The Accelerated UniverseThe universe has gone through two phases of accelerated expansion: a primordial phase called cosmic inflation and an ongoing phase that has been taking place for the last 6 billions years.To explore cosmic inflation, we are now on the hunt for the primordial cosmic microwave background (CMB) B-modes. This signal ...
Physics achaeology: unearthing a 45 year old quantum spin liquidI will introduce the topic of quantum spin liquid as a prime example of emergent behavior in strongly interacting system. Recently a new example, 1T-TaS2 has been discovered. Surprisingly this material has been thoroughly studied for 45 years as a charge density wave material but its spin liquid property has ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Free lunches with chips and coherent beams: from Ramsey fringes to integrated circuit inspectionInterference between coherent photon pulses separated in time yields the famous Ramsey fringes, which allow the dynamics of objects exposed to the pulses to be characterized with much greater precision than suggested by the Heisenberg uncertainty relation applied to the pulse bandwidth. The same applies for coherent photon beams separated ...
The ALPHA Collaboration at CERN has combined antiprotons and positrons to create and probe antihydrogen atoms. ALPHA can now store over 1000 antihydrogen atoms at a time for thousands of seconds. We have developed techniques to conduct precision physics using minimal numbers of antiatoms. The comparison of antihydrogen and hydrogen ...
Where: Menlo ParkCost: Free
People and Robots SeminarBefore learning robots can be deployed in the real world, it is critical that probabilistic guarantees can be made about the safety and performance of such systems. Â In recent years, so-called "high-confidence" reinforcement learning algorithms have enjoyed success in application areas with high-quality models and plentiful data, but robotics remains ...
Hunting Dark Matter at Collider ExperimentsDark matter is believed to make up most of the matter of our Universe, but its particle origin remains a mystery. So far experimental searches for dark matter particles have largely focused on the mass window at around the Hoggs boson mass. At the same time, lighter dark matter candidates ...
Climate models suggest that keeping to within a 2° future will require us to remove excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. A common prediction is that we will need to be removing ten billion tons (gigatons) of CO2 per year from the air in 2050 and continue for the foreseeable ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Using Forensic Science to Identify the UnidentifiedCome hear about the roles and responsibilities of the Coroner's Office with Emily Tauscher, Assistant Coroner for San Mateo County. Explore the forensics involved with the medico-legal death investigation field, especially in regards to identifying the unidentified. Learn about the scientific methods used to identify decedents including fingerprints, dental, radiology, ...
Where: San MateoCost: Free
Tuesday, 04/16/19
Soil Health Series: Biological Properties of SoilSoil is the most complex biomaterial on Earth...really! Join the very knowledgeable and enthusiastic Stephen Andrews (UC Berkeley Professor, specializing in soils) for a hands-on class to discover the basics of creating a successful compost, and how the soil foodweb drives the sustainability of nearly all living things on Earth.
Rust Never SleepsIn terms of species numbers and ubiquity, rust fungi are an incredibly successful lineage. Together, the more than 7000 described species form the largest known group of plant pathogens, while also having incredibly complex life cycles. This talk will explore the biology of these fascinating organisms and discuss the contributions that molecular systematics ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Richer than Gold: Biodiversity vs Industrial MiningJoin Dr. Roo Vandegrift for an exciting adventure into one of the last unlogged watersheds in western Ecuador to document the rich biodiversity that is threatened by mining. He and his international team of researchers have just returned from a National Geographic funded expedition into the heart of the cloud ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Wednesday, 04/17/19
Applying Lagrangian Coherent Structure Techniques to Map Sea Surface Transport Part I: Coastal surface transport patterns are determined from Lagrangian Coherent Structures(LCSs) computed from HF radar determined 2-D surface currentvelocities off the coast of Northern California. The LCS maps, which identify confluence and shear in flow, are compared to satellite SST fields under during different wind-forcing regimes. SST fronts are ...
Where: TiburonCost: Free
Teacher Workshop: Hayward Fault - Incorportating Plate Tectonics into the Classroom Looking on how earth science can be integrated within the NGSS integrated approach to middle school science. This session will look at Earthquakes in California and impact on population. We will learn about Plate Tectonics and how our area evolved. We will take a walk the trace of the Hayward ...
Imaging a Black Hole with the Event Horizon TelescopeThis talk will present the methods and procedures used to produce the first results from the Event Horizon Telescope. It is theorized that a black hole will leave a "shadow" on a background of hot gas. Taking a picture of this black hole shadow could help to address a number ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Where is the Origin of Life on Earth?To answer the iconic question “Are We Alone?â€, scientists around the world are also attempting to understand the origin of life. There are many pieces to the puzzle of how life began and many ways to put them together into a big picture. Some of the pieces are firmly established by ...
Where: Menlo ParkCost: Free
DevOps Journey ExperiencesThe days are over when the developers do code complete and forget about how code is getting rolled, monitoring in site and dealing with incidents left out to ‘Ops’ teams . The reality is that it is very achievable to get a great DevOps model working, giving the agility required ...
Where: San JoseCost: Free
Kame Richards Tides and Currents TalkRacers, cruisers, power boaters, kayakers, and swimmers will see and learn how the tide currents move on San Francisco Bay. For information and reservations, contact Jim Tantillo at website. This usually sells out, so don't delay!
Where: SausalitoCost: $15 cash only
Nerd Nite SF #107: AI Bias, Swarm Robots, and Fungi!Do as I Say, Not as I Do: Can We Avoid Imparting Human Biases to ComputersAs the AI revolution is poised to impact nearly every facet of life, concerns are mounting about how training computers to think like us can amplify some of the worst parts of ourselves. Is our ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $10
Rust Never SleepsIn terms of species numbers and ubiquity, rust fungi are an incredibly successful lineage. Â Together, the more than 7000 described species form the largest known group of plant pathogens, while also having incredibly complex life cycles. Â This talk will explore the biology of these fascinating organisms and discuss the contributions ...
Where: Mill ValleyCost: Free
“Resolving the Local Universe with the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopesâ€Most galaxies are so far away that they appear to us only as faint smudges. However, for galaxies that reside in our Galactic neighborhood, the clarity and sensitivity of the Hubble Space Telescope transforms them from smudges into collections of individual stars. These observations allow astronomers to study how galaxies ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Thursday, 04/18/19
Ghosts of atmospheres past: modeling atmospheric formation and evolution on rocky planetsOne of the goals of near-term exoplanet observations is to identify habitable rocky planets and characterize their atmospheres. Solar System studies have taught us that the chemistry of the protoplanetary disk from which they formed, the physics and chemistry of the accretion process, and subsequent loss and exchange between the ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
The Bay Delta and the Future of Our Water SuppliesA recent decision by the California State Water Resources Control Board to leave more water in the state’s rivers is part of an attempt to sustain endangered and declining fish populations. However, the act could also affect the future of the Bay Area’s drinking water supplies. Come hear more about ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $10 General, Free for Members
Racing RobocarsFor a century the car industry has used racing to drive innovation. But with self-driving cars, it’s not happening. Companies are more concerned about embarrassing and expensive failures than speed and nimbleness, so much so that the biggest risk of robocars on the roads is slowing and blocking traffic. Fortunately, ...
After 40 years of remarkable progress in VLSI microprocessors, a variety of factors are combining to lead to a much slower rate of performance growth in the future. These limitations arise from three different areas: IC technology, architectural limitations, and changing applications and usage. The end of Dennard scaling and ...
Cannabis: Is it legal, or not? Cannabis became legal for recreational use in California in January 2018, but it remains a federally controlled substance. Dive into the social, judicial, economic, and environmental impacts of legalization, find out what has shifted in the legal and cultural landscapes surrounding marijuana, and indulge ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: 17.95 advance, 19.95 door, AD members free
Goat NightLifeWe asked, and you wanted goats. Join us for a very special “viewers’ choice†GOAT NightLife, celebrating the farm-favorite animal and some of science’s GOAT (Greatest of All Time) discoveries. Head outside to the West Garden to meet some grazing goats repping organizations that focus on sustainable landscaping, eco-farming, and ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15 General, $12 Members
Plasticine: A Reconfigurable Dataflow Architecture for Software 2.0The use of machine learning to generate models from data is replacing traditional software development for many applications. This fundamental shift in how we develop software, known as Software 2.0, has provided dramatic improvements in the quality and ease of deployment for these applications. The continued success and expansion of ...
How Climate Broke California’s Biggest UtilityPG&E has had a rough few years. A series of record-breaking wildfires culminating with 2018’s devastating Camp Fire propelled the California utility giant into lawsuits, $30 billion in liabilities and ultimately bankruptcy. Under new state laws, regulated utilities will have a hard time avoiding blame in fires where their equipment ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $20 General, $12 Members, $7 Students
Hardcore Natural History - The State of RedwoodsDr Emily Burns, lead scientist of the Save the Redwoods League, will be presenting an overview of the current status of the Coastal Redwood population. She will explore not only the whole population, but focus on our population of redwoods in the Santa Lucia range. Using recent research, she will ...
San Francisco’s Mountain Lake, neglected and degraded through centuries of urbanization, became a cesspool of invasive wildlife, toxic algae blooms, and poor water quality. Many native species that depended on the lake succumbed to local extinction, pushing the lake’s health further past the precipice. Beginning in the early 21 st ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $5 donation for non members.
Kame Richards Tides and Currents TalkRacers, cruisers, power boaters, kayakers, and swimmers will see and learn how the tide currents move on San Francisco Bay. For information and reservations, contact Jim Tantillo at website. This usually sells out, so don't delay!
 How can we use images from space to help us understand changes to our coasts, rangelands, forests and wildlife habitats?How can they help to predict future changes?What more can we learn from advances in earth observing technologies?Speaker: Kristin Byrd, USGSÂ
Where: Menlo ParkCost: Free
Friday, 04/19/19
Dark Matter From Light Sterile Neutrino NuggetsFrom cosmological observations we know that dark matter must display clustering properties similar to cold dark matter(CDM) at least on the largest scales. However, the particle nature of DM is still not known. But at smaller scales the situation remains unclear from astrophysical observations which does not agree well with ...
Where: Menlo ParkCost: Free
Botany Series: Plant TerminologyTaught by the knowledgeable team of Naomi LeBeau and Christina Crooker ( both of the Park Stewardship Restoration Team), this class will provide an introduction to terminology commonly used in identification of plants with a focus on leaf and flower parts. Illustrated examples and hands-on experience will be emphasized. This ...
Metabolite-based Diagnostics Enabled by MEMS DevicesA wide range of both volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and non-volatile metabolites are generated by almost all biological systems, and are now thought to represent end products associated with organism physiology and metabolism. This applies to many different types of systems ranging from humans, bacteria, trees, and plants. ...
Research in the Marinescu group focuses on fundamental research to understand, design, and synthesize novel catalytic systems essential to the development of efficient solar-to-fuel technologies. Inspired by biological systems, we innovate molecular catalysts that involve hydrogen bonding networks capable of small molecule activation, and multiple proton and electron transfers. We ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
'Love Notes to Newton'The Newton, created by Apple, arrived on the scene in 1993 and was an early pen-based mobile computer. It had spent 6 years in production, was elegantly designed and highly anticipated, in the end, the dream didn’t last long and in 1998 Apple stopped selling the product. Though it was ...
Where: Mountain ViewCost:
Lectures & Lasers - The Neuroscience of CannabisWant to impress your friends with your knowledge of science and culture? Looking for a new date night activity? Just want to kick back and watch a laser show? Join us at Chabot for our new Lectures & Lasers series! Every month we’ll be joined by experts, writers, and entertainers ...
Where: OaklandCost: $15
Reflections on Human Space Flight (Why Single-planet Species Don't Survive)Speaker: Jim NewmanThis presentation starts with personal reminiscences about the first assembly mission for the International Space Station and the fourth repair mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. Following a brief review of a couple of Hubble's accomplishments and a short digression on the topic of the definition of intelligence, ...
Where: LivermoreCost: Free
Saturday, 04/20/19
Mt Tam Earth Day: Bald Hill Broom Bust April 20, 9 am to 1 pmPlease join One Tam, MMWD, and Marin County Parks for our annual Bald Hill Broom Bust! Volunteers will focus on containing the spread of French and Scotch broom monocultures and also eradicate pioneer patches.We can meet at Deer Park and hike, bike or carpool to the site. Group leaders will ...
Where: FairfaxCost: Free
Wildflower Walk at Presidio Coastal BluffsWhat are those blooming beauties in the park? It’s springtime, and it’s time to find out! Join the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy’s Park Stewardship team on a leisurely walk to learn about the folklore, medicinal uses, and biology of wildflowers. Spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean and an appreciation ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Donations encouraged
CuriOdyssey's Celebration for the PlanetCelebrate Earth at CuriOdyssey’s Party for the Planet on Saturday, April 20. Enjoy and conserve the beauty of nature with a Coyote Point Park beach cleanup 9-11am with San Mateo County Parks. Watch raptors soar overhead at CuriOdyssey with Full Circle Falconry at 11:30 and 12:30pm. Create a conservation craft ...
Where: San MateoCost:
Earth Day Salmon FestThis Earth Day, join hands-on habitat restoration to save Marin County’s endangered coho salmon!The Salmon Protection and Watershed Network (SPAWN) is hosting a Salmon Fest at our headquarters in Olema - the site of our largest habitat restoration site.The event will begin with featured speaker Nick Tipon, enrolled member and ...
Where: LagunitasCost: Free!
Earth Day San Francisco Street FestivalOn April 20, 2019, thousands of people from the Bay Area will converge at Valencia Street in San Francisco to celebrate Earth Day SF 2019! This year we are excited to announce our new location -- one of the hippest, greenest, and most culturally diverse neighborhoods in the city -- ...
Calling All Eco-Explorers! Youth ages 5-15 will be up to their elbows in FREE, hands-on activities. Learning through fun interactive, nature science experiences and regional field trips, your kids will find out all about the Bay Area ecosystem and become the next generation of Citizen Scientists! We have extended Welcome ...
Where: OaklandCost: Free
Earth Day with YSICelebrate Earth Day with YSI! Join us for our Earth Day Celebration in Alum Rock Park where you can learn about local pollinators, sustainable gardening and native plants, take an hike led by staff from iNaturalist, get your face painted and meet YSI's live animals ambassadors.
Where: San JoseCost: Free
Permaculture Design: Regenerate your LandscapeCare for the earth, care for the people, and return the surplus! Permaculture works with nature instead of against it - saving energy, minimizing waste, and lowering environmental impact. Local permaculture expert Nicholas Hardy will discuss how to holistically restore and regenerate the degraded ecology of our local landscapes and ...
Where: San MateoCost: Free
From Wings to WingsLooking for help identifying a wide variety of non-native plants? Wear comfortable shoes, bring your binoculars, and learn about the US Army Corps of Engineers' involvement in the transformation of the former Hamilton Field, U.S. Army Airbase into 1,000-acres of wetland restoration. Hike is approximately a 1.5-miles round trip on ...
Say hi to your micro-neighbors!Have you ever wondered what happens around you in the small micro-world? Put on your explorer's outfit, assemble the microscope we provide and come take a hike with our experts to discover a hidden world (you get to keep your paper microscope!)Here is how our journey ...
Where: Redwood CityCost: $10
Wild and Scenic Film Festival:Land, Sea, and Sky - Films to Change our WorldFilms include:The New Environmentalists: Defending the DeepGhosts of the ArcticHear the Call: Salmon nationMoonlineOur National Parks Belong to Everyone. So Why are they so White?Too Precious to MineBlueMountain Yellow Legged FrogThe Rhino GuardiansGrizzly Country
