February 2025 scientist bootcamp
Four incredible scientists worked with our team over two weeks using the 10k Science Creator platform
We just completed our third 10k Science Communication Bootcamp, working with four amazing scientists over two weeks to visualize their research like never before – in 3D VR! LA wildfire air quality, ribosomal polymer materials, predicting dam failures, and air quality in India were the research areas that scientists communicated through immersive experiences built using our 10k Science platform.
Yi Ji - UC Berkeley
I’m a fourth-year PhD student in the Air Quality Model and Exposure Lab within the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at UC Berkeley. My research focuses on understanding the impacts of wildfires on air quality by integrating ground-level monitoring, remote sensing, and air quality modeling. Additionally, I utilize wearable sensors to investigate effective communication strategies for reducing personal exposure to wildfire smoke.
Lucas Rojas Mendoza - UC Berkeley
I am a third-year PhD student in Environmental Engineering at UC Berkeley, where I am part of the Apte Research Group studying human exposure to air pollution in the built environment. My research lies at the intersection of air pollution, data science, and environmental justice, with a focus on regions like India and California. I use reduced complexity models to analyze the sources of air pollution—identifying which sectors contribute the most—and the scales of pollution by determining the geographic locations of emissions. Through my work, I aim to identify opportunities for interventions at various scales to mitigate the impact of air pollution on public health.
Lauren Eliza DeWitt Talbot - UC Berkeley
lauren.talbot ‘at’ berkeley ‘dot’ edu
I am a PhD Candidate at U.C. Berkeley in Geotechnical Engineering, focusing on large-deformation numerical modeling in the Material Point Method (MPM). My research involves geo-interfaces and large-scale models such as landslides and dam failures, including visualization in Houdini.
Chandrima Majumdar - UC Berkeley
I am a structural biologist at UC Berkeley using cryo-EM for genetic code expansion. My research is focused on engineering the bacterial translation system, specifically the bacterial ribosome to produce non-natural polymers with the sequence definition of proteins. I really enjoy looking at 3D structures and relating them to basic biochemistry and I love finding new ways to visualize and communicate my findings!
Feb 2025 Bootcamp Expert Panelists
Special thanks to our science communication experts who collaborated with the scientists throughout the bootcamp to refine their experiences for specific audiences.
Dione Rossiter, Ph.D
Executive Director
Science at Cal
Janet Iwasa, Ph.D
Director
Genetic Science Learning Center
Assistant Professor of Biochemistry
University of Utah
Megan Hochstrasser, Ph.D
Director of Publishing
Arcadia Science
See what these scientists created to communicate their research like never before.
Air quality in India
Lucas Rojas Mendoza, 3rd year PhD student
UC Berkeley
Lucas Rojas Mendoza introduces sources of PM2.5 air pollution in India, differences across states in India, and potential measures that can be taken by introducing innovation in agricultural and domestic household sectors to improve air quality widely across India.
San Fernando Dam Failure of 1971
Lauren Talbot, PhD candidate
UC Berkeley
Lauren built an entire 3D museum in VR that introduces the viewer to the disastrous San Fernando Dam failure of 1971, and demonstrated the development of a new numerical method called Material Point Method (MPM) to model and prevent large-deformation dam failures.
Creating new polymers using bacterial ribosomes
Chandrima Majumdar, Postdoc
UC Berkeley
Chandrima created a 3D VR experience depicting how her research uses structural biology techniques to understand the process and limitations of creating new polymers using bacterial ribosomes to create new materials.
Air quality during LA wildfires and health measures to take
Yi Ji, 4th year PhD
UC Berkeley
Yi researches the impacts of wildfires on air quality. She built a 3D VR experience with 10k Science that shows the LA wildfire impact on air quality, explains PM2.5 air pollutant effects on health, and suggests health measures to take during wildfires.
Want to join a future VR Science Communication Bootcamp?
We are accepting applications from scientists with complex data sets for future bootcamps, especially those with 3D structural datasets! Please visit our VR Science Communication Bootcamp page and apply there.
