Marin Science Seminar 2019

Teens get to hear working scientists, engineers, physicians, mathematicians, programmers & researchers discuss the details of their work & how they got there. Presenters use multimedia and interactive techniques to engage the students.

SEPTEMBER 2019

AI, VR, & 3D: Amazing Applications for Understanding Physics – with David Levitt, Sci.D. of Pantomime Corp.

Wed. September 25th, 2019; 7:30 – 8:30 pm at Terra Linda HS in San Rafael, Room 207

Dr. Levitt will present on augmented/virtual reality and Artifical Intelligence, and will show how 3D animation helps us visualize Einstein’s theory of gravity. He will also give a pep talk about becoming a self-taught Swift mobile software developer.

OCTOBER 2019

Bad Blood: Battling Cancer in the U.S. and Vietnam with Michelle Hermiston, Ph.D. M.D. of UCSF

Wed. October 9th, 2019; 7:30 – 8:30 pm at Terra Linda HS in San Rafael, Room 207

Dr. Hermiston will speak about translational studies in leukemia and on her clinical work as director of the pediatric immunotherapy program at UCSF. She will also share about her involvement in developing infrastructure for pediatric oncology in Vietnam.

How Dangerous are Microwaves? with Warren Wiscombe Ph.D. of NASA Goddard

Wed. October 16th, 2019; 7:30 – 8:30 pm at Terra Linda HS in San Rafael, Room 207

This talk will present the most basic facts in em radiation: what it is, how the energy of em radiation varies with wavelength, how em radiation interacts with matter, and the one over r-squared law. Also, discuss the real nature of science and how the same tactics that have been used to attack global warming science are used to attack a range of topics including nuclear power and em radiation. He will offer facts not fear, and will recommend, as the Greeks did, moderation in all things.

NOVEMBER 2019

Let’s Learn About Lysosomes! with Gouri Yogalingam Ph.D. of BioMarin

Wed. November 6th, 2019; 7:30 – 8:30 pm at Terra Linda HS in San Rafael, Room 207

Lysosomes were first identified by accident in the 1950's by Christian de Duve, who described these sub-cellular organelles as "saclike structures surrounded by a membrane and filled with digestive enzymes". De Duve won a Nobel prize for this discovery and since then a great deal has been learned about lysosomes. I will discuss how lysosomes can communicate with the rest of the cell to act as recycling centers of cellular waste material in good times. I will also talk about how lysosomes can act as overly-filled, toxic trash cans in bad times, contributing to cell death and the onset of disease.

Star Clusters: Many-Body Gravitational Laboratories” with Nicholas Rui, UC Berkeley

Wed. November 13th, 2019; 7:30 – 8:30 pm at Terra Linda HS in San Rafael, Room 207

Globular clusters are real-life realizations of large-N particles interacting gravitationally. These objects are almost as old as the universe, containing populations older than ten gigayears. Their negative heat capacities mean that star clusters tend to have runaways in their central stellar densities over time, and the relaxation timescales of globular clusters place globular clusters at exactly the right age regime to observe so-called core-collapsed clusters.

Adventures of a Plant Ecophysiologist: Studying How Tropical Forests Survive Drought with Roxy Cruz Ph.D. candidate, UC Berkeley Dawson Lab

Wed. November 20th, 2019; 7:30 – 8:30 pm at Terra Linda HS in San Rafael, Room 207