The Berkeley
Science Review presents
Find out what's happening in Berkeleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Explore the science of touch sensation, including:
- the molecular basis of touch sensation
- engineering touch sensation for robotics
- communicating emotion through touch
We'll also have FREE spicy cocktails and Yeast Meets West, a
Belgian Golden Strong Ale (8.8% ABV) that was chosen as the crowd favorite at a
past Bay Area Science Festival event.
Doors open at 6:00 PM
6:30-8:00 PM - Late night show style interviews with our host Kirsten (Dr. Kiki) Sanford
1) Lydia Thé on the molecular basis of touch sensation.
We know the molecular basis of temperature, pain, and chemical sensation, but
touch sensation remains a mystery. The Bautista Lab at UC Berkeley has been
using the star nosed mole, the snout of which is the most touch-sensitive organ
known, to try to determine how touch is detected by the nerves in our skin.
2) Benjamin Tee on engineering touch sensation for robotics and prosthetics.
Touch and motion must provide constant feedback to each other in order for us
to perform intricate movements or delicate tasks. The Bao Lab at Stanford have
created flexible touch and pressure sensitive electronic skin that will allow
robotics and prosthetics to detect surfaces and textures.
3) Daniel Cordaro on communicating emotion through touch.
Touch can elicit powerful emotional responses, but did you know that touch can
also communicate emotions as clearly as spoken language? The Keltner Lab at UC
Berkeley has found that humans can communicate emotions such as gratitude and
compassion with one-second touches to a stranger’s forearm.
Find out what's happening in Berkeleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
8:00-10:00 PM - Reception and exhibits:
- Enjoy snacks and bar with beer and spicy cocktails
- View mutant worms that are unresponsive to touch - LegoScope
- Interact with touch sensitive robots - Kal Spelletich (about and blog) From
Kal's bio: "For 25 years he has been experimenting with interfacing humans
and robots...Kal’s work is always interactive, requiring a participant to enter
or operate the piece, often against their instincts of self-preservation." - Participate in a live experiment on communicating emotion
through touch
The Berkeley Science Review is a graduate student-run magazine and blog featuring
the groundbreaking scientific research happening at UC Berkeley. Our
mission is to train scientists and nonscientists alike to communicate
scientific research to the public in an accessible and interesting way.
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and Twitter for updates including a series of blog posts introducing each of the three categories of
touch-related research that will be presented at the event.
BAASICS (Bay Area Art & Science Interdisciplinary Collaborative Sessions)
is a San Francisco-based non-profit organization dedicated to bringing together
regional visual artists, scientists, choreographers, composers, and
interdisciplinary thinkers to foment interdisciplinary exchange and to
encourage experimentation that will move beyond what one of these disciplines
can achieve on its own. (For “Touch Me,” BAASICS has helped put together the
exhibition portion of the program.)
Sponsored by the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute and the Office of the Vice
Chancellor for Research.