As the world transitions toward renewable energy to address the urgent need to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, it is crucial to better understand the land requirements of these resources in order to reach targets as sustainably and cost-efficiently as possible. The objective of my research is to expedite the wind ...
Where: Cost: Free
Investigating the spatial and temporal dynamics of mitophagy in neurons - LivestreamDamaged mitochondria are removed from the cell via mitophagy. This pathway may be important for neuronal homeostasis, as mutations in pathway components cause PD and ALS. We used live imaging to investigate the spatiotemporal dynamics of mitophagy in primary neurons following mild oxidative stress. Mitophagy-associated proteins rapidly translocate to depolarized ...
While the precise origins and timeline of COVID-19 remain unclear, in December of 2019 doctors realized that they were dealing with a dangerous new virus causing severe acute respiratory syndrome in Wuhan, China. Despite efforts at containment, the SARS-CoV-2 virus rapidly spread around the world. As part of the national response ...
Making metal halide perovskite photovoltaics a reality: an update on state-of-the-art - LivestreamPhotovoltaic (PV) devices based on metal halide perovskite (MHP) absorbers have reached outstanding performance over the past few years, surpassing power conversion efficiency of over 25% for lab cells and with large area devices in excess of 18%. For the solar application stability, the most demanding requirement to assess for ...
Where: Cost: Free
Tuesday, 02/02/21
Next Stop: The Future of Freight - LivestreamHyperloop is currently under development by a number of startups across the world, with many governments and universities commissioning studies and creating preliminary designs for the system. Join the conversation with thought-leaders and experts from Silicon Valley and Europe to learn more about the future of transportation and how these ...
Speaker: Margaret Shanafield, Flinders University, AustraliaSee weblink for Zoom information
Where: Cost: Free
Searching for Axion Dark Matter Below 1 micro-eV: the Dark Matter Radio - LivestreamOne of the most enduring mysteries in particle physics is the nature of the non-baryonic dark matter that makes up 85% of the matter in the universe. The QCD axion, originally proposed as a solution to the strong CP problem in QCD, is one of the most strongly motivated candidates ...
Where: Cost: Free
Wednesday, 02/03/21
Metal-Organic Frameworks: From Energy Storage to Drug Delivery - LivestreamAre you fascinated by crystals and porous materials? If this spark your curiosity, please come and join our lunch presentation by Prof. Adam Matzger from University of Michigan, an expert on porous materials and crystallization. In this presentation, Prof. Matzger will guide you through a journey of synthetic and functionalization ...
How do scientists go from OMG to PhD? How do they turn their passion for science into their profession? What advice do they have for future scientists?If you are a 5th-12th grade student, undergraduate, teacher or parent, join us to ask these questions and more in a Q&A session with ...
Where: Cost: Free
Surviving in high-stress environments: Physiological and molecular responses of lobe coral - LivestreamCoral reefs worldwide are under threats from human activities. Reduced water quality is one of the most pressing local threats to corals living in nearshore environments, especially in Hawaii. Some corals, however, thrive in such high-stress conditions, which suggest they may be adapted to the nearshore conditions. Using genetics, physiological ...
We live in a world where over 800 million people lack basic drinking water services and more than four billion people lack access to safely managed sanitation. These people somehow go missing during the process of water and sanitation provision. My PhD journey at ERG has been a pursuit to ...
The Sun makes life possible on our planet, but we still have a lot to learn from our nearest star and how it affects us here on Earth. How do we even get close enough to study the Sun? What is space weather, and is it similar to the weather ...
Gravity made stars, stars made heavy elements, gravity and chemistry made planets, geology and biology made people, and people made telescopes.  What we would like to know is hard it all was, and could it happen elsewhere. The James Webb Space Telescope, planned for launch in October 2021, will extend ...
Where: Cost: Free
Thursday, 02/04/21
Bird Flight and Co-operative Aerodynamics - LivestreamThis talk is about how birds co-operate and the mechanisms they employ to save energy during flight. The distinctive V formation of bird flocks has long intrigued researchers and continues to attract both scientific and popular attention. Through the use of novel biologging technology, and by working with the reintroduction ...
Where: Cost: Free
Astronomy on Tap Santa Cruz: Photographing Far-Away Worlds- LivestreamSince the 1990s, astronomers have discovered thousands of planets orbiting other stars in our galaxy, but most of these “exoplanets†are known only by their tell-tale effects on their sun’s light. A precious handful of these alien worlds, however, have been photographed using state-of-the-art equipment attached to the world’s largest ...
How has the Bay Area’s landscape been transformed by Black leaders? Tonight, hear about the ways in which Black Bay Area leaders, both past and present, have impacted and shaped local landscapes through changes to the physical environment and by advocating for equity in Black communities.This program features:Based in Oakland, ...
Imagine breathing in that salty seaside air and come virtual birdwatching with us to explore the world of pelicans, gulls, waders, and other coastal birds.See weblink for YouTube and Facebook Live links.
Speaker: Nathaniel Miller, USGSSee weblink for connection information
Where: Cost: Free
Saturday, 02/06/21
Zoom Opening Reception - Plants Illustrated 2021Join us via Zoom to celebrate our 2021 virtual Plants Illustrated exhibit. We'll have members of the Northern California Society of Botanical Artists speaking as well as UC Botanical Garden staff. Bring along your favorite beverage to toast to this year's artists and their stunning work of extraordinary ...
Join our resident astronomers on Facebook Live every Saturday evening live from Chabot’s Observation deck!Each week, our astronomers will guide us through spectacular night sky viewing through Nellie, Chabot‘s most powerful telescope. Weather permitting we will be able to view objects live through the telescopes and our astronomers will be ...
Join our resident caterpillar lady Sal Levinson and butterfly guy Sarab Seth for an illustrated slideshow about various aspects of color in the butterfly world. We'll learn about structural color, camouflage, warning color, mimicry, and a lot more! Our fun Zoom event is suitable for all ages.Register at weblink to receive ...
One challenge that renewable energy developers increasingly face  - particularly in land-restricted and urban areas - is community opposition to industrial development in their backyard. And when clean energy is installed, it rarely benefits low income communities and communities of color. At Shake Energy Collaborative, we are exploring a new ...
You’ve taken HCI classes at Stanford, but you’re curious about how reality works outside of Stanford. How do the techniques, practices and priorities in the classroom translate into HCI in the wild? As a Stanford faculty member and the principal of a UX design agency, I’ll share stories from all ...
Recent advances in high gradient cryogenic Cu structure RF research open the door to use of surface electric fields between 250 and 500 MV/m. Such structures can enable a new generation of photoinjectors with brightness an order of magnitude beyond the state-of-the-art. Further, one may accelerate these beams to GeV ...
Most scenarios for ambitious decarbonization rely on photosynthesis-based technologies for a substantial fraction net GHG emissions reductions. These technologies potentially contribute emissions reductions through providing low-emissions energy, coupling with CCS to produce energy with negative emissions, increasing the carbon content of the biosphere, or decreasing emissions from land-use change. While ...
Astronomy on Tap: Los Angeles - LivestreamWe’ll hear from Dr. Jessica Werk: “Intergalactic Immigrants†and from Dr. Zach Hafen: “Exploring the Virtual Universeâ€. In addition, we will host interactive astronomically-themed pub trivia. The event is free and open to all ages.  Join us on YouTube at this link.
Where: Cost: Free
Tuesday, 02/09/21
Next Stop: How to Build Hyperloop - LivestreamHow will people travel in 20 years? Hyperloop is a proposed mode of transportation which consists of pods transported at high speed through the length of low-pressure tubes. These tubes are elevated off the ground due to a lack of air resistance or friction. The concept of using low-pressure or ...
Speaker: Phil Bart, Louisiana State UniversitySee weblink for Zoom information
Where: Cost: Free
Getting to a Fusion Pilot Plant - LivestreamOne hundred years ago Arthur Stanley Eddington conjectured that stars are powered by fusion reactions and speculated that one day humans would generate power by fusion. Not yet.  However, private capital is flooding into fusion research driven by the lure of fusion's promise of sustainable “firm†power and optimism about ...
A compelling case can be made that we are in the early stages of another tech and economic boom in the next 30 years that will help solve our era’s biggest challenges like climate change, and lead to a societal transformation that will be understood as civilizational change by the ...
Plastic pollution is a well-known problem, gaining attention in mass media, international organizations, and amongst policymakers. Plastic, however, is not one thing but rather many different materials. The life cycles of plastics are complex - stretching from extraction to production, product development and use, to waste production - involving many ...
Where: Cost: Free
The Electric Golden State - LivestreamBuildings are responsible for a quarter of California’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Significantly reducing that percentage is a necessary component of the state’s attempt to meet its goal of carbon neutrality by 2045. While cities and counties have led the way in pushing policies to promote all-electric building construction, with ...
Speaker: Cory Simon, Oregon State UniversitySee weblink for Zoom information
Where: Cost: Free
Sharing stories: How do we create experiences and pathways to help support a STEM identity? - LivestreamEngage:What is your immediate reaction to the words: Science, Technology, Engineering and Math? Why?What does it mean to have a STEM identity?How important are these words to your self identity?Explore:What experiences help support the cultivation of a STEM identity?What experiences were obstacles to cultivating a STEM identity?Informal vs Formal educational ...
Where: Cost: Free
The Genius of Dogs: The New Science of Canine Cognition - LivestreamVanessa Woods and Brian Hare, researchers at Duke University, explore that question in their sensational new book, SURVIVAL OF THE FRIENDLIEST. It will change the way you think. Hare and Woods are also the coauthors of the New York Times bestselling book THE GENIUS OF DOGS. And they are eager ...
Where: Cost: $25
Healthy Society Series: COVID-19 Vaccines - What We Know and What We Don't Know - LivestreamThe COVID-19 pandemic, which began in early 2019, has had significantly negative consequences for individuals, families and communities around the world, with huge economic and political effects. Short-term strategies have involved sheltering in place and social distancing, rigorous and frequent hand washing, and the disciplined use of masks. We now ...
Wonderfest Science Envoys are early-career researchers with special communication skills and aspirations. Following short talks on provocative modern science topics, these two Science Envoys will answer questions with insight and enthusiasm:Stanford neuroscientist Neil Khosla on "The Neurobiology of Consolation" - Cooperation facilitates social bonding and supports group cohesion. What aspects ...
Where: Cost: Free
Thursday, 02/11/21
February LASER Event - LivestreamThe World of StonehengeMike Parker Pearson (UC London/ Archeology)Iran's Media Art SceneSpeaker: Maryam Razi (Art Researcher, live from Iran)Register at weblink to receive connection information
Ask the Scientist - Steve KielarHow do scientists go from OMG to PhD? How do they turn their passion for science into their profession? What advice do they have for future scientists?If you are a 5th-12th grade student, undergraduate, teacher or parent, join us to ask these questions and more in a Q&A session with ...
In batteries, energy is stored in tiny particles within the electrodes that individually breathe in and out and chemically evolve as the battery is charged and discharged. Improving the efficiency and lifetime of batteries will require a better understanding of how these particles transform individually and how they interact within their ...
Join us to hear Lara Tseng tell the story of how she became interested in birds and how this led to her passion for science and conservation. She will also be talking about her research on the timing of eggshell consumption of Western Bluebirds and what science has taught her. ...
Where: Cost: Free
'Dammed to Extinction' - Film Screening and Panel Discussion - LivestreamFor eons, a one-of-a-kind population of killer whales has hunted chinook salmon along the Pacific Coast of the United States. For the last 40 years, renowned whale scientist Ken Balcomb has closely observed them. He’s familiar with a deadly pattern, as salmon numbers plummet orcas starve.The orcas need roughly a ...
Where: Cost: $9
After Dark Online: Representation Through Visualization - LivestreamTechnology and design aren’t neutral. But how can we correct course on histories and technologies that have too often left out Black voices, with oppressive results? Tonight at After Dark, we’ll consider this question through two lenses: design history and machine learning.This program features:Join graphic designer Silas Munro as he ...
Celebrate the beginning of a new lunar year with an ode to the Moon and its significance to our planet, our oceans, and our local culture and communities.EVENT HIGHLIGHTS:Moons affect more than just tides: Most corals reproduce during annual mass spawning events triggered by the full Moon. Join Dr. Rebecca ...
One of the biggest surprises of the genomics era is the discovery that every family, genus, and even species, has a shocking number of unique genes that are not found in closely related species. These so-called “orphan genes†have intrigued scientists for the past two decades and their diverse origins ...
Where: Cost: Free
Friday, 02/12/21
StorageX International Symposium - LivestreamStanford's StorageX faculty & global experts will cover materials, devices, systems, theory, simulation & economics across the spectrum of energy storage applications - from electronics & EVs, to backing up the grid & renewables.This week's StorageX International Symposium features:Simon Moores, Managing Director, Benchmark Mineral Intelligency, speaking on " The global battery arms ...
Mountains have risen, continents have moved, rivers have hurtled to the ocean, and over millions of years, the Bay Area has taken shape. Cyclical interactions over deep time give rise to the Bay Area’s great diversity of life forms and support them today. In this online talk, author Mary Ellen ...
Between August 2014 and September 2016, ESA's Rosetta spacecraft rendezvoused with its target comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and accompanied it through its perihelion passage. During the over-two-year operation, the scientific camera system on board Rosetta, OSIRIS, acquired more than 70,000 images of the comet with unprecedented resolution and coverage. In this talk, ...
In this talk, Dr. Jillian Sanzone will highlight the new Merck Research Laboratories site in South San Francisco, CA. Merck is a global healthcare company headquartered in New Jersey focusing on oncology, vaccines, infectious diseases, COVID-19 treatments, and cardiometabolic diseases. The Merck discovery hub in South San Francisco was established ...
Planetfest '21: To Mars and Back Again Virtual Conference - Day 1Calling all space enthusiasts!NASA’s Perseverance rover, China’s Tianwen-1 lander, and the United Arab Emirates’ Hope orbiter are all arriving at the Red Planet in February. This calls for a global celebration!Welcome to Planetfest ‘21: To Mars and Back Again. Come learn, celebrate, and explore with us.Speakers include:Jim Bell, Principal Investigator ...
Join our resident astronomers on Facebook Live every Saturday evening live from Chabot’s Observation deck!Each week, our astronomers will guide us through spectacular night sky viewing through Nellie, Chabot‘s most powerful telescope. Weather permitting we will be able to view objects live through the telescopes and our astronomers will be ...
Where: Cost: Free
Sunday, 02/14/21
Planetfest '21: To Mars and Back Again Virtual Conference - Day 2Calling all space enthusiasts!NASA’s Perseverance rover, China’s Tianwen-1 lander, and the United Arab Emirates’ Hope orbiter are all arriving at the Red Planet in February. This calls for a global celebration!Welcome to Planetfest ‘21: To Mars and Back Again. Come learn, celebrate, and explore with us.Speakers include:Jim Bell, Principal Investigator ...
Have you dreamed of stars and galaxies far, far away? Join Kellie Gerardi, author of Not Necessarily Rocket Science: A Beginner's Guide to Life in the Space Age, in a conversation with Exploratorium astronomer Dr. Isabel Hawkins about her experiences in the commercial space industry. In her book, Kellie takes us ...
Speaker: Jill Marshall, University of ArkansasSee weblink for Zoom information
Where: Cost: Free
Active Topology - LivestreamTopology plays a key role in condensed matter physics, underlying much of our understanding of equilibrium matter in terms of defects in ordered media and topologically protected states. In active systems - collections of entities that consume energy to generate their own motion and forces - topological phenomena can take ...
Where: Cost: Free
Healthy Food as Preventative Medicine: California and Beyond - LivestreamCan healthy food be preventative medicine, prescribed and paid for by health care providers? At food pharmacies and similar organizations that have launched in the Bay Area and across the country, doctors are writing prescriptions - and providing vouchers - for healthy food in an effort to reduce hunger, improve ...
As vaccines for COVID-19 become more widely available, there are many questions. How do these vaccines work? What are the differences between the different vaccines made by different manufacturers? How effective are these vaccines in fighting this disease? Are these vaccines protective against the new variants of the COVID-19 virus? ...
Where: Cost: Free
Two Talks: Popping the Science Bubble - LivestreamJuggling Sickness, Self-care, and Parenthood : A bird’s eye viewSpeaker: Mattina Alonge (Integrative Biology)Part of Me or Pathogen? How can you T(c)ellSpeaker: michael Manoharan-Laverio (Molecular and Cell Biology)See weblink for Zoom and Facebook links
Michael was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1956 and grew up in the Los Angeles, CA area and on Long Island, NY. I studied forestry at Paul Smith's College, NY and Oregon State University from where I received a Ph.D.Caz Castellano I began working for the Forest Service, Pacific Northwest ...
Where: Cost: Free
Wednesday, 02/17/21
Challenges of Decarbonizing the Grid - LivestreamClimate change resulting from a build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has taken on a new urgency over the past decade. Both U.S. and the EU aim to be carbon neutral by 2050 and China has pledged carbon neutrality by 2060. These commitments are driving new and more aggressive ...
Markkula Center for Applied Ethics Associate Director McLean lectures on ethics relating to health care, health care justice and equity, and biotechnology. She will discuss the ethics surrounding Covid-19 and resource scarcity, including ventilators and vaccines. The presentation will cover ethical justice related to hospital care and the challenges of ...
So, you’re at a bar and you notice someone, or maybe they notice you. The “why†of who we find attractive is a hard question to answer. Are some of us wired to be monogamous? Promiscuous? What do the mating habits of the animal kingdom tell us about human love ...
Full-Spectrum Science Online: Countdown to MarsMars is an unforgiving target for spacecraft. Less than half of all missions to the Red Planet have been successful - though all of NASA's rover missions there, including Pathfinder/Sojourner, Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity, have overwhelmingly succeeded. Next up, NASA deploys Perseverance, a rover specifically tasked with looking for past ...
Where: Cost: Free
SETI Talks: Strange and Intriguing Exoplanets - LivestreamAstronomers estimate 400 billion planets orbiting stars in our galaxy, so the Milky Way is full of exoplanets. In the past two decades, researchers have discovered thousands, most of them with NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope and now its successor, the NASA Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).Some of them are rocky, ...
When viewed at the largest scales, the distribution of galaxies in the Universe resembles a complex, tangled web: an interconnected network of filaments of galaxies that surround vast, empty voids. Simulations and theory have established that filaments - the largest, most densely populated structures in the Universe - have formed ...
Where: Cost: Free
Thursday, 02/18/21
Should We Fear AI? - LivestreamNo current technology inspires such wild fears and hopes as artificial intelligence. Will AI steal my job? Drones hunt me down based on my social media profiles? Or, will my personal robot wake me with tea before carrying me to a steaming bath - then pick up the kids' socks ...
Where: Cost: Free
SETI Live: Mars 2020 - The Perseverance Rover Landing!Join us live to follow the landing and hear from engineers and scientists directly involved in the mission. Franck Marchis, a senior planetary astronomer at the SETI Institute, and Beth Johnson, a social media expert at the SETI Institute, will host this special SETI Live.Scheduled Guests: Adrian Brown, NASA HQ, Deputy ...
On February 18, 2021, the newest Mars rover, Perseverance, will attempt to land on the Red Planet. This is NASA's latest mission to Mars, and we'll bring you live coverage of Landing Day from the Exploratorium. Join us as we investigate the journey to Mars, the nail-biting excitement of landing, ...
Where: Cost: Free
NASA Mars Perseverance Rover Landing Watch Party - LivestreamJoin our community for a special Mars rover landing watch party and Q&A. The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover will make history when it lands on the red planet at 12:30 p.m. PST! We are coming together virtually to make observations, ask questions and celebrate this moment in history. Chabot astronomers ...
Where: Cost: Free
SLAC Special SeminarSpeaker: Tomasz Biesiadzinski, SLACSee weblink for Zoom information
Digital surgery and the metrics of surgical performance are now mainstream goals in healthcare. There are several industry groups making huge waves in this space and the future is both bright and exciting. Despite the great potential for positive impact, patient care, and surgical outcomes, there are still many questions ...
In this talk, acclaimed plant ecologist John Zentner will discuss how wetland health impacts the health of birds and wildlife. John will guide participants through understanding different types of local wetlands, from marshes, vernal pools, riparian wetlands, and more. He will then outline methods of wetland conservation and how these ...
How does our understanding of the origins of the universe continue to expand and evolve? What tools and theories continue to push our understanding into further realms? Hear from Black scientists and leaders whose work is at the forefront of cosmology and essential to forming and informing humans’ deepening grasp ...
Close your eyes and listen to music, nature, and the universe during an evening dedicated to surprising sounds - from the mind-bending theremin to the new songs birds are singing during the pandemic.Ages 21+See weblink to watch on YouTube or Facebook Live.
Where: Cost: Free
Friday, 02/19/21
The Solar Cycle - Livestream“The Solar Cycle†covers a brief history of the solar cycle; a look back at the high points of the cycle just ending (Cycle 24); an update on current solar activity and a look forward to what Cycle 25 might be like.Members will join via Zoom and visitors are welcome ...
Where: Cost: Free
'Rebuilding Paradise' - LivestreamWildfires have become a depressingly regular occurrence in California, Oregon and other western states. Due in part to climate change, as well as homebuilding that continues to encroach into the wildland - urban interface, the transition zone between human development and unoccupied lands, these disasters have progressed from annual rarity ...
Building an 18' f/4.5 Newtonian on a GEM - LivestreamDave made an 18" f/4.5 telescope using an "old school" design. It’s big, very big. It weighs about 520 pounds on an equatorial mount. It is capable of being a great visual scope as well as an amazing photographic instrument. Despite its size, it is portable and Dave can set ...
Where: Cost: Free
Saturday, 02/20/21
Biodiversity Virtual ProgramThe Earth is full of many different kinds of plants and animals. In this virtual, interactive program, we will teach your kids about what makes animals similar and different, where animals and plants live and why they live there, and even how to identify animals with only a couple of ...
Join our resident astronomers on Facebook Live every Saturday evening live from Chabot’s Observation deck!Each week, our astronomers will guide us through spectacular night sky viewing through Nellie, Chabot‘s most powerful telescope. Weather permitting we will be able to view objects live through the telescopes and our astronomers will be ...
Wonderfest Science Envoys are early-career researchers with special communication skills and aspirations. Following short talks on provocative modern science topics, these two Science Envoys will answer questions with insight and enthusiasm:UC Berkeley computer scientist Adam Gleave on "Collaborative Artifical Intelligence" - Many people interact with AI systems on a daily ...
Marine heatwaves, prolonged oceanic warm water events, are increasing in frequency and magnitude as global temperatures rise. One of the most dramatic marine heatwaves in recorded history was the Northeast Pacific Blob, a large marine heatwave that adversely affected ecosystems across the Northeast Pacific, from producers to top predators. What ...
Where: Cost: $10 General, Free for Members
Monday, 02/22/21
SLAC Special Seminar: Sensitivity in Numbers : Scaling Up Superconducting Sensing at the Cosmic Frontier - LivestreamMany Cosmic Frontier efforts must instrument large numbers of superconducting sensors to meet their science goals. Though superconducting sensors offer unparalleled sensitivity in many applications, historically it has been very difficult to instrument them in the large numbers (hundreds or more) required to exploit their full potential. Superconducting sensor readout ...
Where: Cost: Free
Loops, Ladders and Links: The Recursivity of Social and Machine Learning - LivestreamMachine learning algorithms reshape how people communicate, exchange and associate; how institutions sort them and slot them into social positions; and how they experience life, down to the most ordinary and intimate aspects. Drawing on this published paper and examples from the field of social media, we will review the ...
Where: Cost: Free
Space Nuclear Propulsion for Human Mars Exploration - LivestreamSafely transporting humans to and from Mars will require advances in spacecraft propulsion. Advanced nuclear propulsion systems, including Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) and Nuclear Electric Propulsion (NEP), have the potential to substantially reduce trip time and space radiation exposure for astronauts compared to fully non-nuclear approaches. However, more research is ...
Where: Cost: Free
Building the next ubiquitous computing platform drawing on condensed matter physics - LivestreamComputing is at a momentous point today. AI, big data and decentralized work are driving a surging demand for computing power. At the same time, an ending of Moore’s Law and Dennard’s scaling are making it increasingly difficult (and expensive) to improve processor performance. The energy consumed by computing is ...
This talk will provide an overview of Stanford's Regulation, Evaluation, and Governance Lab (RegLab), which partners with government agencies to carry out high impact demonstration projects for better government. The RegLab is an interdisciplinary team of legal experts, data scientists, social scientists, and engineers, with an extensive track record of ...
Hundreds of millions of years ago, massive ice caps blanketed Earth’s continents from coast to coast. More recently, lush mega-forests of swamp cypress and dawn redwood have occupied what is now the Arctic circle. These dramatic shifts in Earth’s climate have long fascinated geoscientists. What caused these dramatic transitions between ...
Speaker: Greg Mulholland is the CEO and cofounder of Citrine Informatics, which builds software to help materials scientists, chemists, and product designers discover, manufacture, and design with advanced materials in 90% less time than with traditional approaches.
Nematic Fluctuations in Iron-based Mott Insulators - LivestreamMy research focuses on how electrons organize according to their charge, spin, orbital and lattice degrees of freedom in order to exhibit novel phases of matter. A particular area of interest is iron-based superconducting materials and low-dimensional systems that exhibit emergent, quantum phenomena. This talk will discuss a combined experimental-theoretical ...
Where: Cost: Free
Deep Networks Are Kernel Machines - LivestreamDeep learning's successes are often attributed to its ability to automatically discover new representations of the data, rather than relying on handcrafted features like other learning methods. In this talk, however, Pedro Domingos will show that deep networks learned by the standard gradient descent algorithm are in fact mathematically approximately ...
Where: Cost: Free
Tuesday, 02/23/21
Listening to Elephant SealsExplore the fascinating world and interesting adaptations of northern elephant seals during the Seymour Center’s virtual Elephant Seal Celebration Week. Special at-home activities, lectures, and interviews with scientists will reveal natural history, migration strategies, and allow participants to immerse themselves in elephant seal science at UC Santa Cruz. Virtual Elephant Seal ...
Where: Cost: $10 General per household, Free for members
In this talk, we will harness the pipeline concept towards manageable high throughput experimentation in ML/DL research. We will make a distinction between top-down pipelines used in production and a bottom-up design that we propose for researchers. We make the claim that using such a design principle mitigates some of ...
While working as a file clerk at a Los Angeles law firm in 1992, Erin Brockovich uncovered documents that ultimately led to more than 600 residents of Hinkley, California, filing a lawsuit against utility giant PG&E. Since then, Erin has worked on a host of a environmental issues across the ...
Get to know SOFIA, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, which recently helped scientists find water on the Moon. SOFIA is a specially-modified Boeing 747SP aircraft that carries a very powerful 106-inch reflecting telescope.Soaring above 40,000 feet allows astronomers to study the Universe in ways that are not possible from ...
Where: Cost: Free
Vanishing Vaquitas: Lessons From a Humble Porpoise - LivestreamJoin us for a thought-provoking presentation by Dr. Barbara Taylor about what we can learn from the plight of the vaquita porpoise. Only a handful of Mexico's desert porpoise remains, and their habitat is a war zone controlled by illegal wildlife poachers. While there is still some hope, most lessons ...
How do scientists go from OMG to PhD? How do they turn their passion for science into their profession? What advice do they have for future scientists?If you are a 5th-12th grade student, undergraduate, teacher or parent, join us to ask these questions and more in a Q&A session with ...
Where: Cost: Free
Breaking waves, bubbles, light scattering and energy dissipation - LivestreamBreaking waves enhance the transport of gas, momentum and heat between the atmosphere and ocean, facilitating climate-relevant physical and chemical processes. Despite their substantial physical relevance to climate, contemporary ocean models cannot numerically solve the small-scale boundary layer structure due to computational expenses and will require parameterizations based on relevant ...
At the same time that disaster insurance is becoming ever more essential to ensure the financial resiliency of households and communities in the face of escalating extremes, those very events are stressing these markets. This presentation will discuss the design of public-private partnerships to stabilize disaster insurance markets, the extent ...
Around 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 and middle-school math, Einstein's ...
Where: Cost: Free
Thursday, 02/25/21
Elephant Seals Week labside ChatExplore the fascinating world and interesting adaptations of northern elephant seals during the Seymour Center’s virtual Elephant Seal Celebration Week. Special at-home activities, lectures, and interviews with scientists will reveal natural history, migration strategies, and allow participants to immerse themselves in elephant seal science at UC Santa Cruz. Virtual Elephant Seal ...
Where: Cost: Free
Large area Weak Lensing and the LSST Camera - LivestreamWeak gravitational lensing of the light from distant galaxies is a powerful tool for mapping the total matter distribution of the Universe, although measurement of the effect faces many subtle and challenging issues. Â Detecting the coherent shape distortion of weak lensing requires high-quality imaging and precise measurements. Ongoing and forthcoming ...
Where: Cost: Free
Tackling Global Challenges - Plastic - LivestreamA quarterly lecture series where you will hear from industry experts about pressing sustainability challenges so you can apply your expertise and ingenuity to develop solutions that will make an impact. The 2020-21 Tackling Global Challenges speaker series will bring in experts who will speak to the sustainability challenges and ...
Where: Cost: Free
Plant Stories Trapped in Tar: Paleobotany at the La Brea Tar Pits - LivestreamThe La Brea Tar Pits in the heart of Los Angeles, California are world famous for their preservation of Ice-Age mammals, especially the iconic, extinct megafauna such as saber-tooth cats, dire wolves, mammoths and mastodons. What is less known, is that the unique asphaltic preservation of past life at La ...
Where: Cost: Free
SFBBO Birdy Hour Talk: Almaden Lake - Evolution of the Environment and How Birds Adapt - LivestreamThrough SFBBO's Colonial Waterbird Program, our biologists and community science volunteers have monitored populations of colony nesting waterbirds during the breeding season at more than 70 sites throughout the Bay Area. Join us to hear Larry Manning, who has been a colonial waterbird monitoring volunteer for nearly 20 years, as ...
Where: Cost: Free
February LASER Event - LivestreamThe original idea was to celebrate 70th anniversary of George Orwell's death. The author of "1984" died one year before the introduction of the first commercial computer. His novel is therefore devoid of algorithms. The 70 years since his death have instead been the age of algorithms, that increasingly dominate ...
After Dark Online: (Re)CollectionsDig into archives and collections that celebrate, document, and preserve the history and lived experiences of Black Americans. From home movies to oral histories, through artists’ reclamations and reframing of historic materials, join us in hearing from the archivists, artists, and librarians who are committed to bolstering the voices, culture, ...
California grizzly bears once roamed the entire length of the state, from the Sierras to the coastal regions. Learn about this now-extinct iconic species, discover what it might look like to reintroduce grizzlies to the state, and meet Monarch, one of the last of his species and now part of ...
Where: Cost: Free
Friday, 02/26/21
Live from Año Nuevo Natural ReserveExplore the fascinating world and interesting adaptations of northern elephant seals during the Seymour Center’s virtual Elephant Seal Celebration Week. Special at-home activities, lectures, and interviews with scientists will reveal natural history, migration strategies, and allow participants to immerse themselves in elephant seal science at UC Santa Cruz. Virtual Elephant Seal ...
Where: Cost: $10 General per household, Free for members
Paleomagnetic studies of Apollo samples indicate that the Moon generated a core dynamo lasting for at least 2 billion years. However, the geometry of the lunar magnetic field is still largely unknown because the original orientation of nearly all Apollo samples are unconstrained. Determining the direction of the lunar magnetic ...
Where: Cost: Free
How NASA’s Perseverance Rover Lands on Mars - LivestreamThe best part of traveling is when you arrive at your destination. You gather your belongings, freshen up and then start your trip. The Mars rover goes through a similar process. When a spacecraft approaches the planet Mars, there is an important process that requires extremely reliable technology! Learn more ...
This highest jumping, fastest flying, strongest biting Science Saturday of the year focuses on the Olympians in the animal kingdom. From falcons to mountain lions, and beetles to beavers, every athlete has a story to tell. Join us for crafts, activities, and science as we sprint, jump, and dive into ...
Año Nuevo Reserve Director, Patrick W. Robinson will lead us on a virtual elephant seal tour at Año Nuevo. His tour will include an introduction to the site, a walk through the colony, some show-and-tell of the electronic tags used on the seals, and a summary of some of the ...
Increasing our knowledge of how the universe works has always been enabled by technological development. From the invention of the telescope by Galileo, over 400 years ago, to the development of 8 to 10 meter class telescopes and the launch of the Hubble telescope at the end of the last ...
Join our resident astronomers on Facebook Live every Saturday evening live from Chabot’s Observation deck!Each week, our astronomers will guide us through spectacular night sky viewing through Nellie, Chabot‘s most powerful telescope. Weather permitting we will be able to view objects live through the telescopes and our astronomers will be ...
