Developing 3-D Imaging Sensors: Problems and TechnologiesWe discuss technologies for 3-D imaging-taking cameras, also variously called 3-QD rangefinders, telemeters or lidars. We start from the basic configurations used to build single-point laser rangefinders, that is, triangulation, sine-wave and pulsed techniques, and then analyzing the system requirements on parameters like: covered range, illumination power, detector noise, stray ...
Digital rock technology (DRT) has experienced tremendous progress in the last decade, with an increasing number of companies providing imaging hardware, modeling software and digital core analysis services. This technology is also commonly referred to as a transformational technology in different fronts, and yet, because the focus has been heavily ...
LIGO has detected gravitational waves from the coalescences of six binary black hole mergers and one binary neutron star merger. These systems provide unique insights into general relativity in the strong field regime. Recent results include important consistency tests, measurements of the speed of gravitational waves, the Hubble constant, and ...
Earthquake ground-motion data and magnitude-distance attenuation relationships, coupled with earthquake recurrence statistics and fault models, are the basis for our seismic hazard maps and building codes. Seismic hazard maps are constructed in a probabilistic sense for a given rate of recurrence; thus improving the accuracy, and likewise the precision, of ...
The electricity grid is transitioning from a centralized and uncoordinated set of large generators to a framework that includes decentralized and coordinated distributed energy resources. Advances in renewable generation, energy storage, efficiency, and controls technology present a significant opportunity for demand-side investment that is matched to the needs of the ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Graph analysis of 200,000 tweets from Russian Twitter trollsLearn how Ryan Boyd and his team reconstructed a subset of the Twitter network of Russian troll accounts and applied graph analytics to the data using the Neo4j graph database to uncover how these accounts were spreading fake news.Ryan covers how they collected and munged the data distributed by NBC, ...
Where: Santa ClaraCost: Free
'Wilder than Wild' film screening & discussionWilder than Wild: Fire, Forests, and the Future, screens in the Bay Area premiere followed by a Q & A with Berkeley City Councilmember Kate Harrison, UC Berkeley fire scientist Scott Stephens, Berkeley firefighter, Mike Shuken, (a first responder in the Wine Country Fires) and filmmakers Kevin White and Stephen ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: $15
Next-Generation Approaches to Cancer Genomics: Precision OncologyJoin us for a talk with Dr. James Ford, is a medical oncologist and geneticist focused on understanding the genetic basis of cancer risk, development and treatment responses. He directs Stanford’s cancer genomics program and the Molecular Tumor Board that performs molecular profiling of metastatic cancers in order to identify novel, ...
Where: San MateoCost: Free
Tuesday, 05/22/18
Cryptic cycles and power laws in the anaerobic seabed bioreactorThe Geomicrobiology Research Group studies microbial processes that drive sulfur and carbon cycling in marine sediments, from the sediment surface to hundreds of meters subsurface. Based on recent results and data analyses I will discuss how a power law relation between organic matter degradation and sediment age controls sulfate reduction ...
Where: Moss LandingCost: Free
50 Years of Transforming Lives: The History and Future of Heart Transplant at StanfordIn 1968, the very concept of transplanting a beating heart from one human to another seemed like science fiction. A visionary Stanford cardiothoracic surgeon named Dr. Norman E. Shumway set about to change that; and in the process created the standard by which nearly 2,000 life-saving surgeries are performed annually ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free - Registration required
What Is Climate Smart Agriculture?Like energy and transportation (which get most of the attention), agriculture is key to our climate future. As a sector, agriculture contributes to greenhouse gas emissions but is also buffeted by the changes caused by global warming. At the same time, farmers are in a position to help sequester carbon ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $10 General, Free for members
Long Term Trends in Baleen Whale Observations Near the Farallon IslandsSpeaker: Kaytlin Ingman, Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental StudiesEvaluating the influence of vessel noise on the underwater soundscape of San Francisco BaySpeaker: Samantha Cope, Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies
Where: SausalitoCost: Free
MicrobiaWhile researching her book about mushrooms, Eugenia Bone became fascinated with the huge impact microbes have on every aspect of life. But as she began reading scholarly works in an attempt to grasp the microbiology, she quickly realized she couldn't do it alone.That's why she went back to school in ...
The Ice Age in CaliforniaThe megafauna that roamed California during the Ice Age were weird and wonderful. Evidence from the Diablo Range show an evolving landscape. Learn how to identify bones fragments and more.
Overview: Earth and Civilization in the MacroscopeCivilization is both astonishing and astonishingly various when viewed from slightly above. Not so far above as to be lost in planetary context, but just high enough to see a fascinating thing whole, entire, intensely peculiar and informative. The glory is in the high-resolution details, in the perpetually surprising god’s-eye ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free for Members, see website for general
Wednesday, 05/23/18
Restoring San Francisco's Rare ManzanitasSan Francisco hosts two of the rarest manzanitas in the world: Raven's Manzanita (Arctostaphylos montana subsp. ravenii) and Franciscan Manzanita (Arctostaphylos franciscana). These endangered species grew together in a distinct maritime chaparral habitat that once covered the serpentine hilltops of San Francisco. Their story is one of discovery, loss, salvage, ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: $20 General, $15 Members, Free UCBstaff & students
The freest of lunches: Using out-of-domain data to boost oceanographic image classificationOver the past decade, the biological oceanographic community has increasingly relied on in situ digital imaging to sample the denizens of the sea. These data sets have grown intractably large, requiring countless hours of human labor for analysis. Oceanographers have begun to leverage advances in machine learning to automate the ...
Where: Moss LandingCost: Free
Lab and Lunch: Conserving the CanopyJoin forest ecologist Nalini Nadkarni to hear how she brings her research on the science of forest canopies to churches, poetry slams, and prisons. She hopes to both learn from these audiences and inspire them to care more about science, trees, and nature. “Part of the scientific enterprise is to disseminate ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free - Registration required
Medicine in the Digital Age Healthcare has entered the digital age. You can track your heart rate with wearable devices like Fitbit or Motiv. Smartphones send patients reminders to take their medication. And according to the CDC, 86.9% of office-based physicians are using electronic health records. However, many medical professionals and technologists alike believe tech ...
Rescheduled to May 16 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
2001: A Space Odyssey at 50. HAL's Legacy: 2001's Computer as Dream and RealityAlong with celebrating 50 years of software engineering, we can also celebrate the premiere of one of the most famous science fiction movies in history, 2001: A Space Odyssey. One of the central characters in the movie was the supercomputer HAL, the most powerful computer imagined at that time. Possessed knowledge superior to that of a human, HAL controlled the spaceship, found solutions to the most complex problems, played chess with the astronauts, and served them continuously. Then something went wrong. Why? ...
Where: Menlo ParkCost: Free
Thursday, 05/24/18
'Bright Spots & Landmines': The Diabetes Guide I Wish Someone Had Handed MeAuthor Adam Brown will discuss some of the subjects he covers in his diabetes handbook. Bright Spots & Landmines focuses on food, mindset, exercise, and sleep strategies. It includes: what to eat to minimize blood sugar swings; helpful strategies to feel less stressed, guilty, and not burned out; and simple ways to ...
Where: Palo AltoCost: Free
After Dark: SoundJoin Exploratorium scientist Ron Hipschman for colorful explorations of the physical world.What is sound? How high a pitch can you hear? Can you measure the speed of sound with a yardstick? Can two sounds add up to no sound? Explore these questions and more in this resonant presentation.Part of After ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free with After Dark Admission
Bones NightLifeTonight we pay tribute to Ray “Bones†Bandar, long-time friend of the Academy and legendary collector, with close-up views into his world-renowned bone collection.During his lifetime, he collected over 7,000 specimens - most of them skulls - which will now join the Academy’s scientific collections. Make no bones about it, ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15 General, $12 Members
San Francisco City Star PartyCome join us for our monthly San Francisco City Star Party. SFAA members provide telescopes for your viewing pleasure. Be sure to check the SFAA website for the latest updates…bad weather or overcast skies will cancel!
A cohort of basic technologies appears frequently in ancient meteorological explanations, whether in the theories of the Presocratic physikoi and Aristotle, or in the later accounts of Lucretius and Seneca. Wine skins pop, iron rods hiss and mirrors reflect. Canvas flaps, pipes burst and lead bullets melt. This talk looks ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
eSports Extravaganza featuring the San Francisco Shock & Sansar Esports and virtual reality are two of the fastest growing industries in tech. What is possible when they collide? Join us on May 25th as we engage in a discussion on the intersection of these two fields. Speakers will provide an overview of the current state of Esports and ...
Where: Mountain ViewCost: Free
To Grow or not to grow: How cells balance growth in healthy bodies and how cancer tips the scaleEach cell in our body is constantly making decisions. One of those decisions is the choice of whether to grow and divide, a choice that depends on both the cell’s ability to sense the availability of nutrients in its immediate environment as well as the presence of long-range hormonal signals ...
Where: EmeryvilleCost: Free
Saturday, 05/26/18
Geology of the Mayacamas Learn some of the local and regional geology on a field excursion up Pine Flat Road with Iain Jamieson, a retired geologist who worked at the Geysers in the 1970’s. Iain is now a Bouverie Preserve docent, which has expanded his interest in nature. Be prepared for a drive with ...
Where: GeyservilleCost: $20 suggested donation
Hayward Fault Walking TourOver the last million years, the natural beauty of Fremont has been shaped by the Hayward Fault. Instructors will be leading these 'ground breaking' tours and exposing the science and beauty of the Hayward Fault. This fault is one of several active faults in the world actually creeping at 5 ...
Where: FremontCost: $15
Science Saturday: Water WildWe're making a splash during this last Science Saturday of the school year, as we dive into the wonderful world of water. What is a watershed? Where can you find a steelhead? Find out while we explore all-things aquatic while completing a craft, activities, and more.
Marine Science Sunday: Back from the Brink - Saving SpeciesThis month we celebrate the work taking place to help save endangered and threatened marine mammals found along the California coast and Pacific Ocean, including the threatened Guadalupe fur seals, Southern sea otter, the rarest seal in the United States, the Hawaiian monk seal. Docent-led tours will take you around the ...
Where: SausalitoCost: Free
Full-Spectrum Science with Ron Hipschman: SoundWhat is sound? How high a pitch can you hear? Can you measure the speed of sound with a yardstick? Can two sounds add up to no sound? Explore these questions and more in this resonant presentation.Presentations at 1:00 and 3:00.
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free with Admission to the Exploratorium
Quantum physics describes the realm of the very smallwith exquisite accuracy. However, quantum experiments can give such strange results that physicists often need to assume disparate "interpretations" of quantum physics in order to make sense of what they observe.Amid this quantum uncertainty, it’s become fashionable for the names of everyday ...
