January Speaker: Danica Remy

How The Asteroid Institute and the B612 Foundation are Working to Protect us from Asteroid Impact

Danica is President of B612 Foundation and leads the organization’s global efforts to protect Earth from asteroid impacts. She co-founded Asteroid Day, a United Nations Day of education and awareness. She is a well-respected Silicon Valley strategist and operations executive. She has successfully led numerous startups, companies, and non-profits at the forefront of pioneering technology, internet services, education, scenario planning and philanthropy. She is a recognized expert in information technology, facilities, human resources, finance, and government relations.

Fun Marin Fact
Danica, a resident of Mill Valley, grew up in San Anselmo as a fourth-generation native of Marin County, a College of Marin alumni and spent her youth, in part, shooting off homemade rockets with her father and brother from what is now the Bon Air Center, and then chasing happily across the marshlands to retrieve them.

The mission of the B612 Foundation is to develop tools and technologies to understand, map, and navigate our solar system, and protect our home planet from asteroid impacts.

Asteroid Institute® brings together scientists, researchers, and engineers to develop tools and technologies to understand, map, and navigate our solar system. A program of B612 Foundation®, the Asteroid Institute leverages advances in computer science, instrumentation, and astronomy to find and track asteroids. Since 2002, the Foundation has supported research and technologies to enable the economic development of space and enhance our understanding of the evolution of our solar system in addition to supporting educational programs, including Asteroid Day and the Schweickart Prize. Founding Circle and Asteroid Circle members, and individual donors from 46 countries provide financial support for the work.

February Speaker: Dr Andrew Reddie

Technology and War: National Security Under a New Administration

Dr. Andrew Reddie is an Associate Research Professor of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy. He works on projects related to cybersecurity, nuclear weapons policy, wargaming, and emerging military technologies. He is also the founder and faculty director for the Berkeley Risk and Security Lab.

This talk explores the evolving dynamics of national security in light of renewed leadership priorities and the transformative role of emerging technologies. It will address how advancements in artificial intelligence, cyber capabilities, autonomous systems, and space technologies are reshaping the nature of conflict and global power competition. The discussion will focus on the Trump administration’s potential approaches to leveraging these technologies, the implications for U.S. military strategy and international stability, and the potential challenges posed by adversarial use of technological innovation. By examining these developments, the talk will provide insights into the intersection of policy, strategy, and technological change in an era of heightened geopolitical tension.