Past Event Speakers

ARCS® Foundation Northern California Chapter has a deep interest in science and plans events for the education of our members and their guests. We welcome suggestions for and offers of science-related speakers. Please contact us at ncalifornia@arcsfoundation.org.

Past Speakers at the annual Scholar Awards Celebration:

2018 Dr. Jeremy Reiter, MD, PhD, Chair of Department of Biochemistry and Biostatistics, UCSF

2015 Dr. Robert J. Birgeneau, Chancellor, University of California, Berkeley

2014 Dr. Michael Levitt, Nobel Laureate, Chemistry

2014 Dr. Lucy Shapiro, 2014 National Medal of Science awardee, Stanford University

2012 Dr. Robert Corrigan, President, San Francisco State University

2012 Dr. Patricia Gumport, Vice Provost for Graduate Education, Stanford University

2012 Dr. George Breslauer, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, University of California, Berkeley

2012 Dr. Linda Katehi, Chancellor, University of California, Davis

2012 Dr. Jeffrey Bluestone, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, University of California, San Francisco

2012 Dr. George Blumenthal, Chancellor, University of California, Santa Cruz

2010 Paul S. Otellini, President and COO, Intel Corporation

2005 Dr. Arno Penzias, Nobel Laureate

1999 Ralph Cavanagh, Co-Director, Energy Program Natural Resources Defense Council

1998 Chancellor M.R.C. Greenwood, University of California, Santa Cruz

1997 Dr. Roger von Oech

1996 Amory B. Lovins, Co-Founder, Rocky Mountain Institute

1995 Dr. Lloyd H. Smith, Jr., Chairman Department of Medicine, UCSF

1994 Dr. Leroy E. Hood, Molecular Biologist

1991 Mrs. Pete Wilson, First Lady of California

1990 Dr. Harold E. Varmus, 1989 Nobel Laureate, Medicine

1989 Ann Russell Miller, Founding President, ARCS NCC

1988 Dr. Millie Hughes-Fulford, Astronaut-Scientist, Spacelab Life Sciences, NASA

1987 Dr. Harry Wolf, Director, The Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton

1986 Dr. Paul Berg, 1980 Nobel Laureate, Chemistry

1985 Walter Cunningham, Former Astronaut

1984 Hanna Holborn Gray, President, University of Chicago

1983 Dr. Melvin Calvin, 1961 Nobel Laureate, Biology

1982 Dr. Arthur L. Schawlow, 1981 Nobel Laureate, Physics

1981 Dr. Luis W. Alvarez, 1968 Nobel Laureate, Physics

1980 Dr. James A. Van Allen, Astrophysicist

1979 Dr. Lee A DuBridge, President, Caltech

1978 Admiral Alan Shepard, Jr., Astronaut, First American in Space

1977 Dr. Burton Richter, 1976 Nobel Laureate, Physics

1976 Dr. Simon Ramo, Vice Chairman of the Board, TRW

1975 Dr. Edward Teller, Professor, University of California

1974 Dr. Dale L. Compton, Technical Assistant to the Director, Ames Research Ctr

1973 Nobel Laureates' Panel

Scholar Speakers at Major Events:

2019

SCHOLAR AWARDS CELEBRATION

Karsyn Bailey, Dept. of Bioengineering, UCSF/UC Berkeley

Bryan Thornlow, Dept. of Biomolecular Engineering, UC Santa Cruz

Jesse Zhang, Dept. of Bioengineering, UCSF

SYMPOSIUM

Stephanie Bazarini, Dept. of Biology, San Francisco State University

Emmet Francis, Dept. of Biomedical Engineering, UC Davis

Benjamin Lehmann, Dept. of Physics, UC Santa Cruz

Karima Ma, Dept. of Computer Science, UC Berkeley

Amory Martin, Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Stanford University

Beau Norgeot, Dept. of Pharmaceutical Sciences & Pharmacogenomics, UCSF

2018

Scholar Awards Celebration

Lauren Lahey, Dept. of Biophysics, Stanford University

Kimberley Bitterwolf, Dept. of Ocean Sciences, UC Santa Cruz

Symposium

Margot Buchbinder, Dept. of Biology, San Francisco State University

Stephen Martin, Dept. of Physics, UC Santa Cruz

Charlotte Nelson, Dept. of Biological Medical Informatics, UCSF

Molly Nicholas, Dept. of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, UC Berkeley

Shabnam Semnani, Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Stanford University

Michelle Stitzer, Dept. of Biology, UC Davis

2017

Scholar Awards Celebration

Kimberley Bitterwolf, Dept. of Ocean Sciences, UC Santa Cruz

Lauren Lahey, Dept. of Biophysics, Stanford University

Symposium

Alma Ceja, Dept. of Biology, San Francisco State University
Helen Chmura, Dept. of Animal Behavior, UC Davis
Christopher Davis, Dept. of Physics, Stanford University
Mark Levin, Dept. of Chemistry, UC Berkeley
Charles Seller, Dept. of Genetics, UCSF
Aylin Woodward, Science Communication Program, UC Santa Cruz

2016

Scholar Awards Celebration

Willie Mae Reese, Dept. of Materials Science & Engineering, UC Berkeley

Symposium

Jennifer Burt, Dept. of Astronomy & Astrophysics, UC Santa Cruz
Samantha Dixon, Dept. of Physics, UC Berkeley
Adam Elkhaled, Dept. of Bioengineering, UCSF
Allison Injaian, Dept. of Neuroscience, UC Davis
Steven Kubiski, Dept. of Integrated Pathobiology, UC Davis
Daniel Swain, Dept. of Earth System Sciences, Stanford University

2015

Scholar Awards Luncheon

Elizabeth Devitt, Science Communication Program, UC Santa Cruz
Brad Hobson, Dept. of Pharmacology & Toxicology, UC Davis
Kathleen Sokolowsky, Dept. of Chemistry, Stanford University

Symposium

Sarah Barrett, Dept. of Geophysics, Stanford University
Andrew Brandon, Dept. of Plant & Microbiology, UC Berkeley
Claudia Corona, Dept. of Geosciences, San Francisco State University
Myka Estes, Dept. of Neuroscience, UC Davis
Cade Fox, Dept. of Pharmaceutical Sciences & Pharmacogenomics, UCSF
Allison Hoch, Dept. of Biomedical Engineering, UC Davis
Kimberly Lau, Dept. of Geological & Environmental Science, Stanford University
Caroline Morley, Dept. of Astronomy & Astrophysics, UC Santa Cruz

2014

Scholar Awards Luncheon

Jimmy Dooley, Dept. of Neuroscience, UC Davis
May Tran, Dept. of Neuroscience, UCSF

2013

Scholar Awards Luncheon

Ryan Hadt, Dept. of Chemistry, Stanford University

1993

SCHOLAR AWARDS LUNCHEON

Cathleen L. May, Dept. of Integrative Biology, UC Berkeley

Marcos J. Montes, Dept. of Physics, Stanford University

1992

SCHOLAR AWARDS LUNCHEON

Staci A. Edlund, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, UC Berkeley

Todd K. Whitehurst, Dept. of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University

1991

Scholar Awards Luncheon

Laura Magde, Dept. of Geology & Geophysics, UC Berkeley
Crispin Pierce, Dept. of Pharmacy, UCSF

Jeremiah Tsyporin, University of California, Santa Cruz
“As I enter the final year of my PhD, I am beginning to look for mentors to oversee my post-doctoral training. One of the significant ways I can find a mentor is through the networking opportunities offered at conferences. Without this generous support, these opportunities to share my work with the greater neuroscience community would have been impossible for me. In addition to attending conferences and connecting with neuroscientists worldwide, support from ARCS has helped ease the economic burdens associated with the cost of living in Santa Cruz. Because I don’t have to focus so heavily on dealing with basic needs, I have the freedom to spend more time and mental energy focused on research and intellectual pursuits central to a successful PhD.”
Rachelle Stark, University of California, Berkeley
“I grew up in a low-income community in San Bernardino, California where I directly saw the harsh reality of how diet contributes to many diseases (diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, etc.). These preventable diseases tragically took the lives of many people in my community. For these reasons, doing research related to nutrition/metabolism is extremely important and fulfilling to me. The [ARCS Award] gives me more options for labs because I will not have to rely on the funding of the lab I choose and can instead choose a lab purely based on my research interests. The funding will also give me more time to work on the research that I find so important and fulfilling.”
Katherine Montana, San Francisco State University
“I will be pursuing my master’s degree in integrative biology at San Francisco State University and conducting my research at the California Academy of Sciences. I am thrilled to get started on my research and mentoring projects. … This combination of research activities will offer me the opportunity to build my technical lab skills, storytelling abilities, and capacity to help other students succeed in science. ... I am deeply honored to receive the [ARCS Award] and take great joy in starting graduate school. I thank you for making this possible for me. I am ready to get to work.”
Micah Swann, University of California, Davis
“I’m conducting applied limnological research on the pristine lakes of Northern Patagonia, in collaboration with Fundación Chile Lagos Limpios. This model will be used to investigate how the physics and water quality of these pristine lakes wi1l be impacted by climate change and watershed development over the course of the 21st century. In September 2019, I had my first opportunity to visit Northern Patagonia … but due to Covid-19 safety and travel restrictions, I have not had the opportunity to return to Chile. With your financial support, I will be able to return to the region in January 2022 and continue collecting data to improve the accuracy of the lake model under development.”
Julie Chang, Stanford University
“The ARCS Award will allow me to focus on my PhD studies without worrying about finances. My research focuses on understanding the physics of breast cancer cell migration using 3D hydrogels and time-lapse imaging. The PhD journey itself has been a rollercoaster and I’m excited to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel! After my PhD, I am hoping to land a role as a clinical scientist in the biotech industry in the Bay Area. In this role, I can help analyze and interpret clinical trial data to develop drugs that can cure human diseases. Thank you again for the ARCS award—funding the next generation of scientific thinkers is truly an impactful mission!”
Nicholas Elder, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)
“I am grateful to earn my degree at UCSF which is world-renowned for its stem cell research. Likewise, it has been a pleasure to be supported by the ARCS Foundation and wider community. Research is a costly endeavor and being awarded this fellowship has given me the time and space to focus on impactful research while also sharing it with an interested group of donors and other scholars. The fellowship has also been a reassurance. This fall, my supervisor announced that he was leaving academia for an industry position. As I searched for a new supervisor and lab in which to complete my research, I knew that I had financial support to ease my transition.”