2016-2017 Jefferson Science Fellowships Distinguished Lecture Series

Lecture

2016-2017 Jefferson Science Fellowships Distinguished Lecture: Karen Lips

August 5 - 15, 2017

Past

About

Science for Peace: Balancing Biological Conservation and Sustainable Use in Post-conflict Colombia

For over the last 50 years Colombia has suffered from a series of armed conflicts that have resulted in millions of deaths and untold trauma to the Colombian people, including the displacement of over 7 million people from their lands. Colombia is one of 10 Megadiverse countries, despite limited scientific exploration and collection in biodiverse regions of Choco and Amazonia. Thus, Colombia lacks a comprehensive understanding of the numbers and types of natural habitats in the county, has incomplete knowledge of the distribution of most species. When the Colombian Peace Accord was signed in November 2016, the government committed to promoting rural development and addressing inequalities in post-conflict lands, and promised to increase protection and conservation of natural areas. Without relevant data to guide decisions, and lacking strategic planning documents that provide guidance in determining the fate of newly accessible lands, the government lacks the data and policies to direct human settlements and conservation towards appropriate habitats. I will describe research done with Humboldt Institute while an Embassy Science Fellow in Colombia to identify current land uses and discuss a framework to guide land use planning in post-conflict lands.

Contact

Leah Probst

(202) 334-2652
lprobst@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Lecture

2016-2017 Jefferson Science Fellowships Distinguished Lecture: Sumant Nigam

August 1, 2017

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM (ET)

Past

About

Striking Seasonality in the 20th-Century Warming over North America and Africa: Insights and Impacts

The linear trend in 20th-century surface air temperature (SAT) – a key secular warming signal – exhibits striking seasonal variations over the North American and African Continent: SAT trends are pronounced in winter-spring but notably weak in summer-fall, except over northern Africa and southwest Asia where the timing is reversed. The striking seasonality warrants an explanation as the winter-summer difference in the greenhouse gas (GHG) concentration trends is relatively insignificant. The seasonality of North America trends is shown to result from the winter dormancy and summer vigor of the hydrologic cycle which leads to different disposition mechanisms for the radiative energy incident on the land-surface from increasing GHG concentrations.

Over northern Africa, SAT trends are largest in the warm season, leading to increased heat stress. Declining precipitation trends are found in the Gulf of Guinea rim countries, especially in the source region of Niger river, and in the Congo River basin. Rainfall over the African Great Lakes – one of the largest freshwater repositories – has, fortunately, increased. In contrast, the Sahara Desert has expanded significantly over the 20th century – by 12-20% depending on the season; southward in summer and northward in winter.

Finally, the SAT and precipitation trends in historical (20th century) simulations of climate by models whose projections inform the IPCC’s fifth assessment (and the Paris climate accord) often show unrealistic strength and structure, including notably weaker seasonal variations, indicating the challenge in projecting regional hydroclimate change.

Contact

Leah Probst

(202) 334-2652
lprobst@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Lecture

2016-2017 Jefferson Science Fellowships Distinguished Lecture: Kathleen Vogel

July 11, 2017

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM (ET)

Past

About

The Anthrax Diaries: Studying the Hidden Lives of Former Bioweapons Scientists

Between 2008 and 2012, Vogel conducted an oral history involving 50 interviews with former American and Soviet bioweapons scientists located in the United States, Russia, and Kazakhstan. These interviews bring to life the people behind these weapons programs and reveal the complex reality of the facts, fictions, logics, and imaginaries of ethical thinking and practices of these scientists. These individuals speak candidly about their past work and reveal interesting differences, contradictions, and struggles that show a surprising set of moralities at play in and between these weapons programs, and also reveal how these weapons programs were driven by conceptions (or misconceptions) of one another. These weapons programs were not monolithic, amoral war machines that can be explained only by the Cold War politics of the time. Rather, a striking amount of ethical variability and dilemmas were present that reflect the distinctive nature of biological weapons, as well as the unique local culture (technical and non-technical) that surrounded these scientists. The interviews reveal how different national and laboratory cultures, politics, and technical practices shaped scientist participation in weapons work. There have been long-standing discussions among the public and scholarly communities about whether scientists are responsible for the technologies they create; what is less visible is that this discussion also takes place among scientists and engineers. This talk will explore how oral histories can help us understand complex facets of these secret communities.

Contact

Leah Probst

(202) 334-2652
lprobst@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Lecture

2016-2017 Jefferson Science Fellowships Distinguished Lecture: K.P. Subbalakshmi

June 27, 2017

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM (ET)

Past

About

Artificial Intelligence: Practice and Policy

Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be defined as the science and engineering of making intelligent machines, especially intelligent computer programs. The popularity of AI has waxed and waned over the years and is currently enjoying a significant resurgence. Google’s AI powered AlphaGO has already beaten the reigning human GO champions. Forty four corporations have begun building AI powered autonomous vehicles.
The term “AI” elicits starkly differing responses ranging from hope that AI will be the panacea for almost all that currently ails the human society, to fear that it will destroy everything that humans consider valuable. In this talk, we will examine its history, the promises that AI holds, its potential impact on the economy, its potential to be a game changer in the functioning of society, some of the concerns that it invokes and potential policy questions that it may raise. We will also briefly look “under the hood” of AI to get a better understanding of some of the technologies that drive innovations in this area as well as what is and isn’t AI.

Contact

Leah Probst

(202) 334-2652
lprobst@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Lecture

2016-2017 Jefferson Science Fellowships Distinguished Lecture: Kathleen Purvis-Roberts

June 20, 2017

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM (ET)

Past

About

Particles, Particles Everywhere: What Is in the Air We Breathe?

Particulate matter (PM) air pollution consists of extremely small particles, some so small that they can pass directly from the lungs into the bloodstream. PM is of prime concern from both health and environmental perspectives. Current research is focused on understanding how PM forms in the atmosphere from various pollution sources and how to better control it.
This talk focuses on two sources of PM: agricultural and nuclear testing. Agriculture is a primary source of air pollution in many areas, including California's Central Valley and the Salt Lake City area. Amine gases are emitted into the atmosphere from animal husbandry operations, but the mechanism for how these gases react in the atmosphere to form particles is poorly understood. Field studies were done on a dairy in the central valley of California and a poultry farm in Bowling Green, KY, followed by more theoretical studies in an environmental chamber. This has enabled a better understanding of how the PM forms from agricultural emissions and provides insights for controlling their formation. Radioactive particles form during the detonation of nuclear weapons and can present potential exposure pathways to people living nearby. Radioactive particles can be picked up in the wind and form a particularly dangerous form of PM air pollution. A field study was done on the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site in Kazakhstan, where above ground nuclear tests were done, to understand potential human exposure from blowing dust.

Contact

Leah Probst

(202) 334-2652
lprobst@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Lecture

2016-2017 Jefferson Science Fellowships Distinguished Lecture: Oladele Ogunseitan

June 6, 2017

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM (ET)

Past

About

Green Health Metrics: Transnational Gaps in Science and Policy

Green health is the goal of individual and societal investments in sustainable products and processes that enhance human health. It is about making informed decisions concerning disease prevention strategies that transcend national boundaries; choices about safer and effective medications; about energy resources that minimize health-damaging pollution; and choices about international investments in green infrastructures that promote health—green transportation, green agriculture, green buildings, and green information technologies. Advancing the conceptual framework of green health toward actionable policies requires the development of reliable and scientifically validated measures of effectiveness. However, transnational gaps in science and policy discords challenge the vision of a global reach of green health. We will use case studies from my research projects to discuss three emerging categories of green health metrics. Status Metrics attempt to capture the deviation of a population from perfect health in terms of interventions that modify composite measures of disease burden. Process Metrics deal with protocols that are designed to prevent morbidity and premature mortality, including performance standards developed for international business, governments, and civil society. Product Metrics compare the impacts of materials and processes on social and environmental systems through the use of quantitative tools of alternatives analysis and life cycle assessments.

Contact

Leah Probst

(202) 334-2652
lprobst@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Lecture

2016-2017 Jefferson Science Fellowships Distinguished Lecture: Meredith Gore

May 23, 2017

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM (ET)

Past

About

Conservation Criminology as an Interdisciplinary Approach for Reducing Risks from Wildlife Trafficking and Illegal Logging

Around the world, levels of unsustainable and illegal natural resource exploitation have escalated in scope, scale, and severity. Illegal over-harvest of plant and animal species occurs around the world and poses risks to species, ecosystems, and people. Beyond the risk of species loss, overexploitation represents stolen natural resources, is associated with corruption and insecurity, human rights abuses, and regional destabilization in some of the world's most vulnerable developing nations. Scientific understanding of human behavior can improve our ability to predict and adapt to changes emerging as a cause and/or consequence of natural resource declines.

This presentation will discuss conservation criminology—an interdisciplinary and applied science for understanding the risks to global natural resources. By integrating natural resource management, risk and decision science, and criminology, conservation criminology–based approaches ideally result in improved social resilience, biodiversity conservation, and secure human livelihoods. Two case studies will illustrate how conservation criminology offers insight about crime prevention (i.e., focusing on crime as well as criminals) as well as responsive law enforcement. The first case study investigates how mapping the opportunities underlying illegal rosewood logging in Madagascar has enhanced local guardianship of forests. The second case study highlights different typologies of wildlife poachers and traffickers in Indonesia and the suite of motivations driving poachers to target particular high-value species. Although the presentation will focus on wildlife trafficking and illegal logging, conservation criminology is applicable to other environmental risks, including illegal fishing and mining.

Contact

Leah Probst

(202) 334-2652
lprobst@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Lecture

2016-2017 Jefferson Science Fellowships Distinguished Lecture: Sharmila Mukhopadhyay

April 11, 2017

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM (ET)

Past

About

Emerging Materials for Next Generation Manufacturing

Manufacturing products in the future will need to be made with new and improved engineering materials. The World Economic Forum lists top ten emerging technologies for 2016, and eight of those depend upon nanomaterials, which are 1-100 nm in size. The power of nanotechnology comes from the unique properties of solids confined to tiny length scales, which have the potential to enhance manufactured products for all industry sectors: oil & gas, clean energy, food, drugs, bio-medical technologies, electronics/internet, aerospace/ defense, and infrastructure. While such materials provide unprecedented functional advantages, they also bring new challenges of handling, production and environmental safety. Therefore, evidence-based policies are needed to balance benefits with risks throughout the supply chain. This talk will provide an overview of the current state of nanotechnology and its vast possibilities in different industry sectors. This will include a few specific examples from the speaker’s laboratory, where nanomaterials are integrated with larger solid structures. In this hierarchical hybrid material design, functional benefits of nanomaterials can be maximized while environmental risks are minimized. A wide variety of applications, ranging from water purification and energy storage to bio-sensing and tissue regeneration, have been advanced by this design and will be touched upon.

Contact

Leah Probst

(202) 334-2652
lprobst@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Lecture

2016-2017 Jefferson Science Fellowships Distinguished Lecture: Shelie Miller

February 28, 2017

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM (ET)

Past

About

Anticipating Future Impacts of New Technology in Transportation and Food Systems

Emerging technologies have the potential to transform society, representing tremendous opportunities as well as incredible challenges. The true social, economic, and environmental impacts of a new technology on society are usually understood only in hindsight. Future scenarios of technology adoption can be constructed that allow us to estimate potential impacts of a system at an early design stage, offering the greatest opportunities for improvement.

This presentation will discuss two case studies that highlight how different technology adoption patterns can lead to dissimilar outcomes, and how early intervention can increase the likelihood of favorable results. The first case study will investigate adoption scenarios of autonomous vehicles (i.e. self-driving cars) and their potential to either increase or decrease overall greenhouse gas emissions in transportation. The second case study will analyze the introduction of refrigeration into developing countries and the potential implications on food waste, water stress, and energy consumption. The presentation will focus largely on environmental sustainability; however, the overall framework can be adapted to analyze a range of societal factors.

Contact

Leah Probst

(202) 334-2652
lprobst@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Lecture

2016-2017 Jefferson Science Fellowships Distinguished Lecture: David Jiles

February 7, 2017

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM (ET)

Past

About

The Future of Surgery-Free Brain Treatment?: Deep Stimulation Using Magnetic Fields for Non-invasive Therapy of Brain Disorders

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)--a method of stimulating regions of the brain using magnetic fields--is developing rapidly for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes for identifying and treating brain disorders. This talk will provide an overview of the state of current TMS technologies, how TMS differs from other modes of brain disorder treatment, where TMS as a field is heading in terms of regulatory and public acceptance, and new technological developments to improve its effectiveness. TMS is currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment of chronic depression and is being researched for treatment of stroke, traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder and Parkinson’s disease. Researchers are working to improve the design of the magnetic coils that generate small electrical currents in the brain to more precisely stimulate deeper regions of the brain. The magnetic coils in use today are limited in their ability to stimulate the brain at depth and with high spatial resolution. Consequently any improvement in coil performance will have a significant impact in extending the practical usefulness of TMS in both clinical applications and academic research studies, potentially offering effective non-invasive and non-pharmacological treatments for brain disorders.

Contact

Leah Probst

(202) 334-2652
lprobst@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Lecture

2016-2017 Jefferson Science Fellowships Distinguished Lecture: Barrett Caldwell

January 24, 2017

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM (ET)

Past

About

Distributed Expertise, Knowledge Sharing, and Systems Engineering in Policy and Operations Networks

Critical policy decisions and responses to world events depend on the interactions of human teams using information technology to share expertise and knowledge. These interactions often involve team members being distributed over place, time, and areas of subject matter emphasis. A variety of cognitive, organizational, and technological factors influence how teams coordinate tasks and align information in response to changing situations and events. Organizations such as the U.S. Department of State must respond to an important and complex set of engineering as well as human systems challenges in a political, and not just technical, context. Emerging technologies and threats combine historic needs for distributed task performance with new understandings of flows of both physical and cyber resources. This talk describes the author’s previous work in human factors and systems engineering focusing on team processes. Examples from space flight, healthcare, and cyber systems operations illustrate general principles of system dynamics and patterns of effective team coordination. The author will also discuss applications to State Department operations modernization, as well as Science, Technology and Health policy advising and planning that draw on his experience in the Office of Japanese Affairs, Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs.

Contact

Leah Probst

(202) 334-2652
lprobst@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Lecture

2016-2017 Jefferson Science Fellowships Distinguished Lecture: Robert Heimer

January 10, 2017

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM (ET)

Past

About

HIV and Drug Abuse in Russia: Syndemic Spread with Causes for Optimism?

Population declines in the Russian Federation are being exacerbated by mortality caused by HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and opioid use disorders. These illnesses work synergistically to create a syndemic – an aggregation of multiple diseases in a population in which positive biological interaction exacerbates their negative health effects – that is felt most heavily among the young adult, working age population. The roots of the syndemic go back to drug use resulting from the Afghan War of the late 1980s, and the HIV epidemic first blossomed in 2000-02, but Russia is now experiencing a second wave of the epidemic. My talk will explore the epidemic trends, attempts at epidemic control, structural reasons for the failure of these efforts, and end with possible causes for optimism.

Contact

Leah Probst

(202) 334-2652
lprobst@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

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2016-2017 Jefferson Science Fellowships Distinguished Lecture Series

Dropdown items

2016-2017 Jefferson Science Fellowships Distinguished Lecture: Karen Lips

2016-2017 Jefferson Science Fellowships Distinguished Lecture: Sumant Nigam

2016-2017 Jefferson Science Fellowships Distinguished Lecture: Kathleen Vogel

2016-2017 Jefferson Science Fellowships Distinguished Lecture: K.P. Subbalakshmi

2016-2017 Jefferson Science Fellowships Distinguished Lecture: Kathleen Purvis-Roberts

2016-2017 Jefferson Science Fellowships Distinguished Lecture: Oladele Ogunseitan

2016-2017 Jefferson Science Fellowships Distinguished Lecture: Meredith Gore

2016-2017 Jefferson Science Fellowships Distinguished Lecture: Sharmila Mukhopadhyay

2016-2017 Jefferson Science Fellowships Distinguished Lecture: Shelie Miller

2016-2017 Jefferson Science Fellowships Distinguished Lecture: David Jiles

2016-2017 Jefferson Science Fellowships Distinguished Lecture: Barrett Caldwell

2016-2017 Jefferson Science Fellowships Distinguished Lecture: Robert Heimer