AI in Action Speaker Series Launch and Reception
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Join us for the launch of UCSB Library’s new speaker series AI in Action Conversations with UCSB Researchers. The event features short presentations by Tobias Fischer (Director, Earth Research Institute), Ben Halpern (Executive Director, National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis) and Rebecca Vega Thurber (Director, Marine Science Institute) on innovative applications of AI in their research, followed by a 30-minute discussion on broader trends, challenges, and ethical considerations, and a reception.
Fischer will present an overview of the use of AI in the Earth Research Institute (ERI) with examples on how AI is used in research projects.
In his presentation titled “Using AI Effectively and Responsibly in Environmental Data Science and Synthesis,” Halpern will share a few highlights of applications and lessons learned on how AI is changing the nature of research projects at NCEAS, and how we can continue to use AI responsibly.
In her presentation titled “Using Deep Learning/AI to explore System Agnostic Microbiome Measures,” Thurber will discuss her work using advanced bioinformatics and deep learning to compare microbiome studies and identify unifying principles of how microbiomes function and thus contribute to animal health. This work aims to synthesize numerous studies on animal microbiomes, revealing system independent microbiome features that transcend hosts. Such work will ideally pinpoint critical aspects of host-microbiome interactions and how they can be used to advance animal health, ecosystem resilience, and resource management.
This event may be photographed or recorded.
Advance registration is recommended as space is limited.
About the Speakers
Dr. Tobias Fischer is the Director of the Earth Research Institute (ERI) and a Professor of Earth Science at UC Santa Barbara. He investigates processes in active volcanic, hydrothermal, and tectonic systems utilizing gas geochemistry. His research group aims to address two fundamental questions: What are the compositions, sources and emission rates of volatiles discharging from volcanic arcs, hot spots, and continental rifts and what is the role of these emissions in global geochemical cycles? What are the processes that lead to volcanic eruptions and how can we use multi-disciplinary approaches to better anticipate the onset, duration, and style of eruptions? His current research also involves the utilization of drones and developments of continuous gas sensing to obtain data during eruptions to constrain the processes underlying volcanic events.
Dr. Ben Halpern is the Director of the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) and Professor in the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at UC Santa Barbara. His research leverages environmental data science and synthesis to address a wide range of topics centered on the many ways that human activities are impacting ocean ecosystems and species, and the consequences of those impacts on the benefits we receive in return. In 2016, he was awarded the A.G Huntsman Award for Excellence in Marine Science by the Royal Society of Canada, in 2017 the Peter Benchley Ocean Award for Excellence in Science and a Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences, in 2018 the Ocean Award in Science, and in 2020 elected a Fellow of the Ecological Society of America.
Dr. Rebecca Vega Thurber is the Director of the Marine Science Institute and a Professor of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology at UC Santa Barbara. Her lab investigates the role and dynamics of bacteria and viruses in marine hosts and habitats in order to better understand and mitigate or prevent the proximate causes of marine disease, habitat degradation, and ecosystem alteration. In 2024, she received the International Coral Reef Society’s Mid-Career Scientist Award and in 2025 she was awarded a California Academy of Sciences Fellowship.
About AI in Action
AI in Action: Conversations with UCSB Researchers aims to foster an open, interdisciplinary community exploring how AI can deepen understanding, expand access to knowledge, and inspire new forms of scholarship. The speaker series showcases how UC Santa Barbara researchers are using innovative applications of AI, from accelerating materials science and environmental modeling to uncovering new insights in language, art, and history. Each session includes presentations by UCSB faculty and research teams on how AI tools and methods are shaping their work, followed by discussion on broader trends, challenges, and ethical considerations.
AI in Action is co-led by UCSB Library and the UCSB AI Community of Practice (CoP), AI for Research Special Interest Group, with support from the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, Office of Research, Office of Teaching and Learning, Marine Science Institute, and National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis.
