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2020-21 Seminars

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For the Fall 2020 semester, the Thompson Hall Seminars will be held virtually on Thursdays, from 4:10 to 5 p.m. (PDT). They are open to the general public.

Students, faculty, staff, and guests are invited to enter the Thompson Hall Seminar site at 4 p.m. (PDT). If you are accessing the seminar via phone or entering the site as a guest, please allow extra time so that the moderator can grant you access to the seminar site.

The Thompson Hall, Science, and Mathematics Seminars, have been held regularly since 1978-79. Once again, the seminar series will feature presentations by Puget Sound faculty and students and guest speakers on a wide range of topics. Please join us in welcoming the following speakers.

 

See this year's seminars

Fall 2020 Schedule

Date

Lecture Information

September 3

How phosphorus—the staff of life—and microbes take part in the ocean’s methane cycle: inquiries of a microbial oceanographer

Oscar Sosa, Assistant Professor

University of Puget Sound, Department of Biology

September 10

Summer Quest: A celebration of student research, scholarship, and creative work

All summer research students will present posters of their research

September 17

Investigating Interactions at the Nano-Protein Interface

Emily Tollefson, Assistant Professor

University of Puget Sound, Department of Chemistry

September 24

Discovering the forest among the trees: Testing community assembly hypotheses in the forgotten layers of temperate and tropical ecosystems

Michelle Spicer, Postdoctoral Researcher

University of Puget Sound, Department of Biology

October 1

Monitoring purple olive snails (Olivella biplicata) on the Makah Reservation following a mass mortality event

Adrianne Akmajian

Makah Fisheries Management

October 8

Should We Trust the Polls?: Polling the American Electorate

Jake Price, Assistant Professor

University of Puget Sound, Department of Mathematics

October 15

Epigenetic responses to environmental stress

Thelma Madzima, PhD, Assistant Professor

University of Washington, Bothell

October 22

Timescapes of Behavior: Adaptation and Long-Term Ecological Research

Erika Milam, Professor

Princeton University, History of Science Program

October 29

Saving an Endangered Species: Using Science to Inform Policy for Southern Resident Killer Whale Recovery

Grace Ferrara (Class of 2013), Natural Resource Management Specialist, West Coast Region

NOAA Fisheries, U.S. Department of Commerce

November 5

The View From Here: A look back at 18 years of monitoring a lizard population

Dr. Chris Agard, 

Adjunct Assistant Professor of Biology and Senior Product Manager for NAEP Process Data

Temple University, Educational Testing Service

November 12

On the Front Lines of COVID-19; Effects and Implications for American Indigenous Populations

Shira Goldstein (Class of 2010),

Program Director Navajo Nation

Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE)

November 19

Exploring the aerodynamics of morphing wings and flexible feathers

Brett Klaassen, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Researcher

University of Puget Sound, Department of Physics

November 26 Thanksgiving
December 3

State of the Climate Series, Part 1

Steven Neshyba, Professor

University of Puget Sound, Department of Chemistry

 

Spring 2021 Schedule

January 21

State of the Climate Series, Part 2

Ellen Moore Chris James, Professor

University of Washington

Chris James, Tacoma/Senior Advisor Regulatory Assistance Project and Air Quality Consultant

January 28

Measuring the impact of military flights on the Olympic Peninsula soundscape

Lauren Kuehne, Independent Researcher

Omfishient Consulting

February 4

"Picture a Scientist," Part 1

Film Viewing

February 11

"Picture a Scientist," Part 2

Film Viewing

February 18 Break
February 25

Salmonella, slugs and Smellicopter: The path to becoming a science writer

Sarah McQuate, Ph.D. (Class of 2007), Public Information Officer

University of Washington

March 4

The Mountains Around Us – The Contrasting (but Interconnected) Origins of the Olympic and Cascade Ranges

Jeff Tepper and Ken Clark, Professors

University of Puget Sound, Department of Chemistry and Geology

March 11

Where we look and why it matters: How dynamic signaling alignment shapes animal communication

Dr. Sebastian Echeverri, Ph.D.

University of Pittsburgh

March 18

Virology in a Pandemic

Dr. Vincent Racaniello, Higgins Professor of Microbiology and Immunology

Columbia University

March 25

State of the Climate Series, Part 3

Peter Hodum, Professor

University of Puget Sound, Department of Biology

April 1

The Intriguing Mechanics of Soft Interfaces

Dr. Katharine Jensen, Assistant Professor of Physics

Williams College

April 8

The role of interleukin-2 signaling in immune health and disease

Erika Hayes (Class of 2013), Graduate Student

University of Washington, Department of Immunology

April 15 Senior Research Showcase
April 22 Senior Research Showcase
April 29 Senior Research Showcase