Marine Science Sundays: Saving SpeciesJoin us in celebrating Endangered Species Day this month by learning more about marine mammals that have returned from the brink of extinction. You'll hear about the endangered species we care for and more about the Center's efforts to keep the rarest seal in the United States, the Hawaiian monk ...
Where: SausalitoCost: Free with admission
Wonderfest: Ask a Science Envoy: DreamFish & WetlandsWonderfest Science Envoys are early-career researchers with enhanced communication skills and aspirations. Following short talks on provocative modern science topics, these two Science Envoys will answer questions with insight and enthusiasm:Stanford biologist Marina Luccioni on Fish that Make Dreams - Hawaiian traditional knowledge from the 1400s references “nightmare fish.” Indeed, eating the ...
We examine the prevalence and productivity dynamics of artificial intelligence (AI) in American manufacturing. Working with the Census Bureau to collect detailed large-scale data for 2017 and 2021, we focus on AI-related technologies with industrial applications.We find causal evidence of J-curve-shaped returns, where short-term performance losses precede longer-term gains. Consistent ...
As the global demand for alternative energy intensifies, there is ongoing research and development aimed at enhancing energy storage systems. Lithium metal batteries represent a promising technology for next-generation energy storage solutions. However, stabilizing the lithium metal anode in these batteries remains a significant obstacle to their commercial viability. Given ...
Speaker: Marcus Feldman, Stanford UniversityRoom: Auditorium
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Microelectronics: When the Enabler Becomes the Bottleneck - LivestreamMicroelectronics spans a broad stack from materials and devices to circuits, architectures, and integrated systems, all of which are essential to modern scientific instrumentation. Across fields such as photon science and high-energy physics, advances in microelectronics have enabled new experimental capabilities, from highly segmented detectors to ultrafast, low-noise readout systems. ...
Where: Cost: Free
Powering Global Cooperation: Innovation, Security, & Geopolitics In A Changing Energy LandscapeIn today’s world, energy is a driver of security, prosperity, and strategic influence. As geopolitical shocks, market volatility, and technological change transform the global energy landscape, trusted partnerships are becoming essential to resilience and long-term stability.Join Condoleezza Rice and Arun Majumdar, in conversation, moderated by Šumit Ganguly, on how energy ...
Tribal Nations across California and the U.S. are increasingly asserting leadership in clean energy development-pursuing projects that advance energy resiliency, economic opportunity, and tribal sovereignty. Since many Tribes face unduly high energy costs, long outages and have long borne the brunt of fossil fuel extraction, such projects can have an ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
The Hidden Health Costs of the Digital AgeScreens - all the time, everywhere, it seems. We sit at our desks facing screens, hold meetings over screens, answer email after email on them. You’ve heard about the mental health harms of screens, but what about the physical ones? Headaches, back pain, restless sleep, and rising rates of preventable ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $25 General in person, $10 online
Skeptics in a Real PubEnjoy an evening of socializing and feasting with fellow Bay Area science-forward folk in an Irish Pub on the Peninsula with great food. < Menu >Join us! This is a free event brought to you by Bay Area Skeptics. All are welcome.
For over a century, thinkers like Adam Smith and Karl Marx believed that as jobs became more specialized, workers would focus on fewer, simpler tasks. And for a time, that seemed true. But today, many specialized roles - from teachers to doctors to police officers - require people to juggle ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $27
Tuesday, 05/12/26
Black Spot, Black Death, Black Pearl: Tales of Bacterial PathogensMy lab is interested in elucidating the activity of virulence factors from pathogenic bacteria so that we can gain novel molecular insights into eukaryotic signaling systems. The marine bacterium Vibrio parahaemolyticus is the worldwide leading cause of seafood-borne acute gastroenteritis. We are working on the two V. parahaemolyticus type 3 ...
As adolescence becomes increasingly digital, public discourse tends to focus on screen time, platform design, and online harms. Yet alongside these concerns, a parallel transformation has unfolded: the steady erosion of physical spaces meant for teens. What happens to youth social life when the outside world contracts? This talk argues ...
I will discuss ideas in modern quantitative finance from the perspective of a theoretical physicist. Starting from the classic picture of price fluctuations as random walks, I will explain how practitioners identify collective modes, or “factors,” and use them to isolate residual predictability, or “alpha.” The problem of trading on ...
Monterey Audubon Society's BLOY project has officially hit 10 years of good, clean data after a few start-up years. Join Judi Romero as she gives an update on the project by sharing what the data is telling us, sharing some stories from the field, and probably some extra-cute photos of ...
A few shark species are, indeed, dangerous wildlife. However, the public portrayal of these animals as villains and killers is overblown. What is the real life of a large shark like? How do they eat? How long do they live, and where do they migrate? Knowing about sharks in this ...
Speakers: Tanya Luhrmann (Stanford Anthropology) on "Voices" Muhammad Khatib (Stanford) on "Fiber Bioelectronics for Precision Medicine" Kathy Aoki (Santa Clara University) on "" Nitya Thakkar (Stanford Medicine) on "AI for Precision Health"
This month, we have two excellent talks lined up: First, Katie Hermanson will tell us about dwarf galaxies in dark matter simulations. Then we’ll hear from Hannah Gulick about hunting for black holes… possibly with the very phone in your pocket!
Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) has emerged as a versatile tool for seismic and geophysical studies due to its unprecedented sensor density, converting regular telecommunication fibers into distributed 1D strain sensors. DAS can achieve m-level spatial resolution and kHz sampling rates, enabling direct measurement of the coherent wavefield from seismic events. ...
Parasite diversity is sensitive to habitat disturbance and isolation, yet these expectations have rarely been tested in extreme environments. I studied the metazoan parasite community at hydrothermal vents at 9°50’N on the East Pacific Rise - an island-like, frequently disturbed, successional habitat where few parasite species had yet been discovered. ...
The Moon is entering a new era of exploration, with dozens of commercial, national, and international missions planned for the coming decade. Supporting this activity will require robust Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) infrastructure - a "Lunar GPS" - capable of serving spacecraft, landers, and rovers across the cislunar domain. ...
Ignite SF #19Get ready to be blown away at Ignite SF #19 - 15+ speakers, fast talks, bold ideas, and nonstop creativity on one electrifying stage.Get ready for a night of ideas, insight, and pure adrenaline. In true Ignite fashion, each speaker will have just 5 minutes and 20 auto-advancing slides to ...
People pleasing, perfectionism, overcompensating - these behaviors can help us navigate difficult environments, but they often limit authenticity, intimacy, and connection in our relationships.In this experiential lecture, Darshana Avila explores the roots of these patterns and how they live in the body. Through reflection, humor, and simple embodied exercises, you’ll ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $27
Thursday, 05/14/26
Coastal Walk at Cowell-Purisima TrailJoin 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 ...
This talk explores the mechanics of fluid-driven frictional ruptures, accounting for frictional weakening, dilation, and permeability changes. While primarily occurring during hydraulic stimulation of geothermal reservoirs, these processes also impact fault stability, landslides, and glacier mechanics. Assuming a circular rupture geometry, we examine how the rupture propagation behavior can widely ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Infrastructure for Science that Compounds in the Age of AI AgentsAI agents that autonomously conduct research risk breaking a delicate balance in science. The scientific paper is a lossy format: methodological choices and assumptions compressed into a few pages, with peer review and community scrutiny providing the warrant that results are sound. This trade-off worked because the rate of new ...
The international community seeks to increase public and private financial flows to address the climate crisis. Initiatives to promote emissions reductions target forests and waterways across the Global South; their success often depends on the reorientation of local governance practices. This talk draws on mixed methods research in Guatemala to ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
UC Berkeley Energy and Resources Group Colloquium - CANCELED?Speaker: Cris Crespo and Jess KerseyEditor's Note: This event conflicts with a similar event at overlapping times and location. Since no title has been released for this event, we are assuming the other one is correct and UC Berkeley just hasn't canceled or rescheduled this one at this time.
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Drake Awards 2026Join the SETI Institute’s premier space science celebration as we honor pioneering researchers advancing the search for life beyond Earth!Honoring Excellence in SETI & AstrobiologyThe Drake Awards is the SETI Institute’s premier celebration of bold ideas, transformative discovery, and humanity’s enduring question: Are we alone in the universe?This signature evening brings ...
Where: Mountain ViewCost: $150
After Dark: Unplug and PlayGet a taste of life as an Exploratorium engineer! Test-drive prototypes, savor the creative chaos, and find out how your curiosity can shape what comes next. Ages 18+
Where: San FranciscoCost: $22.95
NightLifeThursdays hit different at NightLife. The museum comes alive after hours - wilder, more curious, and full of exciting creatures. Grab your friends, grab a hand-crafted drink, and let yourself wander into whatever weird or wonderful corner calls you. You never know what you’ll stumble into next, and that’s the ...
Breathwork isn’t just wellness - it’s physiology in action. The way you breathe directly shapes your nervous system, influencing stress, focus, and emotional range in real time.In this interactive lecture, Char Lacsina explores the science behind breath and regulation, from the vagus nerve to CO? tolerance, and why stress can ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $27
The Aquatic World of Penguins - Biology of Fish-Birds - LivestreamCenturies ago, when penguins were first encountered by European explorers, they were not thought to be birds but rather a fish-like relative. Subsequent accumulation of knowledge has shown penguins to be an avian species with unrivaled aquatic attributes owing to a number of evolutionary adaptations. David Ainley will introduce us ...
In this talk, Quico Toro draws on his book Charlatans to trace the grifter’s playbook from Renaissance Venice to the algorithmic age. Starting with Mamugnà - a 16th-century fake alchemist who persuaded the Venetian Senate to bankroll his lavish lifestyle for nearly a decade - Toro shows that the basic ...
The Exceptional Botanical Diversity of the Siskiyou CrestThe Siskiyou Crest has one of the highest concentrations of officially designated botanical areas on National Forest lands in the country. Along the ridges, slopes and canyons of the Siskiyou Crest, from Mt. Ashland to the Smith River, are 31 officially designated Botanical Areas that recognize concentrations of rare species, ...
Where: BerkeleyCost:
Saturday, 05/16/26
An Easy Intro to Feynman's QED, Part 2: Adding Alternative Histories - LivestreamIn his February 21, 2026, talk, Terry discussed how Nobel Laureate Richard Feynman devised a radically new way to represent quantum mechanics mathematically by fully accepting both Einstein’s controversial insistence that photons must be localized particles of energy and that all wave-like behaviors of those particles are real and must ...
Where: Cost: Free
National River Cleanup Day at the EECVolunteer to help clean up litter at the Environmental Education Center!Join us for National River Cleanup Day! We'd love your help picking up litter from the roads and trails around the Environmental Education Center (EEC) to help keep our waterways and wetlands clean!Please note, volunteers under the age of 16 will ...
Where: AlvisoCost: 0
Stanford Medicine: Health Matters ShowcaseVisionary scientists. Expert health care providers. Thought-provoking presentations. Hands-on activities. It’s all waiting for you at Health Matters 2026.Whether you’re looking for the latest insights to support your heart health or simple tips to improve your nutrition - and everything in between - we’ve got you covered.Join us on the ...
Dr. Yvonne Cagle, MD, PhD, is a NASA Astronaut, aerospace physician, Brigadier General in the California State Guard USAF Retired, senior flight surgeon, and biotech inventor whose career has helped shape the future of human spaceflight and global health. Her work bridges science, medicine, the military, and space exploration with ...
Where: San CarlosCost: Free with admission
Family Bird WalkJoin us on a fun, family, feathered Family Bird Walk! This program is especially recommended for families with children ages 5-10.Let family walks become a shared time of nature learning! We’ll begin by helping kids create their personal bird watching field guides, and then head out onto the trails to ...
