UC San Diego Qualcomm Institute's Larry Smarr, noted authority in information technology and high-performance computing hosts a discussion with UC San Diego's Rob Knight, leading expert on microbiomes and bioinformatics who is widely renowned for his early and innovative investigations of the symbiotic relationships between microbial life and humans, about how the unique cyberinfrastructure resources for Big Data at UC San Diego will drive applications in the new frontier of microbiome research.

Using the web and mobile devices, we now have comprehensive maps of the great outdoors, our planet and its mountains, plains and oceans. But what about the places where GPS does not work, such as underground, in buildings and megastructures, under dense tree canopies, on board ships or inside aircraft? Research cartographer Keith Clarke is working toward mapping the great indoors using new technologies. See what that entails and what it enables. Recorded on 07/21/2016.

From the medicines that we take in the morning, to the plastic chairs that we sit on during afternoon class, we are constantly interacting with structurally complex organic molecules. Keary Engle provides a thorough overview of the chemical synthesis process and will discuss how inefficiencies in chemical synthesis provide opportunities for creative innovation. Recorded on 01/28/2017.

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.

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 will be discussed.

Olivier George researches addiction at the Scripps Research Institute. He describes the effects of drugs on the brain, including alcohol, nicotine, cocaine and opioids; why some people, but not others, develop an addiction; and highlights new therapeutic strategies to fight addiction. Recorded on 11/17/2018.

This symposium addresses the interactive gene-culture co-evolution of the human brain with tool use and technology - ranging from simple stone tools millions of years ago to computers today. Recorded on 10/12/2018.

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 abundances 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.

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.