Hello again Science Fans!
I don’t know about you, but I’ve always had a pretty good sense of direction. Way back when I was young, my mother would take my sister and me to New York City during spring break from school. We would come up out of the subway and I’d always be able to figure out which way to turn to get where we wanted to go. If you’ve ever come up from NYC’s subway, you know the entrances pop up wherever, with little connection to the direction of the line you were on. Same is true for SF Muni, for that matter.
Some people have no idea which way is which. Turn them around a couple of times and they are lost. It is one of those oddities of life…why do some of us know which way we’re pointing and others don’t. It may have to do with the environment in which we grew up.
I do have to admit that there is one place where my navigational skills fail me consistently, and that is Chicago. I know why, too. I went to university in northeast Ohio, so I’m used to “the lake” being north, with the body of water in question being Lake Erie. In Chicago, Lake Michigan is to the east. My sense of direction points me to the lake and thinks “north”.
I wrote last week about the second COVID-19 booster. This week comes an article about Moderna’s latest, a bivalent vaccine, which shows promise against both the original and newer versions of the virus. Several doctors aren’t impressed, however.
We’re all impressed with the images being returned to Earth from Mars by Perseverance, but the video at the top of the Schmooze has to be one of the coolest ones yet. It shows an eclipse of the sun by Phobos, one of Mars’ two moons. Both Phobos and Deimos are somewhat potato shaped, not what we’re used to in a moon. They are named after Greek gods of fear. Here’s more about this video.
Not to be outdone, Ganymede, the largest of Jupiter’s moons, casts its shadow on the giant planet in a picture taken by NASA’s Juno mission in late February.
As long as we’re talking about eclipses, plan ahead for April 8, 2024 and the next Great North American Solar Eclipse. This will be a total solar eclipse, with a wider path of totality than the one in 2017. The headline of this article says “once-in-a-lifetime”, but since we just had one 5 years ago, that seems like journalistic license to me. Still, total eclipses such as this have only been visible in the U.S. 21 times since the Declaration of Independence!
Nature is amazing. Witness the birth of a Monk Seal pup in Oahu!
Meanwhile, the Monterey Bay Aquarium has recently opened a new exhibit featuring deep-sea creatures collected by the Aquarium’s Research Institute, including a brand new species of jelly, a coral-red one with coiled tentacles that look like pigtails.
I recently wrote about how intelligent magpies are. Magpies are cousins to crows and ravens, both very intelligent birds that use tools to get what they want. I once watched a crow pick up a unshelled walnut from the ground in its beak, fly up into the air, and drop it onto the street. It then flew back down, picked it up again, and repeated this until the shell of the walnut cracked and the bird could get at the nut inside. Now comes some research that looks at the emotional reactions of these birds to the death of one of their own. Call it a bird funeral!
Earthquakes are a fact of life for those of us living on the Pacific Rim. Imagine a magnitude 9.5 quake that created a 5,000 mile long tsunami with waves up to 66 feet high! Scientists have found evidence of one such quake, the largest known, from about 3,800 years ago, originating in Chile.
Let’s finish up back in space. If you are up early in the morning, Jupiter, Saturn, Mars and Venus will be lined up for the rest of this month.
On Mars, the InSight lander has been sighted covered in Mars dust. It has been on Mars since 2018. The article includes “before and after” pictures of InSight.
Our final stop is 5,000 light years away where two stars are locked in a dance. Every 15 years or so there is a huge nova, the last one was witnessed last year. Remember, this actually happened 5,000 years ago, with the light just reaching Earth now. What was seen may help solve one of the universe’s biggest mysteries; the sources of cosmic rays!
Have a great week in Science!
Bob
Upcoming Events:
Click to see the next two weeks of events in your browser.
Monday, 04/25/2022
Wild & Scenic Film Festival 2022 - Livestream - 04/25/2022 07:00 PM
Peninsula Open Space Trust
Join Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) and Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (Midpen) as we co-host the Wild & Scenic Film Festival. The film program will be available virtually to all who register for the event, available to watch from the comfort of your home anytime between Saturday, April 23rd and Friday, April 29th.
The Wild & Scenic Film Festival is the largest film festival of its kind, showcasing the best and brightest in environmental and adventure films. Festival viewers can expect to see award-winning environmentally inspired short films, and have the opportunity to learn more about POST and Midpen's work here on the Peninsula and in the South Bay.
Register at weblink to access films and to see the list of films in the festival.
Building Climate Resilience in the Bay Area - Livestream - 04/25/2022 10:00 AM
Save the Bay
The Save the Bay habitat restoration team grows 30-40,000 native plants every year to restore tidal marsh around the Bay Area with two nurseries where the magic happens. Join us for a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of our nurseries and take a look at the life cycle of one of our native tidal marsh species. Then, we will take you on a virtual tour of the shoreline and see these native plants in action providing habitat, filtering water, and protecting our shorelines from sea level rise.
Attendees will leave with an understanding and appreciation for the ecosystem services that humans and wildlife receive from tidal marsh wetlands and the restoration work that Save The Bay, and other organizations, are doing to restore this vital habitat.
Click here to attend.
GIGA-Lens: A Fast Differentiable Bayesian Inference Framework for Strong Lensing - 04/25/2022 11:00 AM
Varian Physics Building Stanford
Strong gravitational lensing systems constitute a powerful tool for cosmology. They are uniquely suited to probe the low-end of the dark matter mass function and test the predictions of the cold dark matter model beyond the local universe. Multiply lensed quasars (and supernovae in the near future) are being used to provide independent constraints on the Hubble constant. In this talk, we present GIGA-Lens: a gradient-informed, GPU-accelerated Bayesian framework for modeling strong gravitational lensing systems, implemented in TensorFlow and JAX. The three components, optimization using multi-start gradient descent, posterior covariance estimation with variational inference, and sampling via Hamiltonian Monte Carlo, all take advantage of gradient information through automatic differentiation and parallelization on GPUs. The average time to model a simulated system on four Nvidia A100 GPUs is 105 seconds. The robustness, speed, and scalability offered by this framework make it possible to model the large number of strong lenses found in current surveys and present a very promising prospect for the modeling of O(10^5) lensing systems expected to be discovered in the era of the Rubin Observatory, Euclid, and Roman Space Telescope.
Speakers: Xiaosheng Huang (University of San Francisco) and Andi Gu (UC Berkeley)
In Person and Zoom. See weblink for Zoom information
Do Pinnipeds have Personalities? Investigating Mechanisms Behind Individual Behavior in Seals and Sea Lions - Livestream - 04/25/2022 12:00 PM
Sonoma State Biology Colloquium
Speaker: Dr. Gene DeRango, UC Santa Cruz
See link for Zoom information
Emergent electronic and excitonic physics in TMD moire superlattices - Livestream - 04/25/2022 02:30 PM
Physics North Berkeley
Heterostructures of 2D materials offer remarkable opportunities for creativity and control in electronic material design. Recently, a unique prospect for 2D stacks has emerged: the ability to tune the twist angle between atomic layers. With a small twist angle or lattice mismatch, the interference of two atomic lattices produces a large periodic pattern, called a moire superlattice, where the alignment between atoms varies periodically across the system. In this talk, I will focus on moire superlattices made from semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenide layers. I will introduce three experimental studies highlighting how a simple interference pattern can produce fascinating electronic and optical behavior, including unusual excitons, correlated electronic states, and modified spin transport.
Speakers: Emma Regan, UC Berkeley
Attend in person or online via Zoom information in weblink.
A study of nearly-magnetic metals - Canceled - 04/25/2022 02:30 PM
Physics North Berkeley
BUDDI-MaNGA: a statistical spectroscopic survey of galaxy bulges and discs - Livestream - 04/25/2022 04:00 PM
What Physicists Do - Sonoma State University
Speaker: Boris Haeussler, European Southern Observatory
See weblink for Zoom link
Stanford Energy Seminar: Nancy Skinner, CA State Senate - Livestream - 04/25/2022 04:00 PM
Stanford Energy Seminar
A social justice advocate, energy and climate change trailblazer and accomplished legislator, Nancy Skinner was first elected to the state Senate in 2016 after completing three terms in the state Assembly. Senator Skinner currently serves as chair of the Senate's Budget and Fiscal Review Committee and vice-chair of the Legislative Women's Caucus.
Skinner is a past member of the East Bay Regional Park District board, a former small business owner, and an active advocate to increase the number of women in elected office. She served on the Board of the East Bay Women's Political Caucus and launched the Women in Power PAC to support Democratic women running for state office.
Skinner's Senate District includes the cities of Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, El Cerrito, Emeryville, El Sobrante, Hercules, Kensington, Oakland, Piedmont, Pinole, Richmond, Rodeo, San Leandro, and San Pablo. She is a graduate of UC Berkeley, earning both a BS and an MA.
Register at weblink to receive Zoom information
Oh Behave! Changing the Way We React to Bias & Discrimination - Livestream - 04/25/2022 05:00 PM
Unconscious Bias Project
Can we really tackle bias and discrimination?
Dive into the research with Asst. Professor Eason, UC Berkeley Psychologist, to demystify why prejudice and bias have persisted for so long. Understand the impacts of our "representational landscapes", such as why folks like Native Americans and queer people get left out of our national narratives or how the presence of racial segregation maintains bias, and what actions we can take against it.
Then take some tools to that noggin' with science-tested practical techniques by the Unconscious Bias Project with Dr. Linet Mera that you can apply in seconds to fight discrimination when it comes up and when you see it happen in real life. Talk to the experts and learn practical tools you can apply any time to *actually* make the world a better place.
Speakers: Dr. Arianne Eason, UC Berkeley; Dr. Linet Mera, Unconscious Bias Project
Register at weblink
The Quantum Origins of Gravity - 04/25/2022 05:30 PM
International House Berkeley
It was once thought that gravity and quantum mechanics were inconsistent with one another. Instead, we are discovering that they are so closely connected that one can almost say they are the same thing. Professor Leonard Susskind, Stanford University, will explain how this view came into being over the last two decades, and illustrate how a number of gravitational phenomena have their roots in the ordinary principles of quantum mechanics.
Register to attend, either in person or online.
Changing Shorelines and the Future of San Francisco - 04/25/2022 06:00 PM
Candlestick point State Recreation Area San Francisco
San Francisco's shoreline has changed dramatically over the centuries and continues to change today.
Join a California State Parks Interpreter as we take a walk through the history of south San Francisco's shoreline and explore how our shorelines have shifted due to both natural phenomenon and human activity. You'll have the chance to trace the path of past shorelines, as well as get a glimpse into the future of our shorelines as we discuss how climate change and sea level rise will impact San Francisco, and what we can do to protect our shorelines for ourselves and future generations.
Register at weblink
Wonderfest: Starship Reality-Check - 04/25/2022 07:00 PM
Hopmonk Tavern Novato
The stars beckon. But humans evolved on Earth, not to hurtle through space. For long-duration travel - interplanetary and, even, interstellar - what spacecraft accomodations are necessary? Is on-board human hibernation an option? Might we overcome the problems of space radiation and prolonged weightlessness? Finally, scientists may argue that the ideal craft for fast human interstellar travel is the constantly-accelerating "1-g starship," but what do engineers say?
Speakers: Pascal Lee, SETI Institute and Mars Institute; Tucker Hiatt, Wonderfest
Tuesday, 04/26/2022
Wild & Scenic Film Festival 2022 - Livestream - 04/26/2022 07:00 PM
Peninsula Open Space Trust
Join Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) and Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (Midpen) as we co-host the Wild & Scenic Film Festival. The film program will be available virtually to all who register for the event, available to watch from the comfort of your home anytime between Saturday, April 23rd and Friday, April 29th.
The Wild & Scenic Film Festival is the largest film festival of its kind, showcasing the best and brightest in environmental and adventure films. Festival viewers can expect to see award-winning environmentally inspired short films, and have the opportunity to learn more about POST and Midpen's work here on the Peninsula and in the South Bay.
Register at weblink to access films and to see the list of films in the festival.
Before the Curtain Rises: How Do You Make A Film About Science? - Livestream - 04/26/2022 12:00 PM
Science Communication Lab
Long before a film hits the big screen, Netflix, or YouTube, it begins as a nebulous idea, to be formed, challenged, and morphed into a multimedia experience. Films about science carry an extra challenge - telling stories about complicated topics and elements invisible to the human eye. How do you turn microbes into movie stars? Laboratories into sound stages? And experiments into the plotlines of thrillers?
Over the past few years, the Science Communication Lab has tackled these questions by becoming a leading innovator in science filmmaking. In addition to its award-winning documentaries on CRISPR (Human Nature) and women in STEM (Picture A Scientist), the SCL has produced a suite of short films and video courses for the classroom and the public. Members of the SCL embrace the notion that they work in a "lab," constantly testing their assumptions about what a science film can and should be. Come hear the stories behind the filmmaking and engage in a lively discussion around the power (and pitfalls) of bringing the stories of science to film.
Click here to join the event
April Butterfly Walk in the Garden - FULL - 04/26/2022 01:30 PM
UC Botanical Garden Berkeley
April Butterfly Walk in the Garden - second session - FULL - 04/26/2022 03:00 PM
UC Botanical Garden Berkeley
What's Infecting Us? Laboratory Detection of Pathogens in the Current Era - Livestream - 04/26/2022 03:00 PM
UC San Francisco Department of Laboratory Medicine
Nearly all infectious diseases need laboratory testing for diagnosis and treatment. This event will cover the standards of clinical microbiology techniques, from traditional microscopy to the latest molecular diagnostics. From there, we will transition into the research laboratory to see how research on Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiologic agent of Chagas disease, is being used to develop novel diagnostic assays.
Click here to join the event.
Recent Brain Research on the Rejuvenating Power of Sleep - Livestream - 04/26/2022 03:00 PM
Commonwealth Club - Online Event
Join us to discuss the most recent brain research confirming the indispensable value of the "downstate" (sleep) - the key to cellular rejuvenation - and how to use the downstate to maximize your physical and mental vitality. Most people are worn down by the daily grind, but the body is designed to alleviate its effects. Brain research continues to accumulate ever more detail about why the downstate is so indispensable to our mental and physical health.
Sara Mednick's Sleep and Cognition Lab studies the role sleep plays in forming our long-term memories, regulating our emotions, keeping our cardiovascular system functioning properly, and helping older adults stay alert and more agile. The downstate is an integral part of all the physiological, cognitive and emotional processes that allow us to stay as strong as possible. So why do we often ignore it during our stressful, nonstop lives, when respecting the downstate would mean a longer, healthier life?
Mednick's answer encompasses all the most up-to-date findings from autonomic, sleep, circadian rhythms, exercise physiology, and nutrition research. She won't tell you to stop working so hard. The sweet smell of ambition in the morning is not the enemy. Rather, she explains how we can handle any reasonable amount of stress as long as we replenish ourselves on a daily basis - and so indefinitely delay burning out.
Moderator: George Hammond, Author
Incorporating watershed storage, hydrologic connectivity, and the natural flow regime into water resource management - 04/26/2022 03:30 PM
Natural Science Annex Santa Cruz
Managing water resources continues to be one of society's grand challenges. Our water resources play a critical role in human health, agriculture and energy production, and ecosystem function. In this seminar, we will focus on managing river corridors to promote ecosystem function. More specifically, we will examine how upstream processes (i.e., watershed storage and hydrologic connectivity) impact downstream function. To do this, we will use three case studies that span gradients in hydrologic connectivity: (i) headwater wetlands, (ii) non-perennial streams, and (iii) riverine floodplains. In each of these case studies, we will examine hierarchical controls on hydrologic variability and cascading ecosystem functions. Moreover, each case study will address challenges across research, regulatory, and management communities. Finally, we will end with a discussion on opportunities to further integrate catchment hydrology, ecosystem science, and water resource management.
Speaker: Nate Jones, University of Alabama
3D Printing & Silicone Casting Demonstration - Livestream - 04/26/2022 04:00 PM
UC San Francisco Makers Lab
Join the UCSF Library's Makers Lab for a live, virtual demonstration. Learn how 3D printing and silicone casting are being used to create models for UCSF faculty, students, and researchers.
The demonstration will be like a cooking show - but for health sciences projects! View the technology in action, learn about projects at UCSF, and ask Makers Lab staff questions.
Click here to join the event.
How To Bioblitz - Livestream - 04/26/2022 04:00 PM
Candlestick Point State Recreation Area
April 29-May 2 is the City in Nature Challenge, a global citizen science event that invites people all over the world to explore their local environment using the app iNaturalist. In leadup to the event, Candlestick Point State Recreation Area will be hosting two virtual trainings on how to use iNaturalist, tips and tricks for participating in the City in Nature Challenge, and information about Candlestick Point's own Bioblitz on May 1, 2022.
Register at weblink
Nanotechnology and Engineering for Medicine - Livestream - 04/26/2022 05:30 PM
UC San Francisco
Join us for a virtual tour of a UCSF Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences lab where researchers use nanoscale technologies to create new and improved ways to deliver medicine to target sites in the body and to enable the body to heal itself. The Desai Lab tackles important challenges in biomedicine, including research on diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
UCSF scientists will share about their research and take attendees on a virtual tour of the lab space, highlighting some of the equipment and experimental setups that are used in their research. The presentation and tour will be followed by a Q&A session with the lab's researchers.
Click here to join the event
Virtual Tour of Robotics Genome Editing Lab - Livestream - 04/26/2022 05:30 PM
Laboratory for Genomics Research
The Laboratory for Genomics Research at UCSF works on building and scaling up CRISPR-based genome editing tools and cell engineering approaches.
Join this virtual tour and see a fully automated high-throughput cell culture system with self-contained robotic arms to access the incubator, microscope, liquid handler, and other equipment.
Click here to join the event
Protegiendo y rehabilitando Aves de rapina locales - Livestream - 04/26/2022 06:00 PM
Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley
Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley le invitamos a un curso educativa en espanol donde estariamos hablando sobre aves de rapina locales tal como el halcon, aguilas y buhos.
Hablaremos de como ellos pueden ayudar al medio ambiente y como rehabilitamos animales salvajes que se encuentran enfermos, lastimados o huerfanos en area de bahia. Nos pueden hacer preguntas hacerca de aves de rapina o de otras animales salvajes en general.
Nosotros en el Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley nos dedicamos al cuidado de animales salvajes sin ningun costo con la esperanza de devolverlos a la naturaleza. Educamos al publico a coexsistir en paz con la vida salvaje local.
Haz clic aqui para unirte al evento
Space Debris and The Kessler Syndrome: A Possible Future Trapped on Earth - 04/26/2022 07:00 PM
The Interval at Long Now San Francisco
More than one hundred million pieces of human-made space debris currently orbit our planet, most moving at more than 10,000 mph. Every year their number increases, creating a progressively more dangerous environment for working spacecraft. In order to operate in space, we track most of this debris through a patchwork of private efforts and government defense networks. Creon Levit spent over three decades at NASA, and is now the Director of R&D at Planet, a company that is imaging the earth everyday with one of the largest swarms of micro-satellites in the world. Creon will discuss the history of space debris, the way the debris is currently tracked, and how we might work to reduce it before we see a cascading effect of ballistic interactions that could render low orbit all but unusable.
Speaker: Creon Levit, Planet
This talk will also be livestreamed. See weblink
Human Impacts on Large Whales - Livestream - 04/26/2022 07:00 PM
American Cetacean Society
Join the ACS San Francisco Bay Chapter for a captivating presentation by Kathi George, Director of Field Operations and Response at The Marine Mammal Center. In this talk, Kathi will provide a deeper look at the Center's whale response efforts as a leading first responder to whales in distress. Learn more about how whales are affected by human impacts, changing ocean conditions, and what the Center and other partners are doing to address and prevent this issue.
Register at weblink to receive connection information
Wednesday, 04/27/2022
Wild & Scenic Film Festival 2022 - Livestream - 04/27/2022 07:00 PM
Peninsula Open Space Trust
Join Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) and Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (Midpen) as we co-host the Wild & Scenic Film Festival. The film program will be available virtually to all who register for the event, available to watch from the comfort of your home anytime between Saturday, April 23rd and Friday, April 29th.
The Wild & Scenic Film Festival is the largest film festival of its kind, showcasing the best and brightest in environmental and adventure films. Festival viewers can expect to see award-winning environmentally inspired short films, and have the opportunity to learn more about POST and Midpen's work here on the Peninsula and in the South Bay.
Register at weblink to access films and to see the list of films in the festival.
Virtual Tour of Recology San Francisco - Livestream - 04/27/2022 12:30 PM
Recology San Francisco
Join us for an overview of Recology! Learn about our history, current programs, and what happens to the items placed in your curbside bins. While our facility is closed to the public, we still want to provide our community with the resources to continue recycling and composting properly and support individuals in making choices that protect and preserve our fragile planet.
During this webinar, you will learn about the history of Recology, the innovative programs we have put in place with the city of San Francisco, how Recology is improving the sorting process for recycling while maintaining a focus on reducing and reusing, and what individual actions you can take to create an impactful change.
Register at weblink
Water Rocket Rally - 04/27/2022 01:30 PM
Hiller Aviation Museum San Carlos
Ideal for elementary-aged students (grades K-5), participants learn about Newton's Third Law and examine a real rocket designed and built by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Then, everyone designs, constructs, and launches a water rocket made from a recycled soda bottle!
Following the water rocket launch, participants may explore the Hiller Aviation Museum's collection of some fifty different air and spacecraft.
There is no fee to participate, but each person wishing to launch a rocket should bring a clean, recycled 1- or 2-liter soda bottle (no water bottles please). New, empty soda bottles will be available in the museum's Gift Shop on the day of the event for a nominal fee for those unable to bring a suitable bottle.
Augmented Reality California Trail Scavenger Hunt - 04/27/2022 02:00 PM
Oakland Zoo Oakland
Oakland Zoo has a new offering - interactive augmented reality care of tech/learning company Agents of Discovery. Through this partnership we look to provide another level of engagement and learning on site. Guests will be given exclusive early access to this Agents of Discovery "Mission" and its "Challenges" before it launches to the general public. They will be asked to download the free app and use the GPS map provided to navigate the new California Trail section Oakland Zoo.
When the participants are within physical range of a challenge the augmented reality task becomes unlocked and can be completed. These challenges will provide themed, self-guided learning opportunities relevant to the Zoo and our conservation efforts, but also equip users with skills to be used later more generally down the line.
See weblink for additional requirements and to register
Ask the Scientist - Livestream - 04/27/2022 02:30 PM
Estuary & Ocean Science Center
How do scientists go from OMG to advanced degree? How do they turn their passion for science into their profession? What advice do they have for future scientists? 5th-12th grade students, parents and teachers are invited to join us for a lively conversation with an environmental scientist about their love for science.
Register at weblink
Tales of the estuary: freshwater flow, plankton, and the declining longfin smelt - Livestream - 04/27/2022 03:40 PM
Estuary & Ocean Science Center
A central theme of our lab's research in the San Francisco Estuary is the interaction between the movement of water and the lives of planktonic organisms. The Estuary is dynamic, with variable tides and freshwater flow interacting over a complex bathymetry. Like other organisms, planktonic species must reproduce, grow, and survive. They must also maintain position in the salinity gradient and avoid being swept to sea. I illustrate how plankton overcome these challenges with two case studies from our work with collaborators: population dynamics and behavior of the copepod Pseudodiaptomus forbesi, and movements of larvae of the threatened longfin smelt. Interactions between complex hydrodynamics and behavior retains both species in the estuary, and may be the key mechanism underlying the 100-fold variability in the juvenile longfin smelt abundance index with freshwater flow. These results highlight the value of applying models to understand plankton distributions in their moving frame of reference.
Speaker: Wim Kimmerer, Estuary & Ocean Science Center, Emeritus
See weblink for Zoom registration
Fire and Climate Change - Livestream - 04/27/2022 04:00 PM
Acterra
About the speaker: Kristen Shive leads the science team for the Forest Program in The Nature Conservancy's California Chapter. Her work broadly focuses on restoring fire to fire-adapted ecosystems, prioritizing areas for restoration and understanding shifting fire regimes. She has 20 years of experience in conservation, forest and fire management, ecology and science. She holds an M.S. in Forestry from Northern Arizona University and a Ph.D. in Environmental Science, Policy and Management from UC Berkeley.
Register at weblink to receive connection information.
Biomimicry: Nature's Design - Livestream - 04/27/2022 04:00 PM
The Energy Coalition
Through an interactive presentation by The Energy Coalition, participants will learn about the concept of "Biomimicry: Nature's Design." Participants will apply engineering design skills through a creative project that identifies traits in their native flora and fauna, and use them as inspiration to design a new technology or enhance existing human technology. Participants will collaborate and design a solution to a problem using biomimicry and determine the benefit their invention will bring to solve a real-world climate or energy problem.
Register at weblink
Exploring the Science of Gardening - 04/27/2022 04:00 PM
Candlestick Point Community Garden San Francisco
Join California State Parks at the Candlestick Point State Recreation Area Community Garden for a fun-filled, hands-on exploration of an urban community garden.
Families will receive a deep dive into how science is used in all parts of gardening, from soil health to food webs, observations, and scientific tools. Pick up a magnifying glass and be ready to get your hands dirty as we dig into all of the amazing ways that we can find science in our local garden.
All families will leave with a brand-new seedling to continue the learning at home!
Register at weblink
Collecting in the BLM Clear Creek Management Area south of Hollister - Livestream - 04/27/2022 07:00 PM
Peninsula Gem & Geology Society
This is a unique and varied geological site with jade, plasma agate, garnets, and others.
Speaker: Stan Bogosian
See weblink for instructions on obtaining Zoom access
Cosmobiology: Recent Progress in Cosmology, Exoplanets, and the Astrobiological Prerequisites for Life - Livestream - 04/27/2022 07:00 PM
Silicon Valley Astronomy Series
Recent progress in cosmology - the birth and evolution of the universe as one system - and the discovery of so many planets around other stars is lending new prominence to the question "Are we alone?" Dr. Lineweaver will review this progress we are making in understanding how life fits into the bigger cosmic picture and will try to answer the question: What can life on Earth tell us about life elsewhere in the universe?
Speaker: Astrobiologist Charles Lineweaver is an honorary associate professor at the Australian National University's Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics and Research School of Earth Science.
Your immune system in health and disease - Livestream - 04/27/2022 07:00 PM
Osher Center for Integrative Medicine
The human immune system is comprised of white blood cells and their cousins in various tissues. It fights off infections by viruses, microbes, and parasites, and is increasingly recognized for additional roles in causing, exacerbating, or preventing a wide variety of diseases - ranging from inflammatory bowel disease, allergy, asthma, and atherosclerosis to cancer and possibly even dementia. The Osher UCSF Mini Medical School for the Public will give a brief overview of how the immune system works and discuss how diseases are being treated by a range of new therapeutics that work by enhancing or inhibiting elements of this system.
Register at weblink
Liquid Sunlight and Artificial Photosynthesis: The Future of Solar Materials - Livestream - 04/27/2022 07:00 PM
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
Learn about the promise and challenges of creating liquid fuels from sunlight and carbon dioxide. Scientists at Berkeley Lab's Liquid Sunlight Alliance (LiSA) are working to overcome the technological and scientific challenges that stand in the way of fully realizing these eco-friendly sources of the fuels and materials that still underpin our economies.
Researchers will tell the scientific story of solar fuels using a StoryMap, an interactive web-based multimedia platform for sharing narratives through photos, videos, writing, and illustrations. This story of promising scientific discoveries, next-generation green technology, and collaboration across multiple industries and institutions is an ideal chance to illustrate the real-world impact of science. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A with the researchers.
Register at weblink
Deep Sea Mining, Coming Soon to an Ocean Near You? - 04/27/2022 07:30 PM
Museum of Art and History Santa Cruz
Global demand for technologies like cellphones and laptops is increasing every year, and the transition to green energy is creating a need for more and new batteries. These both result in huge projected increases in metal demand which are now driving mining companies into the deep ocean in search of new mineral resources. We have known that the deep sea contains vast reserves of metals and minerals since the 1800s, but until now the economic pressures and required technologies have been insufficient for deep sea mining to begin in earnest. This is arguably one of the biggest, most important issues facing mankind at this moment marking how we will approach the transition away from fossil fuels and what ocean stewardship will look like in the future. In this talk I will present fundamental information on this global issue and present the latest ongoing deep sea research in relation to deep sea mining. The possible environmental impacts are vast and still poorly understood. The deep sea with both its fantastic and alien communities of animals and its mineral resources are legally the common heritage of all mankind, and so you, me and everyone on this planet are stakeholders in this debate.
Speaker: Astrid Leitner, UC Santa Cruz
Wonderfest: Ask a Science Envoy: Robot Learning & Toad Navigation - Livestream - 04/27/2022 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 computer scientist Dr. Ellen Novoseller on Machine Learning in Robots - How do robots use machine learning algorithms to behave properly in uncertain surroundings? Two examples highlight the issue: a household robot that learns to manipulate everyday objects, and a personalized robotic exoskeleton that helps mobility-impaired people to walk.Stanford organismal biologist Daniel Shaykevich on Toads in Space: Studying Navigation in Amphibians - While we know quite a bit about how mammals use their brains to understand their spatial surroundings, we know much less about how frogs and salamanders do it. What is going on inside the amphibian brain during navigation? And why would this be interesting to humans?
See weblink for Zoom information
Thursday, 04/28/2022
Silicon Valley Leaders Symposium - Livestream - 04/28/2022 07:00 PM
Silicon Valley Leaders Symposium
Speaker: Doug Baney, Keysight Technologies
Wild & Scenic Film Festival 2022 - Livestream - 04/28/2022 07:00 PM
Peninsula Open Space Trust
Join Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) and Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (Midpen) as we co-host the Wild & Scenic Film Festival. The film program will be available virtually to all who register for the event, available to watch from the comfort of your home anytime between Saturday, April 23rd and Friday, April 29th.
The Wild & Scenic Film Festival is the largest film festival of its kind, showcasing the best and brightest in environmental and adventure films. Festival viewers can expect to see award-winning environmentally inspired short films, and have the opportunity to learn more about POST and Midpen's work here on the Peninsula and in the South Bay.
Register at weblink to access films and to see the list of films in the festival.
DÃia de la Ciencia: Un Vistazo al Laboratorio/Day of Science A Look into the lab - Livestream - 04/28/2022 11:00 AM
Science at Cal
For the third year in a row, the Consulate General of Mexico in San Francisco is partnering with Science at Cal at UC Berkeley to host "Dia de la Ciencia," an event that gives the Spanish-speaking public an opportunity to interact with scientists from different fields and have a closer experience with real scientific activities! This event will be a virtual event showcasing five UC Berkeley scientists.
The event will consist of prerecorded tours of each scientist's lab or field site, followed by a roundtable panel discussion about the day-to-day life of a scientist and their career path in science. Attendees will meet scientists from chemistry, to biology, to physics, to environmental science, and more! We hope to both demystify scientific careers, while also inspiring youth to follow a scientific career.
Please Note: This event will be delivered in Spanish.
Haz clic aqui para unirte al evento
Creekside Story Walk - 04/28/2022 02:00 PM
Oakland Zoo Oakland
Experience a Story Walk through the Arroyo Viejo Creek site at the Oakland Zoo. This natural area has a safe, cleared path that participants walk through at their own pace, surrounded by nature while progressing through a custom-made children's book narrative. The plot of the tale moves further along as guests move deeper into the wilderness, creating a sense of place and immersion
Register at weblink
Quantum Computing Triple Play Conference - 04/28/2022 03:00 PM
Hearst Memorial Mining Building Berkeley
This event is open to all people with an interest in quantum computing, regardless of experience. You'd be challenged to find a more time-effective way to get up to speed on this emerging sector as it leaves the lab and marches down Main Street.
See weblink for schedule of events
Register at weblink
How To Bioblitz - Livestream - 04/28/2022 04:00 PM
Candlestick Point State Recreation Area
April 29-May 2 is the City in Nature Challenge, a global citizen science event that invites people all over the world to explore their local environment using the app iNaturalist. In leadup to the event, Candlestick Point State Recreation Area will be hosting two virtual trainings on how to use iNaturalist, tips and tricks for participating in the City in Nature Challenge, and information about Candlestick Point's own Bioblitz on May 1, 2022.
Register at weblink
A Life Preserver for Staying Afloat in a Sea of Misinformation - Livestream - 04/28/2022 04:00 PM
Skeptical Inquirer
In a world full of misinformation, being able to critically evaluate claims is empowering. Good thinking is the best way to protect ourselves from being fooled (or even harmed) by misinformation. The problem is: where do we start? The necessary skills, critical thinking and science literacy, are difficult to master… and to apply. To address this issue, science educator Melanie Trecek-King developed a handy toolkit that provides a structured, systematic way to think through claims. In this talk, Trecek-King will explain how to use the toolkit so you can save yourself from drowning in a sea of misinformation.
Speaker: Melanie Trecek-King is an Associate Professor of Biology at Massasoit Community College
Register at weblink
Bird Scavenger Hunt - Livestream - 04/28/2022 05:00 PM
San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory
Join the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory (SFBBO) for a Bird Scavenger Hunt! Anytime during the Bay Area Science Festival, from April 21 to 30, get outside and observe birds around you! Because observation is an important part of science, we'll challenge you to find certain birds and observe their behavior.
All you need to do is download the scavenger hunt, find the birds, observe their behavior, and answer as many questions as you can! Then attend our live virtual event to learn more about the birds and share your observations (register for the scavenger hunt to receive the link). This event is great for the whole family and can be done anywhere - outside your window, in your backyard, your neighborhood, or a local park or beach!
There are many ways to participate, and you'll have chances to receive an SFBBO t-shirt by doing any of the following activities:
Register for the scavenger hunt to receive tips on finding, identifying, and helping birdsShare your scavenger hunt observations by tagging us on social media (@sfbbo on Twitter and Instagram) and mentioning the scavenger hunt (we may also feature your observations!)Take a photo or scan your completed scavenger hunt and email it to usAttend our live virtual event.
Register at weblink
A Burning Question: What can long-term datasets teach us? - Livestream - 04/28/2022 06:00 PM
US Geological Survey Public Lecture Series
Long-term datasets are critical to our understanding of many factors that affect the natural world and its flow of goods and services to human communities.Until recently, reading available, high-quality, long-term data were lacking for wildland fires and land management activities. "Big data" are important in natural resource management. Two examples are the Combined Wildland Fire Dataset and the Land Treatment Digital Library.There is a great need to make these long-term datasets available and more accessible to researchers, resource managers, and the public.
Speaker: Justin Welty, USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center
After Dark: Dark Matter - 04/28/2022 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
How does our understanding of the origins of the universe continue to expand and evolve? What tools and theories continue to push our understanding into further realms?
At After Dark: Dark Matter, we'll hear from scientists and leaders whose work is at the forefront of cosmology and essential to forming and informing humans' deepening grasp of the science of the universe. In particular, we'll learn about dark matter, a mysterious and invisible substance that scientists have yet to observe but assume accounts for nearly five times as much of the universe as ordinary matter.
Please visit the Museum Discount Page for full details on how to redeem a $5 discount for admission to the Exploratorium.
Ages 18+
Protecting and Rehabilitating Local Raptors in Mandarin - Livestream - 04/28/2022 06:00 PM
Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley
Join the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley (WCSV) for an educational talk about local raptor species, issues that affect our local birds of prey, simple ways you can help at home in your neighborhood, and what WCSV does to rehabilitate sick, injured, and orphaned wildlife in the Bay Area. Bring your questions about raptors, and/or local wildlife in general!
The Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley is dedicated to providing sick, injured, and orphaned wildlife with exceptional free care, rehabilitation, and the opportunity for release. We also aim to educate the public about coexisting peacefully with local wildlife.
This event will be presented in Mandarin
Join the event by clicking here.
Friday, 04/29/2022
Wild & Scenic Film Festival 2022 - Livestream - 04/29/2022 07:00 PM
Peninsula Open Space Trust
Join Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) and Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (Midpen) as we co-host the Wild & Scenic Film Festival. The film program will be available virtually to all who register for the event, available to watch from the comfort of your home anytime between Saturday, April 23rd and Friday, April 29th.
The Wild & Scenic Film Festival is the largest film festival of its kind, showcasing the best and brightest in environmental and adventure films. Festival viewers can expect to see award-winning environmentally inspired short films, and have the opportunity to learn more about POST and Midpen's work here on the Peninsula and in the South Bay.
Register at weblink to access films and to see the list of films in the festival.
Ice and ocean dynamics on Enceladus - 04/29/2022 12:00 PM
Earth and Marine Sciences Building Santa Cruz
Speaker: Wanying Kang, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Marvelous Microscopic Marine Plankton - Livestream - 04/29/2022 03:30 PM
San Francisco Microscopical Society
Join the San Francisco Microscopical Society and an Education & Outreach Specialist for NOAA's Greater Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries on a Marvelous Microscopic Marine Plankton Exploration of San Francisco Bay. This virtual event will explore elements of biology, oceanography, and microscopy. We will use microscopy to highlight and share the beauty and diversity of the micro-algae and micro-animals that call our world ocean home. From the San Francisco Bay directly to the microscope, the process of collecting to imaging will be highlighted and explained.
Register at weblink
What do hummingbirds and axolotls have in common? They were both revered by Mexico's ancient civilizations and have deep symbolism that has carried over into today's modern world. Join Deep Look, KQED's wildlife series about small animals and plants, for a special virtual screening exploring these two very unique creatures and meet scientists who study them.
Deep Look’s coordinating producer Gabriela Quiros will be in conversation with Victor M. Ortega-Jimenez, a biophysicist at Georgia Institute of Technology who studies the acrobatic flight of hummingbirds. And you'll meet Luis Zambrano Gonzalez of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, who studies axolotls and specializes in zoology, restoration and urban ecology.
Please note:
This event is bilingual in Spanish and English. The videos will be narrated in English with subtitles in Spanish. Our host will be moderating the discussion, including Q&A with our experts, in both Spanish and English.
Join the event by clicking here.
Family Maker Friday - 04/29/2022 05:30 PM
Black Pine Circle School Berkeley
Join us for a free community family maker event for K-12 students and their families. There will be both high-tech and classic maker activities provided. Explore more with microcontrollers, vinyl cutters, cardboard, 3D printing, chain mail, duct tape, virtual reality, and more! Free exploration encouraged.
Natural Dyes: colors from water, chemistry, and the plants around - 04/29/2022 07:00 PM
Atlas Cafe San Francisco
Plants have a long history of being used to make pigments. The plants used to make the colors, and the chemicals used to set the colors on the fabric have changed a lot over time and these changes were often connected to big events in human history. We will explain some of the ways natural dyes are made and talk about the science behind the process. We'll also show you how we use these processes to do some dying of our own and see this chemistry in action! Exhibited around the space there will be lots of textiles we've dyed with various natural dyes so you can see for yourself what the starting materials and results of this dye process can be. You'll see fabrics dyed with things you see every day, like avocado pits and eucalyptus leaves. We've found it exciting and a little surprising sometimes to see these colors coming from plants we see every day, so join us and see for yourself!
The presentation (7-8PM) will be followed by a chance to roam the exhibited dyed textiles and talk to the speakers.
Saturday, 04/30/2022
Science Saturdays - Rocks and Minerals - 04/30/2022 10:00 AM
Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History
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.
18th Annual Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour - Bayside gardens - 04/30/2022 10:00 AM
Bringing Back the Natives
See weblink for additional information and registration.
Youth Take Climate Action: Glen Park - 04/30/2022 10:00 AM
Glen Canyon Park San Francisco
Healing the land and our communities, Youth Take Climate Action is part of a citywide Youth Service Day.
Join us for a youth & family STEM service day stewarding Glen Park. San Francisco Department of the Environment's Education team and SF Rec and Park will host climate-focused service projects and lead STEM-focused activities including habitat restoration, park beautification, and hands-on activities. These projects will promote our SF climate action goals while also promoting healthy emotional wellbeing of young people.
Register at weblink
Dancing Radiation Robot! - Livestream - 04/30/2022 10:00 AM
UC San Francisco Radiation Oncology
In this virtual tour, we will provide a sneak peek of the UCSF Radiation Oncology Department. We will demonstrate a robotic-based linear accelerator used for radiation treatment of cancer and show how it delivers radiation (and dances)! What does a medical physicist do? What are their roles in radiology and oncology at hospitals? And how does one become a medical physicist? If you think science is cool, you might enjoy medical physics!
Click here to join the event
Dive in with DOER - 04/30/2022 10:00 AM
Dive In with DOER Alameda
Visit the Deep Ocean Exploration and Research (DOER) facility where underwater robotics, submersibles, and subsea systems are designed, engineered, built, and tested before being deployed on missions around the world. Learn about the type of work the vehicles do and the kinds of people who use them.
Register at weblink
Youth Take Climate Action: Gilman Playground - 04/30/2022 10:00 AM
Gilman Playground San Francisco
Healing the Land and Our Communities, Youth Take Climate Action is part of a City-wide Youth Service Day.
Join us for a youth & family STEM service day stewarding Gillman Playground. San Francisco Department of the Environment's Education team and SF Rec and Park will host climate-focused service projects and lead STEM-focused activities including habitat restoration, park beautification, and hands-on activities. These projects will promote our SF climate action goals while also promoting healthy emotional wellbeing of young people.
Register at weblink
Youth Take Climate Action: Louis Sutter Playground - 04/30/2022 10:00 AM
Louis Sutter Playground San Francisco
Healing the Land and Our Communities, Youth Take Climate Action is part of a City-wide Youth Service Day.
Join us for a youth & family STEM service day stewarding Louis Sutter Playground. San Francisco Department of the Environment's Education team and SF Rec and Park will host climate-focused service projects and lead STEM-focused activities including habitat restoration, park beautification, and hands-on activities. These projects will promote our SF climate action goals while also promoting healthy emotional wellbeing of young people.
Register at weblink
StemFrenzy - 04/30/2022 10:00 AM
City College San Francisco
At the StemFrenzy Festival, enjoy a day with the entire community exploring, learning, and discovering science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
This event will include hands-on activities, raffles, prizes, inspiring demonstrations from top STEM organizations and San Francisco summer programs, and more for your entire family!
Register at weblink
Youth Take Climate Action: Lafayette Park - 04/30/2022 10:00 AM
Lafayette Park San Francisco
Healing the Land and Our Communities, Youth Take Climate Action is part of a City-wide Youth Service Day.
Join us for a youth & family STEM service day stewarding Lafayette Park. San Francisco Department of the Environment's Education team and SF Rec and Park will host climate-focused service projects and lead STEM-focused activities including habitat restoration, park beautification, and hands-on activities. These projects will promote our SF climate action goals while also promoting healthy emotional wellbeing of young people.
Register at weblink
SCIENCE-PALOOZA! - 04/30/2022 11:00 AM
Lawrence Hall of Science Berkeley
Meet a scientist, be a scientist!
Science at Cal and the Lawrence Hall of Science are hosting a full-blown SCIENCE-PALOOZA overlooking the Bay on the beautiful and spacious outdoor plaza of the Lawrence Hall of Science. We will showcase interactive and engaging STEM activities from UC Berkeley departments, student groups, scientists, artists, designers, and our partners.
Come enjoy science demos, experiments, hands-on activities, meet-the-scientists booths, and more!
Midpen Bayside Family Festival - 04/30/2022 11:00 AM
Ravenswood Open Space Preserve East Palo Alto
Celebrate 50 years of science-based public land preservation, restoration and public enjoyment with the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District at this free, family-friendly festival in Ravenswood Open Space Preserve and Cooley Landing in East Palo Alto. Explore the newest segment of the San Francisco Bay Trail, including boardwalks with interpretive signs along the bay wetlands. The day's events include a nature-themed scavenger hunt, plant and animal exhibits, live music, food and fun for all ages.
Register at weblink
Discovery Day Cal State - 04/30/2022 11:00 AM
Cal State East Bay Hayward
Discovery Days are large-scale, outdoor events where the Bay Area's many STEM organizations connect with thousands of youth and adults.
The Result? Everyone - young and old - can experience the wonders of science!
CSU East Bay invites you to explore over 40 Free dynamic demonstrations, engaging experiments, hands-on activities, and much much more. The event is held mostly outdoors, with a limited number of indoor science lab tours.
We are looking forward to being back in-person and exploring STEM learning together!
Mars Perseverance: Meet and Greet! - 04/30/2022 11:00 AM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Don't miss the last chance to learn more about how scientists are studying Mars and see a model of the Mars Perseverance rover up close! Since landing on February 18, 2021, Persy has been hunting for signs of ancient microbial life. It is collecting and storing samples of Martian rock and sediment to be retrieved by planned future missions for closer study on Earth
This weekend experience a full-scale, lifelike model of Perseverance and hear directly from Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientists and engineers about the rover, what it's finding, and NASA's Mars Exploration Program. And, experience the youth-made Tinkering School Mars Mission project, which lets you test drive a robot inspired by Perseverance.
Mars Helicopter: Ingenuity 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Bechtel Gallery 3
Take a look at the model of a new, ingenious Mars explorer. Ingenuity is a small, autonomous aircraft that hitched a ride to Mars attached to the belly of Perseverance. Its first flight on April 19, 2021, was a major milestone: the aircraft climbed to about 3 meters (10 feet) above ground, briefly hovered in the air, completed a turn, and landed. It was the first powered, controlled flight in the extremely thin Martian atmosphere and the first on another planet! Ingenuity has performed additional flights, going incrementally longer distances and reaching higher altitudes. What's learned from these test flights will inform future research and innovation on how rovers and aerial explorers can work together.
Roving with Perseverance 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Bechtel Gallery 3, Wattis Studio
Take a deep dive into Perseverance's fantastic journey with these highlights from the many animations, photographs, movies, and documentation that offer insight into Persy's journey so far. From construction and pre-launch, through the images being sent back from Mars on a regular basis, this multi-screen viewing space takes you through Persy's life on Mars. An evocative soundscape by Wayne Grim and an immersive video experience by Rick Danielson set the mood.
Mars Mission Q&A With Members of NASA's Mars Mission Team 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Bechtel Gallery 3
While Ingenuity is the name of a different space explorer, NASA's Perseverance rover is certainly an ingenious technological and scientific achievement. Outfitted with seven instruments, over twenty cameras, and two microphones, Persy builds on the work of previous Mars missions with the goal of offering new insights into the Red Planet. NASA's Mars missions are developed and overseen by an expansive team of scientists, engineers, technicians, and researchers. Join members of the team to learn more about the 2020 mission, Perseverance, and the extensive innovation and iterations the team went through to get the rover's launch ready.
Tinkering School Mars Mission Q&A 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Bechtel Gallery 3
Tinkering School (TS) is a San Francisco - based educational program dedicated to youth-centered making and tinkering. TS created Tinkering School Mars Mission as an Earth-bound program that maintains the accuracy and challenges of real Mars rover operations. Inspired by (but not associated with) NASA's Mars missions, the TS team, composed of young people ages 14 - 20, collaborated to build an educational hands-on experience operating rovers in a simulated Martian lava tube. Join members of the team to learn more about their mission and prototypes and to test drive their newest generation of rovers.
Dive in with DOER - 04/30/2022 02:00 PM
Dive In with DOER Alameda
Visit the Deep Ocean Exploration and Research (DOER) facility where underwater robotics, submersibles, and subsea systems are designed, engineered, built, and tested before being deployed on missions around the world. Learn about the type of work the vehicles do and the kinds of people who use them.
Register at weblink
Grey Water and Wetlands: The EcoCenter's Wastewater Treatment System - 04/30/2022 02:00 PM
EcoCenter at Heron's Head Park San Francisco
The EcoCenter is an off the grid, self-sustaining educational facility and recreational center. It features a wastewater treatment system, a living roof, interior construction based from recycled materials, and a solar panel system. Our programs focus on educating the public about the EcoCenter's Green Features and exploring environmental justice themes through the history of the Bayview-Hunters Point.
Tour the EcoCenter, explore the on-site waste water treatment system, and learn about the history of the park from its start as a shipping terminal to restored wetland habitat. Help with habitat restoration by transplanting native salt grass to help restore the native wetland and provide habitat for migratory birds.
Register at weblink
Sunday, 05/01/2022
18th Annual Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour - Inland gardens - 05/01/2022 10:00 AM
Bringing Back the Natives
See weblink for additional information and registration.
Enjoy and record the wild things on Cerrito Creek - 05/01/2022 10:00 AM
Creekside Park Albany
All ages welcome to enjoy and record the wild things, and savor late spring, at the wonderful urban oasis of Cerrito Creek at the foot of Albany Hill. Families with young children can use our creekside scavenger hunt. The energetic can climb 338-foot Albany Hill -- we'll have maps and info. Others can take a loosely guided creekside stroll, looking for native plants, birds, and butterflies and learning the basics of using free apps that help you identify what you see and hear in the outdoors.
Attendance is limited -- groups will be small.
Register at weblink
Mars Perseverance: Meet and Greet! - 05/01/2022 12:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Don't miss the last chance to learn more about how scientists are studying Mars and see a model of the Mars Perseverance rover up close! Since landing on February 18, 2021, Persy has been hunting for signs of ancient microbial life. It is collecting and storing samples of Martian rock and sediment to be retrieved by planned future missions for closer study on Earth
This weekend experience a full-scale, lifelike model of Perseverance and hear directly from Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientists and engineers about the rover, what it's finding, and NASA's Mars Exploration Program. And, experience the youth-made Tinkering School Mars Mission project, which lets you test drive a robot inspired by Perseverance.
Mars Helicopter: Ingenuity 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Bechtel Gallery 3
Take a look at the model of a new, ingenious Mars explorer. Ingenuity is a small, autonomous aircraft that hitched a ride to Mars attached to the belly of Perseverance. Its first flight on April 19, 2021, was a major milestone: the aircraft climbed to about 3 meters (10 feet) above ground, briefly hovered in the air, completed a turn, and landed. It was the first powered, controlled flight in the extremely thin Martian atmosphere and the first on another planet! Ingenuity has performed additional flights, going incrementally longer distances and reaching higher altitudes. What's learned from these test flights will inform future research and innovation on how rovers and aerial explorers can work together.
Roving with Perseverance 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Bechtel Gallery 3, Wattis Studio
Take a deep dive into Perseverance's fantastic journey with these highlights from the many animations, photographs, movies, and documentation that offer insight into Persy's journey so far. From construction and pre-launch, through the images being sent back from Mars on a regular basis, this multi-screen viewing space takes you through Persy's life on Mars. An evocative soundscape by Wayne Grim and an immersive video experience by Rick Danielson set the mood.
Mars Mission Q&A With Members of NASA's Mars Mission Team 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Bechtel Gallery 3
While Ingenuity is the name of a different space explorer, NASA's Perseverance rover is certainly an ingenious technological and scientific achievement. Outfitted with seven instruments, over twenty cameras, and two microphones, Persy builds on the work of previous Mars missions with the goal of offering new insights into the Red Planet. NASA's Mars missions are developed and overseen by an expansive team of scientists, engineers, technicians, and researchers. Join members of the team to learn more about the 2020 mission, Perseverance, and the extensive innovation and iterations the team went through to get the rover's launch ready.
Tinkering School Mars Mission Q&A 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Bechtel Gallery 3
Tinkering School (TS) is a San Francisco - based educational program dedicated to youth-centered making and tinkering. TS created Tinkering School Mars Mission as an Earth-bound program that maintains the accuracy and challenges of real Mars rover operations. Inspired by (but not associated with) NASA's Mars missions, the TS team, composed of young people ages 14 - 20, collaborated to build an educational hands-on experience operating rovers in a simulated Martian lava tube. Join members of the team to learn more about their mission and prototypes and to test drive their newest generation of rovers.
Monday, 05/02/2022
Giant Salamanders and Little Alligators: Insights into West Coast Biogeography - Livestream - 05/02/2022 12:00 PM
Sonoma State Biology Colloquium
Speakers: Brian Lavin
See link for Zoom information
UC Berkeley Condensed Matter Physics Seminar - Livestream - 05/02/2022 02:30 PM
UC Berkeley Condensed Matter Physics Seminar
Speakers: Paul Corbae and Conrad Stansbury, UC Berkeley
Attend in person or online
The great nuclear escape: the mechanism of membrane deformation during non-canonical nuclear export in herpesviruses - 05/02/2022 04:00 PM
Stanley Hall Berkeley
Herpesviruses are large viruses that infect nearly all vertebrates and some invertebrates and cause lifelong infections in most of the world's population. During replication, they export their capsids from the nucleus into the cytoplasm by an unusual mechanism termed nuclear egress. Too large to fit through nuclear pores, capsids instead bud at the inner nuclear membrane forming enveloped capsid particles in the perinuclear space. These particles then fuse with the outer nuclear membrane releasing the capsids into the cytoplasm where they mature into infectious virions. The seminar will focus on the nuclear budding step. This process is mediated by the virus-encoded heterodimeric complex termed the nuclear egress complex (NEC). This presentation will describe how the NEC uses lipid ordering and protein oligomerization to deform membranes and cause budding. Similar principles may underlie membrane deformation in other systems.
Speaker: Katya Heldwein, Tufts University School of Medicine
Elizabeth Scheehle, California Air Resources Board - Livestream - 05/02/2022 04:00 PM
Stanford Energy Seminar
As CARB's Research Division Chief, Elizabeth Scheehle is in charge of planning and coordinating the agency's wide-ranging air quality and climate research. She directs a team of over 70 multidisciplinary scientists and engineers to develop and implement research plans and studies to provide a robust scientific foundation for our air quality and climate policy decisions. In addition, the Division implements programs to address indoor air quality and high global warming potential gas mitigation. Scheehle previously managed CARB's Oil and Gas and GHG Mitigation Branch. The Branch is responsible for programs related to oil and gas operations, fuel specifications, refinery operations, and carbon capture and sequestration. Prior to that, she managed the Climate Change Program Development Section, which focuses on allowance allocation under California's cap-and-trade program. She also previously managed the Greenhouse Gas Technology and Field Studies section, which covers a range of research topics including climate change mitigation strategies and field studies to characterize community exposures and verify and validate emission estimates. As staff, she was lead on carbon capture and sequestration and managed several High GWP initiatives.
Indigenizing Astronomy: Cultural Perspectives on the Sky and the Future of Research - 05/02/2022 07:30 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
Canadian Indigenous Astronomer Dr. Laurie Rousseau-Nepton is inviting you for an immersive journey into the First Nation of Canada's perspective on our Universe. Myths and Legends often reveal a deep understanding of astronomical phenomenons from the physics concepts to the complex interaction between our environment on Earth, the seasons, and the movement of the celestial bodies. Ultimately aiming at reviving ancestral knowledge, she will also discuss different paths to indigenizing astronomy by transforming both our ways of talking about science, teaching, and conducting research.
Accompanying Dr. Rousseau-Nepton's presentation, we will host the West Coast premiere of cultural and Indigenous short films produced by the One Sky Project.
Speaker: Laurie Rousseau-Nepton, Canada-France-Hawaii Observatory
Tuesday, 05/03/2022
Dr. Deborah Birx: The Untold Story of Fighting COVID-19 - Livestream - 05/03/2022 12:30 PM
Commonwealth Club - Online Event
Whole Earth Seminar - 05/03/2022 03:30 PM
Natural Science Annex Santa Cruz
Biochemical and Structural Basis for tRNA Methylthiolation - 05/03/2022 04:00 PM
Latimer Hall Berkeley
Wednesday, 05/04/2022
Protect, Accommodate, Retreat: Adaptation Strategies in the Face of Sea Level Rise - Livestream - 05/04/2022 12:00 PM
SF Planning + Urban Research Assoc. (SPUR)
Physiological and behavioral thermoregulation of northern elephant seals among three northern California rookeries - Livestream - 05/04/2022 03:40 PM
Estuary & Ocean Science Center
Science at Extremes - Livestream - 05/04/2022 05:00 PM
UC Berkeley
Thursday, 05/05/2022
Walk on the Cowell-Purisima Trail - 05/05/2022 10:00 AM
Cowell Purisima Coastal Trailhead Half Moon Bay
Starry NightLife - 05/05/2022 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
NightSchool: Earth to Astronomy - Livestream - 05/05/2022 07:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences
Friday, 05/06/2022
Using passive seismics and experiments to understand transient glacial slip - 05/06/2022 12:00 PM
Earth and Marine Sciences Building Santa Cruz
First Friday: Futuristic Foods - 05/06/2022 06:00 PM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
First Friday: Rainbows - 05/06/2022 06:00 PM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
The Handspring Story: Renegades, Aspirations, and Disasters - 05/06/2022 07:00 PM
Computer History Museum Mountain View
Monday, 05/09/2022
Mechanisms Underlying Flight Polymorphisms in Gryllus Crickets - Livestream - 05/09/2022 12:00 PM
Sonoma State Biology Colloquium
Mayte Sanchez, Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) - Livestream - 05/09/2022 04:00 PM
Stanford Energy Seminar