UC Santa Barbara (Video)

Renewable chemicals derived from plant biomass are attractive alternatives to those made from petroleum. To make them on the necessary scale chemical engineer Michelle O’Malley is looking at the digestive tract of large herbivores in order to engineer anaerobic gut microbes for improved biomass breakdown and chemical production. Series: "Women in Science" [Science] [Show ID: 31417]

The popular over-the-counter medication, acetaminophen, is generally used to reduce fever and pain. However, a growing body of research suggests that the drug has broader psychological effects. Experimental social psychologist Kyle Ratner discusses his research examining the effects of acetaminophen on social group biases in perception. Series: "GRIT Talks" [Health and Medicine] [Humanities] [Show ID: 31418]

Troy Carter is an American music manager who is the founder, chairman and CEO of Atom Factory, a talent management and full-service film and television production company. Carter has established the careers of numerous recording artists, most notably that of multi-platinum Grammy Award-winning artist Lady Gaga. He shares his experiences and career path with students at UC Santa Barbara. Series: "Innovator Stories: Creating Something from Nothing" [Business] [Show ID: 30927]

Mobile devices are an integral part of our daily lives. But with their growing functionality and capability comes increased risk to personal privacy and security. At a fundamental level, mobile devices are incredibly hard to secure. Ben Zhao, Professor of Computer Science at UC Santa Barbara, discusses some of the fundamental security and privacy risks in mobile device and recent work in identifying and addressing the problem of “Sybil Devices,” software code that pass themselves as mobile devices to manipulate and attack mobile apps from within. Series: "GRIT Talks" [Science] [Show ID: 31419]

For our bodies to maintain stability there is a balance between cell survival and death. We eliminate abnormal or dangerous cells through cell suicide mechanisms. However excess cell death can cause degenerative diseases, so cell survival is critical too. Denise Montell, UCSB Professor of Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology, talks about a discovery that cells can reverse the cell death process and survive. This has implications for cancer, degenerative disease, and regenerative medicine. Series: "Women in Science" [Science] [Show ID: 31420]

Using the web and mobile devices, we now have comprehensive maps of the great outdoors, our planet and its mountains, plains and oceans. But what about the places where GPS does not work, such as underground, in buildings and megastructures, under dense tree canopies, on board ships or inside aircraft? Research cartographer Keith Clarke is working toward mapping the great indoors using new technologies. See what that entails and what it enables. Series: "GRIT Talks" [Science] [Show ID: 31421]

The New Venture Competition is UC Santa Barbara’s premier entrepreneurial experience, giving students a detailed understanding of how to launch their own successful technology start-up. The year culminates with the teams presenting their ideas and business models to a panel of experienced professionals, competing for prizes and resources to launch their new ventures. Series: "Innovator Stories: Creating Something from Nothing" [Business] [Show ID: 31037]

Eva Ho is a serial entrepreneur and founder, most recently a founding executive at Factual, a leading location data provider in Los Angeles. Prior, she was a Senior Product Marketing Manager at Google and Youtube for 5 years. Series: "Innovator Stories: Creating Something from Nothing" [Business] [Show ID: 30928]

Kinko’s Founder Paul Orfalea is a serial entrepreneur, philanthropist and author. From its modest beginnings, Kinko’s is now the world’s leading business services chain. Much of Kinko’s success can be traced directly to Paul Orfalea’s unique business philosophy that was based on the founder’s freethinking, creative style. Series: "Innovator Stories: Creating Something from Nothing" [Business] [Show ID: 30925]

One of the few constants throughout Jewish history is that Jewish identity has never been simple, and the answer to the question of “Who is a Jew?” – far from clear-cut. Rabbi Donniel Hartman, President of the Shalom Hartman Institute in Israel, says that at key moments over the last 3,000 years, Jews have reinvented or reimagined themselves in the context of their unique reality. Due to the cultural, historical, and psychological transformations that have taken place in the 20th and 21st centuries, this identity is once again at a crossroads. He explores how individual and collective identities throughout the millennia have been understood; how these earlier conceptions shape our understanding of who we are now and who we ought to be in the 21st century. Series: "Herman P. and Sophia Taubman Endowed Symposia in Jewish Studies" [Humanities] [Show ID: 31308]