Science and Engineering Council of Santa Barbara

09/23/2024

At our October 9 meeting, Dr. Alyson Santoro will discuss Engineering Biodegradable Plastics for Tomorrow’s Ocean. Plastic is critical to the blue economy–industries in and around the ocean. A surprising amount of plastic debris in the open ocean originates from these marine industries. Dr. Santoro will discuss Nereid Biomaterials’ efforts to create self-eating plastics created specifically for marine applications by capitalizing on what we know about naturally-occurring bacteria in the ocean.

Register here:

05/21/2024

Dr. David Valentine’s research team explored an old ocean dump site in 2011, finding disturbing amounts of DDT and other chemicals in the seafloor between Los Angeles and Catalina Island. At our June 12 meeting, he will take us along on their subsequent journey, which pieced together the history of what happened, informed the public in a responsible manner, and charted a path forward to understand the significance of their observations.

Everyone is familiar with weighing materials on a scale, but as remarkable as it sounds, one can "weigh" molecules by shining light on them and analyzing the scattering. Modern light scattering instruments and related techniques have become indispensable tools in modern analytical chemistry labs, wi...

03/04/2024

Over a decade ago, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN opened a new era of fundamental physics with the discovery of the Higgs boson. Dr. Ben Carlson, physics professor at Westmont College, will talk about his work on the ATLAS experiment and the future of the LHC, including plans to implement machine learning algorithms into high-speed electronics.

Over a decade ago, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN opened a new era of fundamental physics with the discovery of the Higgs boson. This talk will discuss what comes next, including how the LHC could be used to search for answers to other big questions in modern physics, such as the nature of....

12/01/2023

Microplastic particles are now found almost everywhere on Earth: in water, air, soil, snow, food, beverages, marine animals, and even in human bodies. At our December 13 meeting, Dr. Craig Prater will outline the scope of the problem, the risks to human and animal health, and discuss various technologies for characterizing microplastics, including photothermal infrared spectroscopy, a technique first commercialized in Santa Barbara.

Get more information about attending in person or on Zoom: https://www.scieng.org/calendar/11938-december-hybrid-in-person-zoom-12-13-23

The Science and Engineering Council (SEC) of Santa Barbara promotes public awareness of science and the value of technical enterprises to the community.

10/31/2023

Increasingly large numbers of satellites are being launched, including such large satellite constellations as Starlink. But, space debris threatens long-term use of the orbital environment and its ability to safely accommodate future satellite generations. At our November 8 hybrid meeting, Dr. Larry Martinez will explore the dimensions of the problem and the steps being taken to ensure sustainable use of orbital regions.

Ensuring Outer Space Sustainability: Orbital Debris Dilemmas

06/10/2023

Wind and solar power are key to California's transition to clean renewable energy. But, where do we get energy when the wind isn't blowing and the sun isn't shining? And, how can the grid be more resilient in response to the challenges of wildfires and heat waves?

GridStor is building the largest battery storage facility in Santa Barbara County on a 2.6-acre lot in Goleta. When this facility goes online, the 44 lithium-ion batteries will provide 60 MW / 160 MWh, enough to power over 30,000 households.

At our June 14 meeting, Jason Burwen, VP Policy & Strategy from GridStor, will discuss energy storage technology and its role in California's clean energy transition, as well as more about GridStor's facility in Goleta.

Wind and solar power are key to California's transition to clean renewable energy.

05/01/2023

Feeding humanity puts enormous environmental pressure on our planet. Most studies on this critical issue have addressed it piecemeal--one group of foods or one environmental pressure at a time.

At our meeting on May 10 at noon, Dr. Halpern will share results from his lab's recently published work compiling vast data on greenhouse gas emissions, freshwater use, habitat disturbance, and nutrient pollution generated by 99% of the total reported production of freshwater, marine, and terrestrial foods. He'll explain how they mapped these pressures to produce the first-ever global "footprint" of food production. This work provides new insight into decisions about which foods we choose to eat, and how we can influence policy towards more sustainable food production.

Our meetings are now hybrid. Register in advance to get the zoom link or to purchase lunch and attend in-person.

Feeding humanity puts enormous environmental pressure on our planet.

04/10/2023

What tools can we build with artificial intelligence to improve our lives? Much current effort related to AI is going into improving the building material--AI--with new and impressive algorithms and models being released almost daily. However, not much work has yet gone into using this new material to build tools for solving the real-world needs of people. At our meeting at noon on April 12, Dr. Misha Sra will present research on the design of AI-based tools, including a particular focus on therapy and accessibility.

Our speaker will present research on the design of Artificial Intelligence-based tools, including a particular focus on therapy and accessibility.

03/02/2023

What does a destination guest experience have in common with the first people to paint on cave walls? Stories, it turns out, are how the human brain constructs reality. This relaxed and entertaining presentation will focus on how we design guest experiences from selecting high-tech ride systems to picking color palettes.

At our March 8 meeting at noon on Zoom (rescheduled from January), Bob Allen will tell us how a multi-disciplinary team is bringing Space Base California to life in Lompoc. This planned destination, adjacent to Vandenberg Space Force Base, will offer an entirely new way to educate, inspire, and entertain. Bob has extensive experience designing attractions for Disney and other destinations.

What does a destination guest experience have in common with the first people to paint on cave walls?

01/02/2023

What does a destination guest experience have in common with the first people to paint on cave walls? Stories, it turns out, are how the human brain constructs reality. This relaxed and entertaining presentation will focus on how we design guest experiences from selecting high-tech ride systems to picking color palettes.

At our January 11 meeting (at noon on Zoom), Bob Allen will tell us how a multi-disciplinary team is bringing Space Base California to life in Lompoc. This planned destination, adjacent to Vandenberg Space Force Base, will offer an entirely new way to educate, inspire, and entertain. Bob has extensive experience designing attractions for Disney and other destinations.

What does a destination guest experience have in common with the first people to paint on cave walls?

12/07/2022

How can we return a functional form of sight to people who are living with incurable blindness? Despite recent advances in the development of visual neuroprostheses ("bionic eyes"), the quality of current prosthetic vision is still rudimentary and does not differ much across different technologies.

At our December 14 meeting on Zoom at noon, Dr. Beyeler will describe his recent efforts to develop computational models to predict what implant recipients "see" when they use their devices. He will discuss the challenges people face when they need to learn to see again and will outline future steps.

How can we return a functional form of sight to people who are living with incurable blindness? Our speaker will describe recent developments in computational models that enhance implant performance -- toward a next-generation bionic eye.