Tian Family Endowed Lecture Series

The Ethics of Emerging AI Assistant Devices
April 24, 2023

Dr. Cody Turner ’13 is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Notre Dame Technology Ethics Center. He earned a PhD in philosophy from the University of Connecticut in 2022, after completing his BA in philosophy from the College of William & Mary. Dr. Turner’s work focuses on how emerging wearable and implantable AI cognitive assistant devices—such as smartwatches, smart glasses, smart contact lenses, and neural implants—are poised to affect the mind from a metaphysical, ethical, and epistemological perspective.

Nanofabulous: Art at Small Scale
October 17, 2022

Mary Gao '15 is currently studying for her PhD at UPenn where she is a member of the Mallouk Research Group. Originally from Shenzhen, China, Mary earned her undergraduate degree at Boston College where she received a B.S. in Chemistry.

At Berkshire, Mary was enrolled in the Advanced Math Science Research Program where as a senior she was one of two students to enter the prestigious Intel Science Talent Competition. Her research at Berkshire developed techniques for fabricating meter-long alginate microfibers, synthetic scaffolds that could be used as stem cell delivery platforms for spinal cord injury repair.

In addition to science research, Mary enjoys traveling and art, as well as learning more about ancient history.

A Brief History of Causal Reasoning and its Applications to Science and Technology
May 20, 2022

Dr. Rohit Bhattachary joined the Berkshire community for ARISE to discuss a host of topics, including the ethics of artificial intelligence, energy consumption and limitations with machine learning and quantum computing, and the future of causal inference in the field of AI. Dr. Bhattacharya is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Williams College and serves as a mentor for Berkshire's AMSR + AI program. He holds degrees from John Hopkins University.

Ancient Venusian Meteorites on the Moon
May 19, 2020

After Berkshire, Sam Cabot '13 went on to Princeton University to study astronomy, and then to the University of Cambridge for a master’s degree. Returning virtually to his alma mater in May of 2020, Sam shared his journey from astronomy at Berkshire and the Dixon Observatory to his work in the the Astronomy Doctoral program at Yale University in his program, "Ancient Venusian Meteorites on the Moon."

Girls Who Code
October 8, 2020

Dr. Tarika Barrett, Chief Operating Officer of Girls Who Code, joined Berkshire virtually for a discussion on the gender gap in STEM fields and how young people might help change the culture of the tech industry.  Dr. Barrett holds a master's degree from Columbia Teachers College and a Ph.D. in teaching and learning from New York University. Girls Who Code is an international non-profit organization working to close the gender gap in technology by inspiring, educating and equipping young women with the computing skills to pursue 21st century opportunities.

Artificial Intelligence: The Current State of the Art
May 17, 2019

Dr. Ansaf Salleb-Aouissi, researcher and lecturer in the Computer Science Department at Columbia University, served as Keynote Speaker at ARISE in 2019. Dr. Salleb-Aouissi impressed upon the audience the extraordinary potential of Artificial Intelligence and the great opportunities it can provide for a better society. “AI is interdisciplinary,” she explained. “Whatever students choose to pursue as a career, they need to know enough about AI, to be ‘AI fluent,’ and be aware of its societal impacts. After all, AI is present in many aspects of their lives and will be even more present in their futures.”