Greetings Fans of Science and Reason,
I hope that you had a great week. As great as some things can be, sometimes it seems like it’s not that big of a deal since it seems to happen so much around here. Take for instance the Nobel Awards… how many have heard about our California winners? There have been quite a few over the years… Most recently, congratulations to David Julius for his work and award. A far more entertaining science program to watch is the 31st First Annual Ig Nobel Ceremony and dare I say almost as important!
It seems like just a couple of weeks ago but it’s been almost 8 months since Perseverance landed. Here’s an update from some mission scientists.
I continue to be amazed by how readily people are still denying science, knowledge in general or some particular part of science while embracing so much more of it. I recently saw a dear friend who is a great nurse. Within moments of seeing each other she was going on about how masks (we were inside a restaurant) don’t work and can actually increase covid-19 transmission. I had to just ask that we enjoy the get together with many friends and not go down that path.
“Listen. Just listen. You don’t have to agree. Just see if you can understand that there’s another person who has a completely different experience of the same reality.” Esther Perel
I’d like to point you to a few articles in case you are struggling, as I am, to understand why what we think makes sense doesn’t to others… How to Spot Misinformation Online, How to Talk to a Science Denier (Oct 14), You don't have to worry about covid vaccines being "unnatural" or "synthetic", Pseudoscience and COVID-19 — we’ve had enough already. Here in the SF Bay Area we seem to be doing really well containing covid. Of course now we are heading in to some more potential spreading events… Please be safe over the holidays.
In these days of social change and awareness I thought that I’d share some items with you without any comment. I’m curious what your reactions will be. Forces of Nature Naming a new space telescope The misguided history of female anatomy
As usual there are more presentations this week than anyone can watch. Choosing will be difficult. I think these will be particularly informing…
Code Red for Humanity”: The IPCC Sixth Assessment Report on Climate Change Tue @ 1:00
The Impacts of Wildfires on Health Wed @ 6:30
International Observe The Moon Night Virtual Telescope Viewing Sat @ 9:00
Don’t forget to act on this gentle reminder. Register now for SkeptiCal 2021 will be online October 23-24, 2021
Social media has been in the news a lot lately. Facebook is under the microscope these days. I do recommend that you watch the social dilemma. I also recommend checking out Take Control at the Center for Humane Technology. If you have been dealing with kids, remote or distance learning, zoom, or just getting through the last 18 months or so you might find some interesting ideas.
I’m not a sports person but I did get a trophy for bowling. The technology has changed immensely from when I bowled with the Monday Nite Leftovers! Is there nothing that science can’t make better? I think there is, if by better you mean debunking. Today the SF Chronicle ran one of those items that remind me of having a 1st Lady consulting an astrologer. It’s not just social media sites that are spreading wrong, incorrect, or crazy stuff. How can they publish an article like this with no clarification or warning about its baseless content… Your guide to buying, selling when Mercury is in retrograde
It seems like there has been more talk about life other than here on Earth. Have you thought about what life elsewhere might be learning about us and where it is? “Although Lightyear.fm has radiowaves reaching over 100 lightyears into space, due to the Inverse Square Law of Propagation, any terrestrial radio broadcast would become nothing but background noise just a few light years away from Earth. So take comfort in knowing that all those awesome constellations up there will never hear Rebecca Black.”
These are truly amazing times we live in. In 2019, an estimated 409,000 people died of malaria—most were young children in sub-Saharan Africa. I can’t wait for the antivax people to voice their opinions on this! Who blew the whistle on an anti-vax plot?
I hope you have an amazing week, in part because you learned something new and cool.
herb masters
“The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd.” ~ Bertrand Russell
Upcoming Events:
Click to see the next two weeks of events in your browser.
Monday, 10/11/2021
Data-driven and data-assisted modeling for applications in fluid dynamics and geophysics - Livestream - 10/11/2021 11:00 AM
Berkeley Institute for Data Science
Advances in the field of Machine Learning (ML) have the potential to be important in developing tools for scientific disciplines such as climate modeling, weather prediction, and computational fluid dynamics. In this talk I will consider some aspects of purely data-driven models as well as techniques to construct hybrid models that combine a physics-based numerical model with ML. Purely data-driven models of spatiotemporal dynamics can often be limited by computational resource or data availability constraints. Using ML in conjunction with a physics-based numerical model has the potential to solve some of the issues associated with purely data-driven models. I will demonstrate some techniques for building hybrid physics-ML models using a few examples from computational fluid dynamics and real-world problems in numerical weather prediction.
Speaker: Jaideep Pathak, UC Berkeley
See weblink for Zoom information
UC Berkley Theoretical Astrophysics Center Seminar - 10/11/2021 12:10 PM
Campbell Hall, Rm 131 Berkeley
Speaker: Wenrui Xu
Quantum Sensors for Direct Detection of Sub-GeV Dark Matter - Livestream - 10/11/2021 03:30 PM
SLAC Colloquium
Over the last 20 years, searches for dark matter above the proton mass have advanced significantly across direct and indirect searches, but sub-GeV dark matter has until recently been comparatively unprobed. In this talk, I will discuss the state of the Sub-GeV direct detection field, and prospects for applying quantum measurement techniques to lowering mass thresholds for new searches with event thresholds at the eV-scale. I will then discuss the outlook for the field in the next 5-10 years, in the context of synergy with ongoing research in materials science and quantum information science. The goal over the next decade is to run background-free dark matter searches at gram-year exposures with meV-scale thresholds, an exciting challenge that requires a broad range of expertise, and comes with enormous scientific discovery potential.
See weblink for Zoom link.
The genetic basis of complex traits: from understanding to engineering - Livestream - 10/11/2021 04:00 PM
Stanford University
Hunter Fraser studies the evolution of complex traits by developing new experimental and computational methods.
His work brings together quantitative genetics, genomics, epigenetics, and evolutionary biology to achieve a deeper understanding of how genetic variation shapes the phenotypic diversity of life. His main focus is on the evolution of gene expression, which is the primary fuel for natural selection. His long-term goal is to be able to introduce complex traits into new species via genome editing.
See weblink for Zoom link
Energy Seminar: Andrew Ponec, Antora Energy - Livestream - 10/11/2021 04:00 PM
Stanford Energy Seminar
Inexpensive, long-duration energy storage is necessary to enable the widespread deployment of renewable energy sources like wind and solar, but existing technologies fall short. To meet this need, Antora Energy is combining high-temperature thermal energy storage with novel, high-efficiency thermophotovoltaic energy conversion. When excess electricity is available - for example, at mid-day in electric power systems with high solar penetration - a resistive element is used to heat an inexpensive thermal storage medium contained in a large, insulated tank. When power is needed, photovoltaic cells are exposed to the thermal radiation emanating from an emitter in contact with the hot storage medium, generating electricity. This inexpensive, long-duration energy storage technology will enable global adoption of renewable energy, and thus help eliminate gigatons of CO2 emissions annually.
See weblink for Zoom link.
What Physicists Do - Livestream - 10/11/2021 04:00 PM
What Physicists Do - Sonoma State University
Speaker: Dr Teddy Parker, RAND
Earth Science Week - The Incredible Sun - Livestream - 10/11/2021 04:00 PM
Humbold State University Natural History Museum
Celebrate Earth Science Week with the HSU Natural History Museum (NHM) through a live virtual after school program. These 75 mins. sessions are geared towards children 8-12 years old. The weekly program includes a student packet including copies of materials and samples to use during the program and for independent activities at home. Info at website
Tuesday, 10/12/2021
Which Comes First, Overeating or Obesity? Carbohydrates, Insulin and Metabolic Health - Livestream - 10/12/2021 09:30 AM
Commonwealth Club - Online Event
Standard treatment for obesity, based on a law of physics, assumes that all calories are alike, and that to lose weight one must simply “eat less and move more.” However, this prescription rarely works over the long term. According to the Carbohydrate-Insulin Model of obesity, the metabolic condition of fat cells plays a key role in determining body weight. High intakes of processed carbohydrate raise insulin levels and program fat cells to store too many calories, leaving too few for the rest of the body. Consequently, hunger increases, and metabolic rate slows in the body’s attempt to conserve energy. From this perspective, calorie-restricted, low-fat diets amount to symptomatic treatment, destined to fail for most people. Instead, a dietary strategy aiming to lower insulin secretion promises to increase the effectiveness of long-term weight management and chronic disease prevention.
Speaker: David Ludwig, M.D., Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School; Patty James, Nutritionist, Moderator
This program was originally scheduled for September 16
Fall Birds of the East Bay Hills - Livestream - 10/12/2021 01:00 PM
UC Botanical Garden
The Bay Area is rich in varying habitats that are home to many bird species. Some birds are here throughout the year, but fall marks the return of a number of species that had gone elsewhere to breed. We’ll talk about many bird species that can be found in our gardens at this time of year, with some discussion of things one can do to enrich these bird habitats and attract birds. The Zoom talk includes many illustrations of our local birds.
Speaker: Bob Lewis
Register at weblink to receive Zoom information
Code Red for Humanity”: The IPCC Sixth Assessment Report on Climate Change - Livestream - 10/12/2021 01:00 PM
Stanford University
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was founded in 1988 to provide scientific background for the 1992 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Since then, it has released six major assessment reports. The Sixth Assessment, released in August 2021, prompted the UN Secretary-General to call it a “code red for humanity.”
As one of 234 Lead Authors of the IPCC Sixth Assessment’s physical science report, I will present some of its main conclusions. We’ll dive below the level of headline statements to examine some major scientific innovations since the last IPCC report in 2013. I’ll talk about my personal experience of the 3-year assessment process, including the most intensive peer review in the history of science; here I will also talk about the significance and the future of peer review in general. Finally, I’ll showcase some tools this new report provides for policy analysis at the regional scale, and discuss its implications for international and global security.
Speaker: Paul Edwards, Stanford University
Fluctuating superconductivity on a partially flat band - Livestream - 10/12/2021 02:30 PM
UC Berkeley Condensed Matter Physics Seminar
Phase coherence is considered to govern the superconducting Tc in underdoped cuprates. However on the overdoped side, magnetic and optical evidence of diminishing zero temperature superfluid density are mounting in La2CuO4 cuprates. We combine magnetic and thermodynamic probes with angle-resolved photoemission, and show evidence of superconducting fluctuation substantially above Tc in another heavily overdoped cuprate family Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+d. With a sign-problem free quantum Monte Carlo calculation, we suggest that the flat band near antinode in can also enhance the thermal fluctuation and reduce the zero-temperature phase stiffness in addition to disorder effects. Sufficient overdoping is also shown to abruptly reduce electron-phonon interaction and strange metal behavior, exemplifying this regime as a promising platform to advance the understanding of the high Tc mechanism.
Speaker: Yu He, UC Berkeley
See weblink for Zoom information
The New Decade of Venus Exploration - 10/12/2021 03:30 PM
Natural Science Annex Santa Cruz
The coming decade will see a veritable armada of spacecraft arrive to explore mysteries that have only become more compelling since the early days of the planet’s exploration. The Venus science community has a huge laundry list of questions about the second planet that has only grown since Magellan, the last US mission to visit. What science we can do at Venus has also changed over the decades. Venus, while still a uniquely harsh place, is more obtainable than ever. The next major missions: DAVINCI, and VERITAS from NASA and EnVIsion from ESA will fundamentally change what we know about Venus, its evolution, its relationship to earth, and its place as a representative terrestrial exoplanet. The Three goals that have guided prospective missions to Venus in recent years include 1) Understanding Venus’ early evolution and potential habitability to constrain the evolution of Venus-like worlds. 2) Understanding the atmospheric dynamics and composition on Venus. And 3) Understanding the geologic history preserved on the surface of Venus and the present-day couplings between the surface and atmosphere. The three upcoming major missions will address major components of all three of these goals, and pave the way for more. This talk will dive deeper into the open questions for Venus, and how each of the upcoming missions hopes to answer them, along with snapshots of other upcoming Venus investigations and the possibilities of the future.
Speaker: Noam Izenberg, Johns Hopkins University
Earth Science Week - Stars and Galaxies - Livestream - 10/12/2021 04:00 PM
Humbold State University Natural History Museum
Celebrate Earth Science Week with the HSU Natural History Museum (NHM) through a live virtual after school program. These 75 mins. sessions are geared towards children 8-12 years old. The weekly program includes a student packet including copies of materials and samples to use during the program and for independent activities at home. For more information or to enroll online go to website.
Managing the Changing Risk and Health Burden of Wildfire Smoke in the US - Livestream - 10/12/2021 04:00 PM
Stanford University
Wildfire smoke is rapidly becoming a regional air pollution issue threatening decades of air quality improvement. Meanwhile, the health impacts from exposure to wildfire smoke are increasingly understood to be widespread but to exhibit different patterns of exposure than other pollution sources in the United States. In light of these considerations, this talk will address the changing risk and societal burden of wildfire in the United States as well as the implications for air quality management.
Speaker: Sam Heft-Neal
Register at weblink to receive connection information
On Ising’s Model of Ferromagnetism - Livestream - 10/12/2021 04:30 PM
Stanford Applied Physics/Physics Colloquium
The 1D Ising model is a classical model of great historical significance for both classical and quantum statistical mechanics. Developments in the understanding of the Ising model have fundamentally impacted our knowledge of thermodynamics, critical phenomena, magnetism, conformal quantum field theories, particle physics, and fractionalization in many-body systems. Despite the theoretical impact of the Ising model there have been very few good 1D realizations of it in actual real material systems. However, it has been pointed out recently, that the material CoNb2O6, has a number of features that may make it the most ideal realization we have of the Ising model in one dimension. In this talk I will discuss the surprisingly complex physics resulting in this simple model and review the history of “Ising’s model” from both a scientific and human perspective. In the modern context I will review recent experiments by my group and others on CoNb2O6. In particular I will show how low frequency light in the THz range gives unique insight into the tremendous zoo of phenomena arising in this simple model system.
Speaker: Peter Armitage, John Hopkins University
See weblink for Zoom link
Wednesday, 10/13/2021
CITRIS Research Exchange - Livestream - 10/13/2021 12:00 PM
CITRIS Research Exchange
Speaker: Dr. Carolyn Patten, Director and Professor, Biomechanics, Rehabilitation, and Integrative Neuroscience, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, UC Davis
Register at weblink to receive Zoom information
Earth Science Week - Forces of Water - Livestream - 10/13/2021 04:00 PM
Humbold State University Natural History Museum
Celebrate Earth Science Week with the HSU Natural History Museum (NHM) through a live virtual after school program. These 75 mins. sessions are geared towards children 8-12 years old. The weekly program includes a student packet including copies of materials and samples to use during the program and for independent activities at home. For more information or to enroll go to website
Mass Mobility, Fleets, and Innovation: Panel Discussion - Livestream - 10/13/2021 04:30 PM
Acterra
Panelists: Doug Davenport, Prospect Silicon Valley; Bhavin Khatri, San Francisco Municipal Transportation AGency; David Rubin, Cruise Kristin Slanina, ParkMyFleet and Charge Across America Electric Vehicle Race
See weblink for YouTube and Facebook links
October LASER - A fireside chat on COVID-19 and the Virusphere - Livestream - 10/13/2021 06:00 PM
LASER Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous
Speaker: Catherine Blish, Stanford/Infectious Diseases
Register at weblink to receive connection information.
The Impacts of Wildfires on Health - Livestream - 10/13/2021 06:30 PM
San Mateo Public Library
What are the impacts of wildfires and air pollution on our health? Join the San Mateo Public Library for a virtual talk with Stanford professor and researcher Dr. Mary Prunicki, who will discuss her research on pollution exposure, the increasing burden of climate change, and risk reduction among fire prone areas and vulnerable communities. This program is coordinated by the library's Biotechnology Learning Center.
Registration at website
Why Mobility is Destiny - Rescheduled - 10/13/2021 07:00 PM
Long Now Foundation San Francisco
The map of humanity isn’t settled -- not now, not ever.
In the 60,000 years since people began spreading across the continents, a recurring feature of human civilization has been mobility - the ever-constant search for resources, stability and opportunity. Driven by global events from conflicts, famine, repression and changing climates - to opportunities for trade, social advancement and freedom of thought - humans have relocated around the globe for millennia.
But what happens when billions of people are on the move? As climate change tips toward full-blown crisis, economies collapse, governments destabilize, and technology disrupts, we’re entering a new age of mass migrations. Futurist Parag Khanna uncovers the deep trends that are shaping the most likely scenarios for our future and asks what map of human geography will emerge.
Speaker: Parag Khanna
See weblink for online options, or attend in person.
Editor's Note: This event has been rescheduled to November 9, 2021
Thursday, 10/14/2021
The Water-Energy Nexus: Driving Equitable Climate Solutions - Livestream - 10/14/2021 10:00 AM
The Climate Center
There is a strong link, often referred to as the water-energy nexus, between water, energy, and the climate crisis. Reducing energy demand - and thereby reliance on fossil fuels - is necessary to drive the clean energy transition forward. Better water management can play a key role in driving down energy demand and its associated climate pollution. Join us to hear from a diverse set of speakers who will discuss how climate change is exacerbating the impacts of California water mismanagement on vulnerable communities. This webinar will also address how the state, local governments, community choice agencies, water agencies, and the private sector must work together to holistically address interrelated water, energy, climate, and equity challenges.
Panel: Martha Davis, Inland Empire Utilities Agency, retired; Robert Wilkinson, UC Santa Barbara; Amanda Monaco, Leadership Counsel; Eddie Valero, Board of Supervisors, Tulare County; Gabe Ruiz, Central Coast Community Energy; Heather Cooley, Pacific Institute
Register at weblink
Compound Climate Risk Threatens Aquatic Food System Benefits - Livestream - 10/14/2021 11:30 AM
Stanford University
Aquatic foods from marine and freshwater systems are critical to the nutrition, health, livelihoods, economies and culture of billions of people worldwide - but climate-related hazards may compromise their ability to provide these benefits. This talk presents estimates of national-level aquatic food system climate risk based on an integrative food systems approach that connects climate hazards impacting marine and freshwater capture fisheries and aquaculture to their contributions to sustainable food system outcomes. Without mitigation, climate hazards pose high risks to nutritional, social, economic and environmental outcomes worldwide - especially for wild-capture fisheries in Africa, South and Southeast Asia and Small Island Developing States. For countries projected to experience compound climate risks, reducing societal vulnerabilities can lower climate risk by margins similar to meeting Paris Agreement mitigation targets. System-level interventions addressing dimensions like governance, gender equity and poverty are needed to enhance aquatic and terrestrial food system resilience and provide investments with large co-benefits towards meeting the Sustainable Development Goals.
Speaker: Michelle Tigchelaar, Stanford University
See weblink for Zoom information
Using BlueSky to Write R Code - Livestream - 10/14/2021 11:50 AM
Magnimind Academy
Can Data Scientists and General Analysts be Happy with the Same Software? Many analysts lack the time or inclination to become good programmers. They prefer software that is easy to use. Data scientists emphasize analytic depth and reproducibility in their tools. With such different perspectives, can they both be happy with the same software? BlueSky Statistics is an open-source graphical user interface to the R language. It uses menus and dialog boxes to manage data, create plots, and analyze data. By default, the R code that it writes is hidden from the user, but it can also be displayed and modified before execution. For non-programmers, BlueSky helps them get their work done. For students of R, it helps to learn R code. For data scientists, it offers a way to convert their code into dialogs that allow more effective interaction between programmers and non-programmers within an organization. This talk will provide a brief introduction to BlueSky, show how it interacts with R, and cover how a major academic research institution is currently migrating 2,000 users from proprietary software to open source. Agenda:11:45 am - 11:55 am Arrival, socializing and Opening11:55 am - 1:00 pm Bob Muenchen, "Using BlueSky to Write R Code"1:00 pm - 1:10 pm Q&A
Speaker: Author Bob Muenchen
register at website
UC Berkeley Astronomy Colloquium - 10/14/2021 12:40 PM
Campbell Hall, Rm 131 Berkeley
Speaker: Kaveh Pahlevan, SETI
Earth Science Week - Remarkable Rocks - Livestream - 10/14/2021 04:00 PM
Humbold State University Natural History Museum
Celebrate Earth Science Week with the HSU Natural History Museum (NHM) through a live virtual after school program. These 75 mins. sessions are geared towards children 8-12 years old. The weekly program includes a student packet including copies of materials and samples to use during the program and for independent activities at home. For more information or to enroll online go to website
Efforts to Protect Breeding Burrowing Owls in our Region - Livestream - 10/14/2021 05:30 PM
San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory
Western Burrowing Owls are a native species to California and long-time residents of our region.
But we are in danger of losing them as a breeding species in the South San Francisco Bay Area. Research that Dr. Lynne Trulio and her colleagues conducted on wintering Burrowing Owls, using field and cutting-edge genomic analyses, is helping us understand how to protect our breeding birds.
They are also undertaking active efforts to preserve the Bay Area's existing breeding colonies with a unique approach that protects your Burrowing Owls. Learn about all of these exciting activities to keep Burrowing Owls as part of our local biodiversity.
Speaker: Lynne Trulio, San Jose University
Register at weblink to receive connection information
NightLife: Big Picture - 10/14/2021 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
Catch a sneak peek of the new BigPicture exhibit, where life is wild, beauty is bizarre and animals inspire us to be more human. Full event details to come!
After Dark: Creature Feature - 10/14/2021 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Snakes, spiders, and scorpions, oh my! We share a planet with all sorts of creepy-crawlies and fantastic beasts. They can inspire curiosity, wonder, and a healthy dose of fear. Encounter some of the strangest creatures that have been discovered and learn about the legends that some of them have inspired during this wild night at After Dark.
Just for Tonight:
Creepy Crawlies With Classroom Safari 6:00-10:00 p.m. Gallery 4
Get an up-close (...but not too close) look at spiders, lizards, snakes, snapping turtles, and more. Animal educator Bonnie Cromwell brings a range of reptiles and insects offering a chance to learn about these creatures in a safe environment and dispel any irrational fears.
DJ Lazyboy From Hip Hop for Change6:30-7:45, 8:15-9:30 p.m. Bechtel Gallery 3
Hip Hop for Change is an Oakland-based nonprofit that uses grassroots activism to educate people about socioeconomic injustices and advocate solutions through Hip Hop culture.
Six-Legged Scares With Ralph Washington, Jr.8:00 p.m. Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery 6
Insects are among the most superficially alien creatures we know, yet they feature prominently in our daily lives. This contrast between foreign and familiar has influenced designs in many horror films, including the work of H.R. Giger, David Cronenberg, and Guillermo Del Toro. Despite their apparently bizarre traits, it is easy to appreciate the virtues of insects when we learn more about their lives. Join us for a Halloween-inspired discussion of the potent ways that insects provoke fear and fascination.
Food and drinks will be available to purchase in our Seaglass Restaurant and at the outdoor bar in Gallery 5 to enjoy in those designated spaces during After Dark. Please note that there is no drinking or eating allowed elsewhere in the museum at this time.
Curious about what to expect during your visit? Check out our current safety protocols and guidelines.
Bay Area Bats - Livestream - 10/14/2021 07:00 PM
Peninsula Open Space Trust
We’ll be joined by Corky Quirk from Northern California Bats, an organization dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and release of bats throughout Northern California. Join us as we learn about these animals and their importance as insect control and dispel fears and myths that lead to the death of roosts and colonies. Inform others and help protect our natural world. Dispel misconceptions and save these highly valuable mammals with education and rescue. We’ll also learn interesting facts about some of the most common bats of the Peninsula and South Bay region. As part of the presentation three species of live California native species of bats will be presented via webcam for viewing and discussion.
This presentation will be roughly 45 minutes followed by 15 minutes for questions from the audience. The content will be appropriate for all ages but primarily adults as well as kids ages 12 and up.
Register at weblink.
Virtual Stargazing - The Solar System - 10/14/2021 07:00 PM
UC Riverside
This virtual stargazing will feature a tour of the bright solar-system objects, providing live views of the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, and Neptune through telescopes! Want to have a closer look at these amazing objects that you can easily spot in the autumn sky? Come join our online telescope viewings!
This event is kid- and family-friendly! We will have trivia questions throughout the event and a raffle at the end.
Register at weblink to receive connection information.
Friday, 10/15/2021
Earthquake cycle and segmentation on oceanic transform faults - 10/15/2021 12:00 PM
Earth and Marine Sciences Building Santa Cruz
Speaker: Matt Wei, University of Rhode Island
Laser-Based Phase Contrast in Transmission Electron Microscopy - 10/15/2021 02:00 PM
Tan Hall Berkeley
We have recently shown that laser-based, quantum-coherent manipulation of free electrons can help overcome long-standing problems in electron microscopy, specifically cryo-EM. Our Laser Phase Plate has demonstrated a near-ideal contrast transfer function, but the current implementation still suffers from an increased amount of chromatic and spherical aberration that arises from the needed electron optics to match the size of the electron diffraction pattern to the one of the laser beam. We are set to build a new generation that will compensate for these aberrations by adding a gun monochromator as well as aberration correction. Together with advances in direct electron detectors, we hope that this will make it possible to extract all information that is present in the electron beam at the Standard Quantum Limit.
Speaker: Holger Mueller, UC Berkeley
Earth Science Week - Fossil Clues - Livestream - 10/15/2021 04:00 PM
Humboldt State University Natural History Museum
Celebrate Earth Science Week with the HSU Natural History Museum (NHM) through a live virtual after school program. These 75 mins. sessions are geared towards children 8-12 years old. The weekly program includes a student packet including copies of materials and samples to use during the program and for independent activities at home. For more information or to enroll online go to website
Chasing Shadows in the Night: How NASA’s Kepler and TESS Missions Are Revolutionizing Exoplanet Science - Livestream - 10/15/2021 07:30 PM
Tri-Valley Stargazers
The first planet outside our own solar system was discovered almost thirty years ago in an extremely unlikely place, orbiting a pulsar, and the first exoplanet orbiting a Sun-like star was discovered nearly 26 years ago. In the time since, we’ve detected over 4500 planets and over 75% of these have been detected by transit surveys. The Kepler Mission, launched in 2009, has found the lion’s share of these exoplanets (>2800), and demonstrated that each star in the night sky has, on average, at least one planet. Kepler’s success spurred NASA and ESA to select several exoplanet-themed missions to move the field of exoplanet science forward from discovery to characterization: How do these planets form and evolve? What is the structure and composition of the atmospheres and interiors of these planets? Can we detect biomarkers in the atmospheres of these planets and learn the answer to the fundamental question, are we alone? NASA selected the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in 2014 to conduct a nearly all-sky survey for transiting planets with the goal of identifying at least 50 small planets (<4 Rearth) with measured masses that can be followed up by large telescopic assets, such as the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope. TESS has discovered 152 exoplanets so far, 69 of which are smaller than 4 Rearth with measured masses. In this talk I will describe how we detect weak transit signatures in noisy but beautiful transit survey data sets and present some of the most compelling discoveries made so far by Kepler and TESS.
Speaker: Jon Jenkins, NASA Ames
See weblink for access information
Saturday, 10/16/2021
Past, Present, and Future Indigenous Land Stewardship in the Tolay Valley - Livestream - 10/16/2021 10:00 AM
Audubon Canyon Ranch
The focus of Dr. Peter Nelson’s talk will be on his work with the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria and Sonoma County Regional Parks Department to reconstruct the precontact environment and gather evidence for Indigenous stewardship practices employed in this area, primarily at Tolay Lake Regional Park. He will share his findings and how they are informing stewardship practices on both park and preserve lands.
Earth Science Week - The Life and Times of Dinosaurs - Livestream - 10/16/2021 10:00 AM
Humbold State University Natural History Museum
Celebrate Earth Science Week with the HSU Natural History Museum (NHM). These sessions are geared towards children 8-12 years old. The weekly program includes a student packet including copies of materials and samples to use during the program and for independent activities at home. For more information or to enroll online go to website
Satellite Galaxies in the Local Group - Livestream - 10/16/2021 07:00 PM
East Bay Astronomical Society
Our Local Group of galaxies is composed of our Milky Way; its twin galaxy, Andromeda (M31); and the dozens of small “satellite” galaxies orbiting around each of them. Satellite galaxies are thought to be the building blocks of more massive galaxies, therefore tracking the orbital histories of satellite galaxies in the galactic neighborhood is crucial to our understanding of how the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies arrived at their current properties. Since galaxies are embedded in halos of dark matter, the invisible matter that makes up 85% of the matter in the Universe, satellite galaxies also act as tracers of this massive, mysterious matter. In this talk, I will explain how the individual orbital histories of these galaxies help us learn about the evolution of satellites themselves. Additionally, I will demonstrate how the collective motion of these systems of satellite galaxies can reveal important characteristics of their host galaxies, including the properties of their dark matter halos.
Speaker: Dr. Ekta Patel, UC Berkeley
See weblink for link to Facebook to attend.
Observe the Moon Night - 10/16/2021 07:00 PM
Foothill College Los Altos Hills
The Foothill College Astronomy Department and the Peninsula Astronomical Society will be hosting a contact-less observing event on October 16, 2021, as part of NASA's International Observe the Moon night. We will livestream the view from Foothill Observatory, including discussion with NASA solar system experts, and we will have telescopes with cameras and displays set up outside.
To attend in person, register at the weblink to reserve a time slot.
Galactic Archaeology: Galaxy Assembly with Globular Star Clusters - Livestream - 10/16/2021 07:30 PM
Mount Tamalpias Astronomy Lectures
Globular star clusters are among the oldest objects in the Universe. Accordingly, they can provide valuable information about the early evolution of the galaxies they inhabit. This presentation, focusing on the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies, will show what globular clusters reveal about their host galaxies' chemical composition. We will also explore the mysteries that still surround globular cluster formation, and possibilities for future observations.
Speaker: Carli Sakari, San Francisco State University
See weblink for Zoom information
International Observe The Moon Night Virtual Telescope Viewing - Livestream - 10/16/2021 09:00 PM
Chabot Space and Science Center
Join our resident astronomers on Facebook Live and YouTube every Saturday evening live from Chabot’s Observation deck!
International Observe the Moon Night is an annual worldwide public event that encourages observation, appreciation, and understanding of our Moon and its connection to NASA planetary science and exploration.
The annual event connects scientists, educators and lunar enthusiasts from around the world.
Sunday, 10/17/2021
The Pumpkin: Botany and Crafts - Livestream - 10/17/2021 10:30 AM
UC Botanical Garden
Pick up a special "Pumpkin Kit" from the Garden, and join us from your home online for a fun-filled morning celebrating everyone's favorite October plant--the pumpkin! We'll explore the botanical side of this lovely orange fruit, learn about its life cycle, flowers and pollinators, even how it's related to cucumbers and watermelons, and why Native Americans called corn, bean, and pumpkin "the three sisters". Then we will dive into our Pumpkin Kit for some hands-on exploration and crafting, including art projects and making a musical shaker. Workshop is all ages with parent participation.
See weblink for details on participation.
You Are What You Eat: Investigating Diet and Vulnerability in Bottlenose Dolphins - Livestream - 10/17/2021 01:30 PM
Seymour Science Center
How do we study what cetaceans eat, and why should we care in the first place? Cetaceans increasingly face disturbances - including harmful algal blooms, commercial and recreational fishing, and climate change - that disrupt their access to prey, with consequences ranging from changes in prey choice and feeding behaviors to decreased fitness and death. Investigating diet, and how it varies in normal and disturbed environmental conditions, is critical if we want to understand how cetaceans are vulnerable and mitigate the effects of future disturbances.
Join Theresa to learn how scientists determine diet in marine mammals and how she uses fatty acid analysis to study what common bottlenose dolphins eat, how harmful algal blooms impact their diet, and what that indicates about their vulnerability to future disturbances.
Speaker: Theresa-Anne Tatom-Naecker, UC Santa Cruz
Register at weblink in advance to receive connection information
Late Afternoon Hike at Mindego Hill - 10/17/2021 04:30 PM
Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve Los Altos
On this 5-mile excursion, you’ll hike from the Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve to the top of the POST-protected Mindego Hill and back. We advise that you bring snacks to enjoy at the top of the hill for 10-15 minutes before heading back to the parking lot.
See weblink for additional details on the strenuous hike.
Monday, 10/18/2021
Dynamics of Topological Defects in Active Nematics - Livestream - 10/18/2021 10:00 AM
UC Berkeley
Topological defects-singular tears of the order parameter field that cannot be removed by smooth deformations-are often formed in quenches from the disordered state or when order is frustrated by curvature, external fields or boundary conditions. In equilibrium two-dimensional systems, such as thin films of superfluids, crystals, liquid crystals and magnets, order-disorder transitions are controlled by defect unbinding described via the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless mapping of the statistical physics of defects onto a Coulomb gas. In active liquid crystals, topological defects become motile particles and proliferate spontaneously in the state of self-sustained turbulent-like motion ubiquitously observed in these systems. In these systems. In this talk I will outline a framework for formulating the statistical physics of defects in active nematics as quasiparticles and show that by viewing the active nematic as a collection of swarming and interacting active defects, the onset of active turbulence can be described as an activity-driven defect unbinding transition. A hydrodynamic theory of the gas of unbound defects additonally captures states of hierarchically organized active matter and the role of activity gradients for confining defects and harnessing active flows.
Speaker: Christina Marchetti
See weblink for Zoom information
UC Berkley Theoretical Astrophysics Center Seminar - 10/18/2021 12:10 PM
Campbell Hall, Rm 131 Berkeley
Speaker: Itai Linial
Pursuing Blue Skies for the Golden State - Livestream - 10/18/2021 12:30 PM
SF Planning + Urban Research Assoc. (SPUR)
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is the state agency primarily responsible for protecting the public health of all Californians against harmful air quality that results from both climate change and human-caused air pollution. As a result of innovative leadership and the policies and strategies that it has implemented since its creation in 1967 - including first-in-the-nation tailpipe emissions standards, the requirement of catalytic converters and zero-emission vehicle regulation - CARB has become an internationally-renowned pioneer in effective air and climate programs. Come hear from the agency’s new chair, Liane M. Randolph, as she discusses what it will take to build on this powerful environmental legacy while positioning CARB to effectively tackle the looming threats ahead.
Speakers: Nick Josefowitz, SPUR; Liane Randolph, California Air Resources Board
Register at weblink to receive connection information
Stanford Energy Seminar - Carla J. Peterman - Livestream - 10/18/2021 04:00 PM
Stanford Energy Seminar
Carla J. Peterman is Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs for PG&E Corporation, the parent company of Pacific Gas and Electric Company.
See weblink for Zoom information.
Spectroscopic characterization of bioaerosols - Livestream - 10/18/2021 04:00 PM
What Physicists Do - Sonoma State University
Speaker: Dr. Christine Koh, Sonoma State University
Destination Health: The Private Sector’s Role in Ending the COVID-19 Pandemic - Livestream - 10/18/2021 04:00 PM
Commonwealth Club - Online Event
As the devastating effects and tragic loss of life from COVID-19 persist 18 months after the global pandemic began, the world is desperate to end this public health crisis.
As businesses across industries are rolling out varying degrees of vaccine, testing, and masking mandates, President Biden announced the requirement for federal workers, medium and large employers, and health-care staff to be vaccinated. Working together and partnering with government and community leaders, the private sector plays a role in helping to close the vaccination gap in our workforce and communities.
What can the business community do to stop this pandemic? What is the private sector’s role in helping keep our communities safe? How are organizations responding to local, state and federal mandates? What processes are working and not working? What will it take to return to a strong and stable economy? Join a panel of business leaders across industries discussing opportunities to address this public health crisis and how we can work together to end it.
Register at weblink to receive connection information
UC Berkeley Physics Colloquia - Livestream - 10/18/2021 04:15 PM
UC Berkeley
Speaker: David Golghaber-Gordon
See weblink for connection information
Tuesday, 10/19/2021
Tech for Humanity Changemakers - 10/19/2021 11:00 AM
Computer History Museum
Data Science Resume And Interview Tips - 10/19/2021 11:50 AM
Magnimind Academy
Delafossite oxides: natural, ultra-pure metal-insulator heterostructures - Livestream - 10/19/2021 02:30 PM
UC Berkeley Condensed Matter Physics Seminar
Whole Earth Seminar - 10/19/2021 03:30 PM
Natural Science Annex Santa Cruz
Rewriting our Cooking History: The Importance of recognizing the Third Culinary Kingdom - Livestream - 10/19/2021 07:00 PM
Mycological Society of San Francisco
Wednesday, 10/20/2021
What if Computers Could Read Our Lips? Silent Speech as an Active Mode of Interaction with Computer Systems - Livestream - 10/20/2021 12:00 PM
CITRIS Research Exchange
October LASER event - Livestream - 10/20/2021 12:00 PM
LASER Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous
The Cost of Convenience: Quest for Solutions to the Plastic Pollution Crisis - Livestream - 10/20/2021 02:00 PM
Plastic Polution Coalition
The Last Stargazers -- Behind the Scenes in Astronomy - Livestream - 10/20/2021 07:00 PM
Silicon Valley Astronomy Series
Black Holes are Real. How Do They Shape Structure and Evolution in our Universe? - Livestream - 10/20/2021 07:00 PM
SETI Institute
Nerd Nite SF #121: Jazz, Psychological Mythbusting, & a Rotten City - 10/20/2021 08:00 PM
Rickshaw Stop San Francisco
Thursday, 10/21/2021
Youth Rising: The Next Generation of Climate Leaders and How We Can Help - Livestream - 10/21/2021 11:00 AM
Post Carbon Institute
Water for a Growing Bay Area - Livestream - 10/21/2021 12:30 PM
SF Planning + Urban Research Assoc. (SPUR)
UC Berkeley Astronomy Colloquium - 10/21/2021 12:40 PM
Campbell Hall, Rm 131 Berkeley
COVID, Grief, and Healthcare Professional Burnout: An Opportunity for Awakening - Livestream - 10/21/2021 05:00 PM
Cafe Scientifique Silicon Valley
From Wayback to Way Forward: The Internet Archive turns 25 - Livestream - 10/21/2021 06:00 PM
The Internet Archive
After Dark: (Un)Dead Science - 10/21/2021 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Nightlife - 10/21/2021 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
Avenging the Dinosaurs: Radar Observations for Planetary Defense - Livestream - 10/21/2021 06:30 PM
UC Riverside
Micromitigation: Fighting Air Pollution with Activated Carbon - Livestream - 10/21/2021 07:00 PM
Counter Culture Labs
Bringing Back the Burrowing Owl - Livestream - 10/21/2021 07:00 PM
Golden Gate Audubon Society
Friday, 10/22/2021
Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics Seminar - 10/22/2021 12:00 PM
Earth and Marine Sciences Building Santa Cruz
Saturday, 10/23/2021
SkeptiCal 2021 - Livestream - 10/23/2021 09:00 AM
SkeptCal 2021
Virtual Telescope Viewing - Livestream - 10/23/2021 09:00 PM
Chabot Space and Science Center
Sunday, 10/24/2021
SkeptiCal 2021 - Livestream - 10/24/2021 09:00 AM
SkeptCal
Morning Hike at La Honda Open Space Preserve - 10/24/2021 10:00 AM
La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve Redwood City
Monday, 10/25/2021
UC Berkeley Condensed Matter Physics Seminar - Livestream - 10/25/2021 10:00 AM
UC Berkeley
Promises and Pitfalls of Machine Learning for Education - Livestream - 10/25/2021 11:00 AM
Berkeley Institute for Data Science
UC Berkley Theoretical Astrophysics Center Seminar - 10/25/2021 12:10 PM
Campbell Hall, Rm 131 Berkeley
Testing Einstein with Lasers and the Moon - Livestream - 10/25/2021 04:00 PM
What Physicists Do - Sonoma State University
Lightning-fast SQL Queries + Transactions directly on the Data Lake - Livestream - 10/25/2021 07:00 PM
SF Bay Association of Computing Machinery
Wonderfest - Future Farming (Not Cooking) with Robots - 10/25/2021 07:00 PM
Hopmonk Tavern Novato