Kelly Tutors
Events &
Reviews
Wise people always say, “Never be the smartest person in the room,” so we’ve got that covered!!
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The blogs blend humor, storytelling, and insightful commentary about the experience of attending top-industry events as an outsider trying to learn. I document what is said (and not said).
How Democrats and Republicans Respond to Politicizing Media Coverage of Vaccines
TLDR: A university lecture on how politicization cues in media -- controversy, uncertainty, blame, and political discussion -- affect vaccine attitudes differently by party, finding that uncertainty rattles Democrats while controversy framing activates Republicans' political identity.
Quantum Computing + Quantum Mechanics Almost Outpace my Patience
TLDR: Kelly attends a Nobel laureate's lecture on macroscopic quantum mechanics, covering tunneling, qubits, and superposition, and candidly admits most of it went over her head despite her enthusiasm for learning.
THE CEMENT FACTORY TOUR!!!
TLDR: The author takes an adrenaline-fueled tour of a Seattle cement plant, geeking out over limestone processing, tire-burning kilns, and Boston Dynamics robot dogs while learning about industrial manufacturing firsthand.
Growing Mammalian Cells, Drugs, and Vaccines in Shakers? A Mini Conference
TLDR: A highly technical biotech mini-conference about shaking incubator technology for growing mammalian cells, covering oxygen transfer rates, vessel geometry, and cell cultivation -- way over the author's head but attended with good humor and a free laptop bag.
First Day Remote Viewing Training + Week of Wonder
TLDR: Kelly documents her first week of intentional spiritual practices including fasting, tarot, meditation, dream journaling, and remote viewing exercises where she draws images before revealing target photos, exploring intuition and metaphysical experiences.
Encores of Excellence, Claps, and Critiques Departing the Mars Observation (& Skate) Deck
TLDR: The author's final day at a Mars Society convention in LA features talks on Mars mission timelines (18-30 years out), ESA's plans, NASA budget threats from DOGE, and a passionate closing speech defending space exploration, interspersed with personal reflections from Venice Beach skateparks.
Stop and Smell the Roses Pre-Plee for Martian Metanoia
TLDR: Notes from a Mars Society banquet dinner featuring a keynote by a NASA rover engineer who shared decades of Mars exploration history, from the first crayon-colored digital images to modern rovers. The evening closed with a passionate speech from the organization's founder rallying attendees to fight proposed NASA science budget cuts and defend space exploration funding.
Skater-Befriendment, Pre-Mars Arrival, Roses, and Rebooking
TLDR: Author attends multiple Mars and space travel speeches (two speakers no-showed), befriends a skateboarder, visits a free museum and rose garden, then abandons a cat-filled hostel due to allergies and rebooks accommodations while improvising her travel plans.
The Journey to Mars: Reflections while Literally Flying to See Not-Literally Mars, Again!
TLDR: Stream-of-consciousness reflections written on a budget flight to LA for the Mars Society annual conference, covering trip planning, entrepreneurial hustle on a tight budget, a packed schedule mixing Mars lectures with Venice Beach skateboarding, and personal goals for building educational content.
Nuclear Fusion Energy Tour, Anotha’ One
TLDR: Kelly visits a second nuclear fusion research facility for an early-morning tour, comparing it to her previous NDA-restricted visit and noting the welcoming atmosphere, meme-filled culture, and potential for future collaboration.
The First Fashionable Tour of a (Fission? Fusion?) Powerplant (?)
TLDR: The author accidentally signs up for the wrong nuclear power plant tour during Fusion Energy Week, tours a fusion research lab under NDA, and stops by a clothing swap beforehand -- calling the experience one of the coolest things she has ever done.
Pain on Purpose: Does Big Pharma Endorse Evasive Discomfort to Instrument Industry Compliance?
TLDR: Kelly attends a pharma industry awards dinner and grows suspicious of the event's design -- excessive wine, emotionally heavy speeches about rare diseases, and an award recipient who thanks his FDA "wording team" -- questioning whether the setup is engineered to manufacture compliance.
Struggling Half a Power Hour through Innovation Wireless
TLDR: An outsider's account of attending a major wireless company's innovation showcase, where facial recognition entry, attendee profiling spreadsheets, and 5G surveillance demos overshadowed the tech presentations. The post raises critical questions about normalized surveillance, engineered friction, and the gap between corporate messaging and human experience.
Fusion & Fission: Opposites Attract my Attention
TLDR: Kelly attends a fusion and fission energy event covering nuclear energy investments, energy grid infrastructure, and the differences between fusion and fission technologies, connecting it to broader financial and environmental themes.
Natural Disaster Prep & Nursing Gala
TLDR: A double-header day covering a natural disaster preparedness lunch (earthquakes, wildfires, hospital readiness) and a depressing nursing fundraiser gala that could barely raise $14K while asking underpaid nurses to fund their own scholarships through overpriced raffles and auctions.
Vulnerable Kids/Youth Immersive Education Fundraiser Lunch and Learn
TLDR: Author attends a museum fundraiser lunch that raised $500K for STEM education but is underwhelmed by a cringey "science on wheels" demo, keyword-heavy speeches, and a heartbreaking scene on the way home of a toddler being emotionally rejected by her distracted mother.
Gear up for GeoEngineering!? The Lunch and Learn
TLDR: A lively lunch-and-learn discussion on geoengineering where participants debate sulfur dioxide injection, ocean reflectivity, carbon removal, and the ethics of large-scale climate intervention, with the author noting how disorganized and disconnected the climate solutions industry appears.
EventWeek(Day 2): Quad Squad!!! Ai, Leadership, Aging, and Quantum Computing.
TLDR: Kelly marathon-attends four speeches in one day covering AI career tools, women's leadership, the science of aging and DNA methylation, and quantum computing, finding the aging talk most enlightening and the quantum talk most confusing.
Aging in the Age of Today
TLDR: A lunch-and-learn on aging research featuring a scientist studying frailty in mice, covering topics like sex differences in aging, biomarkers, cloning, metabolomics, and the discovery that anti-aging compounds may exist in mushrooms and even bugs.
Fission Nuclear Energy Lunch & Learn
TLDR: Author attends a nuclear fission lunch-and-learn featuring a Bill Gates-backed company building plants in Wyoming, then realizes mid-event she had confused fission with fusion and questions why billions are being invested in older fission tech when fusion may be the future.
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