Town Talks History
Previous Town Talks
Summer 2023
June 6
Can You Teach an Old Cell New Tricks? The Science of Aging
Kristin Slade, Hobart and William Smith Colleges
June 13
Solving Big Problems with Small Things: Polymers – Smart Programmable Sponges
Omar Farha, International Insitute for NanotechnologyJune 20
Can the Soil Save Us? The Dirt on Local Agricultural Climate Solutions
Tony & Barclay Daranyi, Indian Ridge Regenerative Farm in Norwood Chris Hazen, San Miguel County Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) program Cindy Lair, Colorado STAR (Saving Tomorrow’s Agricultural Resources) Program Moderated by Adam Chambers, US Department of AgricultureJune 27
Quantum Dots 101: How to Make a Lightbulb That is a Million Times Smaller Than an Ant
Jennifer Hollingsworth, Laboratory Fellow, Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Los Alamos National labJuly 11
Where do you Want to Live? Innovation, Data, and Engineering for Cities of the Future
Dr. Amy Mueller, Northeastern Universityjuly 18
RNA Therapeutics: Recoding Drug Design, One Gene at a Time
Athma Pai, UMass Chan Medical Schooljuly 25
The True Colors of Cancer: Imaging New Biomarkers with Light, not Labels
Stephen A. Boppart, M.D., PhD, University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignSummer 2022
June 7
Ice and Fire: Volcanoes of the Arctic Ocean
Jonathan Snow, Louisiana State UniversityJune 14
Harnessing the Power of Immunity
Jayajit Das, Nationwide Children’s HospitalJune 21
Tiny Gatekeepers of the Nano Universe: How Nuclear Pores in our Cells Separate Friend from Foe
Cees Decker, Delft University of Technology
Michael Rout, Rockefeller University
Anton Zilman, University of Toronto
July 28
A New Spin on Electrons: How They Change Life and Power our Lives
Moh El-Naggar, University of Southern California
Ron Naaman, Weizmann Institute of Science
David Waldeck , University of Pittsburgh
july 19
Free Speech: The Case for Open Intellectual Discourse in Science
Anna Krylov, University of Southern California
Luana Maroja, Williams College
Curt Wittig, University of Southern California
july 26
Viewpoints Matter: How Diverse Perspectives Bring About Scientific Progress
Korana Burke, University of California Davis
Peter Salamon, San Diego State University
Dontarie Stallings, University of California San Diego
Summer 2021
June 6
It’s Going to Get Weird Fast: The Revolutions in Science and Tech That Are Happening Right Under Our Noses
Anna Marie Pyle, Yale University
Forest Rowher, San Diego State University
Yogesh Surendranath, MIT
June 22
Science is Human because Humans Do Science
Rigoberto Hernandez, Johns Hopkins University
Amber Krummel, Colorado State University
Stephen Bradforth, University of Southern California
June 29
The Big Chill – Cryopreservation: The Science of Second Chances
Alison Hubel, University of Minnesota
Songi Han, University of California Santa Barbara
Nancy Levinger, Colorado State University
July 13
Serendipity in Science – Why basic science matters and how developments in molecular biology prepare us for the unknown to come
Philip Bevilacqua, Penn State University
Kathleen Hall, Washington University School of Medicine
Scott Showalter, Penn State University
july 20
Scientific Exploration with Artificial Intelligence
Natalie Stingelin, Georgia Institute of Technology
Jon Tapson, IONA Technologies
Sergei Tretiak, Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies at the Los Alamos National Laboratory
july 27
Healthy Air, Climate and Environmental Equity in Cities
Kevin Gurney, Northern Arizona University
Amy Mueller, Northeastern University
Ron Cohen, University of California Berkeley
Summer 2020
No Town Talks were held due to the Covid pandemic
In lieu of Town Talks, Telluride Science hosted a Summer Lecture Series. View speaker line up here.
Summer 2019
June 11
The Road Less Traveled: Why Studying Rare Cancers is so Important
Brian Rubin, Cleveland ClinicJune 18
Making the Future for Coral Reefs (and Everyone Else)
Forest Rohwer, San Diego State UniversityJune 25
What Is a Single Molecule, and What Can You Do With It?
W.E. Moerner, 2014 Nobel Laureate, Stanford University
July 9
Using Nature’s Blueprint to Build a Sustainable Energy Future
Yogesh Surendranath, MITJuly 16
Putting Atoms In Their Place, One Bond at a Time
Andy Borovik, UC Irvine
july 23
Getting to Zero: How fast Can We Reduce Carbon Emissions?
Lynn Loo, Princeton University
july 30
What Flies Can Teach Us About Our Kidneys
Aylin Rodan, University of Utah
Summer 2018
June 12
Machine-Learning Molecular Models for Water Purification Technologies
Francesco Paesani, University of California San DiegoJune 19
Suspended Animation: Exploring Secrets of Cryopreservation
Nancy Levinger, Colorado State UniversityJune 26
Engines Through the Ages
Sir Fraser Stoddart – 2016 Nobel Laureate, Northwestern UniversityJuly 10
It’s the End of Water as We Know It
Seth Darling, Argonne National LaboratoryJuly 17
The Explosiveness of Salt
Pavel Jungwirth, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the CASjuly 24
Geo-Engineering a Climate Change Solution?
Frank N Keutsch, PhD, Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard Universityjuly 31
Biological “Nanomachines”: Biology, Physics and Nanotechnology
Anton Zilman, University of TorontoSummer 2017
June 20
Simulating the Quantum World on Classical Computers
Garnet Chan, Bren Professor in Chemistry, Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, CaltechJune 27
Benign by Design from the Nanoscale to the Human Scale
Rigoberto Hernandez, Gompf Family Professor, Department of Chemistry, John Hopkins UniversityJuly 11
Water: Separating Science from Pseudoscience
Kenneth D. Jordan, Richard King Mellon Professor and Distinguished Professor of Computational Chemistry, Co-Director, Center for Simulation and Modeling, University of PittsburghJuly 18
New Materials for Solar Energy Capture and Conversion
Natalie Stingelin, Professor School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Tech
Chad Risko, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, University of Kentucky
July 25
Four Billion Years of Fun in the Sun: The Photochemical Properties of DNA and Their Role in Minimizing UV Damage
Bern Kohler, Ohio Eminent Scholar, Professor of Chemistry, The Ohio State UniversityAugust 1
Molecules and Light: The Story of Life, Death, and Our Quest for Knowledge
Anna Krylov, Gabilan Distinguished Professor in Science and Engineering and Professor of Chemistry, University of Southern CaliforniaAugust 8
“Fingerprinting” CO2 for Better, Safer Carbon Capture and Storage
Sophia Hayes, Professor of Chemistry, Washington University in St. LouisSummer 2016
June 7
Looking for Life in All the Right Places
Michael H. New, PhD, Astrobiology Discipline Scientist, Lead Discovery Program Scientist, Planetary Science Division, NASA HeadquartersJune 21
Science and the 2016 Presidential Election
Franz Geiger, PhD, Professor of Chemistry, Northwestern UniversityJune 28
Clouds in a Bowl of Soup
Graham Feingold, PhD, Research Scientist, NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory, Chemical Sciences DivisionJuly 5
Science & Healthcare: This Time It’s Personal!
Paul O’Shea, PhD, Associate Dean of Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of British ColumbiaJuly 12
Drug Recalls, Patent Fights, and Chocolate: Adventures in Crystal Packing
Greg Beran, PhD, Professor of Chemistry, University of California, Riversidejuly 19
Zen and the Art (Science) of Celestial Navigation: Navigating the Oceans and the Molecular World
Eric Bittner, PhD, John and Rebecca Moores Professor of Chemical Physics, University of Houstonjuly 26
The Salty Sea Within Us
Thomas Kleyman, MD, Chief, Renal-Electrolyte Division, Sheldon Adler Professor of Medicine, Professor of Cell Biology, Professor of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, The Renal-Electrolyte Division, University of PittsburghAugust 2
Beyond Watson & Crick: DNA Quadruplexes and Their Roles in Aging, Cancer, and Zika Virus
Cynthia Burrows, Distinguish Professor, Thatcher Presidential Endowed Chair of Biological Chemistry, University of UtahSummer 2015
June 16
Bioinspired Sponges: New Materials, New Chemistry for Protection
Omar Farha, Research Professor, Northwestern University
June 23
Steve Berry: Scholar, Educator and Visionary
John Tully, Sterling Professor of Chemistry, Professor of Physics and Applied Physics, Director of the Yale Center for Interface Structures and Phenomena, Yale UniversityJune 30
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology for Sustainable Energy: When Size Matters
Todd Krauss, Professor of Chemistry and Professor of Optics, University of RochesterJuly 7
Nanobiotechnology: How ‘Small’ Devices Enable a Better Understanding of Life
Lois Pollack, Professor and Director, Department of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University
July 14
Neurodegeneration From the Ground up
Rohit Pappu, Edwin H. Murty Professor of Engineering, Director of the Center for Biological Systems Engineering, Washington University (St. Louis)
july 21
The Efficiency of Photovoltaics and the Greenhouse Effect
Joseph Subotnik, Associate Professor, University of Pennsylvaniajuly 28
What’s in Your Extra Virgin Olive Oil?
Kevin Gurney, Northern Arizona University Selina Wang, Research Director, Olive Center, University of California (Davis)August 4
“Personalized Medicine for Coral Reefs and People”
Forest Rohwer, Professor of Biology, San Diego State UniversitySummer 2014
July 1
Molecular Revolution: New Insight into Human Diseases
David J. Wales, Professor, University of CambridgeJuly 8
Lead us not into Hemptation: The Genetics of American Cannabis
George Weiblen, Professor of Plant Biology, University of MinnesotaJuly 15
The Big Chill – The Next 20 Years: Green Chemistry by Design
Eric Beckman, George M. Bevier Professor of Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, Co-Director of the Mascaro Center for Sustainable InnovationJuly 22
Type II Diabetes: An Emerging Epidemic
Joan Emma Shea, Professor of Chemistry, Biochemistry & Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, TSRC Board MemberJuly 29
Charting a Path to a Less Warm Future
Paul B. Shepson, Professor of Analytical and Atmospheric Chemistry, Purdue UniversityAugust 5
Swim like a Mermaid, Spew like a Pump, Chew like a Disposal: Proteins in Action
Patricia L. Clark, Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry and Concurrent Professor of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre DameAugust 12
Modern Mimics of Natural Nano-Structures: Taking a page from Wood, Beetles, Butterflies, and Birds
Ron Estler, Professor of Chemistry and CASE/Carnegie Professor of the Year, Fort Lewis College, TSRC Science Advisory Board ChairAugust 19
Replaying the Tape of Life
Kevin Gurney, Northern Arizona University Paul Rainey, Professor of Evolutionary Genetics, New Zealand Institute for Advanced Studies and Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary BiologySummer 2013
June 18
From Atoms on Up: Designing Better Batteries and Fuel Cell Catalysts
Graeme Henkelman, Associate Professor of Chemistry, University of Texas at Austin
Changing Polar Regions: Threat and Opportunity
Professor Leonard Barrie, Research Director of the Bolin Center for Climate Research and Professor for Climate and Atmospheric Science at Stockholm University.
June 25
Advancing Science Through Diversity
Rigoberto Hernandez, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Director of Open Chemistry Collaborative in Diversity Equity (OXIDE)Nimble Bacteria: How They Sense Their Environment to Outwit Antibiotics
Patricia L. Clark, O’Hara Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry and Concurrent Professor of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre DameJuly 2
Solar 2.0
Dick T. Co, Ph.D Northwestern University, Dreyfus Environmental Chemistry Mentor & Research Assistant Professor of Chemistry; Solar Fuels Institute (SOFI), Founder & Co-Managing Director and Kimberly Williams, MBA Solar Fuels Institute (SOFI), Founder & Co-Managing DirectorJuly 9
Carbon Cowboys Wrangle for Riches in the Rainforest
George Weiblen, Professor, Department of Plant Biology, University of Minnesota
Turning Up the Heat: Trees in a Warmer World
Rebecca Montgomery, Associate Professor, Department of Forest Resources, Univeristy of Minnesota
July 16
Science vs. Pseudoscience
Kenneth Jordan, Distinguished Professor of Computational Chemistry and Director of the Center of Simulation and Modeling, University of PittsburghMolecular Science Education at Telluride: Helping America Keep its Stature
Jack Simons, Henry Eyring Scientist and Professor Emeritus of Chemistryjuly 23
Smell: What Triggers It?
David M. Leitner, Professor, Theoretical and Biophysical Chemistry, University of Nevada, RenoKnots: Knitting Together Mountain Climbing, Chemistry and the Living Cell
Dmitrii E Makarov, Professor of Chemistry at the Univeristy of Texas at Austinjuly 30
Evolution of Disease
Paul Rainey, Professor of Evolutionary Genetics, New Zealand Institute for Advanced Studies and Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary BiologySingle-Cell Genome Sequencing: Life and health at the single molecule level
Xiaoliang Sunny Xie, Mallinckrodt Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard UniveristyAugust 6
Amyloid Fibers: Understanding the Probable Cause of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Type 2 Diabetes
Marting Zanni, Meloche-Bascon, Professor of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-MadisonProspects for Limitless Energy from Sunlight and Water
Joseph Hupp, Morrison Professor of Chemistry, Northwestern UniversitySummer 2012
June 19
Science and the Presidential Election: Where do the Candidates Stand?
Franz M. Geiger, PhD, Irving M. Klotz Professor of Physical Chemistry, Northwestern UniversityClimate Change: Perceptions, Challenges and Opportunities
Johnathan Overpeck, PhD, Professor of Geosciences and Atmospheric Sciences, University of ArizonaJune 26
The Science of Water: Its Quirky, Quixotic Nature in Life and Energy
James Skinner, PhD, Joseph O. Hirschfelder Professor of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin, MadisonThe Science and Mysteries of Alzheimer’s Disease
Joan Emma Shea, PhD, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Professor of Physics, University of California, Santa BarbaraJuly 3
Learning from Nature’s 3-Billion-Year Solar Energy Program
Gregory Scholes, PhD, D. J. LeRoy Distinguished Professor, University of TorontoPlastic Solar Cells: Learning how Molecules Think
Peter Rossky, PhD Chair and Professor, Deparments of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Texas, AustinJuly 10
Automobiles: Racing to the Future
Brad Jaeger, VP of Engineering and Operations, Edison2, X-Prize Winners
Automobiles: Electric Cars: The Good, the Bad, and the Misleading
David Brown, Chief Operating Officer, Edison2, X-Prize Winners
July 17
The Mind’s Ear: How the Brain Listens to What the Ear Hears
Shihab Shamma, Phd, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Maryland, College ParkBlurring the Line Between Mind, Body, and Robotics
Ralph Etienne-Cummings, PhD, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Computer Science, John Hopkins Universityjuly 24
Talks: GPS and DNA: A Discussion of Law Enforcement and Privacy
Amanda C. Leiter, Associate Professor of Law, American University and Louis R. Cohen, Senior Counsel, WilmerHalejuly 31
The Clouds are Alive: How Does Nature Try to Control Climate?
Kimberly Prather, PhD, Distinguished Chair in Atmospheric Chemistry, University of California, San Diego, and Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Scripps Institute of OceanographyA Particle in the Forest, Why Does the Climate Care?
Neil Donahue, PhD Professor of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering and Director, Center for Atmospheric Particle Studies, Carnegie Mellon UniversityAugust 7
Cumulus, Cirrus, Stratus: What Clouds Reveal about Climate Change
Dan Czico, PhD, Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry, Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)Returning the Moral Compass of Science
Gary S. Ayton, PhD, Judge Memorial Catholic High SchoolSummer 2011
June 21
In the Footsteps of Shackleton: A Natural History of Antarctic Sea Ice
Ted Maksym, British Antarctic SurveyJune 28
Directing Traffic on Tiny Highways: Strategies for Emerging Biomedical Nano Devices
Sherwin Singer, Professor of Chemistry, Ohio State UniversityJuly 5
The Physics of Synchrony: Heartbeats, Wobbly Bridges, and the God Particle
Peter Littlewood, Professor of Physics, University of Cambridge and University of Chicago, and Associate Laboratory Director of Argonne National Laboratory in IllinoisJuly 12
The BP Oil Spill and Deepwater Drilling: Lessons from the Gulf
Sambhav N. Sankar, Deputy Chief Council, National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, and Department of Justice Attorney, Environment and Natural Resources Divisionjuly 26
Green Chemistry…For Real
Eric Beckman, University of Pittsburgh George M. Bevier Professor of Engineering and Co-Director of the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation, 2011 Stephen Berry LecturerAugust 2
The Evolution of Diversity
Paul Rainey, Professor of Evolutionary Genetics, New Zealand Institute for Advanced Study, Auckland & Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology
Forest Rohwer, Professor of Biology at San Diego State University