In this hands-on workshop, you'll step into the role of both artist and scientist. After an introduction to the field of scientific illustration, you’ll get a crash course in botanical art — working with graphite pencils to sketch a chosen plant specimen. To capture its most intricate details, you'll use a Foldscope, a paper microscope (that you can take home after the session), to explore your plant at the microscopic level. This tool will allow you to observe elements like pollen and stomata, which you can add to your botanical composition.
Scientific illustration bridges art and science, helping to communicate and document nature's beauty and complexity. From its roots in early natural history to modern uses in conservation and education, this field brings visibility to the unseen and often unnoticed details of our world.
Foldscope is the paper microscope that began as an idea to make science more accessible. Since its invention at Stanford nearly 10 years ago, Foldscopes have reached over 2 million people and found applications in a variety of settings. Foldscope’s accessible design reminds us that scientific observation isn’t limited to professionals; it’s a universal skill rooted in curiosity and the desire to understand our world.
Participants will be able to keep their Foldscope after the session. No prerequisite skills or knowledge required to participate.
Rebecca Konte is a graphic designer and illustrator, specializing in science communication and storytelling. She is currently the Artist in Residence for the Prakash Lab at Stanford University. There, she creates visual art to share discoveries made by the lab with the scientific... Read More →
The gold in jewelry, the uranium in a nuclear power plant, the iodine with table salt, the caesium in atomic clocks: what do these all have in common? It turns out they were likely forged in the fires of a cosmic explosion known as a kilonova! This course will dive into astronomer's journey to understand the origins of the heaviest elements of the periodic table.
Daniel Brethauer is a 4th year graduate student at UC Berkeley in the Astronomy Department working with Raffaella Margutti and Dan Kasen. Daniel's research seeks to understand a rare astrophysical phenomena known as a kilonova, the result of the collision of a dead massive star with... Read More →
The gold in jewelry, the uranium in a nuclear power plant, the iodine with table salt, the caesium in atomic clocks: what do these all have in common? It turns out they were likely forged in the fires of a cosmic explosion known as a kilonova! This course will dive into astronomer's journey to understand the origins of the heaviest elements of the periodic table.
Daniel Brethauer is a 4th year graduate student at UC Berkeley in the Astronomy Department working with Raffaella Margutti and Dan Kasen. Daniel's research seeks to understand a rare astrophysical phenomena known as a kilonova, the result of the collision of a dead massive star with... Read More →
Neuroscience is a relatively young field in biomedical research, but it has revolutionized our understanding of how humans and other organisms perceive and interact with the world. Additionally, neuroscience research has elucidated some of the mysteries of brain disease that have long since eluded the medical field. In this intersession course, students will take a survey of the world of neuroscience, with a focus on how the brain perceives and interacts with its environment.
The session will be divided into two parts: 1) a lecture-based survey of neuroscience that tracks the anatomy and physiology of how the brain processes visual stimuli and then plans and executes movements. The session will use the simple example of hitting a baseball to highlight the complex visual and motor computations that that the brain performs in less than a few tenths of a second. 2) The second half of the lesson will be a practical experiment where students will measure their own visual-motor reaction times and to use that data to estimate the speed at which information is processed in their brains and whether we can experimentally modulate information processing.
Ryan is a neuroscientist with over a decade of neuroscience research experience. Ryan received his doctoral degree from the David Geffen School of Medicine, at UCLA and completed his postdoctoral fellowship at UCSF. Ryan's research has focused primarily on how neurons process information... Read More →
Wednesday January 8, 2025 8:55am - 11:30am PST
307
How does the brain influence the way that we perceive the world? My research seeks to understand this question! Come by for a crash course on some basic neuroscience and fun experiments to get a taste of what it means to be a human with a brain and sensing organs.
No previous skills required! If you're interested in psychology, biology or human feeling/sensing/experience, this is definitely the place for you. I might ask for some participants in some experiments, if you’re willing!
How does the brain influence the way that we perceive the world? My research seeks to understand this question! Come by for a crash course on some basic neuroscience and fun experiments to get a taste of what it means to be a human with a brain and sensing organs.
No previous skills required! If you're interested in psychology, biology or human feeling/sensing/experience, this is definitely the place for you. I might ask for some participants in some experiments, if you’re willing!
Insect evolution offers a wealth of inspiration for human innovations. Learn how the remarkable adaptations of insects and other arthropods are influencing people in fields like medicine, engineering, and architecture. Led by Beetlelady, Dr. Stephanie Dole, this class will be an engaging tour of the amazing solutions nature has come up with and how humans can learn from them. This class will also include hands-on time with live bugs.
Stephanie Dole, PhD, known as the Beetlelady, is an entomologist who captivates audiences of all ages with her enthusiasm and knowledge of insects. She brings the world of bugs to life through engaging, hands-on educational class and experiences, such as her Pop-Up Bug Museum... Read More →
In this session, the first 15-20 minutes will focus on explaining the journey from high school to college, including how I discovered my passion for healthcare, the classes that sparked my interest, and the ways I explored those interests further. I’ll then discuss the college application process and the path of a pre-dental student, covering topics like relevant coursework, shadowing experiences, and preparing for and taking the DAT.
I’ll also outline a traditional timeline for high school students interested in pursuing a healthcare career. Afterward, we’ll engage in a manual dexterity project, a skill valuable not only for future dentists but also for surgeons, nurses, physical therapists, physician assistants, and more. No prerequisites are required for this session.
In recent years, methods have been developed to peel atomically thin layers from bulk crystals simply using Scotch tape. By restacking them on top of each other, sometimes with an interlayer twist, it is possible to engineer new quantum materials that would not otherwise occur in nature. In many such systems, the electrons act collectively, leading to superconductivity, magnetism, and other exotic behavior which may have technological applications. In this session, we will present an overview of the broader field of these “two-dimensional” materials. Participants will have an opportunity to engage in related hands-on activities, including making their own two-dimensional flakes and seeing them in a microscope.
Ben Feldman is an Assistant Professor at Stanford University. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Haverford College, his PhD from Harvard University, and spent time as a postdoctoral fellow at Princeton University. His research interests include study of electronic properties... Read More →
