Tour of highlights from the Astronomy Picture of the Day archive for 2023 - LivestreamJoin the NASA Night Sky Network along with Dr. Robert Nemiroff for a tour of highlights from the Astronomy Picture of the Day archive for 2023.Along with Jerry Bonnell, Robert Nemiroff has written, coordinated, and edited NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) since 1995 at apod.nasa.gov. The APOD archive ...
Where: Cost: Free
Wonderfest: Innovations in Forensic Science: A Brief HistoryIn some ways, forensic science (also known as criminalistics) has changed little since the 1880s when fictional detective Sherlock Holmes first solved a crime with a thumbprint. While modern forensic scientists continue to embrace the tried-and-true methods of the past, modern innovations in ciminalistics have enabled technogical advances that are ...
Speaker: Eugenia Bone is an internationally known food and nature writer. Her work has appeared in many anthologies, magazines, and newspapers, including The New York Times, The National Lampoon, Saveur, Gourmet, BBC Science, and The Wall Street Journal, where she is a frequent book reviewer.Attend online here.
Where: Cost: Free
After Dark: See for YourselfTreat yourself this holiday season with a visit to the Exploratorium! Sip a cocktail and learn about tide heights in the San Francisco Bay. Get in touch with yourself like never before by observing the microbiomes in and around you. Then bask under luminous artworks from our seasonal exhibition Glow! ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $19.95 General, Free for members
Family Astronomy: Winter Solstice - The Longest NightExplore the fascinating history, diverse cultural customs, and ancient rituals associated with the Winter Solstice. You’ll learn about the shortest day of the year, the various types and stages of night and twilight and how different cultures around the world celebrate this celestial event, from lighting candles and bonfires to ...
Where: OaklandCost: $25 Adult, $15 Youth
Saturday, 12/23/23
Foothills Family Nature WalkEnvironmental Volunteers’ Family Nature Walks program is designed to help students and their families get to know our local open space areas. Small family groups will be guided by a knowledgeable environmental educator during an exploration of a local open space. These small groups will be introduced to fun nature-based ...
Join Adam Larson for a live demonstration and an up-close look at the Planktoscope, an affordable open-source microscope that empowers communities to monitor plankton in their local fresh and salt waters. The Plankstocope’s integrated flow-through imaging system automates organism detection and quantification, even offline, to create immense datasets enriched by ...
Where: Santa CruzCost: Free with admission
Family Astronomy: Edible AstronomyExplore the wonders of astronomy through delicious and edible creations! This interactive workshop is designed to introduce children to the vastness of space, the planets, and other celestial objects, all while having a scrumptious educational experience. Let’s embark on this cosmic culinary adventure together, concluding with free public telescope viewing. ...
Where: OaklandCost: $25 Adult, $15 Youth
Tuesday, 12/26/23
Telescope Moon Viewing - BrisbaneJoin us as for an evening of sky watching. We will be using the libraries new telescopes to look up at the last full moon of 2023. This evening of sky gazing is suitable for patrons aged 6+ (with guardian supervision) and will have a five-minute limit viewing time per ...
Where: BrisbaneCost: Free
Telescope Moon Viewing - San CarlosJoin us as for an evening of sky watching. We will be using the libraries new telescopes to look up at the last full moon of 2023. This evening of sky gazing is suitable for patrons aged 6+ (with guardian supervision) and will have a five-minute limit viewing time per ...
Where: San CarlosCost: Free
Wednesday, 12/27/23
Telescope Moon Viewing - East Palo AltoJoin us as for an evening of sky watching. We will be using the libraries new telescopes to look up at the last full moon of 2023. This evening of sky gazing is suitable for patrons aged 6+ (with guardian supervision) and will have a five-minute limit viewing time per ...
Where: East Palo AltoCost: Free
Telescope Moon Viewing - PacificaJoin us as for an evening of sky watching. We will be using the libraries new telescopes to look up at the last full moon of 2023. This evening of sky gazing is suitable for patrons aged 6+ (with guardian supervision) and will have a five-minute limit viewing time per ...
Where: PacificaCost: Free
Telescope Moon Viewing - WoodsideJoin us as for an evening of sky watching. We will be using the libraries new telescopes to look up at the last full moon of 2023. This evening of sky gazing is suitable for patrons aged 6+ (with guardian supervision) and will have a five-minute limit viewing time per ...
Where: WoodsideCost: Free
Telescope Moon Viewing - Foster CityJoin us as for an evening of sky watching. We will be using the libraries new telescopes to look up at the last full moon of 2023. This evening of sky gazing is suitable for patrons aged 6+ (with guardian supervision) and will have a five-minute limit viewing time per ...
Where: Foster CityCost: Free
Thursday, 12/28/23
After Dark: Find Your GlowCelebrate the end of the year at Exploratorium After Dark! Find your bliss among immersive light and sound experiences at our special exhibition Glow. Play LED dungeon crawlers and count it as a 2023 win. Gain a new perspective with interactive mechanical mirrors, and get in touch with your creative ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $19.95 General, Free for members
Telescope Moon Viewing - BelmontJoin us as for an evening of sky watching. We will be using the libraries new telescopes to look up at the last full moon of 2023. This evening of sky gazing is suitable for patrons aged 6+ (with guardian supervision) and will have a five-minute limit viewing time per ...
Where: BelmontCost: Free
Sunday, 12/31/23
2023 Grand Finale at Lawrence Hall of ScienceLooking to celebrate the New Year with your kids but don’t want to stay up past their bedtime? Our annual family-friendly New Year’s Eve celebration is back! You bring the holiday cheer, and we’ll bring the magic of confetti cannons, with several launches throughout the day. Register ahead of time ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free with general museum admission
Monday, 01/01/24
First Day HikesCalifornia State Parks are hosting First Day Hikes at several state park locations around the Bay Area. Locations include:Angel IslandBig Basin RedwoodsMurray RanchCastle RockHenry Cowell RedwoodsMontara State BeachMt. TamalpaisNatural Bridges State BeachPachecoPescadero State BeachPigeon Point Light StationSan Luis ReservoirSeacliff State BeachForest of Nisene MarksWilder RanchThe hikes are free, but there ...
Where: Cost: Free
Thursday, 01/04/24
What to Expect in 2024The new year has begun, and it's time for your favorite hosts - Franck Marchis and Beth Johnson - to run down some of the space science to look forward to in 2024! We will talk about launches, missions, celestial events (including a certain solar eclipse), and even SETI Institute's ...
Where: Cost: Free
After Dark: See for YourselfReset and refresh your perspective at Exploratorium After Dark! What does your reflection look like in a mechanical mirror lit by only one candle? What’s underneath the Bay, exactly? We have (almost) all the answers, and more. And don’t miss our special exhibition Glow, which will reveal the art and ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $19.95 General, Free for members
Bhutan: The Happiest Kingdom on Earth - LivestreamOur presenter will be Chubzang Tangbi, owner and head guide for Langur Eco Travels. Bhutan is the only country to enshrine “Gross National Happiness†into its constitution. It’s roughly the size of Maryland but it boasts nearly 600 species of birds. Join us for Chubzang’s presentation in which he’ll discuss ...
Where: Cost: Free
Friday, 01/05/24
Solids, Liquids, and Gases Science Show - First SessionCelebrate the end of our Winter Weeks season with a live, interactive experience! Explore the properties of the three states of matter - solids, liquids, and gasses - in this phase-changing, mind-bending science show. You’ll hear lots of â€oohs†and â€ahhs†as you witness dazzling experiments with liquid nitrogen, dry ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free with general museum admission
Solids, Liquids, and Gases Science Show - Second SessionCelebrate the end of our Winter Weeks season with a live, interactive experience! Explore the properties of the three states of matter - solids, liquids, and gasses - in this phase-changing, mind-bending science show. You’ll hear lots of â€oohs†and â€ahhs†as you witness dazzling experiments with liquid nitrogen, dry ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free with general museum admission
First Friday: Close EncountersAre we alone in the universe? Or could there be other forms of life out there, waiting far away in the vast expanse of space? Hear from researchers, astrobiologists and astronomers on the possibility of extraterrestrial life and distant exoplanets that could sustain it. Show off your best out-of-this-world attire by wearing your best alien-themed costume ...
Where: OaklandCost: $15 General, $10 Kids/Seniors, $5 Members
The show is a celebration of mathematics and the performing arts intended for the general public. The show will feature some of today’s greatest mathematical performers including the music of The Klein Four, the poetry of Harry Baker, the theatrics of Colin Adams, the magic of Art Benjamin, the rope ...
Where: San FransiscoCost: $45 - $60
Saturday, 01/06/24
The Physics Show (three performances)The Physics Show is a fun science show for kids and their families. These will be the exact same shows that were presented in September, 2023 What is The Physics Show?Links to purchase tickets:Saturday January6, 2024 at 10:00 amSaturday January 6, 2024 at 1:00 pmSaturday January 6, 2024 at 3:30 pmSunday ...
Where: Los Altos HillsCost: $6
Nike Missile Site Veteran Open HouseVeterans of the Nike program come to the site to share their stories with visitors and give guided tours of SF88 between the hours of 12pm - 3pm The SF-88 Nike Missile Site is the most fully restored Nike missile site in the country. During the tense years of the Cold War, from ...
Where: Mill ValleyCost: Free
He/She/They: How We Talk About Gender and Why It MattersOne of the most controversial topics today is the issue of gender and the related matters of identity, language and law.Schuyler Bailar's story of becoming the first openly transgender athlete to compete on an NCAA Division 1 team in any sport appeared everywhere from "60 Minutes" to "The Ellen Show" ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $5 General, Free for members in person,Free onlin
Saturday Cinema: The Art + Science of Luminous AnimationsCelebrate the Exploratorium’s winter exhibition Glow: Discover the Art of Light with radiant animations, both meditative and kinetic. Five short films capture the holiday spirit, the translucent elements of nature, the radiance of winter’s starry skies and ancestral stories, and the science of salt crystals shaped like jeweled snowflakes.These films ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free with admission
Starry Nights Star PartyThe San Jose Astronomical Association (SJAA), working with the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority (OSA), is glad to co-host a public star party at Rancho Canada del Oro (RCDO) Open Space Preserve. This site, just 30 minutes south of downtown San Jose, features dark skies. It's dark enough to ...
Where: Morgan HillCost: Free
Sunday, 01/07/24
Point Reyes National Seashore Fungus FairJoin us for the 17th annual Point Reyes National Seashore Fungus Fair. Attend free lectures in the Bear Valley Visitor Center Auditorium. Learn about fungi and their role in the many Point Reyes habitats, from grasslands to redwoods. See the remarkable colors and shapes of wild mushrooms collected in the ...
Where: Point Reyes StationCost: Free
The Physics Show (three performances)The Physics Show is a fun science show for kids and their families. These will be the exact same shows that were presented in September, 2023 What is The Physics Show?Links to purchase tickets:Saturday January6, 2024 at 10:00 amSaturday January 6, 2024 at 1:00 pmSaturday January 6, 2024 at 3:30 pmSunday ...
It’s there for us year round, lighting our days and providing energy for our lives, so maybe it’s time to give it a closer look. Join SJAA for amazing and detailed views of the Sun, and be assured that we’ll be using special telescopes that will keep your eyeballs perfectly ...
Dr. John Concato, from the Office of Medical Policy in FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, will discuss “FDA Guidance on Real-World Evidence.†His presentation will describe the main components of FDA’s Real-World Evidence Program, focusing on guidance development. Dr. Concato will also summarize the historical context leading to ...
Large language models, on their own, have important limitations. I will discuss the trend of "augmenting" language models in various ways to overcome those limitations. Specifically, I will focus on two kinds of augmentation: retrieval augmented generation (RAG) and associated approaches; and vision-augmented language models enhanced to see (LENS).Speaker: Douwe ...
In this talk, Keith Bowen, Ph.D, who is Director of the Learning Design Challenge in the Stanford Accelerator for Learning, shares research into a new program using technology in the education and training of humanitarian responders in the U.S. and the Middle East. For immersive learning, the program uses Virtual ...
Venture Capital investor Mike Lin shares his entrepreneurial journey from Stanford (BS '03, MS '06), to Apple, to startup founder, to venture investing. He'll dive into his venture capital investment thesis centered on demand-side decarbonization, integrative design, and anti-fragility.Attend in person or online (see weblink)
 Sci-Fi movies often depict hibernation as the secret to long-duration human spaceflight. (Note: Even with ideal starship acceleration and deceleration, the nearest exoplanet is 3.6 years away!) Of course, the boundary between science fiction and science fantasy is hazy. Advances in anesthesia may facilitate hibernation. Physiologically, however, general anesthesia is ...
Tow a plankton net in a body of sea water and chances are it will catch copepods. Ubiquitous, abundant, diverse, and prey to many organisms, their importance in marine ecosystems is not in question. Because of their small size and their vast 3-dimensional habitats, copepods are poor models for physiological ...
Coastal Walk at Pillar Point BluffJoin Peninsula Open Space Trust for a beautiful walk at Pillar Point Bluff just north of Half Moon Bay! You will be guided by POST ambassadors who will share details about the area’s interesting natural history, from the coastal scrub habitat to the Fitzgerald Marine Preserve which hosts tide pools ...
The functions of biomolecules are often based in their ability to convert between multiple conformations. Recent advances in deep learning for predicting and designing single structures of proteins mean that the next frontier lies in how well we can characterize, model, and predict protein dynamics. I will talk about two ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
A Royal Walk with the King Tide Along the EmbarcaderoJoin Exploratorium and Port of San Francisco staff on the San Francisco waterfront to observe, photograph, and discuss the king tides. “King tide†is a popular, non-scientific term used to describe exceptionally high tides.Come find out what causes the tides, why we have higher tides at this time of year, ...
As climate change impacts escalate, donors, international organizations, and state actors are implementing adaptation projects that seek to make landscapes and livelihoods more resilient. These projects typically last 5 years, at which time these actors withdraw, and local communities are left to sustain adaptation interventions. However, to date, few studies ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
After Dark: King TidesGive yourself the royal treatment at tonight’s After Dark. Learn about king tides - the non-scientific term for the highest tides of the year - with Exploratorium scientists and researchers. This season, two out of three king tides will take place on January 11 and 12. Are the king tides ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $19.95 General, Free for members
Measuring Our Chances: Risk Prediction in This World and its BettersStanford Data Science is pleased to host our Winter Distinguished Lecture on January 11th, 2024. Our speaker is Dr. Cynthia Dwork, the Gordon McKay Professor of Computer Science at the Harvard University John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Affiliated Faculty at Harvard Law School.
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Fungi Fundamentals - Mushrooms of the Bay AreaThe unique ecosystem of the Bay Area's coastal redwoods provides an ideal setting for mushrooms to flourish. Join us for a cap-tivating online event as we explore and uncover more about the fungal landscape.In collaboration with the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History (SCMNH), we invite you to a special ...
A November 2023 episode of Science Friday, an NPR show beloved by many, including myself, included a short episode dedicated to the environmental problems caused by wild horses on the landscape of the western United States. In this episode, the host presented the view of Yvette Running Horse Collin rejecting ...
50th Anniversary Santa Cruz Fungus FairCome to Santa Cruz and explore the facinating world of Fungi. Learn interesting and fun facts about the hundreds of beautiful and fascinating species of mushrooms found in the Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay Area. Fungi will be beautifully displayed in a re-created woodland habitat. This unique Santa Cruz tradition features ...
Please join the Silicon Valley Archives in celebrating the opening of this exhibit.Centering upon a set of paintings by the Austrian artist and evolutionist Gabriel von Max (1840-1915), The Apes & Us explores a century of representations of primates in relation to humans. Come tour the cultural fascination with apes that began ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
In Town Star Party - CANCELEDCome join San Jose Astronomical Association (SJAA) for an evening of stargazing.Event details:Events are held at the parking lot of our headquarters, Houge Park San Jose. The event duration is 2 hours. SJAA volunteers will share night sky views from their telescopes.Please refrain from bringing your own telescopes (Binoculars are ...
Where: San JoseCost: Free
Saturday, 01/13/24
Morning Hike at Skyline Ridge Open Space PreserveJoin POST for this guided hike at Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve! A POST Representative will share a few words about POST’s decades of conservation success before hiking groups leave to explore a moderate to strenuous 4.5 mile hike with 800 feet of elevation gain.Register at weblink
Where: Los AltosCost: Free
50th Anniversary Santa Cruz Fungus FairCome to Santa Cruz and explore the facinating world of Fungi. Learn interesting and fun facts about the hundreds of beautiful and fascinating species of mushrooms found in the Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay Area. Fungi will be beautifully displayed in a re-created woodland habitat. This unique Santa Cruz tradition features ...
Where: Santa CruzCost: Varies, see weblink
Family Nature Adventures: WeatherJoin us every 2nd Saturday for Nature Adventures where we’ll take a deep look into a different aspect of the surrounding redwood forest. Your adventure includes a hands-on workshop, access to scientific tools and instruments, a simple snack, and a short exploration work in the forest. We’ll explore themes like ...
Where: OaklandCost: $25 Adult, $15 Youth
King Tides WalkJoin the EV in a fun, interactive learning experience which will teach you about what King Tides are and why they are exciting! The event will include a brief hands-on science talk about the tides, and then a gentle walk through the Baylands. Be prepared for some wet trails!Register at ...
Where: Palo AltoCost: Free
Saturday Cinema: The Art + Science of Luminous AnimationsCelebrate the Exploratorium’s winter exhibition Glow: Discover the Art of Light with radiant animations, both meditative and kinetic. Five short films capture the holiday spirit, the translucent elements of nature, the radiance of winter’s starry skies and ancestral stories, and the science of salt crystals shaped like jeweled snowflakes.These films ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free with admission
Sunday, 01/14/24
50th Anniversary Santa Cruz Fungus FairCome to Santa Cruz and explore the facinating world of Fungi. Learn interesting and fun facts about the hundreds of beautiful and fascinating species of mushrooms found in the Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay Area. Fungi will be beautifully displayed in a re-created woodland habitat. This unique Santa Cruz tradition features ...
Where: Santa CruzCost: Varies, see weblink
King Tides WalkJoin the EV in a fun, interactive learning experience which will teach you about what King Tides are and why they are exciting! The event will include a brief hands-on science talk about the tides, and then a gentle walk through the Baylands. Be prepared for some wet trails!Participation is ...
Where: Palo AltoCost: Free
Monday, 01/15/24
Tomales Bay winter shorebird countAudubon Canyon Ranch will once again be conducting our regular series of six winter shorebird counts on Tomales Bay and we encourage experienced birders to join us.Since 1989, we have monitored seasonal populations of shorebirds on Tomales Bay with the help of volunteer field observers. Three bay-wide counts are completed ...
Despite their significant hype, machine learning (ML) models have struggled to solve one of the biggest challenges in modern biophysical chemistry: structure-based drug design. The task of designing a molecule that binds to a particular biomolecular target is extremely challenging for ML for two fundamental reasons: (1) the amount of ...
Jeff Horwitz will discuss his research and reporting that led to his book Broken Code: Inside Facebook and the Fight to Expose its Harmful Secrets. Broken Code expands on “The Facebook Files,†his blockbuster, award-winning series for The Wall Street Journal, and lays out not just the architecture of Facebook’s failures, but what the ...
Since this is a hastily arranged “in-house†colloquium, I plan to make it partially pedagogic concerning a body of thought that has developed in condensed matter theory over the past half century, but which has only much more recently come to be satisfactorily understood.  I will plan to spend roughly ...
When we look at the drivers of effective innovation, we see two complementary themes emerging: First, new technologies or methods that open the way to new solutions, and second, new insights or experiences that yield a better understanding of the problem. With a design thinking approach, we begin by building ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Astronomy on Tap Tucson #94: Pulsars and Poetry - LivestreamThe Discovery of Pulsars: a Guide to Unidentified Blinking ObjectsSpeaker: Maria Mutz, University of ArizonaSpace Travel by Words: Poetry About Up There, Down Here, and In BetweenSpeaker: Fuda Nguyen, University of ArizonaOn tap this month, we have physics graduate student Maria Mutz talking about pulsars and other unidentified blinking objects, ...
In this presentation, J.R. Blair will explore scientific name changes of fungi in the past few decades. Starting with a primer on taxonomic hierarchy (Domains, Kingdoms, Phyla, etc.), the Binomial System of Nomenclature, and species concepts, he will discuss the reasons that species names are changed and why higher level ...
How will planet Earth feed more people in the next century while increasing sustainability? One solution comes from tiny plants called micro-algae, with their high nutrients, vitamins and food value. Chuck Greene is a world leader in looking at this solution, and will talk about its need and its promiseCan ...
The talk will explore Eigen Decomposition, PCA, Kernel PCA, Eigen Faces, t-SNE, UMAP, Manifold Learning, a taxonomy of dimensionality reduction techniques, and discuss how the speaker used them for some of his research experiments.Speaker: Vishnu Pendyala, San Jose State UniversityRegister at weblink
Where: Cost: Free
Secrets of Award Winning Astrophotography - LivestreamAndy Campbell discusses all things Astro and awards, providing valuable insights into entering the highly competitive world of Astrophotography competitions. During the presentation, Andy delves deep into the world of astrophotography and explores tips and techniques that have led to award-winning entries. An experienced judge, Andy also highlights the judging ...
Measurement is a concept that is so ubiquitous in any experimental science, as it is the only avenue through which we can understand the world, and beyond. In the last two decades, technological advances have allowed us to construct ever more precise sensors, to the point that we are now ...
Where: Cost: Free
Muscle Stem Cells Get a New Look: Dynamic Cellular Projections as Sensors of the Stem Cell NicheMechanisms whereby quiescent stem cells sense tissue injury and transition to an activated state are largely unknown. Quiescent skeletal muscle stem cells (MuSCs) have elaborate, heterogeneous projections that rapidly retract in response to muscle injury; the cytoskeletal changes associated with retraction in turn promote downstream MuSC activation events. MuSC projections ...
Over 90% of global water use occurs in agricultural production, which is subject to two pervasive distortions: (i) incomplete property rights for farmers accessing water and (ii) subsidies, taxes, and tariffs affecting agricultural output. This paper combines a rich collection of global geospatial data with a dynamic spatial equilibrium model ...
