have time to learn about science this week? check out the water sensor talk!

We’re back with Science Fair, Bwog’s weekly curated list of interesting STEM-related talks, symposiums, and events happening on campus. For science and non-science majors alike, our list will bring you events that will satisfy your scientific curiosity for everything from astronomy to zoology, and everything in between.

For anyone, related-majors and non-majors alike:

• Molecular Engineering of Real-Time Water Sensors Based on 2D Nanomaterials to Enable Intelligent Water Systems
  • Event Info: Tuesday, December 11, 2:30-3:30pm, Mathematics Hall Room 520, click here for more info
  • Event Description: The National Academy of Engineering identified providing access to clean water as one of the top ten grand challenges for engineering in the 21st century. A central requirement for safe drinking water is the availability of low-cost and real-time water quality monitoring… This talk will unveil a powerful approach to real-time water sensors through molecular engineering of 2D nanomaterials in a field-effect transistor platform.
• The Purpose of Pilot Studies in Modern Research
  • Event Info: Wednesday, December 12, 12-1pm, Vagelos Education Center Room 401 (Medical Campus), register at the link
  • Event Description: Pilot studies are often viewed as hypothesis testing studies supposed to determine the potential effect size for larger studies. We will discuss the drawbacks of this approach and talk about the purpose of pilot studies in the modern research.

For more advanced students of the given subject:

• Sketching Algorithms, by Dr. Jelani Nelson (Harvard)
  • Event Info: Monday, December 10, 11:40am-12:40pm, 500 W 120th Street, Room 451, click here for more info
  • Event Description: A “sketch” is a data structure supporting some pre-specified set of queries and updates to a database while consuming space substantially (often exponentially) less than the information theoretic minimum required to store everything seen… This talk will provide a glimpse into some recent progress on core problems in the theory of sketching algorithms.
• Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience Seminar, by Dr. Peter Rudebeck (Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai)
  • Event Info: Thursday, December 13, 4-5:20pm, Faculty House, click here for more info
  • Event Description: For more than 100 years, comparative psychologists have sought to understand the evolution of human intelligence. New paradigms for studying cognitive processes in animals—in particular symbol use and memory—have, for the first time, allowed psychologists and neuroscientists to compare higher thought processes in animals and human beings.

lake michigan via flickr