Large-Scale Structure beyond the Power Spectrum As recent and future galaxy surveys map the large-scale structure of the universe with unprecedented pace and precision, it is worthwhile to consider innovative data analysis methods beyond traditional Gaussian 2-point statistics to extract more cosmological information from those datasets. Such efforts are often plagued by substantially increased complexity of ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
GALAXY HALOSDr. Rachael Beaton, of the Observatories of the Carnegie Institution for Science will discus her work on observational/photometry studies of galaxy halos, particularly M31.
Where: Rohnert ParkCost: Free
21st Century Solutions to Critical Western United States Water Woes - POSTPONEDCalifornia is experiencing the worst drought in recorded history. Projections show climate change is creating hotter and drier conditions in the western states. Our distinguished panel of water experts will discuss strategies, reforms and innovations that will help us survive and thrive during drought and the years to come for ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, Free for members, $7 Students
China Today: Environmental Progress and ChallengesChina is the largest contributor to the world's air pollution. So much so that media have dubbed China's current pollution state as an "airpocalypse" that has led to a frenzy of new green policies. Inadvertently, China is now one of the largest investors in green energy as well. The dramatic ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, Free for Members, $7 Students
Resilient CitiesCities from around the world have faced a dramatically changing climate in the past decade. San Francisco alone has stood against earthquakes, large storms and heavy winds in 2014 and the Rim Fire that cost the city $36 million dollars. What can we do to prepare ourselves for the furious ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, $12 Member, $7 Student
Join us for a fascinating journey through the early universe using the latest computer animations of early star formation, supernova explosions, and the build-up of the first galaxies. Dr. Abel's work has shown that the first luminous objects in the universe were very massive stars shining one million times as brightly as our Sun. They died quickly and ...
The past decade has seen an explosion in the discoveries of Pluto-sized and near Pluto-sized bodies in the outer Solar System, giving rise to a new classification of "dwarf planets." Like Pluto, each of these objects has a unique story to tell about the history and evolution of the Solar ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $12 General, $8 Members
Tuesday, 10/06/15
Artificial Intelligence for General Game PlayingA GENERAL GAME PLAYING (GGP) SYSTEM is one that can play arbitrary games based solely on formal game descriptions supplied at "runtime". (Translation: it does not get the rules until the game starts.) Unlike specialized game players, such as Deep Blue, general game players do not rely on algorithms designed ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Can We Stop Alzheimer's Disease?What if there was a way to delay the development of Alzheimer's disease by up to seven years? With both wise food choices and scientifically based supplementation, Steve Blake thinks it just might be possible. Find out the importance of vitamin D, antioxidants and polyphenols from food when it comes ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, $8 Members, $7 Students
Geomagnetic Reversals and excursions: The origin of Earth's magnetic field - LOCATION CHANGEPalaeomagnetic observations offer important insights into the origin of Earth's interior, but a detailed reconstruction of the underlying dynamics is not feasible. A practical alternative is to construct a stochastic model for the time evolution of the dipole field.Slow changes in the field are described by a deterministic (drift) term, ...
Where: Mountain ViewCost: Free
Healthcare: The Human Story"Healthcare: The Human Story" will be presented by Anna Deavere Smith, playwright - actor - professor, who uses her unique brand of theatre to highlight issues of community, character, and diversity in America. She is best known for crafting one-woman, multi-character plays about American social issues.Room: Berg Hall
Like a Rind-stone Cowgirl How Rind Creates and Controls the Cheese BelowEat all the cheeses AND know what you'll find even before you cut the rind! The Bay Area's own Cowgirl Creamery sends their expert cheesemaker to share secret knowledge about how different rinds affect cheese flavors as they grow. ...
Where: NovatoCost: $5
Tree Hunting in FremontThe California Nursery Company in Niles, was the largest nursery in the west coast in the 1920's-30's. We will take a tree hunt and learn many of the trees that we still find in Fremont through hands on activities. Learn about how you can take a tour of trees at ...
Where: FremontCost: Free
Civilization's InfrastructureInfrastructure decisions-and failures to decide-affect everything about a society for centuries. That long shadow, James Fallows points out, is what makes the decisions so difficult, because "We must choose among options whose consequences we can't fully anticipate." What we do know is that infrastructure projects are hugely disruptive and expensive ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $16.52 General, Free for members
Richard Dawkins: Brief Candle in the Dark, My Life in Science"A century from now historians will take note of a mere handful of scientific luminaries from the second half of the 20th century who changed not just their science but their culture.First among them will surely be Richard Dawkins, unquestionably one of the great minds of our time who is ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: $20-$50.
Wednesday, 10/07/15
Free First WednesdayFree museum admission all day, to anyone from anywhere, at Bay Area Discovery Museum
The Gulf Stream front marks the sharp boundary between the subtropical and subpolar gyres in the North Atlantic. Mixing of the nutrient-replete subpolar waters across this boundary is thought to facilitate a biologically-induced drawdown of atmospheric CO2 in the subtropics. This mixing involves motions on the sub-mesoscale that span 100 ...
Where: Moss LandingCost: Free
Better Managing California's Droughts with Data, Modeling, and PeopleJay Lund is a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UC Davis and director of the Center for Watershed Sciences. He is on the editorial board of several water resources publications, has been a member of the Advisory Committee for the 1998 and 2005 California Water Plan Updates, and ...
From Vision into Practicality: The Question of How to Get Carbon Out of BuildingsIn California, fossil fuel burned in buildings accounts for 12% of the state's greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), as compared to 11% from in-state electricity generation. If we're serious about long-term climate targets, we quickly need to turn our attention to how to avoid this source of emissions. Electrify end-uses with ...
Use of new data technologies now pervades our institutions, both private and government. But this data-driven revolution is far from complete. We can still influence where it takes us. I will discuss some of the current challenges we face, both technical and social, and how we might address them.Speaker: Doug ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
The Master Algorithm: How the Quest for the Ultimate Learning Machine Will Remake Our WorldMachine learning is the automation of discovery – the scientific method on steroids – that enables intelligent robots and computers to program themselves. No field of science today is more important yet more shrouded in mystery. Pedro Domingos gives us a peek inside the learning machines that power giants like ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, $8 Members, $7 Students
Vice Admiral (VADM) Vivek H. Murthy, M.D., M.B.A. was nominated by President Barack Obama in November 2013 and confirmed on December 15, 2014 as the 19th United States Surgeon General. As America's Doctor, Dr. Murthy is responsible for communicating the best available scientific information to the public regarding ways to ...
Since 2004, the Cassini mission has been exploring the giant planet Saturn, its magnificent ring system, and its intriguing moons. Dr. Porco is the leader of the Cassini Imaging Science Team and one of the most effective interpreters of planetary science in the world. She will show us some of ...
When people think of clams, their minds often go to chowder (possibly accompanied by Pavlovian salivation). "Disco clams", however, aren't your average bivalves. These Indo-Pacific creatures are contrasted from their dull-gray, mud-living, soup-making brethren by their bright red tentacles, coral reef homes, and a vivid electric-looking flash that goes back ...
Where: AlbanyCost: Free
How you and your friends can get to spaceThe space race captured the nation's attention in the last century, but does anybody care today? The idea of a starting space company or doing something in space yourself might seem impossible -- after all, isn't space supposed to be hard (like Rocket Science)? In this talk, Chris will show ...
Disaster-Resilient Building and Economic Development in Emerging NationsBuild Change is an award-winning non-profit social enterprise that saves lives in earthquakes and windstorms by working with people in emerging nations to build houses and schools that don't collapse in them. Dr. Elizabeth Hausler Strand, Build Change's Founder and CEO, will describe the organization's work with governments in Asia ...
Arecaceae is one of the most striking plant family due to its extraordinary and unique biology as well as its extreme usefulness to humankind. This presentation will be an overview of the different aspects of palm biology and architecture, as well as an occasion to focus on some of the ...
Though women have been leaders in science for centuries, they are not always recognized in through our historical records and schoolbooks, or in our popular culture.Seeking to change that awareness, journalist Rachel Swaby recently published a new book, Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science - and the World.Rachel Swaby will tell the story of ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Quantum Annealing And It's ApplicationsWith the ever-increasing demand for computing horsepower challenging the ability of conventional High Performance Computing to keep pace, Lockheed Martin has made significant investments in quantum computing as a potentially revolutionary and complementary computational paradigm. LM's acquisition in 2011 of a D-Wave quantum annealing machine, jointly operated by LM and ...
Where: Palo AltoCost: Free
Everything you wanted to know about DSO imagingImaging DSO (Deep Sky Objects) involves more than just pointing a camera and clicking the shutter. Al will give the beginner an idea of what governs the length of an exposure, why we stack a series of exposure, and what governs the optimum image. All this is important for selecting ...
Green Friday: DEEP ECOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL ENCYCLICAL OF POPE FRANCIS"For human beings to contaminate the earth's waters, its land, its air, and its life -- these are sins. To commit a crime against the natural world is a sin against ourselves and a sin against God.""The idea of infinite and unlimited growth, which proves so attractive to economists, financiers, ...
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
Girls Day @ The TechGirls of all ages - along with their brothers and parents! - are invited to a day of hands-on STEM learning at The Tech Museum of Innovation, sponsored by the Junior League of Palo Alto-Mid Peninsula. Come celebrate computer science pioneer Ada Lovelace as our daughters demonstrate that anyone can ...
3 weeks after our Coastal Cleanup Day we will be returning to Gray Whale Cove for a visit of the upper portions of the mountain. Our hike will focus on geography and history, but we will have the opportunity for some trail cleanup along the way.Join us at Gray Whale ...
Where: Half Moon BayCost: Free
National Chemistry Week Celebration with Hands-on Experiments for KidsA celebration of chemistry, the event includes the Chemistry Wheel of Fortune where every child wins a prize, and hands-on chemistry experiments involving this year's theme: "Chemistry Colors our World." Kids will have a chance to make slime, explore color mixing and make their own spectroscope to take home! For ...
Where: San JoseCost: Free
Universe 2015, plus 2 additional eventsFeaturing:· Public talks by noted astronomers in Chabot's Megadome Theater: Dr. Mark Showalter on the New Horizon mission at Pluto, Dr. Natalie Batalha with the latest on exoplanet discoveries, Dr. David Morrison on how we can deal with asteroid impacts, and Dr. Gibor Basri on what the astronomical definition of ...
Where: OaklandCost: Free with admission
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 ...
Where: OaklandCost: $25.00
Participate in Science at Mountain Lake: Citizen Science & Bioblitz at Mountain LakeJoin Rebecca Johnson as she explains the world of citizen science, including grassroots BioBlitzes. This talk will be part of a Nerds For Nature BioBlitz - you can help make scientific observations and collect data on local biodiversity! Rebecca Johnson co-coordinates Citizen Science at the California Academy of Sciences. A marine ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
San Francisco Dance Film FestivalArt & Science Collide: Particle physics and robotics intertwine with dance and opera in this film program where practitioners of highly refined disciplines search for common ground.Followed by a post-screening discussion/Q&A with Dutch film director Ruben van Leer; Ryan Wyatt, Director of Morrison Planetarium; Dr. Donald Goldsmith, scientist/writer and Keri ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15
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
Bats in the Bay Area (Rotary Nature Center Adult Education Series)Come to the Rotary Nature Center by beautiful Lake Merritt to see and learn about bats! Corky Quirk from Nor Cal Bat Rescue & Education will tell us how bats make our lives better and other fascinating facts about the only flying mammals in the world. Quirk will be presenting ...
This month we celebrate Halloween with a creepy collection of stories about the animals that live in the deepest parts of the ocean! Learn how elephant seal's can dive to 5000 feet and stay underwater for 2 hours at a time without imploding (!), find out how a sperm whale ...
Where: SausalitoCost: Free
Bikes, Birds, and Beers!On October 11 from 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm, come join naturalists from Wild Oakland and the California Center for Natural History for an afternoon of bikes, birds, and beers in the crisp fall air!Enjoy the changing of the seasons by taking a bike tour around the bay from Fruitvale ...
Where: OaklandCost: $30.00
Litquake: Braving the ElementsModerator Mary Ellen Hannibal will lead four panel discussions on truth, beauty and books about the environment in which we live:1:00pm: Wilderness Where You Find It: Jason Mark, Novella Carpenter, Tom Turner2:30pm: Publishing California: Malcolm Margolin and Kim Bancroft3:45pm: The Art and Science of the Tidepool: Josei Iselin and Rebecca ...
Where: LafayetteCost: free
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
Fall Tarantula Hike with Lindsay Wildlife on Mount DiabloExplore the habitat of local 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: $15 General, $10 Members
Conservation Speaker Series: Action for GiraffesJoin us for a dynamic speaker and a "giraffic" event, and discover why the Oakland Zoo so strongly supports GCF in all of their efforts to learn about and protect giraffes! Giraffes are one of the most remarkable species on this planet and are one of the iconic species of ...
