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 ...
Where: Cost: Free
Friday, 04/17/26
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
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
SkeptiCAMPTo 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.
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
'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 ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: Free
Monday, 04/20/26
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Where: San MateoCost: Free with admission
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 states and ...
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
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Where: San FranciscoCost:
Thursday, 04/23/26
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 ...
Electricity and its Discontents: Unreliability and the Struggle for an African Energy TransitionSpeaker: Gbemi AkinsipeAnalyzing Energy System Decarbonization Strategy: Linear Optimization and Techno-Economic ModelingSpeaker: Jesse Griffin-Carney
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 ...
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
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 Festivaloin 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 ...
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.
Speaker: Riana Pfefferkorn, Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence Institute, 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 ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
UC Berkeley Physics ColloquiumSpeaker: Ehud Altman, Stanford UniversityEditor's Note: The original speaker, Mitch Begelman, University of Colorado, Boulder is unavailable.
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 ...
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
Where: StanfordCost: Free
UC Berkeley Chemistry LectureSpeaker: Christiane Timmel, Director (Chemistry) of the Centre for Advanced Spin Resonance (CAESR), University of Oxford
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 ...
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 ...
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
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
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
Saturday, 05/02/26
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
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 ...
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:
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 ...
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 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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Dr. Bayo Akomolafe is a philosopher, writer, activist, professor of psychology, and executive director of The Emergence Network. Rooted with the Yoruba people, Akomolafe is the father to Alethea and Kyah, and the grateful life-partner to ‘EJ’. Essayist, poet, and author of two books, These Wilds Beyond our Fences: Letters ...
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, ...
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 ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
After Dark: Ride OnJoin a bike-powered dance party, get hands-on with basic bike maintenance, and check out unusual two-wheelers.Ages 18+
Where: San FranciscoCost: $22.95
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), ...
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
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
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, Rancho Canada del ...
Where: Morgan HillCost: 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 ...
Tribal Nations across California and the U.S. are increasingly asserting leadership in clean energy development-pursuing projects that advance energy resiliency, economic opportunity, and tribal sovereignty. Since many Tribes face unduly high energy costs, long outages and have long borne the brunt of fossil fuel extraction, such projects can have an ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Tuesday, 05/12/26
Black Spot, Black Death, Black Pearl: Tales of Bacterial PathogensMy lab is interested in elucidating the activity of virulence factors from pathogenic bacteria so that we can gain novel molecular insights into eukaryotic signaling systems. The marine bacterium Vibrio parahaemolyticus is the worldwide leading cause of seafood-borne acute gastroenteritis. We are working on the two V. parahaemolyticus type 3 ...
Speakers: Tanya Luhrmann (Stanford Anthropology) on "Voices" Muhammad Khatib (Stanford) on "Fiber Bioelectronics for Precision Medicine" Kathy Aoki (Santa Clara University) on "" Nitya Thakkar (Stanford Medicine) on "AI for Precision Health"
Parasite diversity is sensitive to habitat disturbance and isolation, yet these expectations have rarely been tested in extreme environments. I studied the metazoan parasite community at hydrothermal vents at 9°50’N on the East Pacific Rise ??" an island-like, frequently disturbed, successional habitat where few parasite species had yet been discovered. ...
Ignite SF #19Get ready to be blown away at Ignite SF #19 - 15+ speakers, fast talks, bold ideas, and nonstop creativity on one electrifying stage.Get ready for a night of ideas, insight, and pure adrenaline. In true Ignite fashion, each speaker will have just 5 minutes and 20 auto-advancing slides to ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $55 General (see early bird pricing)
