Teacher Resources (Video)

Researchers at UC San Diego are working on cutting edge technology to combat the constant threat of wildfires in California. The WIFIRE Lab is a collaboration between the Qualcomm Institute and the San Diego Supercomputer Center. The technology uses big data from cameras, weather stations, topography and other sources to quickly predict where wildfires will spread. And, it's not just theoretical. Fire departments like LAFD are actively using WIFIRE to get ahead of blazes before they get out of control. Series: "Computing Around UC" [Science] [Show ID: 35075]

Ram Seshadri argues that energy efficiency can be as important to our future as renewable energy. LED lights are extremely efficient. In this talk he explores how white light emission from an LED lamp works and how researchers think about materials to understand their uses. Series: "GRIT Talks" [Science] [Show ID: 35268]

Tying together the Infinity War saga, crafting emotionally satisfying sendoffs to beloved superheroes and dispatching supervillain Thanos all arise as topics in this conversation about Avengers: Endgame (2019) between screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely and Pollock Theater director Matt Ryan. McFeely and Markus also discuss their extensive contributions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe including previous work on Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Captain America: Civil War (2016), and Captain America: Winter Soldier (2014). Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 35325]

Decarbonizing our electricity and transportation sectors will require large deployments of wind, solar, and storage. Ranjit Deshmukh develops models for planning and operations of low carbon electricity grids and analyzes tradeoffs between economic, environmental, and social objectives for regions in the U.S., India, and Africa. These models optimize wind, solar, and other generation, demand, and storage resources for region-specific conditions including spatial and temporal variability of renewable resources. Series: "Institute for Energy Efficiency" [Science] [Show ID: 35165]

Metals are vital to life functions. We have iron zinc and copper in us – but in the ocean is different. We know that organism evolve against the chemical constraints of their environments and Allison Butler looks at what kind of metalloenzymes are present in marine organisms.

Series: "Women in Science" [Science] [Show ID: 35266]

Elliot Hawkes’s research focuses on bringing together design, mechanics, and non-traditional materials to advance the vision of robust, adaptable, human-safe robots that can thrive in the uncertain, unstructured world. He shows two projects; gecko-inspired adhesives to make a climbing robot and vine-inspired robots to navigate in cluttered environments. Series: "GRIT Talks" [Science] [Show ID: 35267]

California's recent drought has highlighted the need for a reliable source of water. Peter Stricker of SeaWell presents a reverse osmosis (RO) system to address climate-driven drought which is an entirely new approach to water supply. The SeaWell buoy is a self-contained floating vessel, moored to the sea floor, with seawater intake and brine diffusion outfall. It contains reverse osmosis equipment, electric power and water piping, and can permeate water at a rate of 950–3,800 acre-feet/year. The implementation plan is to deploy pilot SeaWell Buoys at a water cost already below the cost of State water,initially partnering with water districts to deploy five water portals. Landing sites could be chosen based in previously disturbed areas, such as decommissioned oil receiving facilities and sanitary district outfalls. These deployments will augment new water reuse projects, and share siting and infrastructure. Series: "Institute for Energy Efficiency" [Science] [Show ID: 35163]

Research imaging studies, including MRI and CT scans, may provide different information than the imaging performed for clinical care. For instance, a liver MRI using research sequences could be more sensitive at detecting tumors than a standard study. As a result, a patient might no longer qualify for surgery according to the research study. However, information derived from research sequences may not be clinically accurate. Hence the need to conduct a thorough investigation and compare against a gold standard (e.g. a surgical result). Kathryn Fowler, MD, Associate Professor of Clinical Radiology at UC San Diego discuses the ethics of patients and physicians being made aware of research results if they are not verifiably accurate. Series: "Exploring Ethics" [Health and Medicine] [Humanities] [Show ID: 34997]

Jennifer Doudna, co-discoverer of CRISPR-Cas9 and winner of the 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, discusses how genome editing with CRISPR technology is transforming biology. CRISPR-Cas9, an RNA-guided enzyme with remarkable abilities to recognize and cleave DNA, operates by mechanisms that both explain its biological function and provide insights into technology development. Doudna covers research into this amazing family of proteins: where they came from, how they work and how CAS-9-based technologies are revolutionizing research, biomedicine and agriculture. Series: "Frontiers of Knowledge" [Science] [Show ID: 35215]

Rational choice theory states that individuals have coherent preferences over alternatives but this theory is being replaced by a new view rooted in psychology. Ignacio Esponda (Economics, UCSB) gives examples of economic experiments and contingent thinking. Series: "GRIT Talks" [Public Affairs] [Education] [Show ID: 35174]