Total Lunar EclipseThe observatory deck opens at 3 am in the early morning hours of the 31st for viewing as the "Blue Moon†turns red in this total Lunar eclipse. A Lunar Eclipse occurs when the Moon passes through the shadow of the Earth. Bring binoculars, blankets and warm clothes. The total ...
Where: OaklandCost: Free
Lunar Eclipse Viewing PartyStart your day with the super blue lunar eclipse! On Wednesday, Jan. 31, from 4-6 a.m. in the Foothill College Observatory, astronomy professor Dr. Geoff Mathews will guide us through this extraordinary event. For the first time since 1866, a blue supermoon will coincide with a lunar eclipse, giving ...
Where: Los Altos HillsCost: Free ($3 parking)
Bots and Tots with Hal VarianMany observers speculate that automation will reduce the overall demand for labor in the near-term future. This may or may not be the case, but it is virtually certain that changes in the demographic composition of the population will reduce the supply of labor in most developed countries over the ...
Why Did the Robot Cross the Road? A Discussion of Social Interaction with Autonomous Technologies of the Future This presentation will discuss how human interaction with technology informs the design of non-humanoid robots such as automatic doors and autonomous vehicles. David Sirkin’s research on the design of physical interactions between humans and robots, and on autonomous vehicles and their interfaces, has been covered by The Associated Press, The Economist, New ...
Where: OrindaCost: $5 General, $1 Teachers/Students
taste of science: Illusions and Cell DeathThe virtual reality machine inside your head: Using illusions to learn about the brainWhile it may be fun to throw on an Oculus and dive to the depths of the ocean or fly through space, it’s more fun to realize that you have your own state-of-the-art virtual reality equipment! In ...
Where: Redwood CityCost: $5
To see a world in a grain of sand: Yucatan climate recorded in microfossilsCurrent climate change is the product of warming on a global scale, but it is regional climate that dictates local weather patterns and rainfall. Models of regional climate are useful in predicting changes to future resource availability but are only as good as the data on which they are based, ...
Initial operations and First Results from the NICER missionInstalled aboard the International Space Station in June 2017, NASA’s Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer provides high-precision measurements of neutron stars, objects containing ultra-dense matter at the threshold of collapse into black holes. NICER will also test, for the first time in space, technology that uses pulsars as navigation beacons.Speaker: ...
Where: Menlo ParkCost: Free
A Walk Amongst Kings: King Tides WalkTake time out on your lunch break and view the highest tide of the season. Stroll the Tidelands Trail with Carmen Minch and view how tidal marshes help prevent flooding of manmade infrastructure and help to reduce the impacts of sea level rise.
Where: FremontCost: Free
Photovoltaic Microinverter SystemsSolar Power and Photovoltaic technology is advancing quickly in the industry. Enphase Energy is a leader in developing technologies to meet the market demands. This talk will introduce basic concepts around solar systems. It will address the disadvantages of traditional systems versus the advantages of advanced microinverters from Enphase Energy. ...
Where: Rohnert ParkCost: Free
The Future Of Cybersecurity And Trends In Technological Risk: Implications For US Foreign Policy And PoliticsJonathan Reiber is a Senior Fellow and writer at Berkeley's Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity. He focuses his research and writing on resilience, national contingency planning, and cybersecurity in the Asia-Pacific region. Prior to his appointment at Berkeley, Mr. Reiber held a number of positions in the Obama Administration within ...
Wildlife photojournalist and National Geographic fellow Joe Riis, who has documented the migrations of pronghorn, mule deer, and elk in Wyoming for more than a decade, will give a multimedia presentation and book signing of his new book, Yellowstone Migrations. A reception begins at 5:30 pm with the program at ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Climate Chaos and Local Resilience: Water Solutions in the American WestClimate chaos looks different in different places, and in the West, it's all about water: drought, floods, fires, unhealthy drinking water. Communities across the West are facing these challenges in interesting and unique ways. Carpe Diem West supports a network of diverse western water leaders who are implementing innovative and equitable ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, $8 Members, $7 Students
SexplorationsSex involves the transfer of genetic information that has resulted in evolution and specialization - and one of the hottest evenings in town, scientifically speaking. Discover some surprising ways that sperm and eggs come together. Lose yourself in over 650 interactive exhibits exploring perception, art, and science at our adults-only After ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $17.95 advance, $19.95 at the door
Astronomy on Tap Santa Cruz - Planets: Inside and OutJoin us for our inaugural Astronomy on Tap. We will begin mingling on the 2nd floor beginning at 6:00pm. The theme for our kick-off will be “Planets: Inside and Outâ€. We’ll hear from Professor Jonathan Fortney, Director of UCSC’s Other Worlds Laboratory, as well as graduate student researchers Diana ...
Where: Santa CruzCost: Free
Cafe InquiryMeet up with rationalists, skeptics, and freethinkers south of San Francisco.Cafe Inquiry is a social event hosted by the Center for Inquiry|San Francisco.For more information or if you have questions please email sf@centerforinquiry.net
Where: Menlo ParkCost: Free
The Science of Cannabis: The Environmental Impact of Large Scale Cannabis CultivationThe current system for growing cannabis has caused significant environmental degradation due to pollutants, heavy water use, clear cutting natural areas, and other man-made impacts. What are the current environmental issues, and how can they be addressed as cannabis production scales.Speaker: Amanda Reiman, Flow Kana
Where: BerkeleyCost: $40 General, $35 Members
Year of the Dog NightLifeGet a second chance to kick off a new year when NightLife rings in the Year of the Dog with a night devoted to canine companions and Lunar New Year traditions.-----> Begin the celebration with a powerful lion dance performance and ceremony by SF’s own Jing Mo Athletic Association, a ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15 General, $12 Members
The Stanford Peace Innovation Lab: Designing Technology for a More Peaceful WorldThere are many ways to measure violence, but until the last decade there weren’t any good ways to measure peace. However, as billions more sensors get embedded in our environment every year, and as those sensors become ever better at detecting human social behavior, we can now measure positive interactions ...
First Friday Family Night at CuriOdysseyFamilies with small children can swing into the weekend with music, science, food and fun! On the first Friday of every month, from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m., parents and kids celebrate together at CuriOdyssey. Dance to live music including soul, funk and jazz of the 60’s and 70’s. Purchase ...
Where: San MateoCost: $12.50-9.50 / Free with Admission / Members Free
$5 Fridays: Film and AnimationJoin us as we celebrate Film and Animation as a kickoff for the Bay Area International Children’s Film Festival taking place at Chabot on February 24th & 25th! Star in a collaborative animated movie using your whole body and fun props to create magical animations with Berkeley City College at ...
Where: OaklandCost: $5
Direct Detection of Dark MatterThe LZ experiment is a next-generation dark matter direct detection experiment, to be located at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in South Dakota. When completed, the experiment will be the world’s most sensitive experiment for WIMPs (Weakly Interacting Massive Particles) over a large range of WIMP masses. LZ is ...
Experience 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 ...
Look for birds, mammals, and animal tracks as we explore along the water’s edge on this 3.7-mile nature walk. Bring binoculars and your favorite field guide to help enjoy the views. Have at least one liter of water, snacks, and appropriate clothing. Rain cancels hike. Led by Steve Stolper. RESERVATIONS ...
Where: AlvisoCost: Free
Shark DayMSI loves sharks! Our special Shark Day invites one and all to learn about these amazing creatures, from the great whites that swim just off our ocean shores, to the gentle Leopard sharks that are common in our Bay. We will be feeding and touching our local Leopard sharks in ...
Winter rains bring fungi to California! Spend the day perusing hundreds of local mushroom specimens, or bring a specimen (or photo) from home and have it identified by experts. Help churn and sample homemade candy cap ice cream. Purchase the latest guidebooks, mingle with members of the mycological community, make ...
Where: BerkeleyCost:
Monday, 02/05/18
Combined galaxy clustering and weak lensing analysesI will discuss some of the challenges involved in producing robust cosmological constraints from photometric galaxy surveys such the Dark Energy Survey and LSST. In the context of the recent DES constraints from galaxy clustering and weak lensing, I will discuss in detail how we validate our cosmological inference using ...
Effective modeling of complex physical systems arising in the geosciences is dependent on knowing parameters which are often difficult or impossible to measure in situ. In this talk we focus on two such problems, estimating parameters for groundwater flow and contaminant transport, and estimating parameters within a coastal ocean model. ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
MAKING AT SSUJeremy Qualls will describe rapid advances in digital fabrication and social media that have given rise to new opportunities blending science, technology, art, and entrepreneurship. Sonoma State University has embraced the do it yourself maker mindset with many new innovative programs including a campus community maker-space and a sophomore year ...
Where: Rohnert ParkCost: Free
Manipulation Skills that I Wish My Robots HadMy main goal in this talk is to discuss some manipulation capabilities that I believe are essential to develop practical autonomous robotic manipulation systems. These are manipulation skills that I wish my robots had. I’ll start the talk by briefing on recent work by Team MIT-Princeton in the Amazon Robotics ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
THE QUANTUM AND THE COSMOS: THE QUEST FOR THE ORIGIN OF ORDINARY AND DARK MATTERJeremy Qualls will describe rapid advances in digital fabrication and social media that have given rise to new opportunities blending science, technology, art, and entrepreneurship. Sonoma State University has embraced the do it yourself maker mindset with many new innovative programs including a campus community maker-space and a sophomore year ...
Paul McIntyre is Rick and Melinda Reed Professor in the School of Engineering, Chair of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Senior Fellow of the Precourt Institute for Energy at Stanford University. He was previously Member of the Technical Staff of the central research laboratories of Texas Instruments, ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Reinventing Wires: The Future of Landlines and NetworksThere is an information vacuum among government, media and the public about the relative role of wired communications and the reasons hard wires, such a copper cable and optical fiber, usually offer better telecommunications options. From the perspective of public investment, health and ecosystem impacts, and energy efficiency, a strong ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, $8 Members, $7 Students
The Search for Life Beyond EarthTo search for life beyond Earth, we first have to decide on several key factors, such as where we should look. Several locations within our solar system have been identified that might be habitable. An ideal place to look might be the icy moons around Saturn and Jupiter with their ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15 General, $12 Members & Seniors
Tuesday, 02/06/18
Cognitive Adaptations to Harsh EnvironmentsGrowing up in a harsh environment has a major impact on cognition. People from such environments tend to score lower on a variety of cognitive tests. The predominant view in psychology is, therefore, that chronic exposure to harsh conditions impairs cognition. I have recently challenged this consensus by proposing that ...
