A Visit From Schmidt Sciences
In late June, Schmidt Sciences and Schmidt Science Fellows came to Duke University for the annual Interdisciplinary Science Summit. The multi-day event brought together researchers from across the world while also spotlighting the work of Schmidt scientists in the Raleigh-Durham Triangle Area. In 2024, our leader, Lawrence David, joined the ranks of the Schmidt Science Polymaths, a prestigious cohort of mid-career researchers whose work is at the cutting edge of science.While their fields of study are vast, ranging from swarm molecular robots to living building materials to squid-inspired propulsion, they all take creative, unconventional approaches in addressing the grand challenges of our time.
The Summit changes locations annually (last year, it was hosted by CalTech in Pasadena), so in coming to Duke and North Carolina, it offered the opportunity for Schmidt affiliates in the Triangle to share their research and connect with the broader Schmidt Sciences community. Edible Atlas was among the eight “showcase stands” featured at an after-hours networking event. Unlike typical conference posters, these stands were designed as conversation-starters, opting for arresting visuals and bird’s-eye summaries over dense data and PCR plots.
In true Edible Atlas style, our stand featured a rainbow of fresh produce underneath an overturned grocery bag with the Schmidt Sciences logo. It was the ideal visual representation, inviting guests to ask questions about our work (and possibly eliciting some cravings for fresh fruit and veggies!). Other distinctive, yet equally engaging, stands included a space jumpsuit representing a project on human aging in space-faring missions, octopus miniatures signaling research on the cephalopod as a marine “canary,” and multiple layers of a single Vermeer painting revealing the potential of machine learning in analytical imaging techniques.
In addition to the networking portion, the evening also featured four TED-style talks, plus a welcome from Wendy Schmidt and Schmidt Science Fellows Executive Director Megan Kenna. The theme of this year’s Summit was “Science at the Edge,” a through line that characterized not just these talks but also the conference writ large. The 1.5 days of presentations, breakout sessions, panels, and workshops addressed the power of interdisciplinary research and the imperative of communicating it to broader audiences, including journalists and the general public.
Separate from the official schedule, Edible Atlas also welcomed members of the Schmidt communications team to tour the lab and also accompany our technicians on fieldwork. The state-of-the-art recording equipment had us feeling like science celebrities, but what was even more gratifying was the opportunity to share our work with folks who have helped make it possible. If you’ve seen our low-budget (but fun!) video, “Understanding Life & Diet,” you know we love b-roll and are excited to share Schmidt Sciences’ professional footage in the future.
Even with a packed agenda, the Interdisciplinary Science Summit flew by, leaving us energized by the connections, inspired by the presentations, and near-dizzy with new ideas that are inevitably sparked by gatherings like this.
Until next year, stay edgy!