Botanical Art with Catherine Watters: Winter Botanicals at the UC Botanical GardenExplore beautiful winter botanical subjects and make them come to life! Born and raised in Paris, where her love of art began, Catherine Watters is an enthusiastic instructor who enjoys sharing her passion of botanical art. She will guide you through the steps of drawing and building layers of color ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: $80 General Admission, $75 Members
Oil, Earthquakes and Declining Science in ArabiaHow do natural resources and geologic features affect the course of Middle East history and geopolitics? Barazangi highlights the critical importance of better understanding Islamic history and cultures of the Arab/Persian region, which has the world's largest oil reserves. He will also discuss the earthquake hazards of the Dead Sea ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 standard, MEMBERS FREE, students free
Infrastructure Mediated SensingDisaggregated sustainability sensing measures the amount of usage from each fixture or appliance in a space-for example, providing information on the amount of water, electricity, or gas use at each point in the home. "The kitchen faucet was used 33 times today, for a total of 10 gallons." This type ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Houge Park Start PartyMeet with members of San Jose Astronomical Society for a Star Party, weather permitting.
Where: San JoseCost: Free
How to Illuminate a Dark Galaxy with the Help of a Black HoleHow do galaxies around us form their stars? In our current picture of galaxy formation these bright islands filled with stars should have begun their life from tiny density fluctuations of the rarefied primordial gas that fills the Universe. As this gas collapses due to gravity, it becomes denser, allowing ...
Where: San MateoCost: Free
Saturday, 12/08/12
Attracting Winter Birds to Your YardLearn about the many diverse species of winter birds present at Pepperwood. Find out which species of birds are also likely to be in your own neighborhood and how you can attract them to your yard. Representative Lisa Hug from the Wild Bird Center of Santa Rosa will share her ...
Where: Santa RosaCost: Adults $10, Children $5
2600 miles of natural history on the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail Join us for our popular series of free public lectures on a broad array of topics related to plants and natural history. Named in honor of its founder, the Wayne Roderick Lecture Series takes place in the Visitor Center of the Regional Parks Botanic Garden. These illustrated presentations are enjoyable for ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Chat with an Academy ScientistMeet Academy scientists who explore the planet in search of life and a greater understanding of its mysteries. From the tops of mountains to the bottom of the oceans, and in high-tech laboratories here at the Academy, these explorers see the world, discover new life, and help explain Earth's amazing ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free with Academy admission
Fish Feeding FrenzyHelp Ranger Bill feed the hungry inhabitants of our fresh and saltwater tanks. Watch the different feeding styles of rock cod, sea stars, and steelhead trout.
Where: SausalitoCost: Free
The City From the ValleyFundamental shifts are underway in the relationship between San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Historically, workers have lived in residential suburbs while commuting to work in the city. For Silicon Valley, however, the situation is reversed: many of the largest technology companies are based in suburbs. Thus, an alternate transportation network ...
Where: San JoseCost: Free
San Mateo County Astronomical Society Star PartyThe City of San Carlos Department of Parks and Recreation and the San Mateo County Astronomical Society have open Star Parties twice a month.Reasons to AttendIf you have kids interested in space or planets bring them here for a real life view of planets, nebula, star clusters and galaxies.If you ...
Where: San CarlosCost: Free
Winter Celebration: Family Nighthike & CampfireCelebrate the Winter Solstice and learn about traditional solstice celebrations from around the world. Gather 'round the campfire for quality time with friends and family, sing songs, and roast s'mores by moonlight.*Pre-registration required
Where: SausalitoCost: $12 per person
RoboticsSpeaker: Lorenzo Riano UC Berkeley Postdoctoral Research Scientist - Dept of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Where: OaklandCost: Free
Sunday, 12/09/12
Conservation Photography Workshop: Artistic Expression for the Nature PhotographerIn this classroom-based workshop, you will explore a variety of techniques for telling a story through the use of digital images. The beauty of the digital era of photography presents itself in the enormous opportunities for creativity in photographing the subject matter of your choice. As nature photographers, we are ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $50 per person, $40 for Academy members
'2012: The Beginning'Shannon Kring Buset – Writer, producer, directorMichael Grofe – Maya culture expertModerator – Angie CoiroFollowed by panel discussion and Q and ADecember 21, 2012. This date, identified by the Maya nearly 1,400 years ago, has in recent years become the source of great curiosity and debate. Some believe it will ...
Experience the wildlife and natural beauty that make Younger Lagoon an exceptional local treasure on this docent-led tour to the lagoon and its beach habitat. Learn about the ongoing research and habitat restoration work that help this vital ecosystem thrive. Tour includes a short hike and is best suited for ...
Where: Santa CruzCost: Free with admission
Free Sunday at the California Academy of SciencesMuseum Free DaysFree Day ChangesThe Academy is changing its free day policy to target more working families, who were previously unable to come on the Wednesday free days. We hope that this change to weekend dates will allow a wider range of people to attend.Starting in 2012, the Academy's monthly ...
Where: San FranciscoCost:
Tuesday, 12/11/12
History of MarinshipJoin Ranger Bill as he facilitates an in-depth discussion on the history of the Marinship Shipyard at the Bay Model built by the Bechtel Corporation at the request of President Franklin Roosevelt in March of 1942. Learn about the 93 ships built here during WWII.
Where: SausalitoCost: Free
The Program in Human Biology at 40 years: What made this start-up so successful?Early faculty from the Program in Human Biology will discuss the idea behind the founding of Stanford's largest interdisciplinary, inter-school program, the process that led up to the founding and their view of the reasons why HumBio has been so successful over the past 40 plus years. Come join Profs. ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
An Encore Evening with the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex The 25th Anniversary of the dedication of the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex (NFAC) will celebrated at NASA's Ames Research Center on December 11, 2012, exactly 25 years after the original dedication. A public presentation was scheduled on Monday, but we had such a strong response that we have added a ...
Where: Mountain ViewCost: Free
Why the World Will Still Be Here After December 21stDavid Morrison, Ed Krupp and Andy Fraknoi will discuss the topic of the end of the Mayan Calender in 2012 and how this has been treated by the media. The negative effect on the public of this millennial meme will also be explored, as well as ways of promoting a ...
Where: Mountain ViewCost: Free
Wednesday, 12/12/12
Low Tide WalkMost all of our public events take place on Saturdays... but we could not resist heading out on this EXTREME low tide. Will we find crabs, sea stars, eels and octopus!? This is a great all-ages, family event. Limited size and registration required.
'Garbage Warrior'Film evenings begin with potluck refreshments & social hour at 6:30pm, followed by the film at 7:30pm, followed by a discussion after the film. By Oliver Hodge. Imagine a house that heats itself, that provides its own water, that grows its own food. Imagine that it needs no expensive technology, ...
Where: OaklandCost: $5 Donation
December LASER EventSchedule:6:45pm-7pm: Socializing/networking.7pm - 7:25pm: Jennifer Parker (UC Santa Cruz) on "Down to Earth: Art, Astronomy and Physics"Highlighting new works created by artists and scientists from the UCSC OpenLab Network.7:25-7:50pm: Jennifer Dionne (Stanford Univ) on "Lights, Nano, Action!"Imagine a world where cancer is cured with light, objects can be made invisible, ...
Mike will give a talk on his experience learning to navigate by reckoning via the Sun and stars. He learned the practice in order to participate in the Singlehanded Sailing Society Transpac Yacht Race from San Francisco to Kauai. Taking Sun sights while circumnavigating the Farallon Islands and taking star ...
Where: Santa RosaCost: Free
Skeptalk: The Voynich ManuscriptJoin the Bay Area Skeptics as they celebrate the centenary of rediscovering the Voynich Manuscript, "The Most Mysterious Manuscript in the World."Written entirely in what looks like a cipher, the Voynich manuscript has never been decrypted. It is hand-written and hand-illustrated, probably from Europe in the 1400s. Although ornate, it is still far ...
Go behind the scenes at Long Marine Lab. Learn about the work of scientists and their studies of dolphins, seals, sea lions, and whales. Tour is best suited for adults and children over 10 years of age. Space limited. Reservations required: (831) 459-3800.
Where: Santa CruzCost: Free with admission
Mismodeling Indo-European Origins: Science, the New York Times, and the Assault on Historical LinguisticsCan language spread be modeled using computational techniques designed to trace the diffusion of viruses? A recent article in the New York Times announced that biologists had solved one of the major riddles of human prehistory, the origins of the Indo-European language family, by applying methodologies from epidemiology. In actuality, ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Shop 'Til You Drop NightLifeThis week, Bazaar Bizarre fills the Academy with more than 40 independent artists and designers from across the country, featuring handbags, pottery, letterpress stationary, silk-screened t-shirts, baby clothes, zines, posters, body products, and more. Your holiday shopping list will be toast. Speaking of which, December 2012 has long been the ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $12 General, $10 Members
Exciting discoveries are spurring research to uncover hidden secrets deep within South Pacific tropical forestsA scientific expedition roaming the tropical forests of Papua New Guinea recently discovered a new species dubbed the "bumblebee" geckoSome Pacific Islands species are endangered, while others pose emerging threats to nearby wildlife and ecosystemsHow are ...
December holidays mean an early edition of Nerd Nite East Bay. And we mean early. We take Nerd Nite to the big screen at The New Parkwaytheater, a much beloved and anticipated brew-and-view in Oakland. We're invading before their official opening on 12/14. They'll provide the awesome screen, comfy seats, and ...
Where: OaklandCost: $8
Super Secret Robot Pop-UpPlease join us for a special one-night-only event featuring a Museum of Robots pop-up store and the Robotics Society of America with live robot demonstrations!Happening at the new Microsoft store in Corte Madrea, Maring County, where the Xbox Kinect will be ready to play! it's an all-singing, all-dancing all-robot evening ...
