Since Fall 2002, the Charles W. Davidson College of Engineering has hosted the Silicon Valley Leaders Symposium (SVLS). The Symposium hosts industry and technology leaders to talk about business and technology trends. It also features prominent leaders who discuss broader societal and political issues that shape our life and society.Speaker: Raji ...
In this talk, Dr. Whitney Phillips (Communication Studies, Humboldt State University) will discuss her forthcoming book This is Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Mapping the Relationship between Online Trolling and Mainstream Culture (MIT Press 2015). Unlike most popular accounts of trolling, which place the problem of antagonistic online behavior ...
Over the past decade, slow but steady progress has been made in the field of autonomous chemical sensors for the CO2 system. My group has been involved in the use of ISFET pH sensor technology in particular. This seminar will provide an overview of the emerging data from the pH ...
PREDICTING STRONG EARTHQUAKE SHAKING USING OCEAN WAVES Predicting strong ground motion, as the strong shaking in earthquakes is called, from future earthquakes is among the most important research topics in seismology. Typically, seismologists do this through ground motion prediction equations that express relationships between earthquake characteristics and ground motion intensity. There is relatively little data to constrain ...
AI and Robotics at an Inflection Point Google, IBM, Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, Baidu, Foxconn, and others have recently made multi-billion dollar investments in artificial intelligence and robotics. Some of these investments are aimed at increasing productivity and enhancing coordination and cooperation. Others are aimed at creating strategic gains in competitive interactions. This is creating "arms races" in ...
"Plastic Planet" will dive deeply into the issue of marine debris and plastic pollution, and will highlight the work of our partners at the 5 Gyres Institute and the Sea Doc Society. 5 Gyres Executive Director Anna Cummins and 5 Gyres Research Director Marcus Ericsen, via satellite communication from the ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $10
Genetic Rescue for Extinct and Endangered WildlifeStewart Brand and Ryan Phelan seek to restore extinct species to their former homes in the wild. Their organization Revive & Restore's flagship project The Great Passenger Pigeon Comeback is underway to bring the iconic passenger pigeon back from extinction using the genome of the band-tailed pigeon and genomic technology. ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, $12 Member
Ruth S. DeFries: The Big Ratchet – How Humanity Thrives in the Face of Natural CrisisRuth S. DeFries, Denning Family Professor of Sustainable Development and Chair, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University; Author, The Big RatchetThe Big Ratchet is the story of how in the 20th century a range of technologies – from fossil fuels to scientific plant breeding to nitrogen fertilizers – combined ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 non-members, $8 members, $7 students
'How We Learn'What if almost everything we know about learning was wrong? With our brain sensitive to mood, timing, location, and environment, hear the truth about how we absorb and retain information. Find out if repetition is necessary, why sleeping and daydreaming are important to the learning process, and the best techniques ...
Where: Palo AltoCost: $12-$20
Demonically-possessed CatsDr. Paul Koudounaris--author of Empire of Death and Heavenly Bodies--is returning to the Bone Room Presents. He will provide a lecture on the history of demonically-possessed cats. Felines were once considered by theologians to be easy prey for demons, who could enter their bodies and wreck incredible havoc on mankind. ...
Ever heard of Ardipithecus kadabba, Australopithecus anamensis, Paranthropus aethiopicus, Homo rhodesiensis? Oh my! Do you know how these early "humans" differ from each other? Does the large array of named species help us understand our evolutionary history, or just confuse matters? What IS a hominid species, anyway? Who decides how ...
Audubon scientists recently completed a comprehensive analysis modeling the winter and summer ranges of 588 North American bird species in response to future climate change. Using extensive citizen science data and detailed climate layers, these models characterize the relationship between the distribution of each species and climate through the end ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $5 General, Free for members
SFPUC HQ as a Wastewater Treatment SystemThe SFPUC built a new building very recently. John Scarpulla will tell us about how the new HQ building functions as a wastewater treatment system using an internal artificial swamp. The building is impressive in a lot of ways: consuming 32% less energy, 60% less water, and a 50% smaller ...
