Blog – Page 3 – Marin Science Seminar

August 15, 2023August 30, 2023

We Need New Antibiotics – Why Do We Have So Few?

with Julia Schaletzky Ph.D. of the Center for Emerging and Neglected Diseases and the Drug Discovery Center at UC Berkeley

Wednesday, November 1, 2023, Terra Linda High School Innovation Hub

Description: Antibiotics are one of the triumphs of science and we have become used to them as “silver bullets”, fighting potentially life-threatening infections. As drug-resistant pathogens continue to emerge, what are our options? Why are so few new antibiotics being developed and how do we have to think about the market-driven model of drug development in this context? Dr. Schaletzky will provide an overview about chemistry, discovery/development, overuse and the economics of antibiotic development, and discuss potential solutions to a problem that should be on everyone’s mind.

Bio.: Dr. Julia Schaletzky is the Executive Director of the Center for Emerging and Neglected Diseases and the Drug Discovery Center at UC Berkeley. After studying biochemistry in her native Germany, she moved to Harvard Medical School for graduate school. Interested in applied science, Dr. Schaletzky joined a biotechnology company, Cytokinetics, to develop new therapies for heart disease and neurodegenerative disorders, with several molecules in late-stage clinical trials. In her role at UC Berkeley, she focuses on interdisciplinary approaches and public/private partnership for the discovery and development of new therapies and tools, particularly for unmet medical needs. Dr. Schaletzky is also is a lecturer at the Haas School of Business, teaching Bioentrepreneurship, Access to Medicines and Drug Development for Neglected Diseases. She has received NIH-funded grants to support underrepresented minorities and women in STEM in the U.S. and runs a program in Uganda to build local research capacity. Dr. Schaletzky is broadly interested in global public health, bioethics, and the governance of processes that end up influencing who gets care and who does not.

Julia Schaletzky Ph.D. of the Center for Emerging and Neglected Diseases and the Drug Discovery Center at UC Berkeley — Julia Schaletzky

Links

April 20, 2023April 22, 2023

Machine Vision for Medical Monitoring

with Art Wallace M.D. Ph.D. of the San Francisco VA Medical Center and UCSF Medical School

Wednesday, April 26, 2023 7:30-8:30pm, Terra Linda High School Innovation Hub

This presentation will discuss the use of artificial intelligence and machine vision to create a new platform for medical monitoring. Many patients in the hospital are not monitored continuously and the medical monitors that we have now (ECG, pulse oximetry, blood pressure cuffs) require the patient to we wired or attached to a monitor. Dr. Wallace is developing a remote, non-contact patient monitor that relies on machine vision to continuously monitor patients. The monitor is designed to reduce morbidity and mortality by identifying patient deterioration prior to cardiac or respiratory arrest.

Art Wallace, M.D, Ph.D is a cardiac anesthesiologist, professor and vice-chairman of anesthesiology and perioperative care at the University of California San Francisco, and Chief of Anesthesia at the San Francisco VA Medical Center. Dr Wallace has developed medications, surgical procedures, medical devices, and medical informatics software.

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January 29, 2023January 29, 2023

Don’t Whack that Whale!: Evaluating Risk of Ship Strike to Humpback Whales in San Francisco Bay

“Whales in a Highly Urbanized Estuary: Evaluating Risk of Ship Strike to Humpback Whales in San Francisco Bay” with Bekah Lane of the Marine Mammal Center, Sausalito

Wednesday, April 19, 2023 7:30-8:30pm, Terra Linda High School Innovation Hub

Since 2016, humpback whales in Central California have been observed feeding inshore, even east of the Golden Gate Bridge. Vessel strike is a leading cause of death for large whales, and San Francisco Bay is full of recreational motor and sail vessels, ferries, and is home to several commercial shipping ports. For this reason, it’s important to study overlap between vessels and whales in San Francisco Bay. In this study we used sightings data from 2016 to 2019 in San Francisco Bay and compared it against vessel data to create a Habitat Risk Assessment model. This model can be used to inform and prioritize management of humpback whales in our waters.

Currently Bekah Lane is a Cetacean Field Research Specialist at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito. Bekah created a ship strike risk analysis for humpback whales, which is designed to inform management for vessel traffic in San Francisco Bay. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, she also created a theodolite tracking program for humpback and gray whales in San Francisco Bay, which involved the training, support and coordination of more than 40 volunteers. Bekah holds a B.S. in Zoology from Emporia State University in Kansas and an M.S. in Marine and Estuary Sciences from San Francisco State University. When she isn’t watching whales, she loves to spend the day hiking, running or reading with her dog by her side.

January 29, 2023February 23, 2023

The Higgs Boson: 10 years after the discovery

with Miha Muškinja Ph.D. of Lawrence Berkeley Labs

Wednesday, March 1, 2023 7:30 – 8:30pm at Terra Linda High School’s Innovation Lab

July 4th is arguably America’s favorite holiday, but this year the date was also celebrated world-wide by the physics community because it marks the 10th anniversary of the discovery of the Higgs boson. Miha Muškinja of Lawrence Berkeley Lab (and CERN) will explain what the Higgs boson is and how it was discovered in 2012 at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Geneva, Switzerland. The LHC is the world’s most powerful particle accelerator, firing beams of protons around a 27 kilometers (17 miles) loop 100 meters (300 feet) underground. He will present how they measure the properties of the smallest particles with large and complex experiments and why it was important to start this scientific endeavor with over 10,000 physicists around the globe. Join us and learn!

Miha Muskinja is a postdoctoral researcher in physics at Lawrence Berkeley Lab. He has been working on the ATLAS experiment at the LHC since 2014. Until 2019 he lived near Geneva in Switzerland where the LHC is located at CERN, and later he moved to Berkeley, California. He specializes in analyzing the properties of the Higgs boson and also works on computing algorithms and infrastructure needed for processing the vast amount of data generated by the LHC. Miha is originally from Slovenia, where he obtained his PhD at University of Ljubljana. He is one of the main organizers of the ATLAS masterclass at Lawrence Berkeley Lab, where every year high school students attend a day-long program to experience the life at the forefront of basic research.

Miha Muškinja Ph.D. of Lawrence Berkeley Labs

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January 29, 2023February 14, 2023

Path to the Stars: Exploring BioAstronautics

with Terra Linda High School alum Ben Foehr

Wednesday, February 15, 2023, 7:30-8:30pm on Zoom (fill out contact form or ask your teacher for the link)

A Terra Linda High School alum working in STEM presents about his career path. With Ben Foehr (TLHS 2018, Aerospace Engineering)

“Path to the Stars: Exploring BioAstronautics” with Ben Foehr of Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, Boulder CO

Right now, we’re at the dawn of a new space age. As humanity prepares to return to the moon and beyond, one might ask: how can I be a part of this? Join Ben Foehr, BS in Aerospace Engineering and Grad Student studying Human Spaceflight at CU Boulder, for a look into the twists and turns this journey has in store, and, more importantly, how we can reach the stars!

Ben Foehr grew up in San Rafael, graduating TL in 2018. As a student he was a sprinter on the track team, a lawyer for TL’s mock trial team, and an intern for the Marin Science Seminar. In 2022 he graduated CU Boulder with a bachelors in Aerospace Engineering, and is currently studying there for his masters in BioAstronautics. He has worked on Cubesats, Sounding Rockets, and proprioceptive function research for astronauts. He currently lives in Broomfield, Colorado with his partner and two cats.

Link: https://lasp.colorado.edu/home/

Wednesday, February 15, 2023, 7:30-8:30pm on Zoom (fill out contact form or ask your teacher for the link)

January 27, 2023January 27, 2023

Arachnophilia! Using Museums to Understand and Conserve Arachnids

with Katherine Montana and Jacob Gorneau of the California Academy of Sciences

Traveling the world through collections: Using museums to understand and conserve arachnids

Wed., February 8, 2023 @ Terra Linda HS’s Innovation Hub, 7:30 – 8:30 pm

Arachnids are an incredibly diverse group of animals found throughout the world, exhibiting adaptations that allow them to thrive in even the most extreme habitats. Spiders, scorpions, mites, ticks, daddy long legs, camel spiders, whip scorpions, and other eight-legged creatures comprise this remarkable group. Our research focuses on collecting arachnids and using existing museum specimens. The Bay Area is home to one of the most extensive arachnid collections, with over 1 million spider specimens at the California Academy of Sciences. From these collections, we can understand how species are related to one another and how to best conserve them.

Kate Montana is a graduate student researcher in the arachnology lab at the California Academy of Sciences. She is advised by Dr. Lauren Esposito and is working toward her master’s degree in integrative biology at San Francisco State University. Her research utilizes morphological and molecular data to revise the evolutionary relationships between genera in a group of small brown spiders called the marronoids. Kate also recently worked on a project called the Untold Stories from the Archives in which she and her team used the Academy archives to illuminate the stories of marginalized scientists throughout the history of the Academy. Kate grew up in Folsom, CA and attended UC Berkeley for her undergraduate degree in biology and anthropology. Kate considers herself a lifelong learner and wants to do all she can to get to know the natural world and how it operates.

Jacob Gorneau is a research assistant in the Entomology department. While he loves anything with an exoskeleton, his research focuses on using museum collections to answer questions about arachnid biodiversity. He recently received his master’s in Biology at San Francisco State University studying the evolutionary history of the marronoid clade – a group of mostly small, brown spiders with little unifying characteristics. Before coming to the California Academy of Sciences for his master’s, he received a bachelor’s in entomology from Cornell University.

Wednesday, February 8, 2023 @ Terra Linda High School’s Innovation Hub, 7:30 – 8:30 pm

Join us & Learn!

Links:

January 19, 2023January 19, 2023

The Science of Designer Babies: a genetic counselor’s perspective

with Liya Rabkina M.S. of Igenomix USA

Wednesday, January 25, 2023 – 7:30 – 8:30pm – Terra Linda High School Innovation Hub, 320 Nova Albion, San Rafael, California

The field of human genetics focuses on managing and preventing inherited disease risks. For families who are at an increased risk for passing on a genetic condition, the preferred option may be preimplantation genetic testing to select for low risk embryos in their future pregnancies. This talk will describe the current state of “designer babies,” what the future of genetic testing for embryos may be, and the ethics of it all.

Bio: Liya Rabkina is a licensed and board-certified genetic counselor currently working at Igenomix USA in San Francisco. Liya graduated from Terra Linda High School in San Rafael in 2013. She holds a B.A. in Biochemistry from Scripps College and an M.S. in Genetic Counseling from Northwestern University.

November 11, 2022November 11, 2022

Blinded by the Lack of Light

Genetics of Pigmentation and Eye Loss in the Cave-dwelling Crustacean, Asellus aquaticus

with Meredith Protas, Ph.D. of Dominican University of California, San Rafael

Join us for a Zoom session with Dominican University’s Dr. Meredith Protas. Dr. Protas’s lab investigates the genetics and evolution of cave dwelling animals, specifically crustaceans. The isopod crustacean, Asellus aquaticus, has two different forms: a cave dwelling form and a surface dwelling form. Interestingly, these two forms can be mated together which ultimately allows for an understanding of the genetics behind characteristics found in the cave form such as eye and pigment loss. The questions the lab are asking include:

What are the genes and mutations responsible for cave-specific characteristics like eye loss, pigment loss and increased appendage length?
In different cave populations are the same or different genes responsible?
Where does the variation that causes cave-specific characteristics come from?

To register for this event ask your teacher to contact us, or send a request for registration information via our contact form.

Before joining the Dominican faculty, Dr. Protas did research at UC Berkeley on cave-dwelling crustaceans and studied the genetic basis of human eye disease in her research work at UCSF. Currently, she uses genetic, molecular, and developmental techniques to answer evolutionary questions about cave animals. Dr. Protas holds a BA in Biology from Pomona College and a PhD in Genetics from Harvard University.

Links:

Photo of Asellus aquaticus, a crustacean — Asellus aquaticus, a crustacean

October 30, 2022October 30, 2022

I’m a Botanist (and unfortunately I don’t know why your succulent isn’t flowering!)

with Sarah Jacobs PhD of California Academy of Sciences

Wednesday November 9, 2022; 7:30-8:30pm, Terra Linda HS Innovation Hub

Dr. Jacobs is a curator of Botany at the California Academy of Sciences. She helps manage the herbarium (a museum for plants) and also leads a research lab focused on the evolution of plants, specifically the group of wildflowers called ‘the paintbrushes’. In her talk, Dr. Jacobs will describe what it’s like to be a museum scientist and the educational path she took to get there. Along the way, she’ll tell us about the paintbrushes and their biology, as well as highlighting her favorite parts of the type of work that she does.

Dr. Sarah Jacobs of the CA Academy of Sciences

Dr. Sarah Jacobs received her Bachelor of Science at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, a Master of Science at Washington State University, and her doctorate at the University of Idaho. As the Howell Chair of Western North American Botany, she is particularly focused on guiding and shaping the collection of Western North American plants, ensuring their preservation, growth, and relevance into the future.

Castilleja - Texas Indian paintbrush — Texas Indian paintbrush

Links:

Sarah Jacobs at CA Academy of Sciences

Jacobs Lab at CA Academy

Castilleja at CA Native Plant Society

October 5, 2022October 5, 2022

Understanding Air Quality Data in the Bay Area

with Michael Flagg of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District

Wednesday, October 12, 2022 – 7:30-8:30 pm – TLHS Innovation Hub, San Rafael

Join Michael Flagg and learn about his career path in air quality monitoring including about his current job at the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD). You will also learn how air quality is measured in the Bay Area, how you can access those data, and what that data means. Join us and learn!

Michael received a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. He currently works as a principal air quality specialist at the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) in the Ambient Air Quality Analysis Office Section. Prior to joining BAAQMD last fall, Michael worked at the U.S Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 9 Air Quality Analysis Office for the past 10 years, where he served as a national expert on air monitoring, quality assurance & quality control, implementation of the exceptional events rule, and ambient air quality data analysis supporting federal policy decisions and regulatory actions.

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