College of Science Seminar

Upcoming Seminar

Our first college research talk seminar of the semester will be on Friday October 11th. See details below. Everyone is welcome!

Presentation: Dr. Adam Kochanski, Associate Professor of Meteorology & Climate Science and core faculty at the Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center, will present "The Role of Wildfires in Modifying Local Weather and Shaping Fire Behavior"

Date / Time: Friday, October 11th from 3 - 4pm

To join in person, please stop by ISB 130
To join virtually, please follow this Zoom URL: https://sjsu.zoom.us/j/83728341238?pwd=qnqKxx1FKz4VO5xMfyoJltaeoMWX4W.1
Password: 610657 

Abstract: This seminar explores the complex interactions between wildfires and atmospheric conditions, focusing on how wildfires can modify local weather and influence their own behavior. Specifically, the presentation examines the dynamic interplay between convective plumes, wind patterns, and fire-induced weather changes. Utilizing both uncoupled and coupled fire-atmosphere modeling approaches, it demonstrates how fires alter local weather conditions, which in turn affect fire propagation and spread.

Key case studies, including the Thomas Fire and Creek Fire, are analyzed to illustrate the differing impacts of wind-driven and plume-dominated fires on local wind patterns, precipitation, and fire spread. Additionally, the unique dynamics of the Lahaina Fire are highlighted, showcasing how fire-induced changes in wind patterns influenced lateral fire growth. Through simulations and observational data, the seminar underscores the significance of coupled modeling systems in better understanding and predicting fire behavior. The insights gained are vital for improving wildfire management and mitigation strategies.

By integrating real-world examples and advanced modeling techniques, this seminar aims to shed light on the critical feedback loop between wildfires and local weather, offering valuable insights that enhance situational awareness for scientists, and emergency responders.

Calendar

Please feel free to add and share the College of Science seminars calendar to stay up to date on both college and department seminars. The shareable link is here.

Past Seminars

Spring 2024

May 10, 2024, Dr. Cristina Tortora, Associate Professor of Mathematics and Statistics, titled: Cluster analysis: discover homogeneous groups of units in a data set.

May 3, 2024, Dr. Jane Lubchenco, Deputy Director for Climate & the Environment, White House Office of Science & Technology Policy and University Distinguished Professor & Valley Professor of Marine Biology, Oregon State University, titled: "The Future is Ours To Create: An Ocean of Opportunities Brilliantly Disguised as Insoluble Problems"

April 26, 2024, Dr. Melissa Pickett, Assistant Professor of Biology, titled: What's up? How epithelial cells establish and maintain polarity in two PAR(t)s

March 22, 2024, Dr. Mike Wood, Assistant Professor at SJSU Moss Landing Marine Labs and Computer Science, titled: Ice melt and biological productivity at the edge of the Greenland ice sheet

March 8, 2024, Dr. Saptarshi Sengupta, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, titled: Predicting Hard Drive Failures with Multi-Aspect Transformers

February 16, 2024, Dr. Kim Blisniuk, Associate Professor of Geology, titled: "What is earthquake geology? A journey through earthquake hazard and faults of the Bay Area through the eyes of an earthquake geologist"

February 9, 2024, Dr. Katherine Wilkinson, Professor of Biology, titled: "The Muscle Spindle: The Most Important Sensory Organ You’ve Never Heard Of"

Fall 2023 Seminars

November 3, 2023, Dr. Leila Khatib, Assistant Professor of Biology, titled: "Viral Surrogates and One Water California"

October 13, 2023, Dr. Siri Veland, Assistant Professor of Geology, titled: "Phasing out coal in carbon and coal intensive regions in Europe – where are the tipping points?"

September 29, 2023, Dr. Fred Larabee, Assistant Professor of Biology, titled: "Collections-based research on insect form and function at the J. Gordon Edwards Insect Museum"

September 15, 2023, Dr. Nick Esker, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, titled: "SJSU Targetry: Thin film chemistry to investigate nuclear reactions far from stability"

September 8, 2023, Dr. Fabio Di Troia, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, titled: "Generating Synthetic Malware Data for Zero-Day Detection"

August 25, 2023, Dr. Yan X Zhang, Associate Professor of Mathematics and Statistics, titled: "SJSU Student Success in Blockchain Research"

• Spring 2023 Seminars

  • May 5, 2023, Dr. Ardem Patapoutian, Department of Neuroscience and an Investigator Howard Hughes Medical Institute, titled: "Grilione Seminar: How Do You Feel? The Molecules That Sense Touch"

    April 14, 2023, Dr. Faranak Abri, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, titled: "Deception Detection and Social Engineering Attacks"

    April 7, 2023, Dr. Carlie Pietsch, Assistant Professor of Geology, titled: "30 years of darkness and the long dawn of marine life’s recovery after the end-Cretaceous mass extinction"

    March 10, 2023, Dr. Jon Jenkins, NASA Ames Research Center, titled: "Chasing Shadows in the Night: How NASA’s Kepler and TESS Missions Are Revolutionizing Exoplanet Science"

    March 3, 2023, Dr. Brianne Gutmann, Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy, titled: "Reframing physics student preparation: supporting conversation about ethics, science, and society in the classroom"

    February 24, 2023, Dr. Susan Lambrecht, Professor of Biological Sciences, titled: "Rapid evolution in California native plants during a historic drought"

    February 17, 2023, Dr. Minghui Diao, Associate Professor of Meteorology and Climate Science, titled: "Clouds and Aerosols – the Wildcards of Climate Change"

    February 3, 2023, Dr. David Ensminger, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, titled: "Transgenerational impacts of stress in a wild caught lizard"

• Fall 2022 Seminars

  • December 2, 2022, Dr. Michael Graham, Professor and Department Chair at SJSU Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, titled: "Food, clean oceans, and jobs: Is aquaculture our key to a sustainable future?"

    November 18, 2022, Dr. Ellen Metzger, Professor in the Department of Geology and Science Education, titled: "The Geology of Henry Coe State Park: Combining Scientific Research with Public Outreach"

    November 4, 2022, Dr. Chandralekha Singh, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Pittsburgh, titled: "Promoting equity and inclusion in STEM teaching and learning". Please contact Jon (jonathan.espinoza@sjsu.edu) for a link to the recording and additional resources of the seminar.

    October 21, 2022, Dr. Maya deVries, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, titled: "Trophic relationships in the benthos: feeding morphology and ecology of macroinvertebrates"

    October 14, 2022, Dr. Hilary Hurst, Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy, titled: "The Second Quantum Revolution - Building A Robust Quantum Ecosystem in the Lab and in the Classroom"

    September 30, 2022, Dr. Nate Bogie, Assistant Professor in the Department of Geology, titled:  “Plant Feedbacks on Soil Hydrology in Agroecosystems from the Sacramento Valley to the Sahel”

    September 23, 2022, Dr. Gianmarc Grazioli, Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry, titled:  “Exploring mechanisms of molecular assembly and disassembly using computer simulations and machine learning”

    September 9, 2022, Dr. Katerina Potika, Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science, titled: "Easy breezy network analysis: community detection".

    September 2, 2022, Dr. Ben Carter, Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, title: "Modern day solutions to age-old questions in the study of plant distributions".

    August 26, 2022, Dr. Julio Soto, Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, title: "Strategies that improve undergraduate students' success".

• Spring 2022 Seminars

  • May 13, 2022, Dr. Kassahun Betre, Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, presents "Combinatorial Spacetime and Gravity".

    May 6, 2022, Dr. Jessica Castillo-Vardaro, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, presents "A Tail of Three Squirrels: predicted threats to our native squirrel from two invading species".

    April 29, 2022, Dr. Ray Hong, Professor of Biology at CSU Northridge, presents "The Genetic Basis for Host Seeking Behavior".

    April 22, 2022, Dr. Manny Gabet, Professor in the Department of Geology, presents "Mima Mounds: A Case Study in Crypto-topography".

    March 25, 2022, Dr. Bonnie Ludka, Assistant Professor in the Department of Geology, presents "Wave-driven changes in beach sand levels".

    March 11, 2022, Dr. James Harvey, Professor Emeritus and former director of Moss Landing Marine Labs, presents "1.5 Million Pounds of Gray Whales: Their lives in the North Pacific”.

    February 18, 2022, Dr. William Andreopoulos, Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science, presents "Deep Learning for Identifying Mobile Genetic Elements”.

    February 11, 2022, Dr. Alex Payumo, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, presents "Heart Muscle Cell Proliferation and Regeneration".

    February 4, 2022, Dr. Daryl Eggers, Professor in the Department of Chemistry, presents “The Underappreciated Role of Water in Biochemistry and Cell Biology”.

• Fall 2021 Seminars

  • December 10, 2021: Dr. Sarah Smith, Assistant Professor in the Department of Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, presents "Nutrient-sensitive transcripts as biomarkers of in situ physiological state in marine phytoplankton". 

    December 3, 2021: Dr. Frank Huynh, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, presents "Emerging roles for mitochondrial sirtuin 4 in regulating nutrient metabolism and fertility".

    November 19, 2021: Ralph Simpson. His talk will be about the Enigma Machine, the secret encryption device the Germans used to encode messages in WW2 and which was cracked by the Allies. Ralph is a retired computer industry professional who authored the book Crypto Wars: 2000 Years of Cipher Evolution and runs his own Cipher History Museum:  VIEW TALK HERE

    November 12, 2021: Dr. Kate Wilkin, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and a member of the Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center, presents "The California Wildfire Crisis: examining solutions from the wilderness to the wildland urban interface".

    November 5, 2021: Dr. Miri VanHoven, Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and Associate Dean for Research, presents "Genetics and Activity Shape the Developing Neural Circuit". 

    October 29, 2021: Dr. Ivano Aiello, Interim Director, Moss Landing Marine Labs, presents "When the Fast Beats the Furious: How tiny diatoms can change the world".

    October 22, 2021: Dr. Stefanie Milam, Astronomer, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, presents "Chronicles of the Unknown: Webb Telescope Science across the Universe and into the Solar System".

    October 15, 2021: Dr. Jordan Schettler, Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics & Statistics, presents "Salvador Dali's Shadows from the Fourth Dimension: New Mathematical Interpretations".

    October 8, 2021: Dr. Jennifer Avena, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, presents "Undergraduate Learning Assistants at the Boundary: Supporting a Community of Teachers and Learners".

    October 1, 2021: Dr. Robert Miller, Professor in the Department of Geology, presents "What Happens When an Oceanic Island Like Iceland Collides with a Continental Margin - Insights from the Eocene (~50 Million Year Ago) Pacific Northwest" .

    September 24, 2021: Dr. Liam Stanton,  Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics & Statistics, presents  
    "Exploring Inertial Confinement Fusion with Multiscale Modeling"

    September 17, 2021: Dr. Susan D. Blum, Professor of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, presents "Ungrading in a Pandemic, and the Rest of the Time, Too".

    September 10, 2021: Dr. Wendy Lee, Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science, presents "The impact of BPA exposure on neurodevelopment at the molecular level".

    September 3, 2021: Dr. Christopher Smallwood, Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, presents "Color Centers in Diamond as Teeny Tiny Quantum Light Bulbs".

• Spring 2021 Seminars

  • May 21, 2021: Dr. Aaron Romanowsky, Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, presents "The Dark Side of Extreme Galaxies".

    May 14th, 2021 with a talk by Dr. Bree Grillo-Hill - Assistant Professor from Department of Biology and Sciences, entitled "Roles for intracellular pH dynamics in development and disease"

    April 30th, 2021 with a talk by Dr. Natasha Batalha - Associate Professor from Physics & Astronomy, entitled "Unveiling the Nature of Terrestrial Worlds at the Onset of Next Generation Space Telescopes"

    April 16th, 2021 at 4pm with a talk by Dr. Eugene C Cordero - Professor from Department of Meteorology and Climate Science, entitled "The role of climate change education on individual lifetime carbon emissions"

    April 4th, 2021 with a talk by Dr. Thomas Connolly, Assistant Professor from Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, entitled "Impacts of ocean circulation on marine ecosystems in the California Current System"

    March 26th, 2021 with a talk by B-G Andersson, Principal Scientist, SOFIA/USRA, NASA Ames, entitled "The [Astro]Physics of why Spinning Dust in Space Lines Up- and why it Matters."

    March 19th, 2021 with a talk by Dr. Jonathan S. Miller, Professor and Chair of Department of Geology, entitled "Insights into the construction of large crustal magma systems from zircon geochronology and geochemistry of Cretaceous intrusions of the North America Cordilleran arc."

    March 12th, 2021 with a talk by Dr. Elizabeth Skovran, Associate Professor from Department of Biological Sciences, entitled "New life metals bring new biological applications: Biorecycling of rare earth metals from e-waste"

    March 5th, 2021 with a talk by David J. Des Marais, Senior Space Scientist, NASA – Ames Research Center, entitled "Astrobiology and Mars Exploration: Concepts of Life in the Contexts of Planetary Environments"

    February 26th, 2021 with a talk by Dr. Resa Kelly - Professor from the Department of Chemistry & Science Education, entitled "Epistemic Games for Activating Atomic Level Ideas about Precipitation Reactions"

    February 19th, 2021 with a talk by Dr. Sonia Singhal - Assistant Professor from Department of Biological Sciences, entitled "The role of genetic and environmental context in viral adaptations for thermostability"

    February 12th, 2021 with a talk by Dr. Thomas Madura - Assistant Professor from Department of Physics and Astronomy, entitled "3D Printing Exploding Stars: Astronomy for Students with Visual Impairments and Development of the STEM Career Exploration Lab"

    February 5th, 2021 at 4pm with a talk by Dr. Navrati Saxena - Assistant Professor from Department of Computer Science, entitled "Sustainability in Wireless Networks for a Greener Tomorrow: Steps beyond 5G"

    January 29, 2021 with a talk by Dr. Laura C. Miller Conrad, Associate Professor of Department of Chemistry, entitled "Helping old drugs beat bad bugs: Serendipitous discovery of an antibiotic adjuvant"

    January 15th, 2021 with a talk by Dr. Cassandra Paul, Associate Professor of Physics & Astronomy and Science Education, entitled "Research and Strategies for Equity in Science Grading and Assessment"

• Fall 2020 Seminars

  • December 4th, 2020 with a talk by Dr. David Brook -Professor from the Department of Chemistry, entitled "Molecular Magnetism: Is it possible to store information magnetically at a molecular level?"

    November 20th, 2020 with a talk by Dr. Sogol Jahanbekem - Assistant Professor from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, entitled "The Minimum Corridor Problem on Grids".

    November 6th, 2020 with a talk by Dr. Ryan Portner - Assistant Professor from the Geology Department, entitled "Do submarine volcanoes have the fizz to pop?"

    November 6th, 2020 with a talk by Dr. Rachael French - Assistant Professor from Biological Sciences, entitled "Long term changes in metabolism and gene expression in a Drosophila model of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder"

    October 30th, 2020 with a talk by Dr. Tammie Visintainer - Assistant Professor from Science Education, entitled: "What Is & Who Can Do Science? Exploring Intersections of Race, Identity & Learning in Science at the High School and Undergraduate Levels"

    October 23rd, 2020 with a talk by Dr. Scott Shaffer -Professor from the Department of Biological Sciences, entitled: "Devil’s in the details: adaptability of habitat use in western gulls"

    October 16th, 2020 with a talk by Dr. Madalyn Radlauer - Assistant Professor from the Department of Chemistry, entitled: "Catalysis within Polymers: The Design and Development of Synthetic Enzyme-Like Catalysts for Highly Efficient and Selective Catalysis"

    September 25th, 2020 with a talk by Dr. Elly Walsh - Associate Professor from the Department of Meteorology and Climate Science, entitled: “Best” practices for whom?: Investigating student experience to create more equitable science learning environments

    September 18th, 2020 with a talk by Dr. Cristina Tortora - Assistant Professor from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, entitled: "Cluster analysis: finding patterns within the data"

    September 11th, 2020 with a talk by Dr. Ehsan Khatami -Associate Professor from the Department of Physics and Astronomy, entitled: "Quantum Mechanics of Strongly Interacting Electrons"

    September 2nd, 2020 with a talk by Dr. Melody Moh - Professor from the Department of Computer Science, entitled: "From Networks, Cloud, to Deep Learning, or How I Survived the RTP Process and Beyond"

    August 21st, 2020 with a talk by Dr. Carlie Pietsch - Assistant Professor from the Department of Geology, entitled: "Two tales of evolution and extinction using snail shells"

• Summer 2020 Seminars

  • August 14th, 2020 with a talk by Dr. Walter Adams - Assistant Professor from the Department of Biological Sciences, entitled: "Two Truths and a PLY: Neutrophils, Epithelial Integrity, and a Toxin You Can’t Trust"

    August 7th, 2020 with a talk by Dr. Ningkun Wang - Assistant Professor from the Department of Chemistry, entitled: "Understanding Allosteric Regulation within SIRT1"

    July 31st with a talk by Dr. Minghui Diao - Assistant Professor from the Department of Meteorology and Climate Science, entitled: "Clouds and Aerosols: The Wild Cards in Climate Change and Air Quality".

    July 24th with a talk by Dr. Ben Reed - Professor from the Department of Computer Science, entitled: "Disconnected Data Distribution for Hard-To-Reach Areas"

    July 17th with a talk by Dr Birgitte McDonald - Assistant Professor from Moss Landing Marine Lab, entitled: "Pushing the limit: Diving physiology of marine mammals"

    July 10th with a talk by Dr. Gina Quan from the Department of Physics and Astronomy, entitled: "The Access Network: Supporting Equity and Student Leadership in STEM"

    June 26th with Dr Kimberly Blisniuk from the Department of Geology, entitled: "A Geologic Perspective on assessing seismic risk in northern California".

    June 19th, 2020 with Dr. Lionel Cheruzel from Chemistry Department, entitled: "Light-driven P450 biocatalysis featuring Ru(II) photosensitizers".

    June 12th, 2020 with Dr. Katie Wilkinson from Department of Biological Sciences, entitled: "Muscles Have Feelings Too: Understanding Stretch Sensitivity in the Muscle Spindle"

    June 5th, 2020 with Dr. Craig Clements from Department of Meteorology, entitled: "Advances in Observing the Wildfire Environment: Role of New Mobile Remote Sensing Systems"

• Spring 2020 Seminars

  • May 22th, 2020 with Dr. Marion Campisi from Department of Mathematics & Statistics, entitled, "Analysis of Partisan Gerrymandering Tools in Advance of the US 2020 Census"

    May 1st, 2020 with Dr. Philip Heller from Department of Computer Science, entitled, "Deep Learning in the Deep Ocean"

    April 24th, 2020 with Dr. Amanda Kahn from Moss Landing Marine Laboratory, entitled, "The Secret Life of Sponges: Energy flow in ecosystem from suspension feeder's perspective"

    April 17th, 2020 with Dr. Alejandro Garcia from Department of Physics, entitled, "Making it Small: Physics and Scale in the Movie "Trolls" "