Should We Choose Between Growing Up or Living Our Dreams?
Dr. Jaspreet Dosanjh
PhD Biochemical Engineering & BioProcess Leadership

Special Date: 
Wednesday February 23, 2022 
12:30-1:30 p.m.
Zoom ID: 932 1239 4275
Passcode: 970117

PENDING FLEX CREDIT
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Abstract:
Dr. Jaspreet Dosanjh will share her experiences within her path into the field of science and share her insights on how to create the world we want to work in. 

Bio: 
Dr. Dosanjh's multi-layered biography, work experience, and education will be embedded within her lecture.

Flyer in text format:

SCIENCE LECTURE SERIES SPRING 2022
in coordination with WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH

So, You Want to be an Inventor or an Innovator?
The Engineering Process is What You Need

NAREH MANOOKI
Boeing Propulsion Engineer,
GCC Engineering Instructor,
Patented Inventor (self published)

Wednesday March 30, 2022
12:30pm-1:30pm

Zoom ID: 928 5608 6026
Passcode: 812612

PENDING FLEX CREDIT
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Abstract
Professor Manooki will describe the steps of the Engineering Design Process to demonstrate how anyone can be an inventor/innovator.

Bio
Nareh Manooki received her Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering at the University of California, San Diego, followed by a Master’s degree at USC in Product Development Engineering. This lead to a career path at the Boeing Company, where she has worked as a design engineer for 13 plus years. Nareh’s foundation and background lead to self-publishing her patent, “Hanging Bottle Drying Rack.” She has also been part of a project called, “Go Baby Go, which supports modifying ride-on cars for children with Cerebral Palsy. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Nareh was one of the honorees for the 2021 Women of the Year Award, bestowed upon by Congressman, Adam Schiff and the 28h Congressional District.

Nareh is an instructor at Glendale Community College and the Los Angeles College District, teaching various Engineering topics. She originally started as an undecided student and it was a book she read on her roommate’s desk, “Introduction to Aerospace Engineering,” that established her field of study and career path. She immigrated to America when she was 9 years old and she was always a curious child. Her father always supported her curiosity of sciences with their evening conversations about the planets modeled by fruit rotating around a candle, representing the sun, along with small Lego sets when he was able to provide those for his daughter. Nareh is now able to balance her own family and professional life, while encouraging her children to also reach for the stars like her father had done for her.

Flyer text: 

Space Medicine–The Last Frontier

DR. HAIG AINTABLIAN
UCLA Medical Center
Inaugural Fellow Space Medicine

Wednesday April 27, 2022 
12:30pm-1:30pm
Zoom ID: 989 7419 2052
Passcode: 011704

PENDING FLEX CREDIT
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Abstract
Dr. Haig Aintablian will enlighten GCC about the interesting field of space medicine. Many students are interested in entering the medical field and when asked what kind of medicine they want to pursue; they are often unsure or mention the common fields in the medical arena. Dr. Aintablian will be speaking about this new field and share with the GCC community how he entered this path as an inspiration for students, faculty, staff, and the larger GCC community. This is an excellent example of helping students and faculty explore undiscovered pathways.

Bio
Haig Aintablian is an emergency medicine physician completing his residency training from UCLA Medical Center and will be the inaugural fellow in Space Medicine at UCLA Health in collaboration with SpaceX, NASA, and Caltech/JPL, training to be a flight surgeon starting in 2022. He started college at 15 years old, and obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Biological Sciences, Summa Cum Laude, and his Master of Science in Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry from the University of Southern California at 21 years of age. He has had over 40 research publications and presentations ranging from the mechanisms of viral replication to astronaut associated pathologies. Haig has had research endeavors with NASA’s Johnson Space Center, served on multiple editorial boards for peer-reviewed publications, written on pandemic viruses in medical textbooks, served on the University of Arizona College of Medicine Admissions Committee, and as President of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine RSA. In 2020, he was awarded the national “Resident of the Year” award by the American Academy of Emergency Medicine. He recently travelled to Artsakh in Armenia to do combat medicine for soldiers in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, after which he received an award from the Armed Forces of Armenia. He has had multiple media appearances including on Los Angeles area news networks like KTLA, CBS, FOX, and KCAL, has been interviewed by The Wall Street Journal, BBC World News, and The New York Times, and produced articles for NPR, Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN on a variety of topics.

Mushrooms of Armenia and Beyond

Claudia Bashian-Victoroff
(MSc, Holden Arboretum)

Arik Joukhajian
(PhD student at UC Riverside)

Patricia Kaishian
(PhD, Visiting Professor of Biology, Bard College)

Tania Kurbessoian
(PhD candidate at UC Riverside)

Tuesday May 31, 2022
12:30pm-1:30pm

Abstract: This talk will be an introduction to mycology, the study of mushrooms and other fungi. The four founding members of the International Congress of Armenian Mycologists (ICAM) will each share some basics of fungal biology, as well as discuss the specific research interests of each of the members.

Bios

Claudia Bashian-Victoroff is a research biologist at the Holden Arboretum in Cleveland, Ohio. Prior to joining Holden, Claudia received her MS in Environmental and Forest Biology from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Claudia's research focuses on ectomycorrhizal fungi in forest ecosystems with a focus on the diverse life strategies of different fungal species. Claudia’s research pairs field collections with molecular species identification to peek into the ‘black-box’ of mycorrhizal functions.

Arik Joukhajian is a UCLA alumnus (Microbiology BSc) and a 2nd year PhD student at UC Riverside studying shifts in microbial communities disturbed by fire. This work includes sequencing DNA barcodes of bacteria, fungi, and archaea from soil samples as well as focused characterization of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi supporting plant life in the Mojave Desert. He is interested in the broad diversity of life in both micro and macro scales and is a proponent of sharing interesting organisms with the global scientific community on iNaturalist.org.

Dr. Patricia Kaishian is a mycologist and Visiting Professor at Bard College. Her research focuses on fungal taxonomy, diversity, evolution, symbiosis, and ecology, particularly of the less studied fungal groups, such as the insect-associated Laboulbeniales. Patricia also studies philosophy of science and feminist bioscience, exploring how mycology and other scientific disciplines are situated in and informed by our sociopolitical landscape.

Tania Kurbessoian is a Microbiologist and Mycologist, fascinated with all things micro and fungi. She earned her M.S. in Biology from California State University, Northridge (2016) and her B.S. in Microbiology from California State University, Northridge (2013). Her main goal is to integrate microbiology, mycology and bioinformatics. Her current research focuses on studying Micro-Colonial Fungi (MCFs) isolated from Biological Soil Crusts (BSCs), the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients and toxic tar pits. Tania has conducted laboratory research in the areas of single nucleotide polymorphisms, genome sequencing and metagenomics. This involves data collection, DNA isolation, analysis and interpretation of results, including next generation sequencing data and bioinformatics analysis. What does she like to do when she is not science-ing? Anything crafty especially foraying for mushrooms and using those mushrooms to find natural dyes. She loves taking craft materials and creating something beautiful.

The Coupled Trophic Transfer of Selenium and Mercury in a Large River

Raul Flamenco 
PhD Student
Dept. of Natural Resources and the Environment 
University of Connecticut 

Tuesday September 27, 2022 
12:30-1:30 p.m.
Meeting ID: 828 0331 9676
Passcode: 95541

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Abstract:

Mercury (Hg) is a naturally occurring contaminant that bioaccumulates and biomagnifies in aquatic food webs. Potential consequences of excess Hg exposure include neurotoxicity, teratogenesis, and mortality, especially in high trophic level consumers. Some studies suggest that selenium (Se) can mediate Hg methylation, bioaccumulation, and toxicity, yet uncertainties remain in the consistency of this phenomenon across taxa and ecosystems. One emerging hypothesis from this literature is that the availability of Se may interfere with Hg trophic transfer by reducing Hg bioavailability or enhancing Hg detoxification and elimination. To address the related question of whether Se limits Hg trophic transfer from prey to predator, we draw on the results of an intensive sampling effort that spanned 60 river miles of the Se-impaired Lower Gunnison River Basin (Colorado) in 2016. Initial results provide associative evidence that Hg concentrations in consumers are inversely related to Se concentrations in their diet. Mechanisms and implications of potential Se-Hg interactions for Hg bioaccumulation and biomagnification will be discussed.

Bio:

Raul Flamenco is a third year PhD student in the Natural Resource and the Environment Department at the University of Connecticut. His research focuses on the developmental and metabolic effects of chemical contaminants in fish. He is a recipient of the 2022 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.

There Is No Denying It: Motivation and Emotion Play Key Roles in Public Understanding of Science

Dr. Gale M. Sinatra
Stephen H. Crocker Chair and 
Professor of Psychology and Education
Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California

Tuesday October 25, 2022
12:30pm-1:30pm

Meeting ID: 837 0343 8412
Passcode: 487652

Abstract:
Democracies depend on educated citizens who can make informed decisions about scientific issues. In, Science Denial: Why It Happens and What to Do About It, Sinatra and co-author Barbara Hofer examine the psychological factors contributing to science denial, doubt, and resistance. They also focus on action steps individuals, educators, scientists, science communicators, and policy makers can take to promote science understanding, acceptance, and motivated action. This presentation will focus on the themes from the book including the role of psychological constructs such as misconceptions, cognitive biases, emotions, identity, epistemic cognition, and motivated reasoning in (mis)understanding science.

Bio:
10/25/22: There Is No Denying It: Motivation and Emotion Play Key Roles in Public Understanding of Science Dr. Gale M. Sinatra is the Stephen H. Crocker Chair and Professor of Education and Psychology at the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California where she serves as the Associate Dean for Research. She received her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She heads the Motivated Change Research Lab the mission of which is understanding the cognitive, motivational, and emotional processes that lead to attitude change, conceptual change, STEM learning, and public understanding of science. She recently chaired the APA Climate Change Task Force. She is a Fellow of AERA and APA and a member of the National Academy of Education. She is the co-author (with Barbara Hofer) of Science Denial: Why It Happens and What to Do About It https://www.sciencedenialbook.com/

Impacts of Global Change on Forest
Dr. Alex Pivovaroff
Biology Instructor
@ Glendale Community College

Tuesday November 29, 2022
12:30pm-1:30pm
Meeting ID: 859 1972 2817
Passcode: 491599

Abstract:
The current unprecedented rate of global change is rapidly pushing many ecosystems towards ecological collapse. Trees in particular are unable to cope with ongoing global change due to their sessile nature and long lifespan. Already, forests are dying on a regional scale, resulting in pervasive shifts in forest dynamics, with implications for ecosystem functioning and biogeochemical cycling. But why do some trees survive while others die? What are the underlying mechanisms of these differential responses to global change? Can we use this understanding to predict which forests are most vulnerable and which are resilient? Using case studies from our own backyard and around the world, I will present on our current understanding of these problems and future directions for the field.

Bio:
Dr. Alex Pivovaroff earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from Whittier College and her Ph.D. in Plant Biology from the University of California Riverside, where she was a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow and studied the effects of drought on chaparral, coastal sage scrub, and desert plants. Following her Ph.D., she went to UCLA where she was a La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science Postdoctoral Fellow, where she studied to effects of drought, heat waves, and fire on chaparral and coastal sage scrub. As a Visiting Assistant Professor at Whittier College, she collaborated with UC Santa Barbara to study differences in water use among native and invasive species at the Santa Clara River. Then, as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, which is one of the United States Department of Energy National Laboratories, she studied the effects of climate change on tropical forests. Now she is a Biology Instructor at Glendale Community College, where she continues to collaborate with many of her colleagues on research projects related to the effects of global change on forests.