Hello again Science Fans!
I’m sure this has happened to most of you…the “algorithm” adds a video to your feed on YouTube or Instagram, you click on it, and, like Alice, go down the rabbit hole. There are, of course, many algorithms, with each platform having developed their own proprietary one.
In general, most of them annoy me. I looked online to buy a new pair of sneakers a few weeks ago, and I’ve been inundated with ads for sneakers ever since. Someone needs to tell the algorithm that I bought a pair already! I also searched for travel insurance back in mid-August. I’m still getting ads for those!
One of the few algorithms I actually find useful comes from Amazon who suggests authors I might like based on authors I’ve already read. More often than not, they have good recommendations, and they don’t fill my in box every day.
All my life I’ve had an interest in trains, and YouTube knows this. Last night, it added a video to my feed about the origin of passenger train timetables featuring Dr. Hannah Fry, a British mathematics professor. Using simple illustrations, she explained how early timetables were developed using simple graphs, and how the same logic is used today in software to prevent two (or more) trains from trying to be in the same place at the same time. She did this with humor, no jargon, didn’t make the listener feel stupid, nor bored, all with a delightful British accent! If you’ve ever tried to explain something complex, you know that isn’t an easy thing to do.
Science communication is one of the themes here at the Bay Area Science calendar, and I’ve written about it several times in past editions of this newsletter, with both good and bad examples of communication, so I was impressed with Dr. Fry’s ability to explain somewhat complicated math as well. Of course, the algorithm being what it is, another video of hers popped up, this one showing how an ancient named Abu Arrayhan Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Biruni calculated the radius of the Earth over 1,000 years ago. I highly recommend this one as it is funny, but uses triangles and angles to make a rough calculation. In this one, she and another math guy, Matt Parker (Stand-up Mathematician) attempt to re-enact this feat using more modern tools and the Shard in London. Hilarity ensues. Will they get close with their methods?
So I invite you to join me in this particular rabbit warren. Search for Hannah Fry in your favorite search engine and learn something new and fun. She covers a lot more than just math, including how to win at Monopoly which, apparently, is a big Christmas tradition for families in Britain (playing it, not winning at it!).
By the way, last year I included a picture in one of our newsletters of myself (my feet, actually) straddling the Prime Meridian in London, UK. So imagine my surprise when the algorithm presented me with a video from Matt showing that the Prime Meridian marker in Greenwich Park is actually not on the Prime Meridian, at least as indicated by GPS.
While you’re at it, take a look at 7 Days of Science, a look at the week in science news. Thanks to fellow Schmoozer David for passing this one along.
David also pointed out that Earth’s 6,027th birthday happens around noon on Tuesday, at least according to Bishop James Ussher of the Church of Ireland back in the 17th century. He began his calculations by adding the ages of the 21 generations of people in the Old Testament of the Bible.
According to radiometric dating, the actual age of the earth is 4.543 billion years.
No matter how long astronomers look at things in space, advances in technology provide new discoveries for well studied objects. Gliese 229b, long thought to be a brown dwarf, has now been determined to be two brown dwarfs orbiting each other in very tight proximity. This is a first-of-its-kind discovery of binary brown dwarfs.
One of these new pieces of technology is the Euclid “dark universe” telescope. It is tasked with building a cosmic atlas and earlier this week the first “page” of that atlas was made public. The region charted is about as wide as 500 times the width of the full moon as it appears over earth. It includes our own Milky Way galaxy, and about 14 million other galaxies. And this is just 1% of the total survey! Astronomers will discover all sorts of new things as they sift through this data, all 208 gigapixels of it. That’s 208,000,000,000 pixels
Another piece of new technology is the Europa Clipper spacecraft. Last week I wrote that its launch had been delayed by the hurricane and was scheduled for Monday. It took off as planned and is now starting its journey to Jupiter’s moon Europa, thought by many to be the object in the solar system most likely to have life, other than Earth, of course.
Observations from telescopes such as the James Webb and Hubble continue to challenge theories of cosmic evolution. REBELS-25 is now the most distant, earliest rotating disk galaxy every spotted, seen just 700 million years after the Big Bang. In this case, the observations were made by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in northern Chile.
Two orbiters from the European Space Agency have captured images of the southern polar region of Mars as spring arrives there, offering curious landforms and cryptic features which may offer clues to whether or not life existed (or still exists) on the red planet. While taken last April, they were just released publicly earlier this month.
Researchers discover new things at old sites here on Earth too. In Jordan, at Petra, a team of researchers were given permission to use ground-penetrating radar (after years of trying) and discovered an untouched tomb containing 12 human skeletons and a wide collection of grave offerings.
Here in California, much of our rainfall comes via atmospheric rivers, patterns of wind that bring moisture to us from over the Pacific Ocean. It seems that global warming is shifting the tracks of these rivers towards the poles, in turn reshaping global weather patterns.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that no nation can find lasting security without addressing the climate crises. This statement was made three years ago at a climate conference. A new book, “Threat Multiplier” details the Pentagon’s efforts to transform military operations in light of climate change.
Imagine what will happen to this effort if climate deniers take control of the government in the upcoming elections! It is worth looking at where the candidates stand on this, and other scientific issues. The differences in positions could not be more clear, nor can the consequences.
Your vote is important, perhaps never more so than this year. So please vote, and talk to friends and relatives who remain undecided about why it is so important to vote for science.
Have a great week in Science!
Bob
Upcoming Events:
Click to see the next two weeks of events in your browser.
Monday, 10/21/2024
Global Encryption Day Conference - 10/21/2024 09:00 AM
Google Community Space San Francisco
Global Encryption Day (GED) is an annual event organized by the Global Encryption Coalition (GEC), designed to raise awareness about the importance of encryption in protecting privacy and securing digital communications. It brings together various stakeholders, including civil society organizations, technology companies, and individuals, to advocate for strong encryption policies and practices.
The Internet Society - San Francisco Bay Area Chapter (ISOC SF) has partnered with the Association of Computing Machinery - San Francisco Bay Area Chapter (ACM SF) to put on the local edition of the GED event.
This is a free event (both locations). You must be registered at least two days prior to attend either event. One registration includes both tracks each at a different (but close) location.
We encourage both engineers and non-engineers to attend either track. While basic computer administration experience is useful, it is not required. Come learn about the power of encryption.
This local GED event will include two tracks at two near-by locations:
Track 1 - Education - Details
Participants will spend the day training on encryption related technologies ending with a certificate of completion. There is limited space for this training in-person (unlimited online), first come first serve, limited to 80 participants. Training agenda to be announced September 9th.
Training and certification provided by RX-M (https://rx-m.com/). You can observe and learn, we encourage participation, please bring a laptop (be sure to charge your battery) to learn and reach the certification.
Google Community Space 188 The Embarcadero (enter Via Embarcadero), San Francisco, CA 94105 9am - 5pm (potential evening talk 6-9) online link - tbd
Track 2 - Edutainment - Details
A series of in-depth and informative talks will be presented. Talks will range from the basics of quantum encryption to legal concerns of encryption usage. Limited to first 100 in person, unlimited virtual.
Cloudflare 101 Townsend St, San Francisco, CA 94107 2pm - 9pm online link - tbd
Please plan to learn and share all about encryption! No experience necessary.
Further information about the event can be found here:
http://gedsf.org
Effects of Thermal History and Biogeographic Location on the Heat Shock Response of Bull Kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) - 10/21/2024 12:00 PM
Sonoma State University - Biology Colloquium Rohnert Park
Speaker: Shelby Hotz, Sonoma State University
Discovering Cognitive Structure using Large-Scale Social Data and Artificial Intelligence - 10/21/2024 12:30 PM
Margaret Jacks Hall (Bldg 460) Stanford
What can we learn about the structure of individual minds, human or artificial, using large-scale social data, such as the textual or visual data flowing through search engines and social media platforms? In this talk, I present a range of studies showing that large-scale social data can reveal striking insights into the mind, ranging from the structure of embodied cognition to the psychological biases that underlie stereotypes. I will give special attention to presenting the results of a study we recently published in Nature which demonstrates how combining large-scale image and text data from online sources, analyzed via artificial intelligence, can reveal the latent multimodal structure of gender stereotypes. I will then share ongoing work that builds on these results by revealing the multimodal structure of intersectional stereotypes (e.g., gendered ageism) not only in human minds, but also in the judgments and associations formed by generative AI. Throughout, I will emphasize that big data and artificial intelligence are useful not only for testing existing theories about cognitive structure, but also for discovering and testing new theories. As an example, I will briefly describe ongoing work that harnesses this suite of algorithmic methodologies to unveil deep connections between the representational structure of gender and the concreteness and abstractness of concepts across domains, using visual and textual data, as well as behavioral outputs from AI. Opportunities for further advancing the integration of computer science, cognitive science, and cultural sociology will be discussed.
Speaker: Douglas Guilbeault, Stanford University
See weblink for entry instructions
Room 126
From Atoms to Systems: How AI is Transforming EV Batteries - 10/21/2024 12:30 PM
Green Earth Sciences Building Stanford
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has gained increasing global attention for its transformative potential across industries. Alongside robotics, it has become central to efforts aimed at accelerating clean technology and mitigating climate change. At the intersection of AI, automation, and energy storage, several critical questions emerge: What can data-driven approaches achieve that are not possible with traditional methods? Where can they be effectively applied? Do we have sufficient field data? What questions can AI help us address, and where does it fall short? Ultimately, will AI replace scientists in the search for next-generation energy technologies?
In this seminar, we will explore these questions through the lens of electric vehicle (EV) batteries - a rapidly growing field critical to achieving carbon-neutral mobility, which has spurred intensive research, development, and commercial scale-ups over the past few years. I will discuss examples of how data-driven approaches can be applied throughout the life cycle of an EV battery. At the system level, we will discuss how optimizing driving behaviors can conserve battery usage and methods to extend battery lifetime through improved aging predictions. Moreover, we will explore how these models can bridge gaps across different length scales, feeding back into faster, more intelligent R&D processes to shorten the lab-to-market timeline of new battery technologies. Through these examples, we hope to share our efforts in building a collaborative intelligence ecosystem where humans are empowered by AI in the pursuit of a sustainable future.
Speaker: Shijing Sun, University of Washington
Water for All: Global Solutions for a Changing Climate - 10/21/2024 12:30 PM
Shriram Center Stanford
As the cumulative effects of population pressure, increasing wealth and a changing climate intersect with water policies and investments that fail to consider impacts on human health and the natural environment, the world will experience more severe water crises in the coming decades. To provide transformative solutions that are likely to be adopted, research and development is needed that employs the latest technologies, embraces systems-level thinking and considers the way in which new technologies diffuse into practice. The recent movement towards closed-loop municipal water systems being pioneered in water stressed places like Southern California and Singapore provide an example of the ways in which research and development can support new solutions to coping with water scarcity. In the future, the focus of research and development in urban systems is likely to shift from centralized treatment to premise-scale water recycling systems that offer new opportunities to optimize water use, energy efficiency and resource recovery. Opportunities also will arise from decreases in the costs of established desalination technologies, like reverse osmosis. In this area, innovation is needed to manage the brine produced by desalination and to develop more flexible separation methods. If researchers can identify cost-effective approaches for handling desalination brines or minimizing their production, crises related to water scarcity, soil salinization and the degradation of ecosystems could be prevented. The successful development and deployment of such approaches will require collaborations among scientists, engineers and policy experts to connect fundamental research with actions that will alter the way that the world obtains, treats and uses water.
Speaker: David Sedlak, UC Berkeley
Butterfly Walk in the Garden - 10/21/2024 01:30 PM
UC Botanical Garden Berkeley
Join our butterfly docent specialist Sally Levinson and Andy Liu for a guided walk through the Garden in search of butterflies, as you learn about their plant relationships and amazing life cycle. Bring binoculars if you have them.
Registered children welcome. Pre-registration is required, space is limited. Groups larger than 6 people, please contact us to make separate arrangements for a private tour.
Includes same-day admission to the Garden.
New Frontiers in Topological Quantum Matter - 10/21/2024 02:30 PM
Physics North Berkeley
Topology plays a key role in describing quantum matter, which has been greatly explored in recent decades [for an introduction: Hasan & Kane, Rev. of Mod. Phys. 82, 3045 (2010)]. I present how tuning a topological insulator featuring a Dirac fermion can be used as a platform to realize emergent Weyl fermion and “fractional” Fermi surfaces; and can also lead to correlated magnetic, Chern, or many-body states. The kagome lattice, which features Dirac fermions, flat bands, and van Hove singularities, can serve as the platform to explore topology, strong correlation, exotic superconductivity and many-body density-wave phenomena as shown in a series of most recent works. These novel topological quantum matter harbor properties that may lead to the development of next-generation quantum devices.
Speaker: Zahid Hasan, Princeton University
nEXO and the quest for neutrino-less double beta decay - 10/21/2024 03:30 PM
Stanford Linear Accelerator (SLAC) Colloquium Series Menlo Park
Neutrinos, the only neutral elementary fermions, have provided many surprises. Flavor oscillations reveal the non-conservation of the lepton flavor number and demonstrate that neutrino masses are finite; yet they are surprisingly much smaller than those of other fermions (by at least six orders of magnitude!) It is then natural to ask if the mechanism providing the mass to neutrinos is the same that gives masses to the other (charged) elementary fermions and if neutrinos are described by 4-component Dirac wavefunctions or, as is possible for neutral particles, by 2-component Majorana ones.
The hypothetical phenomenon of neutrino-less double-beta decay can probe the Majorana nature of neutrinos and the conservation of the total lepton number. It may also help elucidating the origins of mass in the neutrino sector. This is the Frontier of neutrino physics.
Following the well-known principle that there is no free lunch in life, interesting half-lives for neutrino-less double-beta decay exceed 1025 years (or ~1015 times the age of the Universe!) making experiments rather challenging. I will describe nEXO, a 5-tonne, enriched Xenon experiment with a sensitivity reaching beyond 1028 years, or >100 times the current state of the art. The nEXO detector derives directly from EXO-200, a very successful, rogue detector built by a collaboration with a heavy SLAC-Stanford participation.
Speaker: Giorgio Gratta, Stanford University
Attend in person or online by clicking here
Mechanisms and importance of lysosome repair - 10/21/2024 04:00 PM
Stanley Hall Berkeley
Damaged lysosomes are harmful to cells and participate in propagation of neurotoxic protein aggregates. Recent studies have shown that damaged lysosomes can be repaired by several alternative mechanisms. In our group we have been characterizing lysosome repair mediated by ESCRT proteins and lipids transferred from the endoplasmic reticulum. In my presentation I will discuss our recent findings regarding possible cooperations between these mechanisms and the molecular machinery of lysophagy - autophagic degradation of damaged lysosomes.
Speaker: Harold Stenmark, Oslo University
Dietary Target Therapy and Oxidative Death - 10/21/2024 04:00 PM
James H. Clark Center (Bldg 340) Stanford
Speaker: Lloyd Trotman, Cold Spring Harbor Lab
Room: Auditorium
Dark Matter Searches Using Gravitational Wave Detectors - 10/21/2024 04:00 PM
Sonoma State University - What Physicists Do Rohnert Park
Dr. Nancy Aggarwall of UC Davis conducts precision measurements of fundamental physics. She uses techniques from Quantum Optics, atomic physics, and condensed matter physics to look for new physics in the form of dark matter candidates or gravitational waves from astrophysical, cosmological, and exotic sources.
Spinning Black Holes in Binaries - 10/21/2024 04:30 PM
Physics North Berkeley
The spins of black holes in binaries observed with gravitational waves are an essential probe of physics on multiple scales, from the astrophysical formation environments of compact binaries to fundamental physics. At the same time, the imprint of spin on the observed signals is weak, making constraints more challenging compared to the other key properties of black holes, namely their mass. I will discuss how spins affect the mergers of black holes, the current status of spin measurements and its astrophysical implications, and the challenges in ensuring robust and unbiased measurements.
Speaker: Katerina Chatziioannou, California Institute of Technology
October LASER Event - Livestream - 10/21/2024 06:00 PM
LASER @ Stanford
Amy Ione (Diatrope Institute) on "Neuroscience and Art: The Neurocultural Landscape"
Meredith Tromble (Artist and Curator) on "The New College Circle: The Lifelong Impact of a Creative School"
Caroline Jones (MIT Art Historian) on "Impressionism as a Function of Techno-shock"
Tuesday, 10/22/2024
Integrating blue foods into national climate strategies - Livestream - 10/22/2024 07:00 AM
Stanford University
Blue or aquatic foods - foods that are wild-caught or farmed from oceans, rivers, and lakes - are increasingly recognized as a priority for climate action, yet they are often overlooked in climate discussions and underfunded in mitigation and adaptation financing. Policymakers have an opportunity to address climate impacts on blue food systems and leverage the fisheries and aquaculture sectors for climate adaptation, mitigation, and emissions reduction.
New guidelines produced by the Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions, WorldFish, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics, CARE, and the Environmental Defense Fund share opportunities for governments to incorporate blue foods in nationally determined contributions and other climate strategies.
Register at weblink
Editor's note, we are only listing the Americas version of this webinar (see weblink)
Projecting Costs of Direct Air Capture - 10/22/2024 12:00 PM
Shriram Center Stanford
In her presentation, Katrin will discuss a newly developed methodology for projecting the costs of novel low-carbon technologies, with a focus on Direct Air Capture (DAC) technologies. This research introduces a novel approach for projecting technology costs by assigning empirically grounded experience rates to technology components based on their similarity to mature technologies in terms of design complexity and customization needs. The methodology has been applied to three different DAC technologies, yielding probabilistic cost estimates critical for climate policymaking and energy systems and integrated assessment modeling. The methodology can be applied to any novel technology with a defined initial component scale, expanding the toolbox for technology cost forecasting. For DAC, the work sheds light on future cost trajectories and provides insights into how non-mature technologies can contribute to meeting the Paris climate goals.
Speaker: Katrin Sievert, Stanford University
Register at weblink
Sewers for surveillance: Harnessing wastewater monitoring data for public health action - Livestream - 10/22/2024 02:00 PM
Stanford University Libraries
This month, the Bay Area Open Science Group will be joined by Elana Chan, a Civil & Environmental Engineering PhD Candidate in the Boehm Research Group at Stanford studying how wastewater monitoring data may be interpreted for public health action. Elana was recently awarded the Stanford University Libraries Data Sharing Prize for her transparent research practices including publishing her data and code alongside her research papers with detailed documentation in the Stanford Digital Repository.
See weblink for stream information
How reptiles got their looks: the unreasonable effectiveness of computational models in skin scale and colour patterning - 10/22/2024 03:30 PM
Hewlett Teaching Center Stanford
I will discuss how vertebrate skin colours and skin appendages (scales, feathers, hairs, ...) are patterned through Turing and mechanical instabilities. First, I will show that Reaction-diffusion (RD) models are particularly effective for understanding skin colour patterning at the macroscopic scale, without the need to parametrise the profusion of variables at the microscopic scales. I suggest that the efficiency of RD is due to its intrinsic ability to exploit continuous colour states and the relations among growth, skin-scale geometries, and the (Turing) pattern intrinsic length scale. Second, I will show that a three-dimensional mechanical model, integrating growth and material properties of embryonic skin layers, captures most of the dynamics and steady-state pattern of head scales in crocodiles.
Speaker: Michel Milinkovitch, University of Geneva
Super-resolution imaging of complex materials: chromatography and extracellular nutrients - 10/22/2024 04:00 PM
Latimer Hall Berkeley
Super-resolution imaging and other fluorescence techniques have become seminal tools for scientists due to their ability to resolve heterogeneity and features normally obscured in traditional diffraction limited imaging. Super-resolution imaging has been optimized for and enabled important findings in cellular biophysics and catalysis, yet, super-resolution microscopy techniques have had limited use in the study of man-made materials and materials outside of the cell. From a macroscale engineering perspective, many materials are optimized empirically to decide what conditions work "best," resulting in little understanding of the chemistry behind why the selected conditions perform the way they do. On the other hand, super-resolution microscopy of materials has focused on model, fundamental systems: materials simplified to have only a few components so they can be well-described by statistical models, but far from conditions for their intended use. In this talk I will present studying liquid chromatographic separations with super-resolution imaging, along with progress towards studying separation materials that are realistic, multi-component, and complex to connect fundamental molecular observations to industrial interests. Further, I will share our work developing expansion microscopy using tensile force, a sample-based super-resolution method that physically expands stretchable hydrogels, to image hard-to-sense small molecule nutrients within and surrounding cells. Overall, super-resolution imaging is a powerful tool that can increase our understanding of materials at new spatiotemporal scales to reveal processes at the molecular-level.
Speaker: Lydia Kisley, Case Western Reserve University
Electric Vehicle Expo at Stanford - 10/22/2024 05:30 PM
Volkswagen Automotive Innovation Lab Stanford
The EV Expo features 6 different makes / models of electric vehicles brought to campus by local residents who volunteer to share their insight and expertise as owners.
Ice cream will be served to people who can demonstrate engagement with EV owners.
Stanford’s Solar Car Team is also anticipated as an exhibitor as this special exposition.
Leadership, Technology, and Innovation - 10/22/2024 06:00 PM
Hacker Dojo Mountain View
In the high-technology world, organizations innovate or die. Standing still is not an option. Too often, team leaders are selected for their technical expertise; the best contributor gets selected to lead. Unfortunately, this often leads to disaster. Leadership requires a particular set of soft skills, and, too often, companies promote individuals to leadership positions without providing them the opportunity to acquire leadership skills. Recent research indicates that while technical expertise is necessary, it is not sufficient. Leading for success and innovation requires skills not often included within STEM curricula. Here we will define what leadership is; why it is needed; the connection to innovation; and how leadership is developed and applied. In particular, we will discuss the special challenges, inevitable in the tech leader’s career, that arise when he or she is called upon to lead teams comprised of high-performance individuals whose technical skills exceed one’s own.
Speaker: Gene Hudson, consultant
Wednesday, 10/23/2024
Molecular tools reveal underpinnings of phosphonate utilization by eukaryotic phytoplankton - Livestream - 10/23/2024 11:00 AM
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
Dissolved inorganic phosphate (DIP) is the preferred form of phosphorus (P) for marine organisms, but it can be limiting in surface waters over large swaths of the global ocean. In these DIP-deplete zones, dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) comprises most of the total dissolved P pool as P esters (C-O-P bonds) and phosphonates (C-P bonds). Phosphonates were thought to be used solely by marine prokaryotes, though in recent studies we have shown utilization by some eukaryotic phytoplankton species. In this talk, I will discuss results from whole-cell transcriptomic analyses of three species of marine eukaryotic phytoplankton given phosphonates as the sole source of P. This work critically enhances our understanding of the metabolic capabilities of phytoplankton. This advance is especially important given the prediction that future oceans may become more stratified, further reducing vertical inputs of DIP and increasing the importance of DOP, including phosphonates, in supporting phytoplankton growth and possibly carbon export.
Speaker: Hannah Sterling, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences
Register at weblink to attend
Permafrost and River Meandering in Arctic Floodplains - 10/23/2024 12:00 PM
Earth and Marine Sciences Building Santa Cruz
Speaker: Madison Douglas
Mercury cycling in coastal wetlands: the interface between agriculture and rising seas - Livestream - 10/23/2024 03:00 PM
Bodega Marine Laboratory
Speaker: Brett Poulin - Assistant Professor, UC Davis
Register at weblink to receive connection information
Can Maps Be Human? Cartographic Humanities and the journey toward intimate and embodied mappings - 10/23/2024 03:30 PM
McCone Hall Berkeley
Over the past 15 years, with growing interest in cartography across various humanistic disciplines, the new area of 'map studies' has emerged as a cross disciplinary research field. This rise in mapping has driven scholars and activists to explore mapping ontologies, practices, and performances as critical tools in (counter)political, deep and emotional, archival, forensic, or purely informational modes.
What can a cartographic humanities approach bring to this expanding cartosphere? Like the geohumanities, which foster interdisciplinary dialogue between geography, the arts, and the humanities, 'cartohumanities' examine the role of map-centred theories and methodologies within the arts and humanities. This emerging field intersects with established traditions, such as the history of cartography, critical cartography, and more broad 'cultural cartography' (Cosgrove, 2008).
In this presentation, I explore the ethos behind the term 'cartographic humanities' through insights drawn from my co-edited volume, The Routledge Handbook of Cartographic Humanities (Rossetto and Lo Presti, 2024). I then reflect on the theoretical, methodological, and pedagogical foundations that inform my interest in cartographic intimacies and body mappings, as I speculate on how, when and why maps can be human - balancing deconstructive and reparative approaches to mapping.
Speaker: Laura Lo Presti, Universita di Padova
Characterizing battery degradation with synchrotron X-rays - 10/23/2024 04:30 PM
Shriram Center Stanford
Synchrotron-based X-rays are a powerful characterization tool that can probe across many relevant length scales (from atomistic to millimeter) with different techniques that are sensitive to distinct features such as microstructure, chemistry, and morphology. Because of the high flux available and penetrating power of synchrotron-based X-rays, batteries can be probed under realistic (operando) conditions, which enables us to understand and overcome failure mechanisms of the next generation of battery materials. At the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, we have a suite of advanced X-ray characterization tools and have enabled a robust means of multimodal, operando characterization using a standard pouch cell geometry. With transmission X-ray microscopy (TXM), we capture morphology changes on either the cathode or anode during battery operation. Combined with absorption spectroscopy, the TXM provides maps of the local state of charge of active material particles. With high speed X-ray diffraction and X-ray absorption spectroscopy, we track the changes in crystallographic phases, local coordination, and chemistry. Results from all of these techniques can be combined together to get a more complete picture of the key degradation pathways of active battery materials to develop mitigation strategies for longer lasting energy storage.
Speaker: Johanna Nelson Weker, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Attend in person or online (see weblink)
Nerd Nite SF #147: LEGOs, Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse, and A Nuclear Alien Hunt - 10/23/2024 07:00 PM
Rickshaw Stop San Francisco
“Brick by Brick: The LEGO-cy”
Speaker: Jonathan Chinchilla, Google
Dive into the fascinating world of LEGO, exploring its evolution from a simple toy to a global cultural icon. Uncover intriguing facts, the power of pivoting, and its influence on nostalgia, culture, and education. See why LEGO continues to captivate and inspire across generations.
“How to Survive When Disaster Strikes! Lessons from Zombie Apocalypses”
Speaker: Patrick Mulligan, Neurospace
Earthquakes, fires and floods are bad enough, but what comes after is worse. No water, no electricity, no food and maybe even no help for days. This may sound like the start to a zombie movie, but it doesn’t have to end like one! Just sorting out food, water and entertainment is enough to keep you from joining the hordes of the undead. Find out some tips and tricks to survive the ever-looming apocalypse.
“Naughty by Nuclear: The Science Behind Bombs, Supernovae, and the Nuclear Search for Extraterrestrial Life”
Speaker: Julia DeMarines, UC Berkeley
Oppenheimer, Chernobyl, Fallout - we’ve seen a lot of radioactivity portrayed in cinema in recent years, but how does it actually work? Come walk through the valley of instability with us and and find out what breaks apart the Strong (nuclear) Force and how that energy can be used for energy, bombs, and maybe even detecting extraterrestrial life.
Thursday, 10/24/2024
Little Red Dots (James Webb Space Telescope) - 10/24/2024 03:30 PM
Physics North Berkeley
Speaker: Jenny Greene, Princeton University
After Dark: Incantation - 10/24/2024 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Join the Marigold Project at After Dark, where we’ll celebrate the joy of life through ceremonial poetry, pageantry, music, and dance, rooted in the signature Day of the Dead Festival of Altars traditions. Together, we’ll honor our global ancestors and reflect on the balance of elements in the natural world: air, fire, water, earth, and love. Connect with strangers, artists, scientists, and poets while immersed in an enchanted evening of ritual, creativity, and remembrance.
NightLife - 10/24/2024 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
Calling all creatures of the night: explore the nocturnal side of the Academy at NightLife and see what's revealed. With live DJs, outdoor bars, ambiance lighting, and nearly 60,000 live animals (including familiar faces like Claude, our alligator with albinism), the night is sure to be wild.
Step inside the iconic Shake House and our four-story Osher Rainforest, where you can explore the Amazon’s treetops surrounded by free-flying birds and butterflies.
Venture into our aquarium exhibit Venom to encounter live venomous animals and learn the power of venom to both harm and heal.
Bask in the glow of one of the largest living indoor coral reef displays in the world: our 212,000-gallon Philippine Coral Reef habitat.
Take in the interstellar views from the Living Roof, then grab a bite from the Academy Café and head to the West Garden outdoor bar to drink and dine under the stars.
Ages 21+
Friday, 10/25/2024
Silicon Valley AI Enterprise Summit - 10/25/2024 09:00 AM
The Mills Building San Francisco
Get ready to dive into the world of artificial intelligence and its impact on business. Join us for a day filled with insightful keynotes, engaging panel discussions, and networking opportunities with industry experts. Whether you're a seasoned AI professional or just starting to explore its possibilities, this event is perfect for gaining valuable knowledge and making meaningful connections. Don't miss out on this exciting opportunity to learn, grow, and innovate in the heart of Silicon Valley!
TRACKS AND SESSIONS:
Automotive: Mobility, insurance , autonomous vehicles, manufacturing
Big Data/Analytics: LLM tools, platforms
Biotech:Life Sciences, Medtech, Health tech
Cleantech: Energy, sustainability, ClimateTech
Developer: Operatio, frameworks and toolsEducation: K-12, UniversityEntertainment: Media, entertainment , music, and games
Fintech: banking, payment and billing solutions, crypto
Frontier tech: Space tech, aviation, drones
Government: smart city, operations, legal implications
Hospitality, Food, Travel, Leisure
Infrastructure: Semi chips, Hardware, Computers, GPUs
Marketing and AdvertisingRetail : Manufacturing, supply chain, sales, eCommerce
Technology Stack: Data, infrastructure, foundational models, apps, agent
Workplace: Operations and Management, HR, Hiring/recruiting
Morning Hike at Bear Creek Redwoods - 10/25/2024 09:30 AM
Bear Creek Redwoods Los Gatos
Join us for this beautiful hike! A POST volunteer will share a few words about POST’s decades of conservation success before the hiking group explores a moderately strenuous but mostly shaded 5.4 mile hike with ~900 feet of elevation gain.
In one of the county’s best preserved, second-growth coastal redwood forests, we’ll also pass extensive areas of Douglas fir and oak woodland, as well as a few remaining old-growth redwoods. The proximity to the San Andreas fault results in a unique geology and landscape, while there are many remnants of a rich cultural history of the region. The park is also home to a wide variety of mammals, birds and reptiles, some of which might be spotted along the trails.
Register at weblink
Max Planck, Kiel, and the beginning of the quantum era - 10/25/2024 11:00 AM
Philosophy Hall Berkeley
The year 2025 has been designated "International year of Quantum Science and Technology" by UNESCO to inform the public about the revolution brought to science and everyday life by quantum theory. In fact, the year 2025 marks the 100th anniversary of the Schrödinger equation - the mathematical foundation of quantum mechanics. At the same time, quantum physics was born 25 years earlier when Max Planck put forward his hypothesis about quantization of the energy of electromagnetic radiation.
In this talk, Prof. Dr. Michael Bonitz (Kiel University) will recall the status of physics at the end of the 19th century where everybody thought that physics would be complete. This view was shattered by Planck; Prof. Dr. Bonitz sketches Planck’s unusual path to his discovery that completely revolutionized science and technology - a revolution that is still ongoing.
As a footnote, Planck was born in Kiel, held his first professorship at Kiel University, and throughout his life he maintained close ties to his home town. This lecture will close in describing activities in Kiel towards creation of a science center for Planck and quantum physics.
Speaker: Michael Bonitz, Institute for Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics Christian-Albrechts Universität Kiel, Germany
Exploring the Subsurface Processes of Ice Sheets and Icy Moons with Ice Penetrating Radar - 10/25/2024 12:00 PM
Earth and Marine Sciences Building Santa Cruz
Speaker: Dusty Schroeder
The Use of Technology To Improve Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety - 10/25/2024 03:00 PM
Sutardja Dai Hall Berkeley
Commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) are a crucial part of the U.S. economy, moving 72 percent of freight by weight. Though only comprising 5 percent of vehicles on the road, CMVs represent 11 percent of vehicular miles driven. Due to the size of these vehicles, CMV-associated crashes are more likely to be fatal to the drivers of other vehicles on the road. The Transportation Research and Education for Driving Safety (TREDS) Center at UC San Diego is partnering with two companies to address CMV driving safety. One technology alerts drivers to upcoming work zones through their required electronic logging devices, which track and monitor driver and vehicle information in real time. The randomly selected intervention group receive alerts 500 meters before a work zone identified by the California Department of Transportation. The technology records changes to speed, speed at passing through work zones, and rates of deceleration. Preliminary data has shown that alerted vehicles begin their deceleration earlier. A second technology uses cameras supported by artificial intelligence (AI) to detect speeding, handheld phone use and seatbelt compliance. Highly accurate prevalence of these risk behaviors is being collected for all passing CMV vehicles across two lanes of traffic. The behaviors vary by time of day, day of week, and location. Both technologies have potential to save lives of CMV drivers, the motoring public and work zone employees.
Speaker: Linda Hill, UC San Diego
Attend in person or via YouTube
Metabarcoding - 10/25/2024 06:30 PM
Sebastopol Grange Sebastopol
Fungi (and their DNA) are practically everywhere: in soil, in water, and on the inside and outside of other organisms. A relatively novel DNA sequencing technique, called "metabarcoding, allows scientists to sequence fungal DNA from nearly all of the members of a fungal community within nearly any type of substrate, whether that be soil, water, or the tissues of other organisms.
In this upcoming talk, Chris Bivins, UC Merced, will share results from a variety of projects utilizing metabarcoding including:
The symbiotic relationships between mycorrhizal fungi and mycoheterotrophic plantsHow Cynipid gall wasps influence fungal communitiesHypogeous/truffle-forming fungi in the Sierra Nevada mountains
Attend in person or online.
In Town Star Party - 10/25/2024 07:30 PM
San Jose Astronomical Association San Jose
Come join San Jose Astronomical Association (SJAA) for an evening of stargazing.
Events are held at the parking lot of our headquarters, Houge Park San Jose. The event duration is 2 hours. SJAA volunteers will share night sky views from their telescopes.Please refrain from bringing your own telescopes (Binoculars are welcome). If you like to be a volunteer with or without a telescope please email at "itsp@sjaa.net".SJAA as an all volunteer-nonprofit org depends on the City of San Jose to use facilities at Houge Park. To maintain this relationship, we must provide facility-use data to the city. Therefore, we ask you to sign in (no traceable personal data collected) when you arrive at the event.
Sonoma State Public Astronomy Viewing Nights - 10/25/2024 07:30 PM
Sonoma State University Public Astronomy Rohnert Park
Check weblink before attending to see if the event is happening, or canceled due to weather.
Saturday, 10/26/2024
Morning Hike at Rancho Cañada del Oro - 10/26/2024 09:30 AM
Rancho Canada Del Oro Open Space Preserve Morgan hill
Join Peninsula Open Space Trust for an excursion where you’ll explore the Mayfair Ranch - Longwall Canyon trails of Rancho Cañada del Oro! You will be guided by POST Ambassadors who will share with you the history of the preserve, the region, and the importance of conservation in the area.
The hike is moderate to strenuous at about 4 miles round trip with about 700 feet of gradual elevation gain.
This wonderful preserve is a hub for wildlife, such as deer, bobcats, mountain lions, and more! In the Spring, you can expect a colorful array of wildflowers adorning the hillsides, and you may get a chance to see a beautiful little creek running through Llagas meadow.
Register at weblink to attend
Baking With the Stars, Recipes for Getting Started in Astrophotography - 10/26/2024 07:30 PM
East Bay Astronomical Society Oakland
Baking and Astrophotography share many things in common: You need the right equipment, attention to detail, and a creative flair. If it seems intimidating, following a recipe can be a great way to start. SFAA member Jason Griesbach will guide you through Four Astrophotography Recipes, using only modest equipment. The result will be a heavenly Four-Course "Meal", as we explore various ways to experience the night sky.
Speaker: Jason Griesbach, San Francisco Amateur Astonomers
Attend in person or online
Monday, 10/28/2024
Government for the Greater Good: Working in Environmental Regulation - 10/28/2024 12:00 PM
Sonoma State University - Biology Colloquium Rohnert Park
Speaker: Sahrye Cohen, Environmental Protection Agency
Thermally stabilized superconductivity and photonic “friction” in Josephson junction arrays - 10/28/2024 02:30 PM
Physics North Berkeley
Superconducting resonators are technological building blocks for quantum computing, cosmology, and particle physics. Yet, despite their prevalence, in some limits they can exhibit rich and poorly understood behavior. Resonators formed from an array of Josephson junctions are a prime example. I will present two studies exploring their physics. The first study shows that apparent superconductivity persists for vastly weaker chains than expected within a zero-temperature theory. This behavior is consistent with thermal effects, which effectively melt the insulator and restore superconducting behavior. The second study explores a source of dissipation arising from photon-photon interactions - photonic "friction". I will discuss our current efforts to characterize both decay rates and kinetics associated with this effect.
Speaker: Andrew Higginbotham, University of Chicago
UC Berkeley Structural & Quantitative Biology Seminar - 10/28/2024 04:00 PM
Stanley Hall Berkeley
Speaker: William Greenleaf, Stanford University
Can coronaviruses keep surprising us? - 10/28/2024 04:00 PM
James H. Clark Center (Bldg 340) Stanford
Speaker: David Veesler, University of Washington
Room: Auditorium
Cosmic Alchemy: How Neutron Star Smash-Ups Forge Heavy Atoms - 10/28/2024 04:00 PM
Sonoma State University - What Physicists Do Rohnert Park
The source of about half of the heaviest elements in the Universe has been a mystery for a long time. The key may lie in the collision of neutron stars - violent, energetic, and unusual events that we are now beginning to observe. Dr. Enrico Ramirez Ruiz of UC Santa Cruz will present a talk focusing on recent advances in our understanding of the origin of the heaviest and rarest elements in the Universe.
Bay Area Bats - 10/28/2024 05:00 PM
UC Botanical Garden Berkeley
Come learn about our CA native bats with Director of NorCal Bats Corky Quirk. In her presentation, you will learn about the nature of bats and the importance of bats in our environment. We’ll also discuss the harmful myths that surround these animals. Live bats will be presented for viewing and discussion. Seeing these small, almost cuddly creatures might forever change how you feel about these amazing mammals.
Magic Angle Graphene: the Twist and Shout of Quantum Materials - 10/28/2024 05:30 PM
International House Berkeley
The isolation 20 years ago of the first truly 2-dimensional, one atom-thick material, graphene, has revolutionized physics and materials science, and led to numerous applications. For example, it allowed the observation of deeply quantum relativistic phenomena directly at room temperature. Moreover, scientists quickly realized that new heterostructures sandwiching various 2D materials could be created, and that these exhibited pretty unique phenomena. In the past few years, physicists have been able to create captivating atomic structures by stacking and controllably twisting layers of graphene and other 2D materials. These are called moiré patterns, named after a 17th-century silk production technique. These atomic moiré structures took the material’s design to a qualitatively new level. The moiré materials appear to exhibit a plethora of novel phenomena, such as unconventional superconductivity and magnetism, ferroelectricity, and much more. In this talk, I will review the discovery and physics of graphene and explain the principles and beauty of moiré materials. I will also provide a broad outlook of some exciting new directions and practical applications of this emerging field.
Speaker: Pablo Jarillo-Herrero, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Tuesday, 10/29/2024
Exploring Novel Strategies for Harnessing 'Molecular Frustration' in Main-Group-Catalyzed Organic Synthesis - 10/29/2024 11:00 AM
Latimer Hall Berkeley
MEMS for Next Generation Radio Frequency and Biomedical Applications - 10/29/2024 12:00 PM
Cory Hall Berkeley
A Case in Favor of Space Exploration - Livestream - 10/29/2024 02:00 PM
UC Berkeley
Exploring quantum frontier with programmable atom arrays - 10/29/2024 03:30 PM
Hewlett Teaching Center Stanford
Driving multielectron redox catalysis with photoexcited nanocrystals - 10/29/2024 04:00 PM
Latimer Hall Berkeley
Meeting the Moment: Embracing Change at the National Geographic Society - 10/29/2024 06:00 PM
Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive Berkeley
Wonderfest: Color Me Curious: The Mathematics of Coloring - 10/29/2024 07:00 PM
Hopmonk Tavern Novato
Dr. Nico Ransome on her study of a threatened "distinct population segment" of humpback whales spanning Central and North America - Livestream - 10/29/2024 07:00 PM
American Cetacean Society
Wednesday, 10/30/2024
Whole Earth Seminar - 10/30/2024 12:00 PM
Earth and Marine Sciences Building Santa Cruz
Molecular mechanism of jasmonate signaling: A delicate balance between growth and defense - 10/30/2024 12:10 PM
Barker Hall, Rm 101 Berkeley
From classroom to oyster farm: Tideland tales of a recovering academic - Livestream - 10/30/2024 03:00 PM
Bodega Marine Laboratory
USDA RUS Updates - 10/30/2024 04:30 PM
Stanford University Energy Seminar Stanford
Bats Alive! Get to Know Your Native Nocturnal Friends - 10/30/2024 05:30 PM
Youth Science Institute Los Gatos
Science on Tap: CoRE: Supporting and Empowering Women in Academia - 10/30/2024 07:00 PM
Museum of Art and History Santa Cruz
Marine Wildlife off our Coast: Studyiing Sea Birds, Marine Mammals, and More - 10/30/2024 07:30 PM
Marin Science Seminar San Rafael
Thursday, 10/31/2024
Renewal of Science Conference - 10/31/2024 09:00 AM
Computer History Museum Mountain View
Optimization-in-the-Loop ML for Energy and Climate - 10/31/2024 01:30 PM
Environment and Energy Building (Y2E2) Stanford
Robo-AO (instrumentation) - 10/31/2024 03:30 PM
Physics North Berkeley
After Dark: Creepatorium - 10/31/2024 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Fright NightLife - 10/31/2024 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
Friday, 11/01/2024
Renewal of Science Conference - 11/01/2024 09:00 AM
Computer History Museum Mountain View
Geophysics and Planetary Physics Seminar - 11/01/2024 12:00 PM
Earth and Marine Sciences Building Santa Cruz
Transportation Planning in a Time of Transition - 11/01/2024 03:00 PM
Sutardja Dai Hall Berkeley
Chemical and Computational Design of Functional Metalloproteins - 11/01/2024 04:00 PM
Latimer Hall Berkeley
First Friday Nights at CuriOdyssey - 11/01/2024 05:00 PM
CuriOdyssey San Mateo
First Friday: SPOOKY ASTRONOMY - 11/01/2024 06:00 PM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
Fluidic Telescope (FLUTE): Enabling the Next Generation of Large Space Observatories - 11/01/2024 08:00 PM
College of San Mateo Bldg 36 San Mateo
Saturday, 11/02/2024
Renewal of Science Conference - 11/02/2024 09:00 AM
Computer History Museum Mountain View
Creepy Crawly Critters: Live Spiders and Snakes! - 11/02/2024 10:00 AM
Lawrence Hall of Science Berkeley
Reducing Risk and Uncertainty Associated with Nuclear Waste Processing and Disposal: A Hanford Tank Waste Case Study - Livestream - 11/02/2024 10:30 AM
California Section American Chemical Society
Waterbird trends on Tomales Bay - 11/02/2024 11:00 AM
Cypress Grove Preserve Marshall
Project 2025: The Religious Right's Attempt to Dump Democracy - Livestream - 11/02/2024 03:00 PM
Bay Area Humanists
Wonderfest: Nightmare on Main Street: Ghosts of Napa Valley - 11/02/2024 04:00 PM
Cameo Cinema St. Helena
Starry Nights Star Party - 11/02/2024 07:00 PM
Rancho Canada Del Oro Open Space Preserve Morgan hill
Monday, 11/04/2024
Seeing the Forest for the Trees: How Northeastern Temperate Trees Are Responding to a Changing Climate - 11/04/2024 12:00 PM
Sonoma State University - Biology Colloquium Rohnert Park
Symbolic Systems Forum - 11/04/2024 12:30 PM
Margaret Jacks Hall (Bldg 460) Stanford
Graphene Quantum Dots - 11/04/2024 04:00 PM
Sonoma State University - What Physicists Do Rohnert Park
Active Matter -The Physics of Self-Organization - 11/04/2024 04:15 PM
Physics North Berkeley
Sunspots, Solar Storms, and Aurorae: Exploring Solar Maximum - 11/04/2024 07:00 PM
Hewlett Teaching Center Stanford
Seeing Beyond Sight: Astronomical Images and the Aesthetics of the Sublime - 11/04/2024 07:30 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco