The Surprising State of the Earth after the Moon-Forming Giant ImpactIn the giant impact hypothesis, the Moon accretes from a disk around the proto-Earth. In the canonical model, the impact also sets the present-day angular momentum (AM). Alternatively, the Moon may form via a high AM giant impact and the present-day AM was established by a lunar orbital resonance. I ...
Reservoirs are at historic lows and the state is in the midst of a drought. In response, farmers and ranchers have changed their practices and what they're growing, while elected officials have enacted new laws and a water bond. If the drought persists, more changes are likely. Join us for a discussion ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $10 General, Free for members
Adventure Tuesday Club: Counting With CrittersA four-week class, for ages 4 to 5. Adult attendance is not required. Numbers are everywhere, especially in nature. "Count" on meeting some animal ambassadors.Register online with the link listed below.Class ID: CC-390
Some of the largest baleen whales-such as blue whales, fin whales and humpbacks-fall into a family called rorquals that use an unusual method of feeding. These whales feed on aggregations of zooplankton and fish by lunging with their mouths open wide to tremendous gape angles to force huge volumes of ...
Where: SausalitoCost: $5 Donation
Astronomy Lecture With Speaker – Dr. Henry P. Stapp, BerkeleyThis month's speaker is Dr. Henry Stapp. The topic will be the implications of Bell's theorem of nonlocality in quantum physics : faster-than-light spooky entanglements and how the mind and consciousness integrate with the cosmos around us.
Where: Walnut CreekCost: Free
Starting From the Bottom: The Hunt for New Physics at the Large Hadron ColliderThe Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the giant particle accelerator at the CERN laboratory in Geneva, Switzerland, will restart operations in 2015, at higher energies and intensities than ever before. In its first run, the LHC experiments ATLAS and CMS discovered the long-sought Higgs boson. Now, researchers are gearing up to ...
Materials research over the last three decades has led to significant advances in the manufacturing of new materials with tailored and unique properties for a variety of applications. These advances have come about mostly because of a highly influential National Research Council study titled "Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) for ...
Sarah Batterman studies nutrient and carbon cycling in terrestrial ecosystems, and is interested in how ecosystem patterns emerge from the properties of individual trees. Her Ph.D. research focused on symbiotic dinitrogen fixation in tropical forests. It found that nitrogen fixation can be constrained by an interaction of nitrogen and phosphorus ...
After 20 years of predictions that robots will work among us soon, the predictions are finally starting to come true. Investment in robotics is up, enabling start-ups to explore a range of use cases. Decreasing component costs will make it easier to make real business cases for the technology. Mobile ...
A glistening spaceship, with seven lonely years and billions of miles behind it, glides into orbit around a softly-hued, ringed planet. A flying-saucer shaped machine descends through a hazy atmosphere and lands on the surface of an alien moon, ten times farther from the Sun than the Earth. Fantastic though ...
Pluto on the Horizon: Anticipating our First Encounter with the Double PlanetThe more we learn about Pluto, the more interesting it becomes. In the last decade, four tiny moons have been discovered orbiting the central "binary planet," which consists of Pluto and its large moon Charon. Pluto itself has a thin atmosphere and shows signs of seasonal changes. Tantalizing evidence suggests ...
Where: Los Altos HillsCost: Free ($3 Parking)
Science and Reason with Skeptics in the Pub, West BayIf ye value critical thinking, and if ye scorn the flim-flam man, join us, your friends. Skeptics in the Pub is a group of like-minded people informally discussing the latest in science or pseudoscience over good eats & ale.Skeptics in the Pub is a monthly meeting for discussion of topics ...
Where: MillbraeCost: Free
The Art and Science of Violin MakingScience Café will explore the science of violin making –including the recent carefully designed studies of player preferences among old and new instruments, the use of x-ray CT scanning to understand iconic violins, approaches to material selection, and measurements with modern tools as an aid in the making process.Alan will ...
Buildings are the big kahuna when it comes to fighting climate change. Forty percent of carbon emissions in the United States comes from buildings and the electricity that goes into them. Energy and water-wise buildings are now trendy in many downtown office towers, driven mainly by market forces.HUD Secretary Castro ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, $12 Member, $7 Student
Reservoirs are at historic lows and the state is in the midst of a drought. In response, farmers and ranchers have changed their practices and what they're growing, while elected officials have enacted new laws and a water bond. If the drought persists, more changes are likely. Join us for a ...
Where: San JoseCost: $10 General, Free for members
SEISMIC HAZARD: CREEP AND PALEOEARTHQUAKES ON BAY AREA FAULTSThe San Andreas Fault system comprises five major branches in northern California. Many sections of these faults creep or slip slowly near the surface releasing some of their energy as creep. Decades of creep observations let us model how much energy is being stored elastically on these fault sections. Geological ...
Where: Palo AltoCost: Free
Thinking Across Boundaries: American Idols in Medicine: Getting Better Health with LessProfesor of Medicine Dr. Arnold Milstein leads a globally unique Stanford effort to improve the affordability of excellent health care at a nation-wide scale. Recognizing that behavioral sciences are essential to discerning better care delivery innovations he has relocated his care redesign center to CASBS. Dr. Milstein will describe his ...
Astronomers first detected planets around other stars – known as exoplanets – in the 1990s, but initially they were only able to discover giant planets that are hotter than a pizza oven. As time progressed, smaller and cooler exoplanets have been found. NASA launched the Kepler spacecraft in 2009 to ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, $8 Members, $7 Student
Laugh your face off as SF Sketchfest takes over the Academy for a knee-slapping night of creatures, cocktails, and comedy, part of the annual SF Sketchfest Comedy Festival.This year, comedians will pay homage to the question on everyone's mind: "What's So Funny About Love, Sex, and Science?"Don't miss America's favorite ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $12 General, $10 Members
Down and Dirty: Can cow dung save humanity? Many people concerned about climate disruption have shunned dairy and red meat because of the methane gas emitted by both ends of cows. But some ranchers and researchers are saying rotational cattle grazing patterns and composting on grasslands can increase soil fertility, retain water and store ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, $7 Student, $12 Members
Composer & Cellist Philip Sheppard in Conversation with Sid Lee's Will Travis Philip Sheppard has gathered international acclaim for his diverse career as a composer, conductor, an arranger, and innovative performer. His work reinvents perceptions of classical music and succeeds in engaging a huge range of audiences from different musical backgrounds. Musical collaborator for both the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games and ...
Where: Mountain ViewCost:
Creating a Baseline with Your PhysicianThis talk will focus on why it is important for you and your physician to determine your health baseline. Knowing your baseline can help you improve or maintain a healthy lifestyle. Working with your doctor, you can create a health wellness plan to reach your goals.Speaker: Mary James, MD, Clinical ...
Where: Palo AltoCost: Free
The Stuff of Life: Hope when You Need it MostPegasus Physicians is comprised of academic and private practice physicians in various stages of career development who also are creative writers. The group was founded in 2008 by Audrey Shafer, M.D. (Anesthesia), Hans Steiner, M.D. (Psychiatry and Human Development), Irvin Yalom, M.D. (Psychiatry) and Larry Zaroff, M.D., Ph.D., (Cardiac Surgery). ...
The periodic table outlines the fundamental building blocks of all known matter in the universe. Composed of irreducible atoms, these elements arrived from the earliest reports of the Big Bang, the fusion wombs of stars and supernova, and collisions between interstellar matter and cosmic rays-as well as through artificial production ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free with admission
Friday, 01/30/15
2015 SF Bay Area STEAM ColloquiumJoin us at the 5th annual STEAM Colloquium, Full STEAM Ahead: Designing for Learning. The day will feature 2013 National Teacher of the Year, Jeff Charbonneau, breakout sessions to engage educators in STEAM, a resource fair and a STEAM Gallery
Where: San RamonCost: $75
She's Geeky Bay Area 2015Join us for She's Geeky Bay Area 2015! She's Geeky is the premier networking conference for women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Since 2007, She's Geeky has provided a safe, friendly place for women in STEM to "geek out" and talk about their jobs, their passions, their lives and ...
Where: San JoseCost: $240 for 3 days; 1-day & student & daughte
$5 FridaysOn select days, enjoy the entire Center, including planetarium shows, for the price of a lunch value meal.General Admission includes: • Two Digital Dome Planetarium Shows (First come, first serve basis) • Access to interactive exhibits featuring Bill Nye's Climate Lab and the Touch the Sun exhibit • Access to ...
Where: OaklandCost: $5
Aligning Game Design with ScienceSebastian works with representatives in the gaming industry to improve the quality of science as it is portrayed in their fiction. Within this scope he builds interdisciplinary teams that are passionate about gaming and work with developers to make their projects more authentic, relevant, and plausible. At the same time ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Saturday, 01/31/15
She's Geeky Bay Area 2015Join us for She's Geeky Bay Area 2015! She's Geeky is the premier networking conference for women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Since 2007, She's Geeky has provided a safe, friendly place for women in STEM to "geek out" and talk about their jobs, their passions, their lives and ...
Where: San JoseCost: $240 for 3 days; 1-day & student & daughte
Addressing Climate Change in the Bay Area - 2015 Bay Area League DayThe League of Women Voters of the Bay Area is sponsoring a day to address: 1) Measures to achieve the 2050 GhG target reductions, 2) Adapting to sea level rise and 3) Local impacts of climate change. Speakers include: Keynote address by Annie Notthoff, Natural Resources Defense Council; John Gioia, ...
Where: OAKLANDCost: $35 prepaid ($20 w/o lunch), +$5 at door
Bees: Tiny Insect, Big ImpactA new exhibition (opening today) examines the wildly diverse and intricate world of one of the most important creatures to human agriculture and the natural environment. Through family-friendly experiences, hands-on activities, and media, Bees: Tiny Insect, Big Impact is the first major museum exhibition to focus on the incredible diversity ...
Francis State Beach hosts a protected population of snowy plovers, a small native bird (6" long) that nests just above the high tide line. They are hard to see but adorable to watch! Come check out our local western snowy plovers while enjoying a morning on the coast.
Where: Half Moon BayCost: $20 General, $10 Members
Discover the brief history of spacesuits from the earliest pressure suits worn by aviators in the 1930s to the state of the art used on the way to and from (as well as outside) the International Space Station. You'll get a chance to see an actual Russian Sokol Spacesuit, with a ...
Where: San CarlosCost: Free with admission
Science Saturday: Migration and Sandy's BirthdayCould you travel hundreds, even thousands of miles 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 a bracelet that follows the long journey of a gray whale, and ...
Talk with a Scientist: Microbiota and Your HealthThere's something like 100 trillion microbial cells, of thousands of different types, living in and on a typical person, with about 90% of the cells residing in the large intestine. Even among biomedical scientist and clinicians, the significance of that last sentence wasn't widely appreciated until recently. In the last ...
Where: OaklandCost:
5 Tools You Can Use to Find the Elusive Gray FoxDo you sometimes see paw prints in mud or scat (poop) on the trails and assume that a dog left it? It could be from something else. Come along with me and I will show you how to distinguish and identify the markings of a gray fox. Gain some insights into the fox's nature and ...
Where: FremontCost: Free
'Zoovie' Night at Oakland ZooPut on your jammies and enjoy an evening of animal close-ups and Zoovie movie with the whole family. Bring your pillows, blankets, and chairs and snuggle up in our auditorium as Roosevelt, our costumed alligator mascot, introduces you to some of our nocturnal Education animals. After that, enjoy a specially-selected ...
Where: OaklandCost: $7 per adult/$7 per child, $6 each for 4 or more
Sunday, 02/01/15
She's Geeky Bay Area 2015Join us for She's Geeky Bay Area 2015! She's Geeky is the premier networking conference for women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Since 2007, She's Geeky has provided a safe, friendly place for women in STEM to "geek out" and talk about their jobs, their passions, their lives and ...
Where: San JoseCost: $240 for 3 days; 1-day & student & daughte
Registration OPEN for Marine Science CampRegistration for Marine Science Camp opens FEBRUARY 2!Marine science camp is an exciting way for children to spark an interest in science and nature, or to deepen a budding biologist's enthusiasm and appreciation for learning. Our week-long day camps offer several grade-specific themes that focus on different aspects of the ...
Where: Redwood CityCost: $415+
Human Amygdala-Prefrontal Cortex Development and the Role of Caregiving Strong evidence indicates that reciprocal connections between the amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) support fundamental aspects of emotional behavior in adulthood. Despite the central role that this circuitry plays in regulating emotions in adulthood, the state of the science regarding the development of this circuitry in humans is at ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
'THE MARTIAN'New York Times Bestselling Author Andy Weir will be joining us via Skype to discuss his debut novel and soon to be major motion picture, "The Martian." The son of a particle physicist, Mr. Weir is a software engineer and a self-confessed "space nerd." Mr. Weir has combined science and ...
In the early morning hours of March 28, 1979 began a series of events that led to a partial meltdown of the reactor core at Unit 2 of the Three Mile Island nuclear plant and the worst accident in the history of the commercial nuclear power industry in the United ...
Disease Detectives Series: Pratima Rao, COO, GeniaAtul Butte, MD, PhD, chief of systems medicine and associate professor of pediatrics and of genetics, will host a lively discussion with entrepreneur Pratima Rao, co-founder and COO of Genia Technologies.Prior to Genia, Ms. Rao worked at Affymetrix, where she ran worldwide product marketing for the company's DNA/RNA instrumentation and ...
From Galileo and Newton to Thomas Hobbes and Martin Luther King, Jr., thinkers throughout history have consciously employed scientific techniques to better understand the non-physical world. The Age of Reason and the Enlightenment led theorists to apply scientific reasoning to the non-scientific disciplines of politics, economics, and moral philosophy. Instead ...
Lick Observatory, right here in the Bay Area, is a vibrant research facility and a primary base for the University of California's astronomy education and public-outreach efforts. Cutting-edge fields include stellar explosions, Earth-like planets orbiting other stars, and giant black holes. Many of the studies are long-term and time-intensive, making ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $12 General, $8 Members, $10 Seniors
