Greetings Science Fans and Practitioners,
Personally, I think we should all consider ourselves a "science practitioner". Have you ever noticed that the definition according to a search engine like Google doesn’t always agree with you? Given that, let’s think a bit about what sets someone who appreciates, practices, or supports science, apart from many who think science is for people in lab coats and has little to do with our lives.
A few weeks ago I was at CSICon24. There’s a lot of non-reasonably believable stuff thrown around on the web, in the media, and by our friends and family. One of the important things that Skeptics do is question. Especially if something is claimed to be based in science. I have found the SLAP Test to be simple and effective for many situations because, truth be told, BS is everywhere these days! (note: there’s more than one SLAP test!) It’s a great starting point for evaluating some new claim you have heard, and it’s a great starting point for getting someone to question if something they believe, or accept, is valid. One can never underestimate the power of questioning! One of the best ways to assess whether a claim is valid is to ask some good questions. The trick is to ask questions politely and in a non-threatening way in the hopes of everyone getting closer to the actual answer to the question!
You might want to consider these…
-Psychedelics, anesthesia and dreaming - Livestream - 11/19/2024 12:00 PM
-Astronomy on Tap Tucson #101: Chaos and Planetary Defense - Livestream - 11/19/2024 06:30 PM
-After Dark: Glow Opening - 11/21/2024 06:00 PM (If you don’t make it to see GLOW at the premiere you simply must go see it while it’s there! Trust me on this one!)
-Glow Fest - 11/23/2024 11:00 AM
Here are a few notes and items to keep in mind or check out…
-The annual Geminid meteor shower will peak on the night of December 13/14
-National Science Appreciation Day is March 26th, 2025 It would seem that there should be more states that have celebrated it!
Coronium, One of the Most Enduring Mysteries (and Mistakes) in Eclipse Science
-Would you be interested in an Adventure, Running, Science, Forum at the Top of the World?
-It’s always a bit of a gamble that the weather will cooperate during an eclipse. If the North pole is too hot… Start saving, plan ahead, and put down a deposit for this one now… It will be a very long eclipse at 6 minutes and 22 seconds. You might want to act now to be able to join Alex Filippenko in Egypt for this one!
-Those crazy rocket people… Students Hit 144,000 ft!
-One of the photos, which was processed by citizen scientist Jackie Branc, captured one of Jupiter's folded filamentary regions.
-In case you missed this one last week.
-It’s about travel “It’s not about what’s out there, it’s about your perception of what’s out there.”
- One of the challenges of comparing current scientists with the past is often a complicated story but I think the culture of the times is a major factor. Consider Duchess Margaret Cavendish, The Natural Philosopher Who Clashed with Descartes
Have a great week learning and practicing new and old science!
herb masters
“I became an astronomer because I could not imagine living on Earth and not trying to understand how the Universe works.”
“…her (Vera Rubin) struggle inspired me to keep pushing, do what I love and really believe that something will work out. And now, I’m a scientist at NASA.”
~ Regina Caputo, Astrophysicist
Upcoming Events:
Click to see the next two weeks of events in your browser.
Monday, 11/18/2024
Exploring the Function and Dynamic Regulation of the Nuclear Lamina - 11/18/2024 12:00 PM
Sonoma State University - Biology Colloquium Rohnert Park
Speaker: Abby Buchwalter Cool, UC San Francisco
The Impact of Generative AI on Firm Values - 11/18/2024 12:00 PM
Gates Computer Science Building Stanford
How do recent advances in Generative AI affect firm value? We construct the first measure of firms’ workforce exposures to Generative AI and show that an “Artificial-Minus-Human” (AMH) portfolio that is long high-exposure firms and short low-exposure firms earned daily returns of 0.44% in the two weeks following the release of ChatGPT. The labor-exposure effect is more pronounced for firms with greater data assets and is distinct from the effect of firms’ product exposures to Generative AI.
Speaker: Andrea Eisfeldt Register at weblink to attend in person or online
The Ethics and Efficacy of Mass Surveillance - 11/18/2024 12:30 PM
Margaret Jacks Hall (Bldg 460) Stanford
Evaluating the degree to which post-9/11 programs of mass electronic surveillance as leveraged by law enforcement have achieved purported counterterrorism objectives
The post 9/11 era has witnessed an explosion in the use of state surveillance for the purposes of law enforcement. In the past few decades, the means and methods of state surveillance have become increasingly pervasive, effective, and cheap, thanks (i) to advancements in technology, (ii) the broadened post-9/11 statutory authority for the US intelligence community (“IC”) to leverage surveillance methods against both domestic and foreign targets, and (iii) increasingly routinized law enforcement data access requests from major technology and telecommunications companies.
Speaker: Viona Atefi, Stanford University See weblink for entry instructions
Community Social with Dessert after the talk
Explorations of net-zero emissions energy: aviation, trade risks, and inequalities of air pollution - 11/18/2024 12:30 PM
Green Earth Sciences Building Stanford
There is broad consensus that electrification of end uses and renewable electricity can drastically and cost-effectively reduce GHG emissions from the energy system. But important questions remain about end uses that are particularly challenging to electrify as well as the broader (and typically not modeled) implications of net-zero emissions energy systems. I’ll present some recent work by my group on different net-zero pathways with regard to aviation, geopolitical risks, and air pollution impacts.
Speaker: Steve Davis, Stanford University
GPS to the rescue: how the CYGNSS mission is uncovering new hydrologic processes in the Tropics - 11/18/2024 12:30 PM
Shriram Center Stanford
The Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) is in many ways, a unique mission. With its ability to penetrate clouds and canopies and a strong sensitivity to water, CYGNSS has helped us uncover new spatio-temporal dynamics of water at the surface of the Earth. In this presentation, I will describe how we leveraged computer vision together with CYGNSS data to produce new maps of surface inundation that have been shifting our understanding of how much standing water is present in tropical ecosystems. I will then explain how this new information is helping us fill the information gap and improve our predictions of methane emissions, streamflow generation, and flooding in areas too remote to obtain in-situ data. Finally, I will discuss how new commercial missions will help bring this new understanding to fast changing boreal latitudes.
Speaker: Cynthia Gerlein-Safdi, UC Berkeley
Quantum mechanics of 2D electron crystals - 11/18/2024 02:30 PM
Physics North Berkeley
The low-carrier density state of a 2D semiconductor is described in terms of the homogeneous two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG), the ground state properties of which are determined by the electron density. Below a critical density, the electronic system freezes into a triangular lattice electron solid, or Wigner crystal. For experimentally relevant carrier concentrations the electron solid is highly quantum-mechanical, the significant overlap between localized electronic orbitals leading to frequent electron tunneling between Wigner crystal lattice sites.
Speaker: Ilya Esterlis, University of Wisconsin - Madison
The physical origins of artificial intelligence - 11/18/2024 03:30 PM
Stanford Linear Accelerator (SLAC) Colloquium Series Menlo Park
We will review the science underlying the recent award of the Nobel Prize to John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton for developing the foundations of modern artificial intelligence using tools from physics. This award has generated some misplaced controversy, with (some younger) computer scientists claiming AI has nothing to do with physics, and (some older) physicists claiming physics has nothing to do with AI. On the contrary, I will explain how this prize was an inspired choice awarding decades of ground breaking interdisciplinary work originating in statistical physics, and leading through a direct causal chain to modern deep learning, through seminal models like the Hopfield model and the Boltzmann machine.
Speaker: Surya Ganguli, Stanford University Attend in person or online (see weblink)
Illuminating the Biochemical Activity Architecture of the Cell - 11/18/2024 04:00 PM
Stanley Hall Berkeley
The complexity and specificity of cellular processes require spatial microcompartmentation and dynamic modulation of the underlying biochemical activities, such as dynamic phosphorylation and dephosphorylation catalyzed by specific protein kinases and phosphatases, respectively.
Speaker: Jin Zhang, UC San Diego
Nature versus Nurture: Unraveling genetic and environmental contributions to cell fitness - 11/18/2024 04:00 PM
James H. Clark Center (Bldg 340) Stanford
Speaker: Jason Cantor, University of Wisconsin - Madison
Getting Lost in Machine Learning Safety Vibes - 11/18/2024 04:00 PM
Sutardja Dai Hall Berkeley
Machine learning (ML) applications are increasingly reliant on black-box pretrained models. To ensure safe use of these models, techniques such as unlearning, guardrails, and watermarking have been proposed to curb model behavior and audit usage. Unfortunately, while these post-hoc approaches give positive safety ‘vibes’ when evaluated in isolation, our work shows that existing techniques are quite brittle when deployed as part of larger systems.
Speaker: Virginia Smith, Carnegie Mellon University Attend in person or online via YouTube
Habitable Exoplanet Imaging Technology Development - 11/18/2024 04:00 PM
Sonoma State University - What Physicists Do Rohnert Park
US Astronomers have recently listed habitable exoplanet imaging ??" imaging and spectroscopy of a planet around another star that can harbor life on it's surface ??" as a top priority in the coming decades. However, our current telescopes and state-of-the-art technologies are insufficient to enable this high priority science goal. Dr. Gerard will discuss adaptive optics and coronagraphic technologies he has been developing to bridge this gap and help enable habitable exoplanet imaging in the coming decades.
Speaker Benjamin Gerard, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe by Detecting Neutrinos - the DUNE experiment and beyond - 11/18/2024 04:15 PM
Physics North Berkeley
Neutrinos possibly hold the key to one of the most profound questions still to be answered: why is the Universe dominated only by matter and what role did neutrinos play in the evolution of the universe? The answers to these questions lie hidden within the yet to be known properties of neutrinos. Long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiments in the US and elsewhere, have begun probing the existence of charge-parity (CP) violation in the leptonic sector and other fundamental neutrino properties which might unravel the answers we seek. Experiments in the US neutrino oscillation program, such as NOvA and DUNE, use a powerful source of neutrinos from Fermilab directed towards detectors over 500 miles away.
Speaker: Mayly Sanchez, Florida State University
Time for a Tech Reformation? - 11/18/2024 05:30 PM
Commonwealth Club San Francisco
As technology has overtaken religion as a primary influence on 21st-century life and community, have tech titans and their innovations become our new false idols?
Greg Epstein, Harvard and MIT’s influential humanist chaplain, joins us in San Francisco??"the epicenter of the technological revolution??" to delve into what it means to go beyond worship to critically engage with tech and its role in our lives. In his new book Tech Agnostic: How Technology Became the World's Most Powerful Religion, and Why It Desperately Needs a Reformation, Epstein examines how the tech grip took hold and celebrates historical apostates, tech ethicists, skeptics, and whistleblowers who embody the tech reformation he declares is urgently needed.
Speaker: Greg Epstein, Humanist Chaplain at Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Kevin Nguyen, San Francisco Standard, Moderator
Attend in person or online
Tuesday, 11/19/2024
A window into lipid peroxyl radicals, peroxidation and electrophilic stress in cells - 11/19/2024 11:00 AM
Latimer Hall Berkeley
In this presentation I will describe fluorogenic (off to on) probes we have developed to monitor electron transport,1 lipid peroxidation,2 and electrophilic stress,3 in lipid membranes. I will portray live cell imaging work where we exploit newly developed activatable fluorogenic antioxidants2 and state-of-the-art imaging methodologies to monitor lipid peroxyl radicals under a series of pathological conditions including ferroptosis. Secondly, I will touch upon the ability of cells to detoxify increasing lipid derived electrophile (LDE), exploring the link between lipid hydroperoxide accumulation, LDE formation and cell death. Here, I will describe a recently developed assay (ElectrophileQ) that enables live-cell assessment of the glutathione-mediated LDE conjugation and adduct export steps of the LDE detoxification pathway.3 The body of work provides molecular insight on the onset and progression of a series of conditions, including ferroptosis,2g, 3a where lipid peroxidation and or electrophilic stress are exacerbated.
Speaker: Gonzalo Cosa, McGill University
A geochemical test of the Cryogenian Snowball Earth hypothesis - 11/19/2024 12:00 PM
Braun (Geology) Corner (Bldg 320), Rm 220 Stanford
The Snowball Earth hypothesis predicts that the hydrological cycle was curtailed for millions of years, with ice-cover and low temperatures limiting silicate weathering of the continental crust. In this scenario, the deep ocean should have equilibrated with the mantle through hydrothermal exchange at mid-ocean ridges. Here we report the discovery of mantle-like Sr isotope values in marine carbonate and barite that rest directly above ca. 717-661 Ma Sturtian glacial deposits in Oman. These new data and geochemical modeling support an extreme Snowball Earth scenario with near complete ice-cover and reduced continental weathering for 56 Myr. The duration and extent of the Sturtian glaciation created a major bottleneck for the evolution of eukaryotes, clearing the way for the rise of algae and origin of animals.
Speaker: Francis Macdonald, Stanford University
Attend in person or online (see weblink)
Psychedelics, anesthesia and dreaming - Livestream - 11/19/2024 12:00 PM
Stanford Medicine
The CSCS Community Series or CS3 was established out of a desire to increase visibility of the amazing sleep and circadian work that is being done here on campus. This virtual seminar series provides an opportunity for member labs to present on the latest and greatest progress from their groups, with an emphasis on highlighting new PIs and trainees. The aim is to help individuals in the Center promote their work to the other Center members as well as to the Stanford community at large. CS3 also serves as an opportunity to facilitate internal collaborations by learning about what is going on in other labs. There is so much great and diverse research happening within the Stanford CSCS, it is hard to keep track of it all!
Speaker: Boris Heifets, Stanford University See weblink for Zoom link
Conceptual Modeling of Energy Systems - 11/19/2024 12:00 PM
Green Earth Sciences Building Stanford
The central topic of this seminar is modeling approaches to facilitate resource conservation and a just energy transition. Potential subtopics are an emerging technology’s potential for scaling, life-cycle assessment for measuring social and environmental impacts, uncertainty quantification, and economic modeling for the energy transition. Our goal is to create an intimate, collaborative space for students, postdocs, scientists, and PIs within the Stanford techno-economic modeling and systems modeling community. These seminars will provide an opportunity to disseminate insights from your studies, connect with fellow researchers, and strengthen bonds across the community.
In this talk, Alicia will give an overview of the different energy system analyses that have been done recently in the Climate Energy lab. These studies are based on highly stylized systems that allow drawing fundamental conclusions about geophysical and technical relationships. Many of the studies aim to give a first-order impression of a problem, leaving follow-up studies with higher detail for future research. Recent studies related to energy systems focused on the role of different energy technologies that could complement wind and solar generation and planning reliable wind- and solar-based electricity systems.
Speaker: Alicia Wongel, Carnegie Science
Register at weblink.
Scale-dependent Elastic Constants in Mutilated Sheets and Shells - 11/19/2024 03:30 PM
Hewlett Teaching Center Stanford
Understanding deformations of macroscopic thin plates and shells has a long and rich history, culminating with the nonlinear Foeppl-von Karman equations in 1904. However, thermal fluctuations in thin elastic membranes fundamentally alter the long wavelength physics, leading to strongly scale-dependent elastic constants, consistent with experiments that twist and bend atomically-thin free-standing graphene sheets. With thermally excited graphene sheets, one can study as well the quantum mechanics of two dimensional Dirac massless fermions in a fluctuating curved space whose dynamics resembles a simplified form of general relativity. We also describe recent measurements of a scale-dependent bending rigidity for rippled nanometer-thick cantilevers of Al_2O_3. We then move on to analyze the physics of sheets mutilated with puckers and stitches. Puckers and stitches lead to Ising-like phase transitions that strongly affect the physics of the fluctuating sheet. Thermal fluctuations also cause thin spherical shells beyond a certain critical radius to spontaneously collapse.
Speaker: David Nelson, Stanford University
This event was orignially scheduled for October 8, 2024
The Yuan T. Lee Endowed Lectureship in Chemistry - 11/19/2024 04:00 PM
Latimer Hall Berkeley
Speaker: Xueming Yang, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Reaction Dynamics
On Avoided Emissions - Rescheduled - 11/19/2024 04:00 PM
Spilker Hall Stanford
The urgency of climate change mitigation has led to widespread adoption of emissions avoidance projects to both reduce and offset emissions. At the core of offset integrity lie leakage, additionality, and permanence. Leakage and additionality, carbon market shorthand for imprecise measures of the economics concept of elasticities and externalities in a short-term or partial equilibrium economy, collapse over time in general equilibrium. As a result, leakage and additionality for avoided emissions projects deconstruct into temporary emissions delays, or the unfortunate absence of permanence. We examine implications of these conclusions in the context of Guyana’s forest protection program under the ART TREES HFLD standard, and early coal retirement projects such as the Energy Transition Accelerator, Singapore's TRACTION program, and the Coal to Clean Credit Initiative. We conclude that avoided emissions investments should be considered contributions to a climate transition but require separation from attribution and accountability.
Speakers: Alicia Seiger, Stanford Law School; Marc Roston, Precourt Institute for Energy
This event has been rescheduled for November 21, 2024.
Quantum AI Lectures - 11/19/2024 06:00 PM
Japan Innovation Campus Palo Alto
Join us at the Japan Innovation Center (JIC) in Palo Alto, CA, on Thursday, November 21 for an exclusive event focused on the transformative intersection of Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Technologies. Designed for Fortune 500 executives, CFOs, CVCs, VCs, investors, business strategists, and innovation leaders, this event will delve into cutting-edge advancements and strategic applications that drive competitive advantage in today’s digital landscape.Experts and industry leaders will discuss emerging trends, real-world applications, and investment opportunities in AI and quantum technologies. Attendees will gain actionable insights into leveraging these technologies for growth, innovation, and M&A initiatives. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with peers and thought leaders shaping the future of industry over a light dinner and some amazing music.
Speakers:
Gary Fowler, GSD Venture StudioTopic: Stem Cell Research with AI and Quantum ComputingGary will discuss how he used AI tools for novel development of stem cell drugs and convergence of AI and Quantum Computing.Fernando Lorenzo: VALUENEXTopic: Data-driven AIFernando will delve into data visualization for predictive analytics and ML/AI.Sam Sharaf: Salesforce FRONTIER AITopic: Latest trends in AISam will discuss the latest trends in FRONTIER AI at Salesforce.Sophie Choe PhD: Quantum SocietyTopic: Quantum Generative AISophie will delve into Quantum Gen AI using continuous-variable neural networks and the quantum transformers.
Editor's Note: Please note location and speakers have changed since our initial listing
Astronomy on Tap Tucson #101: Chaos and Planetary Defense - Livestream - 11/19/2024 06:30 PM
Astronomy on Tap
Tucson’s local flavor of Astronomy on Tap, Space Drafts, is excited to present its 101st edition! This month, we’ll be joined by the director of the Catalina Sky Survey, Carson Fuls, who will tell us about the survey’s role in planetary defense, and Steward Observatory graduate student Sóley Hyman who will tell us about chaos both near and far.
Making Sense of Chaos: From Earth to Space
Speaker: Sóley Hyman
DO look up! Planetary Defense with the Catalina Sky Survey
Speaker: Carson Fuls
Click here to watch the stream.
Right in your backyard: The plight of the North Pacific right whale - Livestream - 11/19/2024 07:00 PM
American Cetacean Society
Once numbering in the tens of thousands, the North Pacific right whale was driven to the brink of extinction; now it's estimated that fewer than 50 animals remain in the eastern population. Despite this, one of these rare animals was seen this May off Point Reyes, CA. So how do you study the proverbial needle in a very large haystack? Come learn about North Pacific right whales as Jessica Crance, Marine Mammal biologist and right whlae specialist, talks about their dark history, the research being done to save them, and the struggles and rewards of studying one of the most critically endangered large whale populations in the world.
Speaker: Jessica Crance, NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center
Register at weblink to receive connection information
Truffle Lust & Puppy Love - 11/19/2024 07:30 PM
Mycological Society of San Francisco San Francisco
The first time I smelled a truffle, it reached inside me and made me want it more than anything in the world. With that first whiff, it was as if the entire forest opened and invited me into its deepest, most profound essence. Yet once a truffle is unearthed, it only has a short window before it becomes a scentless lump. Truffles are a living metaphor for desire: rare, mysterious and ephemeral. That first whiff led me to my truffle dog, Flora Jayne, an Italian Lagotto Romagnolo, that’s born and bred for truffle hunting. Flora Jayne and I have been exploring forests in search of this seductive tuber and underground driver of forest ecosystems. She’s got a talent, and I have an obsession.
Truffles exist ??" wild and cultivated - on every continent except Antarctica. This talk and visual presentation will briefly trace the history of truffles, from manna from heaven in the Bible ??" which were most likely desert truffles ??" to their roles as sacred, outlawed, and hyper valued. The truffle’s vital role in the forest ecosystem will be discussed, along with how the planting of truffle orchards makes them a regenerative species. I’ll also speak about the Renaissance they are currently enjoying. We’ll then segue into a talk about culinary techniques for truffles and if appropriate, Flora Jayne can come along and do a truffle hunting demonstration.
Speaker: Maria Finn
Attend in person or online. Lecture starts at 7:30 here
Wednesday, 11/20/2024
Fall Bird Walk - SOLD OUT - 11/20/2024 09:00 AM
UC Botanical Garden Berkeley
in Chris Carmichael in search of both resident and migrant birds in the Garden’s many bird friendly micro habitats. Chris will be joined by Susan Greef, Garden Member and avid birder. Beginning and experienced bird watchers are welcome. Limited to 15 participants.
This walk follows uneven terrain, with areas of paved and unpaved trail.
Register at weblink
Application of Integrated Bayesian approach for unique Initial thorium corrections and age-depth models in U-Th dating of Speleothems] to Hato Cave - 11/20/2024 12:00 PM
Earth and Marine Sciences Building Santa Cruz
Speaker: Christopher Kinsley
Redesigning plants with synthetic biology: from carbon fixation to natural products - 11/20/2024 12:10 PM
Barker Hall, Rm 101 Berkeley
Our limited understanding of plant systems and the dearth of genetic tools constrain our ability to engineer plants effectively for diverse applications, including agriculture, sustainability, human health, and bioenergy. However, the field of synthetic biology has opened the door to new possibilities, enabling us to introduce heterologous metabolic pathways or create entirely new-to-nature compounds that don’t naturally exist in plants. As future endeavors in plant metabolic engineering become increasingly complex, we have also developed a suite of synthetic biology tools to enhance our ability to modify and manipulate plant genomes. Finally, we also leverage synthetic biology approaches to study the origins and evolution of rubisco in order to provide novel insights into the biophysical and evolutionary constraints potentially limiting photosynthesis.
Speaker: Patrick Shih, UC Berkeley
Asymmetric Information Sharing in Oligopoly: A Natural Experiment in Retail Gasoline - 11/20/2024 12:10 PM
Giannini Hall Berkeley
Using a natural experiment from a retail gasoline antitrust case, we study how asymmetric information sharing affects oligopoly pricing. Empirically, price competition softens when, following case settlement, information sharing shifts from symmetric to asymmetric, with one firm losing access to high-frequency, granular rival price data. We provide theory and empirics illustrating how strategic ignorance creates price commitment, leading to higher price-cost margins. Using a structural model, we find substantial profit-enhancing effects of asymmetric information sharing. These results provide a cautionary tale for antitrust agencies regarding the potential unintended consequences of limiting price information sharing among firms.
Speaker: Matthew Lewis
Decoding, Modeling, and Reprogramming Cells at Scale in the Era of Digital Biology - 11/20/2024 04:00 PM
Stanley Hall Berkeley
Decoding the biological “languages” underlying genetic and cellular states remains a major challenge. Single-cell omics measurements are transforming our understanding of biology; however, they are expensive and destructive, posing challenges for monitoring live cells in tissues and humans over time. Although imaging is non-destructive, low-cost, and scalable, it can be difficult to interpret.
We aim to develop generalizable and scalable experimental and computational frameworks that utilize generative AI to bridge the gap between different data modalities in biology. For example, we have developed a series of technologies that enable the prediction of single-cell omics data from non-destructive imaging modalities, the reconstruction of molecular dynamics over time in live cells through imaging, and the generation of cellular and tissue images from single-cell gene expression profiles (a “DALL-E for biology”). These technologies enable fast and scalable querying and prediction of multi-omics information underlying mammalian and microbial systems using imaging, ideally in real time, in live cells.
By combining multi-modal live-cell and label-free chemical imaging with genetic and chemical perturbations, we have developed massively scalable screening systems to investigate the functions and behaviors of cells across space and time. Translating the different “languages” (data modalities) of biology can unify various views of cell and tissue biology, greatly reducing the need for multiple measurements, towards an ultimate goal of building virtual cells and digital simulators of multicellular systems.
Speaker: Jian Shu, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
On Avoided Emissions - Rescheduled - 11/20/2024 04:00 PM
Spilker Hall Stanford
The urgency of climate change mitigation has led to widespread adoption of emissions avoidance projects to both reduce and offset emissions. At the core of offset integrity lie leakage, additionality, and permanence. Leakage and additionality, carbon market shorthand for imprecise measures of the economics concept of elasticities and externalities in a short-term or partial equilibrium economy, collapse over time in general equilibrium. As a result, leakage and additionality for avoided emissions projects deconstruct into temporary emissions delays, or the unfortunate absence of permanence. We examine implications of these conclusions in the context of Guyana’s forest protection program under the ART TREES HFLD standard, and early coal retirement projects such as the Energy Transition Accelerator, Singapore's TRACTION program, and the Coal to Clean Credit Initiative. We conclude that avoided emissions investments should be considered contributions to a climate transition but require separation from attribution and accountability.
Speakers: Alicia Seiger and Marc Roston, Sustainable Finance Initiative, Stanford University
This event has been rescheduled for November 21, 2024
The Computer in the Sky - 11/20/2024 04:00 PM
Soda Hall Berkeley
Turing-complete blockchain protocols such as Ethereum approximate the idealized abstraction of a shared “computer in the sky” that is open access (anyone can install software or interact with already-installed software), runs in plain view, and, in effect, has no owner or operator.
This technology can, among other things, enable stronger notions of ownership of digital possessions than we have ever had before. Building the computer in the sky is hard (and scientifically fascinating), and requires the synthesis of multiple disciplines, both within computer science (distributed computing, cryptography, algorithmic game theory) and beyond (mechanism design, macroeconomics, finance, political science).
This talk will survey some of Tim Roughgarden’s work in the area and the practical impact it has had.
Speaker: Tim Roughgarden, Columbia University
Attend in person or online (see weblink)
AI and Climate Change Mitigation - 11/20/2024 04:30 PM
Stanford University Energy Seminar Stanford
How can artificial intelligence (AI) help respond to the climate crisis? In which sectors can AI make the most difference? Will the potential benefits of using AI to reduce greenhouse gas emissions be outweighed by emissions increases from power demand for AI? The second edition of the Artificial Intelligence for Climate Change Mitigation Roadmap (November 2024) explores these questions and more. Please join the lead authors of the Roadmap for a presentation of their findings and discussion on these topics.
Speakers: David Sandalow; Columbia University; Julio Friedmann, Columbia University; Alp Kucekelbir, Columbia University
Attend in person or online (see weblink)
Distributed AI: Transforming Mobility and the Power Grid - 11/20/2024 05:00 PM
SEMI Global Headquarters Milpitas
The automotive industry is rapidly electrifying, and electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming mainstream. At the same time, vehicles are getting smarter, with autonomous systems and advanced connectivity transforming how we think about transportation. Similarly, transformational changes are occurring in the electric power sector at an unprecedented rate to balance the ever-increasing demand from electrification and AI Data Centers with increasing centralized and distributed renewables, via an intelligent grid. Both sectors rely heavily on semiconductors for power management, energy conversion, and communication. However, these sectors are also increasingly dependent on distributed and decentralized computing to manage the complexity of their operations.
Speaker: Sunil Chhaya, Electric Power Research Institute
Flycatchers of North America - Livestream - 11/20/2024 07:00 PM
Santa Clara Valley Bird Alliance
Co-authors of Flycatchers of North America: Empidonax and Pewees return to Speaker Series to discuss their new release. They will present the second installment in their (hopefully continuing) series addressing the complex identification challenges of this group. This time they will talk about Kingbirds and Myiarchus Flycatchers as well as theirs habitat preferences and behavior. If you are daunted by these confusing birds, join us for a conversation with the authors and learn what made this project a necessary follow-up, their prolific partnership, and how their remarkable illustrations were created.
Speakers: Cin-Ty Lee and Andrew Birch
Register at weblink to receive connection information
Finding and Fighting Cells That Can Kill Us: One Patient's Story - 11/20/2024 07:30 PM
Marin Science Seminar San Rafael
We humans are extraordinarily complex organisms, each of us composed of roughly 30 trillion cells. Our health depends on all of those cells working together in harmony, and just one cell going rogue can potentially spell disaster. In this session, Bradley Stohr of UCSF will share one patient’s story of battling a deadly disease. We’ll discuss how the cells that cause disease can be identified, how doctors can fight back against those cells, and why our best efforts are unfortunately not always enough.
Speaker: Bradley Stohr M.D. Ph.D. of UC San Francisco
Thursday, 11/21/2024
Lunch Break Science - Livestream - 11/21/2024 11:00 AM
The Leakey Foundation
Lunch Break Science is a dynamic live web series featuring fascinating short talks, engaging interviews, and lively Q&A with Leakey Foundation scientists. Each episode digs deeper into the latest human origins discoveries, with topics like Neanderthals, chimpanzee behavior, and more! Even better, you can interact with researchers during the show and have your questions answered on air.
See weblink to join
Silicon Valley Leaders Symposium - Stephen Caines - 11/21/2024 12:00 PM
Silicon Valley Leaders Symposium San Jose
Speaker: Stephen Caines, Chief Innovation Officer & Budget Director at the Mayor’s Office, City of San José
Environemtal Geophysics: Sensor-Informed Water Budgets, Accounting for the Well-Being of People and Ecosystems - 11/21/2024 12:00 PM
Mitchell Earth Sciences Building (04-560) Stanford
Speaker: Rosemary Knight, Stanford University
Attend in person or via Zoom
Room 350/372
Navigating the ecology and evolution of host-microbiomes in a changing sea - 11/21/2024 12:30 PM
Valley Life Sciences Building Berkeley
Microorganisms play an essential role in shaping the ecology and evolution of nearly every form of life on Earth. However, sudden shifts in environmental conditions, including those associated with Global Climate Change (GCC), alter the interactions between eukaryotic hosts and their microbial associates. My research program applies an integrative approach to deepen our understanding of host-microbiome responses to shifts in their environment. In my seminar, I will highlight my past, current, and future research centered on exploring host-microbiome interactions in the seagrasses Zostera marina and Posidonia oceanica and within the sea anemone, Exaiptasia diaphana.
Speaker: Maggie Sogin, UC Merced
The Energy Imperatives in 2024 - 11/21/2024 01:30 PM
Environment and Energy Building (Y2E2) Stanford
This presentation introduces some general mechanisms that drive the evolution and pace at which economies are transitioning to a clean energy system and resilient delivery infrastructure.
Today’s imperatives will be briefly introduced with two deep dives into electrification imperative of clean energy systems. Discussed will be potential realizations of future grid operations and architectures to meet the growing electricity demands as well as new concepts of grid planning mechanism that are risk-based and more likely to achieve better societal outcomes than today’s planning practices.
Speaker: Michael Kintner-Meyer, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Attend in person or online. Register at weblink
Kinetic Tomography - 11/21/2024 03:30 PM
Physics North Berkeley
Speaker: Josh Peek, Space Telescope Science Institute
Lessons from Nature: Bioinspired Mechanically Durable and Self-healing Superliquiphilic/phobic Surfaces - 11/21/2024 04:00 PM
Sonoma State Dept. of Engineering Science Rohnert Park
Living nature, through some 3 billion years of evolution, has developed materials, objects, and processes that function from the nanoscale to the macroscale. The understanding of the functions provided by species and processes found in living nature can guide us to design and produce bioinspired surfaces for various applications. There are a large number of flora and fauna with properties of commercial interest.
Speaker: Bharat Bushan, The Ohio State University (San Jose, CA)
Attend in person or online (see weblink for Zoom information)
On Avoided Emissions - Livestream - 11/21/2024 04:00 PM
Stanford University
The urgency of climate change mitigation has led to widespread adoption of emissions avoidance projects to both reduce and offset emissions. At the core of offset integrity lie leakage, additionality, and permanence. Leakage and additionality, carbon market shorthand for imprecise measures of the economics concept of elasticities and externalities in a short-term or partial equilibrium economy, collapse over time in general equilibrium.
Speakers: Alicia Seiger and Marc Roston, Sustainable Finance Initiative, Stanford University
This event was originally scheduled for November 19, then November 20. It will now be a virtual event.
Free Screening and Opening: Monterey's Fishing Village - 11/21/2024 05:30 PM
Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History Pacific Grove
Join us at the Museum for a special screening of “Monterey’s Chinese Fishing Village” a beautiful and thought-provoking documentary created by Ibis Education & Media in partnership with the Museum, Monterey Waterkeeper, the Quock Mui Foundation, and Fishing Village descendants. This impactful film is an important one to watch, and we’ll be joined that night by some of the stars and creators of the film to answer questions and share curriculum associated with the project that will allow students all over the state to learn this important history.
Seating is limited. Register at weblink
After Dark: Glow Opening - 11/21/2024 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Our special exhibition Glow returns this winter with brand-new artworks and luminous experiences!
Age 18+
NightLife: Fat & Happy - 11/21/2024 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
Access should not be contingent upon body size. Celebrate fat liberation and community with us at a Nightlife centered on making and taking space.
'Mushrooms of Cascadia, a Comprehensive Guide' - 11/21/2024 06:30 PM
Sebastopol Grange Sebastopol
After years in the works, Noah's new book with Christian Schwarz, the long awaited _Mushrooms of Cascadia: A Comprehensive Guide to Fungi of the Pacific Northwest is now out! With photographs of over 800 species, detailed descriptions of nearly 750, and many hundreds more discussed. Much like MotRC, but working with @BackcountryPress, we now have thumb-tabs and larger font!
Noah Siegel is one of North America’s foremost field mycologists.
Attend in person or watch online
The Galàpagos - 11/21/2024 07:00 PM
Google SF Community Space San Francisco
The islands of the Galàpagos offer an almost unmatched biodiverse environment for scientists and naturalists alike to closely study evolution, ecology and natural history. With a relationship dating back to 1905, the California Academy of Sciences has and continues to work through its collections and research from the islands and its scientific/conservation partners.
Attend in person or online
Charging Forward: A clarion call for justice in the quest for clean energy - 11/21/2024 07:00 PM
Bookshop Santa Cruz Santa Cruz
Bookshop welcomes Chris Brenner and Manuel Pastor for a reading and signing of their new book Charging Forward: Lithium Valley, Electric Vehicles, and a Just Future??"a clarion call for justice in the quest for clean energy.
Speakers: Chris Benner, UC Santa Cruz; Manuel Pastor, University of Southern California
RSVP at weblink
Friday, 11/22/2024
Seed Spoon Science Fair - 11/22/2024 10:00 AM
Seymour Marine Discovery Center Santa Cruz
Seed Spoon Science is a group of UC Santa Cruz faculty and undergraduate researchers dedicated to inspiring new generations to pursue an education and career in STEM.
Join our community outreach science fair with STEM-related activities for elementary school-aged children. Activities will be hosted by UCSC students majoring in different STEM fields. Students will also be sharing what they are studying in their majors and what they hope to pursue in the future. This will be a great opportunity for families to connect with STEM majors from UC Santa Cruz and for children to investigate new ideas in STEM.
A Conversation with Minister Clara Chappaz on the Future of AI Governance - 11/22/2024 11:00 AM
CITRIS at UC Berkeley Berkeley
Join us for a special live taping of TecHype, hosted by Brandie Nonnecke, featuring an exclusive conversation with Clara Chappaz, French Minister of AI and Digitalization. This event will include a dynamic discussion on the international AI governance landscape, its challenges, and the potential paths forward.
Register at weblink
Probing Planetary Surfaces and Surface-Magnetosphere Interactions with Ion Scattering - 11/22/2024 12:00 PM
Earth and Marine Sciences Building Santa Cruz
Speaker: Paul Szabo, UC Berkeley
The Future of California’s Forests - A Conversation with State Forestry Leadership - 11/22/2024 04:30 PM
Clark Kerr Campus Berkeley
Join state and federal leaders for a moderated discussion about the progress California has made towards treating our forested ecosystems to create healthier, more fire resilient forests. Panelists will share their thoughts on successes, challenges, and opportunities each of their agencies have seen in recent years, particularly as they relate to meeting goals set by the state. The group will discuss future visions and adaptations for each agency, exploring how they can work together to restore healthy forests throughout California.
Panel: Joe Tyler, CALFIRE; Jennifer Eberlien, USDA Forest Service; Patrick Wright, Governor's Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force; Chris Anthony, Strategic Wildfire Advisor, Moderator
In Town Star Party - 11/22/2024 07:15 PM
San Jose Astronomical Association San Jose
Come join San Jose Astronomical Association (SJAA) for an evening of stargazing.
Event details:
Events are held at the parking lot of our headquarters, Houge Park San Jose. The event duration is 2 hours. SJAA volunteers will share night sky views from their telescopes.Please refrain from bringing your own telescopes (Binoculars are welcome). If you like to be a volunteer with or without a telescope please email at "itsp@sjaa.net".SJAA as an all volunteer-nonprofit org depends on the City of San Jose to use facilities at Houge Park. To maintain this relationship, we must provide facility-use data to the city. Therefore, we ask you to sign in (no traceable personal data collected) when you arrive at the event.
Saturday, 11/23/2024
Crawlies Aren't Creepy - 11/23/2024 11:00 AM
Youth Science Institute Los Gatos
Come learn about some of the most interesting animals that call our planet home! Interact with some insects and other arthropods, and get a chance to touch some! This program will show the importance of the world’s “creepy crawlies.”
Register at weblink
Ages 4 - 12
Glow Fest - 11/23/2024 11:00 AM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Recharge your winter wonder with luminous artworks that will surprise and delight the whole family??"paint with light and shadow, soak in colors, and play with exhibit prototypes in the Light Lab. Don’t miss Glow, our seasonal exhibition that celebrates the art and science of light! To make the weekend extra special, join us for even more dazzling programs including Storytime Science, Light Blocks 3D Theater, and a demo about bioluminescence.
Thanksgiving Under the Microscope - 11/23/2024 11:30 AM
Lawrence Hall of Science Berkeley
Get into the Thanksgiving spirit and help us pilot activities for our upcoming exhibition, Future of Food. Join The Lawrence and SF Microscopical Society for a close-up look at all your Thanksgiving favorites. Under the microscope, examine turkey, pie, and more. We will also learn about traditional Ohlone foods and ingredients.
Event is included with admission to the science center (Adults & children ages 3+: $20). Admission is free for UC Berkeley students & staff, Members, children 2 and under, Museums for All, and active-duty military.
AAIA Banquet 2024: History and Travels of Voyager I and II - 11/23/2024 12:00 PM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
Come join the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics-SF for food and fun at our 2024 Annual Banquet on November 23rd. Help us celebrate with this year’s Section Awards winners. Your ticket includes lunch, admission to the Chabot Space & Science Center and its exhibits, and a presentation from our special guest Todd Barber about the long history, and ongoing travels, of the Voyager 1 & 2 spacecraft.
Voyagers 1 and 2 started off on an ambitious journey to explore the outer planets in our solar system, including two that had not been visited before. Along the way, they made many incredible discoveries. Now, more than 47 years later, they continue to perform an important role in interplanetary science. But their explorations have not been without challenges; in recent months, there have been issues that threatened the continuation of their mission. Come hear an overview of the Voyager program, and the ingenious ways that NASA overcomes obstacles to keep the spacecraft running.
Speaker: Todd Barber, Jet Propulsion Lab
Event is from 12:00 to 2:00 but Chabot admission is included (10:00 AM - 5:00 PM)
Sunday, 11/24/2024
Glow Fest - 11/24/2024 11:00 AM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Recharge your winter wonder with luminous artworks that will surprise and delight the whole family??"paint with light and shadow, soak in colors, and play with exhibit prototypes in the Light Lab. Don’t miss Glow, our seasonal exhibition that celebrates the art and science of light! To make the weekend extra special, join us for even more dazzling programs including Storytime Science, Light Blocks 3D Theater, and a demo about bioluminescence.
Tule Boat and Doll-making with Ohlone Cultural Leaders - 11/24/2024 11:30 AM
Lawrence Hall of Science Berkeley
Celebrate National Native American Heritage Month in the Outdoor Nature Lab with 'ottoy Initiative leaders Vincent Medina and Louis Trevino. On both Sundays, they will demonstrate how to create traditional dolls and boats and provide materials so participants can make their own to take home.
Event is included with admission to the science center (Adults & children ages 3+: $20). Admission is free for UC Berkeley students & staff, Members, children 2 and under, Museums for All, and active-duty military.
Family-Friendly Thanksgiving Agar Art - Painting w/ Microbes! - 11/24/2024 01:00 PM
Counter Culture Labs Oakland
Join Counter Culture Labs for an exciting workshop focused on DIY just-for-fun biotechnology. We will be making colorful agar art with our engineered glowing microorganisms. Agar is the substrate on which microbes grow on.
In this workshop, you will draw out a picture on the petri dish using our microbes and after a few days, the colorful colonies will form and your art will be visible!
The theme is Thanskgiving art, so draw any of your favorite foods and things you are grateful for on the three petri dishes provided! Our genetically engineered organisms can't leave the lab but we'll send you pictures of your art piece so you can appreciate the beauty of microorganisms.
Instructor: Anthony Tan, BioTech professional
Monday, 11/25/2024
Sonoma State University Biology Colloquium - 11/25/2024 12:00 PM
Sonoma State University - Biology Colloquium Rohnert Park
Speaker: Jack Hines, Sonoma Ecology Center
Evolving understanding of electric fields and enzyme catalysis - 11/25/2024 04:00 PM
Stanley Hall Berkeley
Local internal electric fields created by the organized environment in complex systems like proteins can be measured using the vibrational Stark effect (VSE). We have found that these fields can be very large and can affect chemical reactivity. I will briefly explain the underlying physical concept and strategy we have developed to apply the VSE to a wide range of systems. The general concept of electrostatic catalysis and the methods we have developed have proven to be a general approach and have been applied to several enzymes to measure the electrostatic contribution to catalysis. The concept can be extended generally to chemical reactivity, an example being covalent drugs. Recent work addresses the question whether larger fields and correspondingly larger rates can be created either by design or by evolution? Using the hydride transfer enzyme liver alcohol dehydrogenase (LADH), we recently showed that mutations and metal replacements at the active site can produce both larger fields and lower activation free energies (and faster rates), and that these effects are additive, extending and strengthening the concept of electrostatic catalysis. This suggests that an important missing link in the quest for better catalyst design, whether biological or non-biological, may be the electric field.
Speaker: Steven Boxer, Stanford University
Tuesday, 11/26/2024
Wonderfest: Hacking Gerrymandering - 11/26/2024 07:00 PM
Hopmonk Tavern Novato
Saturday, 11/30/2024
Science Saturday: Monarch Madness! - 11/30/2024 10:00 AM
Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History Pacific Grove
Family Astronomy: Discovering the Whole New Worlds of Exoplanets - 11/30/2024 06:00 PM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
Starry Nights Star Party - CANCELED - 11/30/2024 06:45 PM
Rancho Canada Del Oro Open Space Preserve Morgan hill
Monday, 12/02/2024
Why Do Plants Use Water? - 12/02/2024 12:00 PM
Sonoma State University - Biology Colloquium Rohnert Park
UC Berkeley Integrative Biology Seminar - 12/02/2024 12:30 PM
Valley Life Sciences Building Berkeley
Advancements and Applications of Protein-Based Sensors for Neurochemical Detection - 12/02/2024 04:00 PM
James H. Clark Center (Bldg 340) Stanford
Chemical tools to mon iota and manipulate the proteome - 12/02/2024 04:00 PM
Stanley Hall Berkeley
An Exploration of the Milky Way: Our Cosmic Home - 12/02/2024 07:30 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
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