Program Series
Climate, Energy, and Environment
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The Climate, Energy and Environment (CEE) Series offers events that showcase research in alternative energy sources and fuels, the impact of climate change and environmental tragedies on Earth, and the conservation and sustainability of the Earth’s resources.
Previous CEE events have covered biofuels, climate change, solar energy, Chicago’s water supply, CO2 storage, and research in the Arctic.
Distinguished speakers have included former Under Secretary for Science, U.S. Department of Energy Steve Koonin, Ph.D.; Maria Zuber, Ph.D., Chair of the National Science Board and Vice President for Research and E.A. Griswold Professor of Geophysics, MIT; and Kelly Kenison Falkner, Ph.D., Director of the Office of Polar Programs, U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and Director of the U.S. Antarctic Program.
Health and Wellness
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Heath & Wellness (HW) Series includes programs that present current and emerging public health concerns by introducing the latest research advances in medical science, disease prevention and physical and mental health.
Previous HW events have covered cancer, aging, addiction, Alzheimer’s disease, human microbiome, and dietary supplements.
Distinguished speakers have included Frank Giles, M.D., Chief of Oncology at the Lurie Children’s Hospital; Jack A. Gilbert, Ph.D., Director of the Microbiome Center and a Professor of Surgery at the University of Chicago, Group Leader for Microbial Ecology at Argonne National Laboratory, Associate Director of the Institute of Genomic and Systems Biology, Research Associate at the Field Museum of Natural History, and Senior Scientist at the Marine Biological Laboratory; T. Celeste Napier, Ph.D., Professor in the Departments of Pharmacology and Psychiatry at Rush University Medical Center, and is the Director for the Center for Compulsive Behavior and Addiction at Rush University.
Life Science
The Life Science (LS) Series offers events that showcase advances in biology. Topics include how organisms change through time and interact with their environment, animal behavior, the brain, genetics, and technological advances in molecular biology and biotechnology.
Previous LS events have covered gene patenting, the BRAIN Initiative, chimpanzee behavior, dinosaurs, aquatic life, and antibiotic discovery, among other topics.
Distinguished speakers have included Neil Shubin, Ph.D., Professor of Organismal Biology and Anatomy at the University of Chicago, and host of “Your Inner Fish” on PBS; John Maunsell, Ph.D., Alfred D Lasker Professor of Neurobiology at the University of Chicago and the Director of the Grossman Institute for Neuroscience, Quantitative Biology and Human Behavior; and Katherine A. Barsness, M.D. M.S., Director of Surgical Simulation, Director of Surgical Outcomes Research Attending Physician, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago Assistant Professor of Surgery Director of Outreach, Center for Education in Medicine, Department of Medical Education Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
Physical Science
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The Physical Science (PS) Series offers events that showcase the current understanding of the origin of the Universe, properties of matter and energy and the relationships between them, and space exploration.
Previous PS events have covered dark matter, Switzerland’s CERN Laboratory, the Hubble Telescope, quarks and the cosmos, navigating earth and space, and the physics of baseball.
Distinguished speakers have included Astronaut John Grunsfeld; Nobel Laureate John C. Mather; and Laura Trouille, Astronomer, Northwestern University & Adler Planetarium.
Science and Society
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The Science & Society (SS) Series presents topics at the intersection of science, public policy, social issues, and daily life. These programs allow active engagement between policy makers, scientists and program participants.
Previous SS events have covered science in films, Women in STEM, the science of music, science education policy, gender stereotypes, and how curiosity-driven research impacts society.
Distinguished SS speakers have included Cristal Thomas, former Deputy Governor of Illinois; Robbert Dijkgraaf, Ph.D., Director of the Institute for Advanced Study and Leon Levy Professor; and Lawrence Krauss, Ph.D., Foundation Professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration and Physics Department, and Inaugural Director of the Origins Project at Arizona State University.
Technology and Engineering
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The Technology, Engineering and Innovation (TEI) Series offers events that showcase the latest innovations and technology based research at both start-ups and large scale operations, by scientists and engineers.
Previous TEI events have covered high speed rail, nanotechnology, robots, tech incubators, machine learning, and medical imaging.
Distinguished speakers have included Adam Khan, CEO and founder of Akhan Semiconductors; Miles Wernick, Ph.D., Motorola Endowed Chair Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Director of the Medical Imaging Research Center, and Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT); and Amanda K. Petford-Long, Ph.D., Director for the Nanoscience and Technology Division and Argonne’s Center for Nanoscale Materials.