Millennium Café

Humans are having an impact on our planet’s life-support systems - from the climate and oceans to land itself. The magnitude is such that scientists have claimed we are in a new geologic epoch—the Anthropocene—the age of the humans. This represents a pivotal time in both planetary and human history. In response, we must evolve our thinking and designing of industrial production-consumption systems. The most consequential shift is to what is being called the “circular economy”: biomimetic materials and processes that feed either technical or biological nutrient loops. These aren’t “zero waste” systems, but rather perpetually value-adding “nutrient management systems.” This talk will introduce the audience to the “circular economy” and closed-loop systems with key insights from business research, explore a current business example/case study, and offer thoughts on opportunities to be addressed.

Erik Foley | Director of Sustainability and Instructor in Management & Organization | Smeal College of Business

Graduate Flute Quartet | School of Music

Join us for a performance of Mike Mower’s Fictions, performed by the Penn State Graduate Flute Quartet. This program provides 3 short descriptive pieces, including a swirling whirlpool in canon-style, a slow harmonically sparse and arid movement, and a crowd of football fans cheering their team on to defeat and then collapsing into bed.

Researchers are subject to all the virtues and vices of being human. Some remain kind and generous even under tremendous pressure, while others become cold, imperious, and contemptuous. In this short talk, I will consider whether there are things we can do to help researchers retain their humility and emotional balance. I also will explore what happens when researchers lose that balance. All of us have moments of anger and resentment, but it is incumbent upon people who purport to be teachers, mentors, and thought leaders to remain people of character, always.

John Hanold | Office of Sponsored Programs

As the world has quickly evolved to embrace leading-edge technologies to improve mankind, how is cancer still a threat to human health? I’ll discuss our recent efforts to see the molecular culprits of human cancer cells with a new set of eyes. We use high-resolution cryo-EM to see native cancer proteins in a manner that allows us to image molecular defects. We expect molecular management plans based on these findings to enable next generation cancer-fighting therapies. 

Developments in grating spectroscopy are one key to enabling new discoveries in the field of astronomy, particularly in X-ray/UV astronomy. I will present recent advances made by our group where we’ve developed new ways to build large-format gratings (i.e. dispersive elements) using nanofabrication techniques that are traditionally used in semiconductor device research. These fabrication efforts are coupled with testing of these gratings onboard sounding rockets, our overall efforts are contributing towards the design of future space telescopes.

Our world is undergoing rapid and dramatic change due to the productization of new technologies that increase perspective, productivity and convenience. These technologies often emerge from “start-up” companies that get early investment from venture or other “high risk” capital sources. This talk will introduce the process of attracting and accepting venture money to propel new ideas and when is the “right time” to consider such funding in “Science Based Start-ups.”

Matt Rhodes | 1855 Capital