In this MSE Seminar, Princeton University’s Iain McCulloch will explore the molecular design features that optimize charge transport in organic semiconducting polymers. This presentation will discuss current understanding of the molecular design features responsible for optimizing charge transport in organic semiconducting polymers. Organic semiconducting polymers have been shown to be promising candidates to enable high charge carrier mobility in organic thin film transistors, which can find use in flexible displays and other electronic applications.

TBA | Andrea Prat (Columbia)

Ten minutes for your mind@2:50 every day at 2:50 pm in multiple time zones:Europa@2:50, EET, Athens, Helsinki (UTC+2) (7:50 am EST) https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88298032734Atlantica@2:50, EST, New York, Toronto (UTC-4) https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85349851047Pacifica@2:50, PST, Los Angeles, Vancouver (UTC=7) (5:50 pm EST) https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85743543699Almost everything works better again if you unplug it for a bit, including your mind. Stop by and unplug. Get the benefits of mindfulness without the fuss.@2:50 meets at the same time every single day for ten minutes of quiet together.No pre-requisite, no registration needed.Visit the website to view all @2:50 time zones each day.at250.org or at250.mit.edu

Grading for Growth: Toward More Humane, Authentic, and Trustworthy Ways to Evaluate Student WorkDr. Robert Talbert, Professor of Mathematics and Senior Faculty Fellow for Learning Futures at Grand Valley State UniversityGrading as we know it is significantly broken. The traditional approach involving one-and-done assessment, points, partial credit, and averaging is demotivating for students, demoralizing for faculty, time-consuming, disconnected from science, and of questionable statistical validity. But it is changeable, and in fact there is no better time than now to explore alternatives that prioritize student growth and align better with how humans learn. In this talk, we will explore the history and issues of traditional grading, propose a framework for “alternative” grading practices, and see how to implement alternative grading without massive requirements of time or energy.All are welcome. Please register on Zoom.About the SpeakerRobert Talbert is a Professor of Mathematics and Senior Faculty Fellow for Learning Futures at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan. He holds a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Vanderbilt University. Through over 25 years of being a classroom instructor, Robert has experimented with and advocated for research-based, student-focused innovation in teaching and learning. He was an early adopter of computer-based learning in mathematics and helped to pioneer the use of flipped instruction at the college level. He turned these experiences into a blog, Casting Out Nines, in 2006 which catalyzed a global online community around instructional innovation.In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Robert holds the position of Senior Faculty Fellow for Learning Futures at Grand Valley State, where he works on behalf of the university president to coordinate institution-wide pedagogical innovation projects. He is the author of Flipped Learning: A Guide for Higher Education Faculty and the co-author (with his GVSU colleague Dr. David Clark) of Grading For Growth, and gives keynote addresses and workshops to faculty groups throughout the US and abroad. His continued writing projects include the Grading For Growth Substack and Intentional Academia, a Substack publication about productivity and purpose in higher education.Robert lives in western Michigan with his wife, teenage children, and three cats. On weekends and evenings, you can find him playing bass in one of four bands he belongs to in the Grand Rapids area.

Speakers: Pablo Shmerkin (University of British Columbia)Title: Distances, incidences, projections of Ahlfors regular sets.Abstract: In the last decade it was realized that many classical problems in geometric measure theory are more tractable for Ahlfors regular sets (perhaps in an approximate or finitary sense) than for general sets. I will survey some recent progress in this direction, obtained in (separate) joint work with H. Wang and with T. Orponen. The main goal of the talk will be to indicate how the Ahlfors regularity assumption comes into play.

Speaker: Nicholas Bellono, HarvardHost: Matt WilsonTitle: "Taste by touch in octopus"The Biology Colloquium is a weekly seminar held throughout the academic year — featuring distinguished speakers in many areas of the biological sciences from universities and institutions worldwide. More information on speakers, their affiliations, and titles of their talks will be added as available. Unless otherwise stated, the Colloquium will be held live in Stata 32-123 (Kirsch auditorium) Contact Margaret Cabral with questions.