What does the future hold for search user interfaces? This talk identifies some important trends in the use of information technology and suggest how these may affect search in future. This includes is a notable trend towards more "natural'' user interfaces, a trend towards social rather than solo usage of ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Galileo's Birthday CelebrationBorn on February 15, 1564, in Italy, Galileo Galilei was a mathematics professor who made pioneering observations of nature that have helped to shape our understanding of the universe. He constructed a telescope and observed that we have a sun-centered solar system. To celebrate this great achievement we invite you ...
For some time, NASA has been looking beyond single-entity space transportation programs. Our future in space has never been more secure or exciting. Over the last half century NASA was the sole entity to design our entire space program by wading ankle deep in the ocean that is our corner ...
Take the whole family back a billion years and walk forward to the present around Lake Merritt (5 km = 3.1 miles). Follow dozens of signs describing the history of our Earth and its life. Personnel from UC Berkeley and NCSE will answer your questions as you travel through time ...
Where: OaklandCost: Free
Seeking the Habitable Zone: the Discovery and Detailed Study of Planets around Other StarsScience has made enormous contributions, not only to human welfare and quality of life, but also our self-understanding as a species. We will celebrate science and scientists on our annual Darwin Day Celebration. Following introductory remarks by Rev Sammons, Dr. Jeff Van Cleve will discuss his work at NASA AmesThe ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: luncheon for purchase, lecture is free
Carnivores and the Fabric of NatureLarge-bodied carnivores have been an essential part of life on Earth since complex organisms first appeared some half a billion years ago. Owing in large measure to human persecution and habitat alteration, these animals are disappearing rapidly. The loss of these animals may be humankind's most pervasive influence on nature. Estes will ...
Where: Santa CruzCost: Free with admission
Junior Academy: Naturalist Know-howCalifornia Academy of SciencesSundays at 2pm – 2:45pm (sign-up at 1:30pm) Naturalist Center / Lab (Level 3 across from the Planetarium exit)This program is designed for youth ages 8 to 11. Youth must be accompanied by an adult. Space is limited to 20 youth with attending adults. Onsite registration is ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free with Academy admission
Monday, 02/17/14
BIG INSTRUMENTS AND TINY MAGNETS - DOING SCIENCE WITH A SYNCHROTRONDr. Hendrik Ohldag from the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory will describe how electron storage rings are used as brilliant x-ray sources to help us shed new light on problems in material science and applied physics that range from energy storage to information technology.
Where: Rohnert ParkCost: Free
Tuesday, 02/18/14
Bullet Galaxies and Dark MatterOne of the greatest accomplishments in recent astrophysics is the creation of a model for the complete inventory of the Universe. All the observational data tells us with extremely high certainty that ordinary matter (every particle ever detected by every person who ever lived) makes up only one fifth of ...
In addition to Marion O' Leary's career as a scientist, he is also a pianist and composer. His recent memoir, Musical Milestones: My Tale of Science and Music, uses narrative and music to explore how the initial tension between music and science has gradually resolved itself. In The Milestones Cabaret he tells ...
Conversations on Science: A Long Bright Future: The Science of Longevity What if we could live longer, healthier, happier lives? Laura Carstensen is the founding director of the Stanford Center on Longevity and a noted expert on socioemotional selectivity theory, a life-span theory of motivation. "Life expectancy is ballooning just as science and technology is on the cusp of solving many ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $27 General, $25 Members
Wednesday, 02/19/14
Harnessing the Plasticity of the Older BrainOur brains exhibit an amazing ability to modify both their structure and function in response to new experiences, a phenomenon known as neuroplasticity. Efforts to harness this neuroplasticity to improve and preserve our brain function as we get older have led to the development of commercial brain training software. Join ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: $10, Free to UC Berkeley students and staff
While modern remote sensing technology provides measurement capability for a number of seawater properties, there are important measurements that can not (yet?) be done remotely so physical water samples carefully collected and returned to the lab remain essential. In the ice covered Arctic Ocean water samples are difficult to obtain ...
Advances in Optical Nanoscopy of Living CellsThe diffraction limit of light has constrained the resolution of light microscopes in the far field since its discovery more than a century ago. Structures smaller than about half the wavelength of light could therefore not be resolved by light microscopes. The realization that this limit can be broken has triggered a revolution in imaging, especially in ...
Nigel Crisp is an independent crossbench member of the House of Lords and works mainly on international development and global health. From 2000 to 2006, he was both chief executive of the NHS, the largest health organization in the world, and permanent secretary of the UK Department of Health and ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Consistency-Based Service Level Agreements for Cloud StorageApplication developers using a cloud storage system often make decisions that trade off consistency for performance and may be locked into a choice that is not ideal for all clients. Pileus is a replicated key-value store that allows applications to declare their consistency and latency priorities via consistency-based service level ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
The Evolutionary Enigma of SexProfessor Otto's work focuses on the development of population-genetic models, using analytical and numerical techniques to infer what evolutionary changes are possible and under what conditions. The goals of this research are to produce specific predictions that can be tested either experimentally or by comparing the expected and observed distributions ...
Humans commonly make the perceptual error of equating the knowledge products of a society with the individual intellectual capacities of that society's members, but this assumption has legs and feet of very soft clay. Sure, knowledge tends to be produced by smart people in any particular society, but the concentration of energy ...
Where: HaywardCost: Free
Thinking like a Naturalist: Reclaiming the Art of Natural HistoryLearn how to get more out of every nature ramble. Developments in neuropsychology have opened doors in our understanding of the brain and cognition and how you can train yourself to see more and to be more curious about what you discover. Naturalist and illustrator John Muir Laws will demonstrate ...
Where: Walnut CreekCost: Free
Elizabeth Kolbert / The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural HistoryOver the last half a billion years, there have been five major mass extinctions, when the diversity of life on Earth suddenly and dramatically contracted. Scientists are currently monitoring the sixth extinction, predicted to be the most devastating since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs. And this time ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: $35 - $45
Unwrapping the Visual Discovery of Spiral NebulaeJoin visual observer Steve Gottlieb for an intriguing talk onUnwrapping the Visual Discovery of Spiral Nebulae. This is the story of William Parsons' (Lord Rosse) first visual observations of M51 with his massive 72-inch speculum reflector in the spring of 1845 and the subsequent discovery of spiral structure in dozens ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Nerd Nite SF #45: eSports, S. aureus, and Mid-Century Culture Jamming!eSports, Staph, and Shep: Aren't you at least a little intrigued by this month's grab-bag, and not just for the alluring alliteration? We heart a motley crew of topics here at NNSF, especially if they're muddled with the Rickshaw Stop's stiff quaffs, mixed with interludes of ditties on vinyl, and ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $8
Thursday, 02/20/14
HARNESSING TECHNOLOGIES THAT ENABLE THE FUTUREDr. Washington will present an overview of capabilities and activities at the Advanced Technology Center (ATC). He will cover their broad base of expertise across numerous technology portfolios. The ATC is actively supporting many Space Systems programs in a variety of ways, ranging from leading payload development efforts to solving ...
Where: Palo AltoCost: Free
Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day @ The TechJoin us at The Tech for a week-long celebration of engineering! Engineers Week is a national event that brings engineering to life for people of all ages, and celebrates engineers and the difference they make in our world. Come and engineer an Ewok escape vehicle, build a Rube Goldberg device, ...
Melting of the Great Ice Sheets: What is next?The ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica contain enough ice to raise global sea levels by 66 meters. Satellites, airborne platforms, in situ experiments and global climate data re-analysis show that these ice sheets are currently losing mass faster, sooner and at a greater rate than projected by numerical models. ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Mad Science: Fire & Ice*Explore "magical" chemical potions, the wonders of dry ice, and the dynamics of air pressure. Some of the topics the mad scientists will investigate include: the three states of matter, a gassy taste test and asuper spectacular bubbling potion. Ages 5-12.
Deep Dive: Sex and the Sea: Marine Mammal Mating and DatingJoin us after-hours at The Marine Mammal Center for Deep Dive, our new monthly arts and science events for adults only.Deep Dive evening programs for guests 21+ will occur the third Thursday of each month from 6-9:30 p.m. at our hospital in the Marin Headlands. Join us for cocktails and ...
It might get loud this week as NightLife explores the science of sound and rhythm.In the planetarium, learn how mathematical ideas take the shape of sights and sounds with a special screening of Chaos and Order at 7:30 and 8:30 pm.In the Forum, hear a talk about the rhythmic activity ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $12 General, $10 Members
Pelvic PainPelvic pain affects both women and men. This talk will discuss common causes of pelvic pain as well as associated symptoms and treatment options from the perspective of a pain medicine specialist. A range of causes spanning urology, gynecology, and gastroenterology will be discussed.Speaker: Jennifer Hah MD, MS Instructor, Stanford ...
Fungi of SwitzerlandDouglas Smith is a local amateur mycologist who has hunted mushrooms around the world. He photographs mushrooms where ever he goes. You can find his photos online, in field guides, journals, and the National Geographic. In 2009 he had a chance to move to France, on the border of Switzerland, ...
Mountain Lions are keystone predators and play a critical role in maintaining the health and biodiversity of our ecosystems. Zara McDonald, President of the Felidae Fund, will discuss their ecology, history, and the challenges of sharing habitats with them.
Mary Ellen Hannibal shares her latest work, The Spine of the Continent, praised by such luminaries as E. O. Wilson and Paul Ehrlich and described by Thomas Lovejoy as "the biography of a big conservation idea." The book chronicles the development of the science that tells us what can be ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: $5 General, Free for members
Friday, 02/21/14
Listening into the pastListening into the past; Using fish earbones to reconstruct life history patterns and migration pathways across species, systems and hydroclimatic regimesSpeaker: Dr. Anna Sturrock, Visiting Postdoc, ESPM
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
History of the U.S. Army Corps of EngineersJoin Ranger Bill to learn about the "When/Where/Why/What/ How," the diverse, complex, many faceted missions, goals and objectives of the USACE's "Birth" in 1775 under General George Washington.
Where: SausalitoCost: Free
Exploding Stars, Dark Energy, and the End of the Universe - CANCELLEDMost stars end their lives in brilliant explosions known as supernova. These massive bursts briefly outshine all the light from the galaxy wherein they occur. The past 15 years has been a "boom" period for supernovae with vast amounts of time and effort being invested in these objects. Not only ...
