Public Programs
Live interviews, panel discussions, film screenings, and other events exploring science and it’s impact on our lives, from COVID to CRISPR to climate change.
Why Don’t We Do It In The Lab? In Conversation with Mary Roach
Author Mary Roach and biologist Jennifer Frazier discuss the delightfully awkward, occasionally risky, and endlessly fascinating proposition of bringing human beings into the laboratory to study sexual physiology at the Exploratorium. Watch the conversation here.
Exploring CRISPR with Alta Charo, Dan Rather, and Elliot Kirschner
The gene editing tool CRISPR has the potential to address some of our most pressing issues, from treating disease to mitigating the impact of climate change. But like any technology, there is the potential for misuse. Watch the panel discussion on science, ethics, history, and the film Human Nature here.
California’s Climate Future: Managing Wildfires with Indigenous and Western Science
Life in the West is being dramatically impacted by wildfires. This panel discussion features Plains Miwok culture burn practitioner and pyrogeographer Don Hankins, forestry manager Portia Halbert, and naturalist Christian Schwarz from the short film “Fire Among Giants” in a conversation about climate, history, and resilience in California landscapes. .
From Data to Action
Collecting and visualizing data allows us to see critical issues: a surge in COVID cases, toxins in garden soil, where the climate is warming fastest. Jennifer Frazier hosts a program with three stories of how data is being used to spur action on COVID-19, environmental justice, and climate change from the New York Times to abandoned mines. Watch the recording here.
Understanding COVID Vaccines with Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo and Dr. Bob Wachter
The coronavirus vaccine has arrived—and along with it, a lot of questions. How do we know it's effective? How do we know it's safe? Join UCSF Chair of the Department of Medicine Dr. Bob Wachter and UCSF Dean of Health Equity Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo for a live conversation moderated by scientist Jennifer Frazier. Watch the recording here.
Exploring our Genetic Past and Future with Carl Zimmer
Knowledge may be power, but what about genetic information? Join New York Times columnist Carl Zimmer, in conversation with scientist Jennifer Frazier, for a profoundly original perspective on the role our genes play in who we become. Explore how genetic information can be used—or misused—to advance agendas. Zimmer’s book, She Has Her Mother’s Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity, will be available for purchase and signing at the program.
COVID Conversations Series
This five part Exploratorium series gave viewers an opportunity to ask their questions about COVID 19 of leading doctors and scientists early in the pandemic. Guests included former FDA chief Peggy Hamburg, and UCSF faculty Bob Wachter, George Rutherford, Joe Derisi, and Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo. These videos reached over 200,000 viewers and also became part of the Smithsonian Vaccines&US Initiative, which Jennifer Frazier helped found. Watch the series here.
Everything Matters: Oxygen
Earth’s oxygen is produced in equal measure by terrestrial vegetation and microscopic life in the sea. Explore the profound influence of phytoplankton on the atmosphere with scientist Jennifer Frazier, and learn how their populations are changing along with our climate. Investigate oxygen’s physical properties and follow the history of its discovery, as well as its more breathtaking applications. Watch this Exploratorium program here.
Meet Your Microbiome
Our bodies contain 30 trillion microbes, a microbiome that seems essential for our well-being. Each region of our body has different microbes. What boundaries define where they live and what can change them? Chart your microbial geography with biologist Jennifer Frazier in this Exploratorium program, recorded here.