“The Lighter Side of San Diego’s Past”
San Miguel, or as we know it, San Diego, was once the end of the earth to European explorers. Today, everyone wants to live here. June’s second presentation highlights many of the little-known facts about our region and how we went from a sleepy outpost pueblo … to the eighth-biggest city in the United States.
Matthew Schiff is the Marketing Director for the San Diego History Center, and author of an autobiography on Douglas Pardee (of Pardee Homes) as well as several articles for The Journal of San Diego History. He decided to wear horizontal stripes to his talk because fuck it! He’s engaged now and it no longer matters.
“CRISPR the Disrupter: A New Era in Biology”
We are in the midst of a revolution in molecular biology thanks to CRISPR technology. In just a few short years, a repurposed bacterial immunity system is rapidly becoming a standard laboratory tool. Scientists are using CRISPR across a wide variety of disciplines from medicine and agriculture to biofuels and industrial food production. This talk explored a little about what CRISPR is and where it came from, and a little about the applications and challenges moving forward. It is an exciting time to be a molecular biologist!
Nick Brideau has a PhD in genetics and studied fruit fly speciation as a graduate student. He then moved across the Atlantic to drink British ale (and study epigenetics) before recently landing in San Diego. He currently works at the Salk Institute and is focused on finding and developing new CRISPR systems.
“Fission! What is it Good for? Absolutely Something!”
Approximately 20% of America’s electricity comes from nuclear fission; however, most Americans are unaware of how nuclear power works, or even what a nuclear reactor looks like! How *do* nuclear reactors work, and what makes a “good” reactor?
Popular alumnerd Anthony Neuberger examined the future of nuclear fission for our planet.