Hello Rainy Science Fans,
There are two items that really jump to the front of what I have been thinking as I start to write this missive today. (A day early so that I can remind you about the first one!)
Sunday morning 12.11.22 marked the return of Orion (not Noelle and Alex’s son!) to earth completing the Artemis I mission around the Moon. I was sitting with my cup of coffee watching it. After all these years of being a NASA fan and a fan of space exploration and science I am still amazed at what humans and countries have been able to do when they work together and cooperate with each other. This year we saw the James Webb Space Telescope begin it’s work and it was even teamed up with Keck. Now Artemis/Orion seems to have had similar success, beyond what was planned and hoped for. Don’t forget about Ingenuity, tiny but mighty and durable. Many people question why so much money is spent on the moon, mars, and space. I wish I could remember who said “Not one penny was spent on the moon. It was all spent here on earth”.
It is great to see all of the rain we have received recently. If anybody doesn’t think we have been experiencing drought please logout! Note:...a single precipitation event is not enough to break a drought. Why doesn't a drought end when it rains? Here’s your weekly drought update and if you are wondering about your garden.
One of the larger challenges to science and everyday knowledge is Disinformation. Another way of looking at this is “Scientists are failing the public.” Teaching critical thinking isn’t just for the classroom, it’s for life, though it is done in classrooms. Here’s a great video about how to teach in both in and out of the classrooms. “They just don’t make rockets like they use [sic] to.”
It’s kind of quiet on the informal science and reason side these days but there are still many ways to gain insight in to how our universe works, but there are some great opportunities. For instance…
Lost Landscapes 02022 Bay and Gateway: Past Glimpses and Possible Futures - Tue 7:00 PM is also going to be happening on Wed!
Geminids Meteor Shower - Tue 11:45 PM goes on until early Wednesday
Traumatic Brain Injury, Art, and Nature - Livestream - Wed 12:00 PM
Third Thursday @ CuriOdyssey 6:00 PM
After Dark: Bioluminescence - Thu 6:00 PM
Science of Light - Sat 12:00 PM
Fort Point Candlelight Tour - Sat 06:30 PM
Of course there are many cool things that I have come across recently as well. I hope you find a few (at least one) of them interesting!
About all those dates and From the fringe to the grocery aisles
Tales From the Periodic Table is a great way to learn what we are, and are not made of! It’s part of one of our great local science educator’s personal projects now. Check out Full-Spectrum Science too. Ron has even more at Ron Hipschman This makes Ron cringe!=}
Through an Artist’s Eye, Scientific Tools Help Tell Vital Stories
How I learned to stop worrying and love my tsundoku
Have a great week learning cool new stuff.
herb masters
“It sounded interesting, at least while I kept out of the rain. But if it's a sermon, I'd sooner listen to the rain.” Rashomon
Upcoming Events:
Click to see the next two weeks of events in your browser.
Monday, 12/12/2022
Democratizing NLP: considerations from resources to algorithms - Livestream - 12/12/2022 06:30 PM
IEEE Computer Society of Silicon Valley
In recent times, there is an enormous increase in the use of digital media as a channel for communication. This, combined with the fact that natural language is a ubiquitous mode of communication, has increased the volume of natural language data available for processing. Also, this has resulted in opportunities for extending NLP based services/solutions in multiple languages.
Speaker: Dr. Maunendra Desarkar, IIT Hyderabad, India
Register at weblink to attend
Tuesday, 12/13/2022
December Bird Walk - FULL - 12/13/2022 09:30 AM
UC Botanical Garden Berkeley
Join Chris Carmichael in search of both resident and migrant birds in the Garden's many bird friendly micro habitats. Chris will be joined by Susan Greef, Garden Member and avid birder. Beginning and experienced bird watchers are welcome. Limited to 15 participants. Register at weblink
Realtime Machine Learning and End-to-end ML Platform - 12/13/2022 06:00 PM
Z-Park Silicon Valley Innovation Center Santa Clara
Tech Talk 1: Seven Reasons Why Realtime ML Is Here to Stay. Abstract: Machine Learning is being adopted and validated by an increasing number of industries, businesses, and projects. However, a significant portion of these use cases are offline and batch in nature. The transition to realtime predictions is a rapidly evolving and widespread trend right now.
Tech Talk 2: Looper: The end-to-end ML platform at Meta Abstract: Modern software systems and products increasingly rely on machine learning models to make data-driven decisions based on interactions with users, infrastructure and other systems.
Registration at weblink required for both in-person and virtual attendance
Lost Landscapes 02022 Bay and Gateway: Past Glimpses and Possible Futures - 12/13/2022 07:00 PM
Herbst Theater San Francisco
This year's LOST LANDSCAPES pictures the infrastructures, peoples and landscapes of California, centering on San Francisco’s everyday past and the futures we have tried to build. Casting an archival gaze on San Francisco and cities, towns and places throughout California where nature and culture meet, the film recalls moments in the history of our state's resources, the scars of settlement and its backbones: transportation, extraction, communication, travel and labor - all intersecting in a panoramic city/state symphony documenting the past and suggesting possible futures in an age of systemic uncertainty.
As always, this year's film (the 17th!) combines home movies, government-produced and industrial films, feature-film outtakes and many other surprises (including many newly discovered San Francisco historical images). As with all LOST LANDSCAPES events, the audience makes the soundtrack, and you are cordially invited to identify people, places and events, pose questions to one another and to the host, and engage in spirited conversation as the film plays.
We will also do a public livestream of LOST LANDSCAPES 02022 on a later date in December. Rick will be joining us live on chat to engage in spirited real-time repartee with you and fellow viewers! More information coming soon.
Presenter: Rick Prelinger
See weblink for ticket information
Geminids Meteor Shower - 12/13/2022 11:45 PM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
Join us on our observation decks and be dazzled as we make our annual trip though the Geminids Meteor shower. The Geminids, named for the radiant or location where the shower appears to originate, are one of the best meteor showers to catch this year. The culprit and source of the shower is Asteroid 3200 Phaethon, a small asteroid about 3.17 miles (5.10 kilometers) across.
Bring warm clothing or optional blankets, chairs or sleeping bags.
Event is weather dependent.
Wednesday, 12/14/2022
Geminids Meteor Shower - 12/14/2022 12:00 AM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
Join us on our observation decks and be dazzled as we make our annual trip though the Geminids Meteor shower. The Geminids, named for the radiant or location where the shower appears to originate, are one of the best meteor showers to catch this year. The culprit and source of the shower is Asteroid 3200 Phaethon, a small asteroid about 3.17 miles (5.10 kilometers) across.
Bring warm clothing or optional blankets, chairs or sleeping bags.
This event is weather permitting. In the event of rain, fog or cloud cover the event will be cancelled and tickets will be refunded on request.
From Rubin pixels to LSST science: tools for getting there - Livestream - 12/14/2022 11:00 AM
Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics
Speaker: Josh Meyers, Lawrence Livermore National Labs
See weblink for Zoom information
December LASER Event - Livestream - 12/14/2022 12:00 PM
LASER Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous
A Special LASER: "Art & Science at Ars Electronica 2022" with: Christa Sommerer (Austria-France) on "The Artwork as a Living System" Klaus Spiess (Austria) on "Ecolalia" Bill Ayton (Media Artist) on "Interplanetary VR Sustainable Futures" Annick Bureaud (France) on "Art and Science" Register here
Traumatic Brain Injury, Art, and Nature - Livestream - 12/14/2022 12:00 PM
John Muir Laws Nature Journal Educators Forum
Join John Muir Laws and Celeste Palmer, founder and President of Bridging the Gap Connecting Traumatic Brain Injury Survivors, for a discussion of art, nature, and healing.
Art and nature are essential aspects of our being here on earth. Nature offers us peace and a rich place to learn; there is a healing power of being in nature, as spending time in nature reduces our stress and improves our mental outlook. Art is a creative way to express our inner feelings and observations; it broadens our perspective because it causes us to observe the world differently and focus more on the fine details in the environment.
We as a TBI community find a healing power of being in nature. Being outside renews our spirits, encourages us to look beyond our immediate circumstances, and have a sense of connection to something larger than ourselves. Combining nature with art helps us express our emotions and improves our self-esteem.
Celeste used art to communicate after her accident because she had total amnesia, couldn’t go back to her history and had lost her alphabet. Her new normal was that now she did things differently than others and had to find a new way to make things work. To mend her body and mind, Celeste sat in the grass and at the botanical garden, and she would do nature journaling and drawings. Spending time with the basic things in nature, listening to sounds, the wind, feeling the warmth of sunshine, and looking at clouds are some good ways that helped her heal.
We are all different and we are all the same; combining art and nature can help us regain our positive energy.
See weblink for link to meeting.
SETI Talks - JWST: Impressive First Science One Year After Launch - Livestream - 12/14/2022 01:00 PM
SETI Institute
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was successfully launched on December 25, 2021. Following the commissioning of the telescope and its instruments, the first science observations started in late June. On July 12, 2022, the world saw its spectacular first images. From December 12-14, astronomers from around the world will gather at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, USA (STScI), the science and operations center for JWST, for a science conference to highlight the first scientific results from NASA’s newest Great Observatory.
To discuss the impressive results in four science themes: the Early Universe, Galaxy Assembly, Stellar and Planetary Lifecycles, and Other Worlds, SETI Institute Senior Astronomer Franck Marchis will be in Baltimore to moderate a special SETI Talk with two astronomers involved in JWST science and operations. Susan Mullally, STScI, is an astronomical time series data expert and has used these skills to study the population of exoplanets, variable stars and binary stars. Mullaly works to ensure the scientific productivity of NASA’s space telescopes. Chris Evans, head of the European Space Agency (ESA) office at STScI, serves as ESA project scientist for Hubble and Webb guest observers.
What is the status of the JWST and its instruments? Did astronomers spot the end of the Dark Ages with recent NIRCam and NIRSpec observations? What did we learn about the atmospheres of directly imaged exoplanets and from the transits of Trappist-1 exoplanets? What do astronomers expect to see next with this extraordinary facility? We will address these questions during this discussion, as well as questions from the audience.
Register at weblink to attend.
Fungi as Biocontrol Agents - 12/14/2022 06:00 PM
Mill Valley Public Library Mill Valley
James Morris received his Bachelor’s of Science in Environmental Science from Saint Mary’s College of California in 2019, and is now a graduate student in Dr. Brian Perry’s Lab at CSU East Bay. James is researching the degradative capabilities of wood rot fungi associated with eucalyptus trees.
James hopes that this research will set a precedent for the use of fungi as biocontrol agents against invasive plants, reducing or eliminating herbicidal use in invasive plant management in the East Bay Regional Parks. James also works as a Park Ranger at Paradise Beach Park in Tiburon, and hopes that this research will carry over to his jurisdiction as well.
Sustainable Food Gardening In Our Own Backyards - Livestream - 12/14/2022 07:00 PM
City of Sunnyvale
Have you ever wanted to skip a trip to the grocery store? Join Trinity Tomsic to learn how to grow your food in abundance. Trinity Tomsic, Executive Director of Garden to Table Silicon Valley will teach you how. Garden to Table Silicon Valley is focused on creating a sustainable, local food system by teaching residents how to grow their own food. Learn about the many free resources the organization provides to the community and innovative ways to grow an abundance of food in small spaces, with limited resources.
Thursday, 12/15/2022
RVfpga: Teaching Computer Architecture Workshop - 12/15/2022 09:00 AM
UC Santa Cruz Silicon Valley Campus Santa Clara
Learn how to use RISC-V to teach computer architecture and the design of systems on chip (SoCs) in this hands-on, in-person, one-day workshop with the authors of RVfpga.
This free workshop is to show how to teach next-generation computer science, electrical, and computer engineering students with hands-on real-world expertise in computer architecture and the RISC-V instruction set architecture.
What is the RVfpga workshop about?
RISC-V is a rapidly growing worldwide movement. It is open source and provides extensions, making it easier to target to various platforms.
What will you learn?
The workshop shows how to quickly get the RISC-V FPGA system and RISC-V tools up and running. Then, we describe all of the RVfpga labs and show how to use and work through a selection of the labs hands-on. We also discuss how to integrate RVfpga into your curriculum.
Topics
Installing tools (which can be done before the workshop)Targeting the SweRV EH1 RISC-V core to an FPGAAnalyzing and modifying the RISC-V-core and memory hierarchy
Room 2110
Addressing HIV/AIDS, PrEP and STI After the Pandemic - 12/15/2022 06:00 PM
Commonwealth Club San Francisco
Join us for our annual year-end program and celebration of "The Michelle Meow Show" at The Commonwealth Club. First, we'll have a fascinating discussion with health experts drawing on the latest surprising research, and then we'll have a social hour with food, drink, and entertainment.
In what we hope is the late phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, we'll take a look at other long-running issues relating to health care, healthy living, and access to care for the LGBTQ+ community. Our expert panelists for this discussion are leaders in the efforts to reach LGBTQ+ people, informing them and connecting them to appropriate health care services.
Dr. Monica Ghandi, M.D., M.P.H., was a recipient of The Commonwealth Club's Distinguished Citizens Award in 2021. She is an infectious diseases doctor, professor of medicine and associate chief in the Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). She is also the director of the UCSF Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) and the medical director of the HIV Clinic ("Ward 86") at San Francisco General Hospital.
Craig Rouskey is the co-founder and CEO of Renegade.bio. Rouskey was also a co-founder and CSO at Pando Nutrition, an animal nutrition company. At Avant Immunotherapeutics, he worked on vaccine projects against avian influenza (H5N1) and anthrax. He co-founded the Gonorrhea Eradication Team (GET) and served as principal scientist for the Immunity Project, creating an open source vaccine against HIV. Rouskey has also served as a scientist in the Antibody Therapy Group at Novartis and in product development with the Next Generation Sequencing group at Thermofisher.
Tristan Schukraft is the founder and CEO of MISTR, a telemedicine company that is focused on HIV prevention serving over 150,000 patients in all 50 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico. In addition to MISTR, Schukraft has founded a portfolio of tech focused companies within the healthcare and hospitality industries, and most recently acquired The Tryst hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Register at weblink to attend in person or online.
Third Thursday @ CuriOdyssey - 12/15/2022 6:00 PM
STEM networking every Third Thursday at CuriOdyssey
Enjoy a private museum experience and expand your network.
In our monthly Speaker Series, you will hear from leading professionals as they share best practices, anecdotes, and insights into industry trends.
Drinks. Bites. Connections.
Beer & wine are available for a $5 donation benefitting STEMCorps mentoring initiative.
Ages 21+ please.
After Dark: Bioluminescence - 12/15/2022 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Have you ever admired the flashing of fireflies, or wondered at jellyfish that glow? Tonight, learn about bioluminescent life, from fireflies to marine organisms. Get hands-on with the science behind this phenomenon, and experience artworks that capture its radiance.
Glowing Cells With Ulises Diaz 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. Moore Gallery 4, Bio Bar
Get a look under the microscope at visually stunning microscopic organisms! These organisms have been fed fluorescent beads to help answer questions about how cells work and behave. The glowing tracers allow researchers to visualize flow inside single-celled organisms like amoebas and stentors. UCSF Graduate Student Researcher Ulises Diaz will be on hand to help you dive deep into what you’re seeing.
Ulises Diaz is a PhD candidate at UCSF in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. His current work uses giant cells (1 - 5 millimeters) to study intracellular mixing and cellular regeneration.
Firefly Mating Game With Ralph Washington Jr. 7:00 p.m. Bechtel Gallery 3
How would you fare as a firefly? Join this large-scale interactive game where you’ll role-play as a firefly looking for a mate! Pick a side as a Signaler or Responder, and see if you can identify your potential mate’s flashing pattern among the crowd. But beware, success is not guaranteed - and you may even end up as someone’s dinnertime meal!
At 8:30 p.m., head up to Fisher Bay Observatory to check out a presentation from entomologist Ralph Washington Jr. He’ll illuminate what can be learned from the Firefly Mating Game, and more!
LEBs: Light-Emitting Bugs With Ralph Washington Jr. 8:30 p.m. Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery 6
Entomologist Ralph Washington Jr. shines a light on bioluminescent bugs - and specifically on fireflies. Learn about mating patterns, the physics of glowing, and other enlightening facts about these incandescent insects.
Ralph Washington Jr. has a master’s degree in entomology and is a three-time national and international champion of entomological natural history trivia. One of his favorite lessons from studying the lives of small creatures is the reminder that although life can often be hard, at least he isn’t a termite getting paralyzed by a toxic fart.
The Depths Aglow With Andréa Fusco 7:30 p.m. Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery 6
In the deepest parts of the ocean where no sunlight penetrates, creatures have evolved their own methods to light the darkness. Learn about the amazing array of ways these animals use light for communication, defense, and hunting. Andréa Fusco shares astounding observations about glowing ink from squids, strobing burglar alarms from jellies, sparkling pixie dust from gossamer worms, and more.
Andréa Fusco is a Living Systems Lab Technician at the Exploratorium. She has a strong passion for cephalopod science and received her master’s degree in marine biology from Northeastern University, where she studied cuttlefish feeding behavior.
Glowing Cocktails With Zeke Kossover 8:00 p.m. Osher Gallery 1, Kanbar Forum
Sometimes cocktails can give you a warm glow, but how about the reverse? What if you could get your cocktails to glow? Join Exploratorium Educator Zeke Kossover to uncover the physics and chemistry of glowing ingredients. Then draw on biology to find out how someday soon bioluminescence might really make your cocktails shine!
NightSchool: Words for a Changing World - Livestream - 12/15/2022 07:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences
What better time for a little reflection than the final NightSchool of the year? As we face an increasingly variable natural world, examining how we feel and experience change can be as valuable as data collection and research. This session of NightSchool sits at the intersection of art and science and features poets, performers, and writers whose work reckons with a changing natural environment.
Featuring: Rachel Garber Cole, Ruth Nolan, Craig Santos Perez
See weblink to watch on YouTube
Saturday, 12/17/2022
Family Nature Walks - Baylands Nature Preserve - 12/17/2022 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
Family Nature Walks - Foothills Nature Preserve - 12/17/2022 11:00 AM
Foothills Nature Preserve Los Altos
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!
Each group will have a maximum limit of 12 participants.
Families/groups are welcome to sign up for as many as they like. The nature walks are intended for children aged 6 to 11, and we ask that each group is accompanied by an adult.
Science of Light - 12/17/2022 12:00 PM
California Nursery Historical Park Fremont
Visit the wonders of little houses all lite up in the Vallejo Adobe on the grounds of the California Nursery Historical Park. Then take a closer look at light on how it reflects, refracts and diffracts providing wonderful images to humans. There will be 10 light challenges from the Vallejo Adobe to the California Office Museum. Children learn about light and earn prizes at the same time. The park grounds will be open so you can explore the California Nursery Historical Park.
Register at weblink.
Investigating Space: Water on the Moon - 12/17/2022 01:00 PM
Chabot Space and Science Center OaklandIs there water on the Moon? We’re about to find with the upcoming mission of NASA’s Prime-1 lunar project. Before Artemis astronauts land on the Moon in 2024, robots will scout the surface for resources and collect information about the lunar South Pole. Some landers and rovers will come equipped with handy tools, including drills and chemical analyzers, to examine what lies below the lunar surface. The Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1 (PRIME-1) will be the first in-situ resource utilization demonstration on the Moon. Additionally, for the first time, NASA will robotically sample and analyze for ice from below the surface.
Fort Point Candlelight Tour - 12/17/2022 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.
Sunday, 12/18/2022
Afternoon Hike at Mindego Hill - 12/18/2022 02:00 PM
Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve Los Altos
Join Peninsula Open Space Trust for a beautiful 5-mile hike from the Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve to the top of the POST-protected Mindego Hill. You will be guided by POST ambassadors who will share details about how we protected this beautiful property featuring panoramic views of redwood ridges and undulating hillsides.
The hike is strenuous at about 5 miles round trip with about 1,000 feet of elevation gain, so be prepared for a workout! Athletic wear and sturdy shoes are recommended! If you’d like to bring your own hiking poles, you’re more than welcome.
Protected by POST and recently opened to the public by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, Mindego Hill is an excellent example of how POST works with various partners to protect some of the most threatened lands in our area.
Tuesday, 12/20/2022
Mycological Mexico - Oaxaca Diversity and Ethnomycology - Livestream - 12/20/2022 07:00 PM
Mycological Society of San Francisco
Thursday, 12/22/2022
After Dark: See for Yourself - 12/22/2022 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Saturday, 12/24/2022
Drop-in at Palo Alto Baylands - 12/24/2022 09:00 AM
Palo Alto Duck Pond Palo Alto
Christmas Eve King Tides walk on Berkeley waterfront - 12/24/2022 10:30 AM
Seabreeze Deli Berkeley
Fort Point Candlelight Tour - 12/24/2022 06:30 PM
Fort Point San Francisco