Marching & SciSchmoozing for All of Us
8 September 2025
Welcome friends of science,
विज्ञान के मित्रों का स्वागत है,
(Vigyaan ke mitron ka svaagat hai)
About 200,000 people in the Bay Area speak Hindi. Languages spoken in India: Hindi (43.6%) · Bengali (8.30%) · Marathi (6.83%) · Telugu (6.70%) · Tamil (5.70%) · Gujarati (4.58%) · Urdu (4.19%) · Kannada (3.61%).
I walked behind the above banner on Labor Day along with a brass band, government representatives, union reps (from at least 7 unions), federal employees & admins, teachers, students, families, children, et al. The photo shows some of the hundreds of us on MacDonald Avenue in Richmond.
Speeches and signs covered a gamut of demands: a living wage for workers, affordable health care and housing, fully funded schools, a more progressive tax code that prevents billionaires, the end to presidential overreach, the end to Palestinian genocide, etc. There were about a thousand such demonstrations in the U.S. on Labor Day.
Our government’s attack on clean, renewable energy continues:
The Health & Human Services Department (HHS) is studying whether wind turbines are creating human-harming electromagnetic fields.
The Defense Department is investigating whether wind turbines pose risks to national security.
The Health & Human Services Secretary is working with the Interior Secretary, the Commerce Secretary, the Energy Secretary, and the Defense Secretary to investigate possible risks from offshore wind turbines.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is noticeably absent from this unscientific witch hunt, in part because its scientific research arm was dismantled earlier this year.
[Blue - Members; Dark Grey - Former Members]
On the flip side is the United States Climate Alliance: 22 States plus Puerto Rico and Guam have committed to the Paris Agreement within their borders. Thirteen of them have pledged to financially support the transition to Electric Vehicles. You too can show your support by signing this letter. Our household transitioned many moons ago [and my electric Zero S motorcycle is an awesome ride].
By the way, the $7,500 federal tax credit for the purchase of a new EV ends this month. ($4,000 for used EVs) Significant cost savings for leasing an EV also end this month. Many other credits and reimbursements are going away. See the list here.
RAFFLE
Our raffle prize is a 6 cm crystal ball containing our entire galaxy. It’s an adjustable-brightness LED night light with a wooden stand. Just send an email before noon Friday to david.almandsmith <at> gmail <dot> com with your guess of an integer between 0 and 1,000. Last time, the eOracle murmured “287” and Kat’s guess of 305 won the R2D2 light.
AGRIVOLTAICS
This portmanteau derives from combining “agriculture” and “photovoltaic”. Here are three known advantages of this mash-up - besides income from generating electricity.:
A good farming practice is to let one of your fields lie fallow for a year or longer. Then it is planted again while another field takes its turn to rest. It is now known that covering a fallow field with open rows of elevated solar panels hastens the soil’s recovery, brings in beneficial insects, and promotes biodiversity.
Sheep that graze in an agrivoltaic field take advantage of the solar panels for shade and for protection from harsh weather. Result: A higher quality of wool that commands a higher price.
Placing solar panels over vineyards so that plants avoid the midday sun results in a higher yield of juice, albeit without greater amounts of sugar. Outcome: more wine with a slightly lower percentage of alcohol.
Things to Do this Week
OMG! There are so many wonderful science-related events this week. Peruse them all on the Bay Area Science Calendar. Below are my (biased) picks.
Join me at Skeptics in a Real Pub Tuesday 7 - 9:30pm, Millbrae
Astronomy on Tap East Bay Tuesday 7:30 - 9pm, Oakland
SETI Live: Worlds of Fire? Livestream Thursday 2:30pm
James Randi in Australia Livestream Thursday 7:30pm
Kits Cubed 5th Annual STEM Fair Saturday 10 - 3pm, Oakland
The Physics Show: Three Performances Saturday & Sunday, Foothill College
Why Tides Matter Sunday 1 - 2:30pm, Alviso
ENVIRONMENT
Kill an urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) for kelp! (Macrocystis porifira)
[I just had to include their taxonomic names since they are deeply etched into my grey matter after surviving the Invertebrate Biology course at the Bodega Bay Marine Lab.]
Before the 19th century, northern Pacific coasts had a great abundance of kelp forests that harbored rich ecosystems. Then came the slaughter of Sea Otters (Enhydra lutris) for the fur trade. Result: the Purple Sea Urchin - a favorite Sea Otter snack - exploded in numbers and destroyed kelp forests. For years now, divers off the Southern California coast have been successful in restoring kelp forests by hammering Purple Sea Urchins to death. Watch them in action!
A Federal judge in Texas removed the Endangered Species designation of the Lesser Prairie Chicken. It will now be easier to get permits for new oil wells in the bird’s range which includes southwestern Kansas, southeastern Colorado, eastern New Mexico, western Oklahoma, and the panhandle and south plains of Texas. Here is a short video (with audio) of the bird dancing on their lek.
FUN NERDY VIDEOS
Microplastic Problems - Cup O’ Joe - Joe Schwarcz - 4 mins
¿Black Hole Inside Our Sun? - Sabine Hossenfelder - 5.5 mins
Forecast: Antarctic Volcanic Eruptions - SciShow - Stefan Chin - 7 mins
Fossil of a New Human Species - Arizona State University - 13.5 mins
Big Oil Doesn’t Want You Knowing Stuff - Just Have a Think - Dave Borlace - 14 mins
I Challenged Boston Dynamics’ Atlas Robot - Cleo Abram - 16 mins
Misinformation & Distrust in Science - Royal Institution - Naomi Oreskes - 17 mins
Electric Trucking Challenges - Engineering with Rosie - Rosemary Barnes - 18 mins
Solving Evolution’s Hardest Problem - Hank Green - 20 mins
Measuring the Sun 2,200 Years Ago - Ben Sylverson - 22 mins
Benthic Ecosystems & Deep-Sea Mining - Howtown - Adam Cole et al. - 22 mins
Carbon - Tales from the Periodic Table - Ron Hipschman - 39 mins
Natural Rubber Is Essential - Veritaseum - Derek Muller - 41 mins
Search for Aliens - with Jill Tarter - Star Talk - Neil deGrasse Tyson - 53 mins
The Stones Are Speaking - PBS - (Pre-Clovis Gault Archaeology Site) - 56 mins
Enjoy your week with friends, family, and the outdoors,
Dave Almandsmith, Bay Area Skeptics
“I came from a tradition of demonstrations and protests, and I really believe in them. I think they are powerful ways to bring people together, to organize, to raise awareness, and most importantly to empower people.”
—Jagmeet Singh (1979 - ) Canadian politician
Upcoming Events:
Click to see the next two weeks of events in your browser.
Monday, 09/08/2025
Dysregulated Intracellular pH and Tumorigenesis: from Tissues to Cells to Molecules - 09/08/2025 12:00 PM
Sonoma State University - Biology Colloquium Rohnert Park
Speaker: Dr. Bree Grillo-Hill, San Jose State University
FACT promotes efficient Pol II transcription by modulating the topographic features of the nucleosomal barrier - 09/08/2025 04:00 PM
Stanley Hall Berkeley
In eukaryotic cells, efficient transcription through nucleosomes by Pol II requires the help of several transcriptional regulators including the histone chaperon FACT (FAcilitates Chromatin Transcription). However, mechanistic details of how FACT modulates the magnitude of the mechanical barrier of a nucleosome and how this factor affects the elongation dynamics of the enzyme are poorly understood. Here, using a high-resolution single-molecule optical tweezers (SM-OT) instrument, we characterize the dynamics of Pol II during FACT-mediated nucleosome transcription. Our results show that FACT greatly increases the probability that Pol II crosses the nucleosome and greatly reduces its crossing time. FACT also significantly decreased the duration of both major Pol II pause sites at SHL-5 and -1 by weakening the strong DNA/H2A-H2B dimer contacts and favoring the unwrapping of the distal DNA. Interestingly, the mechanical unwrapping of H2A-Cy3 nucleosomes using OT combined with SM fluorescence detection shows that FACT allows the retention of both H2A-H2B dimers during nucleosome disassembly. Altogether our data suggest that FACT facilitates nucleosome transcription by modifying the strength and the transcriptional map features of the nucleosome barrier, while it promotes nucleosome reassembly in the wake of Pol II passage by its ability to keep the H2A-H2B dimers associated to the nucleosome.
Speaker: Carlos Bustamante, UC Berkeley
4D Printing: AI-driven Additive Manufacturing of Functional Composites - 09/08/2025 04:00 PM
Etcheverry Hall Berkeley
Additive manufacturing is well-known for its ability to place a wide variety of materials at precise locations in 3D space with very few limitations on geometrical complexity. Recent advances in active, shape morphing materials have enabled the design of structures which can change their shape or function in response to external stimuli such as temperature, light, or water. By combining smart/active materials and 3D printing, a new paradigm of 4D printing can be realized where printed objects can behave in carefully pre-programmed ways to achieve target functions, directly after printing. The complex shape design offered by 3D printing can be leveraged to generate active composites for soft actuators, biomedical devices, or energy harvesters with previously unseen complexity. This talk will focus on the design and 3D printing of shape morphing materials to create active composites such as soft robots or drug delivery systems. The talk will also explore the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for 3D printing. Specifically, how machine learning and genetic algorithms can be leveraged to design objects in complex design spaces or create autonomous, self-correcting AM approaches towards the future of manufacturing.
Speaker: Devin Roach, Oregon State University
Room 3110
Scientific Dating: It's About Time: Cosmogenic Particles or Bust! - 09/08/2025 06:00 PM
Science Buzz Cafe Sebastapol
Speaker: Mike Price, Science Magazine
Formed too fast? The Biggest Galaxies at Cosmic Dawn - 09/08/2025 07:30 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
The incredible capabilities of the James Webb Space Telescope have allowed us to look back nearly to the very beginning of time, enabling us to observe some of the first galaxies that formed after the Big Bang. Before the launch of JWST, astronomers believed that the first few hundred million years - when the Universe was only a small fraction of its current age - were relatively quiet. To our surprise, we have discovered many more bright galaxies than previously expected. These bright galaxies challenge our understanding of how the first galaxies and black holes formed. In this talk, Dr. Casey will guide us through the journey of discovery in the universe's earliest moments and address some of the key questions raised by JWST’s groundbreaking findings.
Speaker: Caitlin Casey, UC Santa Barbara
Tuesday, 09/09/2025
Skeptics in the Pub - 09/09/2025 07:00 PM
Fiddler's Green Millbrae
Enjoy an evening of socializing and feasting with fellow Bay Area science-forward folk in an Irish Pub on the Peninsula with great food. < Menu >
Please join us! This is a free event brought to you by Bay Area Skeptics. All are welcome.
Counting Molo - a Volunteer Bird Counter's Experience - 09/09/2025 07:30 PM
Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History Pacific Grove
How do you even begin to count over half a million nesting birds on the largest albatross colony on Earth? What is it like to live on a tropical atoll in the middle of the Pacific Ocean for six weeks?
Join Kyan Russell this month to hear about his experience and to learn about how you can help these endangered seabirds.
Editor's Note: This event was originally scheduled for August 12, 2025
Astronomy on Tap East Bay: Heavy Metal and Supermassive Black Holes - 09/09/2025 07:30 PM
Two Pitchers Oakland Oakland
This month, we have two very exciting and wildly different talks lined up: Daniel Brethauer (UCB) will tell us all about rocking out to heavy metals. Then stick around for a talk by Dr. Jean Somalwar (UCB/Stanford/KIPAC), who will talk about supermassive black holes and their unknown origins!
Wednesday, 09/10/2025
Homeschool Days at The Tech Interactive - 09/10/2025 10:00 AM
The Tech Interactive San Jose
Homeschoolers, this is your day to play!The Tech Interactive is rolling out NEW Homeschool Days just for you!Shake up your schedule and enjoy a day of hands-on science, engineering, and creativity that complements your curriculum and keeps your learners engaged from start to finish.
Each Homeschool Day Includes:
Full access to all museum exhibits. Explore at your own pace.An educational film in our IMAX® Dome TheaterMini STEAM demos led by our education teamDrop-In Labs at 11 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. including:Physics of Roller CoastersSimplicity of ElectricityFree lesson plans to extend the learning at home
Whether your learners are budding engineers, future scientists, or curious creators, Homeschool Days offer a flexible, social, and inspiring way to make learning fun.
Spots are limited, so reserve yours now and give your students a day they’ll be talking about all year!
Ocean Travelers: the role of plastic debris on non-native species dispersal - 09/10/2025 01:30 PM
Estuary & Ocean Science Center Tiburon
Attend in person or watch on Zoom
Speaker: Speaker: Diamela De Veer, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
Bodega Marine Lab Seminar Series - Canceled - 09/10/2025 03:00 PM
Bodega Marine Laboratory
Join us for the UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory Seminar Series, featuring speakers from within the marine sciences community and beyond.
Speaker: Rory Taylor, Warm Springs Hatchery, Geyserville
This event has been canceled, replaced by "From the Mountains to the Sea: Restoring Relationships for Landscape and Community Resilience". See our listing for that event here.
From the Mountains to the Sea: Restoring Relationships for Landscape and Community Resilience - Livestream - 09/10/2025 03:00 PM
Bodega Marine Laboratory
Join us for the UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory Seminar Series, featuring speakers from within the marine sciences community and beyond.
Speaker: Beth Rose Middleton, UC Davis
Register at weblink to receive connection information
This event was originally scheduled for 8/20/25.
The Fight for Plastic Reduction - INC-5.2 Debrief & Reflections - Livestream - 09/10/2025 03:00 PM
Ecology Center
Join AMBR executives Katie Drews and Martin Bourque, along with our global partners, for a powerful debrief on the recent Global Plastics Treaty negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland. AMBR Policy Director Lucy Mullany will moderate the discussion.
We’ll break down what really happened at the negotiations, expose the challenges standing in the way of a strong treaty, and share what comes next in the fight for bold plastic reduction. You’ll also learn how individuals and organizations can meaningfully engage in shaping this historic agreement.
Register at weblink
After explosivity, what remains? - 09/10/2025 03:30 PM
McCone Hall Berkeley
In this talk, Javier Arbona-Homar will draw from his new book, Explosivity: Following What Remains, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2025, as well as introduce new research, to critically examine deeply held assumptions about appearance and disappearance in landscapes. Beyond an academic book, Explosivity is “a vital guide to confronting the latent violence embedded in our environments,” according to artist and geographer Trevor Paglen. It’s a call for slowing down, sensing, and remembering what remains of historical explosions. Explosivity is grounded and written in the unceded Ohlone lands of the so-called San Francisco Bay Area. As a city of explosivity, this urban region is shaped by the industrialization of geophysical combustion fixed into place. Based on five major explosions in the Bay Area between 1866 and 2011, this experimental and creative book proposes explosivity as a novel lens to study the everyday racialized exposure to volatile chemicals. But how to sense explosivity? Created with eclectically mixed field methods - from oral histories to landscape traverses, and more - the text is collagist, weaving geostories of the five main explosions throughout, and augmented with more vignettes from many more explosive moments in Bay Area history. Arbona-Homar reveals a persistent risk of blowing up, centering the lives of Chinese migrant explosives workers in the nineteenth century, followed by Black munition loaders in the twentieth century World War II “home front.” Over time, idyllic urban parks, transport infrastructures, and security assemblages successively develop on top of the same geographies of storing, moving, and testing explosive substances. The placement and sensorial suppression of explosivity locks-in risk, and entangles the lives of environmentalists, anti-war protestors, and even residents exposed to neighboring media productions with explosive stunts on police ranges.
See weblink for additional abstract information
Speaker: Javier Arbona-Homar, UC Davis
Thursday, 09/11/2025
SETI Live: Worlds of Fire? - 09/11/2025 02:30 PM
SETI Live
Join communications specialist Beth Johnson and Dr. Charles-Édouard Boukaré (York University) as they dive into new research on molten rocky exoplanets - worlds so hot that their surfaces are oceans of magma. This international study, led by York University, sheds light on how these fiery planets form, evolve, and what their extreme environments can teach us about the diversity of planetary systems. From the physics of molten mantles to what telescopes like JWST might reveal about their atmospheres, we’ll explore the cutting-edge science that’s reshaping our understanding of exoplanets beyond our solar system.
Click here to watch on YouTube
Multi-Messenger Astrophysics With Pulsar Timing Arrays - 09/11/2025 03:30 PM
Campbell Hall, Rm 131 Berkeley
Speaker: Maria Charisi, Washington State University
After Dark: Dance Machine - 09/11/2025 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Take a spin at the intersection of dance and robotics! Hear from “choreoroboticist” Catie Cuan on how she explores the intersection of human and machine movement on the dance floor. Peek inside Manifold, the nine-foot-tall robot hand Catie built as part of her Exploratorium residency, and enjoy a short performance from the robot. Focusing on human creativity and robot artistry, this After Dark is an imaginative duet you won’t want to miss.
Ages 18+
NightLife: Claude's Big 3-0 - 09/11/2025 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
30 years young and still iconic. Celebrate the coolest alligator with albinism at a birthday bash like no other.
See weblink for details
Ages 21 +
Their Year in Birding - Livestream - 09/11/2025 07:00 PM
Marin Audubon Society
In 2024, Larry and Molly planned a transcontinental birding trip from Fairfax to Key West Florida to identify at least 700 species in the American Birding Association (ABA) They added a trip to Alaska, with the chance of identifying a total of 800 species.
In their presentation, Larry and Molly will re-live their favorite birding moments of 2024, from the cliffs of the Alaskan Pribilof Islands to the southern tip of the Florida Keys. Their slideshow will cover their search for birds like the Golden-Winged Warbler, Bare-throated Tiger Heron, Black-capped Vireo, Steller’s Sea Eagle, Masked Booby, Kirtland’s Warbler, Ross’s gull, Spectacled Eider, Snowy Owl and so much more.
Speakers: Larry Nigro, Marin County schools, retired; Molly Donahue, nature enthusiast
Register at weblink
'James Randi in Australia' - Livestream - 09/11/2025 07:30 PM
Bay Area Skeptics
In 1980, James Randi made an historic visit to Australia that formed the basis for the Australian TV documentary “James Randi in Australia”, commissioned by Australian businessman Dick Smith. An elaborate, controlled test of dowsing involving buried water pipes - approved by dowsers themselves - is established, and confident dowsers set forth to demonstrate their abilities. What do you think happens? The original film has been lost for decades, and the only known copy was an old VCR tape in poor condition that had been recorded off of television. For the 45th anniversary of this founding event of the Australian Skeptics, Richard Saunders and Glenn Brady digitally restored the copy to a print of amazing fidelity to the original. Richard joins us to watch the video and discuss the significance of the documentary to the history of skepticism, and also how they restored the film. Whether you’re a techie or a skeptic, you’ll want to join us. It’s fair dinkum!
See weblink for Zoom information
Friday, 09/12/2025
ACROConnect x Gator Bio: South San Francisco Antibody Worksho - 09/12/2025 01:00 PM
The Lighthouse Cafe South San Francisco
ACROBiosystems is co-hosting this year’s Antibody Workshop with Gator Bio in South San Francisco! Join us to explore cutting-edge solutions to some of the most pressing challenges in antibody drug discovery and development, including Bispecific Antibody Drug Conjugates (BsADCs).
Free admission includes refreshments, dedicated networking opportunities, and the chance to win ACROLlama and more exclusive gifts from ACROBiosystems and Gator Bio.
Apply here now to connect with fellow scientists, researchers, and industry leaders!
Understanding Addiction Night 3- Drugs Over Dinner - 09/12/2025 06:30 PM
Manny's San Francisco
Jeffersonian Dinners are a get-together over dinner where one meaningful conversation is shared, exchanging different perspectives. The dinners originated in the 1800s with President Thomas Jefferson.
Tonight’s dinner is inspired by a group of healthcare and wellness leaders who founded, "Let's Have Dinner and Talk About Drugs" and are committed to having conversations about psychedelic medicine. Their project aims to inspire an ever-growing community of people to talk openly about the healing benefits and some of the challenges with the expansion and growing availability of psychedelic medicine.
As part of our “Understanding Addiction and Recovery” series at Manny’s, tonight’s dinner will focus on the subject as a whole, with a focus on psychedelic-assisted therapy for addiction.
Part three of "Understanding Addiction and Recovery"
Full series pass is $46
Saturday, 09/13/2025
The Physics Show - Three Performances - 09/13/2025 10:00 AM
Foothill College Los Altos Hills
The Physics Show is a fun science show for kids and their families. This year we will have two weekends of shows in September, one weekend in December, and three days of shows in January.
Performances at 10:00, 1:00, and 3:30 each day.
Venue: Smithwick Theater
Kits Cubed 5th Annual STEM Fair - 09/13/2025 10:00 AM
Oakland Technical High School Oakland
The 5th Annual Kits Cubed STEM Fair is coming. Partnering with various organizations such as Heads Up and the Golden State Warriors, and many more, we are excited to once again cultivate young minds in the Bay Area!
For our fifth-year anniversary, we invite you to celebrate this special milestone with us as we reflect on the journey so far and look ahead to the future.
Kits Cubed STEM Fair 2025 is finally here! Join us for a day filled with fun and learning. Get ready to explore the exciting world of STEM through interactive exhibits, hands-on activities, and engaging workshops. See you there!
Family Nature Adventures: Reptile Roundup - RESCHEDULED - 09/13/2025 10:30 AM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
Editor's Note: This event has been rescheduled for August 9, 2025
Family Nature Adventures: Discover the Secrets of Local Owls! - 09/13/2025 10:30 AM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
Step into the magical world of owls during this month’s adventure! Dive into the habits, calls, and diets of local owls. Experience hands-on science as you dissect owl pellets to uncover the mysteries of their meals. Bring your own binoculars or use our child-sized pairs as you join a guided stroll through the redwood forest to search for signs of these majestic birds in their natural habitat. Experience the wonder of the forest and leave with a newfound appreciation for these fascinating creatures.
Editor's Note: This event was originally scheduled for November 8, 2025
Tackling Toxics: Safer Alternatives to PFAs and Antimicrobials through Green Chemistry - 09/13/2025 12:00 PM
Comal Berkeley
PFAS, flame retardants, and antimicrobials are classes of potentially hazardous organohalogen chemicals that are widely used in consumer products and industrial processes, leading to concerns about their human and environmental health harm. To reduce such harm, the Six Classes framework developed by the Green Science Policy Institute groups chemicals with similar structure, function, and hazard into a class or family. This can prevent a cycle of “regrettable substitution,” whereby a phased out harmful chemical is replaced with a closely related “chemical cousin” which is likely to cause similar harm. This talk will explore the application of the Six Classes approach as a tool to support informed chemical decision-making in both policy and product development.
We will also present work from the Berkeley Center for Green Chemistry, which brings together chemists, toxicologists, and materials scientists to identify and prototype safer chemical alternatives through applied research and cross-sector partnerships. Case studies involving PFAS and antimicrobials will illustrate how mechanistic understanding, hazard assessment, and systems thinking can lead to viable, scalable alternatives that meet both performance and safety criteria. Together, these efforts demonstrate how chemists can play a central role in driving innovation toward safer, more sustainable chemistries and products.
Please register HERE by September 8th.
Cost includes lunch
Speakers: Arlene Blum, Green Science Policy Institute; Megan Arnett, Berkeley Center for Green Chemistry
City Public Star Party - 09/13/2025 06:30 PM
City Star Parties - Tunnel Tops Park San Francisco
Come join the San Francisco Amateur Astronomers for free public stargazing of the Moon, planets, globular clusters and more!
The event will take place in Tunnel Tops National Park, parking is located adjacent to Picnic Place (210 Lincoln Blvd for GPS) with the telescopes setup in the East Meadow.
Dress warmly as conditions can be windy or cold in the Presidio. Rain, heavy fog or overcast skies cancel the event. Check the SFAA website for a cancellation notice before leaving for the star party.
Starry Nights Star Party - 09/13/2025 08:00 PM
Rancho Canada Del Oro Open Space Preserve Morgan hill
Join the San Jose Astronomical Association (SJAA) and Santa Clara County Open Space Authority (OSA) for an unforgettable night of exploring the night sky. Our knowledgeable docents, members of SJAA, will be your guides to providing valuable insights into the wonders of our universe. The viewing site, Rancho Canada del Oro Open Space Preserve, is just 30 minutes south of downtown San Jose, and features darker skies than viewing from the city. It's dark enough to see the band of our Milky Way galaxy during the Summer months.
Gather with fellow space fans for an evening under the stars as we set up telescopes for an up-close experience viewing interesting objects in the nighttime sky. Connect with amateur astronomers and space enthusiasts to share in the excitement of observing the night sky in all its splendor. You may even see a meteor or satellite passing overhead. Whether you're a beginner looking to learn more about the heavens above or a seasoned stargazer seeking to deepen your knowledge, this event promises to spark curiosity and awe for the wonders of our cosmic backyard. Come join us for a star party that will leave you inspired by the beauty and science of astronomy.
Registration required (at weblink). See weblink for additional information.
Sunday, 09/14/2025
The Physics Show - Three Performances - 09/14/2025 10:00 AM
Foothill College Los Altos Hills
The Physics Show is a fun science show for kids and their families. This year we will have two weekends of shows in September, one weekend in December, and three days of shows in January.
Performances at 10:00, 1:00, and 3:30 each day.
Venue: Smithwick Theater
Why Tides Matter - 09/14/2025 01:00 PM
Don Edwards Refuge Environmental Education Center Alviso
Docent Laurel Stell will talk and walk you through all things tides. What are they? How do they affect wildlife? How have humans reshaped the Bay's tidal lands?
The presentation will be followed by an easy 0.5-mile walk. All are welcome.
Register at at weblink, which also has additional information about the event
Monday, 09/15/2025
How Sleep Neurons Are Involved in Both Sleep and Alcohol Behavior - 09/15/2025 12:00 PM
Sonoma State University - Biology Colloquium Rohnert Park
Speaker: Vanessa Sanchez, UC Merced
Communicating Climate Solutions Symposium - 09/15/2025 05:00 PM
Institute of the Arts and Sciences Santa Cruz
Timely, effective and culturally appropriate communication is needed to encourage development and adoption of sustainable climate actions that mitigate the impacts of climate change. Toward this effort, our symposium will bring together journalists, researchers, community leaders, local officials and politicians to identify opportunities and best practices for developing and communicating climate change solutions with diverse communities. Our goal is to build networks, share knowledge, and broaden opportunities for effective climate solution communication through a California lens. This event is free for students but space is limited.
Additional sessions on 9/16 and 9/17
Tuesday, 09/16/2025
Communicating Climate Solutions Symposium - 09/16/2025 09:00 AM
Seymour Marine Discovery Center Santa Cruz
Secrets of the Sun - Livestream - 09/16/2025 06:00 PM
NASA Night Sky Network
What is Intelligence? - 09/16/2025 07:00 PM
Long Now Foundation San Francisco
Wonderfest: The Science of Healthy Aging: Sleep and Recovery - 09/16/2025 07:00 PM
Hopmonk Tavern Novato
What is Wilderness Search and Rescue? - 09/16/2025 07:30 PM
Mycological Society of San Francisco San Francisco
Wednesday, 09/17/2025
Communicating Climate Solutions Symposium - 09/17/2025 09:00 AM
Seymour Marine Discovery Center Santa Cruz
Climate change and disease ecology: How are California's marine mammals faring 25 years into the 21st century? - 09/17/2025 01:30 PM
Estuary & Ocean Science Center Tiburon
Trade, Borrow, or Steal: How Acquired Metabolism Drives Evolutionary Innovation - Livestream - 09/17/2025 03:00 PM
Bodega Marine Laboratory
UC Berkeley Geography Colloquium - 09/17/2025 03:30 PM
McCone Hall Berkeley
The Art of Astrophotography - 09/17/2025 07:00 PM
San Francisco Amateur Astronomers San Francisco
Cooperation and conflict in the communal world of the Acorn Woodpecker - Livestream - 09/17/2025 07:00 PM
Santa Clara Valley Bird Alliance
Nerd Nite SF #155: Phages, Nudibranchs (Sea Slugs), and Speech Therapy - 09/17/2025 07:00 PM
Rickshaw Stop San Francisco
Thursday, 09/18/2025
GenAI, The Next Tech Wave - 09/18/2025 12:00 PM
Silicon Valley Leaders Symposium San Jose
Bridging weather realism with future climate insights for energy system modeling - Livestream - 09/18/2025 12:00 PM
Stanford University
Optical filters for free-space optical communications applications - 09/18/2025 04:00 PM
Sonoma State Dept. of Engineering Science Rohnert Park
Dive into Jade - 09/18/2025 05:30 PM
Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History Pacific Grove
After Dark: Back-to-School Night - 09/18/2025 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
NightLife x AXIS Dance Company - 09/18/2025 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
Cold War Computing - 09/18/2025 07:00 PM
Computer History Museum Mountain View
Science Friday Live - 09/18/2025 07:00 PM
Fox Theatre Redwood City
Avifauna of Hawaii: Birds on the Brink - Livestream - 09/18/2025 07:00 PM
Golden Gate Bird Alliance
Friday, 09/19/2025
Sleep loss in adolescents as a window into neurodevelopmental disorders - 09/19/2025 12:00 PM
Beckman Center for Molecular and Genetic Medicine Stanford
The Path from Electrons to Photons: Shining a Light on the Fabrication Challenges of Silicon Photonics - 09/19/2025 01:00 PM
Cory Hall Berkeley
In Town Star Party - 09/19/2025 08:15 PM
San Jose Astronomical Association San Jose
Saturday, 09/20/2025
California Coastal Cleanup Day - 09/20/2025 07:00 PM
2025 California Coastal Cleanup Day
Coastal Clean-Up Day 2025 - Golden Gate National Recreation Area - 09/20/2025 09:00 AM
Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Techfest - 09/20/2025 10:00 AM
Computer History Museum Mountain View
The Physics Show - Three Performances - 09/20/2025 10:00 AM
Foothill College Los Altos Hills
Animating Molecular Machines - Livestream - 09/20/2025 10:30 AM
American Chemical Society CAL Section
Foothills Family Nature Walk - 09/20/2025 11:00 AM
Foothills Nature Preserve Los Altos
Sunday, 09/21/2025
Coastal Cleanup Volunteer Day at the EEC - 09/21/2025 09:00 AM
Don Edwards Refuge Environmental Education Center Alviso
The Physics Show - Three Performances - 09/21/2025 10:00 AM
Foothill College Los Altos Hills
Sea Otter Viewing - 09/21/2025 11:00 AM
Berwick Park Pacific Grove
Monday, 09/22/2025
Insect Population Ecology in the Sierra Nevada - a 40 Year Perspective - 09/22/2025 12:00 PM
Sonoma State University - Biology Colloquium Rohnert Park
California Spotlight: Tech Authoritarianism - 09/22/2025 12:00 PM
Social Sciences Building Room 820 Berkeley
4D Cell Biology: Drug Discovery using Advanced Microscopy, Organoids, Digital Twins, and AI - 09/22/2025 04:00 PM
James H. Clark Center (Bldg 340) Stanford
Stanford Energy Seminar - 09/22/2025 04:30 PM
Stanford University Energy Seminar Stanford
Rare Earth Minerals: Where Science, Economics & Politics Meet - 09/22/2025 06:00 PM
Science Buzz Cafe Sebastapol