Integrated Calendar

Recent discoveries indicate that the genomes of mammalian neurons are enriched for unique epigenetic modifications, including exceptionally high levels of non-CG DNA methylation. In my seminar, I will present our studies defining how a distinctive DNA methylation landscape is established in neurons and exploring how this methylation is read out to control critical gene expression programs. I will discuss the role of gene expression and genome architecture in shaping genomic profiles of non-CG methylation and highlight emerging mechanistic insights into how non-CG methylation and the Rett syndrome protein, MeCP2, work together to control transcription. Finally, I will outline growing evidence that disruption of this regulatory pathway contributes to neurodevelopmental disorders.

During the last decade, seismic sensing with optical fibers has become a reality. By analyzing the effect of seismic deformation on the fiber’s optical response, state-of-the-art Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) now offers a 1-meter sensor resolution for tens of kilometers of fiber. In other words, a single DAS system can record up to 40,000 data channels at once – two orders of magnitude more than the entire earthquake-monitoring seismic network in Israel.

In this talk, I will first introduce the underlying operating principles of DAS acquisition. These measurements are very different from conventional seismic sensors and need to be analyzed accordingly. Subsequently, most of the talk will revolve around DAS applications in various scenarios.

We utilize the ambient seismic field, recorded on a standard telecommunication fiber deployed around the Stanford campus, to analyze subsurface properties. The same fiber can also be used to measure changes in traffic patterns due to the COVID-19 lockdown. With downhole DAS arrays deployed in deep vertical wells, we can study previously undetected low-magnitude earthquakes. Finally, we utilize DAS data recorded inside an unconventional gas field to unveil reservoir properties with unprecedented resolution.