Environmental Science and Engineering Seminar

The "why" of tropical deep convective clouds is familiar: radiation drives, water is the bearer of solar energy, so cloudy convection "must" happen. But WHEN, and WHERE? Besides boundary- and globe-driven answers, chaotic contingencies of self-organization are involved. After brief intros to my research group and projects, I will show my new STEAM-Art film in which these ideas lead viewers' minds on an experimental-music and visual data-drenched journey, comprising 3 movements displaying every-larger scales. A Day over a Mountain simply points a camera and speeds up time. The puzzle of clear-air wave redistribution is illustrated, and raises game-theoretic questions about the next-larger scales. A Winner's Tale views from space the drama of an infamous protagonist crossing the Atlantic. Endless Parade scales up to the vast Pacific, and returns to the ultimate source; while voicing the humanity of the scientific enterprise, a puzzling and sometimes slow process of learning, and learning to trust learning. Total running time: about 30 minutes.