COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
SCIENCE SUNDAYS AT OHIO STATE
2016–2017
The tools of discovery light up the dark.
Contents About Science Sundays – 4 Upcoming Events – 6 SEPT: Emery
Brown OCT: Richard Petty NOV: Sian Beilock DEC: Paul McEuen JAN: Laura Cadonati FEB: Matt Sullivan MARCH: John Beacom APRIL: Cara Malek
Sponsoring Centers – 14 asc.osu.edu/science-sundays
About Science Sundays Science Sundays is a FREE public lecture series offered and supported by The Ohio State University College of Arts and Sciences and sponsoring centers. Speakers are leading experts in their fields dedicated to making their work interesting and accessible for audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Science Sundays brings leading-edge work into the lives of the public with lectures covering diverse topics in science, arts and technology that touch our everyday lives. SPONSORING CENTERS • Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design (ACCAD) • Center for Applied Plant Sciences (CAPS) • Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Brain Imaging (CCBBI) • Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics (CCAPP) • Center for Emergent Materials (CEM) an NSF MRSEC • Center for RBA Biology (CRB) • Decision Sciences Collaborative (DSC) • Mathematical Biosciences Institute (MBI) These centers are dynamic national hubs focused on solving critical global problems in energy and the environment, safe food production and health and wellness. They produce important new information; discover viable new “smart” materials, energy sources, drug therapies; and build collaborative partnerships merging art and technology. (See more on pages 14-22) 4
Upcoming Events General Event Information
Each lecture is followed by a free, informal reception.
Time Lecture: 3-4 pm; Reception: 4-5 pm Lecture Venue Ohio Union U.S. Bank Conference Theatre Reception Venue Ohio Union Ohio Staters Traditions Room For more information on SCIENCE SUNDAYS visit: asc.osu.edu/science-sundays
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September 18, 2016
Emery Brown The Rhythms of the Unconscious Brain under General Anesthesia General anesthesia, a drug-induced reversible coma, allows patients to humanely undergo surgeries and invasive diagnostic procedures. Brown explains that under general anesthesia the brain is controlled by highlyorganized oscillations. Study of these oscillations resolves the long-standing mystery of general anesthesia and offers new insights into the brain’s fundamental workings. Emery N. Brown, MD, PhD, Warren M. Zapol Professor of Anesthesia, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School; Edward Hood Taplin Professor of Medical Engineering and Computational Neuroscience, MIT. 6
October 23, 2016
Richard Petty How Confidence Affects Decision Making and Action Although some people are more confident than others, nearly everyone wants to be more confident. But why? What good is confidence? Petty explains where confidence comes from and the polarizing impact that it can have on our important judgments and behaviors. Richard E. Petty is Distinguished University Professor of psychology at Ohio State. Author of eight books, his research focuses on understanding social and emotional impacts on decision-making.
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November 13, 2016
Sian Beilock How to Perform Your Best Under Stress In an energetic tour of the latest brain science, Sian Beilock explains why we all too often blunder when the stakes are high. She reveals what happens in our brain and body when we experience performance anxiety and shows how to succeed brilliantly when it matters most. Sian Beilock, psychology professor and director, Human performance Lab, University of Chicago, is author of bestseller, Choke, and has appeared on PBS specials. Â
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December 4, 2016
Paul McEuen The Future of Small Small is, put simply, big. Miniaturized electronics has placed incredible computational power literally in the palms of our hands. But a different type of miniaturization, the miniaturization of machines, is now getting underway. McEuen gives us a peek at what’s coming, including ways to construct micro and nano scale machines and how they will affect our lives. Paul L. McEuen, John A. Newman Professor of Physical Science, Cornell University and director of the Kavli Institute for Nanoscale Science, also writes thrillers; the International Thriller Writers Assn. named his scientific thriller, Spiral, debut of the year. 9
January 22, 2017
Laura Cadonati Listening to the Universe with Gravitational Waves Einstein predicted gravitational waves as ripples in space-time produced by violent astrophysical events. One hundred years later, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) observed gravitational waves from the collision of two black holes. This groundbreaking discovery marks the beginning of a new astrophysics, providing new ways to probe the universe. Laura Cadonati’s research interests include gravitational waves and particle astrophysics. She is associate professor of physics and member of Georgia Tech’s Center for Relativistic Astrophysics. 10
February 19, 2017
Matthew Sullivan Understanding Ocean Viruses May Just Save the Earth and Help Cure Your Next Ailment Microbes are now recognized to impact human health, weight, even behavior. However, viruses that infect microbes are everywhere, and those in your body may play particularly important roles, yet remain virtually undiscovered. Sullivan shares the state of the art in the study of ocean viruses and relates how it helps us understand viruses in humans, agriculture and industry. Matthew Sullivan, Ohio State microbiology assistant professor, studies co-evolution of microbe and virus in environmental populations and impact of marine phages on microbe-mediated global biogeochemistry. He was part of the Tara Oceans Expedition. 11
March 19, 2017
John Beacom Neutrino Astronomy Made Easy
Neutrinos barely exist: They have almost no mass or interactions.  Yet they are blazing forth from the hot, dense centers of nuclear reactors, the Sun, supernova explosions and who knows what else? If only we could see them! With new detectors, now we can, but faintly, opening up new vistas, questions and possibilities. John Beacom is Ohio State professor of physics and astronomy; director, Center for Cosmology and AstroParticle Physics (CCAPP). He is a frequent public speaker and contributor to online publications. 12
April 23, 2017
Cara Malek How Would A Dragon Fly? The Science & Art of Rigging Animated Characters Before an animated dragon can fly or a panda can execute a kung fu-kick, a character rigger must design and create the digital puppet to bring the character to life. Part anatomy, part computer science, part sculpture, character rigging is a challenging, interesting blend of aesthetics and usability. Malek has 10 years of rigging experience and shares how it’s done. Cara Malek supervises DreamWorks’s Character Technology team, directing rigging on all studio productions. Credits include, How to Train Your Dragon and Kung Fu Panda 2 & 3. She received an MFA in digital animation from Ohio State’s Department of Design, with focused studies at ACCAD. 13
Sponsoring Centers The following world-class centers are Science Sundays sponsors: ACCAD, CAPS, CCBBI, CCAPP, CEM, CRB, DSC and MBI. Each center brings together teams of experts who form collaborations and partnerships worldwide within and across disciplines to tackle and answer some of the most important problems and questions of our time. They teach and train the next generation of researchers; encourage creativity and innovation and share their discoveries with the public. They are supported by major funding from federal granting agencies, the university and the College of Arts and Sciences.
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Art Meets Technology. ADVANCED COMPUTING CENTER FOR THE ARTS AND DESIGN (ACCAD) Many contemporary computer animation artists and scientists get started at ACCAD — one of the world’s first computer animation research centers. Using visualization technologies, we can re-imagine 60,000-year-old dinosaurs; reveal a choreographer’s thinking about movement patterns and enable audiences to travel to ancient ruins through interactive, learning experiences. View the magic: accad.osu.edu 15
Greening the World. CENTER FOR APPLIED PLANT SCIENCES (CAPS) A partnership between the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences bridges the gap between basic research and potential applications. Crossdisciplinary research teams are finding ways to enhance crop production by making plants disease and pest-resistant. Watch them grow: caps.osu.edu 16
THE CENTER FOR COGNITIVE AND BEHAVIORAL BRAIN IMAGING (CCBBI) This new frontier in cognitive neuroscience uses brain imaging to “see� individual differences in cognitive capacities and social emotional processing to explore relationships between the human brain and behavior. These differences can be responsible for debilitating psychiatric disorders such as bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders and autism. Get an inside look: ccbbi.osu.edu
Seeing the Brain.
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CENTER FOR COSMOLOGY AND ASTROPARTICLE PHYSICS (CCAPP) CCAPP researchers combine physics with astronomy, theory with computation, and experiments with observation to tackle the universe’s biggest secrets: dark matter, holding galaxies together; dark energy, accelerating them apart and the high-energy cosmic rays created by violent explosions of massive stars. Be amazed: ccapp.osu.edu
Probing the Universe.
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Building Our Future. CENTER FOR EMERGENT MATERIALS (CEM) AN NSF FUNDED MRSEC
Materials researchers are inventing the future today, manipulating matter on a nanoscale to address critical issues. Imagine “smart” materials using magnetism, electricity, light and heat, doing more and performing better while using less energy — producing better batteries, faster computers — and much more. Imagine the future: cem.osu.edu 19
At the Heart of Life. CENTER FOR RNA BIOLOGY (CRB) SUPPORTED BY ASC, OFFICE OF RESEARCH, COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
RNA, the most ancient form of nucleic acid, is a “multi-tasker.” Unlike DNA, it acts as both carrier of genetic information and functional entity in its own right. RNA is a powerful tool used by biologists, mathematicians, physicists, chemists and medical and agricultural researchers to answer many important questions. Feel the power: rna.osu.edu 20
DECISION SCIENCES COLLABORATIVE (DSC) Ohio State faculty and graduate students from across the university teach and actively engage in basic and applied research at the forefront of Decision Sciences and within each of Ohio State’s Discovery Themes. Our mission is to foster collaborative programs for research and teaching and to serve the public by promoting more effective, evidence-based decision making and solutions to critical societal problems. Generating smart decisions: decisionsciences.osu.edu
The Science of Deciding. SHARE MY LIFE? PROTECT MY PRIVACY? KEEP MY JOB? LOOK FOR NEW JOB? SAVE? SPEND? PAPER? PLASTIC?
MEDICATION? SIDE EFFECTS? THINK HARD? FLIP A COIN? VENTI? GRANDE? BUY? SELL?
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Inventing New Solutions. MATHEMATICAL BIOSCIENCES INSTITUTE (MBI) AN NSF-FUNDED CENTER MBI researchers apply diverse mathematical tools to probe the biological and health sciences, from examining cholera dynamics in Haiti, to understanding circadian rhythms in sleep disorders, to studying cancer growth, and more. MBI programs and researchers also explore how biology creates the need for new mathematics. Do the math: mbi.osu.edu 22
Share Your Thoughts
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The Name of the Game by Ann Sofie Clemmensen Department of Dance, Photo by Catherine Proctor