To Attend Live: After your registration is approved, you must add the session to your Science Summit schedule. In the Summit system, click on “27th Sept” and add the session.
Today, around 55% of the world’s population lives in an urban environment. Urban heat islands (UHIs) have been well documented for decades. They occur when a city’s infrastructure, like roads and buildings, absorb and remit heat more than natural landscapes like forests. This causes increased heat stress, since temperatures of cities tend to be hotter than their rural counterparts, and this is increasing quickly as climate change is leading to longer, more severe, and more frequent heat waves.
Co-convened by the International Science Reserve (ISR) and the University of California Disaster Resilience Network (UC DRN) during the Science Summit at the 79 UN General Assembly, this panel will bring together expertise ranging from engineering and urban development to equity and public policy. Panelists will discuss inequities and other issues surrounding the worsening of urban heat and resulting crises.
These require cities around the globe to respond to and better prepare for the effects of increasingly extreme and frequent heat emergencies, and their related impacts. For example, tropical and coastline geographies are reaching critical “wet bulb” temperatures, at which the human body can no longer cool down through its natural sweating process. China, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, the Arabian Peninsula, and the African Sahel are among the risk zones. Jacobabad, Pakistan, often called one of the hottest cities on earth, has experienced at least four extreme wet bulb events in recent years.
Similarly, in some geographies, humidity is rising in ways that make it difficult for people’s bodies to cool down at night, with adverse effects on human health. And in cities where there has not historically been the need—as well as in those lacking the resources—for cooling infrastructure, there is increased risk because they are underprepared.
Just like with a hurricane or an earthquake, the world’s most vulnerable cities need better preparation and mitigation measures to prevent and reduce severe health impacts, including death. This panel will discuss the planning possibilities to prepare cities for urban heat islands and their related impacts, including early warning systems, infrastructure mitigation, education, and heat wave management plans. We will explore how to ensure urban dwellers, especially those most at risk like the elderly and poor or those in vulnerable geographies, can remain safe.
Panelists
Tarik Benmarhnia, Professor in Epidemiology, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego
Iphigenia Keramitsoglou, Research Director in Satellite Earth Observation, Institute for Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications, and Remote Sensing, National Observatory of Athens
Ronnen Levinson, Staff Scientist and Leader of the Heat Island Group, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Chandni Singh, Senior Researcher, School of Environment and Sustainability, Indian Institute for Human Settlements – Bangalore
V. Kelly Turner is an associate professor of urban planning and geography and serves as associate director of the Luskin Center for Innovation, University of California, Los Angeles
Chelsea Harvey, Reporter, POLITICO’s E&E News (Moderator)
The Academy invites you to its latest event, which will focus on innovative coral restoration through the lens of both science and art.
Marine Biologist and National Geographic Explorer, National Fellow at The Explorers Club, and President of the Board of Trustees of SECORE International, Fernando Bretos, will kick off the evening with an explanation of the science behind creating genetically stronger strains of coral through the use of coral larval prorogation technique. He will also share the work of Silvia Patricia González Díaz, PhD, from the University of Havana, an esteemed scientist and longtime colleague of Bretos who oversees field operations in Cuba. We will then be joined by Tom Goreau, PhD, Director of The Global Coral Reef Alliance, to learn about “biorock,” a restoration technique that utilizes a novel way to restore corals with light electrical fields of negative electricity using the anodic-cathodic process on metal structures which then accrete calcium carbonate, a property that produces coral skeletons. “Biorock” is a “self-healing” material that, when appropriately grown, has five times the strength of concrete, which makes it excellent for wave attenuation and beach breaks. Dr. Goreau will illuminate our audience on the dire health of coral in the Caribbean, its relation to human intervention, and the concept of ‘Geotherapy‘.
The panel will end with Mara G. Haseltine, a science-based environmental Artist, exploring the link between our cultural and biological evolution. Haseltine will discuss her reef designs, which utilize innovative reef restoration methods that do not use plastic or concrete, showcased in her retrospective “Blueprints to Save the Planet:1 Coral Reefs” in the foyer of The New York Academy of Sciences new office headquarters. Haseltine will focus on her newest prototype design for a coral nursery in Cuba, combining the two restoration techniques presented by her team on this panel for coral restoration in the age of the Anthropocene.
Emily Driscoll, an award-winning science documentary filmmaker and Founder of BonSci Films, will moderate the panel.
Following the panel discussion, we invite you to an art reception featuring organic wine donated from Perkins Harter Vineyard and light refreshments. This reception will celebrate Mara G. Haseltine’s solo show, “Blueprints to Save the Planet:1 Coral Reefs”. It’s the perfect opportunity to continue the conversation after the panel event.
We invite our members to join us at the 206th Annual Meeting of The New York Academy of Sciences, where Academy Chair of the Board Jerry Hultin and Academy Vice President Chenelle Bonavito Martinez will kick off the event with a welcome address, and Academy President and CEO Nicholas Dirks will share updates about new Academy initiatives.
The ability to write successful research grants is a crucial skill that requires guidance and training. As university budgets are shrinking and external funding sources are becoming increasingly competitive, it is even more imperative for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and scientists to finesse their grant writing skills early in their careers by applying for extramural funding, especially individual fellowships.
Join The New York Academy of Sciences for “Transition to Research Independence: Funding and Grantsmanship” to learn strategies for concise and persuasive writing that are vital in academia and essential for any career path. Dr. Jaime S. Rubin, Vice Chair for Investigator Development at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and an expert in this field with decades of experience, will teach this hybrid course.
During this program, you will learn about:
Types of funding agencies (government and private)
Types of private agencies (e.g., voluntary health organizations, professional societies, private foundations)
Review criteria for fellowship applications
Key components of fellowship applications
Strategic approaches for competitive applications
Common but overlooked mistakes made by new investigators
Tips to increase your chances for success
We encourage you to join us in person at our space on 115 Broadway, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10006, to take full advantage of the event. You also have the option to attend virtually, follow along, and submit questions online.
Speaker
Jamie S. Rubin, PhD Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Did you know that one in five adults in the United States is experiencing a mental health challenge? Almost half of all adults living in the United States will experience a mental health challenge at some point in their lifetime. This makes it more critical than ever for individuals to receive training to help build skills that will help them identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health issues in adults. Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is an interactive full-day training program designed to help individuals identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health issues and substance use disorders in adults.
Similar to First Aid and CPR training, MHFA is a key set of skills that can allow STEM students, educators, and professionals to assist their students, peers, and colleagues who may be experiencing an acute mental health issue. Join The New York Academy of Sciences for a full-day in-person interactive MHFA training customized for people in the STEM field.
Learn how to:
Recognize common signs and symptoms of mental health and substance use challenges.
Interact with a person in crisis and connect them with help
Prioritize self-care and care for their mental health.
MHFA is an internationally recognized program that originated in Australia and taught in more than 25 countries worldwide.
The program follows evidence-based fidelity standards. In addition to a physical manual, each participant will receive an online certificate valid for three years upon course completion, which can be added to their LinkedIn profile.
Please note that two hours of preparatory work are required. Participants will receive a link to this material shortly after registering for the course.
Space is limited. Register to secure your spot today!
Journalist Madhumita Murgia discusses the potential impact of AI particularly on disenfranchised populations, in her new book Code Dependent: Living in the Shadow of AI.
Published July 16, 2024
By Nick Fetty
Photo by Nick Fetty/The New York Academy of Sciences
Nicholas Dirks, President and CEO of The New York Academy of Sciences, recently sat down with journalist and author Madhumita Murgia to talk about her new book, as the latest installment of the Tata Knowledge Series on AI & Society, sponsored by Tata and Sons.
Photo by Nick Fetty/The New York Academy of Sciences
From Scientist to Journalist
The discussion kicked off with Murgia talking about her own journey, which began in Mumbai, India. When considering her major at the University of Oxford, she had to decide whether she’d pursue studies in a scientific field or English. She chose the former.
“I think I made the right choice,” said Murgia. “I learned about the scientific method, more than the facts and the research. [I developed] a deep respect for how science is done and how to analyze data.”
After graduating with her undergraduate degree in biological sciences, she remained at Oxford where she completed her master’s in clinical immunology. She was part of a team that worked on an AIDS vaccine prior to earning a M.A. in science journalism from NYU and transitioning to media. Murgia joined the staff of the Financial Times in 2016, serving as the European technology correspondent, and in 2023 was named the newspaper’s first Artificial Intelligence Editor.
“[Journalism is about] understanding complex subjects by talking to the experts, but then distilling that and communicating it to the rest of the world,” said Murgia. “[I want to] bring these complex ideas to people to show them why it matters.”
This basis in science and journalism helped to inform Murgia’s book, which was released in June by Macmillan Publishers.
AI’s Potential in Healthcare
Photo by Nick Fetty/The New York Academy of Sciences
While much of Murgia’s book focuses on societal concerns associated with AI, she highlights healthcare as an area where AI shows positive potential. Murgia discusses an app called Qure.ai, which analyzes chest x-rays to predict the likelihood of tuberculosis (TB), a growing health issue in India. The TB infection burden impacted more than 30 percent of those over the age of 15 between 2019 and 2021, according to the National Prevalence Survey of India.
But Murgia knows that stories about people and their experiences are the most compelling way to make a point. She used the example of patients and doctors, both of whom are dependent on these emerging technologies but in different ways.
“For me, the most optimistic I ever feel about AI is when I think about it in relation to science and health,” said Murgia.
Murgia writes about Ashita Singh, MD, a physician who practices in rural western India, often serving tribal populations. According to Murgia, Dr. Singh described medicine as “an art rather than a science.”
The doctor focuses on making human connections when treating patients knowing that resources in her area are extremely limited. AI has shown potential to fill these resource shortfalls, in part because of Dr. Singh’s willingness to train, test, and implement AI technologies within her medical practice.
“TB is a curable disease. People shouldn’t be dying from it,” said Murgia. “In places where there aren’t many [medical professionals], this is the next best option.”
The Global Infrastructure Training the AI
Photo by Nick Fetty/The New York Academy of Sciences
A consistent theme throughout the book is AI’s at-times exploitative nature on laborers, particularly those at the lower rungs of the socioeconomic ladder. Murgia tells the disturbing story of workers in Africa who are tasked with moderating content for Meta, which owns the popular social media platforms Facebook and Instagram.
While this started out as a way to empower workers, enabling them to develop tech skills while earning a paycheck, it eventually turned exploitative. Workers became traumatized because of the often sexual and violent nature of the content they were forced to view then manually decide whether it violated the platform’s terms of service.
“The more I dug into it, it became apparent that there were huge limitations in how this industry operates,” said Murgia. “The biggest one being the amount of agency these workers are allowed to exercise.”
Murgia cautioned against the technological deterministic take, which can over emphasize the societal benefits of AI. She compared it to colonialism in that the disenfranchised populations are given a small amount of power, but not enough to fight back in a meaningful way.
Empowering Agency Through AI
Photo by Nick Fetty/The New York Academy of Sciences
Murgia said the public may feel a lack of control when using AI because of its complex and fast-moving nature. Typically, the individuals building the systems have the most say.
She added that this is further complicated by the fact that the majority of research and development is done by part-time scientists within corporate environments. These scientists, some of whom continue to hold on to academic appointments, are often bound by financial obligations alongside their ethical responsibilities.
Murgia argues that independent scientists, not bound by corporate obligations, are crucial in areas like evaluation and alignment. Experts in fields like science, medicine, and education provide valuable input when developing these systems, particularly in pinpointing weak points and limitations.
One example of effective, non-corporate work within the realm of scientific research on AI is with the AI Safety Institutes in the United States and the United Kingdom. Murgia feels that these agencies are effective because they are run by computer scientists and machine learning experts rather than regulators and policymakers.
Photo by Nick Fetty/The New York Academy of Sciences
“That gives you a sense of accountability,” said Murgia. “And I think that’s how we can all contribute as it gets implemented into the education system, into hospitals, into workplaces.”
Murgia raised numerous other ethical concerns about AI such as apps underestimating (and therefore underpaying) distances for couriers and the legal gray area of facial recognition software. She also points out threats posed by AI-manipulated video, which often target and sexualize women. AI is also serving as a replacement for romantic human companionship, as illustrated by a Chinese company that has generated half a million AI girlfriends for lonely men.
In his closing remarks, Nicholas Dirks, thanked Murgia and set the stage for future collaboration.
“I heard a lot of encouragement for the projects and initiatives we’re doing here from you, so hopefully we can continue to get advice on how we can be a player in this incredibly complex ecosystem that we’re all now part of, whether we know it or not,” he said.
A recent Associated Press poll reveals that 58% of US adults across both political parties believe that AI will amplify the spread of misinformation in the 2024 presidential election. Despite this widespread distrust, some political candidates have already leveraged deepfake ads in elections, utilizing AI-generated images and text-to-voice converters to craft highly realistic visuals that blur the line between truth and deception.
Beyond influencing public opinion with such deepfakes, AI can also skew election outcomes by deploying chatbots on a massive scale to target millions of voters with tailored political messages.While AI-enabled technologies present significant risks to elections’ integrity and societal cohesion, they also potentially enhance our democratic institutions. This technology can boost civic engagement and strengthen the electoral system by increasing accessibility and mitigating existing biases.
Join us on September 17th for a conversation alongside a panel of experts from political consulting, social neuroscience, and deepfake technologies to explore AI’s dual potential to bolster and undermine the political system. This program is available in person and virtually, with member tickets as low as $10.
The Academy strongly recommends in-person participation to network with fellow participants and be prioritized throughout the Q+A session.
Machine Learning, a subfield of computer science, involves the development of mathematical algorithms that discover knowledge from specific data sets, and then “learn” from the data in an iterative fashion that allows predictions to be made. Today, Machine Learning has a wide range of applications, including natural language processing, search engine optimization, medical diagnosis and treatment, financial fraud detection, and stock market analysis.
This Symposium, the fifteenth in an ongoing series presented by the Machine Learning Discussion Group at The New York Academy of Sciences, will feature:
Keynote Presentations from leading researchers in both applied and theoretical Machine Learning
Spotlight Talks: A series of short, early-career investigator podium presentations across a variety of topics at the frontier of Machine Learning; and
Nobel Laureate Venki Ramakrishnan, world-renowned molecular biologist, presents the science about why humans die.
Published May 7, 2024
By Nick Fetty
Nobel Prize winner Venki Ramakrishnan is interviewed by Titia de Lange, Director of The Rockefeller University’s Anderson Center for Cancer Research, at The New York Academy of Sciences on April 16, 2024. Photo by Nick Fetty/The New York Academy of Sciences
Photo by Nick Fetty/The New York Academy of Sciences
Ramakrishnan discussed his new book with Titia de Lange, Director of The Rockefeller University’s Anderson Center for Cancer Research, during the “Authors at the Academy” event at The New York Academy of Sciences on April 16, 2024. He began by suggesting that humans may be the only species aware of its own mortality.
While societies have long focused on both the philosophical and the scientific dimensions of mortality, Ramakrishnan pointed out that aging research was considered “something of a backwater in molecular biology for a long time.” It’s only been over the past half-century that this field of research has become more mainstream.
“[While there have been advances in the research], because this is an area that people are concerned about, and they’re anxious about, there’s also a lot of hype,” said Ramakrishnan, who is also a member of the Academy’s President’s Council.
As a molecular biologist, Ramakrishnan avoided speculation, focusing instead on researching an objective, scientifically-based case about aging and mortality.
Evolution and Mortality
Ramakrishnan said there is a wide range in lifecycles of different creatures, from a mayfly which can live for just a day, to certain species of sharks and whales that may live for more than a century.
“A giant tortoise might be around today that could have encountered [Charles] Darwin,” Ramakrishnan said, with a nod to the renowned evolutionary biologist who was an honorary member of the Academy more than a century ago.
Photo by Nick Fetty/The New York Academy of Sciences
Researchers believe that evolution is largely focused on fitness, which, in this context, Ramakrishnan defined as “maximizing the ability to successfully pass on your genes.” Part of this fitness is tied to physical size. He pointed out that creatures like mice tend to have shorter lifespans than an elephant or a whale.
“You might ask, why is that?” Ramakrishnan said. “Well, aging is an accumulation of chemical damage which manifests itself from the molecular level all the way to the entire organism. To repair such damage takes lots of resources and lots of energy. So, this has a cost because animals are always trying to get energy.”
From an evolutionary standpoint, to maximize fitness it’s more advantageous for a creature like a mouse to allocate its resources to features such as rapid growth, rapid maturation, and producing many offspring. Conversely, larger animals allocate resources to repairing and maintaining natural chemical damage because such creatures need to live longer to raise their offspring to full maturity, Ramakrishnan argued.
This is what evolutionary biologists call the Antagonistic Pleiotropy theory. Based on this theory, genes that involve rapid growth or rapid maturation often turn out to be detrimental later in life and contribute to aging.
Photo by Nick Fetty/The New York Academy of Sciences
The Metabolic Rate Theory of Aging
According to Ramakrishnan, the metabolic rate theory states that “if you have increased metabolism then you’re generating byproducts…like free radicals and reactive species which can cause damage. So, the faster your metabolism is, the more likely the higher the rate at which you’re going to age.”
Generally, a faster metabolism means a shorter lifespan, but Ramakrishnan said this is not always the case. He used the example of some species of smaller bats, that are similar in size to mice, but because of the bat’s ability to fly, are less likely to be targets of predators, and can live for as long as 40 years.
“I think biologists would say it’s really about evolutionary choice and how each species has been selected for optimizing that choice,” said Ramakrishnan. “That choice could be, yes there’s damage but you can also repair the damage, so how much do you spend on repairing the damage?”
Researchers who study aging are divided about the potential maximum lifespan of humans. Some believe that 115 is the top of the range, while others feel that the first person to live to 150 has already been born. Ramakrishnan said he thinks the current natural limit is around 120 years, citing the fact that the number of centenarians (those who live to the age of 100) has increased in recent decades, but the number of people who live past the age of 110 has not.
“That suggests that those people who reach 110, are hitting some natural limit of our biology, of our species,” said Ramakrishnan, adding that he feels that those who think the upper limit is 150 are being “excessively optimistic.”
Societal Impacts of Expanded Lifespans
Photo by Nick Fetty/The New York Academy of Sciences
Science aside, what are the societal impacts of expanded lifespans? Several private sector tech billionaires have shown interest in extending lifespans. As Ramakrishnan points out, the issue has also been on the radar of government agencies such as NIH’s National Institute on Aging in the US or the Medical Research Council in the UK.
“So, the question is how do we keep people healthy for as long as possible so people can stay productive?” asked Ramakrishnan.
The answer may well lie with the next generation of scientists who will bring in innovative ideas and fresh perspectives. While Ramakrishnan remains productive, he concedes it may be time to retire next year.
“I think there are lots of roles we can play without taking away resources from the younger people,” said Ramakrishnan, citing examples like serving on editorial boards or as mentors. “Generational turnover is good for society and good for science.”
For on-demand video access to the full event, click here.
Check out the other events from our 2024 Authors at the Academy Series
In a world that often highlights only outcomes and successes, we tend to overlook the invaluable lessons and growth opportunities that failure can offer. This panel seeks to challenge that narrative by shining a spotlight on the importance of embracing missteps and mistakes as an essential part of the journey toward personal and professional fulfillment.
Please join The New York Academy of Sciences and Hudson River Park in this candid conversation, featuring a diverse panel of STEM professionals, where we delve into the often taboo notion of failure in STEM. Explore failure not as a final verdict, but as a natural and necessary part of a never ending learning process, and celebrate the beauty that comes with imperfection.
During this event, we will cover a variety of topics, including:
How to challenge conventional notions of failure and perfectionism, and understanding how setbacks can be stepping stones toward innovation
What it means to uncover the hidden opportunities for growth and self-discovery within moments of failure, and strategies to bounce back from failures, adapt to challenges, and persevere in the face of adversity
Discovering how embracing imperfection can fuel creativity, spark innovation, and lead to groundbreaking discoveries and unexpected solutions
This event is targeted toward high school and college students interested in STEM careers, but is open to anyone seeking to redefine failure as essential in creating a culture of learning, innovation, and resilience that empowers individuals to take risks and discover new parts of themselves and the world.
Immediately following our panel discussion, in-person attendees are invited to join in a networking session, where they can share their own experiences of failure and connect with panelists and fellow audience members in a supportive and non-judgmental environment.
