Past Luncheon Lectures

October 17, 2023

AMERICAN LIFE: HOLLYWOOD FILMS AND SOCIAL IDEAS

Allan Havis, MFA, Professor, Department of Theatre & Dance at UC San Diego

Mr. Havis will discuss the fascinating correlation in American life between Hollywood films and social ideas, highlighting six major movies over the last fifty years which captured an inflection point in our politics:  DR. STRANGELOVE, GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER, SILKWOOD, COMING HOME, DO THE RIGHT THING, and ZERO DARK THIRTY.

November 14, 2023

I NEED A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP – HELP!

Sonia Ancoli-Israel, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Professor of Research, Department of Psychiatry at UC San Diego School of Medicine

Many believe that older adults sleep less than younger adults, yet most surveys have shown that older adults report sleeping about seven hours a night.  Nevertheless, sleep disturbances are very common in the older adult.  The sleep disturbances, however, are not a result of aging per se, but rather are almost always related to medical/psychiatric problems, medications, or primary sleep disorders, including insomnia, circadian rhythm disturbances, sleep disordered breathing, REM behavior sleep disorder, restless legs syndrome, and periodic limb movements in sleep.  The good news is that there are effective treatments available for these sleep problems.

December 12, 2023

MANDEVILLE ART GALLERY: THE INSTITUTE FOR TRANSFORMATIVE CONTEMPORARY ART

Ceci Moss, PhD, Director and Chief Curator of the Mandeville Art Gallery; Professor of Practice, Department of Visual Arts at UC San Diego

This talk will provide an overview of the newly revitalized Mandeville Art Gallery, a non-collecting institute for transformative contemporary art located on the UC San Diego campus that recently re-opened in March 2023 following a massive renovation led by the San Diego-based studio Studio-E Architects.

The presentation will begin with the impressive history of this highly experimental gallery, spanning from one of the first exhibitions devoted to Fluxus in California in 1969 with “Alison Knowles’ Fluxus: the Big Book” to commissioned projects by numerous celebrated artists such as Mike Kelley, Barbara T. Smith, Betye Saar, Richard Serra, Nancy Spero, and Bruce and Norman Yonemoto – to name but a few of the hundreds of exhibitions hosted at the gallery.  The lecture will then turn to the gallery’s focus as a “teaching gallery” for the 21^st Century promoting technologically innovative, democratic, accessible, equitable and socially engaged means of artistic production and presentation.  Attendees will learn more about the gallery’s current exhibition and educational programs.

January 9, 2024

STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENTS IN THE INDO-PACIFIC: A TOUR OF THE REGION

Stephan Haggard, PhD, Krause Distinguished Professor of Korea-Pacific Studies; Director, Korea-Pacific Program, School of Global Policy and Strategy at UC San Diego

What are the risks of military conflict in the Asia-Pacific?  What are the forces – political, military, economic – that might hold such conflict in check?  Prof. Haggard provides a strategic tour of the region, from the Korean peninsula and Japan, to Taiwan and the South China Sea, and the important role played by Southeast Asia in the emerging “Indo-Pacific” concept.

February 13, 2024

STEM CELL, AGING, CANCER & LEO

Catriona Jamieson, MD, PhD, Director, Sanford Stem Cell Institute; Director, UC San Diego Health CIRM Alpha Stem Cell Clinic; Professor of Medicine and Chief, Division of Regenerative Medicine; Koman Family Presidential Endowed Chair in Cancer Research at UC San Diego Health

In the last five years, UC San Diego has become a pioneer in performing stem cell research in space, aka low Earth orbit (LEO). One major research focus, led by Dr. Jamieson, uses blood stem cells to study the molecular mechanisms of cancer.  Increasing evidence shows that the lack of gravity and exposure to the sun’s radiation in space can accelerate aging in human stem cells and promote their transformation into cancer cells. Given the compressed time frame, Dr. Jamieson and her colleagues are able to look for early predictors of cancer progression, which in turn can lead to novel drugs and stem cell therapies, thus accelerating bench-to-bedside research on Earth.

March 12, 2024

REDEFINING AND REINVENTING ANTIBIOTICS TO CONFRONT THE GLOBAL SUPERBUG CRISIS

Victor Nizet, MD, Distinguished Professor and Vice Chair for Basic Research and Chief of the Division of Host-Microbe Systems & Therapeutics at the UC San Diego School of Medicine; Distinguished Professor at UCSD Skaggs School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences

Antibiotic resistance presents an ever increasing challenge to the public health, with a dearth of new drugs in the development pipeline.  A single-minded focus on direct antimicrobial activities overlooks the fact that significant infections are really a disease of the interaction between that pathogen and the patient’s immune system.  Indeed, before the patient has even seen a doctor, their infection is already being treated by multiple antimicrobials – namely the cellular and molecular components of the innate immune system.  Dr. Nizet and his team see value in exploring potential novel therapeutic approaches for drug-resistant bacteria that aim to tip the host-pathogen interaction back in favor of the host.

This talk will illustrate novel therapeutics that mitigate bacterial virulence, re-sensitize the pathogen to innate immune killing, or directly boost the antibacterial killing capacity of host cells.  Current laboratory testing can be misleading, and can overlook potent antibiotic activities that are recognized only in the context of the normal immune system.  In this new discovery and treatment framework, drugs used in medicine for other indications, antibiotics otherwise deemed ineffective, or natural host cell membranes, can be “rediscovered” or “repurposed" for treatment of multi-drug resistant pathogens.

April 9, 2024

BRAIN DRAIN OR BRAIN GAIN? MIGRATION FROM INDIA TO THE U.S.

Gaurav Khanna, PhD, Assistant Professor of Economics, School of Global Policy and Strategy at UC San Diego

Migration from India to the U.S. links the two economies in various ways.  Most high-skilled immigrants to the U.S. are from India, and this has had an impact not just on the U.S. but also on the Indian economy.  In this talk, we will explore how high-skill migration affects the economies, technology sectors, and higher education sectors in both countries. We will begin with the 1990s, trace the trends to recent years, and discuss lessons for the future.

May 14, 2024

ADVENTURES IN OUR MICROBIAL WORLD

Jack A. Gilbert, PhD, Professor, Department of Pediatrics and Scripps Institution of Oceanography; Associate Vice Chancellor for Marine Science; Deputy Director for Research; Director of the Microbiome and Metagenomics Center; Director of the Microbiome Core at UC San Diego School of Medicine

The human microbiome is a dynamic part of our physiology that plays a key role in managing health and individual responses to diet and medicine.  Explore why changes in the human microbiome substantially influence neurological disorders, metabolic disorders, and a range of complex conditions and diseases.  Learn how innovations in precision medicine for facilitating patient care is becoming a reality.

October 11, 2022

LEARNING FROM COVID – ARE WE BETTER PREPARED FOR THE NEXT PANDEMIC?

Robert T. Schooley, MD. Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health at the UC San Diego School of Medicine

Dr. Schooley will outline how the University of California responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and will describe how lessons learned from the COVID pandemic will better prepare us for future global infectious disease challenges.

November 8, 2022

MONTHS AND MONTHS OF WAR: THE STRUGGLE FOR UKRAINE, EUROPE AND THE WORLD

Branislav Slantchev, PhD. Professor, Political Science, Department of Political Science at UC San Diego

Professor Slantchev will discuss the origins and meaning of the war in Ukraine, with a focus on its European and global implications for security, as well as the resulting long-term policy shifts for the United States and NATO.

December 13, 2022

THE $6 BILLION UC SAN DIEGO MASTER PLAN

Jeffrey Graham, MBA. Executive Director, Real Estate at UC San Diego

As UC San Diego has escalated to the top of national and global rankings of best public research universities, the University has experienced a rapid increase in the number of student applicants and enrollment. Concurrently, the San Diego region has experienced a significant housing shortage and corresponding increase in housing cost. The University is in the midst of a major capital investment in new facilities and infrastructure that is transforming the campus to achieve its academic and research mission. Mr. Graham will share some of the major projects and initiatives underway as well as the University’s significant efforts to enhance the town and gown relationship.

January 10, 2023

BRAIN PLASTICITY IN HEALTH AND DISEASE

Mark H. Tuszynski, MD, PhD. Distinguished Professor of Neurosciences; Director, Center for Neural Repair; Founding Director, UC San Diego Translational Neuroscience Institute

 Dr. Tuszynski will discuss how the normal adult brain exhibits plasticity - or adaptation - during normal learning to form new knowledge in neural circuits. He will then go on to discuss how Alzheimer's disease represents a loss of plasticity, and his team's efforts to restore this capability through gene therapy in humans.

February 14, 2023

WHAT IS EVIDENCE-BASED INTERNET SECURITY?

Geoffrey Voelker, PhD. Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering at UC San Diego

 For more than a decade our group has undertaken an "evidence-based" approach to measure, analyze, and undermine various kinds of abuse and cybercrime on the Internet. In this talk Professor Voelker will describe his group’s evidence-based approach and present recent work on email account hacking as a concrete example.

 Attackers on underground forums advertise the capability to hack into arbitrary email accounts for money. Working with Google, he interacted with these so-called email account "hack-for-hire" black market services, some of which succeeded in attacking synthetic (though realistic) identities Professor Voelker’s group controlled. He will describe the methodologies that attackers used to gain access to victim accounts and how our results can improve email security. The presentation concludes by opening up the discussion and fielding questions from the audience about online security and topics of interest and concern.

March 14, 2023

WHAT HAS SCHOOL FINANCE REFORM ACHIEVED?

Julian Betts, PhD. Professor, Department of Economics; Executive Director of the San Diego Education Research Alliance at UC San Diego

 Over the last thirty years, often under court orders, dozens of states have reformed the way they fund public schools. These reforms have typically attempted to reduce inequalities in funding across school districts and to increase spending per pupil. What have these reforms done to boost student achievement and to reduce inequalities in student outcomes?

 In this talk, Professor Betts will give a brief overview of the reforms, and then discuss the evidence of the impact of these important reforms on the quality of education that students receive in California and around the nation.

April 11, 2023

THE JOB OF A MUSICIAN IS TO LISTEN

Steven Schick. Distinguished Professor of Music and Reed Family Presidential Chair at UC San Diego

In this presentation, we will learn how a contemporary musician uses one’s skills and ears to understand the world.

May 9, 2023

STUART COLLECTION: FROM LANDMARKS TO PATHWAYS

Mathieu Gregoire. Former Operations Manager, Stuart Collection at UC San Diego; Continuing Lecturer of Visual Arts at UC San Diego

The Stuart Collection includes 21 large scale, site specific sculptural commissions across the 1000-acre central campus of UCSD.

 From the iconic “Sun God” sculpture to the gravity-defying “Fallen Star” atop Jacobs Hall, these public art pieces are intimately tied to the identity and life of the campus.  The Collection also reaffirms UCSD’s aspirational public image and branding: experimentation, risk and innovation, “we break things”, “the non-tradition” etc.

 In this fascinating overview of the Stuart Collection, Mathieu Gregoire addresses three questions for several of the more renowned commissioned works, and also shares some behind-the-scenes stories of their origin, development and realization:

• How can artists work experimentally in public space?
• How are these works integrated with the campus, and what are their various relationships to site?
• How do the works change over time, and how do they remain interesting?

October 12, 2021

PERSPECTIVES ON PUBLIC HEALTH: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE

Cheryl Anderson, MPH, PhD. Professor and founding Dean of The Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at UC San Diego

Public health provides essential services to actively promote policies, systems, and overall community conditions that enable optimal health for all. The discipline of public health also seeks to remove systemic and structural barriers to health. Learn of the major accomplishments of public health, along with perspectives on opportunities and challenges to public health in the 21st century. An illustration also will highlight the vision of the new Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at UC San Diego to create and promote public health innovations to advance equity, justice, and well-being in San Diego and beyond. 

November 9, 2021

OUR CHANGING LANGUAGE: HOW WE CAN SPEAK TO EACH OTHER ACROSS GENERATIONS

Seth Lerer, PhD. Distinguished Professor of Literature and Dean of Arts and Humanities from 2009 to 2014 at UC San Diego

Explore the changes in spoken and written American English to chart how popular culture, slang, and digital technology have created an everyday language that seems very different from that of a generation or two ago. By looking at the history of English, we can understand how speech and writing are changing; we can recognize that communicating across generations has been a challenge throughout that history. Learn some techniques of understanding each other and recognizing that language change does not necessarily mean language decay or social discord.

December 14, 2021

SHILEY EYE INSTITUTE: NEW ADVANCES IN EYE CARE

Eric D. Nudleman, MD, PhD. Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology (Retina) at The Viterbi Family Department of Ophthalmology, Shiley Eye Institute at UC San Diego Health

Derek S. Welsbie, MD, PhD. Associate Professor of Ophthalmology (Glaucoma) at The Viterbi Family Department of Ophthalmology, Shiley Eye Institute at UC San Diego Health

Dr. Nudleman discusses “Cutting-edge Treatments and Discoveries in Retina.” Retinal diseases affect millions of adults and children worldwide. Retinal diseases include diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration and retinopathy of prematurity which can be managed by means of surgery or medications. Treating these diseases is crucial to increased quality of life of both the young and old.

Dr. Welsbie discusses “Glaucoma and Aging.” Many neurodegenerative conditions such as Glaucoma are characterized by degeneration or injury to the optic nerve (the direct connection from the eye to the brain). Newly discovered genes, when inhibited, allow optic nerve cells to survive and regenerate for successful vision restoration. This concept may apply to other neurodegenerative diseases.

January 11, 2022

PRACTICAL MEDITATION MADE EASY

Tahir Bhatti, MD. Associate Clinical Professor, Departments of Medicine and Psychiatry, UC San Diego School of Medicine; Wellness Physician at UC San Diego Center for Wellness, and UC San Diego (Dean Ornish) Cardiac Rehabilitation & Wellness programs

Meditation has become mainstream in our society and many of us are advised to practice some form of it every day for stress reduction. Yet, even with a daily meditation practice, we often find ourselves in life situations that make us angry, frustrated, or reactive. Whether you are looking to deepen your current meditation practice or are new to meditation, discover a unique framework for understanding the practical value of meditation along with some simple techniques designed to use throughout your day. Learn a 1-minute tool called Real-Time or Practical Meditation to use on a daily basis to lead you toward a more peaceful and less emotionally reactive life.

February 8, 2022

COSTUME DESIGN FOR THEATRE: THE BODY IS PRIMARY

Judith Dolan, PhD, MFA. Distinguished Professor of Directing & Design/Costumes and Head of Graduate Design, Theatre & Dance at UC San Diego

Tony Award-winning costume designer and Distinguished Professor of Theatre and Dance, Judith Dolan will share highlights from her career designing for productions from Broadway to London, and with the national theaters of Wales and Romania. On the way, she has worked on musicals, opera, and Shakespeare, as well as film and television. Her talk will focus on the interpersonal collaborations with specific actors as well as directorial perspectives, and how her experiences have impacted her mentorship of emerging designers.

March 8, 2022

A PERSPECTIVE OF ROBOTS IN OUR DAILY LIVES

Henrik Christensen, PhD. Qualcomm Chancellor's Chair of Robot Systems, Distinguished Professor of Computer Science, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Director of the Contextual Robotics Institute at UC San Diego

Through a confluence of computing, sensor systems, and artificial intelligence it has become possible to build robots that can provide assistance with many aspects of daily life. We have robots for household chores, driver assistance, washing windows, monitoring weather or fire storms. Robots are here to stay, and we will see a proliferation of robot systems for many aspects of our daily activities. What is the potential impact robots will have on our life in a five to ten-year perspective? Also, the introduction of sensor-rich systems into our homes and offices offers a number of concerns about recording and storing information about our daily activities. What are the data and ethical issues around use of robot systems and artificial intelligence in our homes?

April 12, 2022

DRAWN INTO FILM

Amy Adler, MFA. Professor, Department of Visual Arts at UC San Diego, 2021 Guggenheim Fellow for Creative Arts, U.S. and Canada

Drawing is commonly discussed in relation to painting and until recently most often referred to as a secondary figure in the history of art. What about drawing and film? Drawing and film share a long, complex, and compelling history. Drawing can be embedded into a cinematic narrative and performed in live action, like James Cameron’s famous sequence of Jack drawing Rose in Titanic; or take place off screen as in hand-drawn animation, like Disney’s Fantasia. Or a combination of both as in the groundbreaking jump into the sidewalk chalk drawing in Mary Poppins. These strategies have long inspired artists, including faculty at UC San Diego, who consider these complex negotiations in their own work.

May 10, 2022

EVOLVING IMMIGRATION POLICIES FROM TRUMP TO BIDEN

Tom Wong, PhD. Associate Professor of Political Science and Founding Director of U.S. Immigration Policy Center (USIPC) at UC San Diego

Immigration policies often change from one administration to another. Professor Wong, an advisor to the Obama administration, will discuss the differences between the Trump and Biden immigration policies and the implications for the future. Learn how changing demographics are affecting contemporary politics and the American national identity.

October 13, 2020

COVID CRISIS: IS INTERNATIONALISM OR PROTECTIONISM THE RIGHT RESPONSE?

Peter Gourevitch, PhD. Founding Dean, UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy (formerly International Relations and Pacific Studies); Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Political Science

Are we better off cooperating with other countries in dealing with our problems, or going alone? After WWII, there was a strong consensus on cooperation which is now being challenged. The COVID 19 crisis gives reasons—along with trade, climate, security, culture, and equality concerns—for engaging in the world, while at the same time making strong efforts domestically to ensure that the benefits and the costs of engagement are widely shared, as there can be considerable turbulence in this process.

November 10, 2020

THE IMMUNE SYSTEM IS TELLING US HOW TO CURE CANCER. ARE WE READY TO LISTEN?

Ezra Cohen, MD, FRCPSC, FASCO. Chief, Division of Hematology‐Oncology at UC San Diego; Co‐Director, San Diego Center for Precision Immunotherapy; Associate Director, Translational Science and leader of the Solid Tumor Therapeutics research program at Moores Cancer Center; Professor of Medicine

We have entered a new era in oncology with immunotherapy showing dramatic effects. We are learning from these patients, who have prolonged benefit, that sustained disease remission is possible, and the mechanisms that are necessary to achieve it. These discoveries have led to initiation of an individualized neoantigen vaccine clinical trial that specifically stimulates a patient’s immune system to eliminate their cancer.

December 8, 2020

PRETENDING FOR REAL: ACTING FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

Richard Robichaux, MFA. Head of Graduate Acting at UC San Diego; Arthur and Molli Wagner Endowed Chair in Acting for the Department of Theatre and Dance

As a working actor and university professor it is vital to help bridge the gap between a student's ambitions and their opportunities. How does Professor Robichaux’s work at the highest levels of film and television inform how he teaches student-artists at the beginning of their careers? Through the ‘Chair’ exercise, see how students overcome obstacles on their way to achieving their personal vision of success in one of the toughest industries in the country: showbiz.

January 12, 2021

"MEDIATIZATION" OF HEALTH AND MEDICINE: MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Daniel Hallin, PhD. Distinguished Professor, UC San Diego Department of Communication

Looking back at previous epidemics, including the H1N1, “swine flu,” and Ebola, the “mediatization” of health and the relations among science, politics, and the media today during the COVID-19 pandemic, Professor Hallin will discuss the high degree of politicization that characterized the COVID pandemic in the U.S. He also will share some grand theories of social and cultural change that come together in an interesting way during a pandemic, including the theory of biomedicalization, which argues that culture and society are more and more influenced by the perspectives of biomedical science, and the theory mediatization, which argues that other social institutions—including biomedicine—are increasingly subject to the influence of media. On the surface the two theories seem contradictory—but in an epidemic we can see them both at work.

February 9, 2021

BREAKING AND REPAIRING MOVEMENT: A VIEW FROM BENCH TO BEDSIDE

Sharona Ben-Haim, MD. Director of Surgical Epilepsy at UC San Diego; Neurosurgeon, Assistant Professor of Surgery

Eiman Azim, PhD. Salk Institute Assistant Professor, Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory; William Scandling Developmental Chair

Actions that may seem routine to us, like reaching out for our mug to take a sip of coffee, are truly quite remarkable. To move our arms, hands, and fingers, our nervous system needs to coordinate the activity of dozens of muscles with staggering speed and precision. Given the central role that these skillful movements play in everyday life, impairment of these functions by injury or disease is especially debilitating, reinforcing the need for a better understanding of how the brain controls the body. Dr. Eiman Azim will give us a glimpse into recent discoveries that allow us to begin to understand how our nervous system coordinates movement of the body. Dr. Sharona Ben-Haim will then discuss what happens when these circuits stop functioning optimally, along with the type of cutting-edge therapies we can use to restore function.

Drs. Azim and Ben-Haim are married and live in Cardiff-by-the-Sea. They have a son named Elio, who, at 1.5 years old, does not yet participate in neuroscience research, according to his parents!

March 9, 2021

FEDERAL VS. STATE POWERS: THE UNSETTLED DEBATE OF AMERICAN GOVERNMENT

Thad Kousser, PhD. Department Chair and Professor of Political Science at UC San Diego

Exactly where does the scope of federal power end and the authority of state governments begin?  Or should we reverse the order of that question in our union of states? Throughout America's history, this fight has raged in courtrooms and on the battlefields, yet it remains unresolved. How does this constitutional tension affect policies ranging from sanctuary states to health care to marijuana legalization? How does it play out in the way elections are run and how votes are counted? How has it impacted our response to the COVID-19 pandemic?

April 13, 2021

NEUROSCIENCE IN THE DATA SCIENCE AGE

Bradley Voytek, PhD. Vice Chair, Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute at UC San Diego; Alfred P. Sloan Neuroscience Research Fellow and National Academies Kavli Fellow; Associate Professor in the Department of Cognitive Science and the Neurosciences Graduate Program

The brain is often likened to a symphony, where 86 billion neurons are coordinating in an unfathomably complex electrochemical orchestra. Even though this symphony is without a conductor (there is no leader orchestrating those 86 billion neurons!) for many of us, this just works. To understand how it all works—and when, how, and why it breaks down—we leverage a data science approach that allows us to turn many massive, disconnected databases of information into models for making predictions about the future and turning those data into human-level understanding.

We combine textual data from millions of peer-reviewed neuroscience publications with brain imaging data, demographic and genetics, and electrical recordings from neurons to show how we can mine across datasets to find missing links and gaps in our knowledge. This approach allows us to algorithmically generate plausible hypotheses for better understanding human brain development, aging, and disease.

May 11, 2021

BRAIN WAVES AND FUNCTIONAL DOMAINS: NEW TECHNOLOGIES FOR BRAIN & SPINE MAPPING AND THERAPY

Shadi Dayeh, PhD. Director, Integrated Electronics and Bio-interfaces Laboratory at UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering; Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Electrical waves generated in the brain form the basis of our cognitive and unconscious brain activity and are clinically assessed at centimeter-length scales. UC San Diego developed the world’s most advanced human brain and spine bidirectional record/stimulate technology that revealed the microscopic brain wave patterns and functional boundaries in speech and motor function. Why do we need brain and spine implants? How can they be used? What is the new scientific and therapeutic potential of UC San Diego’s neurotechnology testing?

April 14, 2020: CANCELED DUE TO COVID-19 

Derek Welsbie, MD, PhD.Glaucoma Specialist and Assistant Professor, Ophthalmology, Shiley Eye Institute, UC San Diego Health Sciences

When it comes to eye care, the future is bright. Dr. Welsbie is a researcher in addition to being a clinician specializing in the treatment of glaucoma. His research has focused on identifying the genes responsible for nerve cell death and the development of new treatment strategies for glaucoma patients. He will enlighten us as to the exciting research and innovation that is currently happening at UC San Diego’s Shiley Eye Institute!

May 12, 2020: CANCELED DUE TO COVID-19 

Sharona Ben-Haim, MD.Neurosurgeon, Assistant Professor, Surgery, UC San Diego Health Sciences

Is there any treatment available for people with epilepsy, unrelenting facial pain, and spasticity or movement disorders? Dr. Ben-Haim is an expert in leading-edge surgical treatments for these conditions and she frequently uses novel tools that allow for very minimally invasive techniques.

October 8, 2019

WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR UC SAN DIEGO

Elizabeth Simmons, PhD. Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Distinguished Professor of Physics, UC San Diego

EVC Simmons has her finger on the pulse of UC San Diego and she will share information about the most impactful changes being made to the campus and update us on the trolley line, student housing, and other issues important to the campus!

November 12, 2019

OUR CHANGING OCEAN AND THE WAY IT IS AFFECTING OUR LIVES

Margaret Leinen, PhD. Vice Chancellor of Marine Sciences, Director of Scripps Institute of Oceanography, and Dean of the School of Marine Sciences, UC San Diego

We are changing our ocean in many ways — overfishing, pollution, and the effects of fossil fuel use. Each of these is affecting the ocean and its ability to provide resources, stabilize our climate, and protect us from hazards. How we adapt and change will have big impacts on our quality of life for the future.

December 10, 2019

THE NASA TWIN ASTRONAUT STUDY: WHAT WE KNOW AND CAN PREDICT ABOUT LONG-TERM SPACE TRAVEL

Brinda Rana, PhD. Associate Professor, Psychiatry, UC San Diego Health Sciences

The NASA twin study demonstrated the robustness of the human body and how it can adapt to the spaceflight environment which includes microgravity, radiation, circadian disruption, elevated carbon dioxide levels, and isolation from family and dietary limitations.

January 14, 2020

A BRAIN IN A JAR: RECONSTRUCTING THE HUMAN BRAIN FROM SCRATCH

Alysson Muotri, PhD. Professor, Cellular and Molecular Medicine, UC San Diego Health Sciences 

Can we reconstruct the human brain in the lab? Brain organoids, aka “mini-brains,” are self-assembled neural structures made from stem cells that mimic the human brain. Dr. Muotri will explain how these “mini-brains” are helping us understand neurological disorders and what makes us truly human.

February 11, 2020

ARE E-CIGARETTES A SOLUTION TO TOBACCO OR SIMPLY A TOBACCO IN SOLUTION?

Laura Crotty Alexander, MD. Associate Professor, Pulmonology Critical Care & Sleep, UC San Diego Health Sciences, and Staff Physician, VA San Diego Healthcare

E-Cigarette use has risen to epidemic proportions worldwide, especially in adolescents and teenagers. We had great success in battling conventional tobacco use, but are now reliving history through the latest version of tobacco products. Dr. Crotty Alexander will explain why these drug delivery devices are so popular and what the (major) health consequences of them will be!

March 10, 2020

ARE WE READY TO EDIT OUR CHILDREN’S GENES?

Evan Snyder, MD, PhD, FAAP. Associate Physician, Pediatrics, Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, UC San Diego Health Sciences; Professor and Director, Center for Stem Cells & Regenerative Medicine, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute

What are the latest developments and possible applications of Stem Cell research and what are the limits of what we realistically can do to edit our children’s genes to create disease free futures for them?

October 9, 2018

PERSONALIZED CANCER MEDICINE: THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS AT UC SAN DIEGO

Razelle Kurzrock, M.D., Senior Deputy Center Director, Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy, UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center

Recognized internationally for her work in translational science, Dr. Kurzrock’s research and clinical care are focused on precision medicine, using the most innovative genomically targeted drugs and/or agents that arm the immune system. Dr. Kurzrock also trains tomorrow’s cancer leaders as Chief of the Hematology & Oncology Division in the UC San Diego School of Medicine. 

November 6, 2018   (NOTE: first Tuesday)

THE SCIENCE OF SWEARING: HOW THE MIND MAKES MEANING OF WHY AND HOW WE CURSE

Benjamin Bergen, PhD. Director of the Language & Cognition Lab; Professor in Department of Cognitive Science, UC San Diego

Why do we swear? Why do we swear the way we do? Do members of all cultures around the world, swear? Dr. Bergen is the author of several books on language, cognition, and why and how people curse around the world. He will share what his research reveals about our language, our brains and ourselves.

December 11, 2018

STAKES AND MISTAKES: CONSIDERING THE MEANING OF INCENTIVES IN CREATING PAY PROGRAMS THAT IMPACT EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION AND EFFECTIVENESS

Uri Gneezy, PhD. Epstein/Atkinson Endowed Chair in Behavioral Economics and Professor of Economics & Strategy at The Rady School of Management, UC San Diego

What is the importance of an incentive to an employee and how can job satisfaction be factored by employers wishing to construct efficient pay programs? Dr. Gneezy will share his research in behavioral economics to demonstrate how small differences in the structure of such pay programs can change the entire salary discussion.

January 8, 2019

“IRAQIBACTER AND THE PHAGE WHISPERER”: THE SURPRISING TREATMENT OF RESISTANT BACTERIA THAT LED TO A NEW PHAGE CENTER AT UC SAN DIEGO GLOBAL HEALTH INSTITUTE

Steffanie Strathdee, PhD. Associate Dean of Global Health Sciences, Director of UC San Diego Global Health Institute

On a journey through Egypt in 2014, Dr. Strathdee explored deep caves and pyramids with her husband, Tom Patterson, who became violently ill with a super-bacterium that was resistant to every known antibiotic. Dr. Strathdee, an infectious disease epidemiologist who has spent the last two decades working with underserved populations in developed and developing countries, will tell the story of personalized bacteriophage-based therapeutics, how they saved her husband and led to the creation of a phage center at UC San Diego. Tom Patterson will join us for the luncheon.

February 12, 2019 (originally scheduled for March 12)

OUR DYNAMIC MICROBIOMES AND GUT HEALTH: WHAT THE AMERICAN GUT PROJECT HAS TAUGHT US

Rob Knight, PhD. Founding Director of the Center for Microbiome Innovation and Co-Founder of the American Gut Project and the Earth Microbiome Project

Microbes are the most diverse and abundant entities on the planet, and Dr. Knight has been studying the complex microbial ecosystems of the human body in people of all ages, from the healthiest to the sickest, to learn the role diet plays on our microbiomes and thus our health. Dr. Knight will describe the prospect of a system for the real-time analysis of our microbiomes to guide our daily decisions and optimize our quest for life-long wellness.

March 12, 2019

THE STAGE IS MY LAB: A PLACE WHERE ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE

Robert Brill, Professor of Scenic Design for UC San Diego’s Department of Theater & Dance

Professor Brill first arrived at UC San Diego more than three decades ago as an undergraduate. Now, as a Professor and Head of Scenic Design for UC San Diego’s Department of Theater and Dance, he shapes the next generation of artists at one of the top professional training programs in the country. Professor Brill’s designs for theatre, opera, dance, and themed entertainment have been seen internationally and in every major city throughout the United States, and he has collaborated with prominent visionary artists at many of the world’s leading artistic institutions. He will share his journey through some of the most challenging projects in the entertainment industry!

April 9, 2019

NEW PLANETS: HOW OUR SEARCH FOR LIFE BEYOND EARTH HAS CHANGED WITH THE DISCOVERY OF AN EXOPLANETARY SYSTEM CALLED TRAPPIST-1

Adam Burgasser, PhD. Astro-Physics, Fulbright Scholar, UC San Diego Professor of Physics, and TRAPPIST team member

In February, 2017, NASA announced the discovery of seven earth-sized planets around a very low-mass star, only 39 light years away from our sun. Three of these planets have the potential to have liquid water on their surfaces, raising the possibility of the existence of life! Dr. Burgasser, a member of the TRAPPIST team, will tell us what has been learned about the evolution of these planets and their habitability.

May 14, 2019

NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES AND THE GLOBAL IMPORTANCE OF FINDING TREATMENT: UC SAN DIEGO’S NEW CENTER FOR ANTI-PARASITIC DRUG DISCOVERY AND DEVELOPMENT

James McKerrow, PhD. M.D., Dean, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Associate Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences and Distinguished Professor of Pathology

When the Zika virus flared up in tropical communities, the world was not prepared for the global ripple effect, and the results of the outbreak will be felt for years to come. Dr. McKerrow leads a consortium of academic and industry scientists who are dedicated to the discovery and development of new drugs to combat similarly “neglected” tropical diseases, such as hookworm, Filariasis, Chagas Disease and others that affect millions of people worldwide.