American Scientist Podcast

Periodic audiocasts from American Scientist, a publication of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society.

Global Discourse on Science Communication

An interview with the president and founder of African Gong, Elizabeth Rasekoala. Her current book "Race and Sociocultaral Inclusion in Science Communication" brings together perspectives from science communicators from the global south. Host, Katie L. Burke, Digital Features Editor at American Scientist. Edited by Nwabata Nnani.

04-30
01:10:22

Changing Policies on COVID-19 Transmission

An interview with Virginia Tech environmental engineer, Linsey Marr. Her expertise in aerosols came to center stage as she and her colleagues worked for years to change policies based on faulty ideas about the transmission of the coronavirus. Host, Katie L. Burke, Digital Features Editor at American Scientist. Edited by Nwabata Nnani.

09-05
39:22

Why We Podcast: Sharing Your Voice in Science

We'll hear from science communication leaders and podcasters on why podcasting is an important platform for Science. Interviews from Samir Honwad—professor at the University of Buffalo, Wendy Zuckerman—host of Science VS and 2022 Sigma Xi IFORE award winner, and Aaron Scott and Emily Kwong from NPR Short Wave as well as one of their guests Dr. Tiana Williams-Claussen from the Yurok Tribe. Host, Jordan Anderson.

07-27
27:20

How to Start a Fusion Fire

Andrea "Annie" Kritcher discusses her and her team's achieved ignition, raising new hopes for fusion as a practical energy source. Host Corey S. Powell and American Scientist Magazine.

07-20
43:29

The Early Human Social Network

Cecilia Padilla-Iglesias is melding enviromental data and how these early populations interacted. Host Corey S. Powell and American Scientist Magazine.

07-20
40:43

Physicians Need Caregiving Support Policies

The collision of the Great Resignation and long-standing gender inequities in medicine is heightening calls for improved family leave policies at American health care institutions. Host Jordan Anderson and American Scientist editor Katie L. Burke discuss caregiving support policies, bringing in perspectives from interviewees Christina Mangurian of UCSC, Jessica Lee of UCSC, and Neda Laiteerapong of University of Chicago.

07-10
19:58

Synthesizing Engineering and Biology

On using synthetic biology to create next-generation diagnostics and therapeutics -- an interview with James J. Collins of Harvard and MIT, one of founders of the field.

03-01
15:41

Science Curious Through Science Fiction

How science fiction promotes science curiosity and why that matters. Hear from science communication practitioners and scholars Reyhaneh Maktoufi, Thomas DeFrantz, and Stephanie Castillo.

09-06
25:00

Pulling Back the Cosmic Veil

The first images from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) are already transforming our view of the universe. Hear from John Mather, Nobel Laureate and senior project scientist for JWST at NASA.

08-01
14:19

The Genes Behind Ecosystems

There are many ways organisms adapt to their environments, which can be seen both with the eye and in an organism's genetic sequence.

07-01
19:25

The Brain Cartographer

Researchers are working to understand the cellular composition and diversity of the brain, creating a catalog of cell types as well as seeking to plot the relationships, structures, and functions of those cell types.

05-02
20:39

3D Printing Medical Devices

Arrays of microneedles that could replace injections have been the subject of research for some 50 years, but have not yet been commercially successful. A new type of high-resolution 3D printing could change that.

04-01
17:52

Beyond the Honeybee

As entomologist Suzanne W.T. Batra has long argued, there are far better pollinator bees than they honeybee. Hear an interview with the researcher whose colleagues at the USDA named a research conference "Batrafest" to honor her.

03-01
14:37

Open Flow

Liquid-filled scaffolds that are not enclosed, but don’t leak? A team at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory came with a 3D-printed unit with an internal structure that water clings to and flows into... even though it has holes.

02-01
18:01

Platforms, Echo Chambers, and Misinformation

Rewards and pitfalls to communicating science on social media: a discussion with Michael Xenos at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, BlackInNeuro and SciComm Collective's Danielle Nadin, and Samantha Yammine, also known on the internet as Science Sam.

12-01
23:08

Entanglement and Choice

Astrophysicist Hakeem Oluseyi discusses his memoir, A Quantum Life: My Unlikely Journey from the Streets to the Stars.

11-01
24:37

Fixing Broken Biological Clocks

Structural problems in STEM workplaces, and the importance of inclusivity in institutions -- a conversation with Shirley Malcom.

10-01
11:10

A Sea Change in STEM

Structural problems in STEM workplaces, and the importance of inclusivity in institutions -- a conversation with Shirley Malcom.

09-01
24:02

Guardrails for Biotech

Lessons from past biotechnology controversies and the potentials and concerns that lie ahead -- a conversation with Insoo Hyun.

08-02
27:53

(Re)building trust in public health campaigns

Approaches to engage marginalized communities -- a conversation with Stephaun Elite Wallace.

07-01
23:05

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