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On Nov. 2, UC San Diego researcher Vikrant Jaltare will introduce neuromorphic computing and discuss how to assess the energy efficiency of emerging technologies.
All times are local to the venue · America/Los Angeles
A chip’s energy use includes the work of moving information, not only the calculations it performs. Fleet Science Center’s Sharp Minds lecture starts with that often-overlooked part of AI hardware and asks whether the brain’s architecture could offer a more efficient model.
The lecture’s starting point is chip design: moving data around can consume substantial power alongside the computing itself. To illustrate how demand can grow, the event description compares one chatbot question to the energy needed to run a small light bulb for a few minutes, then points to the cumulative effect of billions of questions each day.
That scale raises questions beyond the hardware. The event description connects AI’s increasing energy demand with strain on power grids, emissions and unequal access to the infrastructure needed to support energy-intensive technology. The talk focuses on one possible place to address that demand: how chips are designed.
Further reading: Sharp Minds | Fleet Science Center ↗
Neuromorphic computing takes the brain’s architecture as inspiration for building chips. The event description points to the brain’s pattern recognition and creative abilities, as well as its roughly light-bulb-level power use, as reasons to study that architecture. The proposed connection is a possibility to explore, not a claim that brain-inspired chips have already resolved AI’s energy costs.
Vikrant Jaltare is a PhD candidate in UC San Diego’s Shu Chien - Gene Lay Department of Bioengineering and the Institute for Neural Computation in La Jolla. His research involves developing and benchmarking brain-inspired machine-learning accelerators and algorithms for energy-efficient computing, giving the lecture a direct connection to the hardware and methods it will discuss.
Further reading: Sharp Minds | Fleet Science Center ↗
Jaltare is also interested in making STEM research more accessible through equitable educational tools and outreach. That interest complements the talk’s introductory framing: the subject is not only how researchers might design more efficient systems, but how people can make sense of efficiency claims as new technologies emerge.
Further reading: Sharp Minds | Fleet Science Center ↗
The Fleet lists We, The Marines as a separate screening after the lecture, not as part of Jaltare’s program. The documentary follows the experience of becoming and serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and is narrated by former Marine and actor Gene Hackman. It was produced in association with the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation and presented by The Boeing Company.
The lecture is in the Heikoff Giant Dome Theater at Fleet Science Center, 1875 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101.
Sharp Minds | Fleet Science Center ↗ · Locations & Directions | Fleet Science Center ↗
The lecture is included with general admission or a Senior Monday ticket; it is not included with the Annual Explorer Pass. Senior Monday tickets are for visitors 65 and older. The event listing does not state a separate price for that ticket.
Fleet Experience admission is listed at $29.95 for ages 13 and older, $27.95 for seniors 65 and older, and $24.95 for ages 3–12; children 2 and under are admitted free. No age restriction is stated for the lecture itself.
Sharp Minds | Fleet Science Center ↗ · Hours & Admission | Fleet Science Center ↗ · Schedule | Fleet Science Center ↗
Designated wheelchair areas are available in the Heikoff Giant Dome Theater, and several Fleet restrooms are wheelchair-accessible. The Fleet has a limited number of complimentary wheelchairs; ask at the ticket counter about availability. Ask staff there about elevator access to the second floor.
Complimentary assistive-listening headsets and captioning devices can be requested at the ticket counter. The Fleet cautions that these may not be available for every special event; captioning devices are used in the theater’s upper seating area. Visitors with disabilities who need assistance may be eligible for free admission for an aid or companion; ask at the counter.
Trained service animals are permitted when kept on a non-retractable leash, harness or tether and under their handler’s control. Pets and emotional-support animals are not permitted.
MTS Bus 7 and Rapid 215 serve stops along Park Boulevard within a short walk of the Fleet. The center recommends arriving at the nearest park stop 15–20 minutes before the event to allow time to walk to the building; that is an arrival buffer, not a stated walk duration.
Routes 3 and 120 serve 4th and 5th avenues on the park’s west side. The Fleet’s directions from a stop near Laurel Street follow Laurel east, over Cabrillo Bridge and past Plaza de Panama toward Bea Evenson Fountain.
The Fleet is at the east end of El Prado beside Bea Evenson Fountain. Its parking lot is on the south side of the building, with access from Space Theater Way off Park Boulevard; the lot is steps from the entrance.
Paid parking is in effect in Balboa Park on Nov. 2, 2026, and the City says enforcement runs daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The nearby Space Theater lot is a premium lot: the listed nonresident rates are $10 for up to four hours or $16 for the day; verified City of San Diego residents pay $5 or $8, respectively. Residents must register and verify eligibility online in advance to use resident rates. Registration has a one-time $5 fee, verification may take up to two business days, and daily discounted premium-lot parking must be purchased in advance.
Nonresidents can park at Lower Inspiration Point for up to three free hours without pre-registering and use the free park tram from Inspiration Point at Park Boulevard and Presidents Way. The City lists tram service daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. With a valid Disabled Person placard or license plate displayed, parking is free with no time limit in any Balboa Park lot or at park meters.
Locations & Directions | Fleet Science Center ↗ · Parking Information for Balboa Park | City of San Diego Official Website ↗
No. The lecture is included with general admission or a Senior Monday ticket, but not with the Annual Explorer Pass.
The Senior Monday ticket is for visitors 65 and older. The lecture itself has no stated age restriction.
Sharp Minds | Fleet Science Center ↗ · Schedule | Fleet Science Center ↗
No. It is a separate documentary screening listed for noon, after the 10:30–11:30 a.m. lecture.
Sharp Minds | Fleet Science Center ↗ · Schedule | Fleet Science Center ↗
Bus 7 and Rapid 215 serve Park Boulevard stops within a short walk. Routes 3 and 120 serve 4th and 5th avenues on the park’s west side.
No. Complimentary devices can be requested at the ticket counter, but the Fleet says they may not be available for every special event. Captioning devices are used in the theater’s upper seating area.
1875 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101
Map search by venue and address. Check the organiser’s entrance details before travelling.
Images from the linked sources. Each caption identifies the context of the image.
Event, planning and background information checked 2026-11-01 against the linked sources.