Hike the Mallard SloughLook 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 will cancel this hike due to possibly ...
Where: AlvisoCost: Free
Science Saturday: Amazing MigrationsJoin us for January’s Science Saturday, Amazing Migrations, as we investigate the world of long-distance animal travels. Whales, birds, insects, and more will be the focus of our deeper look at these natural phenomena. Learn about the many amazing migratory birds that visit Monterey County every year and celebrate another ...
Where: Pacific GroveCost: Free
Shoreside IchthyologyA Shoreside at MSI promises to be a fun morning of exploration and discovery! At our beach front facility participants will work as a team to pull in a large seine (net) to catch local fishes, identify common Bay fish, touch and examine local sharks, and learn the difference between ...
Where: Redwood CityCost: From $20
Tilden Fungal FairCelebrate the fruits of winter! View hundreds of local mushroom specimens, mingle with the mycological community, and enjoy presentations by guest speakers at this free day-long special event. All ages welcome. No registration required. For information, contact Trent Pearce at (510) 544-2233.
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Wild Northern California WatershedsNorthern California is made up of whole areas that resemble large funnels. The rainy season can turn a babbling brook into a natural force that is both exciting and dangerous. Can the tides impact the natural flow of fresh water? Join Ranger Linda and learn more about our incredible geologic ...
Where: SausalitoCost: Free
Fox Stories: Indicators that Fox are in Your AreaDo you sometimes see paw prints in mud or scat (poop) on the trails and assume that a dog left it? It could be from something else. Come along with me and I will show you how to distinguish and identify the markings of a gray fox. Gain some insights ...
Where: FremontCost: Free
Pacific FlywayOur wetlands are an important stop on the Pacific Flyway, a major bird migration route. Stroll with docent Laurel Stell to learn why birds migrate, why they stop along the San Francisco Bay, and to spot the birds in action. Trail is easy and level. All ages and abilities welcome. ...
Where: Menlo ParkCost: Free
Trekking the ModelJoin a Ranger or docent on a guided tour of the Bay Model, a 1.5-acre hydraulic model of the San Francisco Bay and Delta. Discover the stories of the two major operations that took place at this location between 1942 - 2000.
Concerned About Climate Change? - Want to be part of the solution? Join the Volunteer Community at the California Academy of Sciences to explore, explain, and sustain life. There are several volunteer options with schedules to accommodate your availability (weekends, weekdays, evenings). Come explore how you can be involved at our ...
Awaken your senses in this wonderful exploration of spices! We will journey into the Tropical House to see some of the plants that give us our favorite spices-- such as cinnamon, ginger, cardamon, black pepper, nutmeg, turmeric, and more. (We'll check in on our "chocolate tree" too!) Learn about where ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: $18 General, $12 Members
Salmon Spawning Field TripAfter the first big winter rain, Coho Salmon make their way up Lagunitas Creek in Marin County to spawn. We will start from the Leo T. Cronin Fish Viewing Area on Sir Francis Drake Blvd. From there we will search for spawning redds in the creek and look for mushrooms ...
Where: LagunitasCost: $20 suggested donation
Tilden Fungal FairCelebrate the fruits of winter! View hundreds of local mushroom specimens, mingle with the mycological community, and enjoy presentations by guest speakers at this free day-long special event. All ages welcome. No registration required. For information, contact Trent Pearce at (510) 544-2233.
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Full-Spectrum Science: RadioactivityWhat'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.
Does other intelligent life exist in the universe? Can SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) researchers detect radio, infrared, or optical signals from other civilizations? Current and future SETI projects, including the new $100-million Breakthrough Prize Foundation "Listen" project, may provide an answer. UC Berkeley astronomer Dan Werthimer will describe the rationale for past and ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Monday, 01/27/20
Stellar Property Statistics of Massive Halos: Common Kernel Shapes from Multiple Cosmological Hydrodynamics SimulationsIn the last decade, the astrophysical processes driving galaxy formation in a cosmological context at kpc scales have been incorporated, largely independently, into multiple codes developed by different simulation teams. Each simulation solves the complex evolution of baryon components (principally cold/warm/hot gas phases, metals, stars, and supermassive black holes) coupled ...
Proppant is small material such as 40/70 or 100 mesh sand which is placed in hydraulic fractures of geothermal or hydrocarbon reservoirs. The main role of proppant is to keep open, or prop, newly formed fractures in rock mass for enhancing hydrocarbons or geothermal fluid flow during reservoir exploitation by ...
The ability to prepare a physical system in a desired quantum state is central to many areas of physics, such as nuclear magnetic resonance, quantum simulators, and quantum computing. Yet, preparing states quickly and with high fidelity remains a formidable challenge. I will introduce reinforcement (RL) learning ideas to manipulate ...
Robert Frank on the Psychology of Climate Change - 'Under the Influence'“After more than three decades, the public is finally beginning to grasp what a serious threat global warming poses. What’s missing from the climate conversation now is a plausible narrative about how we might parry this threat. Drawing on ideas from his recently published book, Under the Influence: Putting Peer Pressure ...
The motion of electrons in molecules and solids occurs on the subfemtosecond timescale. Consequently, the study of ultrafast electronic phenomena requires the generation of laser pulses shorter than 1 fs and of sufficient intensity to interact with their target with high probability.Since the first lasing of LCLS much progress has been made to ...
The promise of quantum computers is that certain computational tasks might be executed exponentially faster on a quantum processor than on a classical processor. A fundamental challenge is to build a high-fidelity processor capable of running quantum algorithms in an exponentially large computational space. Here we report the use of ...
It is very unlikely that climate damages can be reduced to an acceptable level by the end of the century relying only on emissions reduction. A conceptual model is presented that includes four climate change control strategies: emissions reduction, carbon dioxide (CO2) removal from the atmosphere, adaptation to climate change, ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
SLAC on Tap: A battery walks into a bar...X-ray vision might sound like the stuff of superheroes and science fiction, but at SLAC it’s what allows scientists to peer inside batteries and see what makes them tick. Join us for SLAC on Tap where PBR (Pushing the Battery Revolution) expert Johanna Nelson Weker will share how she and ...
Where: Palo AltoCost: free
Dancing with Robots: Expressivity in Natural and Artificial SystemsMovement seems to encode information. How does this work? We know that animals, including humans, use the motion of counterparts to produce coordinated, social behaviors. But how do we resolve the discrete measures of communication and information theory with the continuous laws of motion and mechanics? Answering these questions is ...
Nerd Nite East Bay: Dadbot, West Oak Archive, Synthetic BiologyFrom DAD to DADBOT: How Virtual Immortality Preserves People and PersonalityCan technology save the voices of people you love after they pass away, and create new conversations? Hear how the Dadbot was created and preserved the conversation style and stories of James Vlahos’ father, and how near future voice computing ...
Where: OaklandCost: $8 Advance, $10 at door
Tuesday, 01/28/20
Two KIPAC Tea TalksTesting the CDM paradigm: constraining DM properties with CMB dataTo date, all evidence for Cold Dark Matter (CDM) is still purely gravitational and thus the CDM paradigm remains to be thoroughly tested. In calculations of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) anisotropies, CDM is usually modelled as pressureless perfect fluid. In ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Wonderfest: The Most Famous EquationAround the world, people recognize that E=mc^2 oozes cosmic insight. But what does this "most famous equation" really say? What are energy and mass? And what makes the speed of light, c, so important? [Hint: mass, moving at speed c, doesn't turn into energy!] Using little more than common experience ...
Where: Corte MaderaCost: Free
Stellar Property Statistics of Massive Halos: Common Kernel Shapes from Multiple Cosmological Hydrodynamics Simulations In the last decade, the astrophysical processes driving galaxy formation in a cosmological context at kpc scales have been incorporated, largely independently, into multiple codes developed by different simulation teams. Each simulation solves the complex evolution of baryon components (principally cold/warm/hot gas phases, metals, stars, and supermassive black holes) coupled ...
Tetrasubstituted cyclobutyl structures are precursors to, or core components of, many important bioactive molecules, including prospective drugs. Light-driven [2+2] cycloaddition is the most direct strategy for construction of these structures. [2+2] photocycloadditions that proceed through the triplet excited state can be triggered with visible light through excitation of a triplet ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Twisty fun in 2D materialsProf. Abhay Pasupathy of Columbia University will give the Applied Physics/Physics colloquium
Where: StanfordCost: Free
SF Green Film Festival: ICE ON FIRE by Leonardo DiCaprioProduced by Oscar-winner Leonardo DiCaprio, George DiCaprio and Mathew Schmid and directed by Leila Conners, Ice on Fire is an eye-opening documentary that focuses on many never-before-seen solutions designed to slow down our escalating environmental crisis. The film goes beyond the current climate change narrative and offers hope that we can actually ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Nerd Nite Silicon Valley: Space Junk & Internet ResearchGrab a drink and see science fiction turned into science fact! Ever wonder about all the stuff that’s been launched into Earth’s orbit? Do you REALLY know how to “Google†something? You’ve got questions, our speakers have answers! Be there and be square!27,000 Kilometers Per Hour in the Wrong LaneSince ...
Where: San JoseCost: Free
The Curious World of SeaweedMarine algae are the supreme eco-engineers of life: they oxygenate the oceans, create habitat for countless other organisms, and form the base of a food chain that keeps our planet unique in the universe as we know it. In this beautiful volume, Josie Iselin explores both the artistic and the ...
Where: SausalitoCost: Free
Astronomy lecture: Taking snapshots of planets around other starsDr. Gaspard Duchene, Associate Researcher and Lecturer at UC Berkeley, will discuss the methods used to obtained the first images of planets around other stars. Dr. Duchene also will review the development of techniques and instruments over the past few years that have been used to perform large-scale surveys of ...
The nature and origin of dark matter are among the most compelling mysteries of contemporary science. There is strong evidence for dark matter from its role in shaping the galaxies and galaxy clusters that we observe in the universe. Still, for over three decades, physicists have been trying to detect ...
Where: Menlo ParkCost: Free
Wednesday, 01/29/20
From drones to urban air mobilityIn his talk, Some learnings from drones to urban air mobility, Sudip Mukhopadhyay will tell a story on drone application development, starting in 2007, of a select few customized end users applications. He will discuss the mistakes made and all the learnings that came along with development, such that it will ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Ocean engineering for exploratory science, education, and communicationPhil Bresnahan’s research seeks to build novel devices in order to enable cutting-edge oceanography as well as to design systems for use in educational and outreach settings. In this seminar, he will describe a range of engineering projects that cross the disciplines of chemical and physical oceanography. Projects include microfluidic ...
There is renewed interest among companies these days to implement and deploy AI models in their business processes either to increase automation or to improve human productivity. AI models are making their way as chatbots in customer support scenarios, as doctors' assistants in hospitals, as legal research assistants in the ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Characterizing coral skeletal proteins: Traditional and novel techniquesStony corals precipitatetheir calcium carbonate exoskeleton in a highly controlled biomineralization process mediated by a variety of macromolecules including proteins. Fully identifying and classifying these proteins-a part of the ‘biomineralization toolkit’-and their functions is crucial to understanding their rolesin exoskeleton formation. To date, approximately 30 such proteins have been identified ...
This presentation focuses on Mobility on Demand (MOD) and Mobility as a Service (MaaS). This includes key definitions, concepts of operation, a census of MOD public-private partnerships in the U.S., analysis of business models and use cases, and key takeaways from this analysis. The presentation also focuses on the critical ...
Over the past decade, first-principles computation has emerged as a powerful complement to experiment in the discovery of new catalysts and materials. In many cases, computation has excelled most in distilling rules for catalyst structure-property relationships in well defined spaces such as bulk metals into descriptors or linear free energy ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Computational Origami in Science, Art, and DesignComputational origami is an emerging field that combines mathematics, computer science, and engineering to study the ways that flat materials, including paper, can be folded. In this series of talks, three leaders in the field will describe their research and how they invent new ways to make things by folding.5:30 ...
Where: San FranciscoCost:
Electric Cars 101: Everything You Need to Hit the RoadOur Electric Cars 101 workshop will discuss the wide variety of vehicles on the market today, and their respective ranges. Other topics include home and public charging, rebates and incentives, special programs for lower income drivers, buying and leasing, and tips for finding the right plug-in car for your lifestyle. ...
Where: El CerritoCost: Free
California's Rise to Water Resiliency: What Will It Take?Join Felicia Marcus, former Chair of the California State Water Resources Control Board, to discuss how we can improve water resiliency in the years to come. The talk will describe California's challenging water context, how it’s being addressed, and what else is needed in the face of climate change.
Where: SunnyvaleCost: Free
Migration Pathways: Wildlife-Vehicle Conflicts and SolutionsJoin award-winning Conservation Photographers Josh Asel and Morgan (Mo) Heim for a conversation on what two visual storytellers will go through to document wildlife who try to traverse roads and highways. Fraser Shilling, Co-Director of the UC Davis Road Ecology Center, is going to kick off the presentation with a ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: $8 - $10
Astronomy on Tap: Silicon ValleyHow a Research Idea Becomes a Scientific DiscoverySpeaker: B-G Anderson, SOFIA Science CenterCan you Terraform Mars with Nukes?Speaker: Carver Bierson, UC Santa Cruz
Cosmic Extremes: Time-Domain Astrophysics in a Multi-Messenger WorldTime-domain astrophysics provides a unique opportunity to study the most extreme physical processes in the Universe, including the deaths of massive stars, the destruction and creation of compact objects like neutron stars and black holes, and the tidal disruption of stars by supermassive black holes. I will discuss my recent ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Social-Emotional Skills in the Digital AgeOECD published the latest PISA results in December. Besides the students’ academic performance, also well-being results were gathered, and they showed concerning development. Only two-thirds of students were satisfied with their lives, a share that shrank with almost five points from 2015 to 2018. Almost a quarter of students reported ...
Marisa Elena Duarte (Pascua Yaqui/Chicana) is an Assistant Professor of justice and social inquiry in the School of Social Transformation at Arizona State University. Her research focuses on Native American and Indigenous peoples approaches to information and communication technologies, specifically for the purpose of advancing sovereignty and resisting colonialism. Her ...
Where: Santa CruzCost: Free
Policies to Respond to the Next Influenza PandemicThe 1918 influenza pandemic resulted in an estimated 50 million deaths worldwide, with three subsequent influenza pandemics of variable severity in the past century, most recently in 2009. Influenza pandemics typically result in many hospitalizations and deaths worldwide, with enormous public health, economic, and societal impact. The threat of the ...
Radioactivity: With Ron Hipschman 7:30 and 9:00 p.m. 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? Get the facts about this ubiquitous, somewhat controversial topic.Â
Where: San FranciscoCost: $19.95, 14.95 explO members, AD & Donors free
CRISPR Genome Editing: Emerging Technologies and ApplicationsThe impact of genome editing on technology, science and entrepreneurship is profound and promises to alter the way we address medical and agricultural problems.At this event, designed for a general audience and anyone interested in biotechnology and life sciences, our speakers will discuss the biology of CRISPR and emerging applications ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Dynamic Talks: Voice Platforms, Conversational Commerce, and NLUFlower Genie: how to build cool and useful Alexa-enabled e-commerce applications using Dialog FlowIn this talk, we describe how to build conversational e-commerce applications for the growing market of voice-powered AI devices using Dialog Flow. This talk demonstrates the capabilities of "Flower Genie," a teaching-oriented chatbot that can recommend a ...
New year can-do: Let NightLife help you be a better you with a night of how-to, hands-on demos, and workshops. Go home armed with both useful crafts and new skills for “adulting.â€Ripped jacket? Instructors from WorkshopSF will be on-hand to show you how to repair your clothing artfully with sashiko ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Varies
What Ada Lovelace, Tom Paine, and the Paris Commune Can Teach Us About Digital TechnologyWhen we talk about technology we always talk about tomorrow and the future -- which makes it hard to figure out how to even get there. With engaging, sparkling prose, public interest lawyer and digital specialist Lizzie O'Shea argues that we need to stop looking forward and start looking backwards. ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $15 General, Free for members
Dr. Matthew Tiscareno (SETI) studies how things move (dynamics) in the solar system. In many cases, he applies dynamical methods to Saturn’s rings and other planetary ring systems. He is a Participating Scientist and an Imaging Team Associate for the Cassini spacecraft, which has been orbiting Saturn since 2004. ...
What makes us who we are? What combination of memory, history, biology, experience and that ineffable thing called the soul defines us?In 2016, celebrated writer and memoirist Dani Shapiro took a genetic test on a whim, believing that she knew her history well - the daughter of Orthodox Ashkenazi Jews, ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $30 General, $27 Members
Immortality Inc: The Quest to Live ForeverCan we live forever? Science journalist, Chip Walter reveals the ground-breaking research and visionaries who are trying to answer that very question.Find out more from Walter and leading rejuvenation, stem cell research and genetic experts who are redefining our understanding of life, aging and mortality.Speakers: Aubrey de Gray, SENS Research ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $25 General, $15 Member
Friday, 01/31/20
Two KIPAC Tea TalksLessons from O3: Optimizing the search for gravitational wave counterpartsSpeaker: Kate Alexander, NorthwesternBICEP/Keck Array telescopes: search for primordial gravitational wave imprints in the CMB polarizationSpeaker: Jae Hwan Kang, Kipac
Where: Menlo ParkCost: Free
The origin of the Moon within a terrestrial synestiaThe giant impact hypothesis has been the leading theory for the origin of the Moon for decades, but current models struggle to explain the Moon's composition and isotopic similarity with Earth. I will present a new lunar origin model based on the discovery that highâ€energy, highâ€angularâ€momentum giant impacts can create ...
