December 15, 2015

Geek Bar Beta
1941 West North Avenue, Chicago, IL, USA

“Machine learning”—a form of artificial intelligence—has received increasing attention in the news media, owing to its increasingly widespread impact on our everyday lives. Today, machine learning allows computers to understand speech, recommend movies, and beat the best human player at Jeopardy.  Prof. Miles Wernick will explain the basic ideas behind this important technology, and will describe how he has used machine learning in various medical applications.

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December 1, 2015

Geek Bar Beta
1941 West North Avenue, Chicago, IL, USA

Seasonal changes in temperature and light impact our moods and can cause serious impairment to our everyday functioning. But, how does the weather outside impact what happens inside our bodies? The answer to that question depends on what type of “weather personality” we have. While some of us thrive in sunlight and feel better in warm temperatures, most of us are able to cope with fluctuations in the weather and seasons by using adaptive coping skills. Read more…

December 1, 2015

School of the Art Institute Ballroom
112 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL, United States

Our Women in STEM: Connect is back! This year’s event will feature a lively panel discussion with Q&A, video shorts, and will be followed by networking. We welcome everyone, from women just contemplating a future in a science-related field to career veterans, and all those in between. Men are welcome to attend!

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November 17, 2015

Geek Bar Beta
1941 West North Avenue, Chicago, IL, USA

The Museum of Science and Industry (MSI) recently opened a one-of-its-kind temporary exhibit, Robot Revolution. This unprecedented exhibit features more than 40 robots from all over the world. MSI’s robot wrangling team spent five years developing this program with the help of esteemed robotics advisors. The team scoured the world — including Japan, China, Germany, and France — to find the most advanced and exciting robots to showcase to the public. Kathleen McCarthy was part of this team.

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November 12, 2015

Northwestern University, Chicago Campus, Hughes Auditorium
303 East Superior Street, Chicago, IL, USA

Graphic narratives—also known as comics—are increasingly being used to unpack complex concepts and experiences. Despite the stigma of being thought of as juvenile reading matter (and not ‘real reading’ at that), comics actually have a long history of addressing complex topics. When serious graphic novels began appearing in the 1980s, they were met with great critical acclaim by both popular media and academia. A significant cohort of comics tackling scientific topics now exists.

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November 3, 2015

Geek Bar Beta
1941 West North Avenue, Chicago, IL, USA

Wearable devices such as smartwatches and fitness trackers have brought us closer to quantifying our lives, but will they truly change the way we interact with the world? This talk explores how the right combination of advances in energy harvesting, big data, and artificial intelligence could enable wearable devices to truly become digital extensions of us as humans.