You’ve heard of sewage as an environmental health problem, but have you ever thought of it as a health solution? This seminar will explore the world of wastewater-based surveillance and how we can harness it for public health. I will start by describing work performed at UC Berkeley during the ...
Art without an Artist: Can AI be Considered an ArtistArtificial intelligence has become part of almost everything we do, especially in creating art. The speed of making art has increased tremendously. In this talk, I want to explore: can we think of artificial intelligence as an artist? I’m not talking about artists using AI as a tool to create ...
Where: San MateoCost: 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 ...
Where: San JoseCost: Free
Saturday, 03/21/26
Open Community Hike Day at Martin Griffin PreserveCome out to the Martin Griffin Preserve along the Bolinas Lagoon, where we invite you to an open recreational day!Join us for the rare opportunity to explore the 1,000-acre preserve of mixed evergreen forests and open hillsides overlooking the Bolinas Lagoon. The preserve is home to more than twenty-five species ...
Where: Stinson BeachCost: Free
Light Play SaturdayDiscover the playful side of color, light, and shadow! Remix colors in a hands-workshop about the CMYK spectrum, enjoy a shadow puppet show with music, and delight in short films that capture the wonder of tinkering. Don’t forget to step inside Light Play Studio, our limited-time spring experience, and get ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free with admission
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 Walk for the First Day of SpringTake a relaxing walk in an area that often has striking sunsets while learning about the Don Edwards SF Bay Refuge.Experience the salt marsh at twilight on an easy stroll along refuge trails (about .6 miles). You will learn about the habitats at the refuge, the wildlife it protects, why ...
Where: FremontCost: Free
Jazz Under the StarsJazz Under the Stars is a FREE monthly public stargazing event! Usually occurring on the Saturday nearest the 1st quarter moon (check our Events Page), join us in Building 36 on the 4th floor observatory for a night of smooth jazz, bright stars, and a lot of fun! We play our ...
Where: San MateoCost: Free
Sunday, 03/22/26
Hike at Windy HillJoin POST on a guided hike on one of the first open spaces we protected as an organization! A POST Representative will share a few words about POST’s decades of conservation success before hiking groups leave to explore a strenuous but rewarding 7 mile hike with 1,500 feet of elevation ...
Where: Portola ValleyCost: Free
Marine Science Sunday: Amazing MigrationsWe're celebrating the animals that love to travel! Marine mammals like gray whales and northern elephant seals are famous for their epic migrations along the California coast. During this Marine Science Sunday, you'll learn about some of the ocean's best swimmers.Talks at 10:30 AM, 12:00 PM, and 2:00 PMSpace is ...
Where: SausalitoCost: Free with advance registration
Amazing Animal JourneysLearn about animal migration and what animals pass through the San Francisco Bay area!Join us to learn about the amazing feat of migration! Learn about animals large and small, from whales to butterflies, and what kind of wildlife pass through the Bay Area.This program is led by USFWS volunteer Judi ...
Where: FremontCost: Free
Monday, 03/23/26
Neanderthals: Our Misunderstood CousinsOur species, Homo sapiens, is the last human standing, but it wasn’t always so. A couple hundred thousand years ago, we shared the planet ??" and possibly even the same caves ??" as several other species and subspecies of humans. This includes our close evolutionary cousins, the Neanderthals. After more ...
Where: SebastapolCost: $7 Advance, $10 at door
Giving LLMs a Map: Building Smarter GenAI with GraphRAGGenerative AI is powerful, but without the right data and retrieval strategies, results can quickly break down. This session will explore how GraphRAG combines knowledge graphs with retrieval-augmented generation to deliver more accurate, context-rich AI applications. Through live demos and code, we will walk through building a GenAI solution end ...
Russ Bartlett is a Senior Environmental Scientist with the California Department of Public Health, where he leads the state’s Toxicological Outbreak Program. With extensive expertise in environmental health, risk assessment, and community outreach, Russ oversees investigations that protect vulnerable communities from exposure to environmental toxins and guides the state’s response ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Tuesday, 03/24/26
World Water Day: Follow That Drop! A Journey to the Ocean - LivestreamEver wonder where a single drop of water travels? Join us on an exciting adventure as we follow a drop from your faucet all the way to the vast ocean! Along the way, discover the secrets of the water cycle, explore how humans use water every day, and learn why ...
Where: Cost: Free
Imaging the Invisible: How PUNCH and Eclipses Reveal the Solar Wind in 3DDuring a total solar eclipse, the hidden solar corona becomes visible, but only for a few fleeting minutes. NASA’s PUNCH mission builds on this natural experiment, using polarized imaging to reconstruct the 3D structure of the solar wind as it expands from the Sun to Earth and beyond. Join us ...
In an age of all-in energy portfolios, increasing fossil fuel production and use in the U.S., and an energy transition happening internationally, energy security has a significant role in global geopolitics and security. Within this context, this presentation will explore the intersection of energy security, sustainability, and resilience, with a ...
What’s the safest way to give birth-and who gets to decide?Conversations about childbirth often center on risk, safety, and medical technology. While interventions have saved lives, they’ve also reshaped birth-and how we understand it. In this lecture, medical and cultural sociologist Meghan Warner of Stanford explores the history of childbirth ...
The search for life in the universe invites deep exploration of our own world’s 4-billion-year habitability. We begin to see the cosmos as a vast and seamlesss network of relationships - a web that envelops our own Earth and the human heart. In this age of ecological disruption and social ...
The Explore and More precollege program connects high school students with Oregon State University student mentors to co-develop creative research projects that address community needs using both Western and Indigenous sciences. This presentation will describe the formation of the program’s community partnerships and culturally responsive science education framework. It will ...
Jane Goodall, the legendary primatologist known as “the chimp whisperer,” died in 2025 at the age of 91. Looking back at her life and scientific contributions - she studied the social lives of wild chimpanzees for over six decades and tirelessly advocated for their protection - experts at CUNY discuss ...
Where: Cost: Free
Alzheimer's Disease: A New Direction - LivestreamWhat if Alzheimer’s disease is driven not only by harmful proteins, but by the loss of a natural element the brain needs to protect itself? Lithium is widely known as a psychiatric medication - but what if the brain naturally depends on lithium to stay resilient as we age? In this ...
Where: Cost: Free
From Peppers to Peppermints: how spices helped unlock the secrets of pain sensationPlease join us for the next session of The Science Scoop, 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 ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Virtual Skeptics on 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.
The Story of Your Nervous SystemJoin us for a session to reset your nervous system, turn stress into resilience, and feel empowered, restored, and deeply connected.Join in this conversation and practice emotional regulation and resilience in a safe, fun, and intuitive workshop. Human beings are meant to wobble but NOT break! Too much stress will ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $18 General
Thursday, 03/26/26
Ecological Puzzles & Passion: Tales of Cyanos, Sensors, & Community ScienceFreshwater ecosystems have long inspired human interest, passion, and investment. They are essential to our economic, environmental, and personal wellbeing. Freshwater lakes around the globe, however, are degrading. Especially concerning are the toxic cyanobacterial blooms that are on the rise worldwide. Until recently, cyanobacterial blooms were thought to be prevalent ...
Where: Cost: Free
SETI Live: From Moon to Mars: What Aretmis II Means for the FutureAs NASA prepares to return humans to the Moon with Artemis II, what does it really take to live and work on the lunar surface?Join host Simon Steel and planetary scientist Pascal Lee as they explore the science and strategy behind humanity’s next giant leap. From cutting-edge spacesuit design and testing to the challenge of choosing where ...
Where: Cost: Free
PARC Forum: The future of defense technologiesJoin us at SRI’s PARC Forum as we explore the future of national and global security and defense technologies. California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis will be joined by Christopher Kirchhoff (head of AI strategy and global security at Scale AI and Defense Innovation Unit advisor) and Raj M. Shah (managing partner ...
Where: Palo AltoCost: Free
After Dark: Unplug and PlaySurprising experiences and memorable interactions - what more can you ask for on a Thursday night?
Where: San FranciscoCost: $22.95
NightLife: Colors of IndiaNon Stop Bhangra is taking over with an explosion of vibrant color, big sound, and all-night movement. Experience the beauty, sounds, and flavors of India right here in the Bay through a one-of-a-kind night for the senses. From live music and dance performances to food, drinks, and an Indian Bazaar, ...
Most every page of Andy Weir’s latest sci-fi novel, Project Hail Mary, glows with the promise of science and technology. In Weir’s first novel, 2011’s The Martian, the protagonist endures interplanetary travel, and struggles to survive on a harsh new world. However, in Project Hail Mary, the hero faces a ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $25 General in person, $10 online
Alone in the Algorithm: Human Connection in the Age of AIJoin California magazine’s Pat Joseph in conversation with UC Berkeley Professor Jodi Halpern and renowned technologist Jaron Lanier to explore the seductions and dangers of artificial intelligence against the backdrop of America’s deepening loneliness epidemic.
Where: BerkeleyCost: $40
Reinventing the way we break down plastic wasteFrom our kitchens to our clothes to the delivery of medicines, plastics play an indispensable role in our daily lives. But, the end-life of these plastics is not always taken into account. Few types of plastics can be readily recycled, and durable plastics take centuries to break down in landfills ...
