UC Santa Barbara (Audio)

Communicating through the Internet is different than face-to-face interaction. No matter how familiar people are with email, chat, and the web, differences in the availability of nonverbal cues lead people to underestimate the interpersonal and emotional impact of online interaction. Joe Walther (UCSB Communication) explores the hyperpersonal model of communication and explains how people actually create more intense impressions and relationships as they influence each other online, often more positive than those occurring face-to-face. The results of studies from several online settings show how we and our communication partners sometimes unwittingly affect our perceptions of others and ourselves through computer-mediated interaction. Series: "GRIT Talks" [Humanities] [Show ID: 34027]

Embryos are the most complex self-assembling machines known in the universe. Joel Rothman, Professor of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at UCSB, explores the instructions for self-assembly using a tiny animal -- the humble C. elegans worm. Find out what he has discovered and the research into life-support systems that may allow these creatures to become the first interstellar astronauts, departing the solar system at near-light speeds. Series: "GRIT Talks" [Science] [Show ID: 33848]

It has been a long-standing challenge to create new technologies that can match the perceptual and movement abilities of the human hand and its sense of touch in robots. Yon Visell describes the work in his lab on haptics, the science and engineering for the sense of touch, and explains how the results are guiding the development of new technologies for wearable computing, and robotics. Series: "GRIT Talks" [Science] [Show ID: 33939]

Polymers, known colloquially as plastics, abound in the world around us due to a host of useful properties. In this talk, Christopher Bates (UCSB Materials and Chemical Engineering Departments) discusses a fascinating subset of these materials known as block copolymers, which naturally self-assemble into intricate, nanometer-sized patterns. Bates' lab provides a look into the natural universe through the lens of chemistry and materials science. Series: "GRIT Talks" [Science] [Show ID: 34029]

With the vast amount of data available in digital form, the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is evolving rapidly. In this talk, William Wang (UCSB Computer Science) summarizes the stunning achievements of Artificial Intelligence for the past decade, especially in the subareas of Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, and Computer Vision. He also looks at big resarch challenges ahead. Series: "GRIT Talks" [Science] [Show ID: 34034]

Bing Chen is a digital media pioneer and entrepreneur. As a founding architect behind YouTube's multi-billion dollar global digital creator and influencer ecosystem, he was responsible for numerous groundbreaking initiatives that engaged more than 500 million content creators worldwide. Here Chen shares his three rules of job networking. Series: "Innovator Stories: Creating Something from Nothing" [Business] [Show ID: 34036]

Bing Chen is a digital media pioneer and entrepreneur. As a founding architect behind YouTube's multi-billion dollar global digital creator and influencer ecosystem, he was responsible for numerous groundbreaking initiatives that engaged more than 500 million content creators worldwide. Here Chen shares his three rules of job networking. Series: "Innovator Stories: Creating Something from Nothing" [Show ID: 34036]

Abigail Pogrebin is the author of the recently published book, My Jewish Year: 18 Holidays, One Wondering Jew. Hear how she spent 12 months researching and observing every holiday in the Jewish calendar. Series: "Taubman Symposia in Jewish Studies" [Humanities] [Show ID: 33750]

How it is possible for imagination to have practical social effects? The great potential size of human societies, in contrast to those of other primates, is due to a kind of shared imagination of which kinship and religion are important examples, says Maurice Bloch, Emeritus Professor of Anthropology at the London School of Economics. Bloch says that the shared imaginary emerges in normal life at certain moments yet is still governed by the potential of imagination. The lecture is illustrated by Bloch’s experience of an isolated village in Madagascar. [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 33941]

Gwyneth Paltrow, Oscar-, Golden Globe-, and Emmy-winning actress, appeared in Wes Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums in 2001. After a recent screening at UC Santa Barbara, she discussed the film and more. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 33950]