CAN YOU REALLY LEARN ROCKET SCIENCE FROM A VIDEO GAME?The hit video game 'Kerbal Space Program' has also proven to be an exceptionally good at teaching players the physics of rockets, aerodynamics, spacefilght and orbital mechanics. Scott Manley will discuss the game, the physics and show that even professionals working in these fields can learn something new.
Where: Rohnert ParkCost: Free
YOUTUBE & TECHWhat Physicists Do seriesSpeaker: Scott Manley
Journey to Tanzania with Don Koss, a highly respected photographer and researcher. With over forty years of adventures, Koss will share his reflections about life, habitat and cultural changes in one of the oldest known human inhabited areas in the world. His incredible collection of photographs tell of a land ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, Free for Members, $7 Student
The Power of Public Investment: Improving Our Economy, Our Climate, and Our FuturePublic investment powers innovative social policies that dramatically improve lives, reduce income inequality, and give the planet a fighting chance against global warming. California State Treasurer John Chiang reveals how seemingly mundane financial decisions can drive large-scale change that makes a real difference in our quality of life.Speaker: John Chiang, ...
Carmel River FREE ProjectThe Carmel River Steelhead Association (CRSA) on Tuesday, September 19th, from 7-9 p.m., presents Sarah Hardgrave of the Big Sur Land Trust for a lecture on the Carmel River FREE Project.Hardgrave describes the project as “one of the most important multi-benefit flood protection and riparian habitat restoration efforts on the ...
Where: Pacific GroveCost: $5 General, Free for members
"Not too hot, not too cold" reads the prescription for a world that's just right for life as we know it. Finding evidence of life beyond Earth is one of the primary goals of science agencies in the United States and abroad. The goal looms closer as a result of ...
Where: San FranciscoCost:
Wednesday, 09/20/17
Population genetics and connectivity in deep-sea hydrothermal vent musselsto lush communities of animal species that live in mutualistic symbioses with chemosynthetic bacteria. While both mineral and genetic resources from these unique ecosystems gain increasing interest in human society, plans for the sustainable management of vent biodiversity are still in their infancies, given that the genetic structure and connectivity of vent populations ...
Katherine Isbister is a Human Computer Interaction and Games researcher who creates and studies digital games and other playful computer-supported experiences. Her focus is emotion and social connection - understanding the impact of design choices on these qualities, and getting better at building and evaluating technology that supports and enhances social and emotional experience. Her lab group’s work has been cited in Wired, Scientific ...
Think Globally, Drink LocallyMany of the world’s cities are recognizing that their current water supplies will be unable to meet the challenges posed by climate change and population growth. In response to these concerns, some cities have begun to invest in massive projects to import water from long distances. Other cities are turning ...
What it will be like to use autonomous vehicles as riders and citizens, and where and how they can have the most positive impact on society. Â In fall 2016, The Concepts Lab created a 3-part product and service design workshop series on the future of autonomous vehicles from a ...
Where: SunnyvaleCost: Free
Thursday, 09/21/17
How to Make an EarthquakeStarting in 2009, 8% of Oklahoma's land area had about half of the earthquakes east of the Rocky Mountains. I'll talk about these earthquakes and their relationship to injection operations, differentiating between water disposal and hydraulic fracturing. I'll show an assessment of the known faults in Oklahoma and how we ...
Where: Palo AltoCost: Free
Deep Dive into Ocean AcidificationTake a “deep dive into ocean acidification†in the first workshop of the BayCLIC Local Climate Science & Education Series on September 21 at the General’s Residence in San Francisco. The series brings the Bay Area’s science and education communities together to explore local climate research, program-specific applications, and place-based ...
Challenges in Data ScienceJoin us for Hadley Wickham's vision of Data Science as a field, focusing on the corner that he's most familiar: designing tools for Data Scientist-Programmers.In this talk, Hadley will outline his vision of data science as a field, focussing on the corner in which he's most familiar: designing tools for ...
Where: Mountain ViewCost: Free
Vision and the Deep Learning ExplosionEveryone sees the excitement about artificial intelligence, but what's real? Everyone gets pumped up about smart drones and self-driving cars, but what does it take to really harness the potential of deep learning for real products? The academic benchmarks are impressive, but how does research translate into break-out businesses? Why ...
Where: Santa ClaraCost: $5 General, Free for IEEE members
Join the San Francisco Microscopical Society on the September 21st for a fine Evening of Microbial Appreciation, also known as "Pond Scum Night". (Evening wear not required.) Come view a managerie of odd and interesting creatures that live all around you that you don't normally see.We'll be providing samples of ...
Where: OaklandCost: Free
Unlikely Urban EnvironmentsOver the past 30 years, the East Bay has pioneered a growing movement to restore very degraded riparian corridors, including digging up streams buried underground in culverts. These neighborhood-scale projects have produced unlikely wild areas with remarkable bird and wildlife use in the midst of densely populated cities.Speaker: Ann Riley, ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Friday, 09/22/17
Hawk Identification Field ClassJoin Step Wilson (Golden Gate Raptor Observatory Hawkwatcher Manager) for this unique outing in the field to practice your hawk identification skills with the fall migration! Meet at the trail head gate to Hawk Hill at the top of Conzelman Rd at 11am. After a steep and gravelly 250 yard ...
Where: SausalitoCost: Donations encouraged
Lab and Lunch: Following in Rickett’s FootstepsFor more than 50 years, marine biologist John Pearse has been donning rubber boots or a wetsuit and leading fellow researchers, students, and citizen scientists in an intimate and long-term study of tide pools, sandy beaches, and kelp forests in California. Like others before him, including famed marine biologist Ed ...
Fish DaysLearn about fresh water fish that are found in local ponds and rivers. Games show native and non native fish and how they arrived at Tule Ponds. Compare fishing ponds for people versus fishing ponds for wildlife.  Explore how the early peoples of area went fishing as well as the ...
Where: FremontCost: Free
Free Community Day at the ExplOratoriumAdmission to the ExplOratorium is free today.Entry is subject to capacity; admission is not guaranteed. We don’t accept group or field trip reservations; group entry is discouraged due to large crowds.
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Smithsonian Museum Day Live at Hiller Aviation MuseumSmithsonian Museum Day Live! is an annual event hosted by Smithsonian magazine. Visitors who present the Museum Day Live! ticket at the Hiller Aviation Museum today will gain free museum admission for two.
Where: San CarlosCost: 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: Free
GGRO Hawk Talk & Raptor ReleaseOur Hawk Talks and Raptor Releases 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
“Going Solar†Workshop for Those Interested in PV SystemsIf you’re thinking about going solar, or perhaps just curious about it, please join us for this free 1-hour workshop. It’ll help you understand the basics of solar photovoltaics (PV), the technology options, the economic benefits of going solar, how you tie into the PG&E grid, purchasing tips, etc. The workshop is offered ...
Where: Palo AltoCost: free
John Reber, the Man with Grand IdeasBack in the 1940s, John Reber would look out over the San Francisco Bay and visualize a massive civil works project of dams and locks to harvest fresh drinking water, and barriers that would support railway systems and a highway. His intention was to improve the quality of life for ...
Where: SausalitoCost: Free
September 23 Public Astronomy Program On Mt DiabloJoin the Mt. Diablo Astronomical Society for the September 23 astronomy program - Lower Summit Parking Lot of Mt. Diablo State Park. The program starts at 6:30 (enter the park at least 45 minutes earlier) at the lower summit parking lot. Although there is no fee for this program there ...
Where: ClaytonCost: Free
Life in the Goldilocks Zone - RESCHEDULEDDiscoveries by NASA’s Kepler Mission suggest there are billions of potentially habitable worlds in the Milky Way galaxy. What has the study of planets within and beyond the Solar System taught us about our own planet Earth? And what’s next in the search for life beyond the Solar System?Speaker: Natalie Batalha, NASA ...
Where: Mill ValleyCost: Free
Fire on the MountainJoin ACR Education Specialist Dave Self as we look for evidence of fire and its effects on the landscape. You’ll learn about fire in the geologic past and the use of fire as a tool employed by Native cultures in the management of useful plants and habitats. We will also discuss ...
Where: GeyservilleCost: $20 General, $15 Members/Students, Free < 18
Sunday, 09/24/17
Hike the HeadlandsBring your friends and family and join us for NatureBridge’s fourth annual Hike the Headlands: an exciting day of exploration in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.  Discover the Headlands with a NatureBridge educator and engage in hands-on science activities in the learning labs. There will be live music, delicious food, arts, crafts, ...
Where: SausalitoCost: $25 - $65 (see weblink)
GGRO Hawk Talk & Raptor ReleaseOur Hawk Talks and Raptor Releases 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
The principles in the design of long-term archivesThe principles in the design of long-term archives that can be applied to any storage technology, from the macroscopic to the nanoscale and from carvings on rock to data storage in DNA.Speaker: Laura Welcher, Ph.D. is the Director of Operations and The Long Now Library
