Pitching TerraMosaic at the Interdisciplinary Science Summit 2026
June 28–July 1, 2026 · Durham, North Carolina
From June 28 to July 1, I was in Durham, North Carolina, for the Interdisciplinary Science Summit 2026, organized in association with Duke University. I’m grateful to the Michigan Institute for Data and AI in Society (MIDAS) and Schmidt Sciences for making it possible for me to take part.
What I enjoyed most was the mix of people and ideas. The schedule was full of talks and hands-on sessions, but the conversations between sessions were just as useful. I met researchers working in fields far from my own and heard perspectives I would not normally encounter. I also came away with a better understanding of just how broad the Schmidt Sciences community is, including the AI in Science Fellowship, Schmidt Science Fellows, Polymaths, AI2050, and many other programs.
Pitching TerraMosaic
The Idea-to-Application Lab was a personal highlight of the summit. In this “Shark Tank”-style session for bold, early-stage ideas, I pitched TerraMosaic: AI-Powered Geohazard Intelligence for a More Resilient Future, which aims to turn fragmented geohazard evidence into useful intelligence for researchers, decision-makers, and communities.
This felt very different from presenting a research paper. I had to explain not only what TerraMosaic is, but also why it matters, who it can help, and how it could move beyond the research setting. The direct questions and feedback from scientists, founders, investors, and industry leaders showed me which parts of the story were clear and which parts still needed work. That was exactly the kind of feedback I had hoped for.
The session featured five very different ideas:
- Tegri Bio — mapping human health responses with bladder-inspired tissue sensors
- TerraMosaic — AI-powered geohazard intelligence for a more resilient future
- FerrIQ — a personalized approach to reducing heart failure hospitalization
- BetaTracker — continuous monitoring of endogenous insulin production
- Synaxes — capturing and correcting brain states at single-neuron resolution
Engineering Serendipity
Ben Miles’ interactive masterclass, “Engineering Serendipity: How to Be Unreasonably Successful at Almost Anything,” focused on how researchers can create more opportunities around their work.
His main point was simple: opportunity is not only a matter of luck. Researchers can improve the odds by making their work visible, building genuine relationships, and being ready to act when an opportunity appears. One slide captured this as a combination of exposure, capability, and conversion. I found the framing practical, and it made me think more intentionally about how I share my work and connect it with people who can help move an idea forward.
Science at the Edge
The Science at the Edge showcase combined short talks, scientific displays, and informal conversations. The topics ranged from next-generation batteries and neuroscience to ecology, space aging, food systems, waste, and art conservation.
The showcase included a reflection from Wendy Schmidt and a presentation by Sara Beery. That mix was what made the evening fun: I could move from one field to another and keep finding connections I would not have encountered at a more specialized meeting.
Together, these experiences gave me new ideas for TerraMosaic, useful feedback on how I explain it, and new connections across fields. I’m grateful to MIDAS, Schmidt Sciences, Duke University, the organizers, the speakers, and everyone I met along the way.