What's a Watershed?Join a park docent for a Moderate 5-mile loop hike to see how water from winter storms finds its way to the valley below. Meet at the Calero Reservoir boat launch on McKean Rd, $6 parking fee. Dress in layers, carry water, and wear a hat and sturdy shoes. Note: ...
The weather is a daily reminder of the changes in our environment, and can inspire the search for a deeper understanding of our physical world. From the local weekly weather forecast, to knowledge of regional and seasonal conditions, to predicting the global climate response of our atmosphere in the coming ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Meet the Animals at the Randall MuseumOn Saturdays a special selection of the Randall Museum's animal ambassadors venture from their cages, pens, and perches to greet museum visitors up-close! Kids and their families can meet rodents and amphibians, check out a Great Horned Owl, and maybe even touch a tortoise! The Randall Museum is home ...
MSI loves sharks! Our special Shark Day invites one and all to learn about these amazing creatures, from the Great Whites that swim just off our ocean shores, to the gentle Leopard Sharks that are common in our Bay. We will be feeding and touching our local Leopard Sharks in ...
Where: Redwood CityCost: $20 General, $10 Members
When Will We Find ET and What Happens If We Do?It's that time of year, again, for our club to honor our accomplished members with an event, including: catered dinner, door prizes, a ceremony for the 2013 Helen Pillans Awardee, and our wonderful keynote science speaker Seth Shostak.
Where: OaklandCost: $35
Jazz under the StarsThis event is weather dependent. If skies are cloudy or overcast, the event is cancelled. Latest weather updates.Visit our roof top observatory and see the moon and Jupiter thru our telescopes, while listening to KCSM Jazz 91 FM. Dress warmly and come by anytime between 7 & 10 p.m. Free ...
Where: San MateoCost: Free
March 16 Public Astronomy Program On Mt DiabloThis month's program is – "Watch for Comet" discuss comets. Look for comet Pan-STARRS.See stars, nebula, galaxies, clusters, the moon and planets through member telescopes. Bring kids, binoculars, warm clothes (temperature can drop), snacks, water. No need for a flashlight but if you must bring one cover it in red ...
Where: Walnut CreekCost: $10/ car park admission
Skies of Spring Over PepperwoodThe crescent Moon and the majestic planet Jupiter will provide dazzling sights for this stargazing event while the bright, glittering stars of the Orion constellation highlight the heavens. Bing Quock of the California Academy of Sciences and Ron Dammann of the Fremont Peak Observatory Association will be your guides as ...
Where: Santa RosaCost: 10
Sunday, 03/17/13
Zero Waste Youth ConvergenceCalling all high school students, college students, and young professionals: The US's first Zero Waste Youth Convergence is coming to San Francisco on March 17!Organized by youth, for youth, this is a full day dedicated to learning, visioning, organizing and celebrating Zero Waste.Come find SF Environment at the event to ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $10-$15
Fascinating Fungi!Join a park docent for a leisurely 2.5 mile hike to see and enjoy a colorful variety of wild mushrooms and exotic fungi. Gain a better understanding of the importance of fungi to a healthy environment. Meet at the Day Use parking lot, $6 parking fee.Dress in layers, carry water, ...
Marine Mammal CSI: What marine mammal strandings teach us about ocean and human health Robin Dunkin, Postdoctoral Fellow, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UC Santa Cruz
Where: Santa CruzCost: Free with admission
Monday, 03/18/13
Smart Materials and Advanced ManufacturingThe highlights of our workshop include our kickoff speaker, Dr. Tom Kurfess, who until very recently served as the Assistant Director for Advanced Manufacturing in the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy. Also featured is a distinguished industrial panel that will share with us their view of the ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Building Text-Analysis Tools for Literary StudyHearst and Wagner will discuss their National Endowment for the Humanities funded WordSeer project. This project began as an experiment by Ph.D. candidate Aditi Muralidharan asking how natural language processing and data visualization could be applied to the process of literary study. Two years and two NEH grants later, the ...
This conversation with Timothy Egan, a former media fellow with the Bill Lane Center and the National Book Award-winning author of The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl, will look at perhaps the largest, most sustained human-caused environmental disaster, the Dust ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
For Goodness SnakesThis one-of-a-kind educational experience will introduce you to the fascinating world of reptiles. Come enjoy the opportunity to hold and interact with their docile animals.
Where: San JoseCost: Free
Exploring new frontiers of quantum optical scienceWe will discuss recent developments involving a new scientific interface between quantum optics, many body physics, nanoscience and quantum information science. Specific examples include the use of quantum optical techniques for manipulation of individual spins and photons using ultra-cold atoms and atom-like impurities in diamond as well as control of ...
Aging is the single largest risk factor for diseases such as Alzheimer's and cancer. Such chronic diseases account for 75 cents of every dollar spent on health care in the United States. The physical, emotional and financial burden carried by those who suffer from age-related conditions and disease – as ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, Free for members
Timothy Egan worked as the Pacific Northwest correspondent and a national enterprise reporter for The New York Times for 18 years. In 2001, he won a Pulitzer Prize for his contributions to The Times series "How Race Is Lived in America." In 2006, Egan won the National Book Award, the ...
Where: Mountain ViewCost: $22
Tuesday, 03/19/13
Water Conservation ShowcaseSince 2004, the Water Conservation Showcase has brought together experts, innovative products and services, and the sustainable development community to address one of the largest concerns of Californians: water. USGBC-NCC partners with PG&E and East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) to bring together local and national experts to address water ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
The comings and goings of San Francisco BayAn informal talk in the UC Museum of Paleontology's Tuesday "Fossil Coffee" series.Speaker: Doris Sloan, Adjunct Professor, Earth and Planetary SciencesRoom 1101
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
A new perspective on the driver of space weather: the Sun's corona as a globally coupled system The Sun's dynamic magnetic field is the origin of all of the variability in the heliosphere and in geospace that we refer to as space weather. This variability occurs on a hierarchy of time scales ranging from the full 11-year solar cycle that determines the Sun's global dipole field down ...
Skeptics in the StudioNorth Bay Skeptics are: humanists, atheists, freethinkers, agnostics and undeclared, who embrace modern skepticism. We celebrate the scientific method, and the application of logic and evidence to all claims. As in the tradition of many Skeptical groups world wide, we like to gather for lively discussion on current topics and ...
When thinking about the future, it is easy to forget to look behind you. Enter George Dyson, "an historian among futurists", who does deep research into the history of computing to understand the trends that will bring us into the future.One of his persistent themes is taking the "digital universe" ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15
Wednesday, 03/20/13
Building Carbon Zero California SymposiumCalifornia already has impressive legislation in place that sets the goal for achieving Net Zero energy buildings by 2030. Unfortunately there are no clear paths for how this target will be achieved. The goal of this one-day symposium is to gather policy-makers, industry leaders, architects and builders to collectively determine ...
Dr. Bales joined the University of California, Merced, as Professor of Engineering in June 2003, and is one of U.C. Merced's inaugural faculty. Dr. Bales received his B.S. from Purdue University, an M.S. from the University of California, Berkeley and his Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology. He worked ...
Robocar/taxi: Product Design and Transport PlanningA car is often a person's second largest capital expenditure, after a home, yet a car sits unused some 95% of the time. With the Google self-driving car, people could avoid the outlay of many thousands of dollars, or tens of thousands, on an item that mostly sits and, instead, ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
2013 Project WISE Environmental Science SymposiumJoin Project WISE students as they present their research and results from the environmental science projects that they designed and conducted. Student groups explored environmental issues of their choice, conducted an experiment, examined the various sides of the issue, and created a video demonstrating their understanding. Please attend and learn ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Health Care Reform Up ClosePam Belluck will speak about her first book, Island Practice (2012), the adventures of an eccentric doctor and the challenges of his community on the island of Nantucket. This is a study of how one doctor perseveres within the shifting institutional context of health care. The book was optioned for ...
Climate Change Talk with Dr. A. Paul AlivisatosJoin the Lawrence Hall of Science and the UC Berkeley Department of Physics for the 6th Annual Warren William Chupp Lecture, focused on current climate change issues and possible solutions. Hear from Dr. A. Paul Alivisatos, Director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, about Carbon Cycle 2.0, the Lab's broad ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Scientific Visualization in Numerical Astrophysics and CosmologyThree-dimensional movies of the birth of the first stars in the Universe are just some of the stunning visuals at the Schwob Computing and Information Center, a resource at KIPAC's Computational Physics Department. The visualizations are based on large-scale computer simulations that model complex astrophysical and cosmological processes. In his ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
The Power of Language - SOLD OUTThere are over 7,000 languages around the globe and each one may shape a given culture's conception of time, space, color, or even justice. Lera Boroditsky, who conducts groundbreaking research on how language shapes thought says that "each language is its own universe". Boroditsky is a professor of psychology, neuroscience, ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $22/27 General, $20/25 Members
The electric power grid is a highly automated network that uses a variety of sensors, information/control systems, and communication networks for the purpose of sensing, monitoring, and controlling the physical grid. This talk first provides a brief taxonomy of potential cyber threats on the power grid and then presents a ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
NASAScience4Girls and Their FamiliesThe Sun is our closest star! Join us and find out how NASA is helping us learn about our Sun, what it can teach us about other stars, and the many ways it affects our life on Earth.
Where: San JoseCost: Free
STEM Speakers Series: RoboticsAttendees will have the opportunity to hear about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) classroom integration from experts in the field as well as use the STEM Center equipment for hands-on exploration.Each night the agenda is: 3-4pm Open House, 4-5pm Speakers Series, 5-6pm Open HouseSpeakers: Len Erickson, Learningtech.org; Steve Kesel, ...
Where: Redwood CityCost: Free
Science Smart Kids-Radical RecyclingRadical Recycling with Science Smart Kids offers engaging, multi-sensory, hands-on science workshops for children. Kids learn best when they are having fun!
Where: San JoseCost: Free
2013 Project WISE Environmental Science SymposiumJoin Project WISE students as they present their research and results from the environmental science projects that they designed and conducted. Student groups explored environmental issues of their choice, conducted an experiment, examined the various sides of the issue, and created a video demonstrating their understanding. Please attend and learn ...
For Goodness SnakesThis one-of-a-kind educational experience will introduce you to the fascinating world of reptiles. Come enjoy the opportunity to hold and interact with their docile animals.
The ARPA-E Innovation Model: A Glimpse into the Future of Automotive Battery TechnologyThe Department of Energy¹s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) focuses on funding game-changing R&D aimed at reducing U.S. foreign energy dependence and emissions. ARPA-E has made a strong commitment to support breakthrough energy storage technologies that can accelerate the mass adoption of electrified vehicles. This presentation will highlight the range ...
Sylvia Earle, one of the world's most influential ambassadors for the ocean, is a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, former chief scientist of NOAA, founder of Mission Blue Foundation, a TED Prize winner, and was named TIME magazine's first Hero of the Planet. Join the College of Natural Resources to learn ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Human-Wildlife ConflictThe human-wildlife conflict is one of the biggest challenges facing wildlife conservation today, whether with bears, mountain lions or gorillas, across the planet or in our own Bay Area. Join the Oakland Zoo for a talk by the co-founder and executive firector of HWCC, Francine Madden, as she untangles contemporary ...
Where: OaklandCost: $12-20 General, $10-20 Members
Prenatal Genetic Screening and Diagnosis in 2013Prenatal genetic screening options have grown significantly in recent years to the point that expectant parents may now undergo fairly accurate non-invasive blood test screening for common genetic abnormalities. This talk will address common approaches to genetic screening and diagnosis, and discuss the advantages and limitations of established and cutting ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Film & Discussion: 'An Ecology of Mind'Nora Bateson is the youngest daughter of a famous anthropologist, systems thinker and social scientist, Gregory Bateson, who delighted in exploring with his children at an early age the way people think and the way the world works. As a result, Nora grew up with a keen sense of ...
Where: AlbanyCost: $10 General, $8 Seniors
San Francisco Under your FeetGeologist Jean DeMouthe, will take us through our local geologic history. We start with the big picture beginning in the Mesozoic Era (Dinosaurs) and end with what lies under our city today. Local rock types and fossils will be illustrated and discussed.
Discover the amazing movement patterns of albatrosses, sharks, and other open-ocean creatures as wildlife biologist Peter Pyle presents his research on transpacific migration. Find out how Pacific Ocean migrants overcome the hardships and risks of long-distance travel over the inhospitable and food-deprived central Pacific. The great flights of Black-footed Albatrosses, ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: $5 donation General, members free
Bone Cleaning ClassThe Bone Room's own Ron Cauble will again teach a class on the basics of bone and skeleton cleaning. Space is limited so please call in advance to sign up.Instructor: Ron Cauble
Where: BerkeleyCost: $10
Friday, 03/22/13
Conservation WalkaboutJoin staff for a hike in ACR's Mayacamas Mountains Sanctuary coupled with conservation work, such as pulling weeds, pruning, seed collecting, and maintaining trails and signage. This hike takes place on the fourth Friday of every month.Please dress for the weather and bring at least one quart of drinking water. ...
A building can be an agile, sentient, complex dynamic system that delivers customized sequences of micro-environments to optimize comfort and productivity while minimizing carbon footprint. Such a building leverages pervasive sensing and information technology to realize and maintain tunable physical models, and to synthesize state-of-the-art knowledge about occupant needs and ...
Mysterious dark matter and dark energy are aspects of our Universe that we cannot see, taste, or feel, but they are very important: dark matter keeps galaxies gravitationally bound, and dark energy is accelerating the expansion of the Universe. We wouldn't exist without dark matter, or if dark energy were much ...
Where: OaklandCost: $23 General, $20 Members in advance; $29 at door