New Frontiers of Science: Pushing the Limits of How Humanity Understands and Treats Disease

Project Baseline is an initiative to map human health. Come hear about this moonshot project and how it intends to revolutionize our understanding of health!

Face Tagging, Movie Recommendations, & Talking Computers: An Introduction to Why You Should Care About Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence isn't the stuff of the future—it's already here, and it's everywhere. Susannah will give an overview of what AI is and how it works, as well as provide you with plenty of examples of how this technology is already changing the world.

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Adventures in Drug Discovery Research

This talk will be an overview of the drug discovery process. It will include examples drawn from a pre-clinical diabetes drug discovery research program.

From Violins to Cosplay: How CAD and 3D printing is changing the way we make everything

Not too long ago, 3D printers and other rapid prototyping tools were limited to large companies and labs. Now, they are finally within the reach of hobbyists and students. Learn what they’re being used for today, and how to use these resources to create your own artistic, practical, and educational projects.

CRISPR Gene Editing: From resurrecting woolly mammoths to defeating malaria

CRISPR-Cas9 has helped bacteria survive viral attack for millions of years, but only recently have scientists repurposed this protein to alter the genome of nearly any organism.

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Presentation Slides | Presentation Video

Evolving to Survive: Can coral reefs fight climate change?

Technology and human population growth have accelerated evolutionary change in other species on our planet.  Can we apply evolutionary principles to reduce our impact on the rest of the planet?

Brave New Worlds: What are the consequences and opportunities of exponential technologies such as AI, robotics and synthetic biology?

Accelerating improvements in technology are leading to disruptive changes in business models and enabling new products and services. This talk will address the consequences and challenges of the pervasive and widespread impact of exponential technologies.

Computers tracking your every move! Creepy or awesome? Come see for yourself!

I'll explain how companies like Oculus track your movements in virtual reality to immerse you in an alternate world.

On Hospital Duty! A day in my life as an ob/gyn doctor

In this talk, Dr. Branson will walk through a doctor's approach to diagnosis and treatment of a pregnancy gone awry.

STEM Blasts Off Into Orbit: How satellites work and protect our nation

 Unmanned satellites provide critical support for our nation's security.  Come hear how these satellites have helped keep our country safe for decades!

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Trompe L'oeil Murals and Burning Man Base

Burning Man... from spark to fire! Andrew Johnstone, the designer of "The Man" for the Burning Man Festival describes the year-long process from the concept of the design to the building of the structure.

Reinventing Garbage: Innovations in recycling and beyond

Come see the fascinating new recycling techniques we are using!  I'll explain how recycling is improving and why these changes matters so much.

Deadliest Catch: How a love-hate relationship with bugs turned into a career hunting the world’s deadliest animal

We're doing field trials to try to produce and release 1 million sterile male mosquitoes a week to crash the population of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and hopefully reduce Dengue, Zika, Chikungunya and Yellow Fever transmission.  We do this through Project Debug -- using robotics and automation along with cutting edge biology to try to suppress populations of disease-transmitting mosquitoes.

Constructible Polygons and Related Questions

In this talk, we will discuss which regular polygons can be constructed with compass and straightedge. Then we will move on to other related problems, including one I worked on with a high-school student a few years ago.

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Presentation Slides

Emergency Medicine: Where this career can take you!

Responding to medical emergencies in the field is challenging and fast-paced.  Find out what a typical day is like for emergency medical technicians and how you can be a part of this world.

How Nintendo of America Uses Data Science to Make Business Decisions

Big data is everywhere and in everything we do. I will talk about how companies, such as Nintendo, use data to make important decisions.

Automated driving: from human to machine

 Automated vehicle technology continues to advance. What will it take for computers to drive cars as well as the best human drivers?

How the Heck Do You Make a Wearable Holographic Computer That's Comfortable?! Find out how we did it

Josh will explain his journey as the first in his family to go to college and then to graduate as a mechanical engineer from Stanford University. Now he's working on Microsoft's HoloLens -- a device that lets you see holograms in your real-world! Students will get a chance to demo this AI technology!

Want to Climb Buildings Like Spiderman? Let's take a bio-inspired approach to engineering

A look at how science and engineering unlock nature's secrets to make a little robot climb and give a human climbing powers previously only the stuff of comic books.  

Fire Ecology of our Chaparral Ecosystems

Fire and California go hand in hand - but is that ok? Are there ecological benefits to this frequent and sometimes scary phenomenon? This talk is an introduction to chaparral, one of the most common vegetation communities in California, and its relationship with fire. Using the example of the 2013 Morgan Fire on Mount Diablo, we will explore the effects of fire on this shrub community and learn about the plants hidden in the seed bank (known as fire followers), which are dormant for decades but triggered to germinate from the physical and chemical properties of fire.

A Path to Understanding Brain Disorders: Making neurons from skin cells

One of the challenges in studying brain disorders is the inaccessibility of patient brain cells. In this talk, a new technology called induced pluripotent stem cells that enables us to overcome this challenge will be discussed.

Lessons on Aging: Using yeast to study mitochondria

How can we live our days so that we grow old without disease?  I'll discuss how we use yeast as a tool to understand our metabolism and healthy aging. 

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Presentation Slides

Tracking Cancer Tumors in Real Time: Using MR Imaging to guide radiation treament

I'll introduce the newest available technology in real-time tracking of soft tissues to accurately irradiate tumors.

Genetically Engineered and Renewable Oils for Cosmetics, Food and Fuel

The entrepreneur's path from concept to reality: using genetic engineering to produce custom-designed, renewable crude oil.

Games People Play

Game Theory is a mathematical tool for representing and analyzing human behavior. We will use the tool to simulate some strategic interactions and see how the "games" we play shed light on human behavior.

Forensic Science in the 21st Century: From the crime scene to the crime lab to the courtroom

Forensic Science and the role that the Crime Laboratory plays in a criminal investigation have been significantly greater due to advances in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

In my talk, I will share my path to a career in Forensic Science and what the requirements and duties are for someone that would be interested in a career as a Criminalist / Forensic Scientist.

Using Biosensors to Turn Sci-fi Ideas Into Real Life Technology Products

Turning science fiction ideas into real life technology products. Learn the latest advances in bio-sensor applications for human to machine interface.

"An Inside Look at Google X Factory: Balloon-powered internet, driverless cars, and more! "

What is Google X?  What happens at X?  How do we select our projects to work on?  I'll give examples of the high tech projects we have underway and some insight into the scientific skills we need to make these innovative projects happen at "X"!  Then let's dive deeper into the current status of Internet Stratospheric Balloons and the technology behind our Driver-less cars!

Using Origami in Wildlife Conservation

Origami and mathematics were useful to protect spectacled bear populations in South America, primarily for a field biologist to ask the "right" questions.

Creating Better Blockbuster Movies Through Physics

Professor Alejandro Garcia will describe his work as the physics consultant on DreamWorks Animation's recent film, Trolls.

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