A Child's Botanical Valentine Tea - LivestreamOur annual Botanical Valentine's Day Tea Family Program tradition returns as an at-home tea party and Zoom program. Enjoy a celebration of herbs and flowers as we use all of our senses to explore these fragrant edibles (kit included) and talk about their many uses. Finish the fun by making ...
Where: Cost: $25 General, $20 Members
Afternoon Hike at Mindego Hill - FULLJoin Peninsula Open Space Trust for a beautiful 5-mile hike from the Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve to the top of the POST-protected Mindego Hill. You will be guided by POST ambassadors who will share details about how we protected this beautiful property featuring panoramic views of redwood ridges and ...
As the oil and gas industry comes under increasing pressure to decarbonize, companies are responding in several ways. A common denominator underlying most of them―reducing emissions from core operations, exploiting existing oil and gas assets for decarbonization purposes, launching new low-carbon business lines―is the technology and broader forms of innovation ...
Like many areas of AI, present-day NLP is data-driven. As a result, the available benchmark datasets are the primary factor in shaping the field itself. This has wide-ranging consequences for research, technology, and increasingly for society. How do we conceptualize different tasks, and which tasks receive the most attention from ...
Where: Cost: Free
Quantum Nanophotonics Hardware: From Nanofabrication to Quantum Circuit Mapping - LivestreamPhotonic systems are the leading candidates for deterministic quantum sources, quantum repeaters, and other key devices for quantum information processing. Scalability of this technology depends on the stability, homogeneity and coherence properties of quantum emitters. Here, color centers in wide band gap materials offer favorable properties for applications in quantum ...
The theory describing dark matter remains completely unknown, and requires new search ideas to resolve its identity. It turns out that stars and planets can be ideal playgrounds to discover dark matter. In this talk, I will review a range of dark matter searches using celestial objects, including neutron stars, ...
Where: Cost: Free
Bridging the process-pattern divide in ecology and evolution - LivestreamDr. James T. Stroud is an evolutionary ecologist that explores the processes responsible for the generation and maintenance of large-scale patterns of biological diversity, primarily using lizards as a model system. Specifically, his research focuses on bridging this process-pattern divide by studying how ecological and microevolutionary processes - those able ...
Where: Cost: Free
Energy, Engineering, Education, and Everything - LivestreamDrawing on Dr. Swisher's two decades of teaching clean energy and climate solutions at Stanford and state universities, we'll explore new models for teaching and learning with a mission to avert climate change and achieve sustainability, which are also the charge of Stanford's new School.Speaker: Joel Swisher, Western Washington UniversitySee ...
Slugs & Steins : What is the Dark Matter? - LivestreamFour fifths of the matter in the universe is made of something completely different from the "ordinary matter" we know and love. I will explain why this "dark matter" is an unavoidable ingredient to explain the universe as we observe it, and I will describe what the fundamental, particle nature ...
Where: Cost: Free
Tuesday, 02/15/22
Weekday Morning Hike at Rancho Cañada del Oro - FULLJoin Peninsula Open Space Trust for an excursion where you’ll explore the Mayfair Ranch - Longwall Canyon trails of Rancho Cañada del Oro! You will be guided by POST Ambassadors who will share with you the history of the preserve, the region, and the importance of conservation in the area. The ...
 Cellular proteins continuously undergo non-enzymatic covalent modifications (NECMs), which alter protein structure, function, stability and binding-partner affinity. These chemical modifications accumulate under normal physiological conditions but can also be stimulated by various changes in the cellular environment, such as redox state and metabolite concentration. The half-life of histones is among ...
Whales have been on this planet for longer than humans have walked upright. Are they intelligent? Linguists contend that even the most intelligent non-human animals lack a communication system that could be called language. But could whales prove an exception?Biologists have studied whales for decades and quickly realized that they ...
Topological insulators and superconductors host exotic boundary states with unique properties such as Dirac dispersion and chiral spin texture. The helical and chiral edge modes of a two-dimensional TI can carry dissipationless currents while similar modes in topological superconductors are expected to be (the elusive) Majorana fermions which are thought ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Two Talks: Popping the Science Bubble - LivestreamGood Viruses: Powerful Tools Deliver a Next Generation of Life-Saving MedicinesViruses are conventionally known as the bad guys: societal antagonists that can cause destruction in our bodies, sicknesses, birth defects, and even death. Adam introduces a whole different class of viruses - those that are being programmed as research tools ...
Chad Hyatt has made a name for himself in Northern California and beyond by sharing his delicious spin on wild mushroom cookery at public and private events. Both an expert forager and classically trained chef, he has cooked in a variety of restaurants and private clubs around the San Francisco ...
Where: Cost: Free
Wednesday, 02/16/22
Clean Hydrogen - Blue vs Green Hydrogen and its role in our energy future - LivestreamHydrogen is emerging as an important, potential zero-emission transportation, industrial and energy storage fuel. But there are many ways to make hydrogen and not all of them are climate friendly. Colors have been used to indicate how the hydrogen is made. Green hydrogen for example indicates hydrogen that has been ...
Where: Cost: Free
This Way to the Universe ... and to the Edge of Reality - LivestreamModern physics provides a stunning view of the universe on scales both vast and miniscule, and, of course, on the scale of our everyday lives. In his new book, This Way to the Universe: A Theoretical Physicist's Journey to the Edge of Reality, Dr. Michael Dine describes humanity's - and ...
Where: Cost: Free with discount code
Coastal acidification in estuaries: lessons of vulnerability and exposure from the Eastern oyster - LivestreamPredicting exposure and vulnerability of estuarine ecosystems to coastal acidification requires a good understanding of global ocean acidification as well as the complex, existing spatial and temporal gradients in carbonate chemistry. To anticipate effects of coastal acidification on coastal species, like the Eastern oyster, it is crucial to characterize existing ...
Where: Cost: Free
Climate Change and Drought - LivestreamCalifornia’s ecosystems are undergoing a tremendous and rapid shift as a result of warming and drying - telltale fingerprints from global climate change observed on a regional scale. In this three-part series, our invited experts will delve into the “how,†“why,†and “when†of the complex feedback loops in our ...
Where: Cost: $10 Donation Requested
From Healthy Whales to Healthy Oceans - LivestreamWhales are iconic ocean animals that hold special places in the hearts of manyâ€"and are a critical link in the structure of healthy marine ecosystems. Our research team has developed tools and novel approaches to studying the underwater lives of these ocean giants. New information on how much food whales ...
Where: Cost: Free
February LASER Event - LivestreamSam Kriegman (Harvard Medical School) on "Computer-designed Organisms" Rachel Rossin (Media Artist) on "The vocabulary of art in the age of virtual and crypto cultures" Laura Marks (Simon Fraser Univ) on "Soul-Assemblage Media"See weblink to register
Working at the intersection of technology and biology, architect and designer Neri Oxman is calling for a fundamental shift in the way we design and construct the built environment - to one that aligns with principles of ecological sustainability.Oxman and her team draw on multiple scientific fields to invent new ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: TBA General, Free for members
When and where life originated on Earth, and if, or where, life exists elsewhere in the cosmos are some of the biggest unanswered scientific questions of our time. Simple organic materials in meteorites and comets are often cited as potential sources for the initial organics which seeded prebiotic evolution on ...
Where: Cost: Free
Nerd Nite SF # 122: Glass, Ecology, Identity!Speakers:Nate Watson, Executive Director of Public Glass, San Francisco’s only public glass studio and school. He will be getting nerdy about glass art with us, and sharing how he’s improved access to glass making.Dr. Suzanne Pierre, Principal Investigator of the Critical Ecology Lab. She will be nerding out about developing ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $10 Advance, $15 at door
Thursday, 02/17/22
Habitat Talk: Woodlands - LivestreamThis talk is the first in a series by the LNHS Vascular Plants Recorder and eminent botanist Mark Spencer looking at key habitats and describing their features and the plants that characterise them. This initial talk will look at woodlands.Register at weblink to receive connection information
Where: Cost: Free
Midday Science Cafe - Into the Blue Again: Water flowing underground - LivestreamJoin us for our first Midday Science Cafe of 2022 as we take a look at Earth’s most valuable resource, water, stored beneath the Earth’s surface. First, we’ll hear from Dr. Federico Munch, who will take us on a journey deep beneath the surface to learn about the “deep water ...
Take a virtual tour of the Garden’s Asian Collection with Horticulturist Eric Hupperts. This stunning collection represents the diversity found on the world’s largest continent, with strong representation from the Himalayas, western China, and Japan. This year, 2022, marks 90 years since the initial donation of rare and noteworthy rhododendron ...
Low Carbon Scenarios and Policies for the Power Sector in Botswana - LivestreamClimate change is a global issue. However, the discussions for mitigation of GHG emissions tend to revolve around the large emitting countries and the countries below are overlooked. African countries may have a small contribution to the global GHG emissions at the moment, but the population of this region is ...
Wine has been around for thousands of years and often evokes images of rolling hills and rustic chateaus. Technology is something that is usually not associated with Wine. With industry challenges such as increasing competition, high energy costs, droughts, fires, and labor challenges wineries are turning to technology for help. ...
The fastest, repeated-use movements on the planet are produced by small organisms that have harnessed energetic control of elastic materials to propel their movement. Whether the bullet-like impacts of mantis shrimp hammers or the bizarre leaps of legless larvae, these systems exemplify how biological systems explore the limits of physics ...
NASA’s Perseverance rover has been hard at work exploring the Red Planet hundreds of millions of miles from our planet. Here on Earth you can experience a full-scale, lifelike model and some out-of-this world programs starting with tonight’s After Dark.Since landing on Mars on Feb. 18, 2021, Perseverance has been ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $19.95 General, Free for members
Noise Pop NightlifeGet amped for the return of the official Noise Pop Festival pre-party featuring a special outdoor performance from Kamaal Williams and more. Full event details coming soon!
Grab your friends or a date, and join us for a tasty pop-up version of Science of Cocktails, our beloved fundraiser focused on mixology science. At Science of Cocktails @ After Dark, you’ll enjoy experiments by the glass in the VIP lounge. Enjoy an all-inclusive open bar with specialty cocktails ...
Wildfires swept through California again in the summer and of 2021. While forest thinning and controlled burns may help reduce the risk of future fires, laws that protect old-forest species that are associated with dense canopies and big, old trees often slow the pace and scale of these treatments. However, ...
Where: Cost: Free
Virtual Telescope ViewingJoin our resident astronomers on Facebook Live and YouTube 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 available ...
Where: Cost: Free
Friday, 02/18/22
Toward Cognitive Search - Using Machine-Learning on Digital Media Collections - LivestreamThe CHM collection contains a vast audio and video collection with more than a thousand video-recorded oral history interviews with technology pioneers and innovators. Since current users must painstakingly sift manually through each video to find what they’re looking for, the collection is vastly underutilized.Thanks to a grant from the ...
Lyn will take us on a journey through the solar atmosphere or Chromosphere, viewed best through the H-alpha line at the red end of the spectrum and thus visually produces a “red Sunâ€. Not only are we going to look at the usual features found in the Chromosphere, prominences, filaments ...
Persey's First Year on Mars - LivestreamSince landing inside the 45 kilometer (28 mile) wide Jezero Crater on February 18, 2021, Persy has been busy observing the Mars environment, capturing images, and collecting samples for future retrieval. As we reach the first anniversary of Perseverance’s landing, members of the Mars Mission team will give a rover ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free with admission, free online
X-ray astrophysics enabled by microcalorimeter spectrometers - LivestreamX-rays from astrophysical objects provide a view into some of nature’s most violent and extreme environments. Telescopes sensitive to 0.1-100 keV photons provide unique probes of accreting black holes and the warped spacetime around them, clusters of galaxies - the Universe’s most massive gravitational potential wells, the growth and evolution ...
Where: Cost: Free
Saturday, 02/19/22
Turtle Observer Program on Mt. Tam Marin Water is enlisting the help of community scientists to protect the western pond turtle by monitoring habitat conditions, recording their behavior, and educating the public during the spring when they are most visible. The Turtle Observer program is great for individuals, small groups or whole families. Kids typically make ...
Where: Cost: Free
#NoToPlastic Community Clean-UpsBe part of the solution! Join other wildlife enthusiasts to help our local wildlife by cleaning up important habitats in Oakland.Meet at the Lower Entrance to Oakland Zoo (in front of the Zimmer Auditorium) at 9:45am; shuttle departs at 10:00am sharp for cleanup site.Location of cleanup will be a different ...
Where: OaklandCost: Free
Mars Rover Landing Anniversary Party!Join us in celebrating the first anniversary of NASA's Perseverance rover landing on Mars! Since landing on February 18, 2021, Perseverance has been hunting for signs of ancient microbial life in order to collect and store samples of Martian rock and sediment to be retrieved by planned future missions for ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free with admission
Investigating Space: Space TourismLook at the next big mission in private space travel and discuss the industry’s next steps with Space.com senior writer, Mike Wall.2021 was a big year for space tourism, as Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin both launched their billionaire owners to suborbital space and SpaceX flew the first-ever all-private crewed ...
In this talk, Don Macholz will introduce Charles Messier and the comets that he discovered. He will then move on to the Messier Catalogue and the previously missing objects. We will see where the Messier Objects are distributed throughout the sky. We recognize 110 Messier Objects but two major astronomy ...
