Pint of Science NYC Festival: Creativity in Science

Even in the so-called “hard sciences”, scientific investigation and discovery is a surprisingly creative endeavor. The ability to work successfully in science and math is not just about having deep knowledge of the facts in your own subject – it is just as important to have the creative intuition to look at your problem in new ways and combine concepts from different fields into new ideas. Come hear a group of scientists from a diverse range of disciplines (chemical and molecular biology, mathematics, theoretical and astrophysics) in conversation about the need for creativity in their work.

Chemical Biology

Rand Miller (Postdoc at Rockefeller University)

Rand Miller is a postdoctoral fellow at The Rockefeller University, working in the laboratory of Prof. Tarun Kapoor as a chemical biologist. Using an array of chemical tools, he studies the mechanisms by which cancers evade chemotherapy. Dr. Miller performed his graduate work at U. C. San Francisco, where he developed methods for improving the potency and specificity of drug-like molecules.

Mathematics

Rodrigo Treviño (Assistant Professor for CUNY) Rodrigo Treviño works in an area of mathematics called “dynamical systems” which is the mathematics of evolving systems, or the mathematics of complex and chaotic systems. This area started in the late 19th century when people were trying to understand the stability of the solar system and has evolved into a very rich field with applications in all sorts of places and connections to other areas in mathematics. Some of his work has connections to geometry and some other with mathematical physics.

Theoretical Physics

Kelly Reidy (Visiting Assistant Professor at Pratt Institute) Kelly Reidy is a visiting assistant professor at Pratt Institute and a rogue researcher of theoretical condensed matter physics. She leads offbeat tours at the American Museum of Natural History with Museum Hack and talks to unsuspecting strangers about science as a collaborator with Guerilla Science. In her spare time, Kelly writes and performs ukulele songs about, among other things, love and mathematics.

Molecular Biology

Maryam Zaringhalam (Graduate student at Rockefeller University and Founder of ArtLab) Maryam Zaringhalam is a molecular biologist and graduate student at The Rockefeller University. In the lab, she uses protozoan parasites as a model to investigate how small changes to our genetic building blocks can affect how we look and function. An “identity crisis” early in her graduate career led her to appreciate the unique relationship between science and art, which she has continued to explore through a blog and event series called ArtLab. Her exploration of this intersection has changed the way she looks at both the practice and products of her own research, and science at large.

Astrophysics

Jeff Oishi (Assistant Professor of Physics at Farmingdale State College and Research Associate at the American Museum of Natural History ) Jeff Oishi works on theoretical and computational problems in astrophysical fluid dynamics. He spends most of his time trying to understand how stars and planets generate magnetic fields and how they transport mass, momentum, and energy from place to place. This often involves a delicate balance of computer simulation, math, and swearing.











When: Tue., May. 24, 2016 at 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm

Even in the so-called “hard sciences”, scientific investigation and discovery is a surprisingly creative endeavor. The ability to work successfully in science and math is not just about having deep knowledge of the facts in your own subject – it is just as important to have the creative intuition to look at your problem in new ways and combine concepts from different fields into new ideas. Come hear a group of scientists from a diverse range of disciplines (chemical and molecular biology, mathematics, theoretical and astrophysics) in conversation about the need for creativity in their work.

Chemical Biology

Rand Miller (Postdoc at Rockefeller University)

Rand Miller is a postdoctoral fellow at The Rockefeller University, working in the laboratory of Prof. Tarun Kapoor as a chemical biologist. Using an array of chemical tools, he studies the mechanisms by which cancers evade chemotherapy. Dr. Miller performed his graduate work at U. C. San Francisco, where he developed methods for improving the potency and specificity of drug-like molecules.

Mathematics

Rodrigo Treviño (Assistant Professor for CUNY) Rodrigo Treviño works in an area of mathematics called “dynamical systems” which is the mathematics of evolving systems, or the mathematics of complex and chaotic systems. This area started in the late 19th century when people were trying to understand the stability of the solar system and has evolved into a very rich field with applications in all sorts of places and connections to other areas in mathematics. Some of his work has connections to geometry and some other with mathematical physics.

Theoretical Physics

Kelly Reidy (Visiting Assistant Professor at Pratt Institute) Kelly Reidy is a visiting assistant professor at Pratt Institute and a rogue researcher of theoretical condensed matter physics. She leads offbeat tours at the American Museum of Natural History with Museum Hack and talks to unsuspecting strangers about science as a collaborator with Guerilla Science. In her spare time, Kelly writes and performs ukulele songs about, among other things, love and mathematics.

Molecular Biology

Maryam Zaringhalam (Graduate student at Rockefeller University and Founder of ArtLab) Maryam Zaringhalam is a molecular biologist and graduate student at The Rockefeller University. In the lab, she uses protozoan parasites as a model to investigate how small changes to our genetic building blocks can affect how we look and function. An “identity crisis” early in her graduate career led her to appreciate the unique relationship between science and art, which she has continued to explore through a blog and event series called ArtLab. Her exploration of this intersection has changed the way she looks at both the practice and products of her own research, and science at large.

Astrophysics

Jeff Oishi (Assistant Professor of Physics at Farmingdale State College and Research Associate at the American Museum of Natural History ) Jeff Oishi works on theoretical and computational problems in astrophysical fluid dynamics. He spends most of his time trying to understand how stars and planets generate magnetic fields and how they transport mass, momentum, and energy from place to place. This often involves a delicate balance of computer simulation, math, and swearing.

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