On this episode, we welcome Madhur Behl and Amar Kulkarni of the Cavalier Autonomous Racing Team. Abbreviated as CAR, the team is a research group at UVA that has been competing in the Indy Autonomous Challenge since 2019. After becoming the first American team to win the Indy Autonomous Challenge, the two have their sights set on the future. We discuss Madhur’s role in leading the underdog team to victory, and how this unique opportunity guides Amar’s PhD research.
In this panel, four trailblazing academic leaders discuss how their institutions are each boldly taking on the future. UVA President **Jim Ryan **moderates the conversation with visiting presidents Michael Crow (Arizona State University), Harriet Nembhard (Harvey Mudd College), and Santa Ono (University of Michigan). In this wide-ranging and provocative discussion, the presidents address the future of teaching, how to optimize interdisciplinary collaboration, the role of higher education in addressing global challenges, and more! Held at Old Cabell Hall Auditorium on September 5, 2024, the panel was the first signature event of the Futures Initiative, a pan-University task force charged with exploring how UVA can become the university of the future.
On this episode, we welcome Lori McMahon, UVA’s new Vice President for Research. She arrived on Grounds in June, armed with an impressive track record as a neuroscientist, dean, and previous Vice President of Research. We discuss her approach to supporting research at UVA as well as her research as a neuroscientist.
UVA just opened the doors to the nation's first School of Data Science. The new school, funded by an extraordinary $120 million gift from Jaffray and Merrrill Woodriff and the Quantitative Foundation, will offer undergraduate, master's and doctorate degrees. On this episode of Hoos in STEM, Data Science professors, Prince Afriyie and Brian Wright, tell us all about the process of designing the curriculum for this industry-leading school, and what their first cohort of undergraduate students can expect when classes start in August.
Back in April, UVA was excited to welcome the Story Collider team to Charlottesville for the second year running. During a special recording at Carr's Hill, four UVA STEM leaders told personal stories about their lives, their careers, and how personal stories and scientific inquiry intertwine. We hope you'll head over to Story Collider to hear from Madhur Behl, head of UVA's Autonomous Racing Team; and Hoos in STEM is very excited to share the other three stories from some familiar guests! Here's the Dean of UVA's Medical School Melina Kibbe, Astrophysicist David Nichols, and Environmental Scientist Karen McGlathery. The Story Collider's mission is to reveal the vibrant role that science plays in all of our lives through the art of personal storytelling. Check out all the Story Collider episodes: https://www.storycollider.org/podcast
Time for HOOS in STEM to celebrate our graduating scientists! In this episode, producers Reeya Verma and Catherine Cossaboom interview fourth-year Hoos Vy Le (a published organic chemist and exemplar of the USOAR program), Grant GianGrassio (a biologist and Rhodes Scholar who founded the Virginia Medical Review), Sam Goldberg (a published mathematician who has proved striking theorems related to prime numbers), and Alex Walsh (a swimming Olympic medalist, world champion, and computer scientist). Join us as we celebrate their pursuits in and out of the classroom — as shining examples of our amazing Class of 2024!
Dr. Scott Doney is a superstar environmental scientist, the Kington Professor in Environmental Change at UVA and Assistant Director of Ocean Climate Science at the White House. In this Earth Day episode, he sits down with host Dr. Ken Ono to discuss the devastating effects of climate change on the world's oceans and our coastal environments, a well as the latest approaches to fight the climate crisis--including the recent U.S. Ocean Climate Action Plan, a roadmap to harnessing the power of the ocean to address climate change.
Dr. George Bloom is a renowned cell biologist whose longtime focus has been deciphering the cellular processes at the heart of neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease, such as the buildup of amyloid-β peptides and tau protein tangles. In this episode, he sits down with host Dr. Ken Ono to discuss our understanding of Alzheimer's mechanisms, the current state of treatment, recent advances in diagnostic technology, and the future of research into neurodegenerative disorders.
Dr. Mona Sloane is a superstar sociologist studying the intersection of technology and society. She leads the Co-Opting AI series, as well as UVA's Sloane Lab , which studies AI ethics, policy, and transparency. In this episode, she sits down with host Dr. Ken Ono to discuss the ethics of generative AI, the "social infrastructure" being created by AI, and how that infrastructure influences our society. As of release (April 5th, 2024), the Sloane Lab is looking for a postdoc to conduct qualitative research on AI and HR management. Find out more on Dr. Sloane's website.
Dr. Karen Kafadar is a renowned statistician who has worked across the country in government, industry, and academics. In this episode, she sits down with host Ken Ono to discuss her long history of statistics: from early mentors to her work in forensic science and her time growing UVA's Department of Statistics as Chair. They also discuss how UVA's statisticians can be found everywhere --from space travel to medicine to AI--and the role of statistical expertise in a changing world.
This week, Professor Mar Hicks of UVA's School of Data Science and Margot Lee Shetterly, author of "Hidden Figures," join host Ken Ono to discuss the remarkable women whose contributions to STEM have been forgotten--from biologists to code-breakers to the "human computers" whose computations helped America win the Space Race. That's why they're announcing the launch of the Human Computer Project Census --an effort to document the names and stories of NASA's human computers. And they're looking for students and faculty to help. Participants will collect oral and recorded history, search through archives, and review primary and secondary sources to recover the names and biographies of the women who worked at NASA from 1935 to 1980. The deadline to apply for this paid internship is Monday, March 11th, 2024. The internship starts in early June. The application can be found here.
UVA third-year Astrophysics major Samuel Crowe holds a distinct honor-- he's one of, if not the only undergraduate Principal Investigator with access to NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. Last year, his research proposal was accepted as one of just 249 programs selected to make use of the telescope's valuable time. In this episode, Sam sits down with host Ken Ono to discuss his early love for astrophysics and history, his mentors and training at UVA, and what it means to lead a project exploring the origins of massive stars.
Dr. Melina Kibbe is a vascular surgeon, Chief Health Affairs Officer, and the Dean of UVA's School of Medicine. In this episode, she sits down with host Ken Ono to discuss breakthrough technologies coming out of the School of Medicine, including the artificial pancreas and targeted nanofibers meant to prevent scarring. They also talk about her path into medicine and administration, advice for women getting into STEM, and the groundbreaking for the Paul and Dianne Manning Institute for Biotechnology--a game-changer for UVA and for the entire medical community.
How will institutions of higher learning respond to changes in the workforce as a result of AI? What role will universities play in the evolving era of big data and the Internet of Things? How can science and the humanities work together to shape the future, not just react to external challenges? To answer those questions, the University of Virginia has launched its Futures Initiative to help plan for the next 10 years in higher education. The Initiative will draw together an interdisciplinary group of leaders from across the University to examine current drivers of change in academia and chart a path for the next 10 years--a complement to President Ryan's 2030 "Great and Good" Plan. This episode is a conversation featuring the three leaders of UVA’s Futures Initiative--Ken Ono, STEM Advisor to the Provost; Christa Acampora, Dean of the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences; and Phil Bourne, founding Dean of the School of Data Science.
UVA Alum Chris Long was a star player on the UVA football team, earning all American honors and serving as captain. He went on to the NFL, where he played for 11 years on three teams, and won back to back Super Bowl championships for two different teams. Chris was recognized in 2018 as a Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year and his jersey number 91 has retired from the Virginia Cavaliers football program. Since his retirement from the NFL, Chris has led a busy life as a father, husband, media analyst, philanthropist and podcast host. Through the Chris Long Foundation, he has advanced initiatives to provide clean drinking water, and promote education, equity and access for hundreds of thousands of people around the world. Chris is also the host of the Green Light podcast, where he shares insightful NFL analysis and engages in entertaining and informative conversations with a wide range of guests.
This week, President Ryan sits down with Lillian Rojas, the now-graduated Student Member of UVA's Board of Visitors. Lillian recently received her BA in Public Policy at the Batten School, served for 3 years on the Student Council, and mentored students in the Latino Peer Mentor Program. In this episode, they discuss her path to UVA, balancing leadership and schoolwork, and the responsibility that come with representing students on the BOV. This episode of Inside UVA was originally recorded on the week of April 29th, 2024.
This week, President Ryan sits down with Kenyon Bonner, UVA's Vice President and Chief Student Affairs Officer. Bonner joined UVA this January after nearly two decades in Student Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh, including most recently as the Vice Provost for Student Affairs. They discuss his path to Student Affairs, the lessons he's learned in working closely with students over the decades, and his mission to help students of all backgrounds find a sense of belonging at the University. Plus, his love for music production and whether he'll bring "Riding in Cars with Kenyon" over to UVA.