Wildflower photography walkConnect with the beauty of the natural world through a wildflower walk and photography workshop at Bouverie Preserve. This event will be both a technical workshop on iPhone photography and an invitation to slow down and experience the springtime blooms on the preserve.All Hands Ecology staff will provide a space ...
Where: Stinson BeachCost: Free
Whalefest 2026Whalefest is a 2-day event set around Monterey’s Old Fisherman’s Wharf and the adjacent Custom House Plaza, designed to be enjoyed by attendees of all ages.Whalefest features exhibits from dozens of local and national non-profit organizations related to marine science, sustainability of land and sea, and the environment.Whalefest Monterey features ...
Where: MontereyCost: Free
Family Nature Adventures: ScatThis Months Theme: Let’s Chat About Scat - Tracking Animals of the Redwood Forest!Get the scoop on poop and uncover the wild secrets of our local fauna!Interactive Workshop: Learn how to identify animals by their tracks, eating habits, and yes - scat! Dive into the fascinating clues these creatures leave ...
Where: OaklandCost: $25 Adults, $35 Youth 3 - 8, $15 off for members
BUGOLOGY: WHERE SIDEWALKS MEET SOIL: FINDING LIFE IN THE CONCRETE JUNGLEJoin SaveNature.Org in this class to explore the tiny worlds that thrive beneath our feet! Our educators will guide you through nature observation, where you will be provided all the tools you need to catch and observe insects and arthropods up close.We will meet at the Dogpatch Hub, a vibrant ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $28.52
City of Sunnyvale's Earth Day Festival - CANCELEDShow your love for the planet by attending Sunnyvale's Earth Day Festival! The event will feature family-friendly, sustainability-focused activities and information from local organizations.Attend the festival to enjoy:E-bike test rides Interactive games and activitiesYummy eats from local food trucksAnd much more! Join us in empowering our community and building a sustainable Sunnyvale. ...
Where: SunnyvaleCost: FREE
Foothills Family Nature WalkJoin us at Foothills Nature Preserve for a family-friendly nature walk, guided by EV docents. Good for ages 6 and up; all children must be accompanied by an adult.Please click the link to register via EventBrite. Space is limited.
Where: Los AltosCost: Free
Starry Nights Star PartyJoin the San Jose Astronomical Association (SJAA) and Santa Clara County Open Space Authority (OSA) for an unforgettable night of exploring the night sky. Our knowledgeable docents, members of SJAA, will be your guides to providing valuable insights into the wonders of our universe. The viewing site features darker skies ...
Where: Morgan HillCost: Free (registration required at weblink)
Celebrate Earth Month with us at the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge!The event will be an open house, with time to explore, learn about wildlife and plants, join a guided tour, participate in arts & crafts, and much more as we celebrate our Earth!Event parking may be ...
Where: AlvisoCost: 0
Morning Hike at San Vicente RedwoodsJoin us for a community hike at San Vicente Redwoods! This will be a moderate hike of 3.5 miles with moderate elevation gain. Guests will be led by a POST ambassador, who will share about the human and natural history of this important working forest, the history of its protection ...
Where: Santa CruzCost: Free
Whalefest 2026Whalefest is a 2-day event set around Monterey’s Old Fisherman’s Wharf and the adjacent Custom House Plaza, designed to be enjoyed by attendees of all ages.Whalefest features exhibits from dozens of local and national non-profit organizations related to marine science, sustainability of land and sea, and the environment.Whalefest Monterey features ...
Where: MontereyCost: Free
Curious About Coyotes? Free Community GatheringThis is an invitation to re-meet the often-misunderstood urban canine called the CoyoteJoin the Presidio Trust Wildlife Team for a fun, all-ages morning dedicated to one of our wild neighbors. We’re hosting an interactive celebration of coyotes in the Presidio.Doors open at 10:30 a.m. with snacks, coyote-themed coloring pages, and storybooks. ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Solar ObservingIt’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 ...
Where: San JoseCost: Free
Marine Science Sundays: Marine Mammal MysteriesThe Marine Mammal Center leads the way in marine mammal research. Come learn more about the ways we have been deepening understanding of these incredible animals in recent events!Talks at 10:30 AM, 12:00 PM, and 2:00 PM, each lasting 30 minutes.
From Dr. Yang's website: "...I am working to develop a temporally explicit view of ecology that examines how ecological communities combine complex, coordinated and changing interactions over time. I am particularly interested in the effects of climate change on species interactions, community responses to strong perturbation events, phenological cues and ...
As our tools grow more intimate and invasive, understanding the patterns at play when artifacts and minds interact has never been more urgent. We routinely underestimate what seem like minor details, yet subtle shifts dramatically alter what follows. Drawing on two decades of designing learning spaces and digital experiences, this ...
Quantum computers have begun to achieve the scale and precision required to simulate condensed matter models in regimes that push the limits of classical supercomputers, offering a fully programmable platform for simulating quantum materials. This talk will explore recent experiments at the frontier of quantum advantage for simulating the dynamics ...
Speaker: Angelike Stathopoulos, California Institute of TechnologyRoom: Auditorium
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Statistical Structural BiologyIn a post-“AlphaFold has solved structure prediction” world, our lab is obsessed with the concept of statistical structural biology.First, we collect large datasets (X-ray fragment screens from 1000s of individual crystals) and use new statistical approaches to identify small molecule binders. This inspires new inhibitors, allosteric modulators, and enzyme design ...
How should we understand black holes at a quantum mechanical level? In the past years, we have made dramatic progress in answering this question, from a better understanding of how information can escape from a black hole to exact gravitational calculations of black hole entropies. In this talk, I will ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Colliders in the Sky: Probing Fundamental Physics with Cosmological DataThe first fractions of a second after the Big Bang likely involved physics operating at energy scales orders of magnitude above those accessible to terrestrial experiments. This epoch - known as inflation - played a crucial role in cosmic history, sourcing quantum fluctuations that seed structure formation in the late ...
Disruptive forces of change such as urgent electricity demand, onshoring supply chains, and increased weather volatility are combining to create the biggest innovation wave in a generation: Cleantech 2.0. In the US, early-stage cleantech companies are emerging to address some of the biggest challenges facing businesses today. They use unprecedented ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
120 Years After 1906: Strengthening San Francisco for the Next Big EarthquakeTo commemorate the 1906 Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire, SPUR and partners are hosting a conversation on the past, present, and future of seismic safety in San Francisco. Join us to explore how the city has strengthened its building stock through retrofit programs and policy reforms, where risks remain, ...
Natural product (NP) total synthesis involves experimental discovery and decision-making at every stage: why this route and not another? Why this intermediate and not its close analog? Why this NP, optimized for the producer organism’s survival in its ecological niche, and not a close analog, optimized for therapeutic use? The ...
Ocean crust is formed by magmatism along 65,000 km of divergent plate boundaries known as mid-ocean ridges. Decompression partial melting of mantle peridotite ascending beneath these ridges produces the basaltic magma that forms the crust. The depth at which partial melting begins is controlled by a combination of mantle potential ...
Cellphone bans in schools have become a popular policy in recent years in the United States, yet very little is known about their effects on student outcomes. In this study, we try to fill this gap by examining the causal effects of bans on student test scores, suspensions, and absences ...
Chagas Disease, caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, affects millions worldwide, yet current therapies suffer from limited efficacy, long treatment duration, and poor tolerability. Two complementary discovery strategies, one mechanism-driven and one phenotypically guided, were explored toward safer, shorter-course treatments. Covalent picolinamides were developed as highly selective inhibitors of ...
Quantum platforms are approaching a scale at which they will enable the realization of a vast number of quantum circuits. Some of these will solve computational problems of interest to industry and commerce; others will address longstanding questions about quantum systems; and still others will vindicate Wigner and Dyson. Yet ...
Join Van Pierszalowskifor an overview of the California Bird Atlas project, one of the most ambitious community-driven research efforts ever undertaken in the state. While 44 states have already completed a statewide breeding bird atlas, California has long been an outlier. That is now changing.The Atlas officially launched in January ...
Where: Pacific GroveCost: Free
Skeptics in a Real PubEnjoy an evening of socializing and feasting with fellow Bay Area science-forward folk in an Irish Pub on the Peninsula with great food. < Menu >Join us! This is a free event brought to you by Bay Area Skeptics. All are welcome.
Where: MillbraeCost: Free
Wonderfest: Ask a Science Envoy: Cosmology & EvolutionStanford physicist Mahlet Shiferaw on Learning Cosmology from Galaxies - The Universe is shaped by an invisible “cosmic web” of dark matter that guides where galaxies form. By comparing observations of galaxies to predictions from models, we can probe the nature of dark matter and dark energy. Cosmologists are now developing new ...
This month, we have two excellent talks lined up: First, Caleb Harada (UC Berkeley) exoplanets and the exotic zoo of neighboring worlds. Then we’ll hear from Maya Beleznay (Stanford) about how astronomers weigh neutron stars!
Advanced imaging technologies are rapidly reshaping how we observe and quantify the world, from satellites to laboratory instruments, across all industries and sciences. In this talk, Ryan Barlow, CEO and Founder of GeoPulse Solutions, will explore the current state of spectral imaging systems, highlighting both their transformative capabilities and the ...
Aaron Meisner is an astrophysicist working at the intersection of image processing, participatory science, and machine learning. At Radcliffe, he will combine these techniques to search for cold worlds in the Sun’s neighborhood of our Milky Way galaxy.Register at weblink
Plastic pollution is one of the defining environmental challenges of the 21st century. Microplastics are now pervasive throughout marine ecosystems, yet the pathways by which they move from land into coastal food webs remain poorly understood. From 2023-2025, our team conducted a comprehensive regional assessment of microplastics across the river-ocean ...
Io's extensive volcanism was predicted in 1979 as a consequence of Europa and Ganymede's gravitational influence on Io's orbit around Jupiter. Less than a week later, this was confirmed by Voyager 1 observations of volcanic plumes on Io's surface. Decades later, the Galileo spacecraft (named for Io's discoverer) observed magnetic field variations that hinted ...
This talk will share a chapter from my first book project, Cultivating Sustainable Sovereignty: Palestinian Agrarian Lives in Transnational Focus. How have Palestinian agro-ecological and food systems changed due to settler colonialism over time? How do Palestinians’ agricultural practices and relationships - their food sovereignty efforts - serve their struggles ...
We share our experience using LLMs to obtain new results in mathematics and computer science. We begin with an illustrative example from load-balancing in planet-scale cloud systems, outlining the abilities and limitations of LLMs. Next, we describe our experience with AlphaEvolve, an evolutionary language model from Google DeepMind, to establish ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
A window to the Universe from the bottom of the worldWe are pleased to welcome Dr. Clara Verges, staff scientist in the Physics Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. She is an observational cosmologist, focusing on instrument modeling, systematic studies and data analysis for Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) polarisation experiments.Located in one of the most remote environments on Earth, on ...
Everything we can see - stars, planets, galaxies, and even ourselves - makes up only a small fraction of the cosmos. The rest appears to be dominated by mysterious forces we cannot directly observe.In this mind-bending lecture, Stefano Profumo, Professor of Physics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, explores ...
Join us for an in-person evening about eBird and community science! Brian Sullivan will speak on the work he and the rest of the team at Cornell are finding what can be learned within the mountain of data that is collected by eBird. Our everyday observations serve the greater understanding ...
The Universe's Barcode: What Colors in Space Tell UsSpeaker: Cole Meyer, University of ArizonaMartian Mystery and Mayhem: Exploring the Rd Plante's Enigmatic Early EvolutionSpeaker: Ruby Fulford, University of ArizonaClick here to watch
Where: Cost: Free
Thursday, 04/16/26
AVs & the City: DRIVE AI Demo DayAVs & the City: The DRIVE AI Demo Day is a drop-in event that transforms UC Berkeley’s Richmond Field Station into a 175-acre living laboratory for the future of autonomous mobility the day before 10th Anniversary Autonomous Vehicles & the City Symposium at the Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California ...
Extreme El Niño events amplify floods, droughts, and wildfire risk worldwide, yet models still disagree on how ENSO variability will evolve under anthropogenic warming. Using multi-century CESM1.2 simulations spanning the Last Glacial Maximum to future scenarios, together with individual foraminiferal analyses (including new central Pacific/Line Islands constraints), we show that ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Decoding marine physiological mechanisms to build biotechnological resilienceCutting-edge biotechnological innovations and transdisciplinary approaches have opened the door for deep understanding of physiological activities within marine organisms. These tools and approaches facilitate integrated studies of complex endogenous processes, such as immunological responses, metabolic pathway perturbations, and mechanisms that underpin survival and resilience in the face of unprecedented global ...
Recent developments in hydrogen production from renewable energies and fuel cell (FC) technologies have increased interest in their application toward sustainable and emission-free electricity generation. In addition to the fuel-to-electricity conversion advantages of FCs over conventional generation methods, their heat exhaust can also be recovered for combined heat and power ...
Superconducting circuits support quantum degrees of freedom that can be used to encode quantum bits. These superconducting qubits are a leading quantum information technology, but they are plagued by errors when performing multi-qubit conditional operations. One alternative is to make multi-mode circuits where multi-qubit operations are natural. I will introduce ...
For most of human history, survival depended on two things: group loyalty and split-second decisions. Today, those same ancient instincts are plugged into a network of billions of strangers and an endless stream of content. Deception is a universal survival strategy in nature; by understanding how the rapid pace of ...
Despite the increasing availability of climate data, there is a significant gap between the production of scientific information and its practical use within planning and decision-making. Over the past two decades, climate services - decision-support processes and tools - have been developed at this interface to transform climate data into ...
Mikhael found himself out of work last year due to health issues and chose to travel to Mt. Shasta for 6 weeks. While there, he studied everything he came across, from the ground to the sky. Waking to the sounds of chipmunks chittering as they chased each other up the ...
Where: SebastopolCost: Free
After Dark: Altered StatesQuestion your perception with unusual sensory experiences and hear from researchers on psychedelics.Ages 18+
Where: San FranciscoCost: $22.95
Fungus Among Us NightLifeExplore the weird and wonderful world of ‘shrooms during our annual mushroom celebration. Expect fascinating talks, exciting surprises, and a marketplace full of artwork and local orgs to connect with.
Ready for another good, old-fashioned, classic Nerd Nite SF? We’re back at it again at the Rickshaw and ready to rumble! It’s been fun experimenting with format and location for our first few shows of the year, but you just can’t beat a classic Nerd Night show: We’ve got talks ...
With five arms, no clear front or back, and no obvious head, starfish break many of the rules we expect animals to follow. So how did such unusual symmetry evolve - and what happened to the head?In this fascinating lecture, marine biologist Chris Lowe, Professor of Biology at Stanford University ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $27
The Invasive Spartina Project and Rails- LivestreamThe Invasive Spartina Project (ISP) is tasked with removing invasive Spartina species to restoring native habitat in SF Bay and protect our newly restored tidal wetlands. Tall, dense, and fast-growing, hybrid Spartina outcompetes other marsh species, overrunning wetlands and mudflats. Infestation reduces shorebird habitat but also provides cover for secretive marsh birds, including endangered California Ridgway’s Rails (RIRA). From 2005-2025, hybrid Spartina was reduced from 805 to 18 net acres, a reduction ...
This one-day conference brings together leaders from academia, industry, startups, venture capital and policymakers??"alongside top students from Berkeley??"to explore the current state of robotics, what’s next, and how the field can drive real-world impact.
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Autonomous Vehicles & the City: Policy, Deployment and Ecosystem LeadershipAs autonomous vehicle technology reaches maturation, the most urgent challenges are no longer just technical - they are civic and systemic. The 2026 Autonomous Vehicles and the City Symposium marks our 10th anniversary, and goes “Beyond the Tech” to focus on building a robust automation ecosystem that works for people and ...
Atmospheric N2 is a cheap, abundant resource with great potential for energy storage and chemical synthesis, but it is difficult to convert it into other compounds (“fixing” nitrogen). This seminar will describe some challenges and opportunities of nitrogen fixation, as well as my students’ discoveries of how to break the ...
The state of video compression standards is strong and dynamic, and more compression is coming in their future. To explain why will start by presenting deployment and adoption of the two most recent video compression standards: AV1 and VVC. Will then discusses new deep learning-based video compression technologies that standards ...
Where: Santa ClaraCost: $5 General, Free for members
Saturday, 04/18/26
Butterfly Garden Volunteer Work Day at the EECHelp us with maintaining and improving the habitat and trails at the Environmental Education Center at the Don Edwards SF Bay NWR while enjoying wildlife and scenic views! Activities may include removing invasive plants, picking up litter, or maintaining trails! All gloves and tools will be provided, so just make ...
Where: AlvisoCost: Free
Earth Day 2026With the focus on "Species and Habitats" come learn how important the health of our watersheds are for wildlife and our communities and the small actions we can all take for a healthy Bay Area.Connect with our incredible conservation partners and local environmental organizations at interactive booths, where you can ...
Where: OaklandCost: Free with admission
Mt. Sutro Geology & Paleo TourLearn about fascinating geologic evidence contained in the rocks underneath Mt. Sutro of ancient island arcs, lost marine basins, oceanic trenches and subduction along the Pacific Ocean Ring of Fire and the important role played by radiolarian fossils contained in chert beds. All part of the interesting story of California's ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $25
Cool Insect DefensesLearn about the amazing tricks insects use to protect themselves from predators.Insects are important food sources for so many animals, sustaining much of the wildlife we know and love! Join us in the Visitor Center for a presentation to learn about many of the amazing ways that insects protect themselves ...
Where: FremontCost: Free
PBC Earth Day EcoFest 2026Pacific Beach Coalition's annual Earth Day EcoFest is a free, family-friendly outdoor community event. Starting off the day at 9am across more than 15 site locations for cleanup and habitat restoration events across San Mateo County, the fun continues from 10:30am - 1:30pm with our main festival event at Pacifica ...
Where: PacificaCost: Free
2026 Earth Day Festival & Green Business Expo Join the fun and kick off Earth Month and SF Climate Week with a bang at the Yerba Buena Gardens 2026 Earth Day Festival! The San Francisco Green Business Program is hosting an exciting Green Business Expo in partnership with the Yerba Buena Gardens Conservancy and Climatebase. This will be ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
SkeptiCAMP - CANCELEDTo quote our friends at the Manchester Skeptic Society, “you don’t need to be a published author, famous podcaster or professional communicator to get involved.” Just an interested skeptic.Attend, and/or consider presenting a 20 minute talk yourself.
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Twilight Nature WalkTake a relaxing walk in an area that often has striking sunsets while learning about the Don Edwards SF Bay Refuge.Experience the salt marsh at twilight on an easy stroll along refuge trails (about 0.6 miles). You will learn about the habitats at the refuge, the wildlife it protects, why ...
NASA’s Kepler mission confirmed the discovery of its first rocky planet, named Kepler-10b. Measuring 1.4 times the size of Earth, it is the smallest planet ever discovered outside our solar system.The discovery of this so-called exoplanet is based on more than eight months of data collected by the spacecraft from ...
Where: Santa CruzCost: Free
Junior Rangers at the Refuge: Native Plant ProtectorsLove learning about new habitats? Curious about wildlife? Our Junior Rangers at the Refuge program is perfect for your family! Join us each month as we explore the Don Edwards SF Bay National Wildlife Refuge through fun, educational activities.This April, we'll learn about the hidden superpowers that help our California native species ...
Where: AlvisoCost: Free
From Psychic to SkepticJoin us, either in person or online, as we watch Rob Palmer interview former psychic Fleureo.Fleureo was raised by her mother to be a psychic and was a long-time true-believer and practicing psychic, but she then came to realize what she perceived as psychic powers were just fabrications of her ...
Where: Los AltosCost: Free
'Climate Wayfinding'Join us for readings and a conversation about Dr. Wilkinson’s new book, Climate Wayfinding.As climate disruption reshapes landscapes, politics, and daily life, a deeper question lingers beneath the headlines: How do we live - fully, honestly, boldly - within this moment? Where do we turn for steadiness and imagination as ...
Water demand projections are essential for urban water supply planning. Yet, long-term demand projections are highly overestimated and uncertain, potentially warranting unneeded costly infrastructure, which may lead to irreversible environmental impacts and exacerbate water affordability outcomes. While demand forecasting methods have improved, uncertainty in long-term demand projections remains poorly understood. ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Speed & Scale’s Reality CheckIn 2021, legendary investor John Doerr outlined his plan to solve climate change in his bestseller Speed & Scale. The plan outlines 10 objectives, each with their own set of key results, to cut emissions to net zero. And in true John Doerr style, the results are to be measurable ...
From Ellie's LinkedIn Bio: "...I am the fisheries biologist for the United Anglers of Casa Grande High School (UACG), a student-founded conservation hatchery dedicated to the conservation of Steelhead Trout in the Petaluma Watershed. I primarily care for the steelhead trout reared in the facility, and instruct participating high school ...
Defense and energy applications ubiquitously involve multiscale and multiphysics systems. Their accurate modeling, critical to achieve superior performances and optimized designs and control strategies, has challenged generations of computational physicists due to the mathematical and numerical complexities involved in the development of their computable representations. One of the fundamental challenges ...
Rapid advances in artificial intelligence are driving the need for fundamentally new information processing paradigms that exceed the limits of existing nanoscale technologies in energy, performance, and functionality. Biological systems offer a compelling model, tightly coupling sensing, computation, and memory within distributed architectures that achieve remarkable energy efficiency and adaptability. ...
Gottesman, Kitaev, and Preskill proposed to encode a qubit in a remarkable wavefunction, which satisfy location and momentum constraints simultaneously. Such a state offers superior error correction, but is rather hard to achieve and stabilize. We propose a circuit architecture for a dissipatively error-corrected GKP qubit. The device consists of ...
In most condensed matter systems we think of electrons as delocalized particles that roam about the energy terrain of a material much like waves in the ocean. But what happens when Coulomb repulsion between electrons becomes the dominant energy in a material? In this regime you might expect electrons to ...
The 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 science. As we ...
Nuclear energy is often labeled “too expensive.” This conclusion too often relies on incomplete and shallow analyses that rely on small samples and focus on a narrow set of benefits. This session examines the full economic picture of nuclear power: 1. Characterize overnight construction, financing, and operating costs for nuclear ...
Across the globe, more than 30 million people make their living collecting, sorting, and recycling what we throw away. Often overlooked, these waste pickers are increasingly recognized as a vital “green workforce,” helping reduce emissions and support more sustainable resource systems.In this lecture, Kate O’Neill, Professor of Environmental Science, Policy ...
Across the globe, more than 30 million people make their living collecting, sorting, and recycling what we throw away. Often overlooked, these waste pickers are increasingly recognized as a vital “green workforce,” helping reduce emissions and support more sustainable resource systems.In this lecture, Kate O’Neill, Professor of Environmental Science, Policy ...
What is consciousness - and how might we describe it scientifically? Neuroscience can map neural activity with extraordinary detail, yet the relationship between electrical signals and subjective experience remains one of humanity’s most enduring questions.Mathematician and machine learning researcher Nina Miolane approaches this question from an unexpected direction: geometry. In ...
Chemically induced proximity of bimolecular complexes is a powerful modality to rewire signal transduction networks. Most extensively studied in the context of protein degradation, the full scope and potential of chemically induced proximity for novel targets and pharmacological mechanisms has yet to be realized. I will discuss structure-based strategies to ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Meet a Wildlife ScientistDid you know mountain lions are roaming the hills right here in the Bay Area? Come meet Alys Granados, Wildlife Ecologist for the Felidae Conservation Fund, an organization dedicated to protecting wild cats and their habitats, and hear all about her incredible work tracking and studying these majestic big cats ...
There has been much discussion of how AI can help humans cooperate, but much less about what happens when you add AI to humans who disagree -- potentially violently. Social media systems, which are increasingly AI driven, may amplify divisive or escalatory narratives. LLMs may similarly exacerbate conflict, especially if ...
Fossils of the Ediacara Biota preserve the earliest complex communities of macroscopic life, including the oldest known animals. Despite this importance, direct links between extant clades and well-known fossils from the Ediacaran have proved contentious. Although this biota is recognized at dozens of sites globally, more than 75% of total ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Who Pays? Private and Public Funding Innovation for Flooding and Sea Level Rise ResilienceAs climate change and sea level rise increase flood risk to shoreline and inland communities, the cost to adapt can seem daunting. Public dollars alone won’t cut it. In this session, thought leaders from the Bay Area to the East Coast will share insights for how we pay to address ...
Can gravity and extra directions of space emerge from systems that naively lack them? Holography - the celebrated AdS/CFT correspondence - predicts that this can happen via one magic ingredient: entanglement, or strong quantum correlations. I will present in an accessible manner recent advances on this longstanding theoretical idea, using ...
A key frontier of modern condensed matter is to harness light - matter interaction to coherently engineer quantum states in materials. Under optical driving, quantum materials exhibit emergent many-body phenomena, from ultrafast switching to dynamical quantum states without equilibrium analogs. Progress hinges on using light to both uncover new nonequilibrium ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Nature-based solutions in the fight against Climate Change Secretary Wade Crowfoot (California Natural Resources Agency) will discuss California’s groundbreaking work on nature conservation. He will explore the State’s critical partnerships with American Indian Tribes, the creative ways that California is achieving climate and biodiversity goals and how California’s leadership is being recognized by the UN Climate and Biodiversity Conferences. The Secretary’s comments will be followed by a ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Popping the Science Bubble: Chimpanzee alcohol consumption & animal opticsLearn about cutting-edge research happening at UC Berkeley, directly from the scientists themselves. Join Popping the Science Bubble at the Central Library in the second floor Mystery Room or join us virtually on Zoom: http://bit.ly/PtSBBerkeley (register at the link).This month's presentations will be:What the chimpanzee diet tells us about the ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Next-Generation Pathology: How Is Technology Changing the Way We Diagnose Disease?Pathology - the study of disease through the examination of tissues and cells - is undergoing a technological transformation. New tools in imaging, computational analysis, and spatial biology now allow scientists to study how cells interact within the architecture of human tissue at unprecedented resolution. These advances are helping researchers ...
Wearable technologies, like smart watches and fitness trackers, have transformed the way we understand human health by recording daily vital signs such as heart rate, breathing, and activity. Despite these advances in human physiological sensing, few platforms exist to study these same vital rates in animals - particularly for difficult-to-study ...
Wonderfest comes to San Francisco’s BookShop West Portal for a special author event featuring cosmologist Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein. In her latest book, The Edge of Space-Time: Particles, Poetry, and the Cosmic Dream Boogie, Dr. Prescod-Weinstein “embraces cosmic wonder and takes us on a mind-altering journey to the boundaries of the ...
Over the past three years, a collaborative partnership between community scientists and academic mycologists, organized through the Fungal Diversity Survey (FunDiS) and funded by the California Institute for Biodiversity, has transformed our understanding of California’s macrofungal diversity. Together, we have documented, DNA barcoded, and accessioned more than 11,000 fungal collections ...
Where: San FranciscoCost:
Wednesday, 04/22/26
The Frozen Frontier - A Journey into Antarctica - LivestreamAntarctica is the coldest, driest and windiest place on Earth, filled with geological marvels and remarkable wildlife. In celebration of Earth Day, join Road Scholar expert Nicole Flores for an introduction to this remote continent. Explore the secrets beneath its icy surface and its fascinating history. Meet the intrepid explorers ...
Locked beneath its icy crust, Jupiter’s moon Europa likely harbors one of the largest bodies of liquid water in the Solar System - a global, salty, internal ocean that may present a hospitable environment for life. Currently, investigations of the composition of Europa’s geologically young, fractured surface provide our best ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
AI for Good: In Climate, Health and InvestingWhen should artificial intelligence supplant human intelligence? And when should human intelligence lead? For climate action, for impacts on health, for investing and portfolios, where can AI tools multiply productivity - and what situations cause a quality assurance minefield?Learn from innovators around the world (from Europe to Oceania to the ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $27.50 General, Free online
AI for Climate Adaptation and Disaster Response: Public Sector Pathways to ImpactArtificial intelligence is increasingly being applied to climate challenges, from wildfire detection and flood forecasting to public health surveillance and disaster response. But fully realizing that potential requires grappling with real barriers: under-resourced public agencies, fragmented data infrastructure, procurement and equity gaps, and the distance between what a tool can ...
From the reintroduction of beavers for natural flood management to the managed grazing of cattle for biodiversity gain, the inclusion-or use-of nonhumans in/as environmental interventions is gaining traction as ‘win-win’ governance techniques for the Anthropocene, associated with a policy turn towards ‘Nature-based Solutions’ (NbS) to climate change and biodiversity loss. ...
The emergence of large language models has prompted a surge of interest into theoretical models that might give us insight into both their successes and their shortcomings. We’ll give an overview of recent work in this direction, focusing on a surprising line of positive results that shows it is possible ...
Stanford Public Humanities invites you to join us for an event and lively conversation celebrating the release of historian Jessica Riskin's new book The Power of Life (Riverhead Books/Penguin, March 24, 2026). The French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck is one of the most misunderstood and misrepresented figures in the history of science. Working in ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Virtual Skeptics on the PubThis is a casual night of socializing with fellow science-forward skeptics and with others inhabiting our oblate spheroidal planet.Please join us! This is a free event brought to you by Bay Area Skeptics. All are welcome.Click here to join.
Where: Cost: Free
Consumers and the Future of Energy AffordabilityThis panel will explore how rising energy costs, new technologies, evolving climate & energy policies are influencing households nationally.Moderated by award-winning energy reporter Mary Catherine O'Connor and featuring Neil Chatterjee, Former FERC Chairman, Chris Kemper, CEO of Palmetto, and Arnab Pal, Deploy Action, the discussion will examine the impact of ...
At the dawn of the 1950’s, Tikhonov (USSR) and Cagniard (France) independently determined that by measuring the geoelectric and geomagnetic fields at ground level, one could reconstruct the variations of the electrical conductivity below ground level as a function of depth, the origin of the magnetotelluric (MT) method. While initially ...
Where: StanfordCost:
Cortical Areas involved in motor control of the limbs: Plasticity within and across lifetimesForelimb morphology and use in mammals is extraordinarily diverse. Evolution has produced wings, flippers, hooves, paws and hands which are specialized for a variety of behaviors such as flying, swimming and grasping to name a few. While there is a wealth of data in human and non-human primates on the ...
Lina Li is Winokur Family Professor of Electrical Engineering and Applied Mathematics in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) at Harvard University. She is a Scientific Advisor of Singularity Energy, Inc, a startup providing a suite of innovative products, developer APIs, and intelligent tools for companies to build the future of decarbonization solutions, and Elastro ...
The explosive growth of machine learning and data-driven methodologies has revolutionized numerous fields. Yet, translating these successes to dynamical physical systems remains a significant challenge, hindered by the complexity, uncertainty, and safety-critical nature of such environments. In this talk, we present a unified framework that bridges this gap by introducing ...
Decarbonizing the electricity sector is essential for mitigating climate change, but planning low-carbon power systems under uncertainty requires balancing tradeoffs among costs, climate impacts, and socio-environmental considerations. In this talk, I present findings from a study of low-carbon power system pathways in Southern Africa under uncertainties in technology costs, socio-environmental ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
After Dark: Climate JourneysLearn about creative ways to navigate climate change, and don’t miss a preview of our new exhibits on local ecosystems.Ages 18+
Where: San FranciscoCost: $22.95
Fighting Wildfires from the Sky: Toward Safer, Around-the-Clock Aerial OperationsAircraft have been supporting wildfire response for decades - dropping water and retardant, tracking fire movement, and helping protect communities. Yet most aerial firefighting today is still limited to daytime operations using crewed aircraft, with only limited capability in challenging conditions like heavy smoke or low visibility. This leaves critical ...
Making the Invisible Visible: From Ocean Expeditions to Actionable SolutionsDiscover what the ocean is telling us, and what we are only beginning to understand.Plastic particles exist at every scale in our oceans, including sizes so small they’re barely measurable. Below a certain threshold, particles smaller than the width of a human hair, science is only just beginning to see ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Climate Action Youth Summit 2026 Discover innovative projects, connect with changemakers, and explore green career opportunities.The event is one of San Francisco’s biggest climate events of the year to celebrate youth-led climate action and empower SF youth to explore their interests through an environmental lens! Community members will be able to: Enjoy youth presentations across areas ...
Marine ecosystems across ecological and evolutionary time have been structured by the energetic consequences of body size. Here, modern observations, historical ecology, geochemical proxies, and bioenergetic theory are brought together to examine how giant marine predators interacted with prey and with one another from contemporary to ancient ocean communities. Particular ...
Fault-tolerant quantum computing requires a universal gate set, but the necessary non-Clifford gates represent a significant resource cost for most quantum error correction architectures. Magic state cultivation offers an efficient alternative to resource-intensive distillation protocols; however, testing the proposal’s assumptions represents a challenging departure from quantum memory experiments. We present ...
Electrocatalysis plays a crucial role in many new energy technologies, which are becoming increasingly important for mobile electronics, electric vehicles, and the renewable energy industry. Despite notable progress, many electrocatalytic systems still encounter obstacles such as low efficiency, poor stability, or high costs due to the use of precious metal ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Saturday, 04/25/26
Salt Marsh WalkJoin us for a short walk through the La Riviere Marsh!Join us for a leisurely walk along the La Riviere Trail of the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Fremont. You'll learn about the ways that salt marshes benefit wetland ecosystems and us!Meet at the Visitor Center. ...
Where: FremontCost: Free
Science Saturday: Student Scientists / Student Research SymposiumCelebrate the achievements of local student scientists with this FREE event! Students will share their field research projects. Student participants will have their projects reviewed by local scientists. This family-friendly event will also include crafts and community partners to dive into conservation and community science for Earth Month. Science Saturday ...
Where: Pacific GroveCost: Free
Wildflower WalkWhether you’re a longtime nature lover or simply curious to see the preserve in its most vibrant season, this walk offers a chance to learn, connect, and experience spring in full expression.Step into spring at Bouverie Preserve, where hillsides come alive with color and the landscape tells a story of ...
Where: Glen EllenCost: Free
Stewardship Saturday: Connecting Oysters, Marine Mammals, and HumansThis free program for high school students features rotating events along our 600-mile range exploring various realms of conservation.Join Cafe Ohlone, Hog Island Oyster Co., and The Marine Mammal Center as we explore oysters and their connections to humans and marine mammals. During this event we will be learning about ...
Where: HaywardCost: Free
BUGOLOGY: WHERE SIDEWALKS MEET SOIL: FINDING LIFE IN THE CONCRETE JUNGLEJoin SaveNature.Org in this class to explore the tiny worlds that thrive beneath our feet! Our educators will guide you through nature observation, where you will be provided all the tools you need to catch and observe insects and arthropods up close.We will meet at the Dogpatch Hub, a vibrant ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $28.52
California Native Homeland Festival 2026The Association of Ramaytush Ohlone, the American Indian Cultural District, and the Exploratorium welcome you to the fourth annual California Native Homeland Festival. Food, culture, and knowledge are deeply connected. Across California, Native communities sustain rich food traditions that reflect relationships with land, water, seasons, and care for future generations. As ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Love Our Earth FestivalJoin us for a day of environmental education, family-friendly activities, and community celebration. This cherished annual event brings together local organizations, environmental experts, and community members to promote sustainability and environmental stewardship.Acterra is excited to co-organize the event, bringing a food market featuring local plant-based cuisine, hosting WaterPalooza with sustainability ...
Where: East Palo AltoCost: Free
2026 Fellow Awards Ceremony - LivestreamWe invite everyone to join us online for the Fellow Awards ceremony livestream here!Computer History Museum is proud to honor the exceptional achievements of the 2026 Fellows, who have changed the world through their advancements in computing and evolution of the digital age:The Palm Team, Jeff Hawkins, Donna Dubinsky, and ...
Where: Cost: Free
Reggae Under the Stars - A Tribute to Darryl StanfordJazz Under the Stars is a FREE monthly public stargazing event! Usually occurring on the Saturday nearest the 1st quarter moon (check our Events Page), join us in Building 36 on the 4th floor observatory for a night of smooth jazz, bright stars, and a lot of fun! We play our ...
Where: San MateoCost: Free
Sunday, 04/26/26
Stewardship Sunday: Rescuing and Rehabilitating Marine MammalsThis free program for high school students features rotating events along our 600-mile range exploring various realms of conservation.Join The Marine Mammal Center as we explore the 5R’s of our mission - rescue, rehabilitation, research, release, and reaching out. During this event we will be completing demos to better understand ...
Join us, either in person or online, as we watch and discuss a video about misinformation and science.The world is increasingly polarized by ideologies, and acceptance of scientific evidence has become a battleground influencing public and individual perceptions of scientific facts.By shedding light on the challenges of effectively communicating science ...
Where: Los AltosCost: Free
Monarch Butterflies: Protecting a Vanishing Natural ResourceJoin us at the Visitor Center to learn about monarchs and how you can help them!Learn about the fascinating and beautiful monarch butterfly, the threats they face, and how we can all play a part to help protect them!This program is led by Jim Nechols, a retired entomologist. Join us ...
What if we could communicate - clearly and deeply - with animals? In Disney and Pixar’s new feature film HOPPERS, scientists have discovered how to “hop” human consciousness into lifelike robotic animals, allowing us to communicate with denizens of the animal world as animals. Wonderfest comes to the Napa Valley ...
Where: St. HelenaCost:
Marine Science Sundays: Marine Mammal MysteriesThe Marine Mammal Center leads the way in marine mammal research. Come learn more about the ways we have been deepening understanding of these incredible animals in recent events!Talks at 10:30 AM, 12:00 PM, and 2:00 PM, each lasting 30 minutes.
One in ten humans on Earth uses an AI tool such as ChatGPT at least weekly. Many people share extremely personal information with chatbots, and that information may be stored for a long time. How private are our conversations with AI chatbots? This talk will go over some basics of ...
A progress report on our efforts to improve EV and utility battery energy storage, stop greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture due to fertilizer use and necessity of direct air capture of CO2 will be discussed.Speaker: Steven Chu, Stanford University
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Engineering Topological Quantum Matter in Space and TimeTopology has emerged as a unifying principle in modern condensed matter physics and materials science, enabling quantum phases that are remarkably robust yet exquisitely sensitive to their underlying environment. While traditional approaches to topological materials discovery rely on chemistry, the rise of moiré quantum materials suggests a different strategy: engineering ...
A novel aspect of recent experiments with quantum devices is that measurements can play an active role in preparing the state of the system, rather than just in diagnosing it. Unlike unitary evolution, the quantum collapse induced by local measurements can have a highly non-local impact on the state, instantaneously ...
I will talk about GammaTPC, a new MeV-GeV gamma-ray instrument based on liquid argon time projection chamber (TPC) technology. The MeV sky in particular is poorly measured, largely due to instrumental challenges. A transformative instrument in this energy range will enable a broad range of measurements, especially in the upcoming ...
Expanding data center infrastructure to train and deploy artificial intelligence (AI) models is driving a surge in electricity demand in the U.S., and associated impacts for costs, emissions, and resource use. The electric infrastructure buildout from this AI growth will influence the capabilities and feasibility of broader electrification. We develop ...
How is the mushroom diversity on 10 acres of land surrounded by forest, densely planted with trees and shrubs brought in from all over the state of California? Ben Anderson will take you on a tour of mushrooms at the Regional Parks Botanic Garden (Tilden Botanic Garden) with a special ...
River deltas - which develop through the interaction of erosion, sediment transport, river flow, waves, tides, and sea level variations - are sedimentary archives that record past surface conditions, making them attractive targets for planetary exploration. Deltas have tentatively been identified on Saturn’s moon Titan, but they appear to be rare. Simply, many coastal ...
Speaker: Ja Eun Choi, Stanford UniversitySee weblink for connection information
Where: Cost: Free
Can AI Be Trusted With Your Health?AI is transforming health care at breakneck speed, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. In this session, Dr. Bob Wachter??"one of the country’s leading voices on health-care AI??"will lead a conversation with three of the Bay Area’s foremost experts on what this transformation actually means for patients, clinicians, and the ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $25 General, Member discounts, $10 online
Bioelectrical signaling is ubiquitous in life, from bacteria to brains. I will describe tools for chronic and volumetric mapping of membrane voltage, and applications in studying biological pattern formation, embryonic development, neural activity, and the onset of the first heartbeats.Speaker: Adam Cohen, Harvard University
This talk highlights the beauty and significance of spin polarisation phenomena as explored by chemists, physicists, and biologists. The systems discussed are inspired by nature’s ingenious designs, which have guided the development of new materials and contributed to improved sensitivity in spectroscopic techniques. Rather than attempting to cover every aspect ...
In the remote Turkana Basin in northern Kenya, bone fragments and fossil footprints preserve stories stretching back millions of years. Dr. Kay Behrensmeyer brings these stories to life, showing how scientists piece together ancient ecological settings and animal behavior from what remains after death.Her work reveals how climate, landscape, and ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $25 General, $20 Members
Wonderfest: Ask a Science Envoy: Elements & FairnessWonderfest Science Envoys are early-career researchers with enhanced 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 astronomer Natalie LeBaron on Origins of the Elements - From the oxygen we breathe to the gold in ...
Cometary surfaces are geologically active worlds shaped by complex erosional and sediment transport processes. By documenting the diverse terrains of comet 67P/Churyumov - Gerasimenko, we show that the nucleus’s hemispherical landscape dichotomy is driven by asymmetric seasonal solar heating, which facilitates the net transport of sediment from the comet’s south ...
In this talk, Kris Manjapra traces the invention of the “unclaimed body” within an expanding global circuit of medical practice, carcerality and anti-Blackness from the Age of Abolition to the Jim Crow Era. During this period, the realm of the racialized Dead became a new domain of power and value ...
Immerse yourself in astronomical discoveries, trivia, exciting raffles, and illuminate the night with glowing sticks. Astronomy on Tap events are not only free but also suitable for all ages! Bring your friends and family for an evening of scientific wonder.Save the date and spread the word! Let’s explore the universe’s ...
Astronomy on Tap is is a free 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 sits back and relaxes, with plenty of time to indulge their curiosity and ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free, but one drink minimum
For decades, cancer treatment relied on a blunt strategy: chemotherapy designed to kill rapidly dividing cells. While often effective, these drugs act like a cannon - targeting cancer but also damaging healthy tissue along the way.Today, a new era of cancer therapy is emerging. Instead of broadly attacking tumors, scientists ...
Where: OaklandCost: $27
Exciting Results with NASA's James Webb Space TelescopeDr. Alex Filippenko (Distinguished Professor of Astronomy, UC Berkeley) will give a public lecture and Q&A sponsored by Orinda ONE.There are three purposes:Orinda ONE supports Orinda's public schools, and this will be the first lecture in their newly established Community Speaker Series to help spread the word about Orinda ONE.We ...
Join us at SRI’s online PARC Forum to explore how AI is accelerating a new revolution in education.In his new book How to AI, Wall Street Journal technology columnist Christopher Mims reveals how AI is really being adopted across industries. Through practical “laws” drawn from real-world implementation, Mims shows that ...
Where: Cost: Free
SETI Live: Galactic Islands of Tranquility - LivestreamA newly identified class of distant galaxies - nicknamed “little red dots” - may be doing something extraordinary: quietly creating the raw ingredients for life.Join host Dr. Simon Steel as we explore groundbreaking new research from Dr. Remo Ruffini and Dr. Yu Wang from the International Center for Relativistic Astrophysics ...
Water flow under ice exerts a fundamental control on glacier and ice-sheet dynamics, with direct consequences for the pace of global sea-level rise and the frequency and severity of glaciological hazards. Despite its importance, progress in modeling the subglacial drainage system has been limited by challenges in upscaling the governing ...
As China’s power systems undergo a dual transition driven by high renewable penetration and market-oriented reforms, the trade-off between physical grid security and economic efficiency has escalated into a strict 'energy trilemma' - where system reliability, economic viability, and environmental sustainability (high renewable penetration) form inherently competing objectives. The inherent ...
The Health and Wellness Lie - LivestreamWe spend more on health and wellness than almost anything else. But the fad diets, expensive supplements, and quick-fix biohacks aren’t improving our health; they’re making us fatter, sicker, and unhappier.Join us for a Skeptical Inquirer Presents livestream with exercise scientist Nick Tiller. With unflinching scrutiny, Tiller exposes how wellness marketing ...
Will artificial intelligence replace human workers, or will it empower them? Tech leaders and economists have long warned that AI is a “labor-replacing tool” that could automate millions of jobs. But this outcome is not inevitable. It reflects design choices, not technological fate.This presentation challenges the automation narrative by revisiting a ...
During this Birdy Hour, SFBBO Director of Plover and Tern Science Maddy Schwarz will introduce the Western Snowy Plover and its nesting patterns in the Bay Area. She will then dive into the details of SFBBO's 2025 Snowy Plover Motus radio tagging project, which was the first of its kind. ...
Where: Cost: Free
Field Notes from the Bay: An Evening of Live StorytellingFast-paced stories from the scientists who know the Bay best.Surfing the East Bay mud. Chasing midnight storms. Mapping what can’t be seen.Join us for an evening of live storytelling with environmental scientists from the San Francisco Estuary Institute at the Ocean Photographer of the Year exhibition in partnership with the West End Arts District ...
Where: AlamedaCost: $27.45
NightLife x Golden State ValkyriesThe Golden State Valkyries are taking over. Celebrate the start of season 2 with a Balhalla experience at NightLife. See weblink for more details
Where: San FranciscoCost: $25
Friday, 05/01/26
Space Exploration Weekend at The Tech InteractiveCelebrate National Space Day all weekend at The Tech with Space Exploration Weekend, May 1 to May 3. This family-friendly event invites aspiring astronauts to dive into hands-on space programming, watch Space: The New Frontier in IMAX®, and take a spin on the Jet Pack Chair as its send-off celebration ...
With climate change rapidly impacting ecosystems, phenotypic plasticity that operates on timescales quicker than evolutionary adaptation is crucial for species persistence. One way to examine phenotypic plasticity is to integrate physiology techniques with "-omics" technologies (ex. genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, lipidomics), which allows for the interrogation of mechanisms that contribute ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
A conversation with Google Chief Scientist Jeffrey DeanJoin us for an in-person conversation with Jeffrey Dean, Chief Scientist at Google, leading the development of foundational Google infrastructure and modern AI research. Dean will present advancements and recent trends in the space, followed by audience Q&A.Ticket reservations required at weblink
Earth-sized planets are likely common in the Universe, including in our cosmic neighborhood. The highest national priority is to build a space telescope to discover such planets and assess their habitability. This telescope, known as the Habitable Worlds Observatory, is expected to launch in the 2040s. This endeavor is technically ...
Intensifying water scarcity and climate change demand new approaches to aqueous separations, particularly the separation of trace contaminants from drinking water and the capture of ‘critical metals’ from wastewater sources. The Taylor lab at the University of Maryland uses the tools of supramolecular assembly and reticular chemistry to tackle these ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
First Friday Nights at CuriOdysseySwing into the weekend with science, animals, music, food trucks, and fun! On the first Friday of every month, parents and kids celebrate together at CuriOdyssey.Dance to some of your favorite hits, while enjoying animal presentations and science activities. Activities and programs are different each time, so make it a ...
This Friday, join our team of cosmic rebels to celebrate “May the Fourth” early in our galaxy not so far away! Craft your own glowing sword, get a glimpse of distant planets through our historic 8” refractor telescope known as “Leah,” and discover the mechanics of robotics alongside a familiar ...
Where: OaklandCost: $24 General, $19 Kids, Free for members
Measuring gravitational waves is a revolutionary new way to do astronomy. In 2015, LIGO (the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory) first detected one of these waves ??" a tiny ripple in space itself, generated by the collision of 2 black holes. Since then the cumulative number of detections that LIGO and ...
Where: San MateoCost: Free
Saturday, 05/02/26
Hike at Calero County ParkJoin Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) at Calero County Park, one of the region’s most beautiful oak woodlands just south of San Jose on the westside of Santa Clara Valley. You will be led by POST ambassadors who will share about the natural history of the area and about POST’s ...
Where: San JoseCost: Free
Bring Back the Natives Garden ToursBayside Gardens: Talks, Music, and native Seed and Plant Sales in the Gardens.See the weblink for list of cities and gardensRegister at weblink
Where: Cost:
Space Exploration Weekend at The Tech InteractiveCelebrate National Space Day all weekend at The Tech with Space Exploration Weekend, May 1 to May 3. This family-friendly event invites aspiring astronauts to dive into hands-on space programming, watch Space: The New Frontier in IMAX®, and take a spin on the Jet Pack Chair as its send-off celebration ...
First Saturday Tours are a wonderful way to introduce yourself to the Arboretum or to deepen your knowledge of the Arboretum’s plant collections. Each tour is a little different depending on the time of year, the interests of the tour guide, and the people who join in. For example, you ...
Where: Santa CruzCost: Free with admission
Are There Gray Foxes in Your Backyard?Learn all about our local gray foxes and how to identify evidence of their presence!On a walk/talk from the Visitor’s Center out into the refuge, Bill "The Fox Guy" Leikam will show you how to identify indications of the presence of foxes, and tell stories about gray foxes that he’s ...
Speaker: Mary Nichols, California Air Resources Board (retired) and Carla Peterman, PG&EAttend in person or click to watch on Youtube
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Sunday, 05/03/26
Bring Back the Natives Garden Tours - Inland CitiesInland Gardens: Talks, Music, Free Seeds, Birdwatching, and Mugwort Soap Sale in the GardensSee the weblink for list of cities and gardensRegister at weblink
Where: Cost:
Space Exploration Weekend at The Tech InteractiveCelebrate National Space Day all weekend at The Tech with Space Exploration Weekend, May 1 to May 3. This family-friendly event invites aspiring astronauts to dive into hands-on space programming, watch Space: The New Frontier in IMAX®, and take a spin on the Jet Pack Chair as its send-off celebration ...
Where: San JoseCost: $38.00
Microscopic WondersAll around us there’s a microscopic ecosystem thriving beyond our immediate human perception. On May 3rd, the Explorers Guild will set out on a microcosmic journey into the dense and teeming jungles that exist in a drop of water. Guided by the SF Microscopal Society’s Janai Southworth, we will peer ...
Where: OaklandCost: Free
Solar ObservingIt’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 ...
Where: San JoseCost: Free
Monday, 05/04/26
SynBioBeta 2026SynBioBeta 2026 is a leading global synthetic biology conference bringing together founders, investors, and scientists. The event focuses on applications across food, climate, materials, and biomanufacturing. May 4 - 7, 2026 | San Jose, California.See weblink for details
From the Buck Institute website: "...Bijoya is from India where she got her bachelor’s and master’s degree in Biotechnology. Aging biology was introduced to her when she joined the lab of Gayatri Ramakrishna in Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, New Delhi. There she studied the role of senescence-associated pathways ...
The origin of cosmic acceleration remains an open question: is it caused by a dark energy and if so, what are its properties? Or is our theory of gravity incomplete on the largest scales? These questions have driven an ambitious effort from the cosmology community to develop wide galaxy surveys. ...
Grid planning has never been harder - or more consequential. Variable renewables, distributed resources, vehicle electrification, data centers, and industrial decarbonization are compounding in real time, turning the grid into a dynamic, multi-sector nervous system for the entire economy. Yet the tools guiding these decisions remain proprietary black boxes: artifacts ...
Microbes communicate with each other using small molecules that can trigger biological processes such as bioluminescence, cell differentiation, or surface modification. Mass spectrometry is an important tool that allows scientists to intercept and detect chemical messages in different microbial systems. Together, we will explore unique chemistry produced by several different ...
The various materials that we experience in everyday life are built from molecules. In turn, molecules are built from atoms. Atoms are built from electrons and nuclei. Nuclei are built from protons and neutrons, which were once considered “elementary particles”. Bob Hofstadter won his Nobel Prize for dispelling this notion by showing that protons ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Tuesday, 05/05/26
AI+Science: Accelerating Discovery ConferenceAI+Science: Accelerating Discovery is an interdisciplinary conference bringing together researchers across physics, mathematics, chemistry, biology, neuroscience, and more to examine how AI is reshaping scientific discovery.Experts will separate hype from reality, spotlighting where AI is already enabling genuine breakthroughs and where its limits and risks remain.Centered on the essential role of ...
Imaging systems are ubiquitous in the world, from complex mammalian eyes to infrared sensors in snakes, from selfie cameras on smartphones to the VLBI telescope system that took an image of a black hole, from MRIs and X-rays to microscopes and telescopes, they allow for the exploration of the universe ...
Daven Quinn is a research scientist at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. A structural geologist by training, he has become a leader in the emerging field of geoinformatics, working to model the Earth's crust as a complete, integrated system. He leads the development of geological software including Macrostrat, a digital ...
Adolescents worldwide turn to general-purpose generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots for mental health support, despite these tools not having been designed for youth well-being. Industry, policy and research trail far behind this rapid, largely unregulated adoption. Simultaneously, most responsible AI frameworks lack consensus, accountability, and meaningful implementation - particularly regarding ...
In recent years, experiments in high-energy accelerators have discovered a large number of unusual, heavy “cousins” of the proton - i.e., strongly interacting particles collectively known as hadrons. Ordinary hadrons are either baryons, which contain three quarks, or mesons, which contain one quark and one antiquark. The new, unusual hadrons ...
Join pioneering AI scientist De Kai and KALW for a timely, human-centered look at the responsibility we share in guiding AI’s evolution.What if AI isn’t just a tool, but something we’re actively raising together? Join pioneering AI scientist De Kai for a thoughtful, accessible conversation on how today’s systems learn ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free, $10 - $20 donation suggested
Temporal droppings.Autistic meanderings that stray from linearity.Little sedimentations, little curls of temporality.Dense knots clogging the otherwise smooth materiality of time in its totalizing productions.Mischievous bebops lurking between the tick and the tock, upsetting the steady count.The clock's disability.These are some of the many ways Bayo Akomolafe wrestles to articulate what ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $25 General, Free for members
Foundation models, trained on vast and diverse data that capture broad aspects of the human experience, are at the heart of the ongoing AI revolution, transforming how we create, problem-solve, and work. These models - and the insights gained from developing them - are increasingly relevant to the advancement of ...
We are excited to hear from the Lunar and Planetary Institute’s Allison McGraw: “Everything is Bigger Than Texas: A Tour of the Solar System ” and Univerity of Texas San Antonio’s Austin Patridge ” Space Weathering on the Moon”.Click here to watch
Where: Cost: Free
Astronomy’s Newest Discovery Machine: The Vera Rubin Observatory - LivestreamJoin us as four Berkeley astronomers share how they are using the Vera Rubin Observatory in Chile - which contains the largest camera ever built and will create an ultra-high-definition time lapse of our Universe - to bring cosmic mysteries to light.Register at: basicscience.berkeley.eduModerator: Steven Kahn, Dean, Division of Mathematical ...
Like birds, frogs are a commonly studied species that rely on acoustic communication for survival and fitness. During the frog breeding season, males gather together in big groups and advertise themselves to females. Often times, parameters of male advertisement calls may signal something about the male’s quality, such as genetic ...
Where: Cost: Free
Heat Pump Webinar: HVAC Systems and Water Heaters - LivestreamA free webinar on the benefits of Heat Pump systems! Learn about HVAC and HPWH basics, advice, and all the available incentives.Join us for an engaging Green@Home webinar where we’ll unpack heat pump technology, specifically with Heat Pump Water Heaters and HVAC Systems. Our home heat pump expert, Mike Salameh, ...
Nearly 30 years after the discovery of cosmic acceleration, its origin remains the source of open questions: is it caused by dark energy, a mysterious energy causing the Universe’s expansion to go faster and faster with time? Or was Einstein’s theory of gravity wrong? Cosmology is now at a turning ...
Skillful prediction and projection of tropical cyclone (TC) activity are essential for storm preparedness and risk mitigation, particularly as TC impacts are expected to intensify in a warming climate due to rising sea levels and increased atmospheric moisture. Slowly varying tropical oceanic conditions have traditionally been regarded as a primary ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Battery Energy Storage as a SystemWe will overview decision-making in battery energy storage systems (BESS) across innovation, investment, and deployment. In this work, we apply three analytical lenses to BESS technology: learning curves, deployment costs, and economic feasibility. (1) Technology roadmap modeling - illustrated through a 6,000-scenario evaluation of sodium-ion versus lithium-ion batteries - captures both ...
The availability of low-cost but intermittent renewable electricity (e.g., derived from solar and wind) underscores the grand challenge to store and dispatch energy so that it is available when and where it is needed. Redox-active materials promise the efficient transformation between electrical, chemical, and thermal energy, and are at the ...
What exactly are we talking to when we talk to language models such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini? Do these models have genuine minds with mental states? I will argue that the LLMs we interact with are at least quasi-agents with quasi-beliefs and quasi-desires, in a sense I will explain. ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
After Dark: Ride OnCelebrate Bike Month with the Exploratorium and the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition! Hop on your two-wheeler, park it with our secure bike valet service from Bike East Bay, and head inside Pier 15 for the year’s most freewheeling party. Light up an LED tower with your pedaling prowess. Make sorbet ...
Matthew Citron will talk about “Searching for the dark side of our universe with particle accelerators”andTed Swift will speak about “Chasing shadows: measuring asteroids using stellar occultations”
Where: DavisCost: Free
NightLife Carnival SFCarnaval SF is back for year three at NightLife, now with a Fiesta y Fútbol twist! Join our colorful celebration of music, dance, and soccer pride from Latin American, Caribbean, and Afrodiasporic cultures. Experience the joy of Carnaval throughout the museum with hands-on activities, live performances, a pop-up mercado (marketplace), ...
Predicting when evolution will repeat is a central challenge in biology, with implications for evolutionary rescue, biodiversity forecasting, and bioengineering. In this talk, I use examples from bioluminescence, chiton visual systems, and Medusozoa (~jellyfish) to explore three influences on evolutionary repeatability: reuse of existing components, historical contingency, and widespread molecular ...
Where: Pacific GroveCost: 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 ...
Where: San JoseCost: Free
Saturday, 05/09/26
Hike at Windy HillJoin POST on a guided hike on one of the first open spaces we protected as an organization! A POST Representative will share a few words about POST’s decades of conservation success before hiking groups leave to explore a strenuous but rewarding 7 mile hike with 1,500 feet of elevation ...
Where: Portola ValleyCost: Free
Family Nature Adventures: Mother’s Day Tea Party & Flowers WorkshopThis Months Theme: Mother’s Day Tea Party & Flower WorkshopMake Mother’s Day unforgettable with a perfect mix of creativity, nature, and cherished family moments!Tea Party: Enjoy a charming tea party experience perfect for honoring the special moms and caregivers in your life.Flower Workshop: Dive into the beauty of local flowers ...
Where: OaklandCost: $25 Adults, $35 Youth 3 - 8, $15 off for members
Virology and immunology of emergent arboviruses: learning from the patients - LivestreamEmergent viruses are primarily zoonotic viruses, meaning that they infect both human and non-human animals. They can be transmitted predominantly by aerosols, direct contact or through vectors. This talk will focus on the latter group of emergent viruses, which are transmitted by arthropod vectors (arboviruses). The main arboviruses are transmitted ...
Where: Cost: Free
Electrify Your Life Fair: EV Ride and Drive ActivityLearn how to lower expenses and reduce pollution with electric homes and cars.The Electrify Your Life Fair is for anyone who wants to save money and cut down on pollution at home and in the community. Join to learn how to switch from gas cars and home appliances to clean, ...
Where: SunnyvaleCost: Free
Starry Nights Star PartyJoin the San Jose Astronomical Association (SJAA) and Santa Clara County Open Space Authority (OSA) for an unforgettable night of exploring the night sky. Our knowledgeable docents, members of SJAA, will be your guides to providing valuable insights into the wonders of our universe. The viewing site features darker skies ...
Where: Morgan HillCost: Free (registration required at weblink)
Sunday, 05/10/26
Marine Science Sundays: Saving SpeciesJoin us in celebrating Endangered Species Day this month by learning more about marine mammals that have returned from the brink of extinction. You'll hear about the endangered species we care for and more about the Center's efforts to keep the rarest seal in the United States, the Hawaiian monk ...
Where: SausalitoCost: Free with admission
Wonderfest: Ask a Science Envoy: DreamFish & WetlandsWonderfest Science Envoys are early-career researchers with enhanced communication skills and aspirations. Following short talks on provocative modern science topics, these two Science Envoys will answer questions with insight and enthusiasm:Stanford biologist Marina Luccioni on Fish that Make Dreams - Hawaiian traditional knowledge from the 1400s references “nightmare fish.” Indeed, eating the ...
