For its 2021 Annual Review, the Andrew W. Marshall Foundation presented an hour-long seminar in which Jesse Ausubel speaks briefly on experimentation, Melissa Flagg on intellectual courage, and Dan Patt on mentorship, followed by Q&A. IGood session. Jesse’s 5 minutes of remarks, titled Don’t Do Anything for the First Time, begin 15 minutes into the session following Jaymie Durnan’s opening review.
Talks and Podcasts
Items related to talks Jesse Ausubel has given or will be giving in the near future.
eDNA talk at NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Sciences Center
Jesse Ausubel gave a talk on “eDNA: Prospects and Challenges” at NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Sciences Center on 18 October 2019. To view the talk visit here for a webinar link. Please skip the first 15 minutes, which are just chatter waiting for the seminar to begin
Environmental Populism
On September 23, 2019 PHE Senior Research Associate Iddo Wernick delivered at talk on ‘Environmentalism and Populism‘ at at meeting of the Breakthrough Institute in Middleburg, Virginia.
Leonardo Da Vinci DNA project 12 Feb seminar at Rockefeller
The Leonardo Da Vinci DNA Project:
Exploring the Intersections of Science and Art
Click on the title to see the lecture in YouTube
Featuring:
Jesse Ausubel, Karina Åberg, and Thomas P. Sakmar
Monday, February 12, 2018
6:00–7:15 p.m.Caspary Auditorium
The Rockefeller University
1230 York Avenue at East 66th Street New York, NY 10065
DNA sequencing has revolutionized the study of human genetic variation, and insights derived from DNA now matter in diverse settings – from hospitals to courtrooms. Scientists are now also exploring information that DNA might yield about cultural heritage. For example, what can it reveal about works of art and their creators?
Leonardo da Vinci is widely recognized as one of the most extraordinary figures in human history. Leading up to the 500th anniversary of his death in 2019, an international team –– including anthropologists, artists, art historians, forensic experts, genealogists, microbiologists, physicians, and population geneticists –– has assembled to uncover new facts and insights about Leonardo. One of the ambitious goals of the team is to use pioneering methods to obtain traces of DNA attributable to Leonardo from artworks, notebooks or other sources.
On Monday, February 12, three members of The Leonardo DNA Project team – Jesse Ausubel, Karina Åberg, and Thomas P. Sakmar – will describe the origins of this remarkable project, provide a progress report on their research, and reflect on how this scientific inquiry may contribute to art history and conservation, while uncovering new information about Leonardo’s life, ancestry and exceptional abilities.
Jesse Ausubel, Director of the Program for the Human Environment at The Rockefeller University, has helped design and conduct major international research programs, including the Census of Marine Life, Barcode of Life initiative, and Encyclopedia of Life. His lab is now using very short sequences of loose DNA found in seawater to assess the status of marine life. He initiated The Leonardo DNA Project in 2014.
Karina Åberg is a visual artist with a longstanding special interest in the application of digital technology to education. Her unique skill set and enthusiasm about digital media and technology have facilitated her innovative contributions to digital design, advertising, communications and teaching. Her early training in Renaissance art techniques has led to several advances as a member of The Leonardo DNA Project since 2015.
Thomas P. Sakmar is a physician-scientist and the Richard M. & Isabel P. Furlaud Professor at The Rockefeller University, where he heads the Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Signal Transduction. His research program is dedicated to chemical biology and drug discovery research. His interest in visual sensory perception and the origins of creativity in science and the arts have led to his involvement in The Leonardo DNA Project since 2014.
Toward landless agriculture talk at Wash DC natural history museum
Jesse Ausubel will give a free seminar open to the public Wednesday 6 December 2017 in Washington DC at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History on landless agriculture and rebounding nature.
Breakthrough Virginia 2017
Jesse Ausubel offered 900 words of remarks On Energy Transitions to open a panel discussion at the Breakthrough Dialogue East at Airlie House in Virginia on 17 November 2017.
Vineyard Conservation Society eDNA lecture
June 27, 2017 6pm
put on your calendar!
West Tisbury Library
. . . including Tisbury Great Pond and Look Pond
by Jesse H. Ausubel
p.s.
The Martha’s Vineyard Gazette ran a good article about Jesse’s talk:
As did the Martha’s Vineyard Times: https://www.mvtimes.com/2017/08/02/fishing-for-dna/
eDNA at BioBus
Naked DNA in Seawater was the subject of Jesse Ausubel’s 17 May evening at the Lower East Side Girls Club for the BioBus. For some photos and a link to his 30-minute talk visit here.
Sea Secrets lecture in Miami on eDNA
Jesse Ausubel speaks at the U. of Miami on 6 April 2017 about naked DNA in seawater, the subject of a forthcoming paper by PHE’s Mark Stoeckle et al.
Taipei Acer Meeting

On 4 January 2017, PHE Researcher Iddo Wernick delivered the keynote address ‘Creating a circular economy: The challenges and opportunities presented by Technology Metals for future business‘ kicking off a conference on the topic of Sustainable Resource Management organized by Acer Inc., in Taipei, Taiwan. Iddo also gave a talk on ‘Conflict Minerals and Tantalum’ from the perspective of Supply Chain managers in the electronics industry. Below are some pictures of the event.

