AAAS 2010 Annual Meeting, San Diego, Feb. 18-22: Presentations by Stanford speakers
Friday, Feb. 19
Steve Schneider
Communication, Policy, and Climate Change
Schneider discusses what and how scientists can and should be part of the public debate on science issues such as climate change.
Keith Devlin
Learning Mathematics in a Commercially Successful "Massively Multiplayer Online" Game
Devlin will discuss his experiences working to design a role-playing game that would teach students mathematical principles "under the radar" as they play the game.
Christopher Manning
Getting Computers To Understand What They Read
If you can read this, you are probably human. But you could also be software developed at Stanford in the research group of Chris Manning, who will speak about efforts to endow computers with the ability to understand human language.
Saturday, Feb. 20
Ken Caldeira
Can Intentional Interference in the Climate System Reduce Risk?
Caldeira will discuss climate model simulations that indicate that stratospheric aerosols may be able to offset most climate change for most people most of the time, but some people are likely to be damaged some of the time.
Yi Cui
Energy Storage: New Progress in an Old Field
Cui will speak about the impact of nanotechnology on energy storage development.
David Lobell
The Effects of Global Climate Change on Food Security
By 2030, the impact of global warming on food prices could be significant, harming some poor populations while benefitting others.
Stephen R. Palumbi
Spreading the Wealth: Design and Function of Highly Protected Reserve Networks
Palumbi examines the differences between marine protected areas in the Pacific, ranging from reserves the size of a football field to areas the size of California.
Hank Greely
The Brain on Trial: Neuroscience Evidence in the Courtroom
Playing the role of prosecutor in a mock trial, Greely will help explore the pros and cons of using neuroscience evidence in criminal court cases.
Sunday, Feb. 21
Anthony Siegman
How the Laser Came To Be
The invention of the laser led to a revolution in technology, but it took a half century of discoveries by an interesting cast of scientists and engineers. Siegman recounts the history.
Heather Tallis
No Data, No Governance, No Time? No Problem: Flexible Ecosystem Service Assessment
Marine ecosystem-based management is alive and well, from Puget Sound to the Indonesian archipelago.
Stephen R. Palumbi
Topical Lecture: How Marine Species React and Adjust to Ocean Acidification and Climate Change
Palumbi will present his findings on how marine species are reacting to climate change, including new work on coral species in the Pacific that have poor powers of dispersal but a surprising ability to cope with higher temperatures.
Robert L. Byer
Quantum Noise Limited Lasers and the Search for Gravitational Waves
Using lasers pointed at mirrors two miles away, researchers are trying to detect the ultra-faint disturbances caused by gravity waves as they move across the universe. It’s not easy.
Meg Caldwell
Assessing Existing Data and Data Gaps To Begin Marine Spatial Planning in California
Researchers are developing cooperative strategies for managing and sharing data for marine spatial planning.
Carl Djerassi
Science-in-Theater: Sleeping Beauty or...?
Djerassi, who has written numerous books and plays involving various aspects of science, will present his perspective.
Giorgio Gratta
Are Neutrinos Their Own Antiparticles?
Ever elusive, neutrinos even blur the distinction between particles and anti-particles. Scientists strive to measure their mass, a potential clue in the puzzle of the universe.
Monday, Feb. 22
Ken Caldeira
The Science of Geoengineering Climate: The Royal Society Report
Caldeira discusses the options set forth in the Royal Society Report – removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or reflecting sunlight back into space – and the ramifications of the report’s recommendations.
Share This Story