During each semester, the Science in Action Seminar Series is held every Tuesday from 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 pm, accessible via THIS link. Please note that the Zoom Link requires a password to join the Zoom Meeting, which can be obtained from your professor or Bryan Swartout. You may also view older Science in Action seminars on our Youtube channel.

This weekly series is presented in partnership with the San Francisco State University Bridges to Baccalaureate Program, the Skyline College Science and Math Division, and the Math, Engineering, Science Achievement Program (MESA).

The seminar series is free and open to the public. The topics vary and are geared not only towards science, but the entire college experience, so we encourage non-science students to attend. Attendance confirmation slips will be provided. We look forward to seeing you there!

If you're interested in presenting at the Science in Action Seminar Series, please contact Alyssa Wong-Conway. If you have questions about attending the Science in Action Seminar Series, please contact Bryan Swartout.

Spring 2021 Seminar Schedule

Due to COVID-19 and closure of Skyline College campus, all remaining Science in Action seminars will be held VIRTUALLY until the end of the spring 2020 semester. To join us via Zoom, please click the respective link for a seminar. If you aren't able to watch the seminars live, visit our YouTube Channel, or click the respective link in each seminar description to be taken to a recording of the seminar you're interested in.

Preview our upcoming speaker schedule for this semester

Chemistry in Action at the NASA Ames Research Center

April 13, 2021 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.  | Meeting Link | YouTube

Andro Rios, Ph.D. | Skyline College Professor & NASA Ames Researcher

 

The quest to understand how life emerged on Earth is central to the field of science known as Astrobiology. Come learn about how the knowledge and skills obtained from your Skyline College chemistry courses are being applied to astrobiology by student interns and scientists working with me at NASA Ames. I will also share a little bit as to how I came to work in this field of science. Interested in becoming a STEM intern at NASA? I will provide some insight into those opportunities as well.  

Biotechnology at Skyline and beyond: A student's perspective

April 6, 2021 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.  | Meeting Link | YouTube

Arlyne Grace Bautista | Skyline College Alum

 

I’m a first-generation college student and recent Skyline graduate. Growing up in South San Francisco, Biotechnology was constantly surrounding me. After graduating from the Skyline Biotechnology program, I transferred to Solano Community College to pursue my Bachelors in Biomanufacturing! I’ve also entered the field to help combat the Coronavirus pandemic. I’m excited to share my experience with all of you! 


Panel Discussion: Medical School Preparation Tips 

March 23, 2021 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.  | Meeting Link | YouTube

Moderated by: Eleazar Dealmeida and Sarah Tran  

Panelists: Alex Silva, Elizabeth Picazo, Manuella Djomaleu, Daniel Reyes, Joyce Tran, Dr. Spencer Wong 

Interested in attending Medical School? In collaboration with the Biology and Chemistry Scholars, join us for a discussion where panelists share their journeys to Medical School. Panelists biographies are included below, would like to respond to questions from the audience. Submit your questions (or vote for your favorite) by clicking on our Slido event link.
 

Alex Silva (UCSF): Alex Silva is a first year in the MD/PhD program at UCSF. Alex went to college at Penn in Philadelphia where he majored in bioengineering and became interested in the intersection of data science and medicine. At UCSF, he hopes to work in the field of brain computer interface and learn to care for patients with neurological disorders.

Elizabeth Picazo (UCSF): Elizabeth Picazo is a first-year medical student at UCSF who is a part of the Program in Medical Education - Urban Underserved (PRIME-US). She is a second-generation Mexican-American who was born and raised in San Francisco with an aim to serve her community. She went to UC Davis for undergrad where she cultivated her interest in medicine, systems change, and policy.

Manuella Djomaleu (UCSF): Manuella Djomaleu was born and raised in Cameroon and moved to Rockville, MD in 2008. She went to the University of Maryland, College Park and received her B.S. in Biological Sciences in 2020 and later that year started medical school at the University of California, San Francisco. She has strong interests in global health and advancing health equity in medicine.

Daniel Reyes (Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School): Daniel Reyes is a 4th-year medical student at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and is going into emergency medicine. Before medical school, he was a high school biology and chemistry teacher in the East Bay. Daniel graduated from UC Berkeley in 2007 with a BA in Molecular and Cell Biology and from Saint Mary's College of California with an MA in Teacher Leadership in 2011.

Joyce Tran (UCSD):  Joyce Tran is currently a 3rd year MD/PhD student at UC San Diego. She started her graduate studies in Neuroscience studying neurodevelopmental diseases in mice. She’s originally from Daly City, and went to CCSF for 3 years before transferring to UCLA to study Biochemistry. She’s a first-generation college graduate and took 2 years off after graduating college before starting medical school.

Dr. Spencer Wong:  Spencer Wong is a Medical Director for Cañada College.

 **The panelists would like to respond to questions from the audience. Submit your questions (or vote for your favorite) by clicking on our Slido event link →


Game Shows, Trivia, and Memes Through the Lens of Data

March 16, 2021 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.  | Meeting Link | YouTube

Niño Yosinao | Data Analyst & Instructor

 

Join Niño as he explores data concepts through modern media of entertainment. Niño Yosinao is an Data Analyst from San Francisco, CA who also teaches at a Data Analytics bootcamp. He started his journey as a community college student in San Diego, pursuing an AA in Mathematics. Since then, he has refined his skills in mathematics and telling stories through data in various academic and industry roles. In his spare time, he enjoys pursuing trivia challenges and learning languages. Niño holds a B.S. Degree in Mathematics from Cornell University and is in the process of completing his M.A. in Mathematics from San Francisco State University. 


Microbes Medicine and Money - Biomanufacturing in the 21st Century

March 9, 2021 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.  | Meeting Link | YouTube

Jim DeKloe | Founder and Director, Industrial Biotechnology Program at Solano College

 

Jim DeKloe serves as the director and founder of the Industrial Biotechnology program at Solano College in the North San Francisco Bay Area. He also played a key role in designing the Solano College Bachelors of Science in Biomanufacturing program; this baccalaureate degree contains upper division courses in the scientific, technical and engineering principles of biomanufacturing, as well as in the business, regulatory, quality aspects of biomanufacturing, bioethics, technical writing and project management. Needless to say, graduates of the program are in demand to their well rounded character. Dr. DeKloe heads a United States consortium working on developing a national workforce for emerging Cell and Gene therapy technologies, this effort is funded by the National Institute for Innovation in the Manufacture of BioLogics (NIIMBL).

In 2011, Solano College faculty chose Jim as the Distinguished Faculty Member of the Year. He has also served as a consultant to help biotech giant Amgen redesign the training programs for their biomanufacturing technicians and for their quality assurance associates. He is a knowledgeable, exciting and humorous speaker. If you are interested in biotechnology, in the flavor of business, engineering, science or regulation, he has a talk that will interest you.

The Insect Apocalypse

March 2, 2021 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.  | Meeting Link | YouTube

Nathan Rank | Professor at Sonoma State University

 
I grew up in Michigan and attended Kalamazoo College with a degree in Biology.  For my senior thesis, I rode a bus out to the Arizona desert and spent a fall studying the insects that live in rotting barrel cacti. This experience made me want to pursue graduate study in the West and I moved to Orange County in 1983 to study plant-feeding insects. I began working in the Sierra Nevada mountains studying insect populations then and for the past 25 years, I have studied the factors influencing the ecology and evolution of native insects.
 
In the past 20 years, appreciation for the many roles insects plays in our lives has grown along with a better understanding of the importance of biological diversity in sustaining natural systems. In the past, many of us considered insects to be a nuisance, but we now recognize how important they are for our economic health and food supply. Unfortunately, however, insect populations seem to be declining rapidly in many parts of the globe. I conducted a survey of professional entomologists (insect biologists) to gain a better understanding of the consensus opinion about whether insect declines are a major concern. Some entomologists are not convinced that insect declines are a concern, but most of them are, regardless of which part of the world they come from or work in. My talk reviews some case studies of insect decline.
She Se Puede! - A Latina's Journey to Space

February 23, 2021 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.  | Meeting Link | YouTube

Araceli Gonzalez | Mechanical Engineering Associate at Lockheed Martin

Join Araceli as she shares her triumphs and persistence as a 1st Gen Latina Engineer. Araceli will share her academic journey along with insights into how she overcame the imposter syndrome as a STEM student and now as a working aerospace/mechanical engineer. Araceli is currently a Mechanical Engineering Associate at Lockheed Martin, who got her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering at San Francisco State University. Prior to SFSU, Araceli attended Skyline College where she explored many majors before Engineering! 
Journey From Geologist to Dean

February 16, 2021 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.  | Meeting Link | YouTube

Carla Grandy | Dean of STEM Division

 Carla Grandy is the new Dean of the STEM Division at Skyline College. Prior to that, she was Earth Science Faculty for 13 years. Carla has a B.S. in Environmental Geology from Texas Christian University, an M.S. in Oceanography from Oregon State University, and a Ph.D. in Earth Science from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Carla has worked as a Hydrologist and Coastal Specialist in the Environmental Field. At Skyline, Carla coordinated the sustainability work on campus as well as serving as faculty advisor for the Energize Colleges Program, and served as the Director of Guided Pathways. Come hear about her journey through academia to Community College Leadership and share your thoughts for and hopes for the STEM Division moving forward.
Biotechnology, Engineering and Vaccine Production 

February 9, 2021 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.  | Meeting Link | YouTube

Melisa Carpio | Global Technology Consultant at Sartorius

 Learn about fascinating careers at the intersection of Biotechnology and Engineering and see how engineers are playing a major role in the production and manufacturing of novel vaccines. Melisa is a Global Technology Consultant for the Cell Culture Technologies department at Sartorius. In this role, she focuses in the areas of single-use bioreactors and upstream processing. She works to continually investigate opportunities for new product enhancements, collaborations, and applications. Prior to Sartorius, Melisa spent nine years working in the industry doing cell engineering and cell line development at Genitope, Medimmune, and Takeda. She holds a BS and MS in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.