Hello again Science fans!
This past Monday, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, a UN organization) released their final report on the climate. Basically, we’re on the brink of irrevocable damage to the planet. The UN Secretary General said “This report is a clarion call to massively fast-track climate efforts by every country and every sector and on every timeframe. Our world needs climate action on all fronts: everything, everywhere, all at once.”
My first thought is “where’s he been”? Here’s a timeline and summary of the previous IPCC reports as well as one analysis of the sixth report. We’ve known this is coming, but the world’s governments and much of the earth’s population haven’t done much to slow or reverse the trend. This last report took eight years to write and is several thousand pages long.
As we’ve discussed here before, communicating science to the general public is difficult. Scientists tend to used technical language and qualify their findings with lots of caveats. While this final report is pretty clear in saying we’re going to reach the point of no return (1.5 degrees Celsius increase over pre-industrial times) earlier than previously predicted, it still holds out hope that the governments of the world will do the right thing and pull us back from the climate cliff. All along they’ve been warning that we need to do something before this increase is reached in 2050. In the grand scheme of planet time, that’s a few seconds, but it terms of our lifetimes, that’s a lot of time, and that’s the scale most people relate to. So this will happen in 27 years, there’s no need to worry.
Instead it looks like we’ll reach this in the early 2030s, just seven to ten years away. Now, suddenly, the urgency is there. The governments of the world have been warned that this is coming for quite a while, but haven’t done nearly enough to prevent it.
Tuesday’s “The Morning” newsletter from the NY Times focused on this report, and included another communications issue, namely using Celsius exclusively. That’s the temperature scale scientists use, so to them it makes sense. But the US historically has emitted more CO2 than any other country and we use the Fahrenheit scale here. Few Americans know how to relate to Celsius. 1.5 degrees C translates to 2.7 degrees F. Click on the link above to read about this, and an analysis of takeaways from this report.
I saw many articles about this report this week, and was struck by the different tone taken in the headlines. Some trumpet that we still have time to fix things. Others took a more urgent approach. Mind you, they are all written about the same report! The headlines are calculated to appeal to a target audience and get more eyeballs to read their version of the analysis.
As previous versions of this, and other studies have been released, there’s always the chorus of non-believers who bring up a variety of reasons why this is part of a natural cycle and not caused by man. No matter which bit of misinformation they latch onto, there is scientific proof that nullifies their claims.
Meanwhile, in Texas, climate science education guidelines have been weakened.
Another communication issue deals with explaining how things work. For example, computing technology is rife with jargon unique to the industry. The same issue applies to pretty much any “system” we use in every day life. People don’t understand how things work, and most don’t care. The widespread power outages following the storms these past two weeks bring this into focus for the electrical grid as people can’t understand why the house across the street has power, while their house has been without for days. Cartoonist Dan Nott has created an illustrated guide to how things work that looks useful. The author of this review article says he’ll use it to teach his kids how the internet works. But he also called the book a graphic novel, which is it not, as novels are fiction.
Last Sunday marked the third anniversary of the COVID-19 emergency declaration in California. Here in the Bay Area, the local counties actually declared an emergency a few days earlier. Monday’s “California Today” reminds us of the progress made against this virus in the past three years, as well as the risk that’s still out there.
Also in the news is the debate on the origin of COVID-19. Was it caused by a lab leak, or did it have animal origins.
I took the picture at the top of today’s Schmooze in 2016. The fire that destroyed this French landmark almost three years later was tragic, but it revealed some hidden secrets, including the fact that it was the first Gothic cathedral to be built using iron staples! The restoration work is expected to complete by the end of 2024 according to this article and video from CBS news.
Lastly, Gordon Moore, co-founder of Intel and author of a simple prediction about the advances of technology, passed away this week at the age of 94. His prediction became known as Moore’s Law.
Have a great week in Science, and we hope you remain safe as we endure yet another significant storm system this coming Tuesday.
Upcoming Events:
Click to see the next two weeks of events in your browser.
Monday, 03/27/2023
Ocean Acidification and Sensor Development - Canceled - 03/27/2023 12:00 PM
Sonoma State University - Biology Colloquium Rohnert Park
Speaker: Dr. Sophie Chu, Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, NOAA
This event has been canceled and replaced with a talk by Hale Garcia-Dean
Social Interactions Determining Breeding Likelihood in Captive Southern White Rhinos: A Case Study - 03/27/2023 12:00 PM
Sonoma State University - Biology Colloquium Rohnert Park
Speaker: Hale Garcia-Dean, Sonoma State University
First Images from JWST - 03/27/2023 04:00 PM
Sonoma State University - What Physicists Do Rohnert Park
Speaker: Mary Barsony
Our Fusion Future: Lawrence Livermore Director Kim Budil - 03/27/2023 06:00 PM
Commonwealth Club San Francisco
In late 2022, scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory made a long-sought breakthrough, achieving self-sustaining “fusion ignition” for the first time, generating more fusion energy than the laser energy used to start the reaction. Supporters see fusion as a game changer for production of unlimited clean energy that can help to address climate change globally.
Please join us for a conversation with Dr. Kimberly Budil, director of Lawrence Livermore, about the significance of this achievement. Dr. Budil is the 13th director of Lawrence Livermore. A physicist, she is an expert on high-energy-density science and laser experiments. She has held numerous technical and leadership roles at LLNL, served on assignment as a scientific advisor in the Department of Energy, and was the vice president for national labs at the University of California Office of the President. She is the first woman to serve as LLNL director.
We look forward to seeing you for an inspiring evening with one of the Bay Area’s key scientific leaders, discussing where Lawrence Livermore's fusion research could lead and how long it might take to positively impact our energy future.
Speaker: Kim Budil, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Katie Hafner, "Lost Women of Science", Moderator
Attend in person or online
Smaller not bigger data: securing an interconnected world - Livestream - 03/27/2023 07:00 PM
IEEE San Francisco Bay Area Consumer Technology
From the filters ensuring clean water in our homes to the bed monitors keeping patients alive at hospitals, the physical world is being stitched into a digital fabric. This trend is commonly referred to as the internet of things “IoT.” The emergence of IoT has brought on a wealth of big data. Unfortunately, 97% of enterprises have challenges getting value from IoT-related data, creating business inefficiencies and security risks. In this talk, we will show how more “little” data vs. big data can have outsized impacts on saving money and time as well as increasing security hygiene. For example, little data can make the difference between responding to the anomalous behavior of a fridge in the physician's lounge vs. a fridge holding vaccines. In one, a couple of doctors' lunch gets warm; in the other, patients can miss critical medical care. Audience members will walk away with real-world case studies and techniques for gathering and combining little and big data, and a better understanding of how we can improve the resilience of IoT in the long term.
Speaker: Mollie Breen, Perygee
Register at weblink to attend
Wonderfest: Ask a Science Envoy: Biodiversity & Cosmic Maps - Livestream - 03/27/2023 08:00 PM
Wonderfest
Exhuming the Dead to Save the Living
Earth is experiencing a crisis in biodiversity. Surprisingly, the fossil record offers key insights for understanding this crisis, and one scientist's lifelong fascination with dinosaurs - leading to a career in conservation biology - is helping to combat the biodiversity challenge of the present ... and of the future.
Speaker: Maria Viteri, Stanford University
Creating the Largest-Ever Maps of the Universe
New datasets from the James Webb Space Telescope have begun to reveal some of the oldest known galaxies in the universe. But what lies beyond these extremely remote objects, and what more can we learn by going deeper? Next-generation experiments are working to map the most distant regions of the universe to help explain the origins of the first galaxies.
Speaker: Tyler Cox, UC Berkeley
See weblink for Zoom connection
Tuesday, 03/28/2023
Wonderfest: 'Linoleum' - 03/28/2023 05:00 PM
Cameo Cinema St. Helena
Wonderfest celebrates the 10th annual National Evening of Science on Screen with the new sci-fi comedy-drama LINOLEUM and with the expert commentary of planetary scientist Dr. Pascal Lee. LINOLEUM chronicles the reality-jarring challenges of a midwest dreamer who decides to build his own rocketship. Early reviews give the movie a RottenTomatoes rating of "86% Fresh." Angie Han of the Hollywood Reporter calls LINOLEUM'S final minutes "even more startling in their heart-wrenching effectiveness than in their mind-bending twists." After this special screening, a real rocket scientist, Dr. Pascal Lee, will share off-Earth insights and answer questions about the vast "out there."
Speaker: Pascal Lee, SETI Institute
Wednesday, 03/29/2023
Guided nature walk at Bouverie Preserve - 03/29/2023 09:30 AM
Bouverie Preserve Glen Ellen
Experience the beauty and rich natural history of Bouverie Preserve by signing up for a Guided Nature Walk Participants are paired with a trained volunteer to explore the mixed evergreen forest, flower-carpeted oak woodland and rugged chaparral.
Coastal Walk at Cowell-Purisima Trail - 03/29/2023 10:00 AM
Cowell Purisima Coastal Trailhead Half Moon Bay
Join Peninsula Open Space Trust for a beautiful walk along the Cowell-Purisima trail that POST helped create by protecting adjacent farmland. While it may be foggy, we hope to catch gorgeous views of the ocean, nearby farmland, and glimpses of harbor seals, pelicans, hawks, rabbits, and whales during the winter season.
You will be guided by POST ambassadors who will share details about POST’s work with farmers on the coast, and to create recreational opportunities along one of the most scenic stretches of our state’s coastline!
The walk is moderate at about 5 miles round trip with about 400 feet of gradual elevation gain. It is mostly flat throughout, however, it is quite a long walk.
Register at weblink
What I Did On My Fall Vacations - Submersible Research on the Fishes of Southern California Oil/Gas Platforms - 03/29/2023 11:00 AM
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute Moss Landing
Most of us lead drab and colorless lives as drones and cogs in faceless organizations. With his tales of research around southern California oil and gas platforms, Milton (only his wife calls him Dr. Love) will enter your world like a bright and fanciful rainbow, or a swatch of William Morris wallpaper, or perhaps one of those Baratza espresso makers that look like something out of a caffeine-induced fantasy.
Speaker: Milton Love, UC Santa Barbara
Attend in person, or register at weblink to attend online.
This event was originally scheduled for March 15, 2023
March LASER Event - 03/29/2023 12:00 PM
LASER Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous
Christina Jauernik (Architect and Artist) on "Touching Distance - Inter-Views with the Virtual"
Hanna Haslaahti (Media Artist) on "Storytelling with Personal Avatars"
Javier Ideami (Filmmaker and A.I. Scientist) on "Encounters of the third kind with Generative Artificial Intelligence"
Centering Health Justice and Trans Well-Being - Livestream - 03/29/2023 01:00 PM
Gladstone Institutes
In celebration of International Transgender Day of Visibility, join two scientific presentations that will help raise awareness of systemic issues that impact trans, nonbinary, and gender-diverse individuals, as well as those with intersecting identities.
Generating Models of Gender Affirming Hormone Therapy While Centering the Needs of Trans, Nonbinary, and Gender-Diverse Individuals
Gender-affirming hormone therapies have been developed with very specific physical outcomes, but little research has been conducted on the long-term impact of these therapies on neuronal physiology, function, and behavioral outcome. This lack of knowledge has been weaponized by anti-transgender activists to limit access to care. Aghi outlines areas of translational research and research questions that center the well-being of trans, nonbinary, and gender-diverse individuals, while simultaneously filling the gaps in the literature.
Speaker: Krisha Aghi, UC Berkeley
Translating Intersectionality to Machine Learning Fairness
To date, machine learning fairness has reduced the multilevel and systemic process of discrimination to a limited assessment of model performance metrics across groups. In this talk, Lett reframes fairness through the lens of intersectionality, a Black feminist theoretical framework that contextualizes individuals in interacting systems of power and oppression, and, in doing so, Lett encourages a paradigm shift in machine learning fairness from an emphasis on model metrics to an intersectional approach that is centered around achieving health justice.
Speaker: Elle Lett, Boston Children's Hospital
Register at weblink
Operationalizing environmental DNA for conservation and management across estuary, wetland, and coastal ecosystems - 03/29/2023 03:30 PM
Estuary & Ocean Science Center Tiburon
Speaker: Ann Holmes, PhD Candidate, UC Davis
Attend in person or online.
The Skeptics’ Guide to the Future - Livestream - 03/29/2023 04:00 PM
Skeptical Inquirer
Our predictions of the future are a wild fantasy, inextricably linked to our present hopes and fears, biases and ignorance. The best we can do is try to absorb the lessons from futurism’s checkered past, perhaps learning to do a little better.
Our next Skeptical Inquirer Presents event welcomes podcast host and academic neurologist Dr. Steven Novella. What can we learn from past futurists to help us more meaningfully imagine the future of science and technology? What kinds of technological innovations are likely in the next 20, 100, and even 1,000 years? In The Skeptics’ Guide to the Future, Novella and his co-authors build upon the work of futurists of the past and examine what they got right, what they got wrong, and how they came to those conclusions. He’ll discuss the follies of futurists past and how technology will profoundly change our world, redefining what it means to be human.
Register at weblink to attend
Improving VR/AR Experiences by Understanding the Human Visual System - Livestream - 03/29/2023 07:00 PM
SF Bay Association of Computing Machinery
Virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) wearable displays strive to provide perceptually realistic user experiences, while constrained by limited compute budgets, hardware, and transmission bandwidths of wearable computing systems. This presentation describes two different ways in which a greater understanding of the human visual system may assist in achieving this goal. The first looks at how studying the anatomy of the eye reveals inaccuracies in how we currently render disparity depth cues, leading to objects appearing closer than intended, or in the case of AR, poorly aligned with target objects in the physical world. However, this can be corrected with gaze-contingent stereo rendering can, enabled by eye-tracking. The second derives a spatio-temporal model of the visual system, describing the gamut of visible signals for a given eccentricity and display luminance. This model could enable future foveated graphics techniques with over 7x the bandwidth savings than those today.
Speaker: Brooke Kraancich, Stanford University
Science on Tap: It's an RNA World - 03/29/2023 08:00 PM
Museum of Art and History Santa Cruz
Ribonucleic acids (RNAs) are one of nature’s most versatile biomolecules and possess a rich variety of functions, but why should we care about them? Because RNA has so much to teach us about our past, present, and future.
In this talk, I will highlight how RNA has influenced our lives across time. Billions of years ago the first primordial RNA molecules may have given rise to primitive life through molecular evolution. Today, SARS-CoV-2 (now one of the world’s most infamous RNA viruses) infects hundreds of thousands of people daily using clever RNA tricks to fool our cells. In the future, RNA vaccines and therapeutics could radically change how we prevent and treat human disease. I will also share my own research on telomerase RNA and how it informs future research in therapies aiming to treat human aging and cancer.
My hope is that this talk inspires an appreciation of this amazing molecule in everyone who attends. It’s an RNA world out there!
Thursday, 03/30/2023
Science on Tap: Science from 20 Feet Up - 03/30/2023 05:30 PM
Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History Pacific Grove
Join the Museum for a night of fun and science as we host Doctors Mara Orescanin and Stu Weiss with beverages from Dust Bowl Brewing Co! Mara and Stu will be discussing the work they do to help the planet’s ecosystems and populations, both human and non, from 20 feet off the ground with incredible cutting-edge technology. Sign up today at the weblink
NightLife - 03/30/2023 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+.
Coral Reefs in Crisis - Science to Guide Reef Restoration for Ecosystem Recovery - Livestream - 03/30/2023 06:00 PM
US Geological Survey Public Lecture Series
Learn About:
Why coral reefs around the world are in trouble.
How there is some hope for these threatened ecosystems.
What successful coral-reef restoration would look like and ideas to get there.
Speaker: Ilsa Kuffner, USGS St. Petersburg Coastal & Marine Science Center
See weblink for link to the lecture
After Dark: Trans Day of Visibility - 03/30/2023 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Celebrated on March 31, Transgender Day of Visibility is an international day of awareness that highlights transgender achievements and greatness in response to intentional exclusion of transgender people, voices, and actions in the current societal culture and discourse. Transgender people exist in all corners of the world so it is important to emphasize their value. In this program, we feature transgender individuals in STEAM fields, offer cultural and scientific context for transgender experiences, and celebrate the diversity of human expression.
Transgender Day of Visibility at the Exploratorium is presented by our STARS program (Striving for Trans Inclusion and Anti-Racism in Science Learning) through the generous support of General Motors.
Saturday, 04/01/2023
Dìa de la Ciencia - 04/01/2023 09:00 AM
Consulate General of Mexico San Francisco
This is a community event for the Spanish-speaking public to participate in hands-on activities led by local scientists!
This event will include:
Hands-on exhibits & booths led by scientists and community partners
Talks and Presentations
STEM Storytime
Directions here
STEM Frenzy Festival - 04/01/2023 10:00 AM
Chase Center San Francisco
The STEM Frenzy festival is a day where we bring the community of all ages together to celebrate and explore the wonders of Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Art.
Enjoy 30+ engaging demonstrations and hands-on activities at our exhibitor booths hosted by local STEM professionals and learn how to enroll your child in STEM Programs and activities throughout The San Francisco Bay Area.
Support the mission to expose children of color to all the wonders of STEM with access to programming, resources, and talent to enrich their young minds.
Register at weblink
Morning Hike at San Vicente Redwoods - 04/01/2023 10:00 AM
San Vicente Redwoods Trailhead Santa Cruz
Join Peninsula Open Space Trust for a community hike at San Vicente Redwoods! This will be a moderate hike of 3.5 miles on fairly level trails with little elevation gain. Guests will be led by a POST ambassador, who will share about the human and natural history of this important working forest, the history of its protection as well as the impacts of the 2020 CZU fire on forest health and wildlife habitat.
SVR is a 8,852-acre property in the Santa Cruz Mountains protected in 2011 and co-managed by four nonprofit conservation partners: POST, Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, Sempervirens Fund, and Save the Redwoods League. It is both a model of conservation and a living laboratory for ecosystem restoration, wildfire resilience work, wildlife protection and public access. If you would like to learn more about the Property and POST’s work there along with our partners, this blog provides a wealth of information and links.
Pass Required: As this is a working, demonstration forest with a variety of active forest management taking place on a regular basis, all visitors to San Vicente Redwoods must register for a free permanent pass by following this link. Pass holders will be notified of property closures, heavy storms, red flag days, conservation harvest events, and private community events. Guests must register for a pass before attending this event.
Register for the hike at weblink
Family Nature Walks - Baylands Nature Preserve - 04/01/2023 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
Sunday, 04/02/2023
Drop-in at Palo Alto Baylands - 04/02/2023 09:00 AM
Palo Alto Duck Pond Palo Alto
Drop-in anytime between 9 am and 11 am to bird with us! SCVAS volunteers will be stationed at Palo Alto Baylands on the north side of the duck pond with binoculars to help you identify the huge variety of shorebirds and ducks that call the Bay Area home. No RSVP required.
The Fascinating Influential Electric Wizards of the Enlightenment! - 04/02/2023 04:00 PM
Congregation Sherith Israel San Francisco
You never had so much fun learning about science! Kathy, author of The Lightning Tamers and host of the popular science YouTube channel "Kathy Loves Physics" will tell a tale about how electricity developed in the 1700s that you will have to see to believe.
In this spoken word performance, Kathy will weave a tale about how four electrical wizards (Matthais Bose, Abbe Nollet, Benjamin Franklin and Laura Bassi) influenced each other to jump start our electrical world. There will be bad poetry, crazy electricity demonstrations, unbelievable true stories and real science with real depth. This is a talk for adults (and smart kids) of all backgrounds.
Kathy will be signing her book The Lightning Tamers live at the event. Books will be available for purchase after the talk, but you’d like to purchase a copy ahead of time, they can be purchased at your local bookstore or through Amazon: https://amzn.to/3I7N4mq
'The Lightning Tamers' Exciting Electricity Wizards of the 1700s - 04/02/2023 04:00 PM
Congregation Sherith Israel San Francisco
You never had so much fun learning about science! Kathy, author of The Lightning Tamers and host of the popular science YouTube channel "Kathy Loves Physics" will tell a tale about how electricity developed in the 1700s that you will have to see to believe.
There will be bad poetry, crazy electricity demonstrations, unbelievable true stories and real science with real depth. This is a talk for adults (and smart kids) of all backgrounds.
Kathy will be signing her book The Lightning Tamers live at the event. Books will be available for purchase after the talk, but you’d like to purchase a copy ahead of time, they can be purchased at your local bookstore or through Amazon: https://amzn.to/3I7N4mq
Speaker: Kathy Joseph
Monday, 04/03/2023
A Slinky of Nucleosomes Builds a Unified Chromosome Architecture - 04/03/2023 12:00 PM
Sonoma State University - Biology Colloquium Rohnert Park
Speaker: Dr. John Sedat, UC San Francisco
Using proxies to assess anthropogenic effects on under-monitored equatorial Pacific reefs - 04/03/2023 12:30 PM
Environment and Energy Building (Y2E2) Stanford
Coral reefs are struggling as anthropogenic warming fuels an increase in the frequency and intensity of Marine Heat Waves, causing widespread bleaching and coral death. Yet some reefs, including those in the bullseye of El Niño’s impact, endure. Uncovering their secret could shed critical new light on the mechanisms by which coral reefs could withstand 21st century climate change. However, a paucity of ocean temperature and coral bleaching observations in the remote equatorial Pacific renders conclusions elusive. Massive, centenarian corals have lived through the effects of anthropogenic warming, archiving ocean conditions in their skeletons as they grow. In this seminar I will use novel geochemical and structural proxy techniques to access past ocean conditions, and the reef response. I will showcase a new thermometer sampled with laser ablation ICPMS to extract monthly resolved ocean temperatures from coral skeleton. I will then use reconstructed bleaching histories of the reefs based on CT images revealing skeletal stress bands formed during bleaching. Using these tools, I uncover a long history of bleaching in the CEP, and reef-specific differences in thermal tolerance linked to past heatwave exposure. Over time, reef communities have adapted to tolerate their unique thermal regimes - but are they prepared for the future?
Speaker: Nathan Mollica, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Correlated Structural Inhomogeneity in Oxide Superconductors - 04/03/2023 02:30 PM
Physics North Berkeley
Superconductivity has been a major scientific topic for more than a century, yet in many important materials this macroscopic quantum phenomenon remains poorly understood. From nonlinear magnetic response and other experiments, we have uncovered that superconductivity emerges in an unusual manner upon cooling in three well-known families of complex oxides - strontium titanate, strontium ruthenate, and the cuprates - for which the origin of superconductivity is thought to differ [1]. Our complementary structural diffuse neutron and x-ray scattering measurements reveal evidence for rare-region effects and indicate that the universal electronic behavior is rooted in intrinsic correlated inhomogeneity inherent to the oxides’ perovskite-based crystal structures [2]. The prevalence of such inhomogeneity has far-reaching implications for the interpretation of electronic properties of perovskites in general, including thin films and heterostructures. In the case of the cuprates, this constitutes a pivotal part of a robust phenomenological model that comprehensively captures hitherto elusive properties of the normal and superconducting states [3]. In the case of strontium titanate, these insights motivated a systematic study of plastically deformed crystals and led to the discovery of remarkable superconductivity and ferroelectricity enhancements associated with the self-organization of dislocations into periodic structures [4].
Speaker: Marin Greven, University of Minnesota
Modeling Supernovae as a Fireball - 04/03/2023 04:00 PM
Sonoma State University - What Physicists Do Rohnert Park
I will be talking about my research on supernovae from conducting preliminary research, writing code, data analysis/visualization to synthesizing all of it into a research paper. My hope for the talk is to showcase my journey from Capstone to finished paper with the hope that it might serve as a model and/or inspiration for students who want to get into undergraduate research
Speaker: Jacob Marshall, Sonome State University alumni
Quantum optics with organic molecules: cavity QED, optomechanics, and cooperativity - 04/03/2023 04:15 PM
Physics North Berkeley
Laboratory manipulation of single quantum emitters and single photons has matured to a routine procedure over the past two decades. These activities have motivated new emerging topics such as coherent cooperative interactions among several quantum emitters and the development of quantum networks. In this presentation, I summarize our efforts of the last decade in coupling single molecules to high-finesse Fabry-Perot cavities and nanoscopic waveguides on a chip, demonstrating dipole-induced transparency, strong coupling and single-photon nonlinearity. I will then present the latest results on the coupling of two individual molecules to a common mode of a micro-resonator and discuss routes for scaling up to many molecules. Moreover, I report on precision spectroscopy of vibronic transitions in single molecules as well as a theoretical conception for a hybrid optomechanical platform, which allows one to achieve long coherence and storage times.
Speaker: Vahid Sandoghdar, Max Planck Institute
Stanford Energy Seminar: Jagjit Nanda - 04/03/2023 04:30 PM
Stanford University Energy Seminar Stanford
Jagjit Nanda is Distinguished Scientist at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Director of the SLAC-Stanford Battery Center. In this seminar, he will discuss the work of the battery center.
Beyond ChatGPT: Stuart Russell on the Risks and Rewards of A.I. - 04/03/2023 05:30 PM
Commonwealth Club San Francisco
OpenAI’s question-and-answer chatbot ChatGPT has shaken up Silicon Valley and is already disrupting a wide range of fields and industries, including education. But the potential risks of this new era of artificial intelligence go far beyond students cheating on their term papers. Even OpenAI’s founder warns that “the question of whose values we align these systems to will be one of the most important debates society ever has."
How will artificial intelligence impact your job and life? And is society ready? We talk with UC Berkeley computer science professor and A.I. expert Stuart Russell about those questions and more.
This talk was originally scheduled for March 15, 2023
My Fish Filled Life and How I Became an Accidental Science Communicator - 04/03/2023 07:00 PM
Hopkins Marine Station Pacific Grove
Alaska artist Ray Troll will share the twists and turns of his unique aquatically inspired career as an artist and an educator, and how marine science came to be an important focal point for his unconventional body of work.
Settling in the rainswept, coastal town of Ketchikan, Alaska he began producing offbeat fish-inspired T-shirts that have gained him a global audience with anglers, cannery workers, commercial fishers and scientists around the world. His art has toured in major exhibitions at museums across the United States and overseas, and graces the rim of the former NOAA building in Pacific Grove.
Register at weblink to attend in person or online
The Caves of Mars: Preparing for a Mission to a Lava Tube - 04/03/2023 07:30 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
Biologic and Resource Analog Investigations in Low Light Environments (BRAILLE) is a multi-year, NASA-funded Mars analog project centered around fieldwork in volcanic caves at Lava Beds National Monument in Northern California. We are motivated to search for evidence of life on Mars beneath its surface - and one way to gain access there is through a volcanic cave!
We have identified many such "lava tubes" in images from Mars orbiters, and by visiting similar environments on Earth with the right technology, we hope to quantify the microbial life living there (and find out what it eats), to characterize mineral features that could be signatures of life, and to gain experience using robots to detect life and to map below-ground regions.
These efforts will help NASA prepare for a future life-detection mission to a Martian lava tube! Our project has evolved to include new autonomous and AI technologies that show much promise for developing future missions to Mars - or the Moon! This presentation will provide an overview of BRAILLE, showcasing its most significant accomplishments and taking audiences inside these remarkable caves.
Speaker: Jennifer Blank, Blue Marble Space Institute of Science
Tuesday, 04/04/2023
A class on Aliens in Science and Science Fiction - Livestream - 04/04/2023 02:00 PM
Osher Livelong Learning Institute
Stanford Applied Physics/Physics Colloquium - 04/04/2023 03:30 PM
Hewlett Teaching Center Stanford
Electron Spin Resonance and Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Single Organic Radicals with the STM - 04/04/2023 04:00 PM
Latimer Hall Berkeley
Stanford Symbolic Systems Forum: Nandi Sims - 04/04/2023 04:30 PM
Margaret Jacks Hall (Bldg 460) Stanford
Birding the Bay Area Part 1 - Livestream - 04/04/2023 06:30 PM
San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory
Bringing Biotech to Wildlife Conservation - 04/04/2023 07:00 PM
Club Fugazi San Francisco
Wednesday, 04/05/2023
VC Stories: NEA Cofounder Charles W. Newhall III - Livestream - 04/05/2023 10:00 AM
Computer History Museum
Plastics in the deep sea - the ocean floor reservoir - 04/05/2023 11:00 AM
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute Moss Landing
Ethical AI Decision-making: How Not To Destroy the World With AI - 04/05/2023 12:00 PM
Sutardja Dai Hall Berkeley
Plastic pollution in marine food webs: pathways, trends, and risk assessments - 04/05/2023 03:30 PM
Estuary & Ocean Science Center Tiburon
A strategic perspective on rivers processes and infrastructure in the water-energy-food nexus - 04/05/2023 04:00 PM
Giannini Hall Berkeley
The Age of Scientific Wellness: The Future of Medicine Is Personalized, Predictive, Data-Rich and in Your Hands - 04/05/2023 05:30 PM
Commonwealth Club San Francisco
EV Financial Incentives Clinic - Livestream - 04/05/2023 07:00 PM
Acterra
Wonderfest: Ask a Science Envoy: Earthquakes; Gene Engineering - Livestream - 04/05/2023 08:00 PM
Wonderfest
Thursday, 04/06/2023
Easy Morning Walk at Wavecrest - 04/06/2023 10:00 AM
Wavecrest Open Space Preserve Half Moon Bay
Putting Contemporary Climate Migration in Context: What Do We Know from Two Decades of Research? - 04/06/2023 03:30 PM
Moses Hall Berkeley
New Product Introduction - Livestream - 04/06/2023 04:00 PM
Sonoma State Engineering Colloquium
Fungus Among Us NightLife - 04/06/2023 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
After Dark: Vitality - 04/06/2023 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Friday, 04/07/2023
New Directions and Challenges in the Packaging of AR/VR Hardware - 04/07/2023 11:30 AM
SEMI Global Headquarters Milpitas
First Fridays Climate Series: Drying Out: Understanding California’s Drought - 04/07/2023 06:00 PM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
Sonoma State University Astronomy Public Viewing Nights - 04/07/2023 09:30 PM
Sonoma State University Public Astronomy Rohnert Park
Saturday, 04/08/2023
Guided nature walk at Bouverie Preserve - 04/08/2023 09:30 AM
Bouverie Preserve Glen Ellen
Family Nature Adventures: Eco Gardening - 04/08/2023 09:30 AM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
Family Nature Walks - Foothills Nature Preserve - 04/08/2023 11:00 AM
Foothills Nature Preserve Los Altos
Monday, 04/10/2023
Social and Pathogen Networks in Captive Exotic Ungulates - 04/10/2023 12:00 PM
Sonoma State University - Biology Colloquium Rohnert Park
UC Berkeley Condensed Matter Physics Seminar - 04/10/2023 02:30 PM
Physics North Berkeley
What Physicists Do - 04/10/2023 04:00 PM
Sonoma State University - What Physicists Do Rohnert Park
UC Berkeley Physics Colloquia - 04/10/2023 04:15 PM
Physics North Berkeley