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Each summer at the Lair, campers are invited to engaging talks hosted at the Blue and Gold stages on Sunday and Tuesday evenings. Our guest speakers represent a wide array of perspectives, offering insights on topics ranging from Cal Athletics and biodiversity to the science of happiness and how technology is reshaping learning.
Keep reading to discover the inspiring speakers joining your session this summer—or plan your Lair stay to align with the sessions that pique your interest most!
Beth Tafolla-Voetsch and Adam Brooks, senior leaders within Cal Athletics, offer an insider’s perspective on the rapidly evolving college athletics landscape. They will explore how Cal is adapting, unpack lessons from the past two years of Cal football, and highlight key opportunities ahead across strategy, philanthropy, revenue, and student-athlete success.
Wes Carroll, MIT-educated math, science, test-prep, and problem-solving coach, presents a Math Puzzle night! Come join us for an hour of brain-teasers, puzzles, and mysteries. Bring a team or meet some new friends for a light-hearted competition that will sharpen your mind and leave you energized.
Thomas M. Philip, Professor of Education at UC Berkeley, will speak on “Technology, Learning, and Justice.” Come think about how technology is reshaping learning and its implications for schools and society, especially issues of educational equity and racial justice.
Alex Filippenko, voted by Cal students as the "best professor" a record 9 times, presents "The North Pole Marathon and Sights from the Arctic." Last July, Alex was the principal speaker on a cruise to the geographic North Pole, where he completed the North Pole Marathon (running 26.2 miles on the frozen ocean). He will share photographs and stories about the midnight Sun, atmospheric phenomena, stunning landscapes and seascapes, and numerous kinds of animals including polar bears and blue whales.
Guest speaker Emiliana Simon-Thomas, UC Berkeley will be speaking on The Science of Happiness: How social connection, positivity, and resilience improve health and wellbeing.
Join Guest Speaker Alexei Yurchak, UC Berkeley Professor of Anthropology, for a fascinating talk: "When Laughter Becomes Resistance." Explore the surprising ways people in restrictive political contexts — from the Soviet Union to post-Soviet Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Georgia, to China and the former Yugoslavia, and also to the United States — used irony, absurdist humor, and creative performance to resist political control.
Eric Leven, Emmy-nominated VFX supervisor of Industrial Light and Magic, will share behind-the-scenes insights into today’s blockbuster films and shows. Featuring Marvel, Indiana Jones, and Severance, he’ll explore the history and magic of visual effects in modern filmmaking—and answer the question: “How did they do that?”
David Riedel, founder of Riedel Research and UC Berkeley alumnus, has studied and worked in China since the 1980s. This year, his talk is titled "The Long View: What China Understands About Time."
We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Lok Siu, Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Professor of Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley, to Club Lair for a fascinating talk titled Chifa: How Chinese Food Became a Peruvian National Treasure. Dr. Siu is the author and editor of several award-winning books and has been featured in major media outlets including CNN and The New York Times. A leading cultural anthropologist and expert on Chinese and Asian diasporas in the Americas, Dr. Siu will trace the evolution of Chinese Peruvian cuisine—from early experimentation to commercialization to its current elevation as Peruvian haute cuisine—highlighting the rich intersections of migration, culture, and culinary innovation.
Dr. Marissa Nichols--Cal Athletics senior executive, former Team USA athlete, and TED speaker--presents Beyond the Scoreboard: Building Better Humans Through College Sports. From All-American softball player to architect of Cal's Cameron Institute, Marissa shares what it really takes to develop the whole student-athlete and coach--and why the most expensive game worth winning isn't on the scoreboard.
Guest Speaker, Paul Fine, UC Berkeley Professor of Integrative Biology, will be speaking on Discovering New Species of Trees in South American Rainforests: The importance of describing biodiversity for the future of rainforest conservation.
Join Guest Speaker Munis D. Faruqui, UC Berkeley Professor of South Asian Studies and 2014 Distinguished Teaching Award winner for a globetrotting talk: The Theft that Created the Modern World. The theft and publication of invaluable Portuguese global maps in the 1580s shattered the Portuguese monopoly over the sea routes to India, eventually leading to the Industrial Revolution and the rise of the British Empire.
Guest Speaker Michael Silver, Professor of Optometry and Vision Science and Neuroscience, and Director of the UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics, presents "Is experienced reality a controlled hallucination?" Learn about how the study of psychedelics is helping us understand how our brains actively construct our experience of the world around us.
The Big Burn of 1910: The spark of today’s wildfire crisis. On August 20, 1910 hundreds of small fires burning between Idaho and Montana merged in hurricane force winds to become one of the largest fires in US history. Over two days, the ‘Big Burn’ would decimate 3 million acres, kill 87 people, level entire towns, and later shape US policy and approaches to managing wildfire to this day. Solomon will share the story of this event, how its legacy altered the character of forests across the west, and how it continues to shape our ongoing struggle with the wildfire crisis. Solomon, a Cal Forestry alum and landscape ecology professor at the University of Montana, researches climate risks to forests, wildfire, and conservation biogeography. He serves on the USGS Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center leadership team and advises Blue Forest.
Join Cal Professor of Fire Science and Forest Policy Scott Stephens for Wildfire and Bark Beetles: The Lair Forests Need Help. Learn how wildfire, drought, and bark beetle infestations are reshaping Sierra forests, why these challenges matter to the Lair, and the strategies that can help protect and restore these landscapes.
"A Story for Everything" - Have you ever noticed that the most memorable interactions and experiences you've had either involve a story or become stories unto itself? What if you looked at the world, and every experience you have, as a story waiting to happen? Join longtime Lair camper, Moth Host, and Author, Corey Rosen for an engaging, all-ages presentation where you'll learn tips and tricks for making your own stories powerful, memorable, humorous, and meaningful.
In her talk, How People's Photos of Nature are Changing the Way We Do Science and Conservation in California and Beyond, Rebecca Johnson, Director of the Center for Biodiversity and Community Science at the California Academy of Sciences and a Cal alumna whose academic journey began with the Moorea Field Course, explores how everyday people are transforming science. Through photos and observations shared by the public, researchers are gaining powerful new insights into California’s biodiversity and helping shape conservation efforts around the world.
Glynn Washington—storyteller, visionary, and a voice that has captivated audiences around the world— is the creator and host of Snap Judgment. With his signature blend of drama, authenticity, and rhythm, Glynn has redefined the way we experience storytelling, making his audience feel every twist, every revelation, and every emotion along the way. This summer at the Lair, Glynn will discuss the world of stories that matter.
Erin Scharfstein of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, explores how transgender visibility has shifted from relative obscurity into sustained national attention, shaping public discourse and policy. A UC Santa Cruz Women’s Studies alum, Erin draws on advocacy and public service experience to examine identity, power, and the cultural politics influencing transgender lives today.
Join Virginia Sturm as she brings us into the fascinating world of the brain, emotions, and awe. Dr. Sturm is the John Douglas French Alzheimer’s Foundation Endowed Professor at the Fein Memory and Aging Center at the University of California, San Francisco. A neuropsychologist and Director of the UCSF Clinical Affective Neuroscience Laboratory, her research explores the neural systems that support emotion and social behavior. She will share insights about emotions and the benefits that experiences of awe can have on the brain.
