Measure What?How are companies grappling with rising energy costs and uncertainty about energy policy? How should they think about carbon dioxide, an invisible and odorless substance no one used to care about? Is it an asset or a liability, or both? Can early adapters actually generate new revenue streams by ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $65 General, Free for Members, $15 Students
Card CountingWhat is it, how does it work, and can I use it to pay for college? This is so much fun, you'll hardly know it's math.Speaker: Jeff O'Connell, Ohlone Professor, Mathematics
Speaker: Ed Arens, UC BerkeleyPart of the Spring 2011 i4Energy Seminar Series. Live broadcast at mms://media.citris.berkeley.edu/webcast; Questions can be sent via Yahoo IM to username: citrisevents. The schedule for the spring i4energy series is at http://www.citris-uc.org/events/i4energy-spring2011.
Sarah's Science: Mantis Mania Extravaganza (two sessions)Mantis Mania Extravaganza! Two exciting classes in one! Learn the life cycle and natural history of this most fascinating insect and raise your own pet praying mantis. From breeding drosophila (baby mantis food) to watching mantids emerge from their egg cases -- experience nature's wonders up close. You will take ...
In collaboration with Make magazine and Pixar Animation Studios, the Exploratorium highlights the tools, techniques, and ingenuity of local makers. Play around in the new Tinkering Studio and join Dale Dougherty, founder and editor of Make magazine as he interviews featured Makers in the McBean Theater. Interviews will be webcast ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free with admission
Celebrating Earth Day and John Muir's BirthdayThe California Section of the American Chemical Society will again join with other community groups for a combined celebration of Earth Day and John Muir's Birthday on the grounds of the John Muir National Historic Site in Martinez, CA. This celebration will allow interaction with hundreds of families, kids, and ...
Wood is a natural resource that shapes our daily lives. On Saturday, April 16, join the Exploratorium for its first ever Wood Faire. From wood cells to forests, paper to furniture, you'll explore this material in its many forms. Explore wood under microscope, watch woodworkers of all stripes demonstrate their ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free with admission
Saturday Night StargazingSee the Moon, Planets, Stars, Galaxies and More* Stargaze through astronomical telescopes* Ask questions and talk with amateur astronomers* Learn how to use a star map to find constellations* Share in the wonder of the universe with your friendsStargazing is always weather permitting-be sure to dress warmly. Foggy and overcast ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Cal DayUC Berkeley's annual Cal Day event includes many scientific displays and talks. These include:Special events at the Lawrence Hall of ScienceThe BioDiversity Road Show at the Natural History MuseumPlants of the World at the Botanical GardenThe complete list of events on campus is available here. Scroll down to the department ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Sunday, 04/17/11
EcoHouse TourCome get inspired and learn new skills at the EcoHouse with a tour of the site and gardens. Begin at 10am with a tour of the Ecology Center's EcoHouse demonstration site and learn about simple improvements that can be made to green an urban home. The tour includes: Berkeley's first ...
Earth Day CelebrationSunday, April 17 from 11am-5pmJoin us for our fourth annual Earth Day celebration! This year we're putting a spotlight on urban farming, backyard beekeeping, composting, and how to save energy in the home. Take part in our annual beach clean up; it's always a family favorite! Tinker with ...
Tsunami research was a fairly sleepy field until the massive tsunamis that hit Chile and the Indian Ocean woke-up the public and the research community to the power and destruction caused by these massive events. Come hear Steven Ward, a solid-earth geophysicist who has worked at the Santa Cruz branch ...
Where: Santa CruzCost: Free with admission
'Addicted to Plastics'Transition Albany is hosting an event with Green Sangha that covers the consequences of our addiction to plastics and suggests alternatives. The event includes the documentary "Addicted to Plastics" and a presentation by Sanjen Miedzinski from Green Sangha. Meet in the Albany Library Edith Stone Room. We will be requesting ...
Explore the evening magic of Muir Woods, learning about the secret nightlife of an old-growth redwood forest.This special walk begins one hour before sunset and will conclude with the dark of night! We'll listen for owls, look for bats, and use our senses to guide us through the trails.This is an ...
San Francisco State's College of Science and Engineering, in conjunction with Earthquake Awareness Week, offers a presentation to the public on the science behind the recent earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis in Japan. Topics include:Science of Earthquakes and TsunamisBuilding EngineeringNuclear reactorsBiological effects of radiationJack Adams Hall
Design of Aircraft Trajectories: based on Trade-offs between Emission SourcesAviation operations affect the climate in several ways. Carbon dioxide, water vapor and other greenhouse gasses are unavoidable by-product of the combustion of fossil fuel. There are indications that persistent contrails can lead to adverse climate change, although the complete effect on climate forcing is still uncertain. A flight trajectory ...
Molecular Environmental Archaeology: Ancient DNA Applications to Environmental StudiesWith today's widespread concern over the effects of climate change, eroding biodiversity and human-induced environmental degradation, researchers are turning increasingly to archaeological data to reconstruct past ecosystems. Environmental archaeology can provide not only baseline data on the past abundance and distribution of plants and animals, but can elucidate the complex ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Tuesday, 04/19/11
Singularity of aquatic organisms in Mediterranean river ecosystems: current patterns and future trendsAdaptation to Variability: Water Management in Mediterranean Climates: Both the developed and developing world confront growing water shortages, driven by population increases, expansion of high-value agriculture, and exacerbated by climate change. This research colloquium focuses on interdisciplinary implications for improving water security in California and other Mediterranean climate regions. By ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Exploring the Universe with WISEProf. Edward (Ned) Wright of the UCLA Physics & Astronomy Dept. will discuss the observations of the Wide-Field Survey Explorer (WISE), launched in December 2009.
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Debates Worth Having: Congestion pricing for SF? San Francisco planners have begun to study the option of implementing a form of congestion pricing-surcharging cars entering San Francisco during periods of peak demand to reduce traffic congestion. Does this makes sense for our region? And what would the effects of such a proposal be? Please join SPUR and The ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $5 General, Free Members
Buildings Unplugged: Leveraging Green Performance with Passive SurvivabilityRecent events in Japan remind us that we're also vulnerable to power disruptions, and peak power load shedding. In many critical care facilities diesel generators with limited fuel storage provide a small margin of security. What codes might be developed that would require commercial and institutional buildings to switch into ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $10 donation
Coyotes Around the CornerDo you love wolves? Are you curious about Coyotes? Have you ever seen a fox in your back yard? Interpreter Teri loves these critters and is thrilled to bring you a fun presentation all about them. Bring your questions and your curiosity and learn all about how these creatures experience ...
Where: San JoseCost: Free
Google Lit Trips! A Technological Trek Through Great LiteratureSip a glass of wine or cup of coffee and hear Jerome Burg, Founder of the internationally recognized Google Lit Trips project that takes readers of all ages on virtual adventures by pairing the exploration of great literature with Google Earth's paradigm-shifting 3D mapping technologies. Readers enjoy visualizing scenes and engaging their ...
Where: LafayetteCost: $5 (dinner and drinks available for extra cost)
Dobsonian Telescope MakingBuild a telescope the Dobson way. You will learn about John Dobson and his reflector telescopes, as well as how these telescopes work. You'll learn the step-by-step method for grinding and polishing the mirror, building the mount, and assembling a complete telescope. Seeing the rings of Saturn, the moons of ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $170 + materials & supplies
Wednesday, 04/20/11
Free Wednesday at Cal AcademyFree admission is available to visitors on the third Wednesday of every month, through the generosity of The Bernard Osher Foundation. Admission is on a first come, first served basis, and early arrival is recommended due to the likelihood of high demand. Also, please note that final entry to the ...
The formation of the regular satellites of giant planets mirrors in profound ways the physical processes leading to the formation of the parent planetary bodies and provides an independent probe of the early history of the solar system. Ongoing results from the Cassini spacecraft are radically changing this field. Dr. ...
Where: Mountain ViewCost: Free
Technology and Disability in the Developing World: An Urgent Agenda for Low-cost Asssitive TechnologyThe United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) is a landmark in international agreements that has brought a rights-based perspective to disability into the policy environment of many signatory nations. To fulfill signatory nations' committments towards increased accessibility, there is an urgent need for widespread access ...
Policy Driving Health Care Transformation: IT and Health ReformErwin Cho is the Director of Financial Sustainability for Cal eConnect. He is responsible for business planning, development, and strategic iniatives that facilitate sustainable health information exchange.Before joining Cal eConnect, Mr. Cho was with Blue Shield of California where he held a number of positions of increasing responsibility related to ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering ColloquiaThe Clean Energy Project: Finding candidate materials for organic photovoltaics and electronics with the help of half a million volunteersSpeaker: Speaker/Performer: Prof. Alan Aspuru-Guzik, Chemistry & Chemical Biology Dept., Harvard UniversityRoom 180
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
The Power of AbstractionAbstraction is at the center of much work in Computer Science. It encompasses finding the right interface for a system as well as finding an effective design for a system implementation. Furthermore, abstraction is the basis for program construction, allowing programs to be built in a modular fashion. This talk ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Local/Salvaged Materials Most all green building strategies have some negative impacts, but one strategy that stands out as clearly win-win is the use of salvaged materials in our building projects. The use of salvaged materials reduces the waste stream, while at the same time serving as a valuable material resource. Wood salvaged from urban ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $10 Members Advance, $15 General & at door
Glenn R. Stewart of the Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group will discuss falcons in a changing world, and will be accompanied by a live falcon. Falcons that once nested in remote cliffs are now nesting in cities on man-made structures such as buildings and bridges. In 1970 there were ...
Until 30 years ago, the rainforest canopies – the upper treetops - has been almost entirely unexplored. With the advent of canopy access techniques such as construction cranes and hot-air balloons, scientists have been able to document the highly diverse communities of plants, animals, and fungi that dwell 100 meters ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $12 General, $10 Seniors, Free Members
Our Explosive Sun: New Views of the Nearest Star and the Largest Explosions in the Solar SystemRecent satellite missions are giving scientists dramatic new views of the Sun and the huge magnetic explosions in its outer layers that cause flares and the ejections of huge masses of superheated gas. For example, the Solar Dynamics Observatory, a NASA satellite launched in 2010, is producing images of the ...
Where: Los Altos HillsCost: Free ($2 parking charge)
Nerd Nite SF #11: Pisco, Metallurgy, and Poli-PsyCombine: equal parts booze, brainpower, brilliant slide presentations, and intellectual banter. Add: a splash of irreverence and a couple ironic twists. Shake for 20 minutes. Serve in the coolest club in town. Discuss. And there you have it: Nerd Nite SF in a nutshell, um, highball glass! This month's cocktails ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $8
The Impact & Recovery of Asteroid 2008 TC3Join Dr. Peter Jenniskens from SETI Institute and NASA Ames Research Center for a presentation on The Impact and Recovery of Asteroid 2008 TC3. Dr. Jenniskens shares the incredible story of the impact of a small asteroid and the subsequent search for fragments in the remote Nubian desert of Sudan. ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
This is Mission Control"This is Mission Control" with Jay Trimble of NASA-AmesNASA's space exploration missions are guided by teams of mission controllers on the ground. Whether it's the control of robots that extend our senses to the surface of distant planets, telescopic eyes that peer deep into the universe with multi-spectral vision, or ...
Where: San RafaelCost: Free
Thursday, 04/21/11
Don Edward's Go Wild! for KidsDid you know that there is a 30,000 acre wildlife refuge right here in the South Bay? Or that it is home to over 280 species of birds each year? Join us as we learn more about Don Edwards SF Bay National Wildlife Refuge with stories and fun activities.
Where: San JoseCost: Free
How to Create and Trap AntihydrogenProf. Joel Fajans of UC Berkeley will give the April 12, 2011 Physics/Applied Physics colloquium, entitled, "How to Create and Trap Anti-Hydrogen"
Where: StanfordCost: Free
The Science of Geniuses: The 2010 MacArthur Genius Grant Winners"They are explorers and risk takers, contributing to their fields and to society in innovative, impactful ways. They provide us all with inspiration and hope for the future," said MacArthur President Robert Gallucci. The celebrated MacArthur Fellows Program awards "Genius" grants to exceptional inventors, innovators and creative talents. The winners ...
Where: LafayetteCost: $22 General, $12 Members, $7 Students
Earth Day NightLifeKick off Earth Day with a green-themed NightLife, featuring music, cocktails, the opening of artist Michael Bartalos' installation Handle with Care, and a presentation and book signing with photographer Sharon Beals, whose photographs of the Academy's nest and egg collection are featured in her new book, Nests: Fifty Nests and ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $12 General, $10 Members
Saving Sea Turtles Today - Costa Rica to AustraliaSea turtle experts will highlight the latest science, threats and actions to protect endangered sea turtles from California to Costa Rica to Australia -- direct from the recent international sea turtle symposium in San Diego.Panelists: Glenn McFarlane, Conservation Volunteers Australia; Teri Shore, Program Director, Turtle Island Restoration Network; Dr. Chris ...
The film 'The Next Frontier: Engineering the Golden Age of Green' cuts through the debate about global warming and climate change. This documentary takes the viewer around the world in search of technologies and policies that will address our dependence on foreign oil. All over the world, ordinary people are ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About AmberLecture and demonstration by Ron Cauble and Alex Brown with many samples and stories. Baltic, Dominican Republic, and Chiapas amber along with Madagascar and Colombian copal will be covered.
Where: BerkeleyCost:
The Molecular CookbookChristian Schwarz presents "The Molecular Cookbook - A down-to-earth guide to understanding DNA technology and its applications in mushroom taxonomy."
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
The Mystery of Laguna DoloresA reexamination of the "now vanished" lake at the heart of the founding myth of San Francisco. Christopher Richard, Curator of Aquatic Biology at Oakland Museum, brings modern understanding of the city's hydrology to bear on his retranslation of the historical documents of the founding father of Mission Dolores.
