Café Scientifique Silicon Valley

SRI Menlo Park
Middlefield Road at Ringwood
International Building
Open to all – Free of charge

Click here for map and directions
Do not park at SRI's main entrance at 333 Ravenswood Ave. Entrances to Conference Center parking are next to the church on Ravenswood and at Ringwood and Middlefield.

Our January cafe event will feature the research of Nicole Crane and Giacomo Bernadi. Their research into the population genetics of fishes has taken them to some of the last pristine coral reef systems on the planet. Their talk will include both an underwater photographic journey of their recent expeditions to two very remote and truly unique locations (Clipperton Atoll and the Mozambique Channel), and a look at data and trends on specific ecological indicators in these systems compared with others. They also expect to discuss a range of key ecological questions such as:
- What are the roles of specific fishes (ex. large predators) and what happens when they decline?
- What makes a reef ‘pristine’?
- Can reefs ‘recover’?
- How is our thinking about coral reef health and management evolving in this time of unprecedented environmental change?

Nicole Crane is the Director of subtidal programs for the Oceanic Society (San Francisco) and a Faculty in the Biology Department at Cabrillo College, Aptos California. She did her graduate degrees in Marine Science (Moss Landing marine Labs) and Science Education Research (UC Santa Cruz). Her research focus is primarily coral reef ecology, monitoring, reef health indicators and fish population dynamics in both tropical and temperate seas including the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, and the Pacific.

Giacomo Bernardi is a Professor at the University of California Santa Cruz in Evolutionary Biology. His Post Doc was at Stanford University’s Hopkins Marine Station in Pacific Grove CA. His research focus is on the molecular ecology and evolution of coral reef fishes. He does his research in California, the Sea of Cortez, French Polynesia, the Caribbean, the Philippines, Indonesia, South Africa and the Mozambique Channel. His research areas include speciation, population genetics, and ecology of coral reef fishes.

Café Scientifique events are open to all free of charge. No reservations are necessary.

Sponsored by Altos Therapeutics and SRI, Café Scientifique is a place where anyone can come to explore the latest ideas in science and technology and debate science issues outside a traditional academic context. We meet monthly to discuss a variety of science topics. Feel free to forward this message to anyone you think could be interested.

Join us at SRI in Menlo Park
We are delighted that SRI International is the host location for Cafe Scientifique. SRI is an excellent partner, providing us with a beautiful, large, flexible meeting space, supporting us with highly professional staff and making expert researchers available as guest speakers.

Coffee, tea and biscotti will be complimentary, provided by SRI
Bring your own mug if you wish to avoid using disposable cups

Courtesy of Kepler's there will be a drawing for a $30 gift card for books or merchandise at Kepler's on El Camino Real in Menlo Park. Those who choose to enter the drawing will have their names added to the Kepler's mailing list. Special thanks to Kepler's for supporting Cafe Sci.

Café Scientifique is a place where anyone can come to explore the latest ideas in science and technology. The Café provides a forum for debating science issues outside a traditional academic context. We are committed to promoting public engagement with science and to making science accountable - all spoken in plain English. There is no admission charge to attend our events. Building on its great success outside the United States, Café Scientifique Silicon Valley is the first such Café on the West Coast. We meet monthly to discuss a variety of science topics.