LASER Talks in Stanford: Astrophysics, Conceptual Art, Psychology, Avant-Garde Music

 A hybrid LASER evening bringing together astrophysics, conceptual art, psychology, and experimental music through four interdisciplinary talks.

EVENT INFO

ONLINE COMPONENT

• When: 21 January 2026, 12:00 PM (California Time, PST)

• Where: Online (Zoom Webinar)

• Access Info: https://stanford.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Qw4Pqo_vSuSDokYItULfIQ

IN-PERSON EVENT

• When: 21 January 2026, 5:30 PM (California Time, PST)

• Where: The Hub at Stanford Research Park, 3215 Porter Drive, Palo Alto, CA, Free parking available at 3165 Porter Drive

• Access Info: No registration required

• Website: www.lasertalks.com

EVENT ΙNFO

The LASERs (Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous) are an international program of evening gatherings that bring artists, scientists, and scholars together for informal presentations and dialogue with the public.

This hybrid LASER event, chaired by cultural historian Piero Scaruffi, features four talks spanning astrophysics, conceptual art, psychology, and avant-garde music.

The online component includes astrophysicist and science communicator Ethan Siegel, who presents The Fundamental Constants Behind Our Universe, examining the physical laws that shape cosmic reality.

The in-person program continues at the Stanford Research Park with artist Amy Franceschini, founder of Futurefarmers, reflecting on collaborative artistic practice and experiential inquiry. Cognitive scientist Michael C. Frank (Stanford University) explores the relationship between infant learning and large language models, addressing how data from human development can inform AI research. Composer and performance artist Luciano Chessa concludes the evening with a retrospective on his experimental musical career, spanning sound, performance, and visual art.

Together, these talks exemplify the LASER program’s commitment to cross-disciplinary exchange across Life, Art, Science, and Technology (LAST).

SPEAKERS BIOS

Ethan Siegel is an astrophysicist and science communicator, author of Treknology: The Science of Star Trek from Tricorders to Warp Drive and Beyond the Galaxy: How Humanity Looked Beyond Our Milky Way and Discovered the Entire Universe. He is the creator of the podcast Starts With a Bang! and is widely known for making complex scientific ideas accessible to broad audiences.

Amy Franceschini is an artist and the founder of the San Francisco-based art and design collective Futurefarmers. Her work is highly collaborative and typically involves interdisciplinary groups responding to specific social, environmental, and spatial contexts. Her projects blur the boundaries between art, activism, and public engagement.

Michael C. Frank is Professor of Human Biology at Stanford University and Director of the Symbolic Systems Program. His research focuses on children’s language learning and cognitive development, using large-scale datasets to study learning across cultures. He is currently Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science.

Luciano Chessa is a composer, conductor, performance artist, pianist, and musical saw and Vietnamese đàn bầu soloist. His work spans assemblage, graphic notation, painting, opera, sculpture, and experimental performance. He is the author of Luigi Russolo Futurist: Noise, Visual Arts, and the Occult (2012).

SPONSORS

The Stanford LASERs are part of the global Leonardo LASER network and are co-sponsored by the Deans of Humanities and Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, as well as the Department of Chemical Engineering. The series supports open exchange between academic research, artistic practice, and technological innovation.

The Leonardo/ISAST LASERs are a program of international gatherings that bring artists, scientists, humanists and technologists together for informal presentations, performances and conversations with the wider public. The mission of the LASERs is to encourage contribution to the cultural environment of a region by fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and opportunities for community building to over 50 cities around the world. To learn more about how our LASER Hosts and to visit a LASER near you please visit our website. @lasertalks