Hello Science Fans,
I hope that the break in the weather we have been having has been enjoyable. Quite honestly I rarely check the weather forecast so I can’t comment on what’s ahead, except to let you know that I guarantee there will be weather and we have no option but to deal with it. The other side of that is that I am amazed at how accurate forecasting can be.
It’s time to plan to Eclipse, remember, there will be weather! On Oct 14, 2023 there will be an annular (“ring of fire” eclipse) and then on April 8, 2024 (less than a year!) we get a repeat performance of the 2017 Great American Eclipse with a slight change in location! Here are some great resources to help prepare (you need to plan early) for the SOLAR ECLIPSES of 2023 and 2024 A North American “Double-Header” and the book, When The Sun Goes Dark are both from Andrew Fraknoi and Dennis Schatz. The explOratorium Solar Eclipse website was just launched and it’s loaded with info as well as an app… Watch a Solar Eclipse On-the-Go Remember, if you miss these, the next total solar eclipse in the contiguous United States will be on Aug. 23, 2044!
A lot of people don’t accept science or they think Science is broken. I contend that science is still putting up a good fight against misinformation and outright lies. Being skeptical of what we learn from the “media” and even friends is a good thing. At some point though you have to develop trust in your sources. I suggest that you check out MediaWise’s first-ever zine which is part of Poynter’s digital media literacy project. Here’s another resource to add to your favorites… Verify check the science tab. Here are a few
The Science History Institute has a fascinating collection of articles and recordings that dive into science history, DISTILLATIONS: Using stories from science's past to understand our world. This section has some great stories including several episodes on the Myth of Race. Here’s a sample on another topic… Crowdfunding Radium: When American women bought Marie Curie a vital gram of the element.
As is often the case there are more opportunities than time in the next week to learn cool things about our shared and personal universe. Here are a few that I think warrant your consideration without discouraging going to others!
Virulent: The Vaccine War - Livestream Thu @ 4:00
Did paleo people actually eat Paleo? - Livestream Thu @ 7:00
Sat looks rich!!! Spring Baylands Bioblitz with Environmental Volunteers, Tri-Valley Innovation Fair, 20th Anniversary KIPAC Community Day, and the International Ocean Film Festival
Here are a few links to more interesting and fun things…
Have you heard about the largest fresh water lake west of the Mississippi River (a little over 100 years ago)? The Return of Tulare Lake is an amazing story that is happening now.
April 2, 2023 was International Fact Checking Day. Check out
HOW TO DEBUNK BOGUS HEALTH CLAIMS, QUACKS AND CURES
5 WAYS TO AVOID GETTING DUPED BY BOGUS CHARTS AND GRAPHICS
THIS CARTOON HAS 7 TIPS FOR FACT-CHECKING ONLINE INFORMATION
On a rock that rotates much slower than Earth, time gets weird fast
I would like to thank everyone who read my mid-week special plea for help for CuriOdyssey museum’s storm recovery. It’s been a very challenging time and they have much to do to recover and get fully up and running again. It’s not too late to help!
Have a great week learning new and cool stuff.
herb masters
“Two hundred million years ago, long before we walked the Earth, it was a world of cold-blooded creatures and dull color — a kind of terrestrial sea of brown and green. There were plants, but their reproduction was a tenuous game of chance — they released their pollen into the wind, into the water, against the staggering improbability that it might reach another member of their species. No algorithm, no swipe — just chance.
But then, in the Cretaceous period, flowers appeared and carpeted the world with astonishing rapidity — because, in some poetic sense, they invented love.
Once there were flowers, there were fruit — that transcendent alchemy of sunlight into sugar. Once there were fruit, plants could enlist the help of animals in a kind of trade: sweetness for a lift to a mate. Animals savored the sugars in fruit, converted them into energy and proteins, and a new world of warm-blooded mammals came alive.
Without flowers, there would be no us.” The Marginalian
Upcoming Events:
Click to see the next two weeks of events in your browser.
Monday, 04/10/2023
Social and Pathogen Networks in Captive Exotic Ungulates - 04/10/2023 12:00 PM
Sonoma State University - Biology Colloquium Rohnert Park
Speaker: Erika Defer, UC Davis
Air Pollution Exposure Mitigation: Solutions at the Nexus of Engineering, Policy, and Society - 04/10/2023 12:30 PM
Environment and Energy Building (Y2E2) Stanford
Eliminating air pollution disparities in the U.S. and beyond is becoming increasingly complex due to the convergence of the national average PM2.5 concentration towards the annual standard despite persistent inequities in exposures across underserved populations. This march toward national compliance provides a sense of strong accomplishment, however, close attention should be paid to regions where secondary particle and ozone pollution is impacted by the rapidly evolving e-commerce industry. The Southern California region is particularly susceptible to adverse environmental impacts due to e-commerce and the propensity for secondary pollution formation made viable by the region’s unique meteorology and topography. Here I discuss three modeling and monitoring efforts that lie at the intersection of e-commerce, air pollution, and environmental justice in Southern California. Low-cost monitoring aids in identifying regional vs. local impacts of traffic-related pollution. Personal monitoring resolves space-time variabilities of individual PM2.5 exposures for community members who are most negatively impacted by the convergence of poor regional air quality with the expansion of e-commerce activity near their homes. Regional modeling using chemical transport modeling and machine learning provides context for how climate change will exacerbate the aforementioned issues. I will conclude by recommending policy-relevant solutions that place consideration and priority on vulnerable populations and ecological preservation.
Speaker: Cesunica Ivey, UC Berkeley
Editor's Note: At the time of posting, no location for this event was provided on Stanford's website. However, this seminar is usually held in the Y2E2 building, room 111, which is what we've listed.
2023 Annual Biotechnology Symposium - 04/10/2023 01:00 PM
Jen-Hsun Huang Engineering Center Stanford
Join us for a half-day conference filled with the latest Biotechnology topics and research at Stanford. Sponsored by the NIH-Stanford Biotechnology Training Program, we are hosting two panels of world-class researchers and entrepreneurs, a networking and poster session with coffee and refreshments, and research highlights from our own Stanford faculty!
See weblink to register and for full agenda
UC Berkeley Condensed Matter Physics Seminar - 04/10/2023 02:30 PM
Physics North Berkeley
Speaker: Long Ju, Massachusets Institute of Technology
What Physicists Do - 04/10/2023 04:00 PM
Sonoma State University - What Physicists Do Rohnert Park
Speaker: Kassahun Betre, San Jose State University
Leveraging Evolutionary Mismatches to Study Gene-by-Environment Interactions - 04/10/2023 04:00 PM
James H. Clark Center (Bldg 340) Stanford
Julien has taken a diverse path throughout his career. His early training focused on conservation biology which later led him to genetics. He completed his Ph.D. in North Carolina with Drs Eric Stone and Trudy Mackay where he developed a system genetic framework to study the genetic basis of complex traits in Drosophila. He was then elected to the Harvard Society of Fellows as a Junior Fellow, and he is currently a faculty at Princeton University in the EEB department and the Lewis Sigler Genomic Institute. His group seeks to understand how genes interact with each other and their environment to shape variation between individuals. He works both in humans and Drosophila as a model system. Recently his lab has developed approaches leveraging evolutionary mismatches to study gene-by-environment interactions and better understand their contribution of complex traits variation and human diseases. His background in ecology and evolution grounds him as an organismal biologist, and it is in that context that he approaches the molecular and functional work in his lab.
Speaker: Julien Ayroles, Princeton University
Room: Auditorium
UC Berkeley Physics Colloquia - 04/10/2023 04:15 PM
Physics North Berkeley
Neutrons are stable inside atomic nuclei. Outside the confines of the nucleus, they decay into a proton, electron, and antineutrino, with a lifetime of approximately 880 s. The rate of decay can be precisely calculated, using the theory of electroweak interactions, with an uncertainty on the order of 1e-4. Recent measurements using bottled neutrons have achieved uncertainties below 1 s (0.1%), but other measurements observing neutron decay in flight disagree by 10 s. Attempts to resolve this discrepancy have spawned much experimental effort as well as exotic theoretical conjectures, thus far without a clear conclusion. In this talk, I will discuss the challenges of precision measurement of the neutron lifetime, illustrating the UCNtau experiment. It eliminates the dominant loss mechanisms present in previous bottle experiments by levitating polarized ultracold neutrons above the surface of a large Halbach magnetic trap. Using this approach, a new result, 877.75 +/- 0.28 (stat) +0.22/-0.16 (sys) s [PRL 127, 162501 (2021)], is the most precise measurement of the lifetime. This result, together with improved measurements of the axial coupling constant, will provide a determination of the CKM matrix element Vud, independent of nuclear decays, and address the recent tension in the test of CKM unitarity.
Speaker: Chen-Yu Liu, Indiana University Bloomington
Stanford Energy Seminar: Clifford Rechtschaffen - RESCHEDULED - 04/10/2023 04:30 PM
Stanford University Energy Seminar Stanford
Speaker:Clifford Rechtschaffen was a commissioner at the Calfornia Public Utilties Commission (CPUC) from January 2017 to December 2022.
Attend in person or online.
This event have been moved to June 5, 2023.
Tuesday, 04/11/2023
Direct search for the neutrino mass scale with the KATRIN experiment - 04/11/2023 03:30 PM
Hewlett Teaching Center Stanford
Since the discovery of neutrino oscillation, we know that neutrinos have non-zero masses, but we do not know the absolute neutrino mass scale, which is as important for cosmology as for particle physics. The direct search for a non-zero neutrino mass from measuring the endpoint spectra of weak decays is complementary to the search for neutrinoless double beta-decay and analyses of cosmological data.
The Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino experiment KATRIN is investigating the endpoint region of tritium beta decay. KATRIN uses a strong windowless gaseous molecular tritium source combined with a huge MAC-E-Filter as high-resolution electron spectrometer. To achieve its neutrino mass sensitivity goal of 0.2 eV/c^2, KATRIN has been putting many technologies at their limits and uses elaborated calibration techniques. From early 2019 on KATRIN is taking high statistics tritium data hunting for the neutrino mass. Already its data of 2019 provide a sub-eV sensitivity and neutrino mass limit. In addition to the presentation of the current status and results KATRIN, an outlook on future improvements and enlarging the KATRIN program to keV sterile neutrinos will be given in this talk.
Speaker: Christian Weinheimer, University of Munster
This talk was originally scheduled for April 18.
A Tale of Two Planets: Dilute Cores in Jupiter and Saturn from In Situ Spacecraft Observations - 04/11/2023 03:30 PM
Natural Science Annex Santa Cruz
The interiors of planets contain clues that inform us about the early processes that led to the formation of the solar system. Until lately, gas giant planets were traditionally considered to consist of a compact core of rocky material confined by an envelope of H and He fluid. Recent NASA missions Cassini (Saturn) and Juno (Jupiter) have questioned this traditional picture. Instead of a compact core, the recent missions observe a dilute core defined by a region with a chemical gradient that extends radially over tens of thousands of kilometers. In this talk, I will present evidence favoring dilute over compact cores in gas giant planets and discuss implications for planet formation and evolution. I will put particular emphasis in my own contributions to developing a theory of dynamical tides capable of uncovering the interiors of fluid bodies in the solar system; this includes the gas giant planets and icy satellites with global oceans. I will end this talk discussing potential applications of dynamical tides to the study of icy satellites Europa and Ganymede from future missions Europa Clipper and JUICE, respectively.
Speaker: Benjamin Idini, UC Santa Cruz
Emerging Security Challenges in the Indo-Pacific: Innovation in an Era of Strategic Competition - 04/11/2023 04:00 PM
Sutardja Dai Hall Berkeley
Mike Brown will speak on the emerging security challenges that the United States faces in the Indo-Pacific and the role of technological innovation in strategic competition. His remarks will expand on his recent article in Foreign Affairs, “Taiwan’s Urgent Task: A Radical New Strategy to Keep China Away,” as well as his paper with Pavneet Singh and RADM Lorin Selby, “A Hedge Strategy to Strengthen Defense Capabilities.” The event will feature an audience Q&A.
Speaker: Mike Brown, Shield Capital; Hoover Institution
Madagascar: Climate Change in a Hypervariable Environment - 04/11/2023 04:00 PM
Valley Life Sciences Building Berkeley
The south of Madagascar is currently beset by extended drought and famine, and Madagascar was held up as a posterchild for the devastation wrought by climate change at the 2021 UN Conference in Glasgow (COP26). But this characterization of the present drought has been challenged: rainfall failures are typical of the region, and non-climate shocks and stresses more likely responsible for what is happening today.
The researcher offers an additional perspective in this lecture. Unpredictability and hypervariability have characterized Madagascar’s climate for millions of years. Evolutionary adaptations to these conditions are widespread among the island’s unique wildlife, and over the past thousand years Malagasy farmers have themselves developed coping strategies. The long-term climate changes ahead are not in doubt, but both the wildlife and people of Madagascar may be better prepared to respond to them than is generally appreciated.
Speaker: Alison Richard, Yale University
Stanford Symbolic Systems Forum: Ge Wang - 04/11/2023 04:30 PM
Margaret Jacks Hall (Bldg 460) Stanford
Speaker: Ge Wang, Stanford University
Room 126
Wednesday, 04/12/2023
The devilish aspects of sea angels and sea butterflies - Livestream - 04/12/2023 11:00 AM
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
Pteropods are pelagic snails that have garnered considerable research on ocean acidification due to the susceptibility of dissolution in shell-bearing species. They can constitute an important food source for marine predators, including whales, seabirds, and some commercially important fishes. Due to their small size and planktonic lifestyle, however, their diversity and species distributions are not sufficiently known. While molecular methods are easing some of these challenges, the particular anatomy of pteropods still constrains the generation of a vouchered reference database.
Speaker: Dr. Stephanie Bush, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
Register at weblink to receive Zoom link
Imitation and Innovation in AI: What Four-year-olds Can Do and AI Can’t (Yet) - 04/12/2023 12:00 PM
Sutardja Dai Hall Berkeley
Young children’s learning may be an important model for artificial intelligence (AI). Comparing children and artificial agents in the same tasks and environments can help us understand the abilities of existing systems and create new ones. In particular, many current large data-supervised systems, such as large language models (LLMs), provide new ways to access information collected by past agents. However, they lack the kinds of exploration and innovation that are characteristic of children. New techniques may help to instantiate childlike curiosity, exploration and play in AI systems.
Speaker: Alison Gopnik, UC Berkeley
Attend in person or online. See weblink to register
April LASER Event - Livestream - 04/12/2023 12:00 PM
LASER Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous
Margaret Geller (Harvard Univ) on "Mapping the Universe
Roxana Marachi (San Jose State Univ) on "How Surveillance Capitalism Ate Education for Lunch "
TBA (TBA) on "What's in a Transformer: Why ChatGPT works so well"
Tending a CA Native Plant Garden - 04/12/2023 01:30 PM
UC Botanical Garden Berkeley
Now that you've decided to grow California native plants in your garden, learn how to continue to care for them for longevity and beauty year-round. Katherine Greenberg will discuss her seasonal approach to tending a native garden, based on four decades of experience in her Lafayette garden. The class will include recommendations for soil preparation and planting, mulching, irrigation, pruning, and weed control as well as some of Katherine's favorite garden tools. About the presenter: Katherine Greenberg is a garden designer and co‐author of Growing California Native Plants
Experimenting around climate change: predicting the marine invertebrate response - 04/12/2023 03:30 PM
Estuary & Ocean Science Center Tiburon
Ocean warming associated with climate change is an inconvenient truth for the future. We are scrambling to keep ahead of warming in terms of our understanding of how communities will respond. Dr. Ashton will present results from two of her research projects which both used manipulations of marine invertebrate communities to inform our understanding of the likely influence of future ocean warming. The first study warmed invertebrates on the seafloor in Antarctica, considered to be among the fastest warming regions of the world’s ocean. The second convened over 60 collaborators to deploy a standardized experiment at locations spanning 115 degrees of latitude to investigate how the influence of predators on marine communities changes with latitude and/or temperature. She will discuss the benefits of using manipulation experiments to inform our understanding, along with their limitations. Through these studies she will illustrate her interests in marine biodiversity research alongside some of her extra-curricular experiences that continue to fuel this interest.
Speaker: Gail Ashton, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
Attend in person or online.
Thursday, 04/13/2023
Global AI: Reframing the Conversation - Livestream - 04/13/2023 09:00 AM
Stanford University
This event will showcase diverse perspectives on human-centered AI with a focus on decolonial values, AI innovation that centers underrepresented languages in technology development, and the use of AI tools in tackling misinformation in global contexts.
See weblink for presentation topics and speakers, and to register
International Ocean Film Festival - 04/13/2023 07:00 PM
Cowell Theater San Francisco
The 20th annual Internation Ocean Film Festival is dedicated to using film as a medium to increase public awareness of the environmental, social, and cultural importance of marine ecosystems and foster a spirit of ocean stewardship, IOFF is now the premier venue in North America for ocean-related films.
Every year, IOFF produces an acclaimed festival of ocean-themed films from all over the world that are largely unavailable to the general public. Themes range from marine science and industry to sports and adventure. We look for films that entertain, educate, and encourage active participation in ocean conservation.
Thursday, April 13, starting at 4:00 PM
Friday, April 14, starting at 1:00 PM
Saturday, April 15, starting at 10:00 AM
Sunday, April 16, starting at 10:00 AM
See weblink for full schedule
Coastal Walk at Pillar Point Bluff - 04/13/2023 10:00 AM
Pillar Point Bluff Moss Beach
Join Peninsula Open Space Trust for an afternoon walk at Pillar Point Bluff just north of Half Moon Bay! You will be guided by a POST representative who will share details about the area’s interesting natural history, from the coastal scrub habitat to the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve that hosts tide pools and breeding grounds for harbor seals.
The walk is moderate at about 2.5 miles round trip with around 350 feet of gradual elevation gain.
In 2004, POST stepped in to fund protection of the bluff, restore it to ecological health, and construct a 1.6-mile section of the California Coastal Trail that now runs across it. Today, all 161 acres of the bluff are fully protected in perpetuity - a process that took four transactions, 11 years of work, and an array of visionaries, landowners and donors, both public and private.
Please note that all minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian for the entire duration of the hike. While dogs are allowed on this trail, we kindly ask that your pups stay home for this community hike.
Register at weblink
Climate Sensitivity to Greenhouse Gas Forcing - 04/13/2023 12:00 PM
Natural Science Annex Santa Cruz
Speaker: Matt Huber, Purdue University
Room A340
Behind-the-Scenes Look at Pupping Season - Livestream - 04/13/2023 12:30 PM
Marine Mammal Center
It’s pupping season at The Marine Mammal Center: a time when our pens are filled with starving, young animals in need of care that Center staff and volunteers work to provide.
Please join Veterinarian Dr. Mattison Peters as she describes a typical day at The Marine Mammal Center during our busiest time. She will take you on a virtual behind-the-scenes tour giving you the opportunity to meet some of our pup patients.
You will see the care they receive and the steps we take to ensure these animals are strong enough to survive on their own in the wild. Most importantly, you will see your support in action and witness firsthand how you are saving lives and making a real difference!
You will receive the private Zoom virtual webinar link via email when you RSVP. Please encourage any guests you'd like to invite to RSVP individually so that they will receive their own Zoom webinar link.
Register at weblink to receive connection information
Virulent: The Vaccine War - Livestream - 04/13/2023 04:00 PM
Skeptical Inquirer
Recent years have seen the dialogue around vaccines devolve into a highly contentious, emotionally fraught firestorm, an ongoing collision between scientists and charlatans, truth and lies. Virulent: The Vaccine War is an invitation to think again, exposing the myths and laying bare the facts about vaccine science, its history, and what it will take to eradicate the world’s most deadly diseases.
Acclaimed documentary filmmakers Laura Davis and Tjardus Greidanus join us for the next Skeptical Inquirer Presents livestream event to discuss their new film. Virulent: The Vaccine War examines the history of vaccine hesitancy, and the galvanizing effect Covid-19 has had on anti-vaccination activists. It features scientists and others in the trenches including Dr. Paul Offit, one of the world’s preeminent virologists; public health expert Dr. Peter Salk, the son of polio vaccine inventor Dr. Jonas Salk; and New York Times columnist Kevin Roose, who writes about how disinformation spreads online.
Register at weblink
NightLife - 04/13/2023 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
Calling all creatures of the night: explore the nocturnal side of the Academy at NightLife and see what's revealed. With live DJs, outdoor bars, ambiance lighting, and nearly 40,000 live animals (including familiar faces like Claude, our alligator with albinism), the night is sure to be wild.
Step inside the iconic Shake House and our four-story Osher Rainforest, where you can explore the Amazon’s treetops surrounded by free-flying birds and butterflies. Reservations for these exhibits are no longer required. However, please note that the last entry into the rainforest is 7:30 pm - our animals need their sleep.
Venture into our latest aquarium exhibit Venom to encounter live venomous animals and learn the power of venom to both harm and heal.
Visit the BigPicture exhibit in the Piazza to marvel at the most recent winners of the BigPicture Natural World Photography competition.
Bask in the glow of one of the largest living indoor coral reef displays in the world: our 212,000-gallon Philippine Coral Reef habitat.
Take in the interstellar views from the Living Roof, then grab a bite from the Academy Café and head to the West Garden outdoor bar to drink and dine under the stars. For adults 21+.
After Dark: See for Yourself - 04/13/2023 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
The Exploratorium is your playground after dark! Wander the galleries, sip a cocktail, and choose your own adventure with 600+ interactive exhibits. Can a garden transport you to another place? What memories are stirred by the scents of different plants? And how do sunflowers fit so many seeds in their center? Check out our newest exhibition, ¡Plantásticas!, and explore these questions and more.
Did paleo people actually eat Paleo? - Livestream - 04/13/2023 07:30 PM
Bay Area Skeptics
The modern “paleo” diet movement makes many assumptions about what our ancient human ancestors ate. But are these assumptions based on actual evidence? Presenting a variety of lines of evidence for prehistoric human diets including early human, animal, and plant fossils, ancient stone tools, DNA, and living human and chimpanzee diets, Dr. Briana Pobiner will discuss significant changes in the evolution of human diets - and highlight what makes human meat-eating unique.
Speaker: Briana Pobiner, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
This event was originally scheduled on April 19, 2023
Friday, 04/14/2023
International Ocean Film Festival - 04/14/2023 07:00 PM
Cowell Theater San Francisco
The 20th annual Internation Ocean Film Festival is dedicated to using film as a medium to increase public awareness of the environmental, social, and cultural importance of marine ecosystems and foster a spirit of ocean stewardship, IOFF is now the premier venue in North America for ocean-related films.
Every year, IOFF produces an acclaimed festival of ocean-themed films from all over the world that are largely unavailable to the general public. Themes range from marine science and industry to sports and adventure. We look for films that entertain, educate, and encourage active participation in ocean conservation.
Thursday, April 13, starting at 4:00 PM
Friday, April 14, starting at 1:00 PM
Saturday, April 15, starting at 10:00 AM
Sunday, April 16, starting at 10:00 AM
See weblink for full schedule
Faster Cures and The Future of Health - 04/14/2023 12:00 PM
Commonwealth Club San Francisco
Known worldwide as a legendary financier, philanthropist, medical research innovator and public health advocate, Michael Milken will detail his inspiring crusade to accelerate cures and treatments so more people around the world can live longer, healthier and more meaningful lives.
Milken believes a multitude of health advancements are within reach, including slowing the aging process, cleaning early-stage cancers, eliminating many birth defects through gene editing, and multiple virus protection by a single vaccine.
Hear more as Milken shares what he believes the future of health will look like.
Moderator: Lanhee Chen, Hoover Institution
Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics Seminar - 04/14/2023 12:00 PM
Earth and Marine Sciences Building Santa Cruz
Speaker: TBA
Sonoma State University Astronomy Public Viewing Nights - 04/14/2023 09:00 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, 04/15/2023
International Ocean Film Festival - 04/15/2023 07:00 PM
Cowell Theater San Francisco
The 20th annual Internation Ocean Film Festival is dedicated to using film as a medium to increase public awareness of the environmental, social, and cultural importance of marine ecosystems and foster a spirit of ocean stewardship, IOFF is now the premier venue in North America for ocean-related films.
Every year, IOFF produces an acclaimed festival of ocean-themed films from all over the world that are largely unavailable to the general public. Themes range from marine science and industry to sports and adventure. We look for films that entertain, educate, and encourage active participation in ocean conservation.
Thursday, April 13, starting at 4:00 PM
Friday, April 14, starting at 1:00 PM
Saturday, April 15, starting at 10:00 AM
Sunday, April 16, starting at 10:00 AM
See weblink for full schedule
Spring Baylands Bioblitz with Environmental Volunteers - 04/15/2023 09:00 AM
Environmental Volunteers EcoCenter Palo Alto
Join the BioBlitz.club and Environmental Volunteers for a Spring BioBlitz in the Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve and Byxbee Park.
Spring is a wonderful time for flowers, pollinators, as well as courting or nesting birds. Join us to learn about some of our native and non-native species, become a community scientist and help us collect scientific data.
Please bring a digital camera or smartphone. Download the free iNaturalist smartphone app prior to the program and create a free account prior to the event. Instructions on the Bioblitz and how to join the 2023 project will be sent prior to event, and will also be available a printed guide for the day of. You can view our past BioBlitz findings for 2019, 2021, and 2022. Help the City of Palo Alto document the biodiversity of this great preserve.
We will have families check in at the EcoCenter and then embark to record as many plants and animals as possible. Volunteers will be on site to take small groups/families who would like to learn more about plants, insects, birds, or how to use iNaturalist.
Register at weblink
Tri-Valley Innovation Fair - 04/15/2023 10:00 AM
Alameda County Fairgrounds Pleasanton
The Tri-Valley Innovation Fair is a fun and amazing event that connects everyone to the excitement of science, engineering, and technology. Over 80 exhibitors will showcase the region’s diverse accomplishments and rich learning opportunities. Meet people who make innovation happen in local companies, schools, and community organizations. Interactive hands-on activities will be featured indoors and outside. Special performances were also scheduled throughout the day.
Everyone is welcome! You are invited to be inspired as you explore the innovations that help us thrive in today’s world. Activities are geared for children ages 5 and up, teens, and adults. There will be something for everyone.
Register at weblink
Bringing Back the Natives Virtual Garden Tour - 04/15/2023 10:00 AM
Bringing Back the Natives
This delightful collection of native plant gardens ranges from Al Kyte’s 45-year-old wildlife oasis to brand new installations, from large lots in the hills to small front-yard gardens, from local native plants to natives from throughout California, and from gardens designed and installed by owners to those designed and installed by professionals.
Virtual Tour Keynote by Doug Tallamy. Learn how to:
Select and care for California native plantsAttract butterflies, birds, and bees to your gardenGarden without pesticides (and protect your children and pets!)Lower your water bill
Register at weblink and view the schedule for the tour
20th Anniversary KIPAC Community Day - 04/15/2023 01:00 PM
Science and Engineering Quad Stanford
Join us to celebrate KIPAC's 20th anniversary! This event will take the form of an astronomy festival, featuring numerous stations of live demonstrations, experiments, and hands-on activities. A series of mini science lectures will also be running in parallel, introducing the latest discoveries made by KIPAC in the field of astronomy.
Sunset Hike at Mindego Hill - 04/15/2023 04:00 PM
Mindego Hill Trail Head Redwood City
Join Peninsula Open Space Trust for a beautiful 5-mile hike from the Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve to the top of the POST-protected Mindego Hill. You will be guided by POST ambassadors who will share details about how we protected this beautiful property featuring panoramic views of redwood ridges and undulating hillsides.
The hike is strenuous at about 5 miles round trip with about 1,000 feet of elevation gain, so be prepared for a workout! Athletic wear and sturdy shoes are recommended! If you’d like to bring your own hiking poles, you’re more than welcome.
Protected by POST and recently opened to the public by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, Mindego Hill is an excellent example of how POST works with various partners to protect some of the most threatened lands in our area.
Please note that dogs are not allowed at this Community Hike and that all minors must be accompanied by a parent and guardian for the entirety of the hike.
Register at weblink
Sunday, 04/16/2023
International Ocean Film Festival - 04/16/2023 07:00 PM
Cowell Theater San Francisco
The 20th annual Internation Ocean Film Festival is dedicated to using film as a medium to increase public awareness of the environmental, social, and cultural importance of marine ecosystems and foster a spirit of ocean stewardship, IOFF is now the premier venue in North America for ocean-related films.
Every year, IOFF produces an acclaimed festival of ocean-themed films from all over the world that are largely unavailable to the general public. Themes range from marine science and industry to sports and adventure. We look for films that entertain, educate, and encourage active participation in ocean conservation.
Thursday, April 13, starting at 4:00 PM
Friday, April 14, starting at 1:00 PM
Saturday, April 15, starting at 10:00 AM
Sunday, April 16, starting at 10:00 AM
See weblink for full schedule
Bringing Back the Natives Virtual Garden Tour - 04/16/2023 10:00 AM
Bringing Back the Natives
This delightful collection of native plant gardens ranges from Al Kyte’s 45-year-old wildlife oasis to brand new installations, from large lots in the hills to small front-yard gardens, from local native plants to natives from throughout California, and from gardens designed and installed by owners to those designed and installed by professionals.
Virtual Tour Keynote by Doug Tallamy. Learn how to:
Select and care for California native plantsAttract butterflies, birds, and bees to your gardenGarden without pesticides (and protect your children and pets!)Lower your water bill
Register at weblink and view the schedule for the tour
Morning Hike at San Vicente Redwoods - 04/16/2023 10:00 AM
San Vicente Redwoods Trailhead Santa Cruz
Join Peninsula Open Space Trust for a community hike at San Vicente Redwoods! This will be a moderate hike of 3.5 miles on fairly level trails with little elevation gain. Guests will be led by a POST ambassador, who will share about the human and natural history of this important working forest, the history of its protection as well as the impacts of the 2020 CZU fire on forest health and wildlife habitat.
SVR is a 8,852-acre property in the Santa Cruz Mountains protected in 2011 and co-managed by four nonprofit conservation partners: POST, Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, Sempervirens Fund, and Save the Redwoods League. It is both a model of conservation and a living laboratory for ecosystem restoration, wildfire resilience work, wildlife protection and public access. If you would like to learn more about the Property and POST’s work there along with our partners, this blog provides a wealth of information and links.
Pass Required: As this is a working, demonstration forest with a variety of active forest management taking place on a regular basis, all visitors to San Vicente Redwoods must register for a free permanent pass by following this link. Pass holders will be notified of property closures, heavy storms, red flag days, conservation harvest events, and private community events. Guests must register for a pass before attending this event.
Register for the hike at weblink
This hike was originally scheduled for April 1, 2023
Presidio: Changes Through Time - 04/16/2023 11:00 AM
The Presidio San Francisco
Join the National Park Service and celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the GGNRA!
This half-mile, level walk shows the historical changes to the Presidio, from the Spanish fort all the way to the new Tunnel Tops. Who benefitted from these changes, and who did not?
Learn about the people who lived here, and who now occupy these buildings, and how the landscape has been transformed over the years. Afterward take advantage of the food trucks nearby and the stunning views of the Golden Gate.
5th Annual Data Science Forum 2023: Tech for Social Good - 04/16/2023 11:00 AM
Dwinelle Hall BerkeleyThe Data Science Forum is the largest data science-related event at UC Berkeley. It is an annual all-day career-driven event hosted by the Data Science Society at Berkeley, SAAS, and Big Data at Berkeley. The forum invites prominent speakers to share and discuss with students current revolutions in the Data Science field outside academia.Each annual forum is focused on a different topic to allow space for the growing applications of data science. This year's theme is 'Tech for Social Good'; the intersection of data and social good across the spectrum from non-profits to startups to government work to big tech. The purpose of this event is to educate the UC Berkeley community on how to carry social good values in tech work and/or use tech to drive solutions to societal issues.The event starts off with individual speaker presentations, followed by lunch, a speaker panel, and ends with a networking session. Lunch will be provided and there will also be a resume drop and, as well as a fun raffle at the end (win a speaker!).
The Wonderful World of Bats Webinar - 04/16/2023 06:00 PM
Saved by Nature
Join us along with our community partners Peninsula Open Space Trust and Bat Conservation International for a special presentation about the basics of bats, San Jose bats, and what you can do in your own yard to help! Bats are vital to healthy ecosystems and human economies worldwide. Yet these wonderfully diverse and beneficial creatures are among the least studied and most misunderstood of animals. Bats are threatened worldwide, and their colonies and habits are destroyed - both intentionally and inadvertently - because of myths, misinformation, and lack of scientific knowledge and understanding. Learn more about the bats that live in San Jose and how you can help them thrive.
Register at weblink
Monday, 04/17/2023
Sonoma State University Biology Colloquium - 04/17/2023 12:00 PM
Sonoma State University - Biology Colloquium Rohnert Park
Speaker: Dr. David Toczyski, UC San Francisco
Wildfire Modeling: Challenges, Progress, and Opportunities - 04/17/2023 12:30 PM
Environment and Energy Building (Y2E2) Stanford
Wildfires are a significant part of the global fire safety problem. Each year they burn millions of acres of land, lead to loss of life, and cause billions of dollars in damages. Just in the U.S. the adjusted impacts of wildfires exceeded $100 Billion over the past 22 years. A fundamental understanding of wildfire behavior is essential to mitigate these effects, better estimate the risks, and develop more effective and efficient preparedness and response strategies, particularly for high-impact events. While wildfire models play an important role in informing and addressing some of these needs, delivering a high-fidelity operational forecast is challenging, primarily due to wildfires’ inherent multiscale and stochastic behavior. This talk elaborates on some of the challenges in physics-based modeling of wildfire spread with an emphasis on firebrand showers, also known as ember attacks. In addition, a synthesis of our recent contributions and ongoing efforts in modeling spot fires will be discussed, along with emerging opportunities for the next-generation wildfire models.
Speaker: Ali Tohidi, San Jose State University
UC Berkeley Condensed Matter Physics Seminar - 04/17/2023 02:30 PM
Physics North Berkeley
Speaker: Haim Beidenkopf, UC Santa Barbara
Sonoma State University STEP Program Presenations - 04/17/2023 04:00 PM
Sonoma State University - What Physicists Do Rohnert Park
Speaker: TBA
Design of the first fusion laboratory experiment to achieve target gain > 1 - 04/17/2023 04:15 PM
Physics North Berkeley
The inertial fusion community have been working towards ignition for decades, since the idea of inertial confinement fusion (ICF) was first proposed by Nuckolls, et al., in 1972. On August 8, 2021 and Dec 5th 2022, the Lawson criterion for ignition was met and more fusion energy was created than laser energy incident on the target at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in Northern California. The first experiment produced a fusion yield of 1.35 MJ from 1.9 MJ of laser energy and appears to have crossed the tipping-point of thermodynamic instability according to several ignition metrics. Building on this result, improvements were made to increase the fusion energy output to >3MJ from 2.05 MJ of laser energy on target, resulting in target gain exceeding unity for the first time in the laboratory. This result is important in that it proves that there is nothing fundamentally limiting controlled fusion energy gain in the laboratory. The presentation will detail the changes made to achieve this result.
Speaker: Annie Kritcher, Lawrence Livermore National Lab
California High-Speed Rail - 04/17/2023 04:30 PM
Stanford University Energy Seminar Stanford
The California High-Speed Rail Authority is responsible for planning, designing, building and operation of the nation’s first high-speed rail system. This seminar will discuss the technical energy challenges of this project.
Attend in person or online.
From Amateur Telescopes to Cutting Edge Science: Perspectives on a 4.5” Telescope - 04/17/2023 07:00 PM
Mill Valley Public Library Mill Valley
When a professional astronomer looks through a small telescope, they see the same things amateur astronomers do. In this talk, astronomer Matthew Shetrone will discuss some of the wonderful things we all might see through backyard telescopes like the library's own 4.5 inch reflector telescope, and the connections between the visible cosmos and some of the most interesting and profound questions astronomers still ask.
Speaker: Matthew Shetrone, Deputy Director, UC Observatories
Registration is required
The Caves of Mars: Preparing for a Mission to a Lava Tube - 04/17/2023 07:30 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
Biologic and Resource Analog Investigations in Low Light Environments (BRAILLE) is a multi-year, NASA-funded Mars analog project centered around fieldwork in volcanic caves at Lava Beds National Monument in Northern California. We are motivated to search for evidence of life on Mars beneath its surface - and one way to gain access there is through a volcanic cave!
We have identified many such "lava tubes" in images from Mars orbiters, and by visiting similar environments on Earth with the right technology, we hope to quantify the microbial life living there (and find out what it eats), to characterize mineral features that could be signatures of life, and to gain experience using robots to detect life and to map below-ground regions.
These efforts will help NASA prepare for a future life-detection mission to a Martian lava tube! Our project has evolved to include new autonomous and AI technologies that show much promise for developing future missions to Mars - or the Moon! This presentation will provide an overview of BRAILLE, showcasing its most significant accomplishments and taking audiences inside these remarkable caves.
Speaker: Jennifer Blank, Blue Marble Space Institute of Science
This event was originally scheduled for April 3, 2023.
Ask a Science Envoy: Fish Ways & Monkey Business - Livestream - 04/17/2023 08:00 PM
Wonderfest
Stanford marine biologist Ceyenna Tillman on A Unique Case Study in Fish Behavior - We don't often think of fish as individuals with independent minds, making their own decisions about how to react to the world around them. We often study them through important and informative large-scale lenses such as population size and spatial distribution. But what do we lose when we leave out the choices that each individual makes? And, in general, how can humanity benefit from studying such fish behavior?UC Berkeley biological anthropologist Gustav "Tavi" Steinhardt on Primate Behavior and Microhabitat - Tamarins are squirrel-size Amazonian monkeys with big ecological impacts. Known for their ability to survive (and even thrive) in disturbed areas, Tamarins help the forest recover from damage by spreading seeds. Now, using aerial laser scans, machine learning, and countless hours trekking through jungle mud, we are beginning to understand the important ecological "business" of these tiny primates in exquisite detail.
See weblink to connect
Tuesday, 04/18/2023
Conservation Oceanography: Ocean regime shift is driving collapse of the North Atlantic right whale population - Livestream - 04/18/2023 11:00 AM
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute Moss Landing
Kinematic Measurement of Neutrino Masses - Rescheduled - 04/18/2023 03:30 PM
Hewlett Teaching Center Stanford
Isotopes, Maxwell’s demon, and The Pointsman Foundation - 04/18/2023 03:30 PM
Hewlett Teaching Center Stanford
Whole Earth Seminar - 04/18/2023 03:30 PM
Natural Science Annex Santa Cruz
World-Wide Camera Networks - Livestream - 04/18/2023 06:00 PM
IEEE Computer Society of Silicon Valley
Birding the Bay Area Part 2 - Livestream - 04/18/2023 06:30 PM
San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory
A Tale of Two Continents - Livestream - 04/18/2023 07:00 PM
Mycological Society of San Francisco
Long Now: Resisting Dystopia - 04/18/2023 07:00 PM
The Interval at Long Now San Francisco
Wednesday, 04/19/2023
Coral Seedbank of the Caribbean: An amazing reef system that defies climate change - Livestream - 04/19/2023 11:00 AM
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute Moss Landing
Commercial Kitchens in an Electric Era - Livestream - 04/19/2023 12:00 PM
Acterra
How AI Fails Us, and How Economics Can Help - 04/19/2023 12:00 PM
Sutardja Dai Hall Berkeley
Does Stress Hardening Improve Oysters' Capacity For Tolerating Disease and Marine Heatwaves? - 04/19/2023 03:30 PM
Estuary & Ocean Science Center Tiburon
Energy and Resources Group Colloquium - 04/19/2023 04:00 PM
Giannini Hall Berkeley
International Dark Sky Week event - 04/19/2023 06:00 PM
Dance Palace Point Reyes Station
Improving VR/AR Experiences by Understanding the Human Visual System - Livestream - 04/19/2023 07:00 PM
SF Bay Association of Computing Machinery
'Field Guide to North American Flycatchers' - Livestream - 04/19/2023 07:00 PM
Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society
Don’t Whack that Whale! Whales in a Highly Urbanized Estuary: Evaluating Risk of Ship Strike to Humpback Whales in San Francisco Bay - 04/19/2023 07:30 PM
Marin Science Seminar San Rafael
Did paleo people actually eat Paleo? - Rescheduled - 04/19/2023 07:30 PM
Bay Area Skeptics
Mushrooms of Ireland - 04/19/2023 07:30 PM
Bay Area Mycological Society Berkeley
Nerd Nite SF #131: LOUD, Green, and Leafy! - 04/19/2023 08:00 PM
Rickshaw Stop San Francisco
Thursday, 04/20/2023
Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource 50th anniversary celebration - 04/20/2023 08:00 AM
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory Menlo Park
Silicon Valley Leaders Symposium - 04/20/2023 12:00 PM
Silicon Valley Leaders Symposium San Jose
Curbing Climate Change through Carbon Removal - Livestream - 04/20/2023 12:00 PM
Midday Science Cafe @ UC Berkeley
The 6th Generation of Mobile Wireless - Livestream - 04/20/2023 04:00 PM
Sonoma State Engineering Colloquium
NightLife: Stoned - 04/20/2023 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
Startup Bites - Cybersecurity, Data Privacy, and ICT Pitch Night - 04/20/2023 06:00 PM
swissnex San Francisco San Francisco
After Dark: Landscape Is Homeland - 04/20/2023 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Astronomy on Tap Santa Cruz: How to Build an Exoplanet - 04/20/2023 06:30 PM
Humble Sea Brewing Co Santa Cruz
NithgSchool: Hard Core - Livestream - 04/20/2023 07:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences
Avian ecologist Scott Jennings gives an update about heron research - Livestream - 04/20/2023 07:00 PM
Redbud Audubon Society
Climate Change, SF Bay Birds, & Real Solutions - 04/20/2023 07:00 PM
David Brower Center Berkeley
Friday, 04/21/2023
DNA Day - 04/21/2023 11:00 AM
Baskin Courtyard Santa Cruz
You are when you eat: Investigating intermittent fasting and lifespan extension in Drosophila - Livestream - 04/21/2023 12:00 PM
ChEM-H/Neuroscience Building, Gunn Rotunda (E241) Stanford
Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics Seminar - 04/21/2023 12:00 PM
Earth and Marine Sciences Building Santa Cruz
Saturday, 04/22/2023
Earth Day: Seeing Earth from Space - 04/22/2023 10:00 AM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
Morning Hike at La Honda Open Space Preserve - 04/22/2023 10:00 AM
La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve La Honda
Earth Day Seabird Science Family Workshop - First Session - 04/22/2023 10:00 AM
Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary San Francisco
Earth Day at the Refuge - 04/22/2023 10:00 AM
Don Edwards Refuge Headquarters & Visitors Center Fremont
Landscape Is Homeland Festival - 04/22/2023 10:00 AM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Berkeley Bay Festival - 04/22/2023 11:00 AM
Shorebird Nature Center Berkeley
Earth Day Seabird Science Family Workshop - Second Session - 04/22/2023 01:00 PM
Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary San Francisco
Home Electrification Fair - 04/22/2023 02:00 PM
David Brower Center Berkeley
Monday, 04/24/2023
Sonoma State University Biology Colloquium - Livestream - 04/24/2023 12:00 PM
Sonoma State University - Biology Colloquium Rohnert Park
A brain-inspired electronic learning machine - 04/24/2023 02:30 PM
Physics North Berkeley
What Physicists Do - 04/24/2023 04:00 PM
Sonoma State University - What Physicists Do Rohnert Park
UC Berkeley Physics Colloquia - 04/24/2023 04:15 PM
Physics North Berkeley
Stanford Energy Seminar: Chris Young - 04/24/2023 04:30 PM
Stanford University Energy Seminar Stanford