Leonardo Art/Science Evening Rendezvous of 12 July 2023

Online Edition


Exploring the Frontiers of Knowledge and Imagination, Fostering Interdisciplinary Networking
Hosted from University of San Francisco
by prof. Tami Spector and Piero Scaruffi

During the covid pandemic, this online program replaces the physical L.A.S.E.R.s that were planned at Stanford University and University of San Francisco.
The USF LASERs are sponsored by the Dean of the College of Arts and Science.
See previous and future speakers and their videos.
(Note: All times are California time)

    July 12 @ 12pm (California time)
    Victoria Vesna (UCLA) on "Vibrations Matter: Art & Science of Deep Listening"
    Yizhou Dong (Mt Sinai) on "Lipid nanoparticles enabled mRNA therapeutics"?
    Sara Ludy (Media Artist) on “Materializing the Immaterial”

    Register here

    Victoria Vesna (UCLA) on "Vibrations Matter: Art & Science of Deep Listening"
    If you missed this presentation, you can view it by clicking here
  • Victoria Vesna is an Artist and Professor at the UCLA Department of Design Media Arts and Director of the Art Sci center at the School of the Arts & Architecture and the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI). Although she was trained early on as a painter, her curious mind took her on an exploratory path that resulted in work can be defined as experimental creative research residing between disciplines and technologies. With her installations she investigates how communication technologies affect collective behavior and perceptions of identity shift in relation to scientific innovation. Her work is focused on environmental issues and involves long-term collaborations with composers, nano-scientists, neuroscientists, evolutionary biologists, and she brings this experience to students. In the last decade she exhibited her work in 20+ solo and 70+ group shows.

    Her talk will present an exploration of vibrations and frequencies drawing inspiration from scientific research encompassing matter, brain waves, human and animal voices, environmental noise, and signals from outer space. Vibrations serve as the foundational elements that manifest the tangible matter we perceive, providing evidential support for the notion that "seeing is believing." However, the aspects of our environment that remain imperceptible to our senses—those which we do not see or hear—tend to be dismissed, misunderstood, or outright denied. This troubling phenomenon is particularly noticeable in the context of climate change, where deniers pose a threat to the delicate equilibrium of our planetary system. She has explored these themes through various art sci projects such as Blue Morph, Noise Aquarium and Alien Star Dust, mentioned briefly in relation to the current collaborative project / exhibition with curator Anuradha Vikram, titled "Atmosphere of Sound: Sonic Arts in Times of Climate Disruption”. This exhibition / symposium is part of the Getty Foundation's Pacific Standard Time: Art X Science (PST) and opens Sept. 2024. Developed fully during the pandemic, we explore the vast world of vibrations that exists beyond our limited sensory bandwidth.


  • Yizhou Dong (Mt Sinai) on "Lipid nanoparticles enabled mRNA therapeutics"
    If you missed this presentation, you can view it by clicking here.

  • Yizhou Dong is a Professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. His research focuses on the design and development of biotechnology platforms for the treatment of genetic disorders, infectious diseases, and cancers. Dr. Dong has authored over one hundred papers and patents. Several of his inventions have been licensed and are currently under development as drug candidates for clinical trials. He serves as a scientific advisory board member for Oncorus Inc, Arbor Biotechnologies, and FL85. Dr. Dong is an elected fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE).

  • Sara Ludy (Media Artist) on “Materializing the Immaterial”

  • Sara Ludy is an artist and composer working in a wide range of media including digital painting, animation, virtual reality, websites, installation, and sound. Through an interdisciplinary practice, hybrid forms emerge from the confluence of nature and simulation to explore notions of immateriality and being. Previous exhibitions of Ludy’s work include the Whitney Museum of American Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Vancouver Art Gallery, Berkeley Art Museum, and Künstlerhaus Bethanien. Her work has been featured in Modern Painters, The New York Times, Art Forum, Art in America, and Cultured Magazine. Sara lives and works in Placitas, New Mexico.

  • Photos and videos of this evening