Space Dust Nanomaterials Fire Drought and Ecosystems Oak Tree Ecology California Agricultural Legacy Explore the dust between the stars - and why it is so important, see how researchers explore molecules on the nanoscale to improve materials, discover why natural extremes are critical to Mediterranean ecosystems, the fate of California Oak trees, and sustaining the heritage of agriculture in California, all on this edition of On Beyond.
	Honoring Sally: Tam O'Shaughnessy Aboard the R/V Sally Ride In this candid and heartwarming interview, Tam O'Shaughnessy, the life partner of the late astronaut Sally Ride, describes her long relationship with the first American woman in space. From their days on the teen tennis circuit in California through Sally's historic flights on the Space Shuttle Challenger to their parallel academic careers and later, founding their own company, Tam tells how their deep friendship blossomed over time into a romance that ended with Sally's death from cancer in 2012. As the Executive Director of Sally Ride Science@UC San Diego, Tam continues to inspire girls to embrace STEM, and shares her profound pride as the sponsor of the newly commissioned R/V Sally Ride, the first Naval academic research vessel ever named for a woman, now operated by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.
	Understanding Primate Brain Development Using Stem Cell Systems Exploring the use of primate stem cell systems to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying species differences in cerebral cortex development. Recorded on 09/29/2017.
	How do Websites Personalize Recommendations for Me? - Exploring Ethics In this talk Julian McAuley, UC San Diego Computer Science and Engineering, discusses the modeling techniques behind personalized recommendation technology on the web. Examples of Recommender Systems range from simple statistical approaches like Amazon's people who bought X also bought Y links, to complex AI-based approaches that drive feed ranking on sites like Facebook. We'll discuss the models that drive these systems, look at the research questions that drive the future of this field in the coming years, and discuss their ethical implications.
	Re-constructing Brains in the Lab to Revolutionize Neuroscience Cerebral organoids, also known as mini-brains, are tridimensional self-organized structures derived from stem cells that resemble the early stages of the human embryonic brain. This new tool allows researchers to explore fundamental neurodevelopmental steps otherwise inaccessible in utero experimentally. Alysson Muotri, UC San Diego Stem Cell Program, explains how mini brains are generated in his lab and how this strategy can create novel therapeutical insights on neurogenetic disorders, such as autism. He also describes the use of mini-brains to explore the uniqueness of the human brain compared to other extinct species, such as the Neanderthals. Limitations and ethical concerns surrounding this exciting technology are also discussed.
	The Ocean's Stethoscope: How Technology is Being Used to Study Fish Populations - Exploring Ethics Sooner or later, the food requirements of nine billion people with increasing appetites for seafood must be addressed. Although aquaculture may supply the majority of the global 'seafood', most aquaculture is fed meal from wild caught fish, such as sardine and anchovy. To estimate the distributions and abundance of these and other small fish off the west coast, NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center routinely conducts "acoustic-trawl" surveys. David Demer will briefly describe the vessels, instrumentation and methods that are used to conduct these surveys, and provide a virtual tour of the world-class facilities in La Jolla that are used to develop the next generation of autonomous, ocean-sampling technologies. Join us to learn more about this exciting technology and be part of a discussion about possible ethical challenges.
	The Future of Nature: Conservation in the Anthropocene with Emma Marris Emma Marris argues that there are different strategies to achieve the balance between nature, wilderness and the built environment. She challenges the idea of the pristine, pre-human state given that humans have altered their environment since pre-history. And, human-caused climate change is altering even the most remote places. She offers ideas on the future of nature and how we might think about it. Recorded on 04/24/2019.
	Lakes Beneath Antarctic Ice: Deep Dark and Mysterious In 2006, Helen Amanda Fricker was sitting at her desk studying new satellite data when she made a starting discovery – a set of active lakes that exist underneath the ice in Antarctica. Join Helen, a 25-year veteran of Antarctic ice sheet research, and learn about the discovery, exploration and drilling of these mysterious phenomena at the southern reaches of our planet. Recorded on 01/14/2019.
	Food Nutrition and Politics: A Conversation with Marion Nestle Marion Nestle (NYU) and Laura Schmidt (UCSF) discuss nutrition policy and research, scientific conflicts of interest, the upcoming Dietary Guidelines, global food systems and more in this conversation about the food industry's influence on scientific research. Recorded on 02/07/2019.
	Climate Change: What it Means for Our Agriculture and Our Health - Future Thought Leaders A panel of experts discusses climate change and its effects on our agriculture and our health, while also offering insights into how we as individuals can work to limit its negative impacts and create positive change.
	Arctic Sea Ice Upper Atmosphere Transport and Trade Winds Earths climate is a complex system with global scale interactions spanning the tropics to the poles. Join emeritus Professor and past Scripps Director Charles Kennel as he reveals the potential of arctic sea ice loss to influence the intensity of climate events such as El Nino, and raises the possibility that more changes in weather patterns and extreme events are to come. Recorded on 04/08/2019.
	Computer Security for Victims of Intimate Partner Violence What technology risks are faced by people who experience intimate partner violence? How is the security community failing them, and what questions might we need to ask to make progress on social and technical interventions? UC San Diego CSE Alumnus Thomas Ristenpart discusses computer security with a focus on digital privacy and safety in intimate partner violence. He is a member of the Computer Science department at Cornell University. Recorded on 01/18/2019.