Department of Mathematics and Computer Science Seminar Series

Working at NASA

Do you love space exploration?

Are you intrigued by the Phoenix and Mars Rovers?

You will learn more about working at NASA laboratory as a student in this roundtable presentation by

Dr. Douglas Yung, NASA/Caltech

Serra Hall, Room 116

September 18^th, 2008 (Thursday)

4:00 – 5:00 p.m.

(Light refreshment will be served)

About the Speaker

Douglas Yung earned a B.S. in Mathematics and Electrical Engineering from UCLA and a Ph.D. in Bioengineering from Caltech. He has developed a time-resolved fluorescence microscopy technique to detect bacterial endospores in order to address basic science questions from determining the longevity of life on Earth, understanding resistance, viability and ubiquity of endospores to patented applications such as the Anthrax Smoke Detector, post-anthrax decontamination protocol and air monitoring systems to be used on long-term manned spacecrafts. The research is carried out under the Planetary Science and Life Detection section at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. His work has been presented in more than 10 multidisciplinary national and international conferences, covering mathematics, bioengineering, microbiology, electrical engineering, chemistry and geophysics. His work on Anthrax Smoke Detector has been highlighted for press release during the American Society for Microbiology Annual General Meeting in 2006 and has received widespread publicity in the media. His current research interests include biophotonics, astrobiology, molecular & environmental microbiology, planetary protection, as well as life-searching expeditions in extreme places on Earth.

Please direct any questions to:

Dr. Simon Koo, Department of Math and CS (x2932; koo@sandiego.edu)