Friday

Chenfanfu Jiang, associate professor of mathematics

Scientific computing as a subfield of applied mathematics focuses on computational techniques for solving equations that govern physical materials and phenomena. It has further discovered new applications in 3D digital entertainment, animations, robotics, fashion design, surgical training, and many other exciting aspects of the virtual world known as the metaverse. Through some state-of-the-art research advances, this talk will show how mathematics and computer algorithms are creating computer simulations that will close the gap between virtual reality and physical reality.

Jennifer Jay, professor of civil and environmental engineering

Have you ever considered the connections between our food, climate change, and antibiotic resistance in the environment? Globally, food systems–what we eat, where and how we grow it– play a major role in determining our impact on the environment. By considering our food choices, we can find “low hanging fruit” for reducing our “foodprint.” In fact, diet shifts hold great potential for helping us mitigate climate change! In addition, food system changes can help us address a suite of environmental challenges including biodiversity loss, nutrient pollution, and land use change. In this talk we will discuss the complex relationship between food and the environment. We will focus on research regarding the transport of antibiotic resistant bacteria through watersheds in California to the coastal ocean and even to the microbiome of surfers. We will also investigate how knowledge of the carbon footprint of foods can lead to healthier and more sustainable food choices.

Adam Bradley, professor of English and African American studies

Pop songs are also poems. Thinking of them as such can change how we credit the craft of popular entertainers, how we appreciate the marriage of language and voice, and how we understand that our tastes are rooted not in mystery alone but in concrete particulars that live side by side with that mystery and enchant us all the more. Today we will explore the magic of pop songs and how a significant part of that magic resides in the language of the lyrics. Think of it as an unlikely sonic dinner party at which Kendrick Lamar sits beside Taylor Swift, who sits beside Aretha Franklin, who sits beside Paul McCartney, who sits beside Loretta Lynn, who sits beside Bad Bunny, and so on around the table. Singers’ and songwriters’ conscious creations in language, music, and performance affect us intellectually and emotionally. Their craft is the poetry of pop.