The Future of our Oceans

Ours is a water planet. Technology is shaping our uses, both as foe and ally. It has made humans the dominant predator and provides us food, gives us half the oxygen we breathe and created many maritime jobs. But technology has also raised CO2 levels, caused acidic oceans, threatened ocean biodiversity and created grand climate challenges.

Marine biologists like Doug McCauley at UC Santa Barbara are also using technology to promote ocean health and provide a balance. In this talk, McCauley describes examples of technology used to help the oceans and marine biodiversity. He shows systems that track whale activity and communicate it to ships so they know where to slow down to avoid collisions. He describes technology to monitor marine protected areas, image recognition techniques to study the endangered giant sea bass and electronic tags to follow sharks.

McCauley began his career as a fisherman in the Port of Los Angeles. Eventually he migrated to marine science and UC Santa Barbara. McCauley has degrees in political science and biology from the UC Berkeley. His PhD research was done at Stanford University where he studied the ecology of sharks, giant parrotfish, and coral reef ecosystems. McCauley’s science is motivated by the belief that we must better understand how complex ocean ecosystems work if we want to better protect them from threats like overfishing, climate change, and pollution.

Watch — Technology: Friend or Foe for the Future of our Oceans

Tool Use, Technology and the Evolution of the Human Mind

We “behaviorally modern humans” likely emerged more than 100,000 years ago in Africa, spread across that continent and eventually all over the planet, effectively replacing all closely related potentially competitive species. Among many possible explanations, was the co-evolution of the human mind with tool use and technology – ranging all the way from simple stone tools millions of years ago, to computers today.

Speakers in this series addresses this important process at all levels, from molecules to brain imaging, beginning with the potential link between early stone tool use and the parallel expansion of the human brain, to the control of fire and the invention of projectile weapons, all the way through reading and writing to current day technologies such as computers and 3D reality–perhaps with a look to the potential future of the human mind.

Browse more programs in CARTA: Impact of Tool Use and Technology on the Evolution of the Human Mind

How the Defense and Aerospace Industries Shape San Diego’s Innovation Economy

8232Over the last 30 years, San Diego’s economy has emerged from a primarily military and defense contracting town into one of the leading innovation regions in America.

The term “innovation economy” is often used as an umbrella to capture businesses focused on everything from biotech and environmental applications to defense and wireless communications. They’re also interchangeably referred to as tech companies.

Key to San Diego’s innovation economy and identity are the aerospace and communications sectors, creating markets from drones to next-generation wireless communications. Explore the visionary technology igniting these industries and the implications this growth has to further propel San Diego as a leading global city. This program features nationally celebrated journalist James Fallows of The Atlantic magazine and executives from global technology leaders ViaSat, Solar Turbines and the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS).

Watch Innovation Crossroads: From Drones to Cell Phones: How the Defense and Aerospace Industries Shape San Diego’s Innovation Economy.

The Job Landscape Today and Tomorrow: The San Diego View

8232Most employers agree that the workforce of tomorrow will need a deep knowledge of computer science, IT, big data, math, and other STEM-related abilities, not just for science and tech jobs, but for all occupations.

Such skills are essential for San Diego’s booming biotech and life sciences industry (ranked third largest in the country), as well as other large employers in IT, manufacturing and health care.

Join San Diego Union Tribune’s Jonathan Horn as he moderates a panel of industry experts discussing what skills they need most – and learn about their strategies to actively equip students with necessary skills through tech fairs and afterschool enrichment programs.

Watch The Job Landscape Today and Tomorrow: The San Diego View.

Browse more programs from The Career Channel.

The Atlantic Meets the Pacific

Want to hear from the doctors at the forefront of Obama’s BRAIN initiative? Or, learn about the cutting edge of drone science intended for personal civilian use? Or, get a guided tour inside the Scripps Research Institute and the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine?

Well, you can do all those things at this year’s The Atlantic Meets the Pacific. This third annual conference, presented by The Atlantic Magazine and UC San Diego, gathers top thought leaders in technology and health to discuss their ground breaking research in panels and interviews.

This year’s speakers will include top UCSD scientists such as Eric Topol, Todd Coleman, Scott M. Lippman, Jacopo Annese, Ralph J. Greenspan; business and technology leaders like Roni Zeiger and Chris Anderson; and prize winning journalists and authors such as Laurie Garrett, Deepak Chopra, Clifton Leaf, and many many more!

The Atlantic Meets the Pacific will take place here at UCSD on October 2 through 4. If you can’t attend, don’t worry! UCSD-TV will be there will to catch all exciting speakers.

Can’t wait for the conference? Check out UCSD-TV’s coverage of last year’s The Atlantic Meets Pacific!

Watch a video from last year’s The Atlantic Meets the Pacific of Dr. Eric Topol explaining his new medical device that could revolutionize healthcare in a very personal way. What will he talk about this year?

See other videos from UCSD-TV’s coverage of The Atlantic Meets the Pacific!