Stars to Soil: A Journey from the Big Bang to Planet EarthProfessor Alexie Leauthaud will present the latest results on the nature of our universe, including groundbreaking and prize-winning new results on the nature of dark energy. Leauthaud will discuss our current understanding of the basic ingredients of our Universe and will explain why recent results from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic ...
In 1929 Edwin Hubble discovered that our Universe is expanding. Eighty years later, the Space Telescope that bears his name is being used to study an even more surprising phenomenon: that the expansion is speeding up. The origin of this effect is not known but is broadly attributed to a ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Thursday, 11/06/25
SETI Live: TRAPPIST-1e Revealed - LivestreamJoin SETI Live host Moiya McTier with Néstor Espinoza (STScI) and Ana Glidden (MIT) for a deep dive into the latest JWST observations of TRAPPIST-1 e, one of the most tantalizing Earth-sized planets in the habitable zone of a nearby star.In this episode, we explore:How JWST is peering into TRAPPIST-1 e’s atmosphere (or lack thereof).Why the planet ...
Breaking waves in shallow waters drive mean currents and low-frequency eddies within the surf zone. These rotational flows alter the transport and mixing of contaminants, bacteria, larvae, and other materials within coastal environments. Surf-zone vortices are driven by several mechanisms, including instabilities in mean flows and spatial gradients in wave ...
Energy storage resources - particularly batteries - are rapidly becoming essential sources of flexibility in modern power systems and active participants in electricity markets. By arbitraging price differences, they generate profit while reducing peak demand and mitigating renewable variability. Yet, their effective market participation requires accounting for future price opportunities ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
'The Spectrum of Life': Remote Sensing at the Southern Tip of AfricaJoin us for a special screening of The Spectrum of Life, a new documentary on BioSCape - NASA’s first biodiversity-focused field and airborne campaign. Co-led by Erin Hestir, director of CITRIS at UC Merced, Adam Wilson of the University at Buffalo, and Jasper Slingsby at the University of Cape Town, ...
Discussed are Ionic Polymer Conductor Nano-Composite Materials (IPMCs and IPCNCs) as Distributed Nanosensors, Nanoactuators, Nanotransducers, Energy-Harvesters, and Artificial Muscles. The fundamental theories are discussed, and several video demonstrations of ionic polymer-metal nano-composites and artificial soft, biomimetic robotic muscles are presented. Some biomedical applications are also discussed.Speaker: Mohsen Shahinpoor, University of ...
Where: Rohnert ParkCost: Free
The Innovative Genomics Institute: A Decade of CRISPR Tech - Livestream2025 marks ten years since Nobel Laureate Jennifer Doudna founded the Innovative Genomics Institute, where scientists are developing the next generation of genome engineering tools to treat currently incurable human diseases, and create sustainable solutions for agriculture and food security in the face of a rapidly changing climate. Come hear ...
Where: Cost: Free
After Dark: Nuclear OptionsJoin us for an evening where curiosity, society, and atoms collide - and leave with new insights into nuclear power. Dive into the technology behind reactors, learn about the challenges of managing radioactive waste, and engage with scientists and energy experts. Don’t miss this opportunity to practice difficult conversations by ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $22.95, free for members
NightLifeWhen the lights dim, the museum comes alive at NightLife. With live DJs, hand-crafted drinks, glowing lights, and 60,000 live animals (including familiar faces like Claude, our alligator with albinism), the night is sure to be wild.Plus, you can:Step inside the iconic Shake House earthquake simulator and our four-story Osher ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Varies
The Science Scoop: Joe DeRisiPlease join us for the inaugural session of a quarterly public lecture series hosted by UCSF Basic Sciences. Discovery for ALL!We invite you to learn about how curiosity-driven research is leading to critical medical advances. Through engaging lectures geared towards a lay audience, premier researchers at the University of California, ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: 0
Thirty Years of Exoplanet DiscoveryThe first exoplanet orbiting a normal sun-like star was announced in October 1995. Discoveries have been trickling in at an accelerating pace ever since, with the roster of new worlds surpassing 6000 just this year. Due to a confluence of lucky events, I’ve been afforded a front row seat to ...
First Friday Nights at CuriOdysseySwing into the weekend with science, animals, music, food trucks, and fun! On the first Friday of every month, parents and kids celebrate together at CuriOdyssey.Dance to some of your favorite hits, while enjoying animal presentations and science activities. Activities and programs are different each time, so make it a ...
