Engineering design decisions have far-reaching effects for environmental, economic, and social sustainability. In this talk, Professor Whitefoot will discuss methods of analyzing sustainability considerations of technology design and policies using the transportation sector as a case in point. In the U.S., transportation is the largest emitting sector of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and reducing ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Reversible Covalent Inhibitors: From Serendipity to Clinical TrialsDrugs with prolonged, on-target residence time often show superior efficacy. An increasingly popular strategy for increasing residence time is to incorporate a weak electrophile that forms an irreversible covalent bond with a nonconserved cysteine. However, achieving exquisite kinetic selectivity for a single cysteine, out of thousands of competing cysteines in ...
In recent years, microwave impedance microscopy (MIM) has shown great promise for the investigation of topological states of matter and many-body phenomena in quantum materials and devices. In this talk, I will discuss the development of a new MIM in a dilution refrigerator, which achieves the spatially-resolved detection of electronic ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Hope Versus Hype: Quantum, AI and the Path to Commercial AdvantageThe promise of quantum is real, and we are beginning to see where this technology can have the greatest impact. Decades of quantum research and development point to one primary class of practical application for quantum computing next to cryptanalysis: the simulation of quantum systems, especially for chemistry and materials ...
Where: Menlo ParkCost: Free
The path to developing new technologies for future fuels and chemicals This presentation will start by describing the current energy landscape with a focus on the molecules produced at scale to provide a high quality of life for billions across the globe. There are substantial opportunities to improve upon this system across many aspects - affordability, reliability, security, and sustainability, among ...
Solid-state batteries are a transformational and intrinsically safe energy storage solution. However, progress has been limited by high solid-solid interfacial impedance and numerous reports of Li-dendrites. By modifying the electrolyte composition and interface in a rationally designed 3D architecture we have been able to overcome these limitations achieving both high ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Rewriting Silicon Valley’s (Ethical) CodeJoin us for a timely, bold discussion with Jim Fruchterman, MacArthur Genius, Caltech-trained physicist, pioneering tech CEO, social entrepreneur, and author of the new book TECHNOLOGY FOR GOOD: How Nonprofit Leaders Are Using Software and Data to Solve Our Most Pressing Social Problems (Sept 2, MIT Press)Jim will discuss:The "Social ...
Symbioses between chemosynthetic bacteria and marine invertebrates were first discovered at hydrothermal vents in the deep sea but are now known to occur in a wide range of habitats including coral reef sediments, seagrass beds, cold seeps and sunken whale carcasses. In these nutritional associations, the bacterial symbionts use chemical ...
This talk places new constraints on ocean temperature change across the Neoproterozoic to Phanerozoic transition, when the fossil record documents some of the most dramatic changes in the history of complex life. Traditional delta 18O data blur temperature with changes in seawater composition; clumped isotopes break that ambiguity. Using stratigraphically anchored, fabric-targeted ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
The Role of Corporations in Adapting to or Avoiding a +3ºC WorldHow will corporations act in our warming world? Can they help us slow warming and better adapt to it? Or will they only make things worse? Learn from (and interrogate) our panelists about crowdfunding solar, greenwashing, blue bonds, structured finance, market shaping, the Salton Sea lithium fight, and more, as we ...
Fractionalization of the electron charge is one of the most striking phenomena arising from strong electron-electron interactions. A celebrated example is the emergence of anyons with fractionally charged excitations in fractional quantum Hall effect (FQH) states. Recently, fractional quantum anomalous Hall effect (FQAH), a lattice analog of the FQH realized ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Recent Developments in AI and Large Language Models across AsiaGuest spekaer Dr. Tatsunori Hashimoto, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Stanford, will share insights on emerging AI and LLM innovations across Asia, highlighting how technical and geopolitical factors are shaping the next wave of model development.Dr. Richard Dasher, Director of the US-Asia Technology Management Center, will serve as moderator.Register ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
The Marginalization of the World’s Small-Scale Fishers and What to Do About ItSustainable development aspires to “leave no one behind.” But over 500 million people - among the most affected by negative changes to our planet during the anthropocene have been ignored and have been practically invisible to policy-makers for decades, being (e.g., absent in censuses and trade, production and employment official ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Popping The Science Bubble: Two TalksReady, Set, Go! Pressing the gas pedal of the immune system to defeat cancerSpeaker: Ivan Davidek, UC BerkeleyHow to Build a Quantom Computer with Atoms and CavitiesSpeaker: Tai Xiang, UC BerkeleyAttend in person or click here to watch online
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Astronomy on Tap San FranciscoAstronomy on Tap is a public lecture series where astronomers give short, laid-back talks over drinks at local bars. No background in science required - our scientists share cool stuff about space while the audience just sits back and relaxes, with plenty of time to indulge their curiosity and ask ...
It’s an age-old question: How did life come about? Even the simplest creatures that exhibit the two hallmarks of life, namely metabolism and replication, are astoundingly complex. While the search for life’s origin has fascinated humans for centuries, recent breakthroughs point us in a more conclusive direction, and have remarkable ...
This master's project investigates the communities of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi associated with three pine species occurring in coastal Humboldt and Mendocino Counties: Bishop pine (Pinus muricata), shore pine (Pinus contorta subsp contorta), and Monterey pine (Pinus radiata). Now in its culmination phase, this research has revealed variation in ECM fungal ...
The catastrophic earthquakes in Haiti (2010, M7.0), Chile (2010, M8.8), Japan (2011, M9.0), and Indonesia (2004, M9.3) highlight Earth’s dynamic nature and the profound risks posed by high-magnitude seismic events. These earthquakes often trigger submarine landslides and tsunamis, resulting in significant loss of life and extensive infrastructure damage along both ...
Where: Cost: Free
Engineered Threats to Global HealthIn 2024, a group of esteemed scientists publicly warned that a bacteria created entirely with mirror-image biomolecules ("mirror bacteria") - though still years away - could potentially wipe out all life on earth. Gene editing techniques open possibilities of other risks that might be intentionally generated by bad actors, such ...
Human creation of high-quality content requires making decisions - from coarse, high-level decisions about content and style, to precise low-level decisions about the color of an individual pixel. Such creators often move between various levels of abstraction in this decision making typically starting with a rough initial draft and then ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Astronomical CuriositiesDr Robert Douglas will show us just how entertaining the universe can be, with excerpts from his book, The (not so) Little Book of Astronomical Curiosities.
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Bird Flu Awareness & Prevention Initiative - LivestreamWe're looking past the egg shortage to learn more about bird flu! Tune in for a program with Jack Aronian, a New York high school student who has made it his mission to teach the public about this fast-moving disease threatening wild and domestic birds around the world. With Jack ...
In 2005, the Cassini spacecraft made a groundbreaking discovery - it found a massive plume of ice and gas erupting from the south pole of Enceladus, a small but geologically active moon of Saturn. The plume is now believed to originate from a subsurface ocean of liquid water beneath the ...
Woodpeckers: the heart of North American ForestsExplore the lives of woodpeckers in every season: courtship and nest selection in spring; life in the nest during summer; fledging and gaining independence in autumn; and the challenges of surviving the winter. Take a close look at the most important woodpecker habitats in North America and what we can do ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
SETI Live: The Moon that Could Support LifeJoin host Beth Johnson for a fascinating episode of SETI Live, featuring planetary scientists Dr Georgina Miles and Dr Carly Howett from the University of Oxford. We’ll be unpacking their groundbreaking study showing that Enceladus - one of Saturn’s icy moons - may harbor a stable subsurface ocean capable of supporting life.What we’ll cover:How the Cassini mission’s data ...
It is inevitable that AIs will soon be making many life-altering decisions on us. Because of this, we need to ensure their behavior is guided by human values - a challenge widely known as the AI Alignment problem. I'll discuss our work on fairness and explanation alignment, presenting both theoretical ...
Where: Rohnert ParkCost: Free
After Dark: Glow UpJoin us for the opening of Glow tonight! Bask in the radiance of artworks big and small, and recharge your winter wonder with delightful programs only at After Dark. Meet a glowing T-Rex skeleton that’s six-foot tall. Encounter a rainbow-colored cuttlefish vehicle made famous by Burning Man, and get to ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $22.95 General, free for members
Solar Waves in Interstellar Space: Findings from Voyager - LivestreamJoin the NASA Night Sky Network, along with Jamie Rankin (Princeton University), where we’ll discuss the plasma, magnetic field, and particle environment from the Sun to the interstellar medium, surveyed by Voyager 1 & 2.See weblink for streaming information
Where: Cost: Free
To Infinity and BeyondPixar's IPO roadshow in November 1995 was a high-wire act. Two weeks before the premiere of Toy Story - the first feature-length computer-animated film - Steve Jobs barnstormed the country with hand-picked investment bankers, trying to sell Wall Street on his $50 million passion project.Besides a volatile CEO and skeptical ...
Where: Mountain ViewCost: Free
Tales from the Small-Scale Mushroom FarmKM Mushrooms, founded by Amanda Janney in Santa Rosa, California focuses on producing premium quality gourmet mushrooms. Amanda began growing food, including fruits, veggies, and mushrooms, while living in Portland, Oregon, in the early 2000s. A long-time volunteer and educator working with food sovereignty non-profits such as Growing Gardens, Cooking ...
Where: SebastopolCost: Free
Catalytic Adventures in an X-ray Playground Catalysts are the unsung heroes of our modern age. Working tirelessly behind the scenes, they find many applications that touch our lives, from producing the fertilizers that sustain the global population, to breaking down toxic chemicals to reduce pollution. To design the next generation of catalysts, researchers must understand at ...
Where: Menlo ParkCost: Free
Ten Years, Billions of Galaxies, One Sky: The Rubin Observatory StoryWhen the Vera C. Rubin Observatory begins its Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), it will take the most detailed, dynamic map of the southern sky ever made - visiting the entire visible sky every few nights for ten years. This unprecedented dataset will let us track billions of ...
Where: Los AltosCost: Free
Friday, 11/21/25
Binding Large Language Models to Virtual Personas for Human SimulationLarge language models (LLMs) show superhuman performance on math, coding, and other reasoning tasks, but they still struggle to behave like real people. Human attitudes and decisions depend on rich personal backgrounds, and without such grounding, LLMs often fall back on generic or stereotypical responses. This talk presents a unified ...
Speaker: Azahara Oliva, Cornell UniversityRoom: AuditoriumAttend in person or watch on Zoom
Where: StanfordCost: Free
In Town Star PartyCome 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 ...
Salamander Search at Sanborn ParkJoin YSI naturalists for a guided fall hike in search of salamanders and newts! This two-hour adventure takes you along the shaded trails of Sanborn Park as we explore the damp forest floor and learn about these amazing amphibians that thrive in our local ecosystem.November is prime California newt migration ...
Where: SaratogaCost: Free
Family Astronomy: Mysteries of the SunChabot Space & Science Center’s Family Astronomy Series invites families with children ages 6-12 to explore the wonders of the universe together! This program features an engaging presentation in Studio 3 followed by hands-on activities and opportunities to make discoveries together. Each event includes complimentary hot cocoa and snacks.Step into ...
Where: OaklandCost: $25 Adults, $15 Youth, Members $5 off
What Happens when Galaxies CollideOur Milky Way galaxy is set on a crash collision course with our neighbor Andromeda, but don’t worry: we have a few billion years to prepare. What will happen to the gas, dust, and stars that make up these galaxies? What will our night sky look like? In this talk, ...
Where: OaklandCost: Free
Sunday, 11/23/25
Marine Science Sunday - An Ocean FeastVisit our hospital and visitor center in Sausalito, California, to learn more about what The Marine Mammal Center is doing to help save marine mammals found along the California coast and beyond, and learn more about how you can help.These interactive presentations hosted by our award-winning educators feature multimedia, pictures, ...
