Hello Science Fans and Practitioners,
I haven't said it in awhile but I really like to think of science and art as complementing each other. After all, they are both expressions of how we experience and interpret just about everything. They both continue to grow, and inform us in new ways to see and experience just about everything. In the last year we have seen so much change in how we perceive science and art due to changes in social and science based understanding. Sadly there have been many tragedies that have brought us to understand and fight against many of the inequities that have been prevalent for so long, be they race, gender, circumstance, or privilege. This isn't necessarily a new thing. While there is much work to be done to overcome these challenges, there is still amazing research going on that some would call research for knowledge sake. This would be what is called basic research by many. Research that will yield new answers to new and existing problems and that will inspire humans to continue to grow, if we survive.
There are so many exciting things happening in science currently that it is a bit overwhelming if you think about all of it. Kitty Hawk on Mars What's next… What can we do? There's so much!
Here are a few presentations to check out this week… Is Artificial Intelligence Racist? Tue @ 11:00, Ask the Scientist - Ed Gross Wed @ 2:00, After Dark Online: Earth Day Thu @ 7:00
Further distractions for this week! Predictions About the 21st Century: What They Got Right & Wrong has some great insights. Do you ever wonder how some things get counted? Don’t try to change someone else’s mind.
I hope that you have a week that is better than you planned or hoped for.
herb masters
"The greatest scientists are artists as well" Albert Einstein
Upcoming Events:
Click to see the next two weeks of events in your browser.
Monday, 04/19/2021
Improving neural network based equations solvers - Livestream - 04/19/2021 11:00 AM
UC Berkeley
Neural Networks (NNs) have ushered in new methods of constructing solution approximations to complex mathematical equations. However, especially in the context of Differential Equations (DEs), such approximations are often reliant on external methods/solutions to reliably estimate the errors associated with them. This occurs because cost functions are seldom explicitly dependent on the difference between the true solution and the NN based approximation. Thus, NN DE solvers retain an element of ambiguity vis a vis the fitness of their approximations that cannot seemingly be resolved without prior knowledge of an external solution - severely limiting their practicality and trustworthiness. We show how simple mathematical transformations upon the cost functions at hand can help address this issue, by creating explicit relationships between them and the error associated with the NN based approximations. We further show how such relationships allow for the construction of efficient error correction schemes.
Speaker: Akshunna Shaurya Dogra, UC Berkeley
Dipolar excitonic insulator in atomic double layers - Livestream - 04/19/2021 02:30 PM
UC Berkeley
The excitonic insulator (EI) is a charge insulating state that arises from the spontaneous formation of bound electron-hole pairs (excitons). It presents an interesting platform for realizing quantum many-body ground states of bosons in solids, such as condensate and superfluid. Although the concept has been known for sixty years, to date the EI remains poorly established because reservoirs for excitons generally do not exist. In this talk, I will discuss the realization of an EI ground state with strongly interacting excitons in atomic double layers of transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) semiconductors. The double layer system enables the formation of electrical reservoirs for interlayer excitons and the continuous tuning of the exciton chemical potential. I will present direct thermodynamic evidence of the EI state based on capacitance measurements. I will also discuss the exciton phase diagram that reveals both the exciton Mott transition and exciton quasi-condensation.
Speaker: Kin Fai Mak, Cornell
See weblink for connection information
A New Measurement of the Positive Muon Anomalous Magnet Moment to 0.46 ppm - Livestream - 04/19/2021 03:30 PM
SLAC Colloquium
I present a new measurement of the positive muon anomalous magnetic moment a_μ=(g_μ-2)/2 from the Fermilab E989 experiment. The quantity a_μ is an exquisite probe of the quantum corrections of the muon interaction with the electromagnetic field. The experiment is a follow up of the BNL E821 experiment, which saw a 3.7σ discrepancy from the Standard Model. Due to the implications of possible new physics, it is of great interest to either confirm or refute the BNL result. Our experimental technique utilizes the muon storage ring that was moved from BNL to Fermilab in 2015. I will review the theory predictions and present our experimental technique, highlighting the innovations made by E989. I present our first result based on a data set consisting of about 8 billion analyzed muon decays. This result, representing only 6% of our expected final dataset, achieved an error of 0.46 ppm which is comparable to the BNL result.
Speaker: Hogan Nugyen, Fermilab
See weblink for Zoom link.
From Black Holes to Neural Networks - Livestream - 04/19/2021 04:00 PM
What Physicists Do @ Sonoma State University
Speaker: Dr. Louise Anderson, Google AI
Chevron Climate Change Resilience: Advancing a Lower-Carbon Future - Livestream - 04/19/2021 04:00 PM
Stanford Energy Seminar
Affordable, reliable, ever-cleaner energy is essential to achieve a more prosperous and sustainable world. Reducing the carbon intensity of the energy that billions of people rely on every day is a tremendous opportunity to advance the global net zero ambitions of the Paris Agreement. At Chevron, we use our unique capabilities, assets and expertise to deliver progress toward the global net zero ambitions of the Paris agreement. Our approach focuses on actions and investments in three core action areas that can deliver measurable progress for today and the future. These actions will make energy and global supply chains more sustainable helping industries and customers that use our products build the lower carbon world we all desire. We will:
1. Lower carbon intensity cost efficiently.
2. Increase renewables and offsets in support of our business.
3. Invest in low-carbon technologies to enable commercial solutions.
In this webinar, Julie Mulkerin Ortiz, Chevron, will discuss the actions Chevron is taking to advance a lower carbon future.
Register at weblink to receive connection information
Topological quantum computing relies on qubits encoded in quantum states that are exponentially protected from local perturbations. One method for realizing such protected states is a practical recipe for topological superconductivity: hybrid superconductor-semiconductor nanowires in finite magnetic fields. In this talk I will describe experimental methods for identifying and manipulating the topological phase and associated Majorana quasiparticles in these devices.
Speaker: Sydney Schreppler, Microsoft
Virology 101 - 04/19/2021 05:00 PM
San Mateo Public Library
What ARE viruses? Join us for a virtual talk by Columbia University professor Dr. Vincent Racaniello, who will explain what viruses are and how they work, followed by a wide-ranging discussion on the COVID-19 pandemic. He will cover the origins of the virus, the disease, how it is diagnosed, and efforts to develop vaccines and antiviral drugs. He will describe a plausible scenario for the end of the pandemic and how future similar outbreaks might be avoided. Presentation will be followed with a Q&A. This program is presented by the San Mateo Public Library's Biotechnology Learning Center.
Continuity: Discovering the Lessons behind the World’s Longest-lived Organizations - Livestream - 04/19/2021 05:00 PM
Long Now Foundation
One of Long Now’s founding premises is that humanity’s most significant challenges require long-term solutions, including institutions that caretake and guide the knowledge and commitment needed to work over long time scales.
However, there are a limited number of organizations that have managed to stay stable over many centuries, and in some cases, over a millennium. Long Now has been informally tracking these organizations for years, and in 02019 formed The Organizational Continuity Project to study long-lived institutions more formally.
Speaker: Alexander Rose, Long Now
See weblink for viewing options
Tuesday, 04/20/2021
Is Artificial Intelligence Racist? - Livestream - 04/20/2021 11:00 AM
Computer History Museum
Are AI technologies racist, by design, in their data collection, or through the optimization of their functions? Are uses of AI technology racist by application or outcome? Is there racism in the AI community of makers, companies, and funders? Is it possible that AI be used for anti-racist outcomes? This wide-ranging conversation will build on issues raised in the companion screening of award-winning documentary film Coded Bias.
Exploring the question of whether AI is racist, our expert panel will consider both what is being done today about racism in AI, and what could be done in the future from multiple perspectives.
Register at weblink to receive connection information.
Being with Bears - Livestream - 04/20/2021 12:00 PM
Audubon Canyon Ranch
“Being with Bears” will focus on Meghan Walla-Murphy’s work with the North Bay Bear Collaborative. She will outline the goals, research methods and findings of their research as well as share how to help bears thrive in the North Bay and how humans can live among bears safely.
Hubble Telescope Spacecraft - Livestream - 04/20/2021 01:30 PM
IEEE
The Hubble Space Telescope was the first of NASA's great observatories in space. It was launched in 1990 and has provided an unbelievable amount of scientific data for over 30 years. This presentation will focus on the Lockheed portion of the Hubble through launch and then show some of the visual results from the Hubble.
Three Lockheed veterans will share their experiences in this webinar.
Register at weblink to receive connection information
Flowers and Their Pollinator Friends - Livestream - 04/20/2021 03:00 PM
UC Botanical Garden
Join us for this after-school program as we explore the beautiful and fascinating world of flowers--a plant part specially designed for its pollinator friends. We'll look at flowers from around the world, dive into the different flower parts, and discover a myriad of pollinating animals, from bees and butterflies to honey possums and bats. Enjoy this free program in honor of Earth Day Week. (This program is geared for a youth audience.)
Speaker: Jill Marshall, University of Arkansas
This event was originally scheduled for February 16, 2021.
Zoom information can be found on the EPS advising Google calendar
Two Talks: Popping the Science Bubble - 04/20/2021 05:30 PM
Berkeley Public Library
Elephant seals: Are they nature’s SCUBA divers?
Speaker: Kaitlin Allen (Integrative Biology)
A day in the life of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (green algae)
Speaker: Valle Ojeda (QB3 - California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences)
See weblink for connection information
Into the Pyrocosm: Fires, Fungi, and the Future of California's Forests - Livestream - 04/20/2021 07:00 PM
Mycological Society of San Francisco
Fire has been a major driving force in the ecology of California's landscapes since prehistoric times. In addition to 'natural' fires, indigenous people used extensive intentional burning practices to produce more favorable landscapes for human habitation.
But the frequency and intensity of fires has dramatically increased across the American west in the past decades, including many unmanaged, catastrophic 'megafires'.
How do fungi respond to these rapid changes in habitat composition?What role do they play in the recovery of burned forests?What might some possible futures look like for California's wild lands?
Christian will summarize some of the existing scientific literature on this topic, knowledge from indigenous communities, as well as his own findings from post-burn surveys in the CZU Fire and elsewhere.
Speaker: Christian Schwartz
See weblink for details and connection information.
Wednesday, 04/21/2021
SETI Talks: Going Dark: The Mystery of Vanishing Stars - Livestream - 04/21/2021 11:00 AM
SETI Institute
Comparing a 70-year-old survey with recent images of the night sky, astronomers have discovered that 100 stars may have gone dark. Those vanishing light sources could be short-lived flashes in the night or possibly, the disappearance of a long-lasting star. These preliminary findings almost certainly represent natural and well-understood events, but there is the hope that they could indicate technological civilizations elsewhere.
Speakers: Beatriz Villaroel, Vanishing & Appearing Sources during a Century of Observations (VASCO); James Davenport, University of Washington
Register at weblink to receive connection information
Assessment of environmental DNA as a biomonitoring tool for vulnerable deep-sea habitats - Livestream - 04/21/2021 11:00 AM
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
High-throughput sequencing of targeted “barcode” loci in DNA extracted from marine environmental samples such as water and sediments has recently exploded in popularity due to the ability to generate a taxonomic community profile that usually surpasses what is obtainable from using traditional monitoring methods in terms of biodiversity and detection of rare taxa. Indeed, given the existing poor biodiversity inventory of many marine habitats coupled with their high cost and difficulty of access, environmental DNA (eDNA) biomonitoring of these remote ecosystems is attractive if reliable taxonomic inventories are obtained for a modest price and with little required sample material. As part of the DEEP SEARCH (DEEP Sea Exploration to Advance Research on Coral/Canyon/Cold seep Habitats) project, we collected water samples from eight JASON2 remotely operated vehicle (ROV) dives at sites within canyon, cold-seep, and cold-water coral reef habitats along the US Atlantic coast in April 2019. The use of an ROV allowed controlled water sample collection near features of interest. Duplicate one-liter seawater samples filtered through a 0.2 µm Sterivex and ten liters of seawater filtered through a 0.8 µm cellulose nitrate filter were collected from each Niskin. Metabarcoding of microbial 16S rRNA, metazoan 18S rRNA, and mitochondrial 12S and cox1 sequences from eDNA extracted from water samples were performed on an Illumina MiSeq. The 1L and 10L samples recovered largely the same communities. Differentiation among habitats in both microbial and metazoan community structure evidenced through multiple ordination and comparative analyses was clear. The strongest differentiation occurred between the shallow ( about 200 meters) and deep (about 2,000 meters) cold-seep habitats. The implications of our findings for biomonitoring in the deep sea, as well as plans for expanding our analyses to include other barcode loci, water column eDNA samples collected via CTD, and reference database augmentation through genome skimming, will be discussed during this seminar.
Speakers: Aaron Aunins and Cheryl Morrison, USGS
Register at weblink to receive connection information
Ask the Scientist - Ed Gross - 04/21/2021 02:00 PM
Estuary & Ocean Science Center
How do scientists go from OMG to PhD? How do they turn their passion for science into their profession? What advice do they have for future scientists?
If you are a 5th-12th grade student, undergraduate, teacher or parent, join us to ask these questions and more in a Q&A session with our weekly Seminar speakers.
Speaker: Dr. Ed Gross. His long-term research interest is advancing understanding of estuarine hydrodynamics and transport processes and current focus is investigating ecological effects of hydrodynamics. Recent and ongoing projects include and modeling of zooplankton and fish distribution and entrainment using agent-based models driven by three-dimensional hydrodynamic models.
Estimation of Longfin Smelt Hatching Distribution, Abundance and Entrainment using Three-Dimensional Hydrodynamic - Livestream - 04/21/2021 03:30 PM
Estuary & Ocean Science Center
The distribution of larval fishes in estuaries is influenced by where they hatch and their movements after hatching. In the San Francisco Estuary, the threatened longfin smelt (Spirinchus thaleichthys) spawn adhesive eggs in shallow, fresh to brackish water. Attached eggs hatch and the larvae disperse seaward toward higher-salinity water. Actual locations of spawning are unknown, and cannot be inferred from distributions of larvae because intense tidal mixing erases the history of movement. Human interventions such as manipulations and diversions of freshwater flow may contribute to the ongoing decline of this species, and these effects depend on where the fish hatch. We combined connectivity estimates from hydrodynamic and particle-tracking modeling with trawl data in a Bayesian model to estimate the location and timing of hatching, as well as natural mortality of larvae and losses to freshwater diversions. Longfin smelt were estimated to have hatched further seaward than previously believed; estimated diversion losses were small compared to natural mortality, and therefore pose only a minor risk to the population. Similar methods could be applied in other estuarine and coastal systems where strong mixing reduces the ability of simpler models to predict spawning location and larval movement.
Speaker: Ed Gross, Principal, 3-D Modeling Lead, Research Management Associates Inc.
Register at weblink to receive Zoom information
Evaluating and Designing Effective Arsenic Treatment Technology for Small, Low-Income Communities in California - Livestream - 04/21/2021 04:00 PM
Energy and Resources Group
Arsenic contamination of groundwater continues to threaten access to safe drinking water for California’s most vulnerable small, socioeconomically disadvantaged communities. How does this disparity persist in California, the wealthiest state in the US and one of the world’s largest economies? In this talk, I will first introduce challenges to safe drinking water facing many small, low-income communities in the US. Then I will discuss field testing a novel treatment technology in a small, low-income community in California. Finally, I will offer (some) explanation for why disparities in access to safe drinking water persist in small, low-income communities in California.
Speaker: Sara Glade, UC Berkeley
See weblink for Zoom information
The Alchemy of Us: How Humans and Matter Transformed One Another - Livestream - 04/21/2021 05:00 PM
Long Now Foundation
In The Alchemy of Us, scientist and author Ainissa Ramirez examines eight inventions - clocks, steel rails, copper communication cables, photographic film, light bulbs, hard disks, scientific labware, and silicon chips - and reveals how they shaped the human experience.
Ramirez shows not only how materials were shaped by inventors but also how those materials shaped culture, chronicling each invention and its consequences - intended and unintended. Filling in the gaps left by other books about technology, Ramirez showcases little-known inventors - particularly people of color and women - who had a significant impact but whose accomplishments have been hidden by mythmaking, bias, and convention. Doing so, she shows us the power of telling inclusive stories about technology. She also shows that innovation is universal - whether it's splicing beats with two turntables and a microphone or splicing genes with two test tubes and CRISPR.
Rescheduled from October 6, 2020
Lessons and Opportunities in Large Scale Networks and Smart Health Application - Livestream - 04/21/2021 07:00 PM
SF Bay Association of Computing Machinery
Data science and statistical/machine learning techniques can be leveraged to tackle various predictive and decision control problems in a wide range of application domains. This talk will focus on two domains: (1) large-scale networked systems such as IP backbone or wireless cellular networks, and (2) smart health applications. The first part of the talk will discuss lessons learned and opportunities in Internet measurement area. We will demonstrate how flexibility of software-defined networking (SDN) can be leveraged to adapt measurement rules based on optimal online strategies to augment traditional network inference techniques to obtain better estimates of network characteristics, such as traffic matrix or per-hop delay/loss rates. We will discuss the importance of data pre-processing, featurization, and choice of models by case studies from our prior work on detecting malicious activities in wireless networks and modeling user activity graphs on massive online social platforms. The second part of the talk focuses on opportunities and challenges that arise in applying IoTs, big data, AI, and machine learning (ML) techniques to smart health domain such as AI-assisted critical patient care or medical imaging. Specifically, we will draw examples from our on-going collaborative projects with UC Davis Medical Center, the Alzheimer Disease Center, and the MIND Institute in Sacramento.
Speaker: Chen-Nee Chuah, UC Davis
See weblink for registration information
The Dragonfly Mission to Titan, and the Search for Life - Livestream - 04/21/2021 07:30 PM
San Francisco Amateur Astronomers
The Dragonfly mission to Titan is under construction and scheduled to launch in 2027. Titan is the largest Moon of Saturn and has a rich organic chemistry with lakes of liquid methane and ethane on its surface. The goals of the Dragonfly include the search for life. Could life exist in cryogenic liquid methane and ethane?
Speaker: Chris McKay, NASA Ames
See weblink for connection options
Thursday, 04/22/2021
Enacting Change through Cultivation of Student Activism and Engagement with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion - Livestream - 04/22/2021 11:00 AM
Gladstone Institutes
D’Anne Duncan will discuss the critical importance and value of centering graduate student advocacy and activism to create institutional change by fostering relationships between graduate students, faculty, and campus administrators. Learn strategies to engage graduate students in leadership and diversity, equity, and inclusion values and principles to enact sustainable change in scientific and academic communities.
Silicon Valley Leaders Symposium - Livestream - 04/22/2021 12:00 PM
Silicon Valley Leaders Symposium
Speaker: Rashmi Char, QualComm
See weblink for Zoom connection.
Saving Rare Plants of CA - Livestream - 04/22/2021 01:00 PM
UC Botanical Garden
In honor of Earth Day, Garden Curator Holly Forbes will shine a light on the various ways the Garden is involved in native California flora conservation efforts. The Garden holds one of the largest collections in the world of California native plant species, including over 200 taxa on rare or endangered species lists. Holly's conservation work includes a recovery project of the large-flowered fiddleneck, Amsinckia grandiflora, and saving the Baker’s Larkspur, Delphinium bakeri, from extinction. Join us for this celebration of some of the rarest of rare CA natives.
See weblink to register and receive Zoom information.
SFBBO Birdy Hour Talk: Bats Eat the Bugs That Bug Us! - 04/22/2021 05:00 PM
San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory
Bats are often misunderstood and feared by people, but they are amazing animals and are incredibly important to the ecosystem and to us humans. Join us to learn about these flying mammals and how they are vital to agriculture. Bats eat the insects that affect our crops and spread disease.
This family-friendly program will start with a presentation about bats with something for all ages. Then the highlight: we'll meet live bats! You'll get a close-up look at three species of bats native to California. As you meet these bats, you will see various adaptations that make each one unique to its habitat and foraging style.
Mary Jean (Corky) Quirk is the founder of NorCal Bats
Register at website
Understanding the Role of Fire-Atmosphere Interactions on Fire Spread Using Observations - Livestream - 04/22/2021 05:00 PM
Cafe Scientifique Silicon Valley
Extreme fire behavior has been observed frequently during recent wildfires in the Western US, yet there is still limited understanding of the role of plume dynamics on fire spread. The Rapid Deployments to Wildfires Experiment (RaDFIRE) was the first coordinated meteorological field campaign dedicated to observing fire-atmosphere interactions during large active wildfires to better understand extreme fire behavior. Using a sophisticated suite of instruments, the field campaign sampled 26 wildfires from 2013-2018 in California and Idaho. While observations of active wildfires have shed light on processes associated with fire-atmosphere interactions, data collected from a small-scale and comprehensive field experiment (FireFlux2) provide context on the local processes responsible for fire spread that are difficult to observe when sampling large wildfires. Collectively, the RaDFIRE field campaign and FireFlux2 observations highlight the range of phenomena associated with fire-atmosphere interactions, especially plume dynamics, and will provide a valuable data set for the fire behavior modeling communities.
Speaker: Craig Clements, San Jose State University
The past, present, and future of DNA-based forensics - Livestream - 04/22/2021 05:30 PM
UC Santa Cruz
New technologies are being brought to bear in criminal justice. The existence of community databases of DNA information have enabled a new approach, forensic genetic genealogy, for identifying suspects in violent crimes. New technologies for recovering and analyzing DNA from forensic samples brings forensic genetic genealogy to bear for even previously intractable samples, like single rootless hairs. In conversation with Dean of Baskin School of Engineering Alex Wolf, Associate Professor Ed Green will present his approach and thoughts for where this may be headed.
Register at weblink to receive connection information
Personal Freedom Versus the Pandemic - Livestream - 04/22/2021 05:30 PM
Commonwealth Club - Online Event
The pandemic has raised significant issues of concern for a democratic society, including that of balancing personal freedom against the greater good. How should this issue be most appropriately addressed during a time of pandemic or national emergency? How well is America actually equipped to handle this kind of crisis and how can we best reconcile the protection of individual rights with the need for a national uniformity of effort?
Dr. Frieden is a physician trained in internal medicine, infectious diseases, public health, and epidemiology. He began his public health career in New York City confronting the largest outbreak of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis to occur in the United States. He was then assigned to India, on loan from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where he helped scale up a program for effective tuberculosis diagnosis, treatment and monitoring. Asked to return to New York City to become Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s health commissioner, he directed efforts to reduce smoking and other leading causes of death that increased life expectancy by 3 years. As director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Frieden oversaw the work that helped end the 2014 West Africa Ebola epidemic. He now leads Resolve to Save Lives, a $225 million, 5-year initiative of Vital Strategies, working with countries to prevent 100 million deaths and to make the world safer from epidemics. He is also senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Join this important conversation about protecting the rights and health of Americans.
Register to receive connection information
Speaker: Dr. Tom Frieden, Resolve to Save Lives, former Director, CDC; Dr. Elisabeth Rosenthal, Kaiser Health News, Moderator
Hardcore Natural History: Marine Algae as Ocean Record Keepers - Livestream - 04/22/2021 06:00 PM
Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History
Join us as we speak to Dr. Emily Miller a research technician in the Monterey Bay Aquarium/Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) Incubator Initiative program with the Environmental Sample Processor (ESP) team. Emilly Miller will talk about how the team based at the Monterey Bay Aquarium used older algae specimens to extend the Bakun upwelling index back to 1878, 70 years before monitoring of upwelling began in Monterey Bay.
Planning for future ocean conditions requires historical data to establish more informed ecological baselines. To date, this process has been largely limited to instrument records and observations that begin around 1950. Marine algae from herbaria repositories may document long-term ecosystem processes and extend historical information records into the nineteenth century. The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Ocean Memory Lab generates new information about the ocean’s past by combing through scientific collections, museums, and other historical archives. Emily Miller, the lead author of the study, was able to offer a new perspective on upwelling cycles and document these patterns to help understand the shifts in the foundation of the food web to make more informed conservation decisions in the future of Monterey Bay.
Register at weblink to receive connection information
After Dark Online: Earth Day - 04/22/2021 07:00 PM
ExplOratorium
At this After Dark, hear from and celebrate voices at the forefront of the environmental justice movement. Founded in 1970 by activist groups, Earth Day is an annual, global event to raise awareness about our natural environment, the threats posed by a changing climate, and the actions we can take to address and mitigate the impacts on our communities. Join us as we look toward our local landscapes, celebrating and highlighting the work of organizations who expose inequitable impacts of climate change and advocate for environmental justice. Working directly with the most impacted communities, these organizations offer tools for climate resilience and advocate for meaningful change through legislation.
See weblink for YouTube and Facebook Live links.
NightSchool: Earth Day for the People - Livestream - 04/22/2021 07:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences
We know that it’s important to take care of the entire planet, but this Earth Day, we’re focusing on projects at the zip code level. Get inspired by people and organizations radically changing both the health of the environment and their communities - through sustainable development, environmental justice, citizen science, and the food system - and how these projects can be “greenprints” for larger efforts.
See weblink for YouTube and Facebook Live links
Intro to Computer Vision: Building Object Detection Models and Datasets - Livestream - 04/22/2021 07:00 PM
SF Bay Association of Computing Machinery
Join this hands-on workshop to get started with computer vision and object detection.Build your own object detection model from start to finish. Includes step-by-step instructions on data annotation and model training with your own dataset. Object classification and localization within an image is foundational to many computer vision applications.In this workshop we'll cover:- High level computer vision applications & concepts- How to label your own dataset for object detection & computer vision- How to train your model using python & detectron2 (A PyTorch based modular object detection library)- Run the model for object detection on images & videoWhat you’ll need:- A modern web browser (like Chrome)- A Google account (Colab is a tool made by Google)- Sign up free for Sense Data Annotation Who should attend:Anyone interested in computer vision! This workshop is designed to be approachable for most skill levels. Knowing some python programming will help, but it's not required.We encourage anyone who is curious to attend and ask questions!
Register at weblink to receive connection information
Wonderfest: Ask a Science Envoy: 'Awe & Big Data' - Livestream - 04/22/2021 08:00 PM
Wonderfest
Wonderfest Science Envoys are early-career researchers with special 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 psychologist Rebecca Corona on The Many Faces of Awe - Awe is unlike any other emotion. It possesses the power to grab us, shake us, and change the way we see the universe. Psychological research in national forests and during the COVID-19 pandemic helps us to plumb the depths - and the many aspects - of awe. UC Berkeley statistician Stephen Bates on Being Honest with Big Data - Huge datasets now touch every part of our lives, and this explosion of information allows scientists to ask (and answer!) more questions than ever. But the more questions we ask, the more easily we fall prey to the "cherry-picking" fallacy. New ideas from statistics allow scientists to make honest assessments of the evidence in big data.
See weblink for Zoom information
Friday, 04/23/2021
DNA Day at UC Santa Cruz - Livestream - 04/23/2021 10:00 AM
UC Santa Cruz
Attend our annual celebration to learn how UCSC is revealing life’s code. This event features distinguished scientific speakers on leading edge genomics science; research presentations by UCSC undergraduate genomics scholars; and a student-led strawberry DNA extraction demonstration. Join in the discussion and Q&A.
Selected talks will be made available in Spanish.
Speakers include DavidHaussler, Gepoliano chaves, and Elizabeth Padilla-Crespo.
See weblink for connection information
Eggs, Tadpoles, to Frogs: Monitoring Frogs in the Golden Gate National Parks - Livestream - 04/23/2021 12:00 PM
Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy
Learn about the common and uncommon frogs you will see in the Golden Gate National Parks. Hear the story about the California Red Legged Frog and the work the Golden Gate National Parks is doing to reintroduce and monitor this threatened frog population in the park.
Price Sheppy from the Parks Conservancy will share information about local frogs, listen to their mating calls, and learn how to tell these frogs apart. Gabriela Dunn from the Golden Gate National Parks will tell you about California red legged frog reintroduction, how the park monitors these frogs, and what it can tell us about them.
Register in advance for this event. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Both Ganymede and Callisto, Jupiter’s two largest moons, host numerous impact craters and basins on their ice shells. Although it is not yet possible to directly probe them, the wide ranges of impact crater sizes provide a possible avenue through which we can begin to understand the internal structures of these ice shells surrounding these moons. Here I will present findings from iSALE models looking at the development of complex craters and multiring basins and the implications for rheologic structure within Ganymede and Callisto’s ice shells. Icy complex craters show an inflection point in their depth-diameter measurements, which we show to be due to a transition from colder, conductive ice at the surface to warmer, convective ice in the subsurface. The depth of this transition indicates that the upper conductive portion of the ice shell has a conductive thermal gradient of approximately 10 K/km. We also set out to test if the onset of multiring basin morphologies are sensitive to the total thickness of the ice shell. Preliminary results show that thinner ice shells and higher thermal conditions - both conductive thermal gradient and convective ice temperature - facilitate multiring basin formation.
Speaker: Evan Bjonnes, Brown University
Zoom information can be found on the EPS advising Google calendar
'Saving the Dark' Movie and Panel Discussion - Livestream - 04/23/2021 07:00 PM
Chabot Space and Science Center
"Saving The Dark" is a Documentary Movie on Astronomy and Light Pollution. It is about the significance of Astronomy and the night skies, effects of Light Pollution on Astronomy, human health, wildlife and beyond, what we can do to fight it.
The movie will show what the people in cities are missing out on, the importance of Astronomy in our lives, the impact Astronomy can have on children, how Light Pollution costs a lot of money, affects our health, wildlife and our environment, show the work of nonprofits fighting to preserve dark night skies, tell what people can do at home to fight Light Pollution and talk to cities that have successfully handled this issue.
Panelists:
Film Producer, Sriram Murali Astronomer, Gerald McKeegan Astronomer, Richard Ozer
See weblink for Youtube and Facebook Live links
Saturday, 04/24/2021
Science Saturday: Day of the Dinosaur - Livestream - 04/24/2021 10:00 AM
Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History Pacific Grove
Prepare for time-travel during this prehistoric Science Saturday, when we'll set our sights on the age of the dinosaurs. This event will feature fossils, footprints, and more as we learn what made the dinosaurs so successful, and also what led to their extinction.
See weblink for connection information
Reducing our Footprint with Chemistry - Livestream - 04/24/2021 11:00 AM
California Section American Chemical Society
Our virtual event on April 24th will be a fun-filled learning event. Several hands-on demonstrations, short lectures and explanations of activities will keep it exciting, engaging and informative. One of these activities will involve plant smells (flower, leaves, barks etc.), guessing the smells, and building models of molecules behind these smells. The event theme is “Reducing Our Footprint with Chemistry.”
Register at website. A Zoom link will be sent to registered participants shortly before the event.
Observing the Sky: (Some) Astronomical Innovation From Then to Now - PART 2 - Livestream - 04/24/2021 07:00 PM
East Bay Astronomical Society
For more than 2000 years, innovative people have applied their ideas and insights into observing the universe. Unknown thousands of years ago, visual observers named sets of stars from the patterns they saw, sometimes using myths or animals, real or imagined, in their environments for the names. This became a convenience for astrologers and others talking about the sky. Planets were discovered and calendars were invented, and precession was discovered. Even computers and observatories were invented. More than a millennium ago, the first instruments for measuring star positions were invented. Used for surveying and navigation, improvements on these instruments and the developments of new ones led to new discoveries, especially when combined with new mathematical methods for calculation.
The invention of the telescope changed everything. Mountains and craters were visible on the Moon. Those moving points in the sky turned out not to be… worlds(?)! With moons! Telescopes and their mounts were improved, new inventions were adapted, and new methods of observation were applied to old and new problems by astronomers. The spectroscope, chemical photography, and the use of electricity and electronics literally opened up the universe to astronomers.
Continuing innovation on a variety of fronts has led to the present day, and a few years hence, with giant optical telescopes and other telescopes across and outside the electromagnetic spectrum. We can now see nearly to the edge of the visible universe and study processes occurring in the first few minutes of its existence. Amateur astronomers have not been left behind and benefit by many of the same innovations used by the professional community.
Innovations span the spectrum of invention, ideas, analysis, new applications of old and new technology, and even other astronomical discoveries. Learn how innovations have led to many famous, and not so famous but just as important, discoveries about the Solar System, the Galaxy, and the universe around us.
Speaker: Steve Edberg, retired astronomer
See weblink for Facebook live link
Virtual Telescope Viewing - Livestream - 04/24/2021 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.
Monday, 04/26/2021
UC Berkeley Condensed Matter Physics Lecture - Livestream - 04/26/2021 02:30 PM
UC Berkeley
Speaker: Yen-Ta Huang
See weblink for connection information
Gender Bias in Language Perception - Livestream - 04/26/2021 02:30 PM
Stanford Symbolic Systems Forum
An issue that has been debated for decades is whether there are gendered differences in communication styles and, if so, whether these differences can perpetuate power imbalances between people with different gender identities. If the answer to these questions is yes, then many have argued that those with less power can get ahead by talking like those with more power. For example, in response to studies showing that men interrupt women more often than the reverse in presidential debates and Supreme Court hearings, editorials argued that women should start interrupting men more often. However, recommendations like this rest on the assumption that people with different gender identities are perceived the same way when saying the same thing. Drawing on the results of an experiment where 5000 participants evaluated carefully manipulated conversations, this talk answers long-standing questions about how women and men are perceived when they interrupt each other.
Speaker: Katherine Hilton, Stanford
See weblink for Zoom link.
Using Quantum Sensors to Search for Dark Matter - Livestream - 04/26/2021 04:00 PM
What Physicists Do @ Sonoma State University
Speaker: Dr. Francisco Ponce, Pacific Northwest National Lab
Tuesday, 04/27/2021
Our Threatened Human Fertility. Causes, Consequences, and Solutions - Livestream - 04/27/2021 09:00 AM
Commonwealth Club - Online Event
'Beauty and the Beast: California Wildflowers and Climate Change' - Livestream - 04/27/2021 11:00 AM
UC Botanical Garden
The New Breed: What Our Animal History Reveals For Our Robotic Future - Livestream - 04/27/2021 12:30 PM
Long Now Foundation
The role of glaciers in global biogeochemical cycles - Livestream - 04/27/2021 03:30 PM
UC Santa Cruz
Can we see Quantum Mechanics at Work Around Us? - Livestream - 04/27/2021 04:00 PM
California Section American Chemical Society
Scientific espionage, open exchange, and American competitiveness - Livestream - 04/27/2021 04:30 PM
Stanford University
Gray Whale Populations: The Eastern/Western Paradox - Livestream - 04/27/2021 07:00 PM
American Cetacean Society
Near-Earth Asteroids, The Impact Hazard, and Space Missions - Livestream - 04/27/2021 07:00 PM
Chabot Space and Science Center
Wednesday, 04/28/2021
Does California need more options for forest or blue carbon offsets? - Livestream - 04/28/2021 03:30 PM
Estuary & Ocean Science Center
Investigating Conservative Environmental Polarization, 1945-1981 - Livestream - 04/28/2021 04:00 PM
Energy and Resources Group
Peninsula Gem and Geology Society General Meeting - Livestream - 04/28/2021 07:00 PM
Peninsula Gem & Geology Society
Black Hole Survival Guide - Livestream - 04/28/2021 07:00 PM
Silicon Valley Astronomy Series
Thursday, 04/29/2021
Using Genetic Engineering to Combat Invasive Species - Livestream - 04/29/2021 11:00 AM
University of Minnesota
A Brief Introduction to Applying Machine Learning to Investing - 04/29/2021 11:50 AM
Magnimind Academy
City Nature Challenge Launch with One Tam - Livestream - 04/29/2021 12:00 PM
Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy
Silicon Valley Leaders Symposium - Livestream - 04/29/2021 12:00 PM
Silicon Valley Leaders Symposium
Astrobotany 101 - Livestream - 04/29/2021 01:00 PM
UC Botanical Garden
Home DNA Testing - Livestream - 04/29/2021 06:30 PM
Berkeley Public Library
After Dark Online: Forever Chemicals - 04/29/2021 07:00 PM
ExplOratorium
NightSchool: Geology & Society - Livestream - 04/29/2021 07:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences
Friday, 04/30/2021
Saturday, 05/01/2021
The Wonderful World of Indoor Houseplants - Livestream - 05/01/2021 10:00 AM
Garden for the Environment
Virtual Telescope Viewing - Livestream - 05/01/2021 09:00 PM
Chabot Space and Science Center
Monday, 05/03/2021
UC Berkeley Condensed Matter Physics Lecture - Livestream - 05/03/2021 02:30 PM
UC Berkeley
Programmable light-matter interactions: DNA as a tool for nanophotonics - Livestream - 05/03/2021 04:00 PM
What Physicists Do @ Sonoma State University