MLK Day Coastal CleanupOn January 18, we're celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service with a shoreline cleanup around the EcoCenter at Heron's Head Park – and we would love your help! We love working alongside dedicated volunteers to pick up everyday items like straws, wrappers, cigarette butts, and other plastic trash ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Tuesday, 01/19/16
Observing the re-enty of space debris WT1190FDr. Jenniskens will describe the airborne observations he took part in of the re-entry of space debris on Nov 13, 2016.The International Astronomical Center (IAC) and the United Arab Emirates Space Agency recently hosted a team of veteran U.S. and German observers of spacecraft re-entries, including SETI Institute research scientist ...
Why Do We LaughJoin cognitive psychologist Greg Bryant and scientist turned comedian Tim Lee for an evening of laughter. Half comedy show and half science talk, this month's Being Human explores the science behind why we laugh.
Where: San FranciscoCost: $10 - $15
Minerals: Shiny and BrightMinerals are important to our society. They are needed to produce many products. Learn how they are pretty but also important through 4 activities.
Where: FremontCost: Free
Twenty-One Myths of Medicinal MushroomsInformation on the use of medicinal mushrooms for preventive and therapeutic modalities has increased on the internet in the past decade. Some is based on science and most on marketing. This talk will look at 21 common misconceptions, helping separate fact from fiction.Speaker: Robert Dale Rogers
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Why Eating Good Food Makes for Good EcologyChef and founder of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Alice Waters is an author and world renowned food movement leader. After helping to change the American food landscape, Alice introduced her ideas into public schools with The Edible Schoolyard, a program that involves students in all aspects of growing, cooking, and ...
The inner continental shelf encompasses shallow depths where the turbulent wind-driven surface layer interacts with the bottom frictional layer. The complex physical dynamics of the inner shelf govern the exchange of heat, nutrients, and other tracers between the surf zone and deeper ocean. A twelve-year time series of oceanographic and ...
During the 19th and 20th centuries, groundbreaking information technologies like the telegraph, the typewriter, and the computer changed the world. All of these technologies were designed with the alphabet in mind, however, leaving open the question: what about China, Japan, and Korea? In this exhibition, the history of modern East ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
The Super Bowl, Football and ComputersWith Super Bowl 50 being held in Santa Clara this year, our January General Computing meeting will be on how computer technology is used in football. This technology can be seen in many other sports and at many levels of play. We will have a panel presentation by local companies, ...
Stanford professor and Natural Capital Project Co-Director Gretchen Daily will describe her quest to measure nature's contributions to society, and in doing so, convince world and corporate leaders to make smarter decisions for a more sustainable future. Dr. Daily holds several faculty and leadership positions at Stanford University. Her efforts ...
Where: Palo AltoCost: $10 General, Free for members
With Auld Lang Syne still reverberating in our ears, the first Nerd Nite SF of 2016 draws nigh. If your New Year's resolution was to learn new things, meet interesting people, or kill more brain cells with beer then we have the event for you! A scientist will tell you ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $8
Thursday, 01/21/16
10 Ways to Heal Health Care: How Consumers Can Revolutionize Their Care ExperienceHow can it be that customers often rate their experience at the DMV as better, more timely and less painful than their experience at the hospital? Despite enormous sums spent on health care and extensive training of professionals, patients are largely dissatisfied with the service they receive. A growing body ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, $8 Member, $7 Student
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
DEEP SPACE CLIMATE OBSERVATORY (DSCOVR) EARTH IMAGING USING EPIC (Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera)In 1998 the Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center was selected as part of the Scripps-led team to design, build, and test a high resolution camera for imaging the Earth from L1 in multiple wavelengths. Over ~17 years the mission evolved from the original NASA Triana mission to the NOAA/NASA DSCOVR ...
Where: Palo AltoCost: Free
Making Shakey, the world's first intelligent, mobile robotShakey, the world's first mobile, intelligent robot, was developed at Stanford Research Institute (now SRI International) between 1966 and 1972. Peter E.Hart worked on this project from the day it started until the day it ended (by which time he was the project leader).He will describe how the project got ...
Feed your brain and body this week as NightLife explores the fascinating world of human health and wellness.In African Hall, hear a mind-expanding talk by Dr. Jim Olson of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center on cutting-edge medical innovations allowing doctors to locate and treat cancer more effectively.Explore some of the ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15 General, $12 Members
Learn tips, tools, and techniques to become a better birder! In his new book Better Birding, Brian L. Sullivan reveals techniques used by expert birders to identify species in the field quickly and easily. He goes beyond traditional identification elements like plumage to create a context around each bird that ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
IS ANYBODY OUT THERE? When When Will Earthlings Find ET?What is the possibility of other life in the universe and can we detect radio and optical signals from other civilizations? Current and future SETI projects, including SETI@home and the new $100-million Breakthrough Prize Foundation Listen project may provide an answer. SETI@home chief scientist Dan Werthimer will describe the rationale ...
Where: SunnyvaleCost: Free
Friday, 01/22/16
The History of FlorilegiumA Florilegium is a collection of botanical works depicting the plants of an area. The word means 'a gathering of flowers', from Latin flos (flower) and legere (to gather). The first florilegia began in the sixteenth century when European royalty sent botanists and artists on Voyages of Exploration to collect ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: $15 General, $10 Member, includes garden admission
Saturday, 01/23/16
Wildlife on the MayacamasSpend the morning learning about some of the wildlife that inhabits the preserves and how to identify field sign of mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes and more. We will also visit two wildlife trail cameras, where we'll view new unseen photos/videos - to see if the field signs match the pictures! ...
Where: GeyservilleCost: Free (sign up in advance)
January Bird WalkWinter birds have invaded the garden! Both beginning and experienced bird watchers are welcome! Bring binoculars if you have them.
Where: BerkeleyCost: $15 General, $10 Members
6th Annual Whalefest MontereyThis free fun and educational, interactive family event for all ages celebrates the migration of the gray whales! The event also benefits many local and national marine organizations that inspire, educate, explore and empower the public to protect the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.Among the highlights will be a symposium ...
Where: MontereyCost: See website
Challenger CommemorationJoin Chabot as we honor those astronauts lost on the Challenger Space Shuttle the morning of January 28, 1986. Learn what it's like to prepare for a mission to space in our astronaut training lab, discover some of the lessons developed by Christa McAuliffe (intended to be the first teacher ...
Where: OaklandCost: Free with admission
Aquarium of the Bay and BayMobile Aquarium of the Bay 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 ...
Where: SausalitoCost: Free
Octopalooza!At Aquarium of the Bay, we celebrate cephalopods of the world through an entire week of fun activities, crafts, and presentations! Join us as we bring some of these engaging activities to the Bay Model for this octo-tastic event. We'll experiment with market squid dissections using squids from the sustainable ...
Where: SausalitoCost: Free
SF Sketchfest 2016: You're the ExpertYou're the Expert is a live show, podcast, and new public radio program on 90.9 WBUR, Boston's NPR station. The radio show uses comedy to make academic research more accessible and exciting. Through game show segments and hilariously misguided guesses, a panel of comedians will try to get to the ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20
Mushroom Bricks Workshop: Grow Your Own Home!Are you interested in designing eco-friendly architecture? Grow your own sustainable building materials using mushrooms and agro-waste. Join us for this free teen workshop with MycoWorks, a company that is leading the way with mycotecture, the art of building with mycelium. Participants will also receive free museum admission for themselves and ...
Where: San JoseCost: free; application required
Low Tide WalkJoin us for a series of coastal adventures. We will be taking advantage of the multiple low tides this season with a sequence of Low Tide Walks. We will return to a few of our favorite stomps as well as venturing to some new spots. When the tide is low ...
Solar Eclipse in SvalbardDonald Gardner will share his experiences during his trip to Svalbard, Norway to view the March 20, 2015 solar eclipse.Some info on the eclipse is here.
Where: San JoseCost: Free
Sunday, 01/24/16
6th Annual Whalefest MontereyThis free fun and educational, interactive family event for all ages celebrates the migration of the gray whales! The event also benefits many local and national marine organizations that inspire, educate, explore and empower the public to protect the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.Among the highlights will be a symposium ...
This month we celebrate the animals that are the champions of the cold: Animals of the Arctic. We recommend teaming our free classroom program with a Docent-led tour at 11am, 1pm or 3pm for a truly immersive marine mammal experience. Read on for more info... Program Summary FREE Classroom Programs: Animals of ...
What's that plant you saw on the trail? Learn to recognize some plants frequently found in the East Bay hills during a leisurely hike in Joaquin Miller Park. We will introduce you to some common plant communities and also discuss the impact of human activities on the landscape.This will be ...
What's going on inside the nucleus of an atom? Why does it spit out radiation? Did you know that you are exposed to radioactivity every day? Learn the facts about this somewhat controversial topic.Lectures at 1:00 and 3:00.