Anila Venable Madiraju
Title: “Feel the Burn: The Spectacular Diversity of Metabolic Rate in Bats, Bears, Birds … and Humans”
How do bears survive through hibernation? What allows hummingbirds to flap their wings so rapidly they seemingly “suspend” themselves middair? And bats … why is bat metabolism even relevant? Come find out about the fascinating diversity of metabolic rate and macronutrient preferences in different animals, and how variation in metabolic regulation plays a role in human beings!
Dr. Anila Venable Madiraju is a French Canadian biochemist and physiologist who trained at Yale University and migrated to warmer climes never to leave again. Her past work centered on understanding the intricacies of metabolic dysfunction in order to develop drug targets for obesity, diabetes and liver disease. Anila spends a lot of her time sharing the wonders of science with the community. She is an avid amateur chef, and has her spouse Aaron to thank for being an eager experimental subject to test her creations. Anila serves on the Board of Directors for a local non-profit, and founded a community salon event called Brunch & BrainZ. The majority of her best ideas come from her two gremlin-dogs, Zoobi & Gizmo.
Jenny Hofmeister
Title: “The Hungry Octopus and the Endangered Abalone”
Octopuses (yes, that is the correct plural) may seem like aliens from outer space, but they are very much of this planet. They are weird, wonderful, and probably smarter than me. They are also voracious predators, and, unfortunately, won’t avoid eating endangered snails no matter how many times I ask. Come learn what an abalone is, what makes octopuses so unique, and why I have spent my career searching for animals so good at camouflage that I sometimes trick myself into thinking a rock is moving.
Bio: Jenny grew up in northern California and comes from a family of SCUBA divers, pilots, and sailors (which clearly explains why she didn’t become a terrestrial biologist). She received a B.S. in Marine Biology from UCLA (Go Bruins!) and was fortunate enough to study abroad in Mo’orea, French Polynesia and Australia. She received her Ph.D. from UC Berkeley (Go Bears!) researching the predatory ecology and movement of the California two-spot octopus. She also completed her postdoc through the Scripps Institution of Oceanography exploring the intersection of octopus movement and abalone outplanting. She now works for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife specializing in endangered species recovery. In addition to being an ocean enthusiast, Jenny is a quilter, bag maker, and overall crafter. She also plays soccer as a goalkeeper and has done improvisational comedy since she was 11. She lives in San Diego with her husband, Dave, and an abundance of octopus house decorations (but there’s still room for more).
Dan Smith
Title: “CRISPR Genetics: How we’re really gonna Cronenberg this one up Morty”
A quick exploration of genetics, CRISPR, and the marvel that is human vision. Also, how we’re probably going to use CRISPR to cure some insane diseases, but also, break some stuff along the way.
Bio: I am a Technical Applications Scientist for a local biotechnology company, which is a pretty fancy way of saying I do tech support for expensive machines. I have a pretty broad background, having studied protein biochemistry, stem cells, cancer biology, and muscle development. Ironically, I won’t be talking about any of those specialties at Nerd Nite, but I’m still really excited to hang out with you all and chat about some amazing science.
Check back soon for more info about the two other speakers for this event!