Hello Science Fans,
This break from drought conditions has certainly been full of new or repeated experiences. I remember when the anthropogenic climate change bounced between global warming or global cooling. While the rain and weather we have been receiving is a lot by any measure it is still only a part of our climate! (note the dates of those links!) There are many ways of observing what is going on. Some are amazing to read about. The Ecological Catastrophe You’ve Never Heard Of is one that makes you realize that nature still has a lot of options for changing our understanding of who/what is in charge and the scale of things that go on, There a pretty good scientific consensus now though.
Some other problems came up today with the water soaked ground that I had to go out and deal with. So I missed seeing USSF-67, I hope you had a chance to see it. I have to admit the landings of the boosters are really cool.
Seemingly in another lifetime I actually worked in emergency response medicine. I’m not a sports fan but the news and images of Damar Hamlin set me off on a bit of a refresher. It appears that he experienced commotio cordis. Here’s a bit of history about commotio cordis. If you took CPR in the 70’s or so you may have been trained to give a precordial thump. That seemed to fall out of favor and I haven’t heard of it in years, but it may have a place in emergency response for those who witness a similar event. It gets complicated real quick but here are two illustrations that might help if you have some background in this. It is far more common (sort of) than I thought. If you have a kid involved in sports where impacts happen you might want to educate yourself!
On an entirely different note, I used to talk to people a lot about a Foucault Pendulum. I liked to tell a story about the Connections (one of the best science programs ever (Note: Amazon says the genre is Mystery & Thrillers!)) that got us from Galileo dropping balls of the Leaning Tower of Pisa (that was allegorical) and arguing that the earth moved all the way to taking pictures of Mars rovers descending through the Martian atmosphere! That was a long way of saying I wish I had The Remarkable Emptiness of Existence to refer to a few years ago!
It looks like we are off to a science charged calendar with a lot of options in the next two weeks. Here are a couple that look fascinating to me for this week…
-Kombucha Swap-O-Rama (and Science!) - 01/17/2023 07:00 PM
-Januray LASER Event - Livestream - 01/18/2023 07:00 PM
-After Dark: Moon and Stars - 01/19/2023 06:00 PM Thu
-King Tide Bair Island Interpretive Walk - 01/20/2023 10:00 AM Fri (there are few KT walks but this is a great location you should know about.)
-Wonderfest: Probing the Heart of Matter - Livestream - 01/22/2023 01:00 PM Sun (Note:The Remarkable Emptiness of Existence)
Here are some further teasers to hopefully keep you intrigued.
Take note of the Kombucha presentation above! You Don’t Need a Binder in Your Detox Kit, and You Don’t Need a Detox Kit
There are going to be many more arguments where science and faith or religion are on public display. Roe arguments will continue as we can see already. I think this video needs to be watched by anyone that is going to advocate for or against choice. Here’s an interesting supplemental video… Boned, spined, spiked, corkscrewed or double-headed: why did so much variety arise when a simple tube would do?
I came across this and find it to be really insightful and it is free to download or read on line...
SCIENCE LITERACY “Science is a way of knowing about the world. At once a process, a product, and an institution, science enables people to both engage in the construction of new knowledge as well as use information to achieve desired ends. Access to science—whether using knowledge or creating it—necessitates some level of familiarity with the enterprise and practice of science: we refer to this as science literacy.”
So with all that to read, watch, and think about, go out and Boogie Like a Hedgehog!
herb masters
Upcoming Events:
Click to see the next two weeks of events in your browser.
Monday, 01/16/2023
Tuesday, 01/17/2023
The role of deep weathering in ecological and hydrological processes across the mountains of California - 01/17/2023 03:30 PM
Earth and Marine Sciences Building Santa Cruz
Speaker: Russell Callahan, UC Santa Cruz
Can a solid-state quantum simulator help us understand materials? - 01/17/2023 03:30 PM
Hewlett Teaching Center Stanford
When Feynman suggested quantum-based computers in the '80s, he wasn't primarily thinking of the general-purpose quantum computers intensely pursued by companies and academic researchers today. Rather he imagined using quantum mechanical objects to simulate aspects of our quantum world. Effective model Hamiltonians are central to condensed matter physics, as they can capture the essence of material properties while avoiding the full complexity of actual materials. But even those model Hamiltonians can be intractable to treat on classical computers. Very perfect realizations of model Hamiltonians relevant to materials can now be built with ensembles of cold atoms or with nanopatterned solid state systems similar to those used to make qubits.
Speaker: David Goldhaber-Gordon, Stanford University
Evolution of mesendoderm patterning in echinoderm embryos - 01/17/2023 04:00 PM
James H. Clark Center (Bldg 340) Stanford
Vanessa Barone studied molecular biology at the University of Turin, Italy, and then pursued her Ph.D. in the Carl-Philipp Heisenberg group at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria in Vienna. There she investigated how cell-cell contacts regulate cell differentiation of mesendodermal progenitors during zebrafish gastrulation, finding a positive feedback loop between cell-cell contacts and Nodal signaling that determines cell fate decisions. This opened an evo-devo question: may regulatory interactions between cell adhesion and cell signaling underlie evolutionary changes in tissue patterning? To address this question, Vanessa moved to echinoderm embryos and joined Deirdre Lyons group at the University of California San Diego where she is using the sea urchin and sea star embryos to investigate the role of cell-cell contacts in the evolution of mesendodermal tissue patterning.
Speaker: Vanessa Barone, UC San Diego
Stress, Resilience, and Healthy Aging - Online - 01/17/2023 05:30 PM
Commonwealth Club - Online Event
Does stress really age us? Everyone experiences different levels of stress from family, friends, work, or just uncertainty in the world. And while we can’t avoid living with stress, we can learn how to embrace it and transform it.
Stress scientist Dr. Elissa Epel and Nobel Prize winner Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn will discuss the latest science on how we age and the role of stress and well-being. They will also address what we can do to improve mental health and slow aging.
Hear more on how to develop a more robust mindset and “stress better.”
Register at weblink to receive connection information
Popping the Science Bubble - 01/17/2023 05:30 PM
Berkeley Public Library Berkeley
Speakers: TBA
Attend in person or on Zoom or Facebook.
Kombucha Swap-O-Rama (and Science!) - 01/17/2023 07:00 PM
Counter Culture Labs Oakland
Kombucha (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kombucha) is a fermented tea with a very complex symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts (SCOBY), composed of dozens of different species. It's a health food; it's a tasty fizzy caffeinated beverage; it even makes vegan leather - what's not to like!
Join us in-person at Counter Culture Labs to taste a variety of kombucha cultures from our kombucha library of SCOBY's we have collected from various sources. Bring your own home made kombucha if you have some to share! Participants will be able to take home a culture of their choice.
We will also cover the latest from the Kombucha Genomics community project at CCL, where we have been studying these wonderful cultures using microbiology, DNA sequencing, microscopy, and material science.
RSVP at weblink
Masks and vaccination required. 20 participants max.
Astronomy Beginner's Forum - Livestream - 01/17/2023 07:00 PM
San Jose Astronomical Society
If you're new to astronomy and are perhaps considering getting your own telescope but are not sure where to start, maybe we can help!
This event is an on-line meeting where you can chat with representatives of SJAA as well as other new astronomy enthusiasts. We'll share general tips and answer specific questions. Our goal is to give you information, so that you can make good choices for yourself and get started in a way that leads to success and joy.
You can ask any astronomy or astronomy equipment-related question, but please understand that some questions may be beyond the scope of this session. For example, we will not be able to walk through complex telescope setup procedures. If you're having specific trouble with a telescope, we'll do our best to give you tips, but we may have to refer you to further resources.
Also, if you're looking to buy binoculars or a telescope, we will not be able to give you a specific recommendation for what to get, as there is no single right answer. We will, however, give you criteria and guidelines to consider, so you can focus your own research and make an informed choice.
We will start the session by collecting the questions you want to ask. Other than that, just bring your enthusiasm for astronomy!
Register at weblink
Wednesday, 01/18/2023
Telepresence Robots: Designing for an Inclusive Future - Livestream - 01/18/2023 12:00 PM
CITRIS Research Exchange
Innovative approaches to technology-mediated health care require holistic, patient-centered interventions to address health challenges. Emerging telepresence and social robots have the potential to transform the health experiences of people who are restricted to their homes due to medical conditions or disabilities. Use of these robots may promote social inclusion and enable connectedness within existing physical communities. This presentation will discuss telepresence, virtual inclusion and the growing use of social telerobots in public spaces. This will include an overview of conceptual, theoretical, methodological and translational approaches to robot-mediated behavioral and developmental interventions. The Presence and Social Connectedness Framework will be explored as a tool to measure perceived connectedness and inform development of robot design features that facilitate presence and inclusion. This presentation will also explore the intersection of three disciplines (developmental psychology, human-robot interaction, human-computer interaction) that work jointly to move beyond discipline-specific approaches to address a common problem.
Speaker: Veronica Ahumada, UC Davis
Register at weblink to attend.
This talk was originally scheduled last October.
What the Clean Air Act needs to get right about wildfire - Livestream - 01/18/2023 12:30 PM
Stanford University
This month, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed tightening the national standards for soot pollution (PM2.5). Strengthening controls on PM2.5 has, second to banning lead additives in gasoline, provided the greatest public health benefits of any action taken be EPA over the past 3 decades and the action proposed this month by EPA would protect public health in many communities. But a rapidly growing share of PM2.5, especially in western states, is now created by wildfire and prescribed fire rather than traditional sources such as diesel and coal combustion. Under the Clean Air Act, wildfire and prescribed fire emissions are treated very differently, creating disincentives for the use of prescribed fire. Tightening of the PM2.5 standard will limit future growth in the use of prescribed fire which may in turn increase risk and wildfire related emissions of PM2.5 in many states. In order to achieve public health goals in California and the broader west, EPA must develop new approaches to PM2.5 regulation that tighten rules for smokestacks and tailpipes while simultaneously allowing for the growth of prescribed fire.
Speaker: Michael Wara, Stanford University
See weblink for connection information
Glider Discovery Day - 01/18/2023 03:00 PM
Hiller Aviation Museum San Carlos
Discover the world of flight in a special outdoor family event!
Learn the names of the different parts of the airplane, then join in the fun the help build a full-size Penguin airplane! Then, assemble a balsa wood glider and join a fun festival of flight outdoors in the museum’s Courtyard. Each child receives a glider to take home!
SitePassword: A Different Kind of Password Manager - Livestream - 01/18/2023 07:00 PM
SF Bay Association of Computing Machinery
Do you use a password manager? You should. How else are you going to have a different strong password for every site you log into. There are plenty to choose from. The problem is that they remember your passwords for you, which means you are dependent on them. What if yours goes out of business, as one with over 100,000 users recently did?
SitePassword is different. It doesn't remember your passwords; it calculates them. You can get your password as long as you can remember one strong password along with your user id and nickname for the site. That puts you in full control of your passwords.
In this talk I'll explain how SitePassword works and give a demo. I'll discuss some human factors considerations and include a few war stories describing some of the strange things websites do on their login pages. There are security issues relevant to all password managers, and I'll explain how SitePassword addresses them.
Speaker: Alan Karp, EARTH Computing
Register at weblink to receive connection information
Januray LASER Event - Livestream - 01/18/2023 07:00 PM
LASER Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous
Therese Lahaie (Media Artist) on "Analog and Digital Migration" Annie Kritcher (Lawrence Livermore Lab) on "The State of Nuclear Fusion Research" Primavera De Filippi (National Center of Scientific Research, Paris) on "Do blockchains dream of electronic flowers?"
Meet COSMIC: An Alien Hunter Instrument at the VLA - Livestream - 01/18/2023 07:00 PM
SETI Institute
COSMIC SETI (the Commensal Open-Source Multimode Interferometer Cluster Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) is about to survey of 40 million stars for technosignatures using the National Science Foundation’s Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA). The VLA is the world’s largest radio telescope array operating at microwave frequencies. It’s also where Jodie Foster heard an alien signal in the 1997 movie “Contact.”
COSMIC SETI is a collaboration between the SETI Institute and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), which operates the VLA, to bring a state-of-the-art search for extraterrestrial intelligence to the VLA for the first time. As the VLA conducts observations with its 27 antennas, COSMIC SETI will enable SETI Institute scientists to access a copy of that data to analyze for evidence of technosignatures, signs of technology not caused by natural phenomena.
Once up and running, it is estimated that COSMIC SETI will observe about 40 million galactic star systems in two years. It will be the most comprehensive SETI observing program ever conducted in the Northern Hemisphere, with high sensitivity and a colossal target list.
To discuss the ability of COSMIC SETI to conduct this unique technosignature search, we invited two researchers involved in the project. Chenoa Tremblay, radio astronomer at the SETI Institute and Mark Ruzindana, a postdoctoral scholar at UC Berkeley. Together with Molly Bentley, executive Producer and Co-Host at Big Picture Science, they will discuss the potential of COSMIC SETI to detect technosignatures from such a large star system sample located “only” 900 light-years away from us.
Register at weblink to attend. This event will only be available live, and not on SETI's YouTube channel.
Over A Century of Valley Fever - 01/18/2023 07:30 PM
Bay Area Mycological Society Berkeley
San Joaquin Valley Fever is a human disease caused by the fungus, Coccidioides immitis. This fungus and its sister species, Coccidioides posadasii, are found in hot, dry regions from the San Joaquin Valley of California, through Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Mexico, Central America and South America. Coccidioidomycosis was first discovered in 1892 in an Argentinian soldier. Two years later two researchers recognized a similar case in a Portuguese immigrant farm laborer working in the San Joaquin Valley of Central California. In Kern County, the first case recognized and reported occurred in August, 1901. Discoveries arose from careful epidemiologic and clinical investigations in the San Joaquin Valley during the 1930s and research continues today.
Speaker: John Taylor, UC Berkeley, Emeritus
Thursday, 01/19/2023
Concrete Building Retrofits: San Francisco’s Next Steps in Meeting Seismic Resilience Goals - Livestream - 01/19/2023 12:30 PM
SF Planning + Urban Research Assoc. (SPUR)
Wondering when the next big earthquake will rattle the Golden State? According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), there is a 72 percent chance that the San Francisco Bay Area will experience a magnitude 6.7 earthquake or greater within the next 30 years. If we don’t take steps now to make our built environment safer and more resilient, the Bay Area could see significant damage and loss of life, followed by long-term economic and social losses. City leaders in San Francisco are looking at different ways to address the growing need to protect the city from a disastrous outcome when the “Big One” shakes the region. Building on the success of its Soft Story Retrofit Program, San Francisco is turning its attention to two of the city’s most hazardous building types: concrete tilt-ups and non-ductile concrete. Join us for a discussion with representatives from San Francisco’s Office of Resilience & Capital Planning on this new program.
Speakers:
Laurel Mathews, City and County of San FranciscoBrian Strong, City and County of San Francisco
Register at weblink to receive connection information
NightLife - 01/19/2023 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
Calling all creatures of the night: explore the nocturnal side of the Academy at NightLife and see what's revealed. With live DJs, outdoor bars, ambiance lighting, and nearly 40,000 live animals (including familiar faces like Claude, 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. Reservations for these exhibits are no longer required. However, please note that the last entry into the rainforest is 7:30 pm - our animals need their sleep.
Venture into our latest aquarium exhibit Venom to encounter live venomous animals and learn the power of venom to both harm and heal.
Visit the BigPicture exhibit in the Piazza to marvel at the most recent winners of the BigPicture Natural World Photography competition.
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. For adults 21+.
After Dark: Moon and Stars - 01/19/2023 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Look up at the night sky and you might be able to track the passage of time or navigate your way home - just as observers from Earth have done throughout history. What do we miss when we pollute our sky with light and crowd it with satellites? What can we learn from the moon and the stars? Tonight, explore the allure of these celestial bodies through story, song, and science.
Tails of Two Cities: Wildlife Connectivity From the Bay to LA - Livestream - 01/19/2023 07:00 PM
Peninsula Open Space Trust
Wildlife need more than a patch of healthy habitat - they need connected landscapes in order to survive and thrive. Connected habitats are critical for animals to move safely across the landscape to find food, water, and shelter. They also need room to roam in order to mate and to maintain healthy, genetically diverse populations. However, many obstacles to their movement threaten their long-term survival including habitats that are fragmented by development, housing, roads and freeways, fences, and other man-made barriers.
From the Bay Area to Los Angeles, conservation groups are working hard to not only protect and enhance critical habitat for our local wildlife, but ensure that wildlife can move throughout these areas to ensure their resilience in the face of a changing climate.
Join us as three scientists from the National Wildlife Federation, Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, and POST share the work they are doing in their respective regions to connect wildlife across the state. They’ll also talk about the many organizations working together on these projects including the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority, POST and the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Agency.
Join POST and our conservation partners for an interactive panel discussion exploring the importance of habitat connections for wildlife like mountain lions, bobcats, and many other animals. Our expert panelists will discuss efforts taking place in the Bay Area and in Southern California including the Laurel Curve wildlife crossing under Highway 17, efforts in Coyote Valley and the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing at Liberty Canyon on 101 in Southern California. You don’t want to miss this interesting opportunity to learn about the habitat connectivity issues that wildlife face, and dive deep into the specific projects that conservation groups are taking on to build a more connected and healthy ecosystem in California.
Register at weblink to receive connection information
Speakers: Marian Vernon, Peninsula Open Space Trust; Beth Pratt, National Wildlife Federation; Sarah Newkirk, Land Trust of Santa Cruz County
Friday, 01/20/2023
King Tide Bair Island Interpretive Walk - 01/20/2023 10:00 AM
Bair Island Wildlife Refuge & Trail Redwood City
Learn about this beautiful protected space, and join us for a walking tour of Bair Island during the King Tide! Led by docent Vicki Martell, this hike will take you through ~1.5 miles of paved trails. Bair Island is part of the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
King tides happen just a few times a year and reaches over 9 feet at Bair Island (about 1-2 feet higher than normal). As we walk along the 3-4 mile flat, out and back trail, we will talk about what causes King tides, expectations for sea level rise in the area, and how restoring tidal marsh can help protect us against sea level rise. We will see the tide rising to over 9 feet at about 11am. We may see migratory birds, so bring your binoculars. We’ll meet rain or shine. Come see what our future sea level may look like.
The interpretive walking tour will highlight the wetlands and the marine life that live within, such as: Endangered Ridgeway’s rails and salt marsh harvest mice. Also cottontail rabbits, peregrine falcons, pelicans, egrets, terns, and stilts. Make sure to bring binoculars to catch sight of some of the beautiful birds at Bair Island.
Register at weblink
Space-Time Monitoring of Groundwater Fluctuations with Passive Seismic Interferometry - 01/20/2023 12:00 PM
Earth and Marine Sciences Building Santa Cruz
Speaker: Shujuan Mao, Stanford University
Planet Formation from a Dynamical Perspective - 01/20/2023 07:00 PM
Tri-Valley Stargazers Livermore
Recent observational advances have allowed the discovery of thousands of exoplanets and an initial characterization of their orbital and physical parameters. As this population has grown, it is increasingly apparent that existing models of planet formation are incomplete. The Kepler/K2/TESS data have presented counterexamples to prevailing theories, including theories of hot Jupiter formation. In this talk, I will present my and others’ work towards integrating these theories of planet formation with new astronomical discoveries. Resolving these conflicts requires not only a deep understanding of the current dynamical states of benchmark systems, but also an exploration of their histories through theoretical analysis expanding on the observational data. I will explain how theoretical models can give these needed constraints and determine the most probable formation pathways of these systems. As the number of known exoplanets approaches 5000 and individual systems are being more deeply characterized, we are entering a new era of exoplanet science where it will be possible to construct a coherent theory of planet formation; as I conclude my talk, I will outline the roadmap to this understanding.
Speaker: Juliette Becker, CalTech
This event was originally listed for January 7.
Saturday, 01/21/2023
Wild In Marin - Third Annual Fungus Festival - 01/21/2023 10:00 AM
Mill Valley Community Center Mill Valley
This wonderful event will engage, entertain, and educate the community about the benefits, joys, and culinary values of fungi!
We will present a variety of booths showcasing all things fungi from mushroom kits, cookbooks, forage guides, textiles, apparel, mycocentric food, and more! Come learn about what mushrooms you can forage in the Bay Area, how to prepare, store, and cook with them. We will feature an amazing mushroom habitat exhibit, cooking demonstration with a celebrity chef, speaker presentation, raffle and auction items, and a mushroom identification table (so bring in your mushrooms and we’ll help you ID them!)
See weblink for pricing options and early bird discounts
A Royal Walk with the King Tide Along the Embarcadero - 01/21/2023 10:00 AM
Between Piers 3 and 5 San Francisco
oin Exploratorium and Port of San Francisco staff for a short stroll along the San Francisco waterfront to observe, photograph, and discuss the King Tides. “King Tide” is a popular, non-scientific term people use to describe exceptionally high tides.
We’ll gather between Pier 3 and Pier 5 on the Bay side of San Francisco's Embarcadero.
Come find out what causes the tides and why we have King Tides at this time of year, and learn about the Port's Waterfront Resilience Program and related sea level rise and resilience projects. Because of sea level rise, the King Tides of today provide opportunities to experience the “normal” high tides of the future.
We'll meet rain or shine. Come see the future!
Family Nature Walks - Baylands Nature Preserve - 01/21/2023 10:30 AM
Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve Palo Alto
Environmental Volunteers’ Family Nature Walks program is designed to help students and their families get to know our local open space areas. Small family groups will be guided by a knowledgeable environmental educator during an exploration of a local open space. These small groups will be introduced to fun nature-based activities, and a chance to learn more about the plants and animals all around us. Join us for some fun, outdoor learning!
The nature walks are intended for children aged 6 to 11.
Register at weblink
Fort Point Candlelight Tour - 01/21/2023 06:30 PM
Fort Point San Francisco
The Candlelight Tour of Fort Point is a popular guided program that allows visitors to experience the fort in a new light. This evening tour will maze through the shadows of the historic structure by candlelight and visitors will see the glimmering lights of the Golden Gate Bridge towering up above them. Upon arrival, a park ranger will check-in guests and provide visitors with a lantern. A ranger will lead this 90-minute excursion and interpret the history and the life that once existed within the old brick walls of Fort Point.
The Candlelight Tour explores all four level of the fort including the roof (approximately 76 steps). Visitors will be invited to engage in dialogue as they learn about the fascinating and sometimes complex history of the fort, its role in San Francisco history, and its cultural relevance today. Recommended age for this tour is 12 years and up.
Visitors with reservations will begin their tour when the fort is otherwise inaccessible to the public.
An Introduction to Astrophotography - Rescheduled - 01/21/2023 07:00 PM
East Bay Astronomical Society
Have you ever wondered how astronomers take a picture of another galaxy or celestial object? In this presentation, you will hear how amateur astronomers produce these images. This includes the required equipment, what an imaging session looks like, and finally, an overview of processing data into a final image. Whether you are a casual observer or just getting started, this presentation will provide you insight into astrophotography.
Speaker: Frank Seminaro, East Bay Astronomical Society
See weblink for link to the talk
This talk will take place on January 28
Sunday, 01/22/2023
King Tides walk on Berkeley waterfront - 01/22/2023 10:30 AM
Seabreeze Deli Berkeleyn the New Year, enjoy nature and consider the long term during one of winter's highest daytime tides. F5C President Susan Schwartz leads a smallish group (15 tops) along the Berkeley waterfront, starting at 10:30 AM Sun., Jan. 22, at Sea Breeze Deli (warm drinks available). We'll talk about the shoreline's history and future, how it is changing, and what we can do as the earth warms and seas rise. This level walk of about two hours goes rain or shine. You can just stroll and chat, bring binoculars to enjoy wintering waterbirds, and/or bring a camera to take pictures you can upload to the the California King Tides Project, creating a record of how our shoreline is changing. Sorry, no dogs -- we cross an area where they are not allowed.Sign up and get details on the Eventbrite listing coming soon. Our Christmas Eve walk filled up. If this one does, please add your name to the waitlist. Cancellations are likely. (If the list gets too long, you won't be able to add your name.)
Register at weblink
A Royal Walk with the King Tide Along the Embarcadero - 01/22/2023 11:00 AM
Between Piers 3 and 5 San Francisco
oin Exploratorium and Port of San Francisco staff for a short stroll along the San Francisco waterfront to observe, photograph, and discuss the King Tides. “King Tide” is a popular, non-scientific term people use to describe exceptionally high tides.
We’ll gather between Pier 3 and Pier 5 on the Bay side of San Francisco's Embarcadero.
Come find out what causes the tides and why we have King Tides at this time of year, and learn about the Port's Waterfront Resilience Program and related sea level rise and resilience projects. Because of sea level rise, the King Tides of today provide opportunities to experience the “normal” high tides of the future.
We'll meet rain or shine. Come see the future!
Wonderfest: Probing the Heart of Matter - Livestream - 01/22/2023 01:00 PM
Bookshop West Portal
Physics has always sought to deepen our understanding of reality, particularly our concept of matter. Today, city-size machines crash together particles - at nearly the speed of light - that are a trillion times smaller than a grain of sand. The resulting insights have both theoretical and practical value: a more profound (and weird) concept of existence, and new technologies such as diagnostic imaging and radiation therapy. Wonderfest joins BookShop West Portal - online - to present physicist Dr. Suzie Sheehy in discussion of her new book The Matter of Everything: How Curiosity, Physics, and Improbable Experiments Changed the World.
See weblink for Zoom information
Monday, 01/23/2023
Memory in a Glassy Landscape - Livestream - 01/23/2023 03:30 PM
SLAC Colloquium Series
Out-of-equilibrium systems preserve memories of their formation and training history in a variety of ways allowing for an innovative classification of material and dynamics. I will discuss one case where a cyclically sheared suspension of particles or a charge-density-wave solid (or even a walk in the park!) remembers multiple values from a series of training inputs yet forgets all but two of them at long times despite their continued repetition; however, if noise is added all the memories can be encoded indefinitely! When the packing density is increased, so that the particles become jammed, the evolution takes place in a very rugged energy landscape where scores of local energy minima are visited during each applied oscillation. Nevertheless the jammed solid can readily find the periodic orbits. Memory formation in such a system not only sheds light on how glassy ground states are selected and communicate with one another but also shows a form of memory that allows a new probe of the interactions within a material.
Speaker: Sidney Nagle, The James Franck Institute, The Enrico Fermi Institute, and the Department of Physics, The University of Chicago
UC Berkeley Physics Colloquia - 01/23/2023 04:15 PM
Physics North Berkeley
Speaker: Dan McKinsey, UC Berkeley
Tuesday, 01/24/2023
Whole Earth Seminar - 01/24/2023 03:30 PM
Earth and Marine Sciences Building Santa Cruz
How Ignition and Target Gain > 1 Was Achieved In Inertial Fusion - 01/24/2023 03:30 PM
Hewlett Teaching Center Stanford
New insights into the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation instabilities during the last glacial cycle - 01/24/2023 03:30 PM
Natural Science Annex Santa Cruz
Stanford Symbolic Systems Forum: Sergiu Pasca on Building the Brain - 01/24/2023 04:30 PM
Margaret Jacks Hall (Bldg 460) Stanford
Astronomy Picture Of The Day: Postcards from the Universe 2022 - Livestream - 01/24/2023 06:00 PM
Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Sperm Whales: the Gentle Goliaths of the Oceans - Livestream - 01/24/2023 07:00 PM
American Cetacean Society
Wednesday, 01/25/2023
The Multitasking Motorist: Interactions With Technology - Livestream - 01/25/2023 12:00 PM
CITRIS Research Exchange
U.S. CHIPS & Science Act: What It Means for the Future of, Well, Everything - 01/25/2023 04:00 PM
CITRIS at UC Berkeley Berkeley
Farm to Table: Busting the Myths of our Food Systems - Livestream - 01/25/2023 07:00 PM
City of Sunnyvale
The Universe of Galaxies, James Webb Space Telescope, and STEAM Research Opportunities for Young People - 01/25/2023 07:00 PM
Museum of Art and History Santa Cruz
The Science of Designer Babies: a genetic counselor’s perspective - 01/25/2023 07:30 PM
Marin Science Seminar San Rafael
Thursday, 01/26/2023
NightLife: Lunar Underground - 01/26/2023 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
Building a National Volcano Early Warning System for the Future - Livestream - 01/26/2023 06:00 PM
US Geological Survey Public Lecture Series
After Dark: Ice Stories - 01/26/2023 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Friday, 01/27/2023
Thermal tides in the Martian atmosphere = Livestream - 01/27/2023 12:00 PM
UC Santa Cruz
Saturday, 01/28/2023
Science Saturday: Amazing Migrations & Sandy's 40th birthday - 01/28/2023 10:00 AM
Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History Pacific Grove
TEDx Berkeley 2023: Channel X - 01/28/2023 10:00 AM
Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley Berkeley
Advocate for the Ocean with Ke Kai Ola Hospital - Livestream - 01/28/2023 11:00 AM
Marine Mammal Center
Saturday Cinema: Shimmering Phenomena - 01/28/2023 01:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Jazz Under the Stars - 01/28/2023 06:00 PM
College of San Mateo Bldg 36 San Mateo
Fort Point Candlelight Tour - 01/28/2023 06:30 PM
Fort Point San Francisco
An Introduction to Astrophotography - Livestream - 01/28/2023 07:00 PM
East Bay Astronomical Society
Sunday, 01/29/2023
Drop-in at Palo Alto Baylands - 01/29/2023 09:00 AM
Palo Alto Duck Pond Palo Alto
Mycological Society of San Franciso Fungus Fair - 01/29/2023 10:00 AM
Diablo Valley College Horticulture Department Pleasant Hill
Afternoon Hike at Mindego Hill - 01/29/2023 02:00 PM
Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve Los Altos
How the brain maintains homeostasis, from thirst to aging - 01/29/2023 04:00 PM
James H. Clark Center (Bldg 340) Stanford
Monday, 01/30/2023
Storytelling Science: The Conversational Path from Hypothesis to Discussion - Livestream - 01/30/2023 12:00 PM
Sonoma State Biology Colloquium
UC Berkeley Physics Colloquia - 01/30/2023 04:15 PM
Physics North Berkeley
Generative Art and Deep Learning AI - Livestream - 01/30/2023 05:00 PM
UC Berkeley
The James Webb Space Telescope: Atmospheres of Other Worlds - 01/30/2023 07:00 PM
Hewlett Teaching Center Stanford
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