Neighbors,We live in an area where rich with amazing scientific and/or technological research. Many of the facilities where research is conducted offer free public lectures and other related activities for audiences from the general lay public, to children, to science community members.  Each week, I compile a list of these lectures taking place locally, anywhere from San Mateo to San Jose, and send the list by email to friends, neighbors, and others who are interested in attending.  This week's list of lectures is below as sample.  If you would like me to add you to my list, to receive information about these lectures and activities weekly, please reply to me off-list. Enjoy!Dotty CalabreseRichard Ct.  NOTE:  All events are FREE unless noted otherwise 1. Fri., 02/07/20 – 7:00-8:00 PM Woodside Town Hall 2955 Woodside Rd Woodside, CA 94062 Website: Click to Visit Woodside First Friday:  CuriOdyssey's Executive Director Rachel Meyer This month's presentation will be about CuriOdyssey - a science playground & zoo creates a world-class science museum for tomorrow’s innovators. Executive director Rachel Meyer will talk about its history and roots as the Champion of Early Science Learning and why it is so Important. How they do what they do, how inquiry and play are central to how they “deliver” their philosophy through an interactive learning environment. 2. Fri., 02/07/20 - 8:00 PM San Mateo Co. Astronomical Society College of San Mateo Bldg 36 1700 W Hillsdale Rd San Mateo, CA 94402 Satellite Galaxies and Dwarfs in the Local Group Our Local Group of galaxies is composed of our Milky Way; its twin galaxy, Andromeda (M31); and the dozens of small “satellite” galaxies orbiting around each of them. Satellite galaxies are thought to be the building blocks of more massive galaxies, therefore tracking the orbital histories of satellite galaxies in the galactic neighborhood is crucial to our understanding of how the Milky Way and Andromeda arrived at their current properties. Since galaxies are embedded in halos of dark matter -- the invisible matter that makes up 85% of the matter in the Universe -- satellite galaxies also act as tracers of this massive, mysterious matter. In this talk, I will explain how the individual orbital histories of these galaxies help us learn about the evolution of satellites themselves. Additionally, I will demonstrate how the collective motion of these systems of satellite galaxies can reveal important characteristics of their host galaxies, including the properties of their dark matter halos. Speaker: Dr. Ekta Patel, UC Berkeley Website: http://www.smcasastro.com/meetings.html 3. Fri 2/7/2020 9PM Foothill College 12345 El Monte Rd Los Altos Hills, CA 94022 Foothill Observatory is open for public viewing every clear Friday evening from 9:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. Visitors can view the wonders of the universe through the observatory's computer-controlled 16- inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope. Views of objects in our solar system may include craters and mountains on the moon, the moons and cloud-bands of Jupiter, the rings of Saturn, etc. Deep space objects including star clusters, nebulae, and distant galaxies also provide dramatic demonstrations of the vastness of the cosmos.The choice of targets for any evening's viewing depends on the season and what objects are currently in the sky. Admission is free. Parking is $3 Foothill Observatory is located on the campus of Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, CA. Take Highway 280 to the El Monte Rd exit. The observatory is next to parking lot 4. Parking at the college requires visitor parking permits that are available from the machines in the parking lots for $3.00. Dispensers accept one-dollar bills and quarters; bring exact change. Citations are issued. Come to Foothill Observatory and join us in the exploration of our Universe! 4. Sat. 2/8/2020 10AM Foothill College 12345 El Monte Rd Los Altos Hills, CA 94022 Foothill College Observatory 10AM-12PM if it is clear Solar observing with a Hydrogen alpha solar telescope every clear Saturday morning. This allows spectacular views of solar prominences and unusual surface features on the Sun not otherwise visible with regular white light telescopes. Admission is free. Parking is $3 Foothill Observatory is located on the campus of Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, CA. Take Highway 280 to the El Monte Rd exit. The observatory is next to parking lot 4. Parking at the college requires visitor parking permits that are available from the machines in the parking lots for $3.00. Dispensers accept one-dollar bills and quarters; bring exact change. Citations are issued. 5. Sat. 2/8/20 – 10:00 am-Noon Marine Science Institute 500 Discovery Parkway Redwood City, CA 94063 Website: Click to Visit Cost:  From $20 Shark Day Our special Shark Day invites one and all to learn about these amazing creatures, from the great whites that swim just off our ocean shores, to the gentle leopard sharks that are common in our Bay. We will be feeding and touching our local leopard sharks in our teaching aquarium, and examining the vital role of these top predators. Groups starting at 10:00 and 10:30, each 90 minutes long. 6. Sat. 2/8/20 – 10:00 am-1:00 pm THE WORLD BENEATH OUR FEET Long Ridge Preserve Approximate Total Miles:   3        EASY HIKE So much life goes on invisibly in the soil where countless species of invertebrates, fungi, and various kinds  of matter are busy interacting. Without this often invisible world of decomposers and recyclers life on earth would be very different. Join docents Chris MacIntosh, Jack Owicki, and Maureen Draper on a leisurely hike along Peters Creek to explore for and discover hidden life. Interested and capable children 5 years and older are welcome. Where to Meet:  Meet at the roadside pullout area on the west side of Skyline Boulevard, 3.6 miles north of Highway 9 or 3.3 miles south of Page Mill Road.  If you are coming from the north on Skyline Blvd., the pullout is just past Portola Heights Road on the right.  From the south, the pullout is near the Palo Alto city limits sign on the right. There is additional parking across Skyline Blvd. at the Grizzly Flat trailhead (Santa Clara County Park). 7. Sat. 2/8/20 – 10:30 am-Noon Don Edwards Learning Pavilion 1 Marshlands Rd near Tideline Trail Fremont, CA 94555 Website: Click to Visit Bay Rocks for Kids Join volunteer and geologist, Malcom Pringle, to learn about why rocks rock! What makes up the hills and habitats that surround San Francisco Bay? Bang, scratch, nick, view, (even chew?) rocks from the hills and crystals from the Bay! Ponder how and where they could have formed -- are those microfossils? Then wonder, how have they been uplifted to form the foundation for all the varied plants and animals -- and buildings! -- that we see today?  Most appropriate for school-aged learners, but all ages are welcome. Great for families and scout groups! Closed-toed shoes recommended. 8. Sat. 2/8/20 – 3:00-5:00 pm Fiddler's Cove Pescadero, CA Website: Click to Visit Cost:  From $20 Low Tide Walk MSI takes to the tidepools for a treasure hunt of nature's beautiful intertidal secrets. We'll spend our time taking advantage of the low tide to reach the outer edges of Fiddler Cove, a super secret locals spot between Pescadero and Bean Hollow. This quiet piece of coast offers a wealth of rocky shore inhabitants at an otherwise uncrowded habitat. 9. Sat. 2/8/20 – 4:30-6:00 pm Don Edwards Refuge Headquarters & Visitors Center 2 Marshlands Road Fremont, CA 94555 Website: Click to Visit Twilight Marsh Walk Experience the salt marsh at twilight on an easy stroll along Tidelands (1.3 miles) Trail. At the setting of the sun we will observe the beginning of nature’s night shift. Come discover the sights, sounds, and smells of the refuge as night descends. Not suitable for young children. Call 510-792-0222 ext. 363.  Led by Mary and Gene Bobik. 10. Sun. 2/9/20 – 9:00 am-Noon WHAT’S ON THE MENU TODAY?        Register Long Ridge Preserve Approximate Total Miles:  3.5        EASY HIKE It’s winter, and every creature in the preserve is searching for life-sustaining nourishment. Join docents Helena Cohen and Frances Reneau as to search for food sources available to local wildlife. You’ll be looking for signs of woodland dining, and help determine what’s been stored and who’s been snacking in the neighborhood. This will be a leisurely out and back hike, following the Achistaca Trail. Children over eight years old are welcome. (Special Meeting Location/Directions: This hike will meet at a roadside parking location adjacent to the trailhead. Travel 1.0 mile west on Highway 9 from its intersection with Highway 35 / Skyline Boulevard. The pullout-parking area will be on the right-northside of Highway 9. Do not block any gates.) Where to Meet:  See above for meeting location. REGISTER 11. Sun. 2/9/20 – 9:00 am-4:30 pm FUNGAL FUN Purisima Creek Redwoods Preserve Approximate Total Miles:  7        STRENUOUS HIKE Can you find candlesnuff, bird’s nest, and orange peel along the trail? These are a few of the fungi that docents Chris MacIntosh, Paul Billig, and Marie Faust Evitt hope to discover with you on this non-technical fungus appreciation hike. Hiking Whittemore and Harkins Ridge Trails through different habitats, you’ll notice the sometimes camouflaged and always fascinating fungi which flourish in winter. Bring boots for mud, stamina, and your curiosity. Despite frequent stops, there are some very steep sections of trail on this loop hike with about 1,500 feet of elevation gain. Where to Meet:  Meet at the Preserve parking lot on Skyline Boulevard.  This entrance is next to the now closed Kings Mountain Country Store.  The parking lot is 4.5 miles south of Highway 92, and 8.1 miles north of Highway 84. 12. Sun. 2/9/20 – 1:30 pm Houge Park (3972 Twilight Dr, San Jose, CA 95124) (map) Public Solar Viewing It’s there for us year round, lighting our days and providing energy for our lives, so maybe it’s time to give it a closer look. Join SJAA  for amazing... https://www.meetup.com/SJ-Astronomy/events/267472907/ 13. Mon. 2/10/20 – 11:00 am-Noon Varian Physics Building 382 Via Pueblo Mall Room 355 Stanford, CA 94305 Website: Click to Visit Simulating galaxy imaging surveys Masato Shirasaki, Jet Propulsion Lab Numerical simulations of weak gravitational lensing play an important role in statistical analyses of modern galaxy imaging data. In this talk, I will introduce our recent developments to simulate galaxy imaging data. We developed a method to produce synthetic data by utilizing full-sky lensing simulations for a given galaxy catalog. We applied the method to the data sets of Sloan Digital Sky Survey and Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam Survey to study statistical uncertainties of two-point statistics of galaxy shapes. I will also discuss the possibility of using the synthetic data to train deep-learning networks for noise reduction in an observed lensing mass map. 14. Mon. 2/10/20 – 3:30-4:30 pm SLAC Colloquium Series 2575 Sand Hill Rd, Building 51 Kavli Auditorium Menlo Park, CA 94025 Website: Click to Visit Probing Molecular Dynamics in Real Time from Within with Free Electron Lasers Nora Berrah, Univ. of Connecticut The knowledge of the earliest time dynamics in molecular photophysics and photochemistry are critical because their role is to harness the energy from photons, initiating electronic and nuclear motion which is fundamental in many areas of science. Our ultimate goal is to understand the coupled electronic and nuclear dynamics induced by the absorption of photons by molecules, which leads first to attosecond electron excitation within the molecules, followed by nuclear motion in the femtosecond range. This eventually results in the breaking and making of chemical bonds on the picosecond timescale. The past decade has seen the exciting birth of the first X-ray laser, the LCLS free electron laser (FEL) followed by other FELs around the world, leading to an explosion of new science, in the femtosecond and very recently in the attosecond regime. I will present our recent time-resolved experimental results using pump-probe technique with FELs to watch, in real time, the response of large molecules to intense X-rays as well as to examine the role of physical and chemical effects and how they lead to the timing of bonds breaking and bond forming. 15. Mon. 2/10/20 – 6:30-8:00 pm Forager Tasting Room & Eatery 420 South First St San Jose, CA 95113 Website: Click to Visit February Prof & A Pint: Bioengineering for Social Good David Bernick, UC Santa Cruz Our world and the unexplored worlds around us are bathed in nano-scale systems (living cells) that convert their molecular surroundings into useful energy stores, building blocks, information storage, sensors, and secreted drones that detect, manipulate, control and harvest. As BioEngineers, we work to understand and influence these nano systems to achieve human needs. Synthetic Biology, Computational Biology, Systems Biology, Genomics, Protein Engineering - these are the topics, tools and skills of our newest BioEngineers. Which human needs are important and how ought we build the next clutch of Bioengineers? Hundreds of teams worldwide are part of the IGEM effort to do just that - building the next wave of BioEngineers trained to ethically build for the good of humanity. 16. Wed. 2/12/20 – 9:30 am-2:00 pm TRANSITIONS: EXPLORING LIFE CYCLES El Corte de Madera Creek Preserve Approximate Total Miles:  5.5        MODERATE HIKE        MEAL BREAK Explore transitions in nature's life cycles with docents Catherine Crawford-Swent, Marie Faust Evitt, and Lindsay Joye. Hiking through the forest you'll encounter ferns, wildflowers, Douglas fir, and redwood trees along Sierra Morena, OIjon, Steam Donkey, and Methuselah Trails. You'll discover how new plants form, identify plant strategies for survival, and how mature plants evolve and change.  You'll explore the profound impact that the history of this Preserve had on area plant life.  Where to Meet:  Meet at the Preserve parking lot located on the west side of Highway 35 (Skyline Boulevard), about 1- mile south of the Caltrans Skeggs Point parking area and 2.7 miles north of the intersection of Highway 35 and Highway 84. 17. Wed. 2/12/20 – 7:30pm Hammer Theatre San Jose, CA https://events.nationalgeographic.com/talks/designed-nature/hammer-theatre TICKET PRICE: $30-$45 Designed by Nature Kakani Katija, Bioengineer & Research Diver A former member of the U.S. International Figure Skating Team, bioengineer Kakani Katija now studies the graceful movements of life below the surface. Join her for a fascinating look at one of the least explored ecosystems on our planet—the ocean’s midwaters—and learn how its inhabitants could lead to breakthroughs in bio-inspired design.  Designers and engineers have drawn inspiration from our natural world for decades, creating innovations as groundbreaking as manned flight, and Katija’s own early work has led to energy efficient jellyfish-inspired robotics. Now, she studies little-known sea creatures that have the potential to make a big impact on some of our world’s most critical problems. As a certified research diver, Katija conducts field studies around the world, gathering data to help her develop technologies for exploring this ocean twilight zone and imagining—and creating—possibilities for the future.  18. Thurs. 2/13/20 – 7:00 pm LASER Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous LiKaShing building, Room LK120 Stanford University Stanford, CA 94305 Website: Click to Visit February LASER Event - Stanford        7:00-7:25: Krishna Shenoy(Stanford/ Neuroscience) on "Brain-machine Interfaces: From basic science and engineering to clinical trials" Brain-machine interfaces aim to restore lost functions due to brain disease or injury by converting neural activity from the brain into control signals... Read more        7:25-7:50: Lars Steinmetz(Co-Director, Stanford Genome Technology Center) on "Emerging Technologies to Prevent Disease" Abstract forthcoming... Read more        7:50-8:10: BREAK. Before or after the break, anyone in the audience currently working within the intersections of art and science will have 30 seconds to share their work. Please present your work as a teaser so that those who are interested can seek you out during social time following the event.        8:10-8:35: Terry Berlier(Kinetic Artist) on "Nonorientable: Queering Objects" Kinetic and sound sculptures to queer the possible... Read more        8:35-9:00: Christine Marie(Shadow Theater Artist) on "Creating (antiquated) Augmented Reality" A celebration of the current moment in which technologies and content are being developed for and by women... Read more 19. Fri 2/14/20 – 7:30 pm Peninsula Astronomical Society Foothill College Room 5015 Los Altos Hills, CA 94022 Website: Click to Visit Cost: Free ($3 parking) Touring Exotic Landforms Across the Solar System Brian Day, NASA Ames 35. Fri 2/14/20 – 7:00 pm San Jose Astronomical Association In-Town PUBLIC Star Party Houge Park 3972 Twilight Dr San Jose, CA Come view the heavens through a telescope at the SJAA's In Town Star Party. Bring a scope to share the views, and if you do, feel free to come early to set up. Remember, this event is free, everyone is invited, no reservations required. Just show up! 20. Fri 2/14/20 – 9:00 pm Foothill College 12345 El Monte Rd Los Altos Hills, CA 94022 Foothill Observatory is open for public viewing every clear Friday evening from 9:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. Visitors can view the wonders of the universe through the observatory's computer-controlled 16- inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope. Views of objects in our solar system may include craters and mountains on the moon, the moons and cloud-bands of Jupiter, the rings of Saturn, etc. Deep space objects including star clusters, nebulae, and distant galaxies also provide dramatic demonstrations of the vastness of the cosmos.The choice of targets for any evening's viewing depends on the season and what objects are currently in the sky. Admission is free. Parking is $3 Foothill Observatory is located on the campus of Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, CA. Take Highway 280 to the El Monte Rd exit. The observatory is next to parking lot 4. Parking at the college requires visitor parking permits that are available from the machines in the parking lots for $3.00. Dispensers accept one-dollar bills and quarters; bring exact change. Citations are issued. Come to Foothill Observatory and join us in the exploration of our Universe! 21. Sat. 2/15/2020 10AM Foothill College 12345 El Monte Rd Los Altos Hills, CA 94022 Foothill College Observatory 10AM-12PM if it is clear Solar observing with a Hydrogen alpha solar telescope every clear Saturday morning. This allows spectacular views of solar prominences and unusual surface features on the Sun not otherwise visible with regular white light telescopes. Admission is free. Parking is $3 Foothill Observatory is located on the campus of Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, CA. Take Highway 280 to the El Monte Rd exit. The observatory is next to parking lot 4. Parking at the college requires visitor parking permits that are available from the machines in the parking lots for $3.00. Dispensers accept one-dollar bills and quarters; bring exact change. Citations are issued. 22. Sat. 2/15/2020 – 10:00 am Don Edwards Refuge Environmental Education Center 1751 Grand Blvd Alviso, CA 95002 Website: Click to Visit Hike the Mallard Slough Look for birds, mammals, and animal tracks as we explore along the water’s edge on this 3.7-mile nature walk. Bring binoculars and your favorite field guide to help enjoy the views. Have at least one liter of water, snacks, and appropriate clothing. Rain will cancel this hike due to possibly muddy trail. Led by Steve Stolper, certified California Naturalist. Reservations Recommended 23. Wed. 2/19/20 – 6:00-8:00 pm HanaHaus 456 University Ave Palo Alto, CA 94301 Website: Click to Visit Golden Age for Computer Architecture David Patterson, UC Berkeley As we approach another golden age for the field of computer architecture, David will review the landscape since the 1960s, current challenges and identify future opportunities. Much like David did in the 1980s, he will discuss his research in delivering gains in cost, energy, security and performance. The backbone of what led to David and co-author John L. Hennessy to receive the prestigious Turing Award in 2017. After the Q&A session, David will spend some time talking about his life journey, the lessons he’s learned along the way - from his 40+ years career path to his 50+ years marriage - and conclude with his secret to fostering a lasting relationship. 24. Thurs. 2/20/20 – 5:00-6:45 pm 5:00-5:15 PM Registration 5:15-6:00 PM Welcome & Talk 6:00-6:45 PM Questions REGISTER HanaHaus 456 University Ave. Palo Alto, CA 94301 Cloud + Deep Reinforcement Learning + Microsim: the Future of Mixed Autonomy Traffic Alexandre Bayen  The question of how will self-driving cars will change urban mobility patterns is an open topic today. This talk describes scientific contributions in the field of reinforcement learning presented in the context of enabling mixed-autonomy mobility, the gradual and complex integration of automated vehicles into the existing traffic system. The talk explores the potential impact of a small fraction of automated vehicles on low-level traffic flow dynamics, using novel techniques in model-free deep reinforcement learning. Illustrative examples will be presented in the context of a new open-source computational platform called FLOW, which integrates state of the art microsimulation tools with deep-RL libraries on AWS EC2. Interesting behavior of mixed autonomy traffic will be revealed in the context of emergent behavior of traffic. Alexandre Bayen is the Liao-Cho Professor of Engineering at UC Berkeley; a Professor of both Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Civil and Environmental Engineering. He is currently the Director of the Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS),  and a Faculty Scientist in Mechanical Engineering, at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). He received the Engineering Degree in applied mathematics from the Ecole Polytechnique, France, in 1998, the M.S. and Ph.D. in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford University in 1999 and 2004, respectively. He was a Visiting Researcher at NASA Ames Research Center from 2000 to 2003, and January 2004 through December 2004, he worked as the Research Director of the Autonomous Navigation Laboratory at the Laboratoire de Recherches Balistiques et Aerodynamiques, (Ministere de la Defense, Vernon, France), where he holds the rank of Major. 25. Fri 2/21/2020 - 6:00 PM Computer History Museum 1401 N Shoreline Blvd Mountain View, CA 94043 Website: Click to Visit Playing by New Rules Innovative technologies are transforming the world of sports. Whether we’re athletes, managers, coaches, or fans, innovative sports technologies are changing the way we play the game, along with the game itself. Join us at CHM with sports tech experts from the 49ers, venture capital, and Stanford to explore how new technologies and new start-ups are changing training, peak performance, coaching, the business of sports, and the fan experience. 26. Fri 2/21/2020 - 9:00 PM Foothill College 12345 El Monte Rd Los Altos Hills, CA 94022 Foothill Observatory is open for public viewing every clear Friday evening from 9:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. Visitors can view the wonders of the universe through the observatory's computer-controlled 16- inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope. Views of objects in our solar system may include craters and mountains on the moon, the moons and cloud-bands of Jupiter, the rings of Saturn, etc. Deep space objects including star clusters, nebulae, and distant galaxies also provide dramatic demonstrations of the vastness of the cosmos.The choice of targets for any evening's viewing depends on the season and what objects are currently in the sky. Admission is free. Parking is $3 Foothill Observatory is located on the campus of Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, CA. Take Highway 280 to the El Monte Rd exit. The observatory is next to parking lot 4. Parking at the college requires visitor parking permits that are available from the machines in the parking lots for $3.00. Dispensers accept one-dollar bills and quarters; bring exact change. Citations are issued. Come to Foothill Observatory and join us in the exploration of our Universe! 27. Sat. 2/22/20 – 9:00am-Noon BEGINNING BAYLAND BIRDING Ravenswood Preserve Approximate Total Miles:  2.4        EASY HIKE        SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN*        STROLLER ACCESSIBLE Do birds like great blue herons, Canada geese and mallard ducks frame the scope of your current bird identification ability? Join docents Frances Reneau, Helena Cohen, and Lyle Rice to add a few more common water birds to your birding repertoire – bring your curiosity, observation skills, binoculars (if you have some), and your dusty copy of Sibley’s or another field guide. The wide, flat Ravenswood Trail serves as a moving observation platform for a morning of discovery. Where to Meet:  Meet at the Preserve parking lot.  From Highway 101, exit on University Avenue. Follow University Ave. north (about four long blocks) to Bay Road.  Turn right on Bay Rd. and follow it to the very end (about 1.2 miles).  The Preserve entrance and parking lot are marked with large signs.  28. Sat. 2/22/2020 10AM Foothill College 12345 El Monte Rd Los Altos Hills, CA 94022 Foothill College Observatory 10AM-12PM if it is clear Solar observing with a Hydrogen alpha solar telescope every clear Saturday morning. This allows spectacular views of solar prominences and unusual surface features on the Sun not otherwise visible with regular white light telescopes. Admission is free. Parking is $3 Foothill Observatory is located on the campus of Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, CA. Take Highway 280 to the El Monte Rd exit. The observatory is next to parking lot 4. Parking at the college requires visitor parking permits that are available from the machines in the parking lots for $3.00. Dispensers accept one-dollar bills and quarters; bring exact change. Citations are issued. 29. Sat. 2/22/2020 1:00-3:00 pm Don Edwards Refuge Environmental Education Center 1751 Grand Blvd Alviso, CA 95002 Website: Click to Visit The History & Mystery of the Refuge and the Bay Don Edwards SF Bay National Wildlife Refuge was created in 1972, but the reason the refuge was established dates back 200 years prior to when Europeans first arrived at the San Francisco Bay and changed the Bay forever. Join our volunteer, Larry, to learn about the history, and the answers to mysteries such as: How did we almost turn San Francisco Bay into San Francisco River? How do the consequences of the Gold Rush affect us today? Is there really a mouse that can swim? The program starts indoors but moves outside for an easy half-mile, accessible, walk. All ages are welcome; bring your whole family! Reservations recommended. Questions? Call: 408-262-5513 ext 104 30. Sat. 2/22/20 - 2:00-3:30 pm Don Edwards Refuge Ravenswood Unit SF2 Trail Parking Area Menlo Park, CA 94025 Website: Click to Visit 31. Mon. 2/24/20 - 12:30-1:20 pm Stanford Symbolic Systems Forum Margaret Jacks Hall 460-126 Stanford, CA 94305 Website: Click to Visit Symbolic Systems Forum Mark Lemley, Stanford Law School 32. Tues. 2/25/20 – 7:00pm UC Santa Cruz Silicon Valley Campus 3175 Bowers Avenue, Santa Clara Click here to register. Kraw Lecture Astrobiology with UC Santa Cruz professor and astrophysicist Natalie Batalha | | | | | Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics | | UC Santa Cruz Award-winning astrophysicist Natalie Batalha served as the scientific lead for NASA's highly successful Kepler mission, which discovered more than 2,500 planets around other stars. On the Kepler mission, she identified planets that might be able to sustain life and led the analysis that yielded the discovery in 2011 of the first confirmed rocky planet outside our solar system. Natalie joined the faculty at UC Santa Cruz in 2018, returning to where she had received her Ph.D. in astrophysics in 1997. In 2017, Time magazine named her among the 100 most influential people in the world. | | | | | 33. Tues. 2/25/20 – 7:00pm Computer History Museum 1401 N Shoreline Blvd Mountain View, CA 94043 Website: Click to Visit The Autonomous Revolution Bill Davidow and Michael Malone For the third time in the history of humanity, civilization is undergoing epic cultural transformation - a cultural phase change. Artificial intelligence and virtual environments are creating a world of abundance in which our institutions are changing form, obey different rules, use different methods, and behave contrary to our intuition. We are at the dawn of the Autonomous Revolution, a technological revolution as decisive as the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions. In this revolution, autonomous machines will drive transformations as discontinuous as going from barter to money and markets or from wandering tribes to cities. The speakers will discuss why increases in productivity no longer translate into growth in the GDP and how zero cost one-to-many communications have been turned into productivity tools for cybercrime and antisocial behavior. Many of the proposed solutions--such as monetizing internet usage and restricting free speech -- are extremely controversial. 34. Wed. 2/26/20 – 7:00-8:00 pm Villa Ragusa 35 S. Second Street Campbell, CA 95008 Website: Click to Visit Cost:  $9 - $60 Mind, Matter, and the Search for Meaning World-renowned physicist Brian Greene offers a captivating exploration of the cosmos and our ongoing quest to understand it. Greene takes us on a journey across time - from our most refined understanding of the universe’s beginning to the closest science can take us to the very end. He also explains the distinct but interwoven layers of reality - from quantum mechanics to consciousness to black holes. Greene is known for his groundbreaking discoveries in superstring theory. He provides a clearer sense of how we came to be, where we are now and where we are ultimately headed. 35. Thurs. 2/27/20 – 7:00-8:30 pm Building 3 2nd floor Rambo Auditorium, USGS Menlo Park Campus Menlo Park, California  Visit our Locations page for the campus map and directions. " From California to Cambodia - Surface Water Mapping using Cloud-Based Remote Sensing” Chris Soulard, USGS Western Geographic Science Center 36. Fri 2/28/2020 9PM Foothill College 12345 El Monte Rd Los Altos Hills, CA 94022 Foothill Observatory is open for public viewing every clear Friday evening from 9:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. Visitors can view the wonders of the universe through the observatory's computer-controlled 16- inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope. Views of objects in our solar system may include craters and mountains on the moon, the moons and cloud-bands of Jupiter, the rings of Saturn, etc. Deep space objects including star clusters, nebulae, and distant galaxies also provide dramatic demonstrations of the vastness of the cosmos.The choice of targets for any evening's viewing depends on the season and what objects are currently in the sky. Admission is free. Parking is $3 Foothill Observatory is located on the campus of Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, CA. Take Highway 280 to the El Monte Rd exit. The observatory is next to parking lot 4. Parking at the college requires visitor parking permits that are available from the machines in the parking lots for $3.00. Dispensers accept one-dollar bills and quarters; bring exact change. Citations are issued.   Come to Foothill Observatory and join us in the exploration of our Universe! 37. Sat. 2/29/2020 10AM Foothill College 12345 El Monte Rd Los Altos Hills, CA 94022 Foothill College Observatory 10AM-12PM if it is clear Solar observing with a Hydrogen alpha solar telescope every clear Saturday morning. This allows spectacular views of solar prominences and unusual surface features on the Sun not otherwise visible with regular white light telescopes. Admission is free. Parking is $3 Foothill Observatory is located on the campus of Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, CA. Take Highway 280 to the El Monte Rd exit. The observatory is next to parking lot 4. Parking at the college requires visitor parking permits that are available from the machines in the parking lots for $3.00. Dispensers accept one-dollar bills and quarters; bring exact change. Citations are issued. 38. Sat. 2/29/2020 10:00-11:30 AM Fremont Earthquake Exhibit 40204 Paseo Padre Pkwy Fremont, CA 94538 Website: Click to Visit Cost:  $15 Hayward Fault Tour This family tour is great for elementary age children and their families. It shows the power of an earthquake without fear. In Earthquake Country knowledge of earthquakes is important. Classes include a tour of the features in Central Park. Learn how Stivers Lagoon and Lake Elizabeth were created. Other faults in the bay area will be discussed and important clues on how to think when an earthquake occurs. 1.5 hour long, tour 1 mile 39. Sat. 2/29/2020 10:00-Noon Marine Science Institute 500 Discovery Parkway Redwood City, CA 94063 Website: Click to Visit Cost:  From $20 Shoreside Bay Creatures Join your kids in a morning of scientific fun! Participants will work as a team to pull in a large seine (net) to catch local fishes, set a mud grab to gather bottom samples and invertebrates, and learn the difference between the two groups of animals. This event is perfect for children 5 -10 and requires adult participation. 40. Sat. 2/29/2020 - 2:00-3:15 pm Don Edwards Refuge Headquarters & Visitors Center 2 Marshlands Road Fremont, CA 94555 Phone: 510-792-0222 ext 363 Website: Click to Visit Indicators that Fox are in Your Area Do you sometimes see paw prints in mud or scat (poop) on the trails and assume that a dog left it? It could be from something else. Come along with me and I will show you how to distinguish and identify the markings of a gray fox. Gain some insights into the fox’s nature and their behavior during the walk. By the time we are through, you will have a set of “tools” you can use to identify the presence of foxes in any area that you are in. Bring a hat, binoculars, and good walking shoes. Led by Bill Leikam from the Urban Wildlife Research Project.  41. Sat. 2/29/2020 - 8:30-10:30 pm College of San Mateo 1700 W Hillsdale Blvd San Mateo, CA 94402 Website: Click to Visit Jazz under the Stars Jazz Under the Stars is a FREE monthly public stargazing event! Occurring on the Saturday after the 1st quarter moon (check our Events Page), join us on the 4th floor planetarium 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� 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 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 website for last minute cancelations. 42. Wed. 3/4/20 – 7:00pm Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture Series Foothill College Smithwick Theater Los Altos Hills, CA 94022 Website: Click to Visit Vera Rubin Observatory: The Most Comprehensive Survey of the Sky Ever Undertaken Dr. Phil Marshall, SLAC/Stanford 43. Tues. 3/19/20 – 7:00pm UC Santa Cruz Silicon Valley Campus 3175 Bowers Avenue, Santa Clara KRAW Lecture Coastal Science with Anne Kapuscinski Click here to register. 44. Thurs. 3/26/20 – 7:00-8:30 pm Building 3 2nd floor Rambo Auditorium, USGS Menlo Park Campus Menlo Park, California  Visit our Locations page for the campus map and directions. "Social Science and Natural Disasters" Sara McBride, USGS Earthquake Science Center 45. Tues. 3/31/20 – 7:30 pm SLAC NATIONAL ACCELERATOR LABORATORY  2575 Sand Hill Road  Menlo Park, CA 94025 Pigmentation of Dinosaurs Nick Edwards 46. Tues. 5/19/20 – 7:30 pm SLAC NATIONAL ACCELERATOR LABORATORY  2575 Sand Hill Road  Menlo Park, CA 94025 Large Hadron Collider Caterina Vernieri  47. Tues. 7/28/20 – 7:30 pm SLAC NATIONAL ACCELERATOR LABORATORY  2575 Sand Hill Road  Menlo Park, CA 94025 Water in Extreme and Alien Environments Arianna Gleason-Holbrook   48. Tues. 9/29/20 – 7:30 pm SLAC NATIONAL ACCELERATOR LABORATORY  2575 Sand Hill Road  Menlo Park, CA 94025 Designing Materials for Particle Accelerators Diana Gamzina 48. Tues. 11/17/20 – 7:30 pm SLAC NATIONAL ACCELERATOR LABORATORY  2575 Sand Hill Road  Menlo Park, CA 94025 Modern, Automated X-Ray Crystallography Aina Cohen   NOTE:  To be removed from this list, reply "remove me" to this e-mail.