Hello Science Fans,
I have to admit that I have been enjoying the longer days. Too bad it all stops tonight at 8:32 PM. Time and experience aren’t always exactly as they appear though. It’s interesting that time seems to pass at different rates as well. Not so long ago there seemed to be little or no problem and only a general awareness of climate change and the problems that might be ahead. Take for instance the number 418.24. It doesn’t seem like a number that we should be concerned with. What about 418.24 ppm? Ask the folks in Foster City what they think about it! You may never of heard of Eunice Foote. In 1856 she presented “Circumstances Affecting the Heat of the Sun’s Rays” to the AAAS. “If Only 19th-Century America Had Listened to a Woman Scientist”
Now that there has been so much progress in getting control of the pandemic the opportunities to get out and see some of your favorite museums are really great news. Of course you have to consider the explOratorium in San Francisco. They open to members and donors this week on Thursday 6.24 after 15 months! They open to the public on July 1. I really do suggest that you get a membership so that you can beat the crowds. I have been able to see some of what’s going to be going on and suggest you get in there early. Check out Aperture Lucida, Stories of Change, Sensor Fusion for some ideas of what is going on.
This coming week as always has a lot of new things to learn and think about. Here are three that I think are worth a look at.
Living on the Edge: The Future of Coastal Cities is happening on Mon @ 12:30
Mount St. Helens Revisited: Lives Changed, Lessons Learned, and Legacies of the 1980 Eruptions Thu @ 7:00
Low Tide Ecology Program is a great excuse to get out on a Sunday morning @ 9:30
Here’s a couple of incredible videos that really made me think and I still talk about them to friends. Just what do you think muscle memory is and what can you do with it?
Anyone who knows me, will tell you that I don’t do kids. This look into the minds of some kids is incredible.
Here’s your FunVax conspiracy theory for the week!
Take note that the item I started with happens tomorrow at 3:32 AM in Accra, Ghana!
Have a great week learning new and interesting things.
herb masters
“Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.” Marie Curie
Upcoming Events:
Click to see the next two weeks of events in your browser.
Monday, 06/21/2021
Ideas + Action 2021 - Opening Keynote with Dr. Robert Bullard - Livestream - 06/21/2021 10:00 AM
SF Planning + Urban Research Assoc. (SPUR)
Climate change is very real. In 2020, the United State alone faced 22 climate-driven disasters that each caused more than $1 billion in damages. California saw its worst fire season in modern history. The arctic experienced an unprecedented low in total sea ice. And the year capped off the hottest decade on record. Unless the world acts in unison, this new normal will continue to exacerbate, causing incalculable economic and societal ramifications. What hope do we have? Kick off Ideas + Action 2021 with a call to action on climate change with one of the originators of environmental justice about what we can do to create a sustainable and equitable future for future generations.
Speaker: Dr. Robert Bullard, formerly Texas Southern University
Bug Week! Noontime Zoom Talk - Backyard Creepy Crawlies - Livestream - 06/21/2021 12:00 PM
UC Botanical Garden
Do you think spiders are creepy? Most people do, even though the vast majority of spiders (and their relatives like scorpions and mites) are actually beneficial; only a few of these creatures are harmful to humans. Spiders, for example, are the most abundant terrestrial predators on earth and help control pest insects on agricultural crops and around the home. Learn about amazing spider adaptations such as the diversity of their silk structures, how they can 'fly' without wings, and how some catch fish. Join UCBG Docent Jan Washburn to discover the world of spiders and other backyard 'creepy crawlies’.
Speaker: Jan Washburn, UC Berkeley, retired
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Living on the Edge: The Future of Coastal Cities - Livestream - 06/21/2021 12:30 PM
SF Planning + Urban Research Assoc. (SPUR)
From Miami to Lagos and London to Shanghai, some of the world’s most vibrant cities are situated on coastlines in jeopardy of being lost to sea level rise in the coming decades, putting hundreds of millions of people - many of whom live in vulnerable communities - at risk. What do we lose when these cities become inundated by rising waters, and what are the policies and technologies that should be considered to ensure we can preserve a future for everyone?
Dr. Jennifer Jurado / Chief Resilience Office, Broward County, Florida Heather Rock / Director of Climate Resilience, PG&E Giselle Sebag / Global Healthy and Sustainable Cities Consultant, Bloomberg Associates Jainey Bavishi / Director of the Mayor's Office of Resiliency, NYC Office of the Mayor Allison Brooks / Executive Director, Bay Area Regional Collaborative
Ocean Trailblazers: Explorations, Discoveries, and Technologies of the Deep - Livestream - 06/21/2021 03:00 PM
Columbia University
The World Ocean is essential to life on Earth. It produces about half of the oxygen that sustains the planet, feeds and employs millions of people, and is pivotal to regulating the climate as it absorbs massive amounts of carbon dioxide. As important as the ocean is, much of it remains underexplored. Join us online for this month’s Earth Series Lecture, moderated by the Climate School's Founding Dean, Alex Halliday, in conversation with two of Columbia University’s leading ocean explorers, Sonya Dyrhman and Maya Tolstoy.
Tuesday, 06/22/2021
Circus of Science (Home Edition) - Livestream - 06/22/2021 11:00 AM
UC Merced
A variety of fun, hands-on science (magic?) activities that can be done at home with materials you already have, meant to help you look at the world around you a little bit differently. The suggested list of materials will be sent before the session.
Speaker: Alauna Wheeler, UC Merced
Register at weblink to receive connection information
Target audience: Elementary school students
Putting a Price on Climate Risk = Livestream - 06/22/2021 12:30 PM
SF Planning + Urban Research Assoc. (SPUR)
Climate-related disasters have astronomical economic impacts that are felt from Main St. to Wall St. With the globe continuing to warm, we are certain to experience a greater annual concentration of these calamities - as well as ballooning price tags associated with them. How can we integrate climate science and data-driven market analysis into business decisions to reduce risks and build economic resilience in the face of a rapidly changing climate?
Jenny Schuetz / Senior Fellow, Brookings Marilyn Waite / Program Officer in Environment, Hewlett Foundation Robert Litterman / Founding Partner, Kepos Capital Emilie Mazzacurati / Global Head of Climate Solutions, Moody's Corporation Alicia Seiger / Managing Director, Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance at Stanford University
Tour of a Cell and Molecular Biology Lab - Livestream - 06/22/2021 01:00 PM
UC Merced
The session will consist of a tour of the Woo lab. We will start with a brief description of our research on embryonic development before walking through our lab space. Participants will see work benches typical of most cell and molecular labs as well as more specialized equipment such as our confocal microscope. We will also meet various lab members and learn about their roles (grad student, lab manager, etc.). Pending approval from the Department of Animal Research, we will also include a tour of our zebrafish facility.
Speaker: Dr. Stehpanie Woo, UC Merced
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The Next Act for Cap and Trade - Livestream - 06/22/2021 03:00 PM
SF Planning + Urban Research Assoc. (SPUR)
California’s flagship program to reduce carbon pollution, cap and trade, has been successful at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but it hasn’t reduced dangerous air pollution equally in all communities across the state. Can the cap and trade program become as equitable as it is efficient and be the tool that California needs to reduce emissions while maximizing benefits for low-income communities of color?
Roger Lin / Climate and Air Counsel, California Environmental Justice Alliance Fran Pavley / Environmental Policy Director, USC Schwarzenegger Institute Kip Lipper / Chief Policy Advisor on Energy and Environment, California Senate pro Tempore
Bug Week! Zoom Behind the Scenes at the Essig Museum of Entomology - 06/22/2021 04:00 PM
UC Botanical Garden
Join Dr. Peter T. Oboyski for a behind-the-scenes look into UC Berkeley's Essig Museum of Entomology. Insects are the most diverse animals on the planet as a result of 400 million years of evolution and adaptation. From bugs to beetles to bees to butterflies, we will look at insects under the microscope to see some of these adaptations and talk about why they are important for creating and maintaining the diversity we see today.
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Engaging With Public Audiences on Human Evolution - Livestream - 06/22/2021 05:00 PM
The Leaky Foundation
Why are we interested in learning about our evolution? What is the importance of communicating human evolution research?
Join The Leakey Foundation and paleoanthropologist Dr. Briana Pobiner for a discussion on the importance of communicating human evolution science. Briana Pobiner discusses her outreach activities and research in science education, which are part of her broader science communication efforts on human evolution with various public audiences. Dr. Pobiner is the recipient of the 2021 AAPA & Leakey Foundation Communication Award in honor of Camilla M. Smith.
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San Francisco Bay and Increased Use by Cetaceans: Conservation Success Stories and Challenges - Livestream - 06/22/2021 07:00 PM
American Cetacean Society
Join us for an engaging evening with Dr. Tim Markowitz, Field Research Coordinator at The Marine Mammal Center. In this webinar, Dr. Markowitz will share his experience as Field Research Coordinator and provide the latest findings of cetacean activity in San Francisco Bay: what the data tells us, implications, challenges, and what we might expect in the future.
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Wednesday, 06/23/2021
The Promise and Pitfalls of Capturing Carbon - Livestream - 06/23/2021 10:00 AM
SF Planning + Urban Research Assoc. (SPUR)
Until recently, the idea of pulling carbon directly from the air seemed to be a pipe dream, but new technologies and legislation are bringing it to reality. Can advances in carbon capture prove it to be a lynchpin in a framework for our cleaner future, or is it more prudent to instead focus on reducing emissions, thus making the need for carbon capture moot? Learn more about how new practices and technologies may radically change how we think about pollution.
Graciela Chichilnisky / Co-Founder, Global Thermostat Giana Amador / Founder and Policy Director, Carbon180Rajinder Sahota / Deputy Executive Officer of Climate Change and Research, California Air Resources Board Ellie Cohen / CEO, The Climate Center
Bug Week! Zoom Family Program: Aquatic Insects - Livestream - 06/23/2021 11:00 AM
UC Botanical Garden
Have you ever wondered where dragonflies come from? Before they take to the air, these and other aquatic insects spend months or even years living secretive lives underwater in the pools and streams of the Garden. How did they get there, how do they breathe underwater, and what do they eat? Explore the Garden's aquatic insects with Garden docents Clytia Curley and Jan Washburn to learn about their fascinating lives and get a close-up look at these underwater animals so you can identify them in nature!
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Aphids on Milkweeds - Livestream - 06/23/2021 12:00 PM
UC Botanical Garden
Many gardeners plant milkweed to attract and provide larval food for the iconic and endangered monarch butterfly, only to find their plants rapidly covered with large populations of oleander aphids! Documented through her photographs in an Oakland pollinator garden, May Chen has followed the fate of these aphids over the milkweed season and learned some important lessons about their natural control -- and the value of “doing nothing” -- along the way. For this presentation, Clytia Curley will narrate May's photographs and discoveries.
Speaker: Clytia Curley, UC Botanical Garden
Ideas + Action 2021 - Workshop: Using Climate Data to Plan for California’s Future - Livestream - 06/23/2021 12:30 PM
SF Planning + Urban Research Assoc. (SPUR)
While it is impossible to predict when and where the next wildfire might spark, climate data will make it easier to understand projected climate risk and identify climate adaptation needs. Cal-Adapt, a new online climate database developed by the State of California, offers tools, data and other resources to help communities visualize and plan for how climate change might affect the state. In this interactive workshop, come explore what Cal-Adapt has to offer, learn how to use its Local Climate Snapshot tool for real-world applications and understand how you can apply this powerful resource to your own projects, including planning, development, agriculture, land preservation and much more. Limited space available!
Leah Fisher / Senior Advisor, Strategic Growth Council Nancy Thomas / Executive Director, Geospatial Innovation Facility at UC Berkeley Lucy Andrews / Cal-Adapt Lead, Geospatial Innovation Facility at UC Berkeley Shruti Mukhtyar / Cal-Adapt Lead, Geospatial Innovation Facility at UC Berkeley
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Building a Bacterial Carousel - Livestream - 06/23/2021 01:00 PM
UC Merced
Whether a microbe can be "tamed" to perform desired tasks for humans seems not to have an obvious answer. Here, we will explore a few preliminary steps toward taming a bacterium, including using carefully built microstructures to turn freely swimming bacteria into micro carousels. We will also join together for a virtual tour of an automated microscope system that enables such studies.
Speaker: Bin Liu, UC Merced
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Target audience: Middle and High school students
Roadways to a Sustainable Future - Livestream - 06/23/2021 03:00 PM
SF Planning + Urban Research Assoc. (SPUR)
Whether you envision the streets of our future cities as teeming with autonomous vehicles, electric cars, zero-emission transit, micro-mobility or a combination of all of the above, it’s become obvious that implementing affordable, accessible and clean transportation options for the first mile, last mile and everything in between is crucial to solving the climate crisis. But how do we accelerate towards widespread adoption of these new technologies without leaving anyone behind?
Ellie Casson / Head of City Policy & Government Affairs, Waymo Susan Shaheen / Co-Director, UC Berkeley Transportation Sustainability Research CenterNaomi Doerner / Principal and Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Nelson Nygaard Gregory Pierce / Assistant Director, UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation Zabe Bent / Director of Design, NACTO
Ideas + Action 2021 - Closing Keynote with Bill McKibben - Livestream - 06/23/2021 05:00 PM
SF Planning + Urban Research Assoc. (SPUR)
More than thirty years ago, Bill McKibben released The End of Nature, widely regarded as the first book on climate change written for a general audience. In the decades since, humanity has taken bold steps forward in shaping a more sustainable future - as well as some regretful steps backward. Where are we now in our fight against a rapidly changing climate and what should, and must, be done to shift mindsets, transform industries, influence governments and protect a recognizable future for ourselves and future generations?
Speaker: Bill McKibben is the founder of the global grassroots climate organization 350.org and serves as its advisor emeritus. He is also the Schumann Distinguished Scholar in Environmental Studies at Middlebury College and is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has written and edited 17 books, and his writing regularly appears in periodicals from the New Yorker to Rolling Stone. Among numerous awards, he has received the Gandhi Peace Prize and the Swedish Parliament’s Right Livelihood Award, as well as honorary degrees from 19 colleges and universities.
June LASER Event - 06/23/2021 06:00 PM
LASER Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous
Anastasia Raina and the Posthuman Mobility team (Rhode Island School of Design) on "Posthuman Polymythology"
Cindy Cohn (Executive Director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation) on "Imagining A Future with Real Digital Privacy"
Elizabeth Currid-Halkett (University of Southern California's Price School of Public Policy) on "Inconspicuous Consumption and Cultural Capital: the New Inequality"
Register at weblink to receive connection information
Speaker: Dr. Kara Nelson, UC Berkeley
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SETI Talks: Is Oxygen Really a Biosignature? - Livestream - 06/23/2021 07:00 PM
SETI Institute
Biosignatures, the footprint of life on other planets, or exoplanets, could be the easiest way for astronomers to prove that we are not alone, and oxygen has been for decades the top contenders in proving that life exists elsewhere. But how truly useful is oxygen as a biosignature?
In Earth’s history, oxygen is the byproduct of photosynthesizers such as plants, algae and cyanobacteria. With the fast growth of the field of exoplanets and the arrival of future extremely large telescopes and space-based telescopes that could soon find oxygen signatures, or its light-modified form, ozone, are we on the verge of finding life on an exoplanet?
Scientists have been busy modeling exoplanet formations, chemistry and their atmosphere, and as a byproduct of this work, they succeeded in poking holes in the atmospheric oxygen-means-life scenario. We invited two scientists to discuss the discovery of potential false positives for atmospheric oxygen as a biosignature. Jade Checlair is a planetary scientist at the University of Chicago who models the atmosphere and climate of habitable exoplanets and will show how the observation of oxygen on a large number of exoplanets would allow astronomers to discover true Earth-like exoplanets. Joshua Krissansen-Totton, an astrobiologist at the University of California, Santa Cruz, models the atmospheric evolution of rocky planets to anticipate exoplanet biosignatures and their false positives.
Hypothetical scenarios have been proposed for non-biological oxygen accumulation on exoplanets, especially around M-dwarf stars, as oxygen remains behind as hydrogen escapes the atmosphere of their planets. The researchers will also discuss numerous other ways that planet atmospheres can be filled with oxygen from a non-biological source.
In this bleak environment, there is still hope. Oxygen false positives could, in principle, be distinguished from inhabited planets using contextual clues and corroborating signs of life. But the task may not be straightforward, and proving beyond reasonable doubt that there is life on exoplanets could require telescopes much more advanced than anything currently being built.
Register at weblink to receive connection information.
Thursday, 06/24/2021
Ethics in Research: How Far is Too Far? - Livestream - 06/24/2021 10:00 AM
UC Merced
In this session, we will grapple with some of the most pressing ethical issues facing researchers today. Through a series of case studies, we will examine the foundations of ethical research and discuss some of the thorniest topics that students and researchers may encounter. At the end of the session, participants will leave with both answers and further questions about how to ethically conduct research.
Speaker: Daniel Wong, UC Los Angeles
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Target audience: Middle and High school students
How Would You Build a Machine that Sorts Cells? - Livestream - 06/24/2021 01:00 PM
UC Merced
The session will begin with a discussion of why investigators need to characterize the properties of cells and sort them and how this is relevant to treating disease. We will then look at a Lego model of a “cell sorter” that utilizes motors and sensors to sort colored marbles. Lastly, we will see a real cell sorter in action sorting mouse blood cells and discuss its similarities and differences to the Lego model.
Speaker: David Gravano, UC Merced
Register at weblink to receive connection information
Target audience: High school students
Double Quasar Hunting - Livestream - 06/24/2021 01:30 PM
Kavli Institute for Particle Physics & Cosmology
Speaker: Yue Shen (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)
See weblink for Zoom information
Empowering Humanity Through Technology - Livestream - 06/24/2021 05:00 PM
Computer History Museum
Can you speak to your phone or computer? Do you use Wikipedia? Did you know the family car was built by dozens of robots, with not a human in sight? For over five-decades, Raj Reddy and his students established the foundations for these technologies: speech recognition, analysis of natural scenes, autonomous robotic systems, and universal access to information.
Raj Reddy grew up on a farm in Katur, India. After studies there and in Australia, Reddy received the first PhD in artificial intelligence at Stanford University, doing pioneering work in speech recognition under the supervision of John McCarthy. He taught at Stanford for three years then, in 1969, joined the faculty of Carnegie Mellon University where he fostered the creation of world-class centers and institutes for language, human-computer interaction, machine learning, and software research. Over his five-decade teaching career, Reddy empowered thousands of students, many of whom soon made vital contributions to a wide array of technologies.
Reddy has also been a passionate advocate of access to information for all. With Nicholas Negroponte and others, he was instrumental in building Le Centre Mondial Informatique et Ressource Humaine to bring computing technology to developing nations. He also helped launch the Million Book Project to digitize the world’s books and make them available online, and also co-founded Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies in India, whose mission is to provide an education to students from rural villages.
Today Raj is excited about improving access to information for the 2.5 billion illiterate people in the world.
Register at weblink to attend virtually.
Editor's Note: Time of this event has changed from the originally scheduled 6:00 PM.
'Wicked Bugs' with Amy Steward - Livestream - 06/24/2021 06:00 PM
UC Botanical Garden
In this darkly comical look at the sinister side of our relationship with the natural world, Stewart has tracked down over one hundred of our worst entomological foes - creatures that infest, infect, and generally wreak havoc on human affairs. From the world’s most painful hornet, to the flies that transmit deadly diseases, to millipedes that stop traffic, to the “bookworms” that devour libraries, to the Japanese beetles munching on your roses, Wicked Bugs delves into the extraordinary powers of six- and eight-legged creatures. With wit, style, and exacting research, Stewart has uncovered the most terrifying and titillating stories of bugs gone wild. Intricate and strangely beautiful etchings and drawings by Briony Morrow-Cribbs capture diabolical bugs of all shapes and sizes in this mixture of history, science, murder, and intrigue that begins - but doesn’t end - in your own backyard.
One Water: A Look at Water Use and Reuse with Rachel Gaudoin - 06/24/2021 06:00 PM
Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History Pacific Grove
Monterey County is isolated from State or regional water systems, and therefore must rely solely on local water supplies - primarily groundwater and surface water. While water habits have changed over the years, our need for local, sustainable water resources has not. This talk will feature Monterey One Water, the public wastewater and water recycling agency serving northern Monterey County. Conversation will focus on wastewater and how it has become an important resource for the community.
Speaker: Rachel Gaudoin, Monterey One Water
This event will be both in person and via Zoom
NightLife - SOLD OUT - 06/24/2021 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
Calling all creatures of the night: explore the nocturnal side of the Academy at NightLife and see what's revealed. With live DJs, outdoor bars, ambiance lighting, and nearly 40,000 live animals (including familiar faces like Claude the albino alligator), the night is sure to be wild.
Reserve your entry to the iconic Shake House and our four-story Rainforest, where you can explore the Amazon’s treetops surrounded by free-flying birds and butterflies.
Venture into our latest aquarium exhibit Venom to encounter live venomous animals and learn the power of venom to both harm and heal.
Visit the BigPicture exhibit in the Piazza to marvel at the most recent winners of the BigPicture Natural Photography competition.
Bask in the glow of one of the largest living coral reef displays in the world: our 212,000-gallon Philippine Coral Reef tank.
Take in the interstellar views from the Living Roof, then grab a bite from the Academy Cafe and head to the West Garden outdoor bar to drink and dine under the stars. For adults 21+.
See weblink for additional details
Exploring Galaxies in Our Cosmic Backyard - Livestream - 06/24/2021 06:30 PM
UC Riverside
Galaxies are gravitationally-bound conglomerates of gas and stars with a very wide range of masses. They contain from a few thousand stars in the case of dwarf galaxies, to tens of billions like the Milky Way (our own galaxy), to up to thousand billions of stars in the most massive galaxies known to date. In this lecture, Prof. Sales will take you on a tour to explore the diverse population of nearby galaxies, including the Milky Way, the Andromeda Galaxy, as well as many dwarf galaxies discovered in our local neighborhood. She will also discuss how these observations have helped us develop current theories on galaxy formation and how we can use nearby galaxies to study the nature of dark matter.
Speaker: Laura Sales, UC Riverside
Nightschool: Queering Science - Livestream - 06/24/2021 07:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences
Despite having historically been excluded from the field of science, the LGBTQ+ community has long been making major contributions to and shifting the institution of science as we know it. Celebrate Pride Month with a Night School featuring scientists whose queer perspectives and identities help drive new insights, discoveries, and previously unasked questions in their respective fields. They’re just a few of the people featured in the Academy’s upcoming pop-up exhibit, New Science, created in partnership with 500 Queer Scientists and with funding from an IF/THEN® Gender Equity Grant.
Dr. Lauren Esposito, the Academy’s Curator of Arachnology and founder of the 500 Queer Scientists campaign, introduces the Academy’s New Science exhibit, which focuses on the first-person stories of LGBTQ+ women and gender minorities in STEM professions.Ale Garin-Fernandez, microbiologist and cartoon artist, on lessons from microorganisms that help her validate and appreciate her own diversity and value diversity as strength Dr. Tiara Moore, whose current roles include a postdoctoral scholarship at The Nature Conservancy, founder and CEO of Black in Marine Science, and president of A WOC Space, on making the change to find, love, and become a true advocate for herself. Elizabeth Ruiz, fish biologist at the California Sea Grant Russian River Salmon and Steelhead Monitoring Program, on endangered species and representation in STEMM. They’ll talk about how to find empowerment, solidarity, and hope in a shared struggle as a queer scientist of color and how advocating for equality can't be uncoupled from our fight to protect the environment.
Ages 21+
See weblink for links to YouTube and Facebook
After Dark Online: Pride - 06/24/2021 07:00 PM
ExplOratorium
In honor of Pride month, join us in celebrating LGBTQ+ heritage and culture. Tonight, we’ll hear from artists, historians, and thinkers whose work centers self-affirmation, freedom of expression, and the essential need for representation. And don’t miss learning about San Francisco’s impact on LGBTQ+ culture, history, and liberation.
See weblink for YouTube and Facebook links.
Mount St. Helens Revisited: Lives Changed, Lessons Learned, and Legacies of the 1980 Eruptions - Livestream - 06/24/2021 07:00 PM
US Geological Survey Public Lecture Series
Mount St. Helens' eruptions had a disproportionately large influence on our understanding of volcanoes, hazards, and eruption response. Unique circumstances, both locally and abroad, molded the responses to Mount St. Helens' awakening. The eruptions provoked change not only within volcanology, but within allied professions. A direct line exists between lessons learned at Mount St. Helens and current volcanic eruption planning efforts by the USGS.
Speaker: Carolyn Driedger, USGS
See weblink for connection information
Friday, 06/25/2021
Taking Pictures of Molecules: How Do We See the Invisible World? - Livestream - 06/25/2021 10:00 AM
UC Merced
Textbooks in chemistry, biology, and physics are filled with beautiful images depicting molecules with a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and physical properties. Our understanding of chemistry is central to our understanding of ourselves and our surroundings, and as the saying goes "seeing is believing." I will explain how we can visualize the invisible and "see" into the molecular world.
Speaker: Michael Thompson, UC Merced
Register at weblink to receive connection information
Target audience: High school students
Living with Rattlesnakes - Livestream - 06/25/2021 12:00 PM
Peninsula Open Space Trust
As the summer heats up it will become more common to see rattlesnakes out on the trails here in the Bay Area. And you might be one of the people who get scared about the potential to encounter one, but the good news is that it’s easy to avoid conflict with these amazing creatures!
We’ll be joined by Dr. Emily Taylor of Central Coast Snake Services, who will dispel some myths about the Pacific Rattlesnake that lives in our region. You’ll learn what incredible animals they are, their life cycle and the role they play in our ecosystems. Finally, Dr. Taylor will share tips for how to be safe while enjoying our public lands on the California coast.
This free online presentation will give you the information you need to feel safe and confident in snake habitat and leave you with plenty of cool snake facts!
Register at weblink to receive connection information.
All about Honeybees - Livestream - 06/25/2021 12:00 PM
UC Botanical Garden
Honeybees are regarded as one of the most important insects on our planet. Did you ever wonder about what really goes on inside a hive? Did you know that the colony is a finely tuned machine where every bee has a job and that these jobs are strictly divided by caste? And that honeybees collaborate for the good of the colony in ways that are hard for us to understand? You are invited to go on a virtual hive tour led by Jan Spieth from the Mt. Diablo Beekeepers Association. This is your opportunity to observe, up close, the lives of Apis mellifera, the western honeybee. Jan will give you a up-close look at honeybees, using slides to illustrate the history of beekeeping and explain basic honeybee biology to better understand life inside the hive. Then she’ll take you into her bee yard to lift the lid of a hive, examine frames, look for larvae, even find the queen bee You will come away with a new appreciation for honeybees and understand why they are so crucial to our planet’s ecosystems. You will learn ways that you might be able to help protect these hard-working creatures by adding bee-friendly plants and features to your garden.
How Would You Build a Machine that Sorts Cells? - Livestream - 06/25/2021 01:00 PM
UC Merced
The session will begin with a discussion of why investigators need to characterize the properties of cells and sort them and how this is relevant to treating disease. We will then look at a Lego model of a “cell sorter” that utilizes motors and sensors to sort colored marbles. Lastly, we will see a real cell sorter in action sorting mouse blood cells and discuss its similarities and differences to the Lego model.
Speaker: David Gravano, UC Merced
Register at weblink to receive connection information
Target audience: High school students
Saturday, 06/26/2021
Wonderful, Wriggly Worms and How to Keep Them - Livestream - 06/26/2021 10:00 AM
UC Botanical Garden
Learn how to set up and run a worm bin to compost your kitchen scraps. After wriggling through this 45 minute kid-friendly, hands-on virtual course, you will know how to select and set-up a worm bin; find the right worms, feed them, and harvest their rich vermicompost (with a focus on multi-tray bins). You’ll also learn about the worms and the other creatures of the bin and how to keep them happy. See you there!
Speaker: Larry Kass, Environmental Science Associates
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Shocking Origin: Meteor Impacts and the Chemistry of Life - Livestream - 06/26/2021 07:00 PM
East Bay Astronomical Society
When and where life originated on Earth, and if, or where, life exists elsewhere in the cosmos are some of the biggest unanswered scientific questions of our time. Simple organic materials in meteorites and comets are often cited as potential sources for the initial organics which seeded prebiotic evolution on Earth. However, upon impact the original compounds present are not always delivered unchanged. Collisions and impacts between objects at all scales, from meteorites to planets, can produce novel molecules relevant to prebiotic chemistry - including complex amino acids and nucleobases.
Previous studies have focused on either characterizing the final products or observing the kinetics of their formation on longer timescales. These studies have shown that in the initial moments of a collision any organics present will fragment into ions and radicals which then recombine to form more complex products. These impact processes generate extreme conditions of pressures a million times atmospheric pressure and temperatures as hot as the surface of the Sun.
In order to study how these complex organic fragments form and rules governing breakdown of the starting molecules and build-up of complex materials, we use SLAC’s X-ray Free Electron Laser to visualize chemical bonds breaking and forming in femtoseconds. In this presentation, I will show how the process of shock compression may hold the key to revealing the origin of life via complex chemical dynamics taking place at ultrafast timescales at extraordinary high-pressures and -temperatures.
Speaker: Arianna Gleason-Holbrook, SLAC
Editor's note: At the time of this posting, East Bay Astro's domain registration has expired. Assuming this gets fixed, the weblink for this item will work and provide connection information.
Galactic Archeology: Uncovering the construction of the Milky Way - Livestream - 06/26/2021 08:00 PM
San Jose Astronomical Society
The goal of Galactic Archeology is to reveal how galaxies are built by looking at the current visible evidence and inferring the past. This requires knowledge of some of the most difficult aspects of Astronomy: determining ages, distances for individual stars. Using the APOGEE survey and augmenting with the GAIA survey we are able to determine chemical composition, space velocities, distances and ages for hundreds of thousands of giant stars across all components of the Milky Way. I will focus on the APOGEE results for the halo and the disk and show how these spectra may reveal the origin stories for the Milky Way stellar components.
Speaker: Matthew Shetrone, UC Observatories
Virtual Telescope Viewing - Livestream - 06/26/2021 09:00 PM
Chabot Space and Science Center
Join our resident astronomers on Facebook Live every Saturday evening live from Chabot’s Observation deck!
Each week, our astronomers will guide us through spectacular night sky viewing through Nellie, Chabot‘s most powerful telescope. Weather permitting we will be able to view objects live through the telescopes and our astronomers will be available for an open forum for all of your most pressing astronomy questions.
Sunday, 06/27/2021
Low Tide Ecology Program - 06/27/2021 09:30 AM
Environmental Volunteers EcoCenter Palo Alto
Every day, the tides come in and out at the Baylands Nature Preserve. Today, we will explore what amazing things you can find when the water goes back out to the ocean! Join us exploring the tidal ecology of the Baylands, and discovering how fascinating low tide can be!
See weblink for important location notice
Virtual Butterfly Walk - 06/27/2021 11:00 AM
UC Botanical Garden
Join our resident caterpillar lady Sal Levinson and butterfly guy Sarab Seth for an illustrated slideshow of butterflies found in the Garden at this time of year. We'll learn about their life cycle, host plants, and more! Our fun Zoom event is suitable for all ages and includes a live viewing of caterpillars.
Register at weblink to receive connection information
Tuesday, 06/29/2021
NLP in Extracting Relevant COVID info for Medical Innovations - Livestream - 06/29/2021 11:50 AM
Magnimind Academy
A Garden is Not Just for Plants - Fauna of the UC Botanical Garden - Livestream - 06/29/2021 12:00 PM
UC Botanical Garden
Activist Anthropology - Livestream - 06/29/2021 05:00 PM
Long Now Foundation
Wednesday, 06/30/2021
Asteroid Day Celebration - Livestream - 06/30/2021 07:00 PM
Chabot Space and Science Center
Thursday, 07/01/2021
Decarbonization Within Reach - Livestream - 07/01/2021 08:00 AM
Stanford Energy
Restoration of High Marsh Diversity at Elkhorn Slough - Livestream - 07/01/2021 05:00 PM
San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory
After Dark: Reopening Night! - 07/01/2021 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Micromitigation: Fighting Air Pollution with Activated Carbon - Livestream - 07/01/2021 07:00 PM
Counter Culture Labs
NightSchool: Color of Life - 07/01/2021 07:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences
Saturday, 07/03/2021
Urban Gray Fox Talk - Rescheduled - 07/03/2021 11:00 AM
Environmental Volunteers
Virtual Telescope Viewing - Livestream - 07/03/2021 09:00 PM
Chabot Space and Science Center