Featured Event

A student looks through a microscope
06/12/2023–06/16/2023

Amgen Biotech Experience: Complete Series Teacher Workshop-June 2023

This five-day, summer workshop covers the Complete Series of the ABE curriculum, including an introduction to micropipettes and gel electrophoresis, plasmid digestion, plasmid ligation, confirmation of digestion and ligation via electrophoresis, bacterial transformation, colony PCR, and protein purification.

Students are participating in a science activity at Solar Camp
06/12/2023–06/23/2023
06/26/2023–07/07/2023

Free Hands-on Solar Camp

Want to learn more about the sun and use engineering to solve problems? Join us for a free Hands-on Solar Camp this summer!

Lawrence on The Go van
03/11/2023
10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

North Bay Science Discovery Day

Optical Illusions How do our eyes and brain work together to make sense of the world around us? Experiment and […]

A group gathers to celebrate new years with falling confetti
12/31/2022

2022 Grand Finale

Join us for our annual celebration and launch into your New Year’s festivities! You bring the holiday cheer, and we’ll bring the magic of confetti cannons! With several daily launches, you’ll be showered with joy and laughter as you close 2022.

A child is participating in an activity in a physics exhibit at The Lawrence
12/21/2022
11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.

Phenomenal Physics

Come explore the forces of physics—the basic principles that govern our physical world. Explore electricity and magnetism, optics and sound, even fluid dynamics. What will you discover about these forces as you experiment?

Dr. Nia Imara
12/03/2022
6:30 p.m.–8:00 p.m.

We Love the Light: A talk by astrophysicist and artist Nia Imara

Join our partner Justice Outside for a cosmic journey and a lecture by artist, astrophysicist, and professor of astronomy, Dr. Nia Imara. In We Love the Light, Imara will lead us on a dynamic, light-filled exploration of the universe. She will tell a story of how we live on a small, rocky planet orbiting an ordinary star, which is just one of the billions of stars flying around in the Milky Way—which, in turn, is one of the countless galaxies that have been speeding away from each other for the past 14 billion years. It is a story about how our relationship to the cosmos and to one another can be understood by standing at the unique vantage point at the crossroads of art and science. It is a story of how light is fundamental to life.

a boy looks in wonder at a cloud of vapor produced by dry ice
10/30/2022
10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Happy Creepy Halloween

Join us for our annual Halloween celebration, featuring creepy crawly critters, flying pumpkins, and more!

a cougar
10/20/2022
12:00 p.m.–1:30 p.m.

Science at Cal – Lessons from the Wild: How humans interact with and learn from other animals

Humans have a lot to learn from the other animals who share the Earth—some have innate abilities and senses that surpass our own, allowing us to build technologies and solutions for a better world. Featuring Dr. Mark Kline from Berkeley Lab and X-Therma and UC Berkeley scientist Dr. Phoebe Parker-Shames.

Frog on a leaf
10/08/2022
11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

Science at Cal – Nature’s Toxic Defenses: Why Don’t Poison Frogs Poison Themselves?

While we might be most familiar with rattlesnakes, black widows, and poison frogs (oh my!), toxins are produced or acquired by organisms in nearly every major group of life. This means that animals must avoid toxins or adapt to them. In this talk, Dr. Rebecca (Becca) Tarvin of UC Berkeley’s Department of Integrative Biology and Museum of Vertebrate Zoology will discuss why and how animals evolve to be both toxic and toxin resistant, including her research on how some poison frogs avoid poisoning themselves.

Grounds for Science: Illuminating the Brain and Programming Viruses to Harvest Solar Energy
10/04/2022
5:30 p.m.–6:30 p.m.

Grounds for Science – Illuminating the Brain and Programming Viruses to Harvest Solar Energy

Grounds for Science presents Illuminating the Brain: How light, color, and a jellyfish protein help us study the mind and Programming Viruses to Harvest Solar Energy. Featuring Ph.D. Candidates Anneliese Gest and Amanda Bischoff.

A planet with a view of its core
09/27/2022
5:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.

Science at Cal – Materiales en condiciones extremas: una ventana al interior de los planetas

Nuestro planeta Tierra es como una cebolla: está hecho de capas. Algunas son sólidas, otras líquidas, y están hechas de distintos materiales. Así como un submarino debe soportar toda la presión del océano encima, estas capas tienen que soportar la presión de todas las otras capas encima, dejando el núcleo a una descomunal presión de 3 millones de veces la presión atmosférica.

Planet in space
09/15/2022
12:00 p.m.–1:30 p.m.

Science at Cal – Outer Space’s Hottest and Brightest Objects

At this month’s Midday Science Cafe, we’ll take a star-studded intergalactic journey to see some of the universe’s hottest and brightest objects. Featuring Dr. Gontcho A Gontcho, Berkeley Lab and Steven Giacalone, UC Berkeley.

A graphic with text that reads Solano Avenue Stroll, the Lawrence, and Science at Cal, with an image of kids doing a science activity
09/11/2022
10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Solano Avenue Stroll

Featured Activity Create your own Bunny Copter with a fun, quick, hands-on STEM activity, and make a souvenir to take […]

Model of human head and brain area is highlighted
09/10/2022
11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

Science at Cal – An Inside Look: UC Berkeley’s Center for the Science of Psychedelics

Exactly two years ago, before the new Netflix documentary series, “How to Change your Mind” premiered, the UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics (BCSP) was founded to provide research, training, and public education on a long-standing taboo in our society: psychedelic drugs. BCSP brings together researchers from across disciplines, including neuroscience, psychology, education, journalism, and molecular biology. Michael Silver, the director of BCSP and a professor in optometry and neuroscience, will provide an overview of the burgeoning center and its work to better understand the fundamental properties of the mind, brain, and body through psychedelics.

Dra. Francesca Burgos Bravo
08/23/2022
5:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.

Science at Cal – Mover objetos diminutos con luz: no solo un sueño de la ciencia ficción

Si diriges un haz de luz a la mano, no se siente mucho, salvo un poco de calor. Pero si diriges ese mismo haz de luz hacia partículas microscópicas, la luz se convierte en una herramienta realmente poderosa capaz de capturar y mover objetos. Pareciera que al hablar de manipulación de objetos mediante la luz se está haciendo referencia a alguna escena de ciencia ficción, pero no lo es. En esta charla Dra. Francesca Burgos Bravo hablará sobre los inicios de la manipulación óptica de partículas y cómo se ha convertido en una herramienta fundamental para estudiar procesos biológicos.

Dr. Rachel Woods-Robinson
08/18/2022
12:00 p.m.–1:30 p.m.

Science at Cal – Alchemy in the 21st Century: New materials to combat the energy crisis

As scientists continuously hunt for novel approaches to combat our energy crisis, the field of materials science has secured a spot in the fight, furthering our understanding of the properties and applications of matter. “Materials discovery” is at the heart of this research. Featuring Dr. Rachel Woods-Robinson from UC Berkeley and Dr. Matthew K Horton from Berkeley Lab.

Science at Cal - The Lawrence - Berkeley Lab
08/05/2022
5:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.

Oakland First Fridays

This month’s First Fridays theme is “Family Fun,” and Science at Cal, The Lawrence On-The-Go, and Berkeley Lab are coming prepared with their most engaging and fun science activities to make First Fridays a go for the whole family!

girl playing pinball
07/31/2022
11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.

Summer Funday: Get Your Game On!

Join us for a celebration of the science and math of games!

Four people walking in a snowy landscape
07/26/2022
5:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.

Science at Cal – La guía microbiana para viajar al futuro

Por 3500 millones de años organismos vivos diminutos llamados microbios han transformado el planeta. Hoy tenemos mejor ciencia para estudiar sus poderosas propiedades. Se prevé que nuestro conocimiento sobre los microbios va a influir notablemente en nuestra dieta, nuestra salud, nuestra industria y la resiliencia de ecosistemas enteros en el futuro cercano. De hecho, estamos descubriendo nuevos microbios cada día y necesitaremos su ayuda para tener una vida mejor. Durante esta presentación, la Dra. Patricia Valdespino nos dará un vistazo al futuro con la ayuda de los microbios que ella estudia.