The Science Schmooze of Beer
Hello Science Positive Friends,
It’s hard to believe how fast “time flies” these days. There is one thing I look fondly on about the Times of Covid, that’s the traffic! Remember how easy it was? It seems like we are back to driving way too much and there are a few out there who seem to have forgotten how to drive safely and share the road. I think it would be great if we all slowed down and scheduled time better, as we did for video meetings.
It was just 2 years ago that we landed a rover on Mars and started a new story-line of discovery with a vehicle that flies on another planet. It was only 118 years since Orville left his brother on the ground at Kitty Hawk and though we weren’t there personally, I think it is fair to say, we flew a helicopter on another planet.
Have you ever wondered just how much can we learn about the universe which includes stars and our own individual microbiomes? It is often difficult to tell good information from bad. Two recent successes in fighting bad information are worth noting. You may have seen or heard about a book called the Atlas of Creation by Harun Yahya. It is a fascinating story about a creationist trying to disprove and discredit the theory of evolution. I recently saw that the author aka Adnan Oktar was recently sentenced to 8568 years in prison (thanks NCSE)! Here’s another success story about fighting for science… Homeopathy will be getting a chance to try and prove its’ legitimacy and value in court. Telling Fake from Fact can be tough. Understanding the limits of science can help understand, support, or repudiate bad and dangerous science misunderstanding. If you have the time I recommend Why is getting it wrong good for science? Here’s one more item to look at, the Dunning-Kruger effect may actually just be a data artefact.
So how about learning new and interesting science stuff this week? Here are a few you might want to catch…
Wonderfest: The Mathematics of Card Shuffling Tue in Novato @ 7:00 PM
After Dark: Point of View Thu in San Francisco @ 6:00 PM
Jazz Under the Stars Sat in San Mateo @ 6:30
There’s so much else to see and learn…
Keep in mind that Pi Day is just around the calendar a bit. 18 Ways NASA Uses Pi, How Many Decimals of Pi Do We Really Need?, and Countdown to Pi Day.
You may or may not know that Beer Week is coming to an end. There’s a tun of science in beer! Sometimes you just have to do your own research. Have a great week.
I hope you find many cool things to learn in the following days. Never stop doing it.
herb masters
"I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts, and beer."- Abraham Lincoln
“Just refrigerator efficiency saves more energy than all that we're generating from renewables, excluding hydroelectric power... I cannot impress upon you how important energy efficiency is. It doesn't mean you eat lukewarm food and your beers are lukewarm. You can still have it; you just make a better thing” — Steven Chu
Upcoming Events:
Click to see the next two weeks of events in your browser.
Monday, 02/20/2023
Sonoma State University Biology Colloquium - 02/20/2023 12:00 PM
Sonoma State University - Biology Colloquium Rohnert Park
Speaker: Jake Harvey, Institute For Wildlife Studies
Solving Quantum Mechanics with Positivity - 02/20/2023 04:00 PM
Sonoma State University - What Physicists Do Rohnert Park
I will describe some recent results for solving certain quantum mechanical systems within the "Bootstrap" approach. The two main ideas are that integrals of positive functions are positive and that in many 1-D quantum systems there are recursion relations that let one evaluate a lot of such integrals from very little extra data. Surprisingly, these positive inequalities let one zero in on the energy levels exactly, by excluding regions of data. I will also talk about how to optimize the finding of valid regions.
Speaker: David Berenstein, UC Santa Barbara
ChatGPT and AI + ML Revolution - 02/20/2023 05:30 PM
Celo San Francisco
Panel:
Michael Liu, Co-Founder at Fam Capital
Ron Bodkin, Founder and CEO ChainML
Astronomy Beginner's Forum - Livestream - 02/20/2023 07:00 PM
San Jose Astronomical Society
If you're new to astronomy and are perhaps considering getting your own telescope but are not sure where to start, maybe we can help!
This event is an on-line meeting where you can chat with representatives of SJAA as well as other new astronomy enthusiasts. We'll share general tips and answer specific questions. Our goal is to give you information, so that you can make good choices for yourself and get started in a way that leads to success and joy.
You can ask any astronomy or astronomy equipment-related question, but please understand that some questions may be beyond the scope of this session. For example, we will not be able to walk through complex telescope setup procedures. If you're having specific trouble with a telescope, we'll do our best to give you tips, but we may have to refer you to further resources.
Also, if you're looking to buy binoculars or a telescope, we will not be able to give you a specific recommendation for what to get, as there is no single right answer. We will, however, give you criteria and guidelines to consider, so you can focus your own research and make an informed choice.
We will start the session by collecting the questions you want to ask. Other than that, just bring your enthusiasm for astronomy!
Register at weblink
Tuesday, 02/21/2023
Leveraging quantum sensors to shine new light on searches for low-mass dark matter - 02/21/2023 11:00 AM
Stanford Linear Accelerator (SLAC) Building 53 Menlo Park
While dark matter accounts for approximately 85% of the mass in the universe, its physical nature remains one of the most pressing open questions in the field of physics. Three decades of experiments have been searching for dark matter interactions over a wide range of candidate dark matter masses and all have come up empty-handed. Nevertheless, there remain large swaths of unexplored, well-motivated particle dark matter models that are currently inaccessible through existing detector technologies. One path to probe these remaining particle dark matter models is through the use of low-threshold quantum sensors. In this talk, I will review the landscape of dark matter direct detection, outline the potential role of quantum sensors in particle detection, and detail the early results from a calibration system critical to realizing these individual devices as fully-fledged experiments.
Speaker: Kelly Stifter, Fermilab
Attend in person or via Zoom. Capacity on site is limited, so we suggest attending online.
From Ketogenic to Low-Fat Vegan Diets - Livestream - 02/21/2023 01:00 PM
Stanford University
Two popular diets that would appear to be polar opposites are the low-carb, high-fat ketogenic diet vs. a low-fat vegan diet. Yet, if you examine the evidence-based research underlying these dietary recommendations, you may be surprised to find less controversy and more consensus than you might expect.
Join us for a scientifically robust and entertaining webinar to explore a range of popular dietary patterns based on 25 years of human nutrition studies. You will learn to identify dishes and menu items that meet the guidelines of many of what might seem like contradictory diet patterns. By the end of the webinar, you will have practical tips and strategies for choosing an approach to how you eat that is good for you, good for the planet, and unapologetically delicious, based on first-hand research from the Stanford Prevention and Research Center.
This class will be recorded and a temporary link to the recording will be shared with all registered participants, which will be active for one week. Stanford University benefits-eligible employees must attend the live session in order to receive BeWell incentive points.
Instructor: Christopher Gardner, PhD, is a nutrition scientist and the Rehnborg Farquhar Professor of Medicine at Stanford. For 25 years, he has been studying what to choose to consume and to avoid for optimal health and how best to motivate individuals to achieve those healthy dietary behaviors.
Register at weblink to attend
Unravelling the Mysteries of the Mesoproterozoic - Livestream - 02/21/2023 03:30 PM
Earth and Marine Sciences Building Santa Cruz
Speaker: Linda Kah, University of Tenessee
The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope at 15: Observing the Vibrant Universe - 02/21/2023 03:30 PM
Hewlett Teaching Center Stanford
The Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope’s Large Area Telescope (LAT), initially conceived of in the 1990’s here at Stanford and SLAC, was designed, built and is operated by an international scientific collaboration. Launched on June 8, 2008, Fermi has brought new insights into pulsars and neutron stars, supernova remnants, cosmic rays, binary systems, active galactic nuclei, and gamma-ray bursts, and has revealed new cosmic sources of high-energy radiation. In this talk I will highlight some of the discoveries from 15 years of Fermi monitoring of our very vibrant universe. International collaboration has been essential to the scientific success of Fermi - I will summarize why, as well as present some lessons-learned from overcoming the inevitable challenges encountered by international collaborations. I’ll conclude with a look ahead to what Fermi can contribute to a new era of time-domain, multi-messenger observations.
Speaker: Peter Michelson, Stanford University
Stanford Symbolic Systems Forum: Jean-Peic Chou - 02/21/2023 04:30 PM
Margaret Jacks Hall (Bldg 460) Stanford
Speaker: Jean-Peic Chou
Room 126
Popping the Science Bubble - 02/21/2023 05:30 PM
Berkeley Public Library Berkeley
Speakers: TBA
Attend in person or on Zoom or Facebook.
Resurveying Colombia's Birds after a Century - Livestream - 02/21/2023 06:00 PM
San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory
One hundred years ago, naturalists from the American Museum of Natural History visited Colombia, the world's birdiest country, to collect and study birds. A century later, Colombian ornithologists and local communities resurvey the same sites, walking the same paths and exploring what is left of the forests that foreign naturalists visited. This time, the expeditions were run by Colombian researchers and involved local communities and students. Dr. Natalia Ocampo-Peñuela takes us on a journey to explore Colombia's ecosystems and bird communities.
Speaker: Natalia Ocampo-Penuela, UC Santa Cruz
Register at weblink to receive connection information
Wonderfest: The Mathematics of Card Shuffling - 02/21/2023 07:00 PM
Hopmonk Tavern Novato
Upon opening a new deck of cards, have you ever attempted a so-called perfect shuffle? A perfect shuffle splits a deck into two equal stacks, and then perfectly interlaces the cards from the two stacks. (Eight successive perfect shuffles puts the cards back into their original, fresh-out-of-the-pack order!) Only experienced card handlers can reliably perform even a single perfect shuffle, and yet the mathematics behind perfect shuffles has a rich history, including everything from mathematical card tricks to sophisticated research.
Speaker: Cornelia Van Cott, University of San Francisco
Please bring a deck of playing cards.
The Art of Healing Water: treating sewage Beautifully in Process & Presentation - 02/21/2023 07:00 PM
Counter Culture Labs Oakland
Follow along as an eco artist / plumber / greywater & rainwater reuse activist marvels at how her life led to helping design embellishments for a cutting edge “green” sewage treatment plant in Tecate, Baja CA.
What makes this gentle, passive, biological “water healing plant” unique? How does it work? Celebrate the visionary instigators (and the microbial heroes) of this project to transform “waste” into public benefit: CA title 22 irrigation water, high quality compost, electricity, community education, beauty. This romp should be a fun mix of provocative art, science, and hopefully, inspiration!
If attending in person, ring door bell if corner door is closed; the lab is in the back of the building. Masks and vaccinations required.
Back Yard Fungus Cultivation - Livestream - 02/21/2023 07:30 PM
Mycological Society of San Francisco
I have had an interest in fungi since the early 1980's. I came across MSSF around 2001. I joined soon after and have had many great experiences. Along the way, I also became a member Bay Area Applied Mycology (BAAM).
By going to meetings, forays, volunteering and immersing myself in all things fungal. I started to wonder if what I was learning could be applied at home instead of venturing out to acquire mushrooms. Over the years, an array of mushrooms have appeared in our front and back yard. Oh, also in the garage. So, as an amateur mycologist I will try to share some of my experiences
Speaker: Enrique Sanchez
See weblink for connection information.
Wednesday, 02/22/2023
Dynamo at 15: What Worked and What's Next in Majority Quorum Databases - Livestream - 02/22/2023 09:20 AM
UC Santa Cruz
Speaker: C. Scott Andreas, Apple
Towards Visual Autonomy Underwater - 02/22/2023 11:00 AM
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute Moss Landing
Visual input is considered unreliable underwater and therefore its current use in automatic analysis and decisions is limited. This influences the design of autonomous underwater vehicles which are usually equipped with multiple sensors which make them expensive and cumbersome. On the other hand, human divers often manage to complete complicated tasks using a very lean sensor suite that is heavily based on vision. We aim to bridge this gap and develop algorithms that can exploit the problematic visual underwater input, and systems that use this input for underwater tasks. In the talk I will present several methods we developed for enhancing the visibility underwater and ongoing work on underwater autonomous vehicles using vision.
Speaker: Tali Treibitz, University of Haifa
Attend in person, or register at weblink to attend online.
Unraveling the Computing Bottleneck for Autonomy- Livestream - 02/22/2023 12:00 PM
CITRIS Research Exchange
Tremendous progress has been made in computing systems recently, providing us with a unique opportunity to leverage information about the computing architecture and hardware in real time. Much of our technological solutions - such as those enabling autonomous operations - demand fast and accurate computation. This talk focuses on the challenges, solutions and opportunities for the development of autonomous systems, particularly those required for self-driving cars and aviation systems.
Speaker: Richard Sanfelice, UC Santa Cruz
Register at weblink to attend
Active Listening: Using Sound to Study Marine Mammals and the California Current Ecosystem - 02/22/2023 03:30 PM
Estuary & Ocean Science Center Tiburon
Acoustic recordings provide an opportunity to monitor marine ecosystems that otherwise may be prohibitively expensive or impossible to observe visually. I will introduce various methods to collect acoustic data and investigate how top predators in the California Current Ecosystem respond to the warming ocean, fishing activity, and ocean noise. I will also explore how acoustics is playing an increasingly large role in the development of offshore wind farms along the US West Coast. Valued partnerships with fishermen, Indigenous and western researchers, students and citizen scientists are essential to this work, and I will describe my efforts to expand participation in research. I will also share a vision of the research and educational programs I hope to develop with students and staff at SF State.
Speaker: Anne Simonis, Acoustic Ecologist, Adjunct Professor of Biology, NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center and San Francisco State University
Attend in person or online.
Biometrics Regulation: Global State-of-Play Symposium (Day 1) - Livestream - 02/22/2023 05:00 PM
Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity
As part of BCLT’s newly launched project on biometrics, we will be hosting a virtual symposium on February 22 and 23, 2023 titled ‘Biometrics Regulation: Global State-of-Play’. Join us to hear leading global experts in the fields of law, public policy, social science, and computer science discuss existing data protection regulations for biometrics and future pathways for ethical innovation. We will discuss real-world innovations in Digital ID, facial recognition technology, and commercial digital wellness. Registration is now open! (opens in a new tab)
The aim of the virtual symposium is to discuss the global state-of-play for biometric data protection. We want to think more critically about biometric technologies as well as biometric regulation. As a result, we want to merge conversations on data protection compliance with broader technological, social and policy issues in different biometric technologies.
Neither biometrics technology itself nor legal frameworks for data protection are new concepts in today’s age of Big Data. But the past decade has witnessed an increasing diffusion of innovation across the globe with global technology supply chains, a reconfiguration in geopolitical alliances, and experimental domestic regulation by different jurisdictions for data and emerging technologies. The data economy is both premised on and sustained by the generation, use and transfer of large amounts of data (quantity) as well as different types of data (quality). This symposium therefore, is one of the first events organized by BCLT that seeks to explore global legal perspectives on data protection.
See weblink for agenda, talk titles, and speakers.
It's an RNA World - 02/22/2023 07:00 PM
Museum of Art and History Santa Cruz
Ribonucleic acids (RNAs) are one of nature’s most versatile biomolecules and possess
a rich variety of functions, but why should we care about them? Because RNA has so much to teach us about our past, present, and future.
In this talk, I will highlight how RNA has influenced our lives across time. Billions of years ago the first primordial RNA molecules may have given rise to primitive life through molecular evolution. Today, SARS-CoV-2 (now one of the world’s most infamous RNA viruses) infects hundreds of thousands of people daily using clever RNA tricks to fool our cells. In the future, RNA vaccines and therapeutics could radically change how we prevent and treat human disease. I will also share my own research on telomerase RNA and how it informs future research in therapies aiming to treat human aging and cancer.
My hope is that this talk inspires an appreciation of this amazing molecule in everyone who attends. It’s an RNA world out there!
Speaker: Nick Forino, UC Santa Cruz
Thursday, 02/23/2023
Biometrics Regulation: Global State-of-Play Symposium (Day 2) - Livestream - 02/23/2023 08:30 AM
Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity
As part of BCLT’s newly launched project on biometrics, we will be hosting a virtual symposium on February 22 and 23, 2023 titled ‘Biometrics Regulation: Global State-of-Play’. Join us to hear leading global experts in the fields of law, public policy, social science, and computer science discuss existing data protection regulations for biometrics and future pathways for ethical innovation. We will discuss real-world innovations in Digital ID, facial recognition technology, and commercial digital wellness. Registration is now open! (opens in a new tab)
The aim of the virtual symposium is to discuss the global state-of-play for biometric data protection. We want to think more critically about biometric technologies as well as biometric regulation. As a result, we want to merge conversations on data protection compliance with broader technological, social and policy issues in different biometric technologies.
Neither biometrics technology itself nor legal frameworks for data protection are new concepts in today’s age of Big Data. But the past decade has witnessed an increasing diffusion of innovation across the globe with global technology supply chains, a reconfiguration in geopolitical alliances, and experimental domestic regulation by different jurisdictions for data and emerging technologies. The data economy is both premised on and sustained by the generation, use and transfer of large amounts of data (quantity) as well as different types of data (quality). This symposium therefore, is one of the first events organized by BCLT that seeks to explore global legal perspectives on data protection.
See weblink for agenda, talk titles, and speakers.
Coastal Walk at Cowell-Purisima Trail - 02/23/2023 10:00 AM
Cowell Purisima Coastal Trailhead Half Moon Bay
Join Peninsula Open Space Trust for a beautiful walk along the Cowell-Purisima trail that POST helped create by protecting adjacent farmland. While it may be foggy, we hope to catch gorgeous views of the ocean, nearby farmland, and glimpses of harbor seals, pelicans, hawks, rabbits, and whales during the winter season.
You will be guided by POST ambassadors who will share details about POST’s work with farmers on the coast, and to create recreational opportunities along one of the most scenic stretches of our state’s coastline!
The walk is moderate at about 5 miles round trip with about 400 feet of gradual elevation gain. It is mostly flat throughout, however, it is quite a long walk.
Register at weblink
Easy Morning Walk at Wavecrest - 02/23/2023 10:00 AM
Wavecrest Open Space Preserve Half Moon Bay
Enjoy a refreshing morning hike along the bluffs of the Wavecrest Trail! This family-friendly hike is an easy 2-mile walk and great for all ages and levels of hikers.
This serene space is surrounded by POST-protected agricultural land and open space. Many people enjoy this scenic hike because of the great bird watching opportunities. There is also a chance to head down to the beach for a quiet place to relax or to catch a gorgeous summer sunset.
On this walk, closed-toed shoes are required and we recommend bringing plenty of water and a light snack. Minors are welcome to attend as long as they are accompanied by a parent or guardian. Please leave the pups at home!
Register at weblink
Anatomy of a fault zone: Space-time-magnitude patterns of microseismicity in the San Jacinto Fault Zone, Southern California - 02/23/2023 12:00 PM
Earth and Marine Sciences Building Santa Cruz
Speaker: Malcom White, Massachusets Institute of Technology
Paul R. Ehrlich's Life: A Journey Through Science and Politics - Livestream - 02/23/2023 05:30 PM
Commonwealth Club - Online Event
A renowned scientist and environmental advocate looks back on a life that has straddled the worlds of science and politics.
Acclaimed as a public scientist and as a spokesperson on pressing environmental and equity issues, Paul R. Ehrlich reflects on his life, from his love affair with his wife Anne, to his scientific research, public advocacy, and concern for global issues. Interweaving the range of his experiences - as an airplane pilot, a desegregationist, a proud parent - Ehrlich’s offers valuable insights on pressing issues such as biodiversity loss, overpopulation, depletion of resources, and deterioration of the environment. A lifelong advocate for women’s reproductive rights, Ehrlich also helped to debunk scientific bias associating skin color and intelligence and warned some 50 years ago about a possible pandemic and the likely ecological consequences of a nuclear war.
His new book Life: A Journey Through Science and Politics, focuses on the human predicament, including problems of governance and democracy in the 21st century, and insight into the ecological and evolutionary science of our day. It is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding global change, our planet’s wonders, and a scientific approach to the present existential threats to civilization.
Speaker: Paul Erlich, Stanford University, with Andrew Dudley, Commonwealth Club, Moderator
NightLife of Tomorrow - 02/23/2023 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
Do androids dream of electric penguins? Expand your mind with a night of futuristic art and science from Afrofuturist fashion to sci-fi inspired art.
Featured events:
Oakland-based Fashion Designer James Head is serving lewks in an Afrofuturistic fashion show that merges African traditions and culture with science and technology. We see it all the time in Hollywood: futurist worlds and sci-fi films that are heavily inspired by Asian aesthetics and culture without actually featuring Asian people. What can be learned by questioning the usage of culture and erasure of people? Oakland-based artist Astria Suparak tackles this head on in her video collection, "Asian futures, without Asians,” which analyzes half a century of American science fiction cinema in a quest to unearth meaning and expand representation. Catch two of the films in this project at NightLife! Peruse and snag trinkets of tomorrow made by local merchants and makers, curated by our friends at SF Bazaar. Looking to up your cyberpunk fashion game? The Museum of Craft and Design (MCD) is back with an array of reflective and light up wearables - all made with materials found within MCD’s robot-filled exhibition, Proxistant Vision!
After Dark: Point of View - 02/23/2023 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
What you see depends on where you are looking from. Sometimes you need to shift your perspective, use tools to take a closer look, or step into another person’s shoes to see the whole picture. Tonight, experience the world through a new lens with our perceptual illusion and small-scale phenomena exhibits. Then head to the Kanbar Forum for the main event: an exciting night of live storytelling presented by The Story Collider!
Science Storytelling With The Story Collider 8:00 p.m. Osher Gallery 1, Kanbar Forum
Science doesn’t just happen; it’s made by the collective work of individuals asking questions and questioning answers. Tonight, hear some of the people who live these investigations tell true, personal stories about science! Hosted by The Story Collider, we present five storytellers who will take the stage to share their encounters with curiosity.
Storytellers to be announced in February.
The Story Collider’s mission is to reveal the vibrant role that science plays in all of our lives through the art of personal storytelling. Their award-winning podcast has over one million downloads and hundreds of stories archived.
Cell Phone Miniscope 6:00 - 10:00 p.m. Crossroads
We invite you to open your eyes to the amazing world of the ultra-tiny! Be sure to grab a miniscope kit and directions - then convert your cell phone into a portable, picture-taking miniscope using a simple plastic lens from a laser pointer. Use it to see the Exploratorium at its smallest scale, then take it home to continue exploring new environments!
Behind the Headlines of a Wildlife Disease Die-Off - Livestream - 02/23/2023 06:00 PM
US Geological Survey Public Lecture Series
The how and why of wildlife disease investigation
Speaker: Kimberli Miller, USGS National Wildlife Health Center
What is the USGS National Wildlife Health Center?
How do we figure out why wildlife die? Can we do something about it? Why care about wildlife?
See weblink for connection instructions
Exoplanet Watch: Inviting Citizen Scientists to Observe Transiting Exoplanets - Livestream - 02/23/2023 06:00 PM
Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Join the Night Sky Network and Robert Zellem to learn how to participate in the discovery of exoplanets.
On January 10, 2023, Exoplanet Watch was announced as NASA’s newest citizen science project studying exoplanets, or planets that orbit stars beyond our solar system. The project is growing daily, and we’re encouraging astronomers who have telescopes with a tracking mount and a camera to participate in the project by making your own observations of exoplanet transits. We’ll show you how, when, and where to look! We’ll also show you how to use our free EXOTIC (Exoplanet Timing Interpretation Code) software to make your own light curves. If you have more data than time to process it, you can contribute your own observations of transiting exoplanets so that other citizen scientists can make their own light curves. Exoplanet Watch participants have studied 275 different exoplanets so far, and created more than 1,500 light curves. With your help, we can expand the reach of the project. We have participants in 24 time zones already, but the more participants we have, the better. Your work will help make the timing for upcoming James Webb Space Telescope exoplanet observations more precise, freeing up valuable space telescope time for other scientists. If your observations or your light curves are used in a scientific paper, you will get credit as a co-author on the paper. We’ll walk you through our website and how to participate in the project.
Speaker: Robert Zellem, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
See weblink for links to YouTube to watch
A functional traits perspective on the mycorrhizal symbiosis - 02/23/2023 07:30 PM
Valley Life Sciences Building Berkeley
Peter joined the Peay Lab at Stanford in 2020 after completing his PhD at the University of Michigan with Dr. Don Zak. He also completed a MS in Post-Secondary Science Education while at Michigan. He is broadly interested in the functional biogeography of fungal communities, determinants of fungal community assembly and the role of symbiotic fungi in plant response to climate change. Peter bridges fungal genetics and ecosystem ecology using metagenomic approaches, and also employs large scale field surveys in the tropics and boreal forest to address fungal community response to global change. He also has a passion for applying diverse approaches to the instruction of ecology. You can learn more about Peter's current research here:
https://www.peterpellitier.com/
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Friday, 02/24/2023
Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics Seminar - 02/24/2023 12:00 PM
Earth and Marine Sciences Building Santa Cruz
Speaker: TBA
Sonoma State University Astronomy Public Viewing Nights - 02/24/2023 07:30 PM
Sonoma State University Public Astronomy Rohnert Park
Join members of the Sonoma State Physics - Astronomy department for public astronomy viewing. See weblink for map to the site.
Event is weather dependent. Check the weblink prior to attending for last minute cancelations.
Saturday, 02/25/2023
Science Saturday: Amazing Animal Families - 02/25/2023 10:00 AM
Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History Pacific Grove
Celebrate animal families of all shapes and sizes (and learn a bit about taxonomy)!
Bring your own fantastic family to the museum & learn all about some genuinely astonishing animal families. We will look at the wonderful variety of family structures and parenting techniques displayed by wildlife right here on the central coast with special guests, games, crafts, and lot's to learn!
Featuring special guests from the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History and California Killer Whale Project
America’s Few - Marine Aces of the South Pacific - 02/25/2023 11:00 AM
Hiller Aviation Museum San Carlos
They were America’s Few, this handful of US Marine Corps aviators.
The term “Few” is, of course, borrowed from Winston Churchill’s iconic characterization of the outnumbered fighter pilots of the Royal Air Force who saved Britain from the Germans in 1940. Like Britain’s Few, America’s Few were in the right place at the right time to curb the invincibility of an Axis foe. For the American Few in the fall of 1942, the right place was a small, obscure South Pacific island called Guadalcanal which no one could have predicted would be the venue of a turning point in world history.
This is not a story of grand strategy. These have been written, some of them magnificently. These are stories of individual battles, one-on-one battles, battles of the most personal kind. These are the stories of individual lives of a unique group of men. Many of the stories are told in their own words, in after-action reports written on the day that battles happened!
There are the stories of the Marines with the highest tally of aerial victories. This includes a study in contrasts between Medal of Honor recipients Gregory Boyington and Joseph Jacob Foss. Boyington was a bad boy who could do nothing right - except in combat - while Foss went on to a postwar career as the Governor of South Dakota.
These stories include those of Robert Murray Hanson, born in India, who may well have been the second highest scoring Marine Ace. How? We’ll tell the story.
These include stories of Marion Carl, the first Marine ace; of Joe Bauer, arguably the best Marine ace, who disappeared without a trace; of Jim Swett, who shot down seven enemy aircraft in about an hour; and of Harold “Murderous Manny” Segal, who was shot down at sea only to find that hid life raft had no paddles. Adrift and homeless, he wound up like Coleridge’s Ancient Mariner - and then he killed an albatross, ensuring bad luck!
Speaker: Bill Yenne, author
Family Nature Walks - Foothills Nature Preserve - 02/25/2023 11:00 AM
Foothills Nature Preserve Los Altos
Environmental Volunteers’ Family Nature Walks program is designed to help students and their families get to know our local open space areas. Small family groups will be guided by a knowledgeable environmental educator during an exploration of a local open space. These small groups will be introduced to fun nature-based activities, and a chance to learn more about the plants and animals all around us. Join us for some fun, outdoor learning!
Each group will have a maximum limit of 12 participants.
Families/groups are welcome to sign up for as many as they like. The nature walks are intended for children aged 6 to 11, and we ask that each group is accompanied by an adult.
Guided nature walk at Bouverie Preserve - 02/25/2023 11:30 AM
Bouverie Preserve Glen Ellen
Experience the beauty and rich natural history of Bouverie Preserve by signing up for a Guided Nature Walk Participants are paired with a trained volunteer to explore the mixed evergreen forest, flower-carpeted oak woodland and rugged chaparral.
Visitors of all ages are welcome. Minors MUST be accompanied by their parent or legal guardian. Reservations are required. (see weblink)
Stewardship Saturday: Posting for Pinnipeds - 02/25/2023 02:00 PM
Marine Mammal Center Sausalito
Get ready to use the power of social media to create change for our ocean! During this event you will learn from our own Digital Media Manager about the behind the scenes of creating a successful post and what it takes to inspire others through various platforms. You will then collaborate with a team to plan, film, and share posts that help raise awareness about The Marine Mammal Center, safe wildlife viewing, and more! We are looking for youth with all levels of creativity and/or social media experience to come and share their insight during this event
Register at weblink
Intended for high school students.
Jazz Under the Stars - 02/25/2023 06:30 PM
College of San Mateo Bldg 36 San Mateo
Jazz Under the Stars is a FREE monthly public stargazing event! Occurring on the Saturday nearest the 1st quarter moon (check our Events Page), join us on the 4th floor observatory for a night of smooth jazz, bright stars, and a lot of fun! We play our jazz from CSM's own KCSM 91.1. Founded in 1964, KCSM has grown to become one of the top 35 most listened to non-commercial stations in the US. With their help, the Astronomy department at CSM opens its observatory doors and balcony, for a night of science and fun! We operate for public viewing four 8” dobsonian telescopes, prefect for viewing the planets Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. We also have a 140mm refractor, with which we view the craters on the moon. Finally, our 8’ schmidt-cassegrain is for our deep sky needs. It can peer deep into globular clusters, and nebulae! Our astronomers will also be available for questions and conversation, which you wouldn’t get anywhere else! Feel free to ask us your questions about the cosmos. Occasionally we even have the chance to image galaxies! Don't miss out, join us at our next Jazz Under the Stars!!
Event is weather dependent. Check the website for up-to-date information.
What if the Moon Didn’t Exist? - Livestream - 02/25/2023 07:00 PM
East Bay Astronomical Society
The Moon is responsible for many phenomena on Earth, including the tides, the seasons, the length of the day, much of the early volcanic activity on Earth, and the weather patterns we experience today. Without the Moon, all these things would be different. Is it possible that our Moon would never have formed? Definitely. The Mars-sized object we believe crashed into the Earth and thereby formed the Moon could very easily have missed Earth if that body had formed with even a slightly different orbit than it actually had. By explaining the effects that the Moon has had, it will become clear what the Earth would be like if it had never existed.
Speaker: Neil Comins, University of Maine
Click here to view the lecture.
Security in Quantum Computing Era - Livestream - 02/25/2023 08:00 PM
IEEE Computer Society of Silicon Valley
The amount of data that is being generated, stored, communicated, and analyzed is increasing at an exponential rate. Securing this data while in storage (or) in communication (or) in the analysis is challenging. Emerging technologies make this task much more challenging. Quantum computing is such an emerging technology having large-scale computing capabilities and has the potential to solve some of the problems that conventional computing principles can not solve. With such potential, it can adversely disrupt the current security frameworks and, at the same time, address some of the pressing problems in security. This talk introduces threats and challenges in security due to quantum computing, addressing security challenges with quantum principles and developments in post-quantum cryptography
Speaker: Aswani Kumar Cherukuri, Vellore Institute of Technology, India
See weblink to register and receive connection information
Sunday, 02/26/2023
Drop-in at Palo Alto Baylands - 02/26/2023 09:00 AM
Palo Alto Duck Pond Palo Alto
Drop-in anytime between 9 am and 11 am to bird with us! SCVAS volunteers will be stationed at Palo Alto Baylands on the north side of the duck pond with binoculars to help you identify the huge variety of shorebirds and ducks that call the Bay Area home. No RSVP required.
Monday, 02/27/2023
Exploring the Vegetation of the Montini Open Space Preserve - 02/27/2023 12:00 PM
Sonoma State University - Biology Colloquium Rohnert Park
Speaker: Dr. Gregory Perrier, Sonoma State University
Cyber Diplomacy: Mastering the Soft Skills - 02/27/2023 12:00 PM
South Hall Berkeley
Cybersecurity in private enterprise is as much about relationships as technology. In this session, Hakeem Oseni will share strategies for using diplomacy and personality to achieve good security outcomes. We will discuss tips and tricks for leveraging interpersonal and emotional skills and stories to win people over and make them feel part of the security mission.
Speaker: Hakeem Oseni, Salesforce
Electronic order and unconventional phase behavior in new classes of kagome metals - 02/27/2023 02:30 PM
Physics North Berkeley
Kagome networks have long been predicted to host an interesting combination of features within their electronic band structures, ranging from localized flat bands to protected Dirac points to saddle points and their corresponding Van Hove singularities. Tuning band filling near these features is predicted to stabilize a wide array of electronic instabilities and presents an exciting means for realizing correlated electron states that potentially interplay with topologically nontrivial band features. Realizing these band structures in real materials is an enduring challenge, and one area of recent focus has been the ability to realize kagome metals with native band fillings close to the saddle points derived from their kagome band structures. Here I will present our recent work exploring a new class of materials of the form AV3Sb5 (A=K, Rb, Cs) that host vanadium-based kagome networks with their Fermi levels close to Van Hove fillings, providing a versatile material platform to test predictions of electronic order in this regime. I will present some of our recent experimental results exploring the charge density wave states and superconductivity that emerge in these compounds as well as the potential coupling between the two states. If time permits, comparisons with other recently discovered kagome metals and future directions will be presented.
Speaker: Stephen Wilson, Kent State University
What Physicists The Higgs Boson Talks to Itself - How and Why Physicists Study Higgs Boson Self-Interactions with the ATLAS Experiment - 02/27/2023 04:00 PM
Sonoma State University - What Physicists Do Rohnert Park
As the most recently discovered fundamental particle, the Higgs Boson offers a promising window into the nature of our universe. One special avenue of study is in measuring how the Higgs Boson interacts with itself. The Higgs bosons’ self-interactions carry important implications about both the microscopic and macroscopic behavior of our universe, from how this tiny fundamental particle comes into existence to whether our entire universe is “stable.” In this talk, I will discuss how we study the Higgs self-interaction through measurements of the production of pairs of Higgs Bosons at the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. Producing a pair of Higgs bosons is substantially rarer than producing a single Higgs boson, which presents significant challenges for particle physicists to overcome.
Speaker: Rachel Hyneman
Tracking the motion of electrons, atoms, and molecules in strong laser fields - 02/27/2023 04:15 PM
Physics North Berkeley
Excitation of atoms and molecules by intense ultrafast lasers produces quantum tunneling of several electrons on femtosecond timescales, which can lead to attosecond electron bursts and coulomb explosions. I’ll describe our recent experiments that detect and film this motion to reveal the underlying physics.
Speaker: Philip Bucksbaum, Stanford University
Nanobody Optimization via Machine Learning - 02/27/2023 07:00 PM
SF Bay Association of Computing Machinery
Nanobodies are antibody fragments that mimic human’s natural immune response to diseases; unlike traditional small-molecule drugs, nanobodies rarely induce toxic side effects. Moreover, because nanobodies are smaller than antibodies, nanobodies can cross the blood-brain barrier and have shown promise in treating diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s. However, the identification of optimal nanobodies requires expensive and time-intensive lab-based procedures. To address this issue, the algorithms developed in this study computationally predict nanobodies’ effectiveness in neutralizing antigen targets and propose a pipeline to create novel, effective nanobodies against antigen targets de novo. Since nanobody interaction data is extremely complex, a single model would likely make inaccurate predictions of nanobody effectiveness. Classically, to solve this, researchers combine multiple varied models into ensembles. The ensemble in this study is composed of 9 models (1 ANN, 5 CNNs, and 3 LSTM-RNNs), which each make numerical predictions of binding effectiveness for nanobodies. These predictions are then “stacked” or used as features for a higher-level interpreter model. This predictive model, termed EnsembleStack, predicts the effectiveness of nanobodies with a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.88 and an of 0.78. A generative algorithm developed by previous researchers creates novel nanobody sequences, which are filtered for their effectiveness via EnsembleStack. The highly effective nanobodies are then used to re-parameterize the generative algorithm. Therefore, over multiple generations of re-parameterization, the generative algorithm becomes conditioned to produce more effective nanobodies. These nanobodies are not only 6.5 times more novel but, when evaluated in vitro, bound to the target of interest with striking effectiveness. Computational approaches like the pipeline developed in this study can replace the significant cost and time investment derived from in vitro nanobody optimization.
Speaker: Anirudh Venkatraman, Homestead High School
Register at weblink to receive event information
Tuesday, 02/28/2023
The Quantum Age: From Bell Pairs to Quantum Computers - 02/28/2023 03:30 PM
Hewlett Teaching Center Stanford
Stanford Symbolic Systems Forum: Diyi Yang - 02/28/2023 04:30 PM
Margaret Jacks Hall (Bldg 460) Stanford
How to Draw the Great Blue Heron - Livestream - 02/28/2023 06:30 PM
San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory
Bring 'em Home! The Reintroduction of Salmon in the Central Valley - Livestream - 02/28/2023 07:00 PM
American Cetacean Society
Wednesday, 03/01/2023
X-SSD: A Storage System with Native Support for Database Logging and Replication - Livestream - 03/01/2023 09:20 AM
UC Santa Cruz
Eliminating Pollution from Gas Appliances in the Bay Area - Livestream - 03/01/2023 12:30 PM
SF Planning + Urban Research Assoc. (SPUR)
Reproducible is reusable: promoting research and education through open science - 03/01/2023 03:30 PM
Estuary & Ocean Science Center Tiburon
The Higgs Boson: 10 years after the discovery - 03/01/2023 07:30 PM
Marin Science Seminar San Rafael
Bay Area Bird Photographers (BABP) - Livestream - 03/01/2023 07:30 PM
Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society
Thursday, 03/02/2023
2023 EDGE in Tech Symposium: Smarter Tech for a Resilient Future - Livestream - 03/02/2023 08:30 AM
University of California Edge in Tech Initiative
Coastal Walk at Cowell-Purisima Trail - 03/02/2023 10:00 AM
Cowell Purisima Coastal Trailhead Half Moon Bay
Silicon Valley Leaders Symposium - 03/02/2023 12:00 PM
Silicon Valley Leaders Symposium San Jose
How a Scottish academic in 1873 set the stage for today’s global communications - Livestream - 03/02/2023 04:00 PM
Sonoma State Engineering Colloquium
Quack Quack: The Threat of Pseudoscience - Livestream - 03/02/2023 04:00 PM
Skeptical Inquirer
Nightlife - 03/02/2023 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
After Dark: Extended Cinemas - 03/02/2023 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Friday, 03/03/2023
Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics Seminar - 03/03/2023 12:00 PM
Earth and Marine Sciences Building Santa Cruz
“R.U.R.” ROSSUM’S UNIVERSAL ROBOTS - 03/03/2023 07:00 PM
Merrill Cultural Center Santa Cruz
Exploration of Mars for Habitable Environments and Life - 03/03/2023 08:00 PM
College of San Mateo Bldg 36 San Mateo
Saturday, 03/04/2023
Guided nature walk at Bouverie Preserve - 03/04/2023 10:00 AM
Bouverie Preserve Glen Ellen
Solar Observing - 03/04/2023 01:30 PM
San Jose Astronomical Association San Jose
Marine Ecology - EcoCenter Family Event - 03/04/2023 02:30 PM
Environmental Volunteers EcoCenter Palo Alto
“R.U.R.” ROSSUM’S UNIVERSAL ROBOTS - 03/04/2023 07:00 PM
Merrill Cultural Center Santa Cruz
Sunday, 03/05/2023
“R.U.R.” ROSSUM’S UNIVERSAL ROBOTS - 03/05/2023 02:00 PM
Merrill Cultural Center Santa Cruz
Monday, 03/06/2023
Sonoma State University Biology Colloquium - 03/06/2023 12:00 PM
Sonoma State University - Biology Colloquium Rohnert Park
How Hole-y is your Spacetime? aka How to Measure Topology in Quantum Gravity - 03/06/2023 04:00 PM
Sonoma State University - What Physicists Do Rohnert Park
Role of mobile genes in the community interactions of the intestinal microbiota - 03/06/2023 04:00 PM
James H. Clark Center (Bldg 340) Stanford
UC Berkeley Physics Colloquia - 03/06/2023 04:15 PM
Physics North Berkeley
Stanford Symbolic Systems Forum: Asifa Majid - 03/06/2023 04:30 PM
Margaret Jacks Hall (Bldg 460) Stanford
Hearing the Stars: New Insights into Stellar Interiors - 03/06/2023 05:30 PM
International House Berkeley
Searching for Planet B - What can humanity learn from other planets if it is to survive into the future? - 03/06/2023 07:30 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
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