Discovery Lectures
Get a taste of recent STEM research from UCSC professors and guest lecturers!
Photo by Shaowei Chen
Day 1 The Universe of Galaxies and the James Webb Space Telescope (Prof. Raja GuhaThakurta)
By Victor Gong and Max Zhai
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To kick off the first day of the program, students poured into Dr. Raja GuhaThakurta’s discovery lecture on astronomy, specifically the origins and properties of galaxies within our universe. To begin, Dr. GuhaThakurta discussed the crucial role of atoms, which serve as the “fundamental building blocks to all life." Living beings consist of complex molecules, including proteins made of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen atoms. Addressing a common misconception, Dr. GuhaThakurta remarked that complex atoms did not form from nuclear fusion in the Sun but rather in the ancestral stars of the Sun, which possess more energy. The precise structure and construct of the universe has long been a topic of debate within the scientific community, such as the theory of Island Universes popularized by Prussian-German philosopher Immanuel Kant. Dr. GuhaThakurta ended the session by shifting perspective from the entire universe zooming all the way down to his dog, demonstrating the sheer scale of our universe.
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Day 2
Retail Electricity Tariff Design (Prof. Yihsu Chen)
By Victor Gong and Max Zhai
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Since its discovery, electricity has played crucial roles in day-to-day life, lighting up homes and cities and providing power for devices and appliances. For the second day in this academic adventure, Prof. Yihsu Chen covered the intricacies behind the energy market. He first detailed the concept of the “prosumer,” which functions as both a producer and consumer, such as a homeowner with solar panels. Market mechanisms, called net metering and net billing, provide channels for prosumers to store and sell their excess energy back to the market. Buying electricity also comes with other costs. Residential retail tariffs, which provide money for insurance and liability costs, are categorized into two different types: a fixed cost or variable cost. Recent developments in the prosumer sector has led to a critical issue with the market framework, termed the “Death Spiral.” In essence, an increase in the number of prosumers that are producing excess energy hurts those who cannot financially afford new technology, as the cost and income are thrown out of proportion. “People can make 18 times as much money and only pay twice as much for electricity,” Prof. Chen said. He proposed a potential solution to the death spiral problem, which involves recalibrating fixed and volumetric costs.
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Day 3Blood Memory (Prof. Rebecca DuBois)
By Victor Gong and Max Zhai
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In today’s world, with the COVID-19 pandemic still fresh in our minds, understanding how our immune systems fight against viruses has become increasingly significant. In today’s discovery lecture, Prof. DuBois explored how our bodies remember various viruses and the methods to defend against them. When a virus enters our body, white blood cells recognize their presence and quickly produce B cells as a countermeasure. However, in order to train the immune system to react against certain viruses, doctors administer vaccines. “Vaccines introduce something that looks like an infectious agent,” Prof. DuBois said. “This stimulates the B-cells to make antibodies.” There are two main vaccine types that can help provide immunity to the receiver. The mRNA vaccine delivers a “message” to the cells, while the protein-based vaccine acts as the protein itself. In order to test the efficacy of vaccines, scientists and researchers run antibody tests to detect specific antibody levels in a person’s blood. One such antibody test called the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) checks for virus immunity or presence in the body. However, the ELISA test takes a long time to complete, which causes issues during a major pandemic, so the Biolayer interferometry immunosorbent assay (BLI-ISA) was developed. Compared to the ELISA test, the BLI test is more rapid and accurate, saving a substantial amount of time and effort for many health workers. In the future, Prof. DuBois hopes to use the BLI-ISA to test for many levels of antibodies at once.
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Day 4Tuning a Quantum Nanoprobe (Prof. Abraham Wolcott)
By Victor Gong and Max Zhai
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Most people in today’s society can’t afford 5 million dollar diamonds, but with human-made, synthetic versions of this crown jewel, ordinary people are able to get a taste of luxury that seems so far-fetched. Usually, diamonds consist of a repeating pattern of carbon atoms, and diamonds with solely carbon atoms are considered pure. However, introducing impurities into the structure can give diamonds additional properties that prove to be quite useful. For example, substituting a nitrogen atom and removing a carbon atom creates a nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center, which possess photoluminescent properties that allow for accurate observations. By measuring light emitted at different intensities, scientists can gain valuable insights into the human mind, including mapping neurons. Furthermore, synthetic diamonds also offer promising implications for the field of quantum computing, possibly serving as essential building blocks for efficient quantum computers. From unraveling the mysteries of the brain and driving advancements in technology, synthetic diamonds have the potential to shape a brighter future.
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Day 5Circadian Rhythms (Dr. Priya Cosby)
By Victor Gong and Max Zhai
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Ever wonder how our bodies know when to wake up in the morning? Or why jet lag exists? That’s the work of the circadian rhythm, as Dr. Priya Cosby explained, which is a biological time mechanism that is synchronized to Earth’s daily rotation. Dr. Cosby went on to explain that the circadian rhythm takes effect regardless of our position in the world. A key component of the circadian rhythm are chronotypes, which determine when our natural inclination is to sleep. Our chronotypes shift as we age, rising from an early bedtime from birth to the latest in our 20s then slowly falling down. Circadian rhythms also show up in prosystems, such as traffic accidents. After answering several students’ questions, Dr. Cosby stated that contrary to popular belief, circadian rhythms do not depend on light. She clarified that our circadian rhythms last 24 hours, which allows us to maintain a consistent sleep schedule. However, dementia also messes with the circadian rhythm, leaving affected people with irregular sleep schedules and consequences throughout the day. Hopefully, new technologies arise in the future to assuage the pernicious effects of dementia on our circadian rhythms.
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