Co-organized in collaboration with our partner swissnex Boston, LASER Boston is a SciArt cross-disciplinary talk series which promotes exchange between the arts and sciences. Each LASER is centered around a common theme which our speakers approach from their own points of view. LASER Boston meets four times per year, featuring local and visiting artists, scientists, technologists, and creative professionals.
Join our mailing list to hear about upcoming LASER Boston events.
Join our mailing list to hear about upcoming LASER Boston events.
"Exploring the Dream World" (virtual)
Every night as we sleep, we enter the world of dreams. In this world, we mix fact with fiction, explore new realities, and examine our own memories. During this LASER talk you will hear from three experts in the arts and sciences on the biological basis of sleep, the theories on our need to dream, and how dreams enter our waking reality in visual art. LASER Boston: Exploring the Dream World featured Professor of Chronobiology and Sleep Research, Dr. Steven Brown, Psychologist and Author, Deidre Barrett, and Teaching Faculty & Clinical Consultant Dr. Mark J. Blechner.
Every night as we sleep, we enter the world of dreams. In this world, we mix fact with fiction, explore new realities, and examine our own memories. During this LASER talk you will hear from three experts in the arts and sciences on the biological basis of sleep, the theories on our need to dream, and how dreams enter our waking reality in visual art. LASER Boston: Exploring the Dream World featured Professor of Chronobiology and Sleep Research, Dr. Steven Brown, Psychologist and Author, Deidre Barrett, and Teaching Faculty & Clinical Consultant Dr. Mark J. Blechner.
"Shaping Biology & Behavior" (virtual) explored behaviors, habits and how we shape, adapt and change the way we do things in a virtual event. You will hear from three speakers across the arts and sciences with the ultimate goal of fostering cross-disciplinary discovery and dialogue. This event featured talks by Amy Bucher, David Goodsell, Tobias Pforr, and Andreas Beerli.
"Sensory Overload" featured Neoperceptions co-founders Thomas Sanchez Lengeling and Brodi Elwood, psychology and neuroscience researcher Psyche Loui, and musician and performance artist Marcel Zaes.
Thomas Sanchez Lengeling and Brodi Elwood | "Neoperceptions"
Thomas Sanchez Lengeling is a scientist, artist, and engineer and is currently a researcher at the City Science Group at the MIT Media Lab and at the MIT Physics Department. His research is in the intersection between science, art, and technology. He works in mobility, urban planning, artificial intelligence, wearable technology, immersive experiences, music, and educational outreach. His interest in creating experiences that will allow people to change their perspective about the world by blending an extra perceptual experience in digital information. His education works focus on inspiring and mentoring the future generation of scientists and innovators in Latin America through international scientific networks.
Brodi Elwood graduated from MIT Physics Department with a focus on dark matter and axions. He is also a researcher at the MIT nuclear science department.
Psyche Loui | "Music as a Window into Emotion and Creativity"
Psyche Loui is an Assistant Professor at Northeastern University, with a focus in psychology and neuroscience, where she is also the Director of MIND Lab. Loui earned her PhD in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, after earning her BA in Psychology and Music, and certificate in Neuroscience from Duke University. She has since held faculty positions in Psychology, Neuroscience, and Integrative Sciences at Wesleyan University, and in Neurology at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School. When not doing research on how music can be used to understand the brain, Loui performs as a violinist in the Longwood Symphony Orchestra, a Boston-based orchestra that strives to heal the community through music, and in Folie a Quatre, a string quartet with mental health professionals.
Marcel Zaes | "Music, Time, Place and Space"
Marcel Zaes is an artist and artistic researcher, holding degrees from University of the Arts in Bern and Zurich University of the Arts, and has studied composition with Alvin Curran in Rome and with Peter Ablinger in Berlin. Zeas' artistic practice explores the ways in which rhythm forms the basis for community, that is, rhythm affords the sociality that is traditionally called “making music together,” or “dancing together,” even if no such action is involved at all. He investigates mechanical time, its politics and its socio-cultural contexts with an interdisciplinary framework that encompasses sound and media studies, new technologies, critical race studies, and performance and dance studies. HIs work has been showcased at the at ISEA Hong Kong, the Center for New Music San Francisco, Goethe Institute New Delhi, Biennial of Contemporary Arts Lisbon, Cabaret Voltaire Zurich, and at Columbia University in New York. Currently, he is pursuing his PhD in Music & Multimedia Composition at Brown University.
Thomas Sanchez Lengeling is a scientist, artist, and engineer and is currently a researcher at the City Science Group at the MIT Media Lab and at the MIT Physics Department. His research is in the intersection between science, art, and technology. He works in mobility, urban planning, artificial intelligence, wearable technology, immersive experiences, music, and educational outreach. His interest in creating experiences that will allow people to change their perspective about the world by blending an extra perceptual experience in digital information. His education works focus on inspiring and mentoring the future generation of scientists and innovators in Latin America through international scientific networks.
Brodi Elwood graduated from MIT Physics Department with a focus on dark matter and axions. He is also a researcher at the MIT nuclear science department.
Psyche Loui | "Music as a Window into Emotion and Creativity"
Psyche Loui is an Assistant Professor at Northeastern University, with a focus in psychology and neuroscience, where she is also the Director of MIND Lab. Loui earned her PhD in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, after earning her BA in Psychology and Music, and certificate in Neuroscience from Duke University. She has since held faculty positions in Psychology, Neuroscience, and Integrative Sciences at Wesleyan University, and in Neurology at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School. When not doing research on how music can be used to understand the brain, Loui performs as a violinist in the Longwood Symphony Orchestra, a Boston-based orchestra that strives to heal the community through music, and in Folie a Quatre, a string quartet with mental health professionals.
Marcel Zaes | "Music, Time, Place and Space"
Marcel Zaes is an artist and artistic researcher, holding degrees from University of the Arts in Bern and Zurich University of the Arts, and has studied composition with Alvin Curran in Rome and with Peter Ablinger in Berlin. Zeas' artistic practice explores the ways in which rhythm forms the basis for community, that is, rhythm affords the sociality that is traditionally called “making music together,” or “dancing together,” even if no such action is involved at all. He investigates mechanical time, its politics and its socio-cultural contexts with an interdisciplinary framework that encompasses sound and media studies, new technologies, critical race studies, and performance and dance studies. HIs work has been showcased at the at ISEA Hong Kong, the Center for New Music San Francisco, Goethe Institute New Delhi, Biennial of Contemporary Arts Lisbon, Cabaret Voltaire Zurich, and at Columbia University in New York. Currently, he is pursuing his PhD in Music & Multimedia Composition at Brown University.
"Beauty and the Brain" featured psychologist and designer Claire Reymond, sculptor Ralph Helmick and cognitive neuroscience researcher Sarah Schwettmann.
Claire Reymond
“Image Interactions. A subtle way to influence the message of a picture”
Claire Reymond is a researcher at the FHNW Academy of Art and Design and the University of Basel as well as a visiting researcher at Harvard University's metaLAB. At Harvard, she is conducting research on image perception in the fields of art, design and psychology. Claire is interested in how images interact with each other in a perceptual field and how this interaction may manipulate an image’s message. She also researches how images need to be used in therapeutic settings or neuropsychological analysis. She earned her BA in Psychology from the University of Basel and has an MA in Visual Communication and Iconic Research from the FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Art. She also trained as a graphic designer at the Basel School of Design.
Ralph Helmick
“From Body to Brain”
Ralph Helmick is an award-winning sculptor and public artist based in Newton, Massachusetts. Ralph's work can be seen at over 50 institutions across the United States including courthouses, parks, airports, schools, hospitals, museums and other civic spaces. One such work hangs in the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT, by whom he was commissioned to create a work in celebration of the brain. Ralph's sculptures often involve themes of science and incorporate elements that explore perception, anamorphosis and optical consolidation. Ralph studied at the Skowhegan School of Sculpture and earned his MFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts.
Sarah Schwettmann
"Vision in Art and Neuroscience"
Sarah Schwettmann is a PhD candidate in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT. Sarah’s research focuses on "intuitive physics" - our perceptual capacity to make inferences about our physical world. Her research also explores perception as it relates to the structure underlying artistic creation, a theme also present in her own artwork and the MIT course she teaches: Vision in Art and Neuroscience. Sarah earned BAs in Computational & Applied Mathematics and Cognitive Science at Rice University.
“Image Interactions. A subtle way to influence the message of a picture”
Claire Reymond is a researcher at the FHNW Academy of Art and Design and the University of Basel as well as a visiting researcher at Harvard University's metaLAB. At Harvard, she is conducting research on image perception in the fields of art, design and psychology. Claire is interested in how images interact with each other in a perceptual field and how this interaction may manipulate an image’s message. She also researches how images need to be used in therapeutic settings or neuropsychological analysis. She earned her BA in Psychology from the University of Basel and has an MA in Visual Communication and Iconic Research from the FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Art. She also trained as a graphic designer at the Basel School of Design.
Ralph Helmick
“From Body to Brain”
Ralph Helmick is an award-winning sculptor and public artist based in Newton, Massachusetts. Ralph's work can be seen at over 50 institutions across the United States including courthouses, parks, airports, schools, hospitals, museums and other civic spaces. One such work hangs in the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT, by whom he was commissioned to create a work in celebration of the brain. Ralph's sculptures often involve themes of science and incorporate elements that explore perception, anamorphosis and optical consolidation. Ralph studied at the Skowhegan School of Sculpture and earned his MFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts.
Sarah Schwettmann
"Vision in Art and Neuroscience"
Sarah Schwettmann is a PhD candidate in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT. Sarah’s research focuses on "intuitive physics" - our perceptual capacity to make inferences about our physical world. Her research also explores perception as it relates to the structure underlying artistic creation, a theme also present in her own artwork and the MIT course she teaches: Vision in Art and Neuroscience. Sarah earned BAs in Computational & Applied Mathematics and Cognitive Science at Rice University.
"Data x Sound" featured biomaterials scientist Markus Buehler, sonic artist Rachel Devorah, and musician and composer Hubert Ho.
Markus Buehler
“The Nexus of Materialized Sound and Sonified Material”
Markus Buehler is the McAfee Professor of Engineering and directs MIT’s Laboratory for Atomistic and Molecular Mechanics. In his research, Markus pursues new modeling, design and manufacturing approaches for advanced biomaterials that offer greater resilience and a wide range of controllable properties from the nano- to the macroscale. One such approach includes data sonification, and the creation of new forms of musical expression from biological systems as a means to better understand the underlying science, and to use musical composition as a way to design new materials from the bottom up.
Rachel Devorah
“Sonification and the Social”
Rachel Devorah Wood Rome is a sonic artist whose works engage the poetics and politics of their specific context. Her work has been heard in the United States at institutions such as the National Opera Center and Pioneer Works as well as in 12 countries over 3 continents. Rachel is an Artist Fellow at MIT’s OpenDocLab and Assistant Professor of Electronic Production and Design at the Berklee College of Music. Rachel’s projects span sonifying quantitative and qualitative aurora borealis data to re-rendering of sounds that have historically inhabited certain sites.
Hubert Ho
“Sonic Play, Playful Sound: What Composers Learn from Psychoacoustic Research”
Hubert Ho is a composer, pianist, and teaching professor at Northeastern University. As a former United States Presidential Scholar in the Arts, Hubert’s music has been performed in Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Corcoran Gallery. Ensembles playing his music include the Prague Modern and the New York New Music Ensemble. Hubert’s scholarly interests focus on the relationship between music theory and psychoacoustics.
“The Nexus of Materialized Sound and Sonified Material”
Markus Buehler is the McAfee Professor of Engineering and directs MIT’s Laboratory for Atomistic and Molecular Mechanics. In his research, Markus pursues new modeling, design and manufacturing approaches for advanced biomaterials that offer greater resilience and a wide range of controllable properties from the nano- to the macroscale. One such approach includes data sonification, and the creation of new forms of musical expression from biological systems as a means to better understand the underlying science, and to use musical composition as a way to design new materials from the bottom up.
Rachel Devorah
“Sonification and the Social”
Rachel Devorah Wood Rome is a sonic artist whose works engage the poetics and politics of their specific context. Her work has been heard in the United States at institutions such as the National Opera Center and Pioneer Works as well as in 12 countries over 3 continents. Rachel is an Artist Fellow at MIT’s OpenDocLab and Assistant Professor of Electronic Production and Design at the Berklee College of Music. Rachel’s projects span sonifying quantitative and qualitative aurora borealis data to re-rendering of sounds that have historically inhabited certain sites.
Hubert Ho
“Sonic Play, Playful Sound: What Composers Learn from Psychoacoustic Research”
Hubert Ho is a composer, pianist, and teaching professor at Northeastern University. As a former United States Presidential Scholar in the Arts, Hubert’s music has been performed in Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Corcoran Gallery. Ensembles playing his music include the Prague Modern and the New York New Music Ensemble. Hubert’s scholarly interests focus on the relationship between music theory and psychoacoustics.
"Collaborating Across Species" featured multimedia artist Brian Knep, artist and cellular biologist Natalie Andrew, and biologist Jessica Whited.
“Avatar”
Brian Knep is a multimedia artist whose works range from large-scale interactive installations to microscopic sculptures for nematodes. He was the first artist-in-residence at Harvard Medical School, and has shown in multiple museums including the Cleveland Art Museum, Denver Art Museum, Milwaukee Art Museum, and the RISD Museum, among others. Brian holds a BA in Mathematics and Computer Science, an MA in Computer Science from Brown University.
“Creeping Dialogue - Art and Science with Slime Molds”
Natalie Andrew is a biologist and a ceramicist whose explorations converge around slime molds. Natalie is a microscopist at Massachusetts General Hospital and is a guest scientist at the Max Planck Institute in Germany. Natalie makes slime-decorated artwork at her studio in the Harvard Ceramics Program. Natalie holds a BA in Physics with Electronics, an MA in Cognitive Science, and a PhD. in Biology from the University of Birmingham, U.K.
“Salamanders: Nature's Instruction Manual for Limb Regeneration”
Jessica L. Whited, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at Harvard University in the Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology and Principal Faculty Member at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. The Whited Lab is focused on understanding the mechanisms enabling extreme regeneration in axolotl salamanders using a variety of molecular and genetic techniques. Jessica holds a BS in Biological Sciences and a BA in Philosophy, earned her PhD in Biology at MIT, and performed postdoctoral studies at Harvard Medical School.
Brian Knep is a multimedia artist whose works range from large-scale interactive installations to microscopic sculptures for nematodes. He was the first artist-in-residence at Harvard Medical School, and has shown in multiple museums including the Cleveland Art Museum, Denver Art Museum, Milwaukee Art Museum, and the RISD Museum, among others. Brian holds a BA in Mathematics and Computer Science, an MA in Computer Science from Brown University.
“Creeping Dialogue - Art and Science with Slime Molds”
Natalie Andrew is a biologist and a ceramicist whose explorations converge around slime molds. Natalie is a microscopist at Massachusetts General Hospital and is a guest scientist at the Max Planck Institute in Germany. Natalie makes slime-decorated artwork at her studio in the Harvard Ceramics Program. Natalie holds a BA in Physics with Electronics, an MA in Cognitive Science, and a PhD. in Biology from the University of Birmingham, U.K.
“Salamanders: Nature's Instruction Manual for Limb Regeneration”
Jessica L. Whited, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at Harvard University in the Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology and Principal Faculty Member at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. The Whited Lab is focused on understanding the mechanisms enabling extreme regeneration in axolotl salamanders using a variety of molecular and genetic techniques. Jessica holds a BS in Biological Sciences and a BA in Philosophy, earned her PhD in Biology at MIT, and performed postdoctoral studies at Harvard Medical School.
LASER Boston is a program of Leonardo/the International Society for the Arts, Sciences, and Technology.
