Ocean discoveries over the past 50 years have reshaped our understanding of Earth's systems. Advances in robotics and sensors now enable unprecedented deep-sea and coastal exploration, uncovering microbes and fungi crucial to ocean health and carbon cycling. Meanwhile, satellite Earth observation has revolutionized ocean monitoring and resource management.But how do these two realms—space and the deep sea—intersect to advance research and policymaking? How do satellite data and deep-sea sensors work together to drive biological discoveries and inform climate strategies? Join our experts in deep-sea exploration, marine microbial ecology, and space technologies as they explore these questions and more with the MIT Science Policy Review.Speakers:Katy Croff Bell, PhD, Founder and President, Ocean Discovery League: deep-sea explorer dedicated to democratizing ocean exploration through low-cost technologies, AI-driven data analysis, and capacity building. Bell’s expertise spans ocean engineering, maritime archaeology, and geological oceanography, and she has led numerous expeditions to advance accessible deep-sea discovery.Jo Hickman, Ph.D. student MIT-WHOI Joint Program in Oceanography, Applied Ocean Science and Engineering: studies marine microbial ecology, focusing on the biodiversity and ecological roles of understudied microbial eukaryotes in the open ocean. Hickman leverages a background in bioinformatics, earth science, and philosophy to bridge ocean science, technology, and policy for climate change mitigation and environmental decision-making.Minoo Rathnasabapathy, PhD, Research Engineer and Program Lead, Future Worlds, MIT Media Lab: expert in space technologies driving climate intelligence and sustainability solutions. Rathnasabapathy combines an aerospace engineering background with global space policy leadership to bridge innovation and governance in addressing pressing environmental challenges.Moderator:Amelia Macapia, Guest Investigator, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution: researcher in bioacoustics and sensory ecology studying acoustic monitoring for science-based conservation and management.Please RSVP here.Lunch will be available. Contact Kate Danahy at kdanahy@mit.edu with any questions.This event is part of the CIS Global Research & Policy Seminar Series. Join our mailing list here to learn about upcoming seminars in the series.

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

Let's meet, drink bubble tea, and speak! Practice a language with a group of native speakers and other language learners, meet other language lovers, and learn about the LCE.The registration is here.Anyone who is affiliated with MIT can participate in the LCE. Our members include students, staff, visiting scientists and scholars, faculty members, and their spouses and partners.

Aging Brain Seminar with Andrew S. Yoo, PhD, Washington University School of MedicineDate: Monday, May 12Time: 4:00pmLocation: 46-3310, Picower Seminar RoomModeling Late-Onset Neurodegeneration Via MicroRNA-Mediated Neuronal ReprogrammingThe Yoo lab's primary goal is to uncover the genetic pathways driving neurogenesis and develop strategies to generate human neurons by directly converting non-neural cells like fibroblasts. We use this approach to model aging of neurons and its link to late-onset neurodegenerative disorders. Our work focuses on brain-enriched microRNAs, miR-9/9* and miR-124, which trigger the direct conversion of fibroblasts into neurons while preserving the cellular age signature. This allows us to create age-matched neurons for studying adult-onset disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and Huntington’s disease.Andrew Yoo received his bachelor's degree in Neurophysiology from McGill University and his PhD in Genetics and Development from Columbia University. He conducted his postdoctoral work at Stanford University, focusing on the role of the BAF chromatin remodeling complex during neural development. There, he discovered how microRNAs instruct the function of BAF complexes during neurogenesis and demonstrated the potency of microRNAs as regulators of cell fate. His lab developed high-efficiency conversion methods to generate human neurons using microRNAs as cell-reprogramming effectors and to model late-onset neurodegeneration using patient-derived neurons. His work has been recognized with multiple awards, including the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) from the White House, the NIH Director's New Innovator Award, the Mallinckrodt Scholar Award, and the HDF Transformative Research Award.