September 29, 2023
Santa Monica College Continues Distinguished Scientists Lecture Series Oct. 12
Santa Monica College Continues Distinguished Scientists Lecture Series Oct. 12
SANTA MONICA, CA — Santa Monica College continues its Distinguished Scientists Lecture Series this fall with expert presentations by highly accomplished leaders in their fields on a variety of developments in today’s world of science. The presentations, which include an audience Q&A, return Oct. 12.
All presentations in the series are free, and will be held online as live virtual events. A Zoom link taking guests directly to each event will be available with the listing on the SMC Events calendar at smc.edu/events shortly before the presentation begins. To attend, the Zoom software must be installed on the viewer’s computer. A free download is available at zoom.com.
The Distinguished Scientists Lecture Series line-up for fall 2023 is:
- Thursday, Oct. 12, at 6:30 p.m. — Dr. Robert Epstein: “The Dark Side of Online Document Editors and Search Engines”
— A pioneer in the study of online manipulation, Dr. Robert Epstein is Senior Research Psychologist at the American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology (AIBRT) and the former editor-in-chief of Psychology Today. His 2015 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences report on the “Search Engine Manipulation Effect” (SEME) describes one of the most powerful types of influence in the behavioral sciences,
and his research suggests that SEME and other types of online influence — because
they leave no paper trail and are invisible to users — pose “a serious threat to democracy,
free speech, our children, and human autonomy.” Dr. Epstein has testified before Congress about online manipulation and has published 15 books and more than 300 articles on
artificial intelligence, creativity, and other topics. His most recent project, “Digital Shield,” aims to stop Big Tech companies from manipulating elections and indoctrinating children. Sponsored by the SMC Life Sciences Department.
Dr. John Ioannidis, co-Director of the Meta-Research Innovation Center at Stanford (METRICS), will present “Scientific Method Norms and Expectations versus Literary Norms and Expectations: A Discussion with John Ioannidis” at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 1. A Zoom link is at the Nov. 1 event listing at smc.edu/events. - Wednesday, Nov. 1, at 11 a.m. — Dr. John Ioannidis: “Scientific Method Norms and Expectations versus Literary Norms and Expectations: A Discussion with John Ioannidis” — Dr. John Ioannidis, who argues that most research claims are faulty because they contain results that cannot be duplicated, is a Professor of Medicine and Professor of Epidemiology and Population Health at Stanford University, as well as co-Director of the Meta-Research Innovation Center at Stanford (METRICS). His PLoS Medicine essay, “Why Most Published Research Findings are False,” is one of the most-accessed articles in the history of Public Library of Science. Prof. Ioannidis is President of the Association of American Physicians, former editor-in-chief of the European Journal of Clinical Investigation, and a member of many academies and honorific societies in the USA and Europe, including the US National Academy of Medicine and the European Academy of Sciences and Arts. He also teaches creative writing at Stanford. Sponsored by the SMC English Department and SMC Life Sciences Department.
More information is available by calling the SMC Office of Public Programs at 310-434-4100. All presentations subject to change or cancellation without notice.
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