STEM Career Talks

At Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, LBNL Next hosts K-12 Education and Outreach programs to cultivate the next generation in STEM. We're hosting a series of career talks to inspire and encourage students to start careers in STEM fields.

Each session, we will be joined by Berkeley Lab staff, Bay Area professionals, and other guest experts to talk about their careers and how they got there. This is a great opportunity to hear about new career options as well as ask questions directly to top professionals.

Sessions will be themed in order to highlight different facets of STEM. Check out the upcoming schedule below, or visit our website for more details on weekly themes and speakers. This event page will be updated prior to each event to include short bios of guest speakers.

Bringing Science Solutions to the World (Dec 18)

Scientists and engineers put a lot of behind the scenes work into creating the technology, materials, and tools that people use every day. Hear how creativity and technical expertise work hand-in-hand to produce scientific solutions for problems around the world.

• Jessica Granderson – Mechanical Staff Scientist at Berkeley Lab Energy Technologies Area. Jessica is the Deputy of Research Programs for the Building Technology and Urban Systems Division and a member of the Whole Building Systems Department. Her research focuses on building energy performance, advanced measurement, and intelligent lighting.

• Vi Rapp – Mechanical Research Scientist at Berkeley Lab Energy Technologies Area. Vi aims to solve problems that reduce human suffering through technology development, software development, and data analysis. Her current projects include low emissions burner technologies, advanced biomass cookstoves, a low-cost warmer for preventing neonatal hypothermia, and more.

• Michael Gollner – Assistant Professor at UC Berkeley Mechanical Engineering. Michael conducts research in fire science problems, utilizing experiments and theory to solve problems related to fire spread, material flammability, and smoke transport. His lab's work focuses on applications to wildfire in order to improve fire safety public health.