Back @ Boulder Coffee, 100 Alexander St., Rochester
Presentations start at 7 PM. Come by early to grab a seat, a drink and some food!
Check out this month’s presentations…
Karl Glastad presents – Who Run the World? Ants (who are mostly girls)!
Ants are arguably the most successful Family of animals on the planet and, according to this definitely unbiased observer, most interesting as well. This presentation will explain why ants are so cool, how they got so cool, and why they’re also amazing research models for studying broadly important things like aging, social behavior, and neural plasticity.
Karl has collected and kept ants since childhood. Since then he decided to ‘go pro’ and is now an Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of Rochester where he runs a lab that uses ants as models to study the molecular underpinnings of aging and plasticity. But mostly he just likes ants…and science fiction. He’s also not great at writing [auto]bios…
Sarah Chen presents – Using Bacteria to Make Pests Back Off!
The use of pesticides in agriculture is crucial, but it can have harmful effects on the plants and our environment. Come learn about the work of the 2026 Rochester iGEM team, who are engineering E. coli to respond to methyl salicylate (MeSA) by producing a natural insecticide. MeSA is a volatile organic compound that plants release to enhance their defenses against pests. Project Verdant aims to reduce the environmental impacts of pesticides by having the bacteria release pesticides only when necessary, allowing for a more efficient and eco-friendly alternative!
Sarah is a rising junior at the University of Rochester. When she’s out of the classroom, you can find her spacing out looking at the beautiful trees and flowers around campus. Sarah’s long-time life goal is to road-trip to all 180 of the New York State parks (42 and counting)! She can’t name all the specific species of flora and fauna nor does she have Lara Croft-level survival skills, but she sure loves the shade of green on leaves when sunlight peers through on a bright summer day. Sarah is also a member of the 2026 Rochester iGEM team. The International Genetically Engineered Machines (iGEM) Competition is an annual competition in which student-led teams tackle a real-world problem using synthetic biology. Guided by head advisor Dr. Anne Meyer, the team includes 14 undergraduate students passionate about STEM.
Martin Barrett presents – Terry Southern’s Psychedelic Cinema
Terry Southern was a satirical writer. Starting with Stanley Kubrick’s DR. STRANGELOVE, he began writing screenplays for wild, surreal, and anti-establishment films such as EASY RIDER and BARBARELLA. This presentation will expand your mind while going deep into his counter culture contributions to the world of movies that can be affectionately referred to as “Psychedelic Cinema”.
Martin Barrett (aka Uncle Marty) is an A/V Technician, video artist, and film historian. Born in 1961, he lived in Bethesda, Maryland until 2003 when his ex got him to relocate to Rochester, New York. Kristine Greenizen kept him here.