Earth Day MarinThe Earth Day Marin 2014 Festival and Day of Action on Sustainability Solutions will be a fun, free, family-friendly event and a day of action on sustainability solutions addressing drought, climate change and other environmental concerns. The entertainment packed day includes award-winning storytellers, puppet shows, and high quality music – Tim ...
Where: LarkspurCost: Free
Free First SundayFirst Sundays of the month are free at the Oakland Museum of California. Pick up a treat for yourself or a loved one in the OMCA Store, or enjoy a lunch or snack in Blue Oak café. Take your pick and join an OMCA Docent for the Architecture Tour at ...
Where: OaklandCost: Free
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, 04/07/14
Exploring the Intersection of Community Development and Healthy (Child) DevelopmentThere is growing interest in the social determinants of healthy child development, and more specifically, in understanding the ways that low-income social environments can have a negative impact on child development. This presentation by Douglas Jutte will describe an exciting research initiative to examine efforts to improve low-income neighborhoods and ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Evolutionary Genetics in the Crush of GenomicsThe melding of Darwin's fundamental theory, descent with modification via natural selection with Mendel's particulate theory of inheritance, provided a simple and fertile foundation for the elaboration of population genetics theory in the last century. The lack of direct observations of genetic variation in natural populations fostered creative investigations of ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
THE SIDE EFFECTS OF RESEARCH: MAKING ROOM FOR THE UNEXPECTEDDr. Derek Padilla from Santa Rosa Junior College will discuss some of the unintended consequences that research has on the student researcher. From developing fundamental math skills to analyzing bell hooks with a tomato farmer, this talk will focus on what you don't realize you learned until long after you ...
Where: Rohnert ParkCost: Free
Saving Time and Energy through Bus-Rapid-Transit Project Around the WorldAs the cost of providing space and energy for personal transportation options have increased both on the capital side as well as its energy footprint and consequences, mass transportation is gaining priority for developing and developed countries. In this presentation, we will provide a few examples of the successful and ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Seeing Through the Big Bang into Another World? USF Welcomes Sir Roger Penrose Universally recognized mathematician, cosmologist, and physicist to give public lecture at the University of San Francisco (USF). Recent Results from WMAP Satellite and Planck Space Platform. Is our world just one of an infinite succession of universes? How can we tell?A new theory proposes that what we presently regard as the ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Our East Bay GeoheritageOur East Bay rocks and landforms are libraries of "deep time," bearing stories of the fascinating structure and surprisingly active geologic history of our remarkable region. With examples of rock exposures, fossils, and landforms in our neighborhoods, this talk will explore how we can better recognize and celebrate our geoheritage ...
Amy Stewart is an award-winning author of six books on the perils and pleasures of the natural world. In her New York Times bestseller The Drunken Botanist, she explores the dizzying array of herbs, flowers, trees, fruits and fungi that humans have contrived to transform into alcohol. Learn more about ...
Abstract: The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment's (HiRISE) imagery of Mars allows for meter scale identification of surface features. In this imagery we can identify boulders clustering on polygonal patterned ground terrains in polar environments on Mars. Previously, terrestrial analogs of Mars were used to explain boulder clustering. However, the ...
Self-assembling nonlinear wire networks in complex virtual environments have some amazing properties: They learn to play computer games such as Tetris, if the network inputs represent the state of the virtual environment and the network outputs control the environment with actuators and if the virtual environment offers energy as a ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
For Goodness SnakesThis one-of-a-kind educational experience will introduce children to the fascinating world of snakes and other reptiles. Come enjoy the opportunity to hold and interact with the docile animals of For Goodness Snakes.
Top SoC Design Challenges – PanelThis talk features a panel of leading experts discussing the top challenges of SoC design in today's competitive world. Hans Spanjaart will be the moderator for the discussions.Panel: Naresh Sehgal, Intel, SW Director for FPGA based Silicon platforms for Mobile productsPaul McLellan, SemiWiki Project, Blogger & EDA ExpertTom Dillinger, Oracle, ...
Where: San JoseCost: Free
Conversations on Science: Extracting DNA: The Power to Restore Life Imagine a future with mammoths and sabre tooth tigers. Is it possible? Is it ethical? A National Geographic emerging explorer, MacArthur Fellow and professor in the department of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz, Beth Shapiro aims to better understand how populations and species change through time in ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $27 General, $25 Members
Wednesday, 04/09/14
Oakland EarthEXPOEarthEXPO is an annual environmental fair hosted by the City of Oakland Public Works. The fair highlights transportation, environmental health, waste reduction, water, energy, urban design, nature and community themes. Over 80 exhibitors will gather to showcase their contributions for a sustainable environment to an estimated 2,000 attendees.Last year's attendees ...
Where: OaklandCost: Free
Joe R. McBride: The History, Ecology and Future of Eucalyptus Plantations in the Bay AreaMcBride will explain the ecology of the eucalyptus forest in the Bay Area. He will discuss its structure, the variety of plants and animals that live within it, its health and the ecological functions it performs. There will be a description of the dynamics within these forest stands (such as ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 non-members, $8 members, $7 students
David Culler is the Faculty Director of i4Energy, and the Chair of Computer Science at UC Berkeley. He joined the EECS faculty in 1989 and is the founding Director of Intel Research, UC Berkeley and the Associate Chair of the EECS department. He is a member of the National Academy ...
One of the greatest stories ever told is how the scientific community has been group-sourcing, extending, and improving since the sixteenth century. The scientific portrait of the universe, from the smallest to the grandest scales, has become consequential for every individual and for the global population. Some of the traditional ways that the scientific ...
Toward Reproducible Computational Science, Reliability, Re-Use, and ReadabilityThis talk motivates the rationale for this shift, and presents solutions I have been developing to facilitate reliable and re-usable computational research including: new empirical findings on changes to journal data and code publication policies; best practices for code and data release; the open source dissemination and access tool ResearchCompendia.org; ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Augmented Reality at the America's Cup, the Technology Behind AC LiveLineAugmented reality was first used in live broadcast sports with the Fox Trax highlighted hockey puck introduced at the Hockey All-Star Game in 1996. Far more popular was the Yellow First Down Line which was introduced in 1998 and is now ubiquitous on broadcast football. AC LiveLine is the latest ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Science for YouthScience for Youth promotes the love of science through exciting demos, interesting videos, and thought-provoking hands-on activities. Past topics include: Chemical Bonding, Weather and Natural Events, Genetics and DNA, Renewable Energy, Newtonian Motion, and the Solar System. (Most appropriate for youth, ages 8-12)
Where: San JoseCost: Free
For Goodness SnakesThis one-of-a-kind educational experience will introduce children to the fascinating world of snakes and other reptiles. Come enjoy the opportunity to hold and interact with the docile animals of For Goodness Snakes.
In The Soil Will Save Us, journalist and bestselling author Kristin Ohlson makes an elegantly argued, passionate case for "our great green hope"-a way in which we can not only heal the land but also turn atmospheric carbon into beneficial soil carbon-and potentially reverse global warming. As the granddaughter of ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Brain-Computer InterfacesBrain-Machine Interfaces offer the promise of helping disabled patients by allowing them to control prosthetic limbs and computer interfaces directly from their brain. Two key challenges remain before these devices are widely available: the development of practical and reliable physical interfaces and the achievement of nearly natural movement. Dr. Philip ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free & tickets required for admission
Jared Diamond, author of 'The Third Chimpanzee'Author of "Guns, Germs, and Steel" "The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal" and "The Third Chimpanzee for Young People"Pulitzer Prize-winning author Diamond examines the evolutionary history of humans and the unique traits and behaviors that distinguish us from other animals. Diamond also explains why our ...
Tule elk once roamed in the thousands across the hills and grasslands of Marin County and the Point Reyes peninsula. Through photos and personal stories from historic archives, Frank Binney explores the past abundance, near-extinction, and recent revival of the only elk subspecies native exclusively to California. A first-person account ...
The Future of Fossil Fuels: A Discussion on Keystone XL, Fracking, and Offshore DrillingJoin UC Berkeley students, staff, and faculty at 101 Moffitt for a panel on the fate of fossil fuel consumption in America. Recent projects increasing the American production of fossil fuels have been met with strong public backlash, sparking a debate on the sustainability and ethics of these projects. Despite ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
LIGHTS, NANO, ACTION! NEW OPTICAL MATERIALS AND TOOLS TO VISUALIZE NANOSCALE PHENOMENAIn 1833, Faraday combined silver and sulfur and discovered the first material with a negative temperature coefficient of resistance, silver sulfide. At the time, the word semiconductor did not even exist. Yet we now know that this first semiconducting material laid the foundation for an entirely new and extremely important ...
Where: Palo AltoCost: Free
Cosmic NightlifeTo infinity and beyond! To honor the 53rd anniversary of the first man in space Yuri Gagarin, NightLife opens its doors and minds to the next frontier in planetary exploration.Meet and mingle with the asteroid hunters from the B612 Foundation and otherworldly researchers from the Mars Society, Kavli Institute for ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $12 General, $10 Members
explOratorium exhibit investigation with Paul DohertyJoin us as we explore an exhibit with Exploratorium senior scientist, Dr. Paul Doherty. Paul has been the long-time teacher of countless Exploratorium staff about the science behind the exhibits. We thought it would be great to invite you to join us to participate in our learning process. During each ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Resonance: Original Soundtrack #5 and StarfieldJoin artist, musician, and composer Jem Finer as he performs "Original Soundtracks #5," which inverts the usual supporting role of the soundtrack, and "Starfield," which is based on the unique spectrum of light frequencies found in every star.
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15.
iNaturalist.org: A Naturalist Lifestyle and the Root of ConservationKen-ichi Ueda is an avid naturalist with a background in both biology and software development. Ken-ichi developed iNaturalist while persuing a Masters degree at the UC Berkeley School of Information in 2008 and continued to work on it in his spare time. Since 2011, Ken-ichi has been working full time ...
Promoting critical thinking is challenging everywhere. But it is even harder when there are deeply rooted superstitions, widespread denial of science, and political pressures on freedom of speech. Tonight, we will hear about some interesting superstitions and pseudoscience from Turkey. We will also explore the growing skeptical movement and challenges ...
Sterkfontein Caves: The fossils, frustrations and funIn this talk, Dr. Stratford will present some of the latest research being conducted at the world's richest Australopithecus site - from 'Little Foot', and exploring some of South Africa's oldest hominid-bearing deposits, to the challenges of deep cave excavation.Speaker: Dr. Dominic Stratford, Univ. of Witwatersrand, South AfricaRoom 3201, Building ...
Where: FremontCost: Free
Vehicle Scrappage and Gasoline PolicyWe estimate the sensitivity of scrap decisions to changes in used car values - the "scrap elasticity" - and show how it influences used car fleets under policies aimed at reducing gasoline use. Large scrap elasticities produce emissions leakage under effciency standards as the longevity of used vehicles is increased, ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Functional Nanofibers for Wearable Electronics and Solar CellsNatural systems, like muscular and nervous systems, are comprised of three-dimensional, complex assemblies of various functional fibers. This talk presents applications of nature-inspired synthetic nanofibers in wearable electronics, solar cells and sensors. The continuous, low cost deposition of electrospun nanofibers with a variety of compositional and morphological properties allows high ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Moonlight HikeThe brightness of the moon guides our exploration of the redwoods on this easy 2-3 mile hike. After the hike, stay and view the night sky through our telescopes (weather permitting) or tour our Telescope Makers Workshop. Hike will take place rain or shine.
Where: OaklandCost: $12
Last Stand of the Orangutan:How To Stop Conflict Palm Oil from Destroying our Last RainforestsPalm Oil is now found in roughly 50% of packaged goods in grocery stores - is destroying rainforests, pushing orangutans and Sumatran tigers towards extinction, displacing Indigenous communities,incentivising child labor and carbon pollution. But Rainforest Action Network (RAN) has a plan to stop it! Come learn how. Our speaker is Laurel Sutherlin, ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: $3.00 Donation requested
The Dynamical Universe: Evolution of the Cosmic StructureRecent decades have brought significant insights about the Universe we live in. Now we know to a great accuracy what is the geometry of the universe and its content. Yet, this knowledge has opened some of the biggest mysteries in today's physical sciences: what is dark matter, what is dark ...
Where: Los Altos HillsCost: Free
Saturday, 04/12/14
Cal Day! UC Berkeley's Annual Open HouseHundreds of lectures, events, and performances, or as their slogan says, "One Day. A Million Stories." It is the annual UC Berkeley Open House, with something for everyone. Whether you are a prospective Cal attendee, a parent of a current student, or just a member of the community, you'll find ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Cal Day at the Lawrence Hall of ScienceCelebrate Golden Bear pride at the Lawrence Hall of Science for Cal Day, UC Berkeley's annual open house. Come to the Lawrence Hall of Science to explore our ongoing Xtreme BUGS exhibit, as well as many other fun scientific activities. Go Bears!
The MAKER Movement is coming to a school near you! Find out what it's all about. Everyone is welcome. Click here http://make.marinschools.org to register to attend.The Marin County Office of Education and partners Autodesk, Microsoft, Edutopia, Intel Clubhouse, Marin County Bicycle Coalition, Lego Play-Well, Buck Institute for Education, and Bay Area ...
Where: San RafaelCost: Free
Berkeley Bay FestivalThis wonderful FREE event first happened 77 years ago when the Marina first opened in 1937. The Bay Festival now showcases activities and environmental education that are available here at the Marina and all around the region. Come celebrate the earth and our Bay by listening to Music, eating wonderful food, and enjoying a day by the ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Fish Feeding FrenzyWatch Ranger Linda feed the hungry inhabitants of our fresh and salt water tanks. Get familiar with some of our Bay Area aquatic neighbors. Watch the different feeding styles of the rock cod, sea stars, and rainbow trout.
Enjoy the spring flowers and hear how San Francisco's unusual geology and climate have produced a unique ecosystem at the Presidio on a moderately strenuous 2-mile walk. Bring a camera and wear comfortable shoes and warm layers. Meet ranger Will Elder at the north end of the north Baker Beach ...
Yuri's Night has become a global celebration with parties and events held around the world every April to commemorate the day of cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's first manned spaceflight in 1961. Join us for space games and activities, recall the great space race and how we managed to send a human ...
Where: OaklandCost: $12 + General Admission
Occultations Ain't Voodoo. Why, How, and When to Observe ThemWe will discuss WHY we observe Occultations, both Asteroidal and Lunar.I will show some sample equipment that is suitable for videotaping accurately timed occultation data, as well as discuss and use various pieces of software to predict the events (OCCULT 4) and analyze the results (Limovie et al). In addition ...
