Learning to Read (the Landscape) Join ACR Education Specialist Dave Self and start learning how to read the landscape of the Modini Mayacamas. The reading is challenging and is rarely precise, but it’s all around us: in the distribution, size and shape of trees and shrubs; the size and shape of lichen on the rocks; ...
Where: GeyservilleCost: $20 General, $15 Members/Students, Free < 18
Lichen BioBlitzCalling all Lichen Enthusiasts! Lichens are intriguing composite organisms formed through symbiosis between fungi and cyanobacteria/algae. Like plants, lichens photosynthesize and - also like plants - they flourish here at the Garden! While lichens can be found throughout the year, they are particularly striking during winter months. As ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free (RSVP required)
Quicksliver History HikeExplore what remains of the once-bustling mining operations in the hills above New Almaden on this 4-mile hike. Meet at the Wood Road entrance off Hicks Road. Bring water and a snack. Questions?  (408) 918-7770    ​​
Where: San JoseCost: 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
Science at Cal Lecture- Visualizing Biological Molecules: Understanding Life’s PrinciplesAssemblies of biological macromolecules (proteins, DNA, RNA) are the functional units of cells and ultimate the whole organism. Visualizing these macromolecules, in different functional states, provides unique information on how they work and how they fail in the diseased state, and therefore can guide us in the design and improvement ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Fixit Clinic CCXLVII (247) Fremont CAFixit Clinic CCXLVII (247) Fremont CAFixit Coaches will be training in residence at the Oakland Public Library, Dimond Branch and available for consultation on your broken items.Celebrating repair by conveying basic troubleshooting skills, Fixit Clinics are do-it-together hands-on STEM-oriented fix-n-learn community-based exploration and discovery workshops staffed by volunteer Fixit Coaches ...
Where: FremontCost: Free
Fluxations in Static Blue - Art Exhibition and receptionSausalito based artist Bret Arenson will be exhibiting the large scale work, Fluxations in Static Blue, which will span the entire main wall of the exhibit area. This immersive ambient work, done through ecstatic automatism, invites the viewer to discover flow and movement within what otherwise might be considered static ...
Where: SausalitoCost: Free
Is Quantum Entanglement Magic?Dr. Ken Wharton is a professor of physics at San Jose State University. His research is in the field of Quantum Foundations, where he tries to make sense of phenomena like entanglement without giving up conventional notions of space and time. He also makes an effort to explain Quantum Foundations ...
Where: OaklandCost: Free
Sunday, 01/21/18
Gray Whale Watching with Sanctuary ExplorationsWitness the mighty gray whale migration on this half-day cruise. Join our sanctuary naturalists as we venture into the southbound migration path of the gray whale as they head through our marine sanctuaries, traveling from Arctic feeding grounds to Baja California breeding grounds. Learn about their natural history, their recovery ...
Before there were mammals on land, there were dinosaurs. And before there were fish in the sea, there were cephalopods - Earth’s first truly substantial animals and the ancestors of modern squid. With dozens of tentacles and formidable shells, they presided over an undersea empire for millions of years.Join scientist ...
Where: Santa CruzCost: Free with admission
Made for Movies: From Poltergeist to Pirates of the CaribbeanHow do you craft a seaworthy ship - to scale? Or scatter tiny raindrops on a miniature dock? Lorne Peterson shares stories from his years at Industrial Light & Magic, such as creating foam rocks that behave like real ones in Wild Wild West, or coaxing a model house to ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free with Admission to the Exploratorium
Monday, 01/22/18
Tests of Cosmological GravityModern theories of dark energy can be epitomized by two words: modified gravity. In this talk I will discuss a popular and well-motivated model for dark energy, galileon gravity, and how it can be constrained using two novel astrophysical probes. The first, is the absence of offset black holes in ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Law, Order, and AlgorithmsData and algorithms are increasingly used in the criminal justice system, from tracking individuals with aerial cameras to deciding which defendants to release on bail. These developments offer the promise of greater efficiency and equity, but also pose serious challenges for traditional notions of privacy and fairness. I'll describe some ...
Rechargeable batteries are porous electrochemical structures composed of secondary particles, which are aggregates of single crystal primary particles, pores, cracks, and processing-induced phases and features. The underlying meso and microstructural topology, including its size, size distribution, morphology and crystallographic orientation of each of the underlying phases impacts the delivered power and energy density. While ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
One Water Approach to Urban Water ManagementTo kick off 2018, at the next Landscape Advisory Committee meeting, Rosey Jencks (Vice President of One Water-Norcal, Brown and Caldwell)Â will present the One Water concept, an integrated planning and implementation approach to manage finite urban water resources.This collaborative approach, involving a wide variety of stakeholders, breaks down barriers separating ...
Where: OaklandCost: Free
Einstein, Gravitational Waves and a New ScienceAlbert Einstein predicted the existence of gravitational waves 100 years ago, but the effects are so tiny that even Einstein thought they could never be detected. After 40 years of controversy, theorists finally developed a consensus that they really do exist. Then the problem became whether experimental physicists could develop ...
Where: Menlo ParkCost: Free
People and Robots SeminarContinuum manipulators are a class of long, slender soft robots that can be employed for minimally invasive surgical procedures such are cardiac cath eterization, colonoscopy, and bronchoscopy. The soft nature of these devices introduces uncertainty in modeling both due to the deformable nature of the manip ulator and the environment. ...
John Deutch is an Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Mr. Deutch has been a member of the MIT faculty since 1970, and has served as Chairman of the Department of Chemistry, Dean of Science, and Provost. Mr. Deutch has published over 160 technical publications in physical chemistry, ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
AI in the Clouds: Data, ML and AI in the new world of software in the CloudIn the recent years we have seen how Data Science, Machine Learning, and AI, in general, have been influencing and rewriting the rules in everything from commerce to healthcare to finance. Additionally, deploying to the cloud and has opened new opportunities for collecting and using data. We have quickly moved ...
Where: Santa ClaraCost: Free
An Evening with MacArthur Fellows: Breaking Down Barriers to STEM EducationScience, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) jobs are projected to grow 17 percent between 2014 and 2024 compared to just 12 percent for non-STEM related fields. Many of those jobs will reside right here in Silicon Valley. That’s the good news. The bad news is that despite progress, minorities, women ...
Where: Palo AltoCost: Free
Science Vs Cinema: 'GALAXY QUEST'Science Vs Cinema is a new monthly series exploring the awesome science behind your favorite movies. We'll explore what's right, what's wrong, and why the scientist always seems to be the first one to die in so many films. Get ready for a way-too-deep dive into the science - from ...
Where: San FranciscoCost:
Tuesday, 01/23/18
Two KIPAC Tea TalksGalaxy colors and halos - signatures from velocity spaceSpeaker: Susmita Adhikari (KIPAC)Polarimetry of Exoplanetary SystemsSpeaker: Max Millar-Blancher, JPLÂ
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Disruptive Transportation and the Future of the CityTransportation network companies (TNCs) such as Uber and Lyft are dramatically changing the way we travel today. However, everyone suffers if we don’t proactively plan for the ripple effects of their increasing ubiquity, not to mention the impacts caused by autonomous vehicles. Come learn how the growth of TNCs is ...
Where: San JoseCost: $10 General, Free for Members
Adaptive management is an iterative approach to natural resource management, which evaluates a natural system and responds to new data. It enables action and decision-making in real-world scenarios.While the principles of adaptive management are well known in environmental systems management, there's a lesser-known kind of adaptation going on behind the ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free, RSVP Required
Dooley and Pelosi: Bridging Trump’s Divide - RESCHEDULEDDebbie Dooley helped organize the Tea Party’s first national demonstration in 2009 and until recently was on the board of the Tea Party Patriots. She enthusiastically supports Donald Trump, defends Roy Moore and despises the “Bush cabal.†But her views transcend typical partisan boundaries. She loathes the Koch brothers, thinks solar ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, $12 Members, $7 Students
Join us for a special SETI Talk on 1I/`Oumuamua, the first known interstellar small body, possibly an asteroid which is probably coming from another planetary system. Its recent discovery by Pan-STARRS1 offers a rare opportunity to explore the planetary formation processes of other stars, and the effect of the interstellar ...
RESCHEDULED TO 1.30.18Dr. Baldo Marinovic, a research biologist at Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz studies zooplankton ecology and the dynamics of ocean food webs. MS Marine sciences UCSC, PhD Zoology University Western Australia.Since 1997, he has been conducting surveys in Monterey Bay to understand what determines ...
Over the past 18 years I have worked in the Jaffe Laboratory for Underwater Imaging on building acoustic and optical in situ sensing systems. A central theme of this work is building instruments that provide detailed information about individual organisms while leveraging advances in industrial technology. In this seminar, I’ll ...
Future growth in urbanization will mainly occur in cities of the rising south. UN Habitat reports that in the past decade, the urban population in emerging economies grew on average 1.2 million people per week. By 2050, it is expected that seven out of ten people will be living in ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Cosmic Gold: Neutron Star Mergers, Gravitational Waves, and the Origin of the Heavy ElementsScientists have recently developed a new way to `see' the universe, using the gravitational waves predicted by Einstein nearly a century ago. These waves can teach us about some of the most exotic objects known, including star “corpses†known as black holes and neutron stars.  Remarkably, they have also helped ...
If ye value critical thinking, and if ye scorn the flim-flam man, join us, your friends. We are a group who informally discuss the latest in science or pseudoscience over good eats & ale. Sponsored by Bay Area Skeptics.WHY: Because we’re curious creatures.
Where: MillbraeCost: Free
ExoplanetsMarin Science SeminarSpeaker: Warren Wiscombe, NASA Goddard
Where: San RafaelCost: Free
Kepler's Literary Foundation Presents Michael ShermerMichael Shermer is the Founding Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Skeptic magazine. He is the author of Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time, How We Believe: The Search for God in an Age of Science, and Denying History: Who Says the Holocaust Never Happened and Why Do They Say It? (with ...
Surfing Mavericks: Call of the Data Join Exploratorium educator Lori Lambertson, an avid surfer, for a talk about the data and weather forecasting that goes into calling the Mavericks surf contest and the unique features of the famed break. This exciting big-wave contest, held 25 miles south of San Francisco, requires perfect conditions that only come ...
Think global, #TravelLocal? Harnessing social media for sustainability.  Every year, 124 million Americans take vacations. They’re traveling farther than ever, averaging 1,200 miles per trip. Transportation -- particularly airplane travel -- is a leading source of greenhouse-gas emissions. But can blurring the status signal associated with long distance travel lead ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Issues of Human Interface DesignGary will present some challenges of human interface design, using prosthetic limbs as the springboard for discussion.Speaker: Gary Berke, prosthetist and an Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor and Director of Prosthetics in Stanford's Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Where: StanfordCost: Free
A Life Among Fishes: The Art of GyotakuJoin us as Christopher Dewees presents his book, A Life Among Fishes: The Art of Gyotaku, sharing a half century of printing fish and shellfish to full color. We will follow Chris's evolution from being exposed and fascinated by gyotaku as a graduate student, to his status now as an internationally recognized ...
 The ShakeAlert earthquake early warning system will begin limited operations this year.Alerts could save lives and properties but several challenges remain.With millions at risk, why isn't full public alerting happening yet?Speaker: Douglas Given, USGS
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.Part of After Dark (6:00 - 10:00)
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free with After Dark Admission
The way you sense the world around you is very different from how the spider on the web on your porch experiences its world. In fact, the senses used by that spider on the web are very different from the senses of the jumping spider hopping around your garden. At ...
