Durnell is committed to empowering individuals and assisting in the process of collective problem solving to find solutions that will have significant social impact. She presented at Digital Hollywood conferences in May on the topic of “Neuroscience and Virtual Reality,” which elucidates how people can avoid distraction while balancing technology with humanity through neuroscience and cognitive psychology. In October of this year, she presented on “The Human Factor of Immersive Interfaces” and she is speaking in January at a public lecture in Santa Barbara on “Racial and Ethnic Tensions: From Public Discourse to Community Action.”