Considerate Audio MEdiating Oracle (CAMEO): Improving teleconference callsThis talk will show that variance in conversational dominance can significantly be reduced with proactive aural feedback. Our experiments further reveal that such feedback can also reduce the impact of extraneous noise on conversations. The talk will start by framing the considerate system stance of social feedback to a user. ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Why Earthquakes are so GentleImplications of Strong-Rate-Weakening Friction for the Length-Scale Dependence of the Strength of the Crust.Speaker: Thomas Heaton, CaltechRoom 350/372
Science and Reason with Skeptics in the Pub, West BaySkeptics in the Pub, West BayFiddlers Green, MillbraeIf ye value critical thinking, and if ye scorn the film-flam man, and if ye drink, drink with us, your friends. If ye shun the brewer's art, at least help us lay waste to bangers & mash!Skeptics in the Pub is a monthly ...
Where: MillbraeCost:
Thursday, 01/24/13
Streams, Gardens, and Clouds: Visualizing Dynamic Data for Engagement, Education and the EnvironmentScientists, policymakers, business leaders, journalists-all seek to harness the deluge of data generated by the minute through sensing networks and social media. Aided by the increasing availability of high-speed Internet, wireless networks, and mobile devices, people with access to multimedia tools contribute to these data flows both intentionally and inadvertently. ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Decoding Human Health Infectious Cures: Hijacking Viruses To Overcome Disease We've made substantial progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS over the past three decades, but the epidemic continues to ravage humankind-especially in the developing world. Everywhere, viruses such as HIV compete with their hosts in an evolutionary 'arms race'-building resistance to the latest therapies in order to maintain their deadly ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, $8 Members
Jared Diamond, author of 'Gun, Germs & Steel' & 'The World Until Yesterday'Pulitzer Prize winning author Diamond draws extensively from his field work and examines how Amazonian Indians, Inuit, and other traditional societies have adapted and evolved for nearly 6 million years.He explains what we can still learn from these traditional societies regarding universal human problems like elder care, child rearing, physical ...
OMG, you've been colonized! But don't fret, this is nothing new. This week get to know the plethora of microbes that colonize our bodies at a series of hands-on demonstration stations manned by scientists from the Academy and Gladstone Institutes. Compare the hearts and brains of animals to those of ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $12 General, $10 members
Genomic MedicineDr. Thomas White, former Chief Scientific Officer of Celera will be giving a talk titled Genomic Medicine: The Development, Economic and Ethical Challenges of Translating Basic Research Into Clinical Practice. Reception immediately following.Room 105
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Origins & Evolution of Meaning: A Biological ViewDr. Herr will provide a naturalistic consideration of how sense-making may have originated and evolved on Earth. What does a close and considered observation of vertebrate mammals, insects, sessile polyps, or single-celled bacteria tell us about how each and all of these living creatures find and create functional meaning and ...
During the past century, scientists have dissected the outer layer of our planet with bold scientific investigations revealing the deep properties of the Earth's crustScientific creativity has fostered innovation in field measurements from the Tibetan Plateau to the deep Pacific Ocean, and beyondNew insights are providing clues to processes that ...
Brilliant!Science: Decoding Human Health; Body Art: An Evening Science Mingle Mix and mingle with Academy and Gladstone scientists while exploring the human body as an art form-from brain to bone. The evening's mingle will feature cutting-edge science displays from the Gladstone Institutes, U.S. home to research built on a breakthrough that won a Gladstone scientist the 2012 Nobel Prize in ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $25 General, $20 Members
How to Get to Mars... and What to Do Once You ArriveAn Evening with Dr. Pascal Lee of the Mars Instituteand "Packing for Mars" bestselling author Mary Roach Astronomical Society of the Pacific's Annual Dinner to support Science LiteracyOther participants include Alex Filipenko, Geoff Marcy, and Sandra Faber."Stardust" $100 ASP member / $125 non-member"Comet" $150 (preferred seating)"Mercury" $200 (premium seating)"Jupiter" $300 (dine ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: See description
Saturday, 01/26/13
Brilliant!Science: Decoding Human Health; A Family CelebrationDiscover more about the fascinating world of human health that lives within us all through informative, interactive programs for the whole family, including live chats with scientists like Kyle Kurpinski and Terry D. Johnson, authors of How to Defeat Your Own Clone: And Other Tips for Surviving the Biotech Revolution ...
Amazing MigrationsCould you travel hundreds, even thousands of miles by only using your memory, or your sense of smell? Come see how well you can migrate! Try matching scents as salmon do when they try to find their home river, create crafts, and try other fun activities as you learn just ...
Where: Pacific GroveCost: Free with admission
Wild WatershedsNorthern California is made up of whole areas that resemble large funnels. The rainy season can turn a babbling brook into a river, and a river into a natural force that is both exciting and dangerous. Join Ranger Linda at the Bay Model and learn more about the incredible geologic ...
Where: SausalitoCost: Free
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.
Join Frans and Chris on a remarkable journey to uncover the secret life of the cheetah--the fastest animal in the world, and the most vulnerable of all the big cats. In this year's show, Frans and Chris travel from the fabled Serengeti Plains of East Africa to the remote deserts ...
Where: Santa CruzCost: $23 General, 18 Members
Family Moonlight Hike, Coyote Lake-Harvey Bear RanchEnjoy a beautiful outing under the moon and stars on the paved Martin Murphy Trail (2-mile loop) with Docent Jennifer Snedeker. Watch for wildlife, identify overhead constellations, and discover some secrets of this historic and ecological area. Meet at the Bear Ranch entrance at the end of San Martin Ave. ...
Join Frans and Chris on a remarkable journey to uncover the secret life of the cheetah--the fastest animal in the world, and the most vulnerable of all the big cats. In this year's show, Frans and Chris travel from the fabled Serengeti Plains of East Africa to the remote deserts ...
Brilliant!Science: Decoding Human Health; A Family CelebrationDiscover more about the fascinating world of human health that lives within us all through informative, interactive programs for the whole family, including live chats with scientists like Kyle Kurpinski and Terry D. Johnson, authors of How to Defeat Your Own Clone: And Other Tips for Surviving the Biotech Revolution ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free with admission
Point Reyes Fungus FairLectures, displays and mushroom tables, starting at 10:00 am at the Visitor Center.
Where: Point Reyes StationCost: Free
Cultivating Creative ConfidenceSpeaker: Glen Tripp, Founder and CEO, Galileo Learning.Presentation followed by conversation with Angie Coiro
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
The Night's Sky: Family Night Hike & CampfireJoin us for a night hike and investigation of the night's sky under a full moon. Gather 'round the campfire for quality time with friends and family, sing songs, and get silly as you roast s'mores by moonlight. Preregistration is required; to register use the link provided below.
Where: SausalitoCost: $12/person
Monday, 01/28/13
Performance-based Seismic Design of the new San Francisco International Airport Control TowerThe performance-based design of the new control tower at San Francisco International Airport posed challenges due to the building site, seismicity, and architectural constraints. The tower, located only 4 km from the San Andreas Fault, is subject to very strong ground shaking, liquefaction, and permanent soil deformation. The FAA targeted ...
Distributed Energy ResourcesBroadly defined, distributed energy resources (DERs) include: a) modular electricity generation (conventional and renewables) and storage technology b) scalable "actions" such as end-use efficiency and "demand management"DERs can be deployed at or near electrical loads to address utility-wide needs (e.g. increased electric supply) and/or localized needs (e.g. distribution load carrying ...
Jack Gallant: Reverse-Engineering the Human BrainThe human brain is the most sophisticated computer system known to man, capable of impressive feats under challenging natural conditions. Reverse-engineering the brain might enable us to design artificial systems with the same capabilities. Gallant's laboratory uses a data-driven approach to tackle this reverse-engineering problem. He will discuss how this ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 standard, MEMBERS FREE, $7 students
Nerd Nite East Bay #4: Swarms, Roshambo and Tech for Good!The East Bay's favorite lecture-in-a-bar-series kicks off the new year with a talk on collective behavior from Daniel Cohen of UC Berkeley/UCSF. Geologist Andrew Pike shares how he is just as interested in scissors and paper as he is in rocks, and Cal's Lina Nilsson tells us about about "cool ...
Where: OaklandCost: $8
Brilliant!Science: Decoding Human Health; Stroke of Insight: Strengthening the BrainAs a Harvard brain researcher, Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph.D. studied the question of how the brains of people with mental disorders differ from those without. At the age of 37, her study of the brain was changed by a very personal experience. She had a stroke. As she watched her ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $22/27 General, $20/25 Members
Tuesday, 01/29/13
'The Company We Keep' with David Alan GrierFollowing up on 2009's Too Soon to Tell, The Company We Keep is a second compilation of essays based on and growing out of "The Known World" column in Computer magazine. Like the original column, this collection explores the human side of how technology is developed, deployed, and used. The ...
Where: Mountain ViewCost: TBA
A Cook's Tour of the CheMin XRD/XRF instrument and an insider's view of the MSL Curiosity mission on MarsDr. David Blake of the NASA research Center is the chief designer and Principle Investigator of the CHEMIN instrument on the Mars Science Laboratory Rover 'Curiosity', which is now investigating evidence of liquid-borne sediments at Gale Crater on Mars. He will give an insider's view into the mission and update ...
The First Three Years at the LHCProf. Bete Heinemann (Univ. of Calif. at Berkeley) will give the Applied Physics/Physics colloquium entitled, "The First Three Years at the LHC (Large Hadron Collider)"
This presentation is to educate residents, students, faculty and community members on Concentrating solar power (CSP). An overview of Sandia National Laboratories and career opportunities will also be presented. CSP uses a large array of mirrors to focus sunlight onto a receiver containing a heat-transfer fluid, which absorbs the high ...
As electronics become faster and more powerful and the components of integrated circuits shrink, scientists are bumping up against the limitations imposed by fundamental physics, forcing them to invent new technologies. Today computer hard drives store information in tiny magnets, essentially, in the direction in which electrons spin. But there ...
