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 ...
Where: San MateoCost:
Saturday, 11/08/25
Family Program: Trails and TailsJoin us for a hike through the Garden’s diverse collection in search of signs of animal activity! We’ll start the morning by crafting our Tails and Trails Journals before heading out on a 45-60 minute Garden hike. There will be lots of stops along the way to take measurements, check ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: $8 - $20
LGO Guided Monarch WalkJoin the naturalists at the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History for a free guided walk at the Pacific Grove Monarch Sanctuary. Find monarchs clustering in trees or feeding from nectar plants, and learn about their amazing adaptations and how we can help protect them.
Where: Pacific GroveCost: Free
Family Nature Adventures: Discover the Secrets of Local Owls! - RESCHEDULEDStep into the magical world of owls during this month’s adventure! Dive into the habits, calls, and diets of local owls. Experience hands-on science as you dissect owl pellets to uncover the mysteries of their meals. Bring your own binoculars or use our child-sized pairs as you join a guided stroll through ...
Where: OaklandCost: $25 General, $35 ages 3 - 8, $10 off members
Family Nature Adventures: Fungus Among Us - Exploring the Secret Life of Mushrooms!Unlock the mysterious world of fungi that thrives in the redwood forest! Learn about the fascinating life cycle of mushrooms, their role in the ecosystem, and how to identify various species. Venture into the forest with expert guides to discover different types of fungi growing in the wild and uncover their unique ...
Where: OaklandCost: $25 General, $35 ages 3 - 8, $10 off members
Mapping Heavy Metal Contamination in Chicago’s Neighborhoods - LivestreamFor over two decades, I have partnered with undergraduate students, environmental justice organizations, Chicago Public School (CPS) teachers and their students, and faculty from various Chicago universities to study heavy metal contamination across the city of Chicago. Projects have ranged from examining contamination caused by particular industries - including the ...
Where: Cost: Free
Twilight Tales at the RefugeLearn about the history of the Refuge while experiencing the salt marsh at sunset.Join us for an evening at the refuge in Alviso to hear tales of rails, tales of tails, and tales of gold, silver, and … garbage. You’ll learn why the refuge was created and why it is ...
Where: AlvisoCost: Free
Sunday, 11/09/25
LGO Guided Monarch WalkJoin the naturalists at the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History for a free guided walk at the Pacific Grove Monarch Sanctuary. Find monarchs clustering in trees or feeding from nectar plants, and learn about their amazing adaptations and how we can help protect them.
Where: Pacific GroveCost: Free
Marine Science Sunday - An Ocean FeastVisit 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
Microbes vs. Climate Change: Bay Area EditionPOV: You are amongst the smallest and mightiest population in the Bay Area. Join us to see how microorganisms cope with climate trends!Imagine life as some of the smallest, but mightiest living things in the Bay Area: microbes! Join us at the EEC for an interactive activity to learn about ...
The Emerging Market for Intelligence: The Supply, Demand, and Usage of LLMsWe document new facts about the supply and demand of LLMs as measured by API usage on Microsoft's Azure platform and on OpenRouter. We first document the rapid proliferation in the number of LLMs available, and the entry of inference providers such as DeepInfra, Fireworks, Cerebras, and Groq for open-source ...
From climate change to historic droughts, California’s water future continues to face ever growing challenges, but what are we doing to develop secure reliable water supplies and what is Los Angeles doing to become ‘water strong’? This seminar will highlight the steps that Los Angeles is taking to develop sustainable ...
To be successful in reducing CO2 emissions, carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) must be implemented in industrial and power sector contexts with diverse site operations and incentive structures. Drawing on the case of SO2 control for coal-fired power plants, which is recognized as one of the most successful efforts to ...
Through practices centered on creative computation, generative systems, and real-time interaction, artists today actively reconfigure, hack, and subvert emerging technologies, repurposing them as tools for expression and meaning-making.Drawing from my practice and research, this talk positions experimental media art as a critical research method. This approach moves beyond simple representation ...
Stanford professor Debbie Senesky will host a panel discussion with Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow, Author of Atomic Dreams: The New Nuclear Evangelists and the Fight for the Future of Energy and Charles Oppenheimer, founder of the Oppenheimer Project and founder and CEO of the startup Oppenheimer Energy. As global energy demand grows for ...
Metals are critical to technology, but their supply chain includes antiquated techniques with large carbon emissions. A sustainable economy requires new science to connect science to engineering needs across the supply chain - from metal extraction to part fabrication. My group uses and develops advanced characterization techniques to study the ...
Laura’s research combines field work with (micro)structural and geochronological analyses to study tectonic histories and processes. Much of her work has been conducted internationally in remote regions of Mongolia and Papua New Guinea. Her EPS seminar will highlight current NSF-funded collaborative research much closer to home where she and colleagues ...
The current generation of redshift surveys provide three-dimensional maps of the Universe with tens of millions of galaxies spanning much of the observable universe. These maps explore physics beyond the standard model, including the physics of dark energy and early universe inflation. David will present measurements of cosmic expansion and ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
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 >Join us! This is a free event brought to you by Bay Area Skeptics. All are welcome.
This month, we have two excellent talks lined up: Dr. Cara Giovanetti (UCB/LBNL) will be telling us about the invisible substance that makes up 80% of the universe: dark matter. Then, we’ll hear from David Calvert (NC State University) about how ghostly neutrino particles allow us to study distant supernovae!Two ...
Where: OaklandCost: Free
Demystifying eBirdJoin us in welcoming Brian Sullivan, MAS Vice President and birder extraordinaire, as our November presenter. Brian will go over an eBird Q&A, and share how these Cornell Lab of Ornithology platforms transform the way we perceive birds.Brian currently serves as Digital Publications Lead at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, ...
There are many facts about spheres in high dimensions that are extremely counterintuitive when one's instincts anchor too heavily on circles and spheres in 2 and 3 dimensions. How much area is close to the equator? How much of the volume enclosed is close to the surface? When inscribed in a hypercube, what percentage of the volume ...
Neurosymbolic AI brings together the statistical nature of machine learning with the formal reasoning capabilities of symbolic AI. It seeks to offer a balanced approach to contemporary AI technologies, by combining the ability to learn from data, with the capacity to reason upon knowledge acquired from an environment. The main ...
Hundred-year-old giant clams, coral kingdoms that rival human cities, jellyfish that glow in the dark, and sea stars with super strength: ocean invertebrates are among the oldest and most diverse organisms on earth, In The Ocean’s Menagerie: How Earth’s Strangest Creatures Reshape the Rules of Life, leading marine ecologist Dr. Drew Harvell explores ...
The past few years have seen rapid advances in frontier AI models, demonstrating increasing performance and generality. As progress continues toward artificial general intelligence (AGI), Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) scholarship and practice has a critical role to play in ensuring that AI technology is useful to and usable by people to ...
A family from the northern New Mexico tribe of Santa Clara Pueblo is developing a Tewa-language place-names project. Their work raises questions about the intergenerational passage and passing of cultural knowledge. Place-names call attention to the link between language and land. They orient communities to space and time. They hold ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Molecular Engineering to Tip Immune Balances between Tolerance and AggressionWe explore materials and protein engineering approaches to deliver antigens and cytokines to tip the immune balance between tolerance and aggression. In the context of tolerance, induction of regulatory T cells is critical, and antigen specificity can arise from exogenously administered antigens in the form of an inverse vaccine or ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Every Day, Computers are Making People Easier to UseA conversation with the editors of In Formation, a tech-critical magazine revived after 25 years.Once a cult favorite of the tech underground, In Formation is a tech-critical magazine revived after 25 years to examine how digital tools shape, and sometimes distort, our humanity. Join editors David Temkin, Alex Lash, Paulina ...
Kate Crawford is an internationally leading scholar of AI and its impacts. She is a Professor at the University of Southern California in LA, a Senior Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research Labs New York, Honorary Professor at the University of Sydney, and the inaugural visiting chair of AI and Justice ...
Carbonate melts play a crucial role in the deep carbon cycle, influencing both the geochemical evolution and geophysical properties of Earth’s interior. These melts are thought to form during the incipient melting of carbonated peridotite and subducted carbonated crustal materials at depths corresponding to the redox stability field of carbonate ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Autumn Bites: Satisfy Your Cravings with Flavorful, Carb-Controlled Snacks - LivestreamEmbrace the delicious flavors of fall. Discover creative recipes and tips to enjoy seasonal treats without compromising your health goals, making this autumn your tastiest yet! This webinar will be presented by Jessica Shipley, MS, RD, CDCES, who is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes care and education specialist ...
This seminar presents recent work utilizing high-resolution smart meter electricity data to inform climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies, with a focus on residential air-conditioning (AC) access and usage. Drawing on a novel dataset of over 8.8 billion hourly electricity consumption records from approximately 200,000 households across Southern California, my ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
SETI Live: Where Water Boils the SkyWhat happens when a planet is full of water - but too hot for oceans? Meet the “steam worlds,” exotic exoplanets wrapped in thick water vapor and boiling at thousands of degrees. These strange worlds may be far from habitable, but they’re reshaping how scientists think about planets, water, and ...
Where: Cost: Free
Do Aliens Speak Physics? - LivestreamCarl Sagan famously said that alien civilizations may be alien in their biology, culture, and language, but we are likely to have physics and math in common with them. Today, many physicists are confident that alien intelligence will do physics much the way we do and that we can use ...
Where: Cost: Free
Financializing Disaster: Insurance and the Climate CrisisThe technical world of insurance is a critical lens through which to understand the escalating crises in climate change and housing. As climate risks intensify, both public and private homeowner insurance markets face unprecedented pressure, revealing the interconnections between housing affordability, wealth inequality, and the broader financialization of our communities. ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Exploring the Quantum Frontier - LivestreamThe United Nations has named 2025 the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, highlighting one of the most exciting frontiers in science today. UC Berkeley physicists are leading the charge, exploring discoveries that could transform computing, communication, and our understanding of the universe. Come hear from a quantum measurement ...
Where: Cost: Free
History on Tap: Gold, Ghosts, & Legends of MontereyHidden bags of gold, family heritage, outlaw chases, and more are part of a fascinating tale that shines a light on many aspects of Monterey’s rich history. Join us for a special night with Brian Edwards and friends from the Monterey County Free Public Libraries to learn about our local ...
Where: Pacific GroveCost: $20 General, $15 Member, students free
After Dark: GatherAs the days grow shorter and the nights get longer, join us at the Exploratorium to celebrate community, ritual, and togetherness. From indigenous acorn processing, a traditionally communal event, to cooperative board games, come mark the changing of seasons by getting together with friends and loved ones.Ages 18+
Where: San FranciscoCost: $22.95
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, ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Varies
Motus Wildlife Tracking System - LivestreamThe Motus Wildlife Tracking System (‘Motus’) is an international collaborative research network that uses automated radio telemetry to study the movements of birds, bats, and insects. Motus, meaning “movement” in Latin, uses coordinated arrays of receiver stations that detect animals carrying miniaturized radio transmitters, enabling researchers to simultaneously track hundreds ...
The culture wars have now fully consumed the issue of sex and gender, placing the biological sciences at the front lines, an uncomfortable place for a scientific discipline. Nonetheless, contrary to what the culture warriors want people to believe, diverse sexual behavior is not a new development, or even a human ...
Raptor Fest at Rancho San Vicente! - CANCELEDFeatured presenter Master Falconer Kenny Elvin of Full Circle Falconry will share the history of falconry, raptor biology, and behavior, and, depending on conditions, may include a flight demonstration.Visit partner booths featuring San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory, Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA, and Santa Clara Valley Bird Alliance to learn more about ...
Where: San JoseCost: Free
Fish and Creek WalkLearn about salmon life history and observe salmon in their wild upland home! Discuss what it takes to bring salmon back to their historic spawning ground after decades of human-caused disruption, and learn how collaborative creek stewardship can restore healthy water pathways.Join resource ecologist Jennifer Potts for a discussion along ...
Where: Glen EllenCost: Free
Techs on DecksTechs on Decks celebrates Innovation. We celebrate the anniversary of the Apollo 12 Moon mission (The USS Hornet was the recovery ship for that mission) and innovation from then and now! Exhibitors will be on hand to share exciting new technology and career opportunities located in one of the most ...
Where: AlamedaCost: Free for Students/Teachers
Welcoming Salmon HomeLast winter, spawning Chinook salmon returned to Stuart Creek after a more than two-decade absence. On this immersive creek walk with Jen Potts, Bouverie Preserve resource ecologist, you’ll learn about salmon life history and the conditions that led to their return. You’ll hear about what it takes to bring salmon back ...
Where: Glen EllenCost: Free
Family Bird WalkJoin us on a fun, family, feathered Family Bird Walk! This program is especially recommended for families with children ages 5-10.Let family walks become a shared time of nature learning! We’ll begin by helping kids create their personal bird watching field guides, and then head out onto the trails to ...
Where: FremontCost: Free
Twilight Marsh WalkTake a relaxing walk in an area that often has striking sunsets while learning about the Don Edwards SF Bay Refuge.Register at weblink
Where: FremontCost: Free
Living in the Anthropocene: What’s all this Plastic?Titled “Living in the Anthropocene: What’s all this Plastic?,” this is a seminar that’s about plastics in our modern era, how that plastic affects us, our environment, and what’s being done to mitigate its effects.
Where: Santa CruzCost:
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, 11/16/25
Hike at Calero County Park - CANCELEDJoin Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) at Calero County Park, one of the region’s most beautiful oak woodlands just south of San Jose on the westside of Santa Clara Valley. You will be led by POST ambassadors who will share about the natural history of the area and about POST’s ...
Engineering design decisions have far-reaching effects for environmental, economic, and social sustainability. In this talk, Professor Whitefoot will discuss methods of analyzing sustainability considerations of technology design and policies using the transportation sector as a case in point. In the U.S., transportation is the largest emitting sector of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and reducing ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Reversible Covalent Inhibitors: From Serendipity to Clinical TrialsDrugs with prolonged, on-target residence time often show superior efficacy. An increasingly popular strategy for increasing residence time is to incorporate a weak electrophile that forms an irreversible covalent bond with a nonconserved cysteine. However, achieving exquisite kinetic selectivity for a single cysteine, out of thousands of competing cysteines in ...
In recent years, microwave impedance microscopy (MIM) has shown great promise for the investigation of topological states of matter and many-body phenomena in quantum materials and devices. In this talk, I will discuss the development of a new MIM in a dilution refrigerator, which achieves the spatially-resolved detection of electronic ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Hope Versus Hype: Quantum, AI and the Path to Commercial AdvantageThe promise of quantum is real, and we are beginning to see where this technology can have the greatest impact. Decades of quantum research and development point to one primary class of practical application for quantum computing next to cryptanalysis: the simulation of quantum systems, especially for chemistry and materials ...
Where: Menlo ParkCost: Free
The path to developing new technologies for future fuels and chemicals This presentation will start by describing the current energy landscape with a focus on the molecules produced at scale to provide a high quality of life for billions across the globe. There are substantial opportunities to improve upon this system across many aspects - affordability, reliability, security, and sustainability, among ...
Solid-state batteries are a transformational and intrinsically safe energy storage solution. However, progress has been limited by high solid-solid interfacial impedance and numerous reports of Li-dendrites. By modifying the electrolyte composition and interface in a rationally designed 3D architecture we have been able to overcome these limitations achieving both high ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Rewriting Silicon Valley’s (Ethical) CodeJoin us for a timely, bold discussion with Jim Fruchterman, MacArthur Genius, Caltech-trained physicist, pioneering tech CEO, social entrepreneur, and author of the new book TECHNOLOGY FOR GOOD: How Nonprofit Leaders Are Using Software and Data to Solve Our Most Pressing Social Problems (Sept 2, MIT Press)Jim will discuss:The "Social ...
Symbioses between chemosynthetic bacteria and marine invertebrates were first discovered at hydrothermal vents in the deep sea but are now known to occur in a wide range of habitats including coral reef sediments, seagrass beds, cold seeps and sunken whale carcasses. In these nutritional associations, the bacterial symbionts use chemical ...
This talk places new constraints on ocean temperature change across the Neoproterozoic to Phanerozoic transition, when the fossil record documents some of the most dramatic changes in the history of complex life. Traditional delta 18O data blur temperature with changes in seawater composition; clumped isotopes break that ambiguity. Using stratigraphically anchored, fabric-targeted ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
The Role of Corporations in Adapting to or Avoiding a +3ºC WorldHow will corporations act in our warming world? Can they help us slow warming and better adapt to it? Or will they only make things worse? Learn from (and interrogate) our panelists about crowdfunding solar, greenwashing, blue bonds, structured finance, market shaping, the Salton Sea lithium fight, and more, as we ...
Fractionalization of the electron charge is one of the most striking phenomena arising from strong electron-electron interactions. A celebrated example is the emergence of anyons with fractionally charged excitations in fractional quantum Hall effect (FQH) states. Recently, fractional quantum anomalous Hall effect (FQAH), a lattice analog of the FQH realized ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Recent Developments in AI and Large Language Models across AsiaGuest spekaer Dr. Tatsunori Hashimoto, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Stanford, will share insights on emerging AI and LLM innovations across Asia, highlighting how technical and geopolitical factors are shaping the next wave of model development.Dr. Richard Dasher, Director of the US-Asia Technology Management Center, will serve as moderator.Register ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
The Marginalization of the World’s Small-Scale Fishers and What to Do About ItSustainable development aspires to “leave no one behind.” But over 500 million people - among the most affected by negative changes to our planet during the anthropocene have been ignored and have been practically invisible to policy-makers for decades, being (e.g., absent in censuses and trade, production and employment official ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Popping The Science Bubble: Two TalksReady, Set, Go! Pressing the gas pedal of the immune system to defeat cancerSpeaker: Ivan Davidek, UC BerkeleyHow to Build a Quantom Computer with Atoms and CavitiesSpeaker: Tai Xiang, UC BerkeleyAttend in person or click here to watch online
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Astronomy on Tap San FranciscoAstronomy on Tap is a public lecture series where astronomers give short, laid-back talks over drinks at local bars. No background in science required - our scientists share cool stuff about space while the audience just sits back and relaxes, with plenty of time to indulge their curiosity and ask ...
It’s an age-old question: How did life come about? Even the simplest creatures that exhibit the two hallmarks of life, namely metabolism and replication, are astoundingly complex. While the search for life’s origin has fascinated humans for centuries, recent breakthroughs point us in a more conclusive direction, and have remarkable ...
This master's project investigates the communities of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi associated with three pine species occurring in coastal Humboldt and Mendocino Counties: Bishop pine (Pinus muricata), shore pine (Pinus contorta subsp contorta), and Monterey pine (Pinus radiata). Now in its culmination phase, this research has revealed variation in ECM fungal ...
The catastrophic earthquakes in Haiti (2010, M7.0), Chile (2010, M8.8), Japan (2011, M9.0), and Indonesia (2004, M9.3) highlight Earth’s dynamic nature and the profound risks posed by high-magnitude seismic events. These earthquakes often trigger submarine landslides and tsunamis, resulting in significant loss of life and extensive infrastructure damage along both ...
Where: Cost: Free
Engineered Threats to Global HealthIn 2024, a group of esteemed scientists publicly warned that a bacteria created entirely with mirror-image biomolecules ("mirror bacteria") - though still years away - could potentially wipe out all life on earth. Gene editing techniques open possibilities of other risks that might be intentionally generated by bad actors, such ...
Human creation of high-quality content requires making decisions - from coarse, high-level decisions about content and style, to precise low-level decisions about the color of an individual pixel. Such creators often move between various levels of abstraction in this decision making typically starting with a rough initial draft and then ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Astronomical CuriositiesDr Robert Douglas will show us just how entertaining the universe can be, with excerpts from his book, The (not so) Little Book of Astronomical Curiosities.
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Bird Flu Awareness & Prevention Initiative - LivestreamWe're looking past the egg shortage to learn more about bird flu! Tune in for a program with Jack Aronian, a New York high school student who has made it his mission to teach the public about this fast-moving disease threatening wild and domestic birds around the world. With Jack ...
In 2005, the Cassini spacecraft made a groundbreaking discovery - it found a massive plume of ice and gas erupting from the south pole of Enceladus, a small but geologically active moon of Saturn. The plume is now believed to originate from a subsurface ocean of liquid water beneath the ...
Woodpeckers: the heart of North American ForestsExplore the lives of woodpeckers in every season: courtship and nest selection in spring; life in the nest during summer; fledging and gaining independence in autumn; and the challenges of surviving the winter. Take a close look at the most important woodpecker habitats in North America and what we can do ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
SETI Live: The Moon that Could Support LifeJoin host Beth Johnson for a fascinating episode of SETI Live, featuring planetary scientists Dr Georgina Miles and Dr Carly Howett from the University of Oxford. We’ll be unpacking their groundbreaking study showing that Enceladus - one of Saturn’s icy moons - may harbor a stable subsurface ocean capable of supporting life.What we’ll cover:How the Cassini mission’s data ...
It is inevitable that AIs will soon be making many life-altering decisions on us. Because of this, we need to ensure their behavior is guided by human values - a challenge widely known as the AI Alignment problem. I'll discuss our work on fairness and explanation alignment, presenting both theoretical ...
Where: Rohnert ParkCost: Free
After Dark: Glow UpJoin us for the opening of Glow tonight! Bask in the radiance of artworks big and small, and recharge your winter wonder with delightful programs only at After Dark. Meet a glowing T-Rex skeleton that’s six-foot tall. Encounter a rainbow-colored cuttlefish vehicle made famous by Burning Man, and get to ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $22.95 General, free for members
Solar Waves in Interstellar Space: Findings from Voyager - LivestreamJoin the NASA Night Sky Network, along with Jamie Rankin (Princeton University), where we’ll discuss the plasma, magnetic field, and particle environment from the Sun to the interstellar medium, surveyed by Voyager 1 & 2.See weblink for streaming information
Where: Cost: Free
To Infinity and BeyondPixar's IPO roadshow in November 1995 was a high-wire act. Two weeks before the premiere of Toy Story - the first feature-length computer-animated film - Steve Jobs barnstormed the country with hand-picked investment bankers, trying to sell Wall Street on his $50 million passion project.Besides a volatile CEO and skeptical ...
Where: Mountain ViewCost: Free
Tales from the Small-Scale Mushroom FarmKM Mushrooms, founded by Amanda Janney in Santa Rosa, California focuses on producing premium quality gourmet mushrooms. Amanda began growing food, including fruits, veggies, and mushrooms, while living in Portland, Oregon, in the early 2000s. A long-time volunteer and educator working with food sovereignty non-profits such as Growing Gardens, Cooking ...
Where: SebastopolCost: Free
Catalytic Adventures in an X-ray Playground Catalysts are the unsung heroes of our modern age. Working tirelessly behind the scenes, they find many applications that touch our lives, from producing the fertilizers that sustain the global population, to breaking down toxic chemicals to reduce pollution. To design the next generation of catalysts, researchers must understand at ...
Where: Menlo ParkCost: Free
Ten Years, Billions of Galaxies, One Sky: The Rubin Observatory StoryWhen the Vera C. Rubin Observatory begins its Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), it will take the most detailed, dynamic map of the southern sky ever made - visiting the entire visible sky every few nights for ten years. This unprecedented dataset will let us track billions of ...
Where: Los AltosCost: Free
Friday, 11/21/25
Binding Large Language Models to Virtual Personas for Human SimulationLarge language models (LLMs) show superhuman performance on math, coding, and other reasoning tasks, but they still struggle to behave like real people. Human attitudes and decisions depend on rich personal backgrounds, and without such grounding, LLMs often fall back on generic or stereotypical responses. This talk presents a unified ...
Speaker: Azahara Oliva, Cornell UniversityRoom: AuditoriumAttend in person or watch on Zoom
Where: StanfordCost: 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 ...
Salamander Search at Sanborn ParkJoin YSI naturalists for a guided fall hike in search of salamanders and newts! This two-hour adventure takes you along the shaded trails of Sanborn Park as we explore the damp forest floor and learn about these amazing amphibians that thrive in our local ecosystem.November is prime California newt migration ...
Where: SaratogaCost: Free
Family Astronomy: Mysteries of the SunChabot Space & Science Center’s Family Astronomy Series invites families with children ages 6-12 to explore the wonders of the universe together! This program features an engaging presentation in Studio 3 followed by hands-on activities and opportunities to make discoveries together. Each event includes complimentary hot cocoa and snacks.Step into ...
Where: OaklandCost: $25 Adults, $15 Youth, Members $5 off
What Happens when Galaxies CollideOur Milky Way galaxy is set on a crash collision course with our neighbor Andromeda, but don’t worry: we have a few billion years to prepare. What will happen to the gas, dust, and stars that make up these galaxies? What will our night sky look like? In this talk, ...
Where: OaklandCost: Free
Sunday, 11/23/25
Marine Science Sunday - An Ocean FeastVisit 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, ...
Speaker: Jolene Saldivar, San Diego State University
Where: Rohnert ParkCost: Free
The Master Balancer: Restoration with WaterEthan will discuss the role that water plays in global climate and local ecosystem health and propose actionable, human scale solutions for our greatest planetary dilemma. Watershed Restoration can play a key role in mitigating and even reversing climate change. This is an underappreciated solution for managing the climate crisis.Speaker: ...
Virtual Skeptics in the PubThis is a casual night of socializing with fellow science-forward skeptics and with others inhabiting our oblate spheroidal planet.Please join us! This is a free event brought to you by Bay Area Skeptics. All are welcome.Click here to join
Where: Cost: Free
Saturday, 11/29/25
Science Saturday: Monarch MagicJoin us for a magical Science Saturday focused on the vital role of pollinators, with a special emphasis on the enchanting Monarch butterfly. Come explore the intricate relationship between these remarkable insects and the ecosystems they inhabit. Through engaging activities, attendees will learn about the life cycle of monarchs, the ...
Former SSU Biology Department Professor, Dr. Michael Cohen returns with a presentation on innovative methods to sustainably repurpose organic waste. Read more about Dr. Cohen's research.Speaker: Michael Cohen, UC Cooperative Extension: Agricultural and Natural Resources
This talk focuses on learning, estimation, and control methods to enhance electrochemical battery performance. We begin by providing an overview of mathematical models for batteries and the key challenges that motivate new paradigms for learning, estimation and control. Then we focus on “hybrid” models that combine physics with data-driven approaches. ...
In this talk, I examine the historical origin of the attempts to understand, control, and use noise at modern times. Today, the concept of noise is employed to characterize random fluctuations in general. Before the twentieth century, however, noise only meant disturbing sounds. In the 1900s-50s, noise underwent a conceptual ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Untangling the roles of physical and demographic controls on kelp forest dynamicsKelp forests are dominant, structure-forming ecosystems on subtidal rocky reefs along temperate coasts. The giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) is a globally distributed, canopy-forming species that underpins a biodiverse and economically important ecosystem through its high rates of primary production and complex three-dimensional structure. To sustain this productivity, giant kelp requires ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Balancing Dynamic Actin Networks Under Resource ConstraintsIntracellular organization is largely mediated by actin turnover. Cellular actin networks continuously assemble and disassemble while maintaining their overall structure. This behavior, called dynamic steady state, allows cells to sense and adapt to their environment. We developed reconstituted systems in vitro to mimic steady-state conditions with either unlimited or limited ...
Imagine having a complete map of every type of cell in your body-knowing not just what each cell looks like, but what genes it uses, what functions it performs, and how it communicates with its neighbors. This vision is becoming reality through ambitious cell atlas projects, with the Tabula Sapiens ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Extreme Electron BeamsHigh intensity relativistic electron beams are among the most versatile and powerful probes of the natural world. Progress in our understanding of the fundamental forces of nature, as well as the structure of matter, has gone hand in hand with improvements to beam brightness, intensity and control. Next generation experiments ...
AI is already accelerating the clean energy transition: it's helping to identify richer deposits of critical minerals; it's improving recycling systems; it's enabling the discovery and optimization of materials for energy technologies; and it's contributing to the design of next-generation energy devices, from advanced turbine components to magnetic systems in ...
Elongated and toothy, moray eels are uniquely specialized to forage within the tight, twisting crevices of rocky reefs. Join us as we go on a foraging journey with the California moray (Gymnothorax mordax), a top predator off the coast of Southern California! We will begin with prey detection and location, ...
More than 27,000 marine mammals received a second chance thanks to caring people like YOU! Seal-ebrate behind the scenes with our animal care team at The Marine Mammal Center - the largest marine mammal hospital in the world. Sneak a peek at some of the flippered patients in care as ...
Where: Cost: Free
Community Day: Free Admission at the ArboretumThe first Tuesday of each month, the Arboretum is open without charge to visitors. See dates and times UC Santa Cruz Arboretum & Botanic Garden is open. NOTE: Due to limited parking at the Arboretum and the popularity of Community Day, we greatly encourage visitors to carpool, bike, walk or ...
This talk outlines a vision for the establishment of the African Post-Mining and Environmental Research Centre (APMERC), a proposed research hub aimed at tackling the environmental challenges left by Africa's extractive industry. This vision is deeply personal and is a synthesis of my lived experiences, academic research, and teaching initiatives.My ...
More than 27,000 marine mammals received a second chance thanks to caring people like YOU! Seal-ebrate behind the scenes with our animal care team at The Marine Mammal Center - the largest marine mammal hospital in the world. Sneak a peek at some of the flippered patients in care as ...
InShared Wisdom: Cultural Evolution in the Age of AI,Alex Pentland delves into the history of innovation, emphasizing the importance of understanding how technologies and cultural inventions impact human society. Humanity’s great leaps forward??"the rise of civilizations, the Enlightenment, and the Scientific Revolution??"were all propelled by cultural inventions that accelerated our ...
The ultrafast motion of electrons is a frontier problem for photochemical processes, as electron motion is a key ingredient of all chemical reactions. Electronic rearrangement is also the means by which light energy is harnessed in photochemistry. The timescale for coherent electron dynamics is set by the energetic splitting of ...
AI is inescapable, from its mundane uses online to its increasingly consequential decision-making in courtrooms, job interviews, and wars. The ubiquity of AI is so great that it might produce public resignation - a sense that the technology is our shared fate.As economist Maximilian Kasy shows in The Means of ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
A Conversation on Writing and AI: Once Upon an AlgorithmLeading writers and researchers will discuss and explain the issues that arise in writing with the entrance of large language models into this space. Are they useful for fiction and nonfiction writers, and in what ways? Can their use be considered ethical?Panel: Nina Begus, UC Berkeley; Ted Chiang, writer; James ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $22 General, discount for members
The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded for the development of the next generation of quantum technologies, including quantum sensing. In this lecture, I will discuss how we use quantum sensing to search for minuscule signals from the axion, a leading candidate for dark matter - invisible, feebly ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Astronomy Beginners Forum - LivestreamIf you are new to astronomy and trying to figure out next steps but maybe not sure where to start, perhaps considering getting your own telescope, maybe we can help! Planetarium Software Demo (Stellarium): 7:00 to 7:15 Primary Forum / Q&A Session: 7:15 to 8:15 This forum is ...
Where: Cost: Free
Wonderfest: Mathematics and Card MagicStartling magic sometimes relies on deep mathematical principles. However, if the magician is doing her job, those principles should not be apparent to the spectator … unless the magician is a math professor giving a Wonderfest presentation! Combining the mathematics of playing cards with sleight of hand allows even more ...
