Brains, Genes and Language EvolutionWhy is language the way it is, and how did it come to be that way? Answering these questions requires postulating genetic constraints on language. A key challenge for language evolution research is therefore to explain whether such genetic constraints are specific to language or whether they might be more ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Ecology and Conservation of Cross River Gorillas in CameroonSarah Sawyer is in her 4th year of the PhD program in the Environmental Science, Policy, and Management Department. After completing her bachelors and masters degrees at Stanford University, Sarah spent half a year in Congo working on a Chimpanzee rehabilitation and release project. It was this projects that inspired ...
A Family/Group OvernightSpend a night under the stars or with some really cool exhibits. Join us for Slumber with the Stars, Chabot's newest family night out. An overnight in our Center that includes games, exhibit exploration, hike in the Redwoods, a live planetarium show and viewing through our renowned, large telescopes.* An ...
Where: OaklandCost: $85 General, $75 Members
Tracking Climate Change from Antarctica to Point ReyesJason Flesher, Point Reyes National Seashore Association's Field Seminars director, will share stunning photos and stories from his trip guiding a climate change expedition to Antarctica during the month of March with the group 2041. Dr. Ben Becker, marine ecologist at Point Reyes National Seashore, will share how climate change ...
Earth Day SFThis year, a new Earth Day Festival arrives in San Francisco. On April 23, the Bay Area will come together to celebrate Earth Day SF in Civic Center Plaza with a multi-cultural music festival and sustainable living roadshow featuring international keynote speakers on multiple stages and eco-zones filled with prominent ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Earth Day events at Point ReyesOn Saturday, April 23, 2011, many community organizations around West Marin county will be inviting their members and the public to join one (or more) of several activities to commemorate Earth Day and to build greater community resilience. If you are planning to be in West Marin on April 23, ...
Where: Point Reyes StationCost: Free
The Birds, The Bees and the BubblesChildren's Junior Ranger Program.Kids! Come celebrate Earth Day and receive a Jr. Ranger badge! Children will learn about pollination as they act out the process with bubbles and pretend to be flowers and bees.
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 ...
Where: San JoseCost: Free
Science for Kids! Snow DaysJoin us for a snow day at the library. Using instant snow, students will experiment with the properties of a polymer, compare real snow to instant snow, and discover how the elements (water, salt) affect instant snow (for ages 5-12).
Where: San JoseCost: Free
SMCAS Star Party Come out and bring the kids for a mind expanding look at the universe.Setup of telescopes begins around sunset, with observations beginning about 1 hour later.
Where: San CarlosCost: Free
Monday, 04/25/11
California Climate Policy - A New Template for the Americas?California's pathbreaking climate policies could increase both cooperation and tensions in the Americas. The state's cap and trade policy is being eyed as a model by Canadian provinces and Mexico; its low-carbon fuel standard is a direct challenge to extra-heavy petroleum in Alberta and Venezuela; and influential U.S. foundations are ...
Berkeley Rep Talk Sheds 'New Light on Dark Energy'A panel of Lab scientists along with Andrew Fraiknoi, the Bay Area's most popular astronomy explainer, will gather at the Berkeley Rep on Monday, April 25, from 7 to 9 p.m. for a discussion about "New Light on Dark Energy." Topics will ...
Where: BerkeleyCost:
High Anxiety: The Science behind Meditation and AnxietyOnce reserved for Tibetan monks, meditation has become popular especially here in the Bay Area. This practice of bringing one's attention to the present has been said to provide tremendous well-being and emotional balance. Scientists have also begun to bring their attention to meditation for its affects in "re-wiring" the ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Paul Allen, and Jose Antonio VargasIn 2007 and 2008, Time named Paul Allen one of the hundred most influential people in the world. His impact has been felt in science, technology, business, medicine, sports, music, and philanthropy. His passion, curiosity, and intellectual rigor--combined with the resources to launch and support new initiatives--have literally changed the ...
Where: Mountain ViewCost: $32 Individual, $40 for Two, includes book
The Great Tohoku, Japan DisasterThe first of two evenings devoted to an examination of and conversation about the March 11, 2011 Tohoku Earthquake in northern Honshu, Japan, and the subsequent nuclear accident. Speakers on the first evening are Greg Beroza of the School of Earth Sciences, Greg Deierlein of the Blume Earthquake Engineering Center, ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Pure Engineering: Decoupling Technical Innovation from Utility and ConsumerismThe human need to create is elemental. Whether this is an inevitable, evolutionary consequence of being the descendants of tool-making ancestors, or the cultural means by which we serve memes much bigger than our individual selves, we are compelled to execute the designs concocted by our imagination.In the context of ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Tuesday, 04/26/11
Integrating Energy Efficiency & Renewables in Home RetrofitsThe most effective way to lower energy use and greenhouse gasses is to go beyond a specific-technology focus and take a whole-system approach to buildings. This is the direction in which policies and incentive programs are moving, with the goal being to find the best combination of technologies to lower ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Ultrafast Science and the Next Generation X-ray Laser Array at the Berkeley LabRobert W. Schoenlein of Lawrence Berkeley National Lab will present some early results on ultrafast X-ray spectroscopy of transition-metal complexes, and will provide an overview of the science that motivates the development of the NGLS facility.
Where: StanfordCost: Free
A Sustainable Vision for the Post-Industrial CityThe design of our cities and suburbs is dictated by the automobile. From the width of the street, location of driveways, distance between buildings and the spacing of the structure, the automobile has irrevocably changed our cities from human scale to vehicle scale. We will discuss and explore those connections.
Where: Palo AltoCost: $5 Advance, $10 at door
Choosing Windows & Window Treatments That Save Money and EnergyVolunteer group Greening Oakland Homes sponsors this seminar discussing the pros and cons of window replacement, retrofitting and installing energy-saving window treatments. Options for older homes with single-paned windows. For more info contact DeAnna by phone. Meet in the Library Meeting Room (upstairs.)
Where: OaklandCost: Free
How green building can save the world.EcoTuesday, a unique, structured monthly networking event for sustainable business leaders held concurrently in nine cities across the country, will feature Dan Geiger, Executive Director of the US Green Building Council (USGBC). He will discuss, "How green building can save the world."Mr. Geiger, in cooperation with the Board of Directors, ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $5 Advance, $10 at door
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
Poselets and Their Applications in High-Level Computer VisionPart detectors are a common way to handle the variability in appearance in high-level computer vision problems, such as detection and semantic segmentation. Identifying good parts, however, remains an open question. Anatomical parts, such as arms and legs, are difficult to detect reliably because parallel lines are common in natural ...
Building Modern Integrated Systems: A Cross-cut ApproachThe slowdown in process scaling due to fundamental limitations of transistors and copper wires, has put tremendous challenges on traditional integrated system design methodology and continued performance improvements. These fundamental component limitations (subthreshold transistor leakage and wire capacitance/resistivity) have brought into the focus the need for energy‑efficient cross-cut integrated system ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Science for Kids! Snow DaysJoin us for a snow day at the library. Using instant snow, students will experiment with the properties of a polymer, compare real snow to instant snow, and discover how the elements (water, salt) affect instant snow (for ages 5-12).
Where: San JoseCost: Free
Net Works: An evening of telematic music featuring pianist Myra Melford, bassist Mark Dresser and trombonist Michael DessenTelematic music is live performance between musicians in different geographical locations using high speed/high bandwidth internet connections. This special Net Works concert features virtuoso ensemble playing by prominent artists in jazz and improvised/experimental music - pianist Myra Melford in Berkeley with bassist Mark Dresser and trombonist Michael Dessen in San ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Peggy Lemaux, UC Berkeley Carlmont Science Dept. Guest lecture series April 27th, 2011 Peggy Lemaux, UC BerkeleyThe Carlmont Science Department proudly presents a guest lecture series spanning the 2010-2011 school year. Innovative and leading scientists will visit the Carlmont PAC monthly for a free public event.
Dr. Showalter is a member of the Cassini Imaging Team and head of the PDS Rings node, which is housed at the SETI Institute. In this talk, Dr. Showalter will discuss the findings reported in his recent article in the journal Science.Jupiter's ring shows vertical corrugations reminiscent of those recently ...
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: Mark ...
Where: San JoseCost: Free
Powering mm-size Wireless Implants for Brain-Machine InterfacesOver the last couple of years, Brain-Machine Interfaces (BMI) based on
microelectrode arrays have been shown to have the potential to substantially
improve the quality of life of people suffering from debilitating conditions
such as spinal cord injuries or limb loss. One of the most critical parts of a
BMI ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Physics Fun for Kids 5+Dr. Gunjan Chakravarty, PH.D will wow and inspire your kids with Physics all around you! This fun workshop will show kids how they are experiencing physics everyday naturally. For ages 5 and up.
Check out the U.S. debut of a stunning collection of early photographs of the Beatles, known as The Beatles Hidden Gallery. On tour from The Beatles Story museum in Liverpool, the photos depict John, Paul, George and Ringo in unguarded moments just months before Beatlemania gripped the world. Learn how ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $12 General, $10 Members
SDForum Tech Women: The Search for Extra Terrestrial IntelligenceTopic: The Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI)The mission of the SETI Institute is to explore, understand and explain the origin, nature and prevalence of life in the universe. We believe we are conducting the most profound search in human history - to know our beginnings and our place among ...
Where: Santa ClaraCost: Advance $10-$25; +$10 at door.
Cancer Clinical Studies: What You Should KnowCancer clinical studies are designed to answer questions about new ways to prevent, detect, diagnose and treat the disease as well as improve quality of life for cancer patients. Cancer patients, family members, caregivers and the community are invited to learn about the basics of clinical studies. This program will ...
Where: Palo AltoCost: Free
Minke Whales -- Baleen of DeathThere is no such thing as a "minke whale". From behavior to genetics, variability is the name of their game. This presentation, led by Johathan Stern, Ph.D., will cover topics ranging from minke whales as our neighbors in local marine ecosystems to their status as the most heavily hunted whale ...
Although scientists were optimistic about earthquake prediction in the 1970s, reliable short-term prediction has remained an elusive goal What have seismologists learned from recent earthquakes in Haiti, Chile, and Japan? Great strides have been made in earthquake forecasting, and to a large extent damaging earthquakes are predictable Active fault zones ...
