Discovery Seminars

Dan Cox

Are you curious about how artificial intelligence is changing the way we understand life itself? In this seminar, we'll explore how AI is transforming biology, medicine, and the environment-no coding experience required, just curiosity. Together, we'll look at how AI helps scientists crack DNA codes, discover new medicines, track pandemics, and even protect ecosystems. Along the way, we'll also ask big-picture questions about ethics, risks, and who really benefits. You'll learn through discussions, guest speakers, case studies, and hands-on activities, and wrap up with a creative mini-project or presentation. It's a chance to see how technology and the life sciences are coming together to shape the future.

Session: C (Jan. 12-May 1)
Day/time: Thursday, 1:30-2:20 p.m.
Location: ARML1-74
Class #: 38941

Burcin Ozcan

From chatbots to self-driving cars, machine learning is everywhere but is it really magic, or just math in action? In this seminar, we'll explore the mathematical ideas that power modern AI. Using concepts from algebra, probability, geometry, and optimization, we'll see how math shapes the algorithms behind today's most exciting technologies. No coding or advanced math background is required just curiosity and a willingness to explore. By the end, you'll better understand not only how machine learning works, but also why it succeeds (and sometimes fails).

Session: C (Jan. 12-May 1)
Day/time: Monday, 2:30-3:20 p.m.
Location: PVW159
Class #: 29647

Sean Dudley

What if a robot could be partly alive? In this seminar, we'll explore how researchers combine living elements-like cells, tissues, or even whole organisms-with technology to build hybrid machines. This rapidly growing field (often called 'biohybrid robotics') ranges from tiny, microscale devices to much larger systems, including cyborg-like designs, and it's expanding in labs around the world. Together we'll unpack the scientific and technical ideas behind these 'living machines,' and dig into the ethical and social questions they raise: What counts as a robot? Where do we draw the line between living and nonliving? Who benefits, and who decides? No prior knowledge is required and all students are welcome-bring your curiosity and an open mind.

Session: C (Jan. 12-May 1)
Day/time: Wednesday, 3:35-4:25 p.m.
Location: PVW159
Class #: 29656

Michelle Di Palma

Curious how scientists and doctors fight cancer - and how today's treatments actually work? This seminar is designed for first-year students with a high-school biology foundation. Through short, interactive lectures, lively discussions, and real-world case studies, we'll explore how cancer begins at the molecular level and how new therapies are changing patient care. We'll dive into: - Targeted therapies: How drugs zero in on cancer cells while trying to spare healthy ones. - Immunotherapies: How the immune system can be trained to recognize and attack tumors. - Emerging drug developments: What's on the horizon and how new ideas move from lab to clinic. - By the end, you'll have a clear, big-picture view of cancer biology and the science behind current treatments. You'll practice reading about recent breakthroughs, talking through case examples, and connecting what you learn to real-world impact on patients - all in a supportive, first-year-friendly setting.

Session: A (Jan. 12-March 3)
Day/time: Monday, 2-3:50 p.m.
Location: PABLO105
Class #: 35300

Liza Roger

Think coral reefs are just pretty underwater scenery? Think again! In this seminar, we'll dive into how corals and their tiny algae partners create dazzling colors, strange proteins, and powerful natural compounds that not only keep them alive but also inspire breakthroughs in medicine, technology, and climate research. Along the way, you'll discover how reefs are built, how they face rising ocean temperatures, and what scientists are learning from them about life on a changing planet. Expect lively discussions, short readings, and hands-on activities-no science background needed. By the end, you'll see coral reefs not just as endangered ecosystems but as living laboratories bursting with creativity and discovery.

Session: C (Jan. 12-May 1)
Day/time: Wednesday, 2:30-3:20 p.m.
Location: ARML1-74
Class #: 39129

Joseph Scarpa

What makes people and communities bounce back from crisis? In this seminar, we'll explore resilience as both a personal strength and a community resource. Focusing on real-world challenges like mental health struggles and experiences of violence, we'll learn how individuals and marginalized groups draw on cultural strengths, networks of care, and collective action to heal and thrive. Through discussion and reflection, you'll consider how resilience is built, what supports it, and how it connects to creating more just communities.

Session: C (Jan. 12-May 1)
Day/time: Monday, 4:40-5:30 p.m.
Location: PVW159
Class #: 21761

Volker Benkert

How do societies remember mass violence-and prevent it? We'll study case examples to explore warning signs, media and misinformation, survivor testimony, justice processes, and what 'never again' asks of bystanders and institutions.

Session: C (Jan. 12-May 1)
Day/time: Tuesday, 4:30-5:20 p.m.
Location: PVW159
Class #: 21760

Cheryl Nickerson

Humans are ready and willing to accept great risks to go where no one has gone before. However, knowing that no humans can survive in space for a long time without the proper science to support their health and well-being, do we have sufficient and sound biological information to support prolonged space habitation? During space missions, humans experience a wide range of stressors and hazards, including reduced gravity, high levels of radiation, distance from Earth, isolation, and confinement. As new commercial spaceflight companies (like SpaceX and Blue Origin) enable flight opportunities for public space travel, access to space is no longer limited to professional astronauts, and you could be the next space travelers! This class will introduce students to the extensive changes that occur to the human body in space and the different types of research being done to keep astronauts and other space travelers healthy as they live and work in space, including future missions to the moon and Mars. Students will learn from a cadre of international experts (including astronauts) about the different types of research being done to keep humans healthy and productive as they live, work, and travel in space. The course will culminate with a trip to an ASU Space Life Sciences and Human Health Laboratory on the Tempe campus to interact with world experts in spaceflight biomedical research who have flown multiple experiments on the International Space Station. In addition to face-to-face interactions with these ASU space biomedical scientists, students will be able to see and handle actual flight hardware that has flown in space. 

Session: C (Jan. 12-May 1)
Day/time: Thursday, 3-3:50 p.m.
Location: DH107
Class #: 23404

Johnnie Hendrickson

From Cleopatra's beauty secrets to TikTok 'miracle cures,' people have always blurred the line between medicine and poison. This seminar dives into the fascinating world of potions, pills, and promises-some helpful, some harmful, and some just hilarious. Together we'll explore curious cases from history and today, decode the language of 'miracle' products, and experiment with separating fact from fiction. Expect lively discussion, quirky examples, and a hands-on look at the thin line between what heals and what harms.

Session: A (Jan. 12-March 3)
Day/time: Wednesday, 2-3:50 p.m.
Location: PABLO105
Class #: 35301

Nicole Gonzalez

How do movies, TV, and TikTok shape the way we see love, conflict, and connection? In this seminar, we'll explore how stories told through media influence our beliefs, identities, and relationships. Together, we'll analyze clips, ads, and pop culture moments to ask how media both reflects and reshapes the world around us.

Session: C (Jan. 12-May 1)
Day/time: Friday, 3:35-4:25 p.m.
Location: PVW159
Class #: 25567

Laura Turchi

This Discovery Seminar re-imagines the Shakespeare you might have met in high school. Through discussion, playful dramatic activities, and online explorations, we'll focus on key scenes from A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Taming of the Shrew. Together we'll ask how these 'old, old, old' plays help us think about our lives now-parent-young adult relationships, what people will do for love, and who decides what's best. We'll also look at social-justice dimensions like bias and ownership as we study the plays. To share what we discover (and test whether these stories still matter), students will collect, share, and create digital images and videos using (social) media. Along the way, we'll get to know each other, and you'll have chances to get information-and, if you want it, advice-about navigating the academic world at ASU.

Session: C (Jan. 12-May 1)
Day/time: Tuesday, 3-3:50 p.m.
Location: DH107
Class #: 29653

Robert Ros

What if you could measure the softness of a cancer cell or the tiny forces your immune system uses to fight disease? In this course, you'll step into the world of mechanobiology-where physics meets biology to reveal how motion, pressure, and force shape life itself. From the mechanics of cells to the mysteries of disease, you'll uncover how the invisible forces inside you make everything work. No lab coat required-just curiosity and a foundation in high school biology and physics.

Session: C (Jan. 12-May 1)
Day/time: Wednesday, 1:25-2:15 p.m.
Location: ARML1-74
Class #: 39194

Rachel Porter

Taylor Swift has had a significant impact on culture within the 21st century. Her career has sparked conversations centered around gender, fame, artistry, and shone light on the dark side of the entertainment industry. This seminar invites students to analyze the thought-provoking lyrics and storytelling Swift shares through her music as well as how marketing plays a role in her exponential success. Through close examination of lyrics, interviews, and social media discourse, students will develop skills of textual analysis, cultural critique, and academic conversation. This course bridges pop-culture and academia to create an engaging and critical learning experience.

Session: C (Jan. 12-May 1)
Day/time: Monday, 3:35-4:25 p.m.
Location: PVW159
Class #: 34253

Whitney Hansen

The TV show Severance imagines a world where workers can split their consciousness, separating the work-self (innie) from a home-self (outtie). This show raises profound scientific and philosophical questions about our sense of self - questions that have been explored by psychologists for decades. In this course we cover a variety of psychological topics including emotions, obedience, and ethics, with a particular emphasis on memory and how it contributes to our identity. This seminar dives into the mysteries of memory, self, and identity through stories, science, and psychology. We'll explore what happens when memory breaks down, how our sense of self can shift, and what brain science can tell us about who we are. No background required-just curiosity about the mind.

Session: C (Jan. 12-May 1)
Day/time: Wednesday, 2:30-3:20 p.m.
Location: PVW159
Class #: 31016

Olena Tanchyk

From Amazon warrior queens on the steppes of Ukraine to WWII's most feared sniper, Ukrainian women have shaped history in dramatic and unexpected ways. This seminar explores the stories of Ukrainky-legendary leaders, artists, and visionaries from Ukraine who defied empires, transformed nations, and inspired change far beyond their homeland's borders. Through discussion, film clips, art, and interactive activities, students will discover how Ukrainian women's courage and creativity connect to global conversations about leadership, resilience, and cultural identity today. Together we'll uncover what these fierce and fearless Ukrainian women can teach us about our world-and ourselves.

Session: C (Jan. 12-May 1)
Day/time: Wednesday, 4:40-5:30 p.m.
Location: PVW159
Class #: 29657