presented by Yanina Barrera How do atmospheric scientists understand air pollution in a city, when the air is constantly moving from state to state, and country to country? Answering this question is crucial for developing public health and environmental policy. By directly measuring air pollutants and combining information about the winds with a computer model, atmospheric scientists can better understand transport of urban air pollution. … Continue reading Air Pollution Knows No Boundaries

Presented by Elaine Garcia and Angela She In July 2015, NASA’s space probe New Horizons sent back the first high-resolution photos of Pluto, engendering excitement around the world. These images are evidence of the progress we have made scientifically and technologically in our pursuit to explore and understand outer space. But, how did it all begin? What happened along the way? How did we overcome … Continue reading From stargazing to space travel: Our brief history into space

Presented by: Shirlee Wohl and Katherine Wu Think of a virus, and you’ll likely think of an infection – Ebola, HIV, mononucleosis. But in actuality, the viruses that infect humans make up an infinitesimally small percentage of the total number on Earth, now estimated to be in the range of 10^31. Neither truly “alive” nor “dead,” viral particles are miniscule but complex pieces of machinery … Continue reading Growing Together: How Viruses Have Shaped Human Evolution

Presented by Martin Fan and Matt Schwartz Tyrannosaurus Rex may have gone extinct, but could there be other dinosaurs lurking in your backyard? In fact, birds are modern dinosaurs. In this talk we will discuss the theories on why non-avian dinosaurs went extinct, why avian dinosaurs survived, and the evidence that birds are actually modern dinosaurs. Lecture Continue reading Living in a Jurassic World: Could dinosaurs be lurking in your backyard?

Presented by Andy Greenspon, Christine Zgrabik, and Rob Devlin We have attempted to understand and control how light interacts with different materials since the days of ancient Greece, but it was only in the past century that scientists and engineers have been able to study this interaction at the nanoscopic scale (10-9 meters). We take our inspiration in this endeavor from nature, so Andy will … Continue reading Tricks of the Light: How nanoscale materials shape the world we see

Presented by Nick Jikomes, John Hatch, and Kayla Davis Marijuana is a psychoactive substance widely used for both recreational and medicinal purposes. Medical marijuana is currently being used to treat a number of chronic conditions and diseases, despite its variable legal status in the U.S. This lecture will explore the potential therapeutic effects of cannabinoids as well as the social, political, and medical consequences of … Continue reading The highs and lows of medical marijuana: marijuana’s effects on physiology, health, and society

Presented by Dan Tarjan, Justin Feng, and Jianghong “John” Min Biology is a new science. It was only about 200 years ago that Charles Darwin formulated the principles of Evolution by natural selection, and Gregor Mendel described the first clues that living organisms have Genes. These and other recent discoveries form the basic building blocks of our understanding of life. Synthetic Biology is a new … Continue reading Engineering life: How synthetic biology is improving the world around us

Presented by Katherine Phillips and Benjamin Sanchez-Lengeling Science and art are often seen as disparate topics, but they frequently intertwine in surprising and interesting ways. In this talk, we will see how science can help us analyze, understand, and even create works of art. In doing so, we will lead the audience on a sensory adventure that will be fascinating for art-lovers and science-lovers alike. … Continue reading Quantum to Analytical: Seeing and hearing the chemistry of art