Cellphone and nature? Yes! Map plants with app!On fourth Thursdays, join a small group mapping invasives and some natives in Tilden Regional Park in the East Bay. Easy, leisurely walks -- learn about and enjoy nature while you contribute to a statewide database and stewardship, using CalFlora's cellphone-mapping apps! Info. RSVP, and instructions (let us know whether ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: 0
Understanding the Directly Imaged Planets The first two decades of exoplanet discovery were dominated by radial velocity and transit detection methods. As we enter the third decade of exoplanet science direct detection methods are coming to the fore. Ground based instruments including GPI and SPHERE as well as current and future space based telescopes promise ...
One Tam Event: Wildlife Picture Index WorkshopCome contribute to the Marin Wildlife Picture Index Project! This project depends on volunteer "Community Scientists" to help maintain wildlife cameras and process photos, and we are especially looking to train and retain volunteers for the long-term. On August 21st, we will be viewing and cataloging photos (on the computer) ...
Where: Corte MaderaCost: Free
CRYPTO SUCCESSES AND FAILURES IN WW2 AND APPLICATIONS TO INFOSEC TODAYThis talk will review successes and failures of cryptography of WW2 and the past to enable us to apply the lessons today. The Nazis believed that Enigma was too difficult for the Allies to decrypt. Can we learn how to avoid and prevent similar problems (MtGox, ATMs on Internet, Enron, ...
Where: Palo AltoCost: Free
Vaux's Swift Migration Field TripJoin us for an evening spectacle that will lift your heart. Every year Vaux's Swifts migrate south en masse, pausing for weeks at a time at communal roosts. Watch the sky fill with chattering, swirling masses of thousands of birds (more than 20 thousand on a good night) which pour into old brick ...
Did you know that one of the most biodiverse marine habitats in the world can be found in our own backyard? This week, NightLife invites you to go seriously coastal. Ever wonder how scientists conduct cutting-edge research underwater? Meet the Academy's boundary-pushing scientific diving team and hear about their explorations ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $12 General, $10 Members
The Revolution in Small SatellitesA revolution is happening in the space industry. What used to be the domain of nation states and a handful of big corporations is now accessible to students and startups. Planet Labs, a local San Francisco startup, is launching fleets of small satellites to image the entire Earth every day. ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, $8 Members, $7 Students
Competition for PowerMarin and Sonoma counties are now giving citizens a choice to buy electricity from PG&E or a new government-run provider. Is that a good deal for consumers and businesses? Supporters say that the new energy is cleaner than PG&E, which sells some of the cleanest electricity in the country. Others ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, $12 Members, $7 Students
Update on Multiple SclerosisMultiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurologic disease that affects the central nervous system. More than 400,000 people in the United States are affected by multiple sclerosis with 200 new diagnoses each week. Its cause is unknown, although it is speculated that environment, genetics, and immune-mediated processes play a role ...
Sea level is rising, threatening low-lying atoll islands throughout the western Pacific OceanClimate change is degrading the coral reefs that atoll islands have developed upon, decreasing the reefs' ability to reduce wave energy and thus wave-driven island floodingWave-driven island overwash events threaten the limited freshwater and agricultural resources on these ...
Where: Menlo ParkCost: Free
MIT's Cynthia Breazeal and Microsoft Research's Eric Horvitz with the Museum's John HollarWe've invited two leaders in the field of artificial intelligence for a conversation with Museum CEO John Hollar to explore and update us on the challenge and promise of artificial intelligence. Returning to our stage is Dr. Eric Horvitz, Distinguished Scientist and Managing Director of Microsoft Research. Dr. ...
Where: Mountain ViewCost:
Full-Spectrum Science with Ron Hipschman: TimeJoin Exploratorium scientist Ron Hipschman for colorful explorations of the physical world.What time is it? Or rather, which time is it?Everyone knows what time is, based on the constant ticking of seconds, minutes, hours, and days. But our measured experiences of duration reveal only part of the picture. In 1905, ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free with admission
Friday, 09/25/15
Is Your Invention Really Inventive?Young scientists and engineers working on cutting edge science may face every day the importance of protecting intellectual property rights. Though there exists a pressure for being first in publishing a new scientific result or technological achievement, in parallel, there is also a need to seek patent protection for genuine ...
Butterfly Meadow at Tule Ponds Learn the life cycle of some of the butterflies at Tule Ponds. See our expanded butterfly meadow. Learn how you an attract monarchs with a simple addition of host plants for butterflies in your garden.
California Nursery Historic Park has many old trees that are ideal for Owls and other Raptors to roost, nest and hunt from in search of food. Bring your flashlight and walk through the grounds at dusk, this is a good time to spot an owl in the trees or hunting ...
Where: FremontCost: $8
Saturday, 09/26/15
Guided Nature WalkExperience the beauty and rich natural history of this 535-acre preserve. Our half-day guided nature walks are on Saturdays throughout fall and spring. Participants are divided into small groups and paired with a trained Bouverie volunteer to explore the mixed evergreen forest, flower-carpeted oak woodland and rugged chaparral. Guided Nature Walks ...
Where: Glen EllenCost: Donations appreciated
Nurdle Patrol @ Crissy Field FREE EVENTThe Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary and MSI invite you to take a look at the many strange and surprising things that travel the oceans and drift along the shore by Crissy Field. Use microscopes to discover a whole world of bizarre plants and animals living in a ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
The Bay Model Wants You!!! Become part of Sausalito's very own attraction known around the world! We have a variety of volunteer positions that are suited for people just like you! Greet visitors, lead tours, work with school groups, and more! Come and be a part of one of the largest working hydraulic models in ...
Where: SausalitoCost: Volunteering
Family Bird WalkLet family walks become a shared time of nature learning. We'll begin by helping kids create their personal bird watching field guides, and then head out onto the trails to find those birds. A limited number of binoculars are available to borrow. Recommended for children ages 5-10. RESERVATIONS REQUIRED. Register ...
Where: FremontCost: Free
Digital Design and Laser Cutting/Engraving Workshop SeriesSEM Link's Math and Science Career Academy is partnering with OakLabs to host a Digital Design and Laser Cutting/Engraving Workshop Series for Middle School Students. The 3 part workshop series will take place on Saturdays September 26, October 10 and October 24.Attending youth can look forward to learning the basics ...
Find out if you'd rather have otter fur or blubber, see what it's like to eat like a sea otter, examine real otter fur, make a craft to take home, and more!Discover just how important otters are to Monterey Bay when you dive into their amazing world during this free ...
Where: Pacific GroveCost: Free with admission
Smithsonian Magazine's Eleventh Annual Museum Day Live! at California Historical SocietyThe California Historical Society is celebrating Smithsonian magazine's eleventh annual Museum Day Live! Come visit our exhibition City Rising: San Francisco and the 1915 World's Fair for free when you get tickets at the link above. Bring your museum day ticket and get a set of special postcards.About Museum Day ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Aquarium of the Bay at the Bay Modelbay.org has teamed up with the Army Corps of Engineers and the Bay Model Visitor Center to create the Bay Model Alliance, a not-for-profit organization that benefits the Bay Model and its educational programs by bringing the Bay, its animals, and their habitats to you!Join us at the Bay Model ...
Where: SausalitoCost: Free
Incredible InvertebratesOur oceans are filled with incredible invertebrates – like sea stars, sea cucumbers, crabs, and snails – working hard to keep our oceans healthy. Join us for experiments and activities to discover just how human activity affects these animals in their natural habitat. Then, meet some of these animals in ...
Our Hawk Talks and Banding Demonstrations occur every Saturday and Sunday from noon to 2 pm (weather permitting – heavy fog or rain cancels) during September and October, except for Fleet Week weekend. The Hawk Talk begins at noon, when a GGRO volunteer speaks about hawk migration and identification, and ...
Where: SausalitoCost: Free
Saturday CinemaSaturday Cinema is a core weekly program that captures the ideas which animate the Exploratorium. We highlight works that blend observation, poetry, and surrealism, and celebrate films that utilize unique, handcrafted processes. Appropriate for all ages and mediated by cinema arts staff, these screenings encourage the viewer to respond to ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Included with museum admission
Trekking the ModelJoin a Ranger guided tour of the Bay Model, a 1.5-acre hydraulic model of San Francisco Bay and Delta. Discover the stories of the two major operations that took place at this location between 1942–2000.
Where: SausalitoCost: Free
7 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
Parents Night OutThe kids are back in school this calls for a night to celebrate! Let us look after your kids for you, while you take some quality time for yourselves! Even though they are for kids, Parent's Nights Off are designed with adults in mind - we offer a safe, fun-filled ...
Where: OaklandCost: $45.00 per child and $30.00 for each additional si
Twilight Marsh WalkExperience the salt marsh at twilight on an easy stroll along Tidelands (1 1/3 mile) Trail. At the setting of the sun we will observe the beginning of nature's night shift. Come discover the sights, sounds, and smells of the refuge as night descends. Not suitable for young children. RESERVATIONS ...
Where: FremontCost: Free
Wild Oakland Presents: Owl Pellet Dissection & a Moonlight Adventure with East Bay Regional ParksGet your nighttime nature nerd on with Wild Oakland and East Bay Regional Parks! We'll dissect owl pellets and go on a leisurely dusk hike to find moonshadows, glowing creatures, and the stars. Along the way we'll travel from prairie to forest! For information, call: (510) 544-3187. Please RSVP to ...
Join the Nature Journal Club for an exploration of Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve near Antioch. We will explore composition and mini landscapes as we investigate the oak woodlands and grasslands of the park. Bring a potluck treat to share for lunch and your own bowl and spoon. Lunch can stay in the ...
Join us for a family-friendly collaboration between the Exploratorium and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE).Latino Engineering Day/Día de la Ingeniería, combines panel discussions, presentations on the science and engineering heritage of Latinos, and playful activities such as crash testing a piñata and scribbling machines. This annual, drop-in program ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Top Predators: Orcas and SharksThe size, strength and skills of the ocean's top predators are simply one of a kind. This month we celebrate National Wildlife Day with those animals that rule the ocean in Top Predators: Orcas and Sharks! Come learn more at Marine Science Sunday - fun educational programs for kids and adults! ...
Where: SausalitoCost: Free
UC Botanical Garden Fall Plant SaleYour Source For Waterwise Plants!Fall is a great time to plant. And it's the perfect opportunity to convert to a waterwise garden. Shop our wonderful selection of drought-resistant plants from around the world including a large selection of California natives. We also have the exotic and unusual. You'll find rare ...
Our Hawk Talks and Banding Demonstrations occur every Saturday and Sunday from noon to 2 pm (weather permitting – heavy fog or rain cancels) during September and October, except for Fleet Week weekend. The Hawk Talk begins at noon, when a GGRO volunteer speaks about hawk migration and identification, and ...
Where: SausalitoCost: Free
Tiny DriftersThere's plankton in our Bay! Learn about the different characteristics of plankton and how they have adapted to survive. We will become planktologists for a day, collect water samples and identify these incredible organisms under a microscope. All ages are welcome. Register at http://eectinydrifters.eventbrite.com or call 408-262-5513 ext. 102 for ...
Where: AlvisoCost: Free
Fall Tarantula Hike with Lindsay Wildlife at Mount DiabloExplore the habitat of loca tarantulas along the north face of Mount Diablo with an experienced naturalist. Fall is the time for these eight-legged, carnivorous yet docile creatures to come out of hiding in search of mates. The hike covers a distance of 2 miles, hiking shoes and bottled water ...
Where: Walnut CreekCost: $10 members ($15 non-members)
Join park staff and docents for a tour down the Point Bonita Trail, through the hand carved tunnel and out to the Lighthouse. We will walk along a half-mile trail which is steep in places. Arrive early as parking is limited. Meet at the Point Bonita Lighthouse trailhead. Dress warmly ...
Where: SausalitoCost: Free
Total Lunar EclipseChabot Space & Science Center's observatory deck will host a view to a rare and beautiful astronomical event, a Total Lunar Eclipse. Adding to the splendor, this eclipse coincides with a "Super Moon," when the Moon is at its closest to the Earth, and looms large in the sky. Enjoy ...
Where: OaklandCost: $10
Monday, 09/28/15
The Baryon-Dark Matter Relative Velocity and a New Approach to the 3-Point Correlation Function Due to their different behaviors before decoupling (z~1020), at high redshift (z~50) there is a relative velocity between baryons and dark matter that is coherent on very large scales. If this relative velocity couples to galaxies today, it can shift the BAO peak in the galaxy-galaxy 2-point correlation function. Such ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
ADAPTIVE OPTICS TOOLS FOR TESTING HUMAN VISION ON A CELLULAR SCALEDr. Austin Roorda of UC Berkeley has developed systems that combine high resolution retinal imaging and eye tracking. These enable him to track and deliver light with a size and positional accuracy of a single cone. These systems are being used to test human vision on a scale not previously ...
The world consists of many interesting things that move: people go to work, home, school, and shop in public transit buses and trains or in cars and taxis; goods move on these networks and by trucks or by air each day; and food items travel a very large distance to meet their ...
At Yahoo, our Hadoop clusters manage almost all data about our users and contents. From these data on HDFS or event pipelines, machine learning (ML) techniques have been applied to discover mathematical models for search ranking, ad click prediction, and many more. Recently, Yahoo developed a distributed server for scalable ML ...
Climate change is triggering dramatic environmental changes all around the globe, but recent studies suggest it could affect societies in another way as well: by increasing incidents of human violence and aggression. Stanford economist Marshall Burke is at the forefront of a new wave of scientific investigations that find a ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Nerd Nite East Bay #34: Spiders, Marbling, and GushingSeptember's Nerd Nite gives you the opportunity to drink and learn about drugs, sex, and arachnids; how paper and cloth are marbled, and the basics of female ejaculation. Be there and be square!Doors will open promptly at 7. The bar opens then and you can grab some grub from The ...
Where: OaklandCost: $8
Tuesday, 09/29/15
Kepler's Heartbeat Stars: When Binary Stars Get Funky - LOCATION CHANGEBecause of the continuous, high-precision photometry available from the Kepler spacecraft, the Kepler team discovered a type of eccentric binary star named heartbeat stars. In these systems, the two stars come close enough to each other to cause large, periodic changes in the tidal deformation and mutual irradiation of the stars. Additionally, these tidal ...
Where: Moffett FieldCost: Free
The Real Doctor Will See You Shortly: A Physician's First YearReadings from the new book The Real Doctor Will See You Now by New York Times best-selling author Matt McCarthy, MD. Published in 2015, this 'year in the life' memoir of McCarthy's medical internship in a New York hospital provides a glimipse into how doctors are made. Praised as a "real ...
As a member of the Marine Mammal Stranding Network, the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, along with the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, responds to any dead whale that washes up along the coast between the Sonoma/Mendocino county line and the San Mateo/Santa Cruz county line. Each carcass offers scientists ...
Since it began operation in 2009, SLAC's Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) has allowed scientists to make new types of X-ray measurements that were once thought unattainable by delivering one trillion X-ray photons – particles of X-ray light – in incredibly short bursts of less than 30 femtoseconds, or millionths ...
Digital HealthDr. Aenor Sawyer manages strategic partnerships with larger organizations and is leading the development of CDHI's Digital Health Resource center, serving to mentor innovators at CDHI & UCSF. She has ten years of experience in Health Technology innovation and is Assoc. Director of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) ...
As drought persists and wildfires rage, the impacts of climate change to California are increasingly apparent. Amidst these challenges, our state is leading the way to combat this crisis by reducing carbon pollution while growing our economy. State laws and policies call for expanding clean energy, enabling zero emission transportation ...
Where: Palo AltoCost: Free
Special screening of GATTACAPerhaps "Biology is not destiny." But our genetic code is at least writing on the wall! 1997's GATTACA is a sci-fi thriller that explores what happens when society can control that writing - when eugenics and genetic discrimination are the norm. Is this our future? Expert commentary and audience Q&A will ...
Drones, they are much more than remote controlled toys! Yet, the positive benefits of these exciting technologies are often overshadowed by news stories of drones smuggling drugs into prisons, flying too close to airlines, impeding the efforts to fight wildfires, stalking neighbors, invading sensitive airspace and trespassing.Join us for a ...
Where: LafayetteCost: $10 General, $5 members, Under 18 Free
Lick Observatory in the 21st CenturyLick Observatory was founded in 1888 and has led the field of astronomical research for 126 years. During the UC budget crisis of 2010-2012, UC leadership questioned continuing investment in Lick in light of other larger telescopes, such as the Keck and Thirty Meter Telescope, that UC astronomers will also ...
