For the past year, I've been a loyal follower of the USGS public lecture series in Menlo Park. On the 4th Thursday of every month, they put on a wide variety of scientific presentations, from the exploration of Mars to the effect of climate change on western forests. I'm just amazed at the breadth of scientific endeavors at the USGS: earthquakes & volcanoes, climate change, water quality & resources, marine geology, energy resources, and the San Francisco Bay ecosystem. All this from a facility I hardly knew existed.
This month brings a special treat. Every 3 years, the USGS opens its door for an Open House on May 16 and 17th with a wide variety of programs. There will be a number of interactive exhibits for kids & adults, along with a "Ask-a-Scientist" style lectures. Did I mention the live music? Bluegrass, Jazz, even a Celtic Scientist band (who knew such things existed?).
Here are my picks for the weekend:
Mapping California Coast State Waters
Examine maps of the sea floor off Half Moon Bay, CA, and learn how such maps are being made for the entire California coast. See a camera sled -- a large metal frame holding video and still cameras that are towed just above the sea floor to collect images used to "groundtruth" the mapping data. View sea-floor images collected by the camera sled.