ScienceMatters:The Podcast of GT College of Sciences

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Celebrating discovery and achievements in the sciences and mathematics—the podcast of the College of Sciences at Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech College of Sciences


    • Nov 19, 2019 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 14m AVG DURATION
    • 31 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from ScienceMatters:The Podcast of GT College of Sciences

    ScienceMatters - Season 3, Episode 10 - The Physics of the Ocean

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 19, 2019 20:55


    The new dean of the Georgia Tech College of Sciences, Susan Lozier, is continuing her physical oceanography research as she takes the reins of her administrative duties in Tech Tower. She talks about her studies of “the global ocean conveyor belt,” her plans to get back to the ocean in 2020, and her commitment to mentorship.  

    ScienceMatters - Season 3, Episode 9 - Charting the Paths of Molecules

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 12, 2019 15:58


     Cosmologists use computers simulations to recreate the birth of stars and black holes. James “JC” Gumbart, an associate professor in the School of Physics, goes in the other direction: He uses powerful hardware and software to chart the possible paths of molecules like proteins in hopes of finding solutions to problems like antibiotic-resistant bacteria.    

    ScienceMatters - Season 3, Episode 8 - Digging Up Climate Clues in Peat Moss

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 5, 2019 20:17


    Gardeners love peat moss; it’s great for growing. But Joel Kostka, professor in the School of Biological Sciences and the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, wonders if it serves as a warning sign for the impact of climate change on plants and microbes. He travels to a unique experimentation site in Minnesota to find answers to his questions.  

    ScienceMatters - Season 3, Episode 7 - Finding the Magic in Materials Science

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 29, 2019 16:12


    Georgia Tech science powers the technology behind TV and smartphone screens, thanks to breakthroughs in physics, chemistry, and materials science. Carlos Silva is adding to that legacy with his research into the next generation of semiconductors for electronic devices.    

    ScienceMatters - Season 3, Episode 6 - Unlocking the Mind-Body Connection

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 22, 2019 19:14


    School of Biological Sciences Associate Professor Lewis Wheaton uses his Cognitive Motor Control Lab to research the neurological processes involved when people cope with the loss of a limb, a stroke, or a traumatic brain injury that can impact motor skills.

    ScienceMatters - Season 3, Episode 5 - Clearing the Air About Aerosol Science

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 15, 2019 18:16


    Sally Ng is one of the top experts in the world on aerosol science, the study of tiny particles in our atmosphere and what they mean for our climate, and our health. Ng, an associate professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, describes her work testing air quality in the field, and in a special indoor lab that she designed.    

    ScienceMatters: S03-E04: Using Math to Tour the Solar System

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 8, 2019 16:04


    How can NASA stretch their fuel dollar for future missions to Jupiter and Saturn, and their potentially habitable moons? By using mathematical concepts that have been around for centuries. School of Mathematics Professor Rafael de la Llave is crunching the numbers for the space agency as it looks to save money during its next phase of exploration. 

    ScienceMatters - Season 3, Episode 3: The Search for Life at Earth’s Extremes

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 30, 2019 16:25


    The search for life elsewhere in the Solar System can start at the most inhospitable regions of Earth, like Iceland’s volcanic landscape, or frigid Antarctic waters. Amanda Stockton, assistant professor with the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, talks about her astrobiology work for NASA.  

    ScienceMatters - Season 3, Episode 2: The Search for Earth 2.0

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 23, 2019 0:17


    How long has oxygen been in our planet’s atmosphere, and what could the answer mean for life on other planets? School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Professor Chris Reinhard researches the early Earth, and potential Earths outside our solar system.  

    ScienceMatters - Season 3, Episode 1: All About Control

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 17, 2019 16:43


    What can Alfred Hitchcock’s “North by Northwest” teach us about paying attention? Are daydreamers really more intelligent and creative? Eric Schumacher, professor in the School of Psychology, talks about his research into the brain process known as cognitive control, and what it could mean for the future of communications, work, and education.      

    ScienceMatters - Season 2, Episode 1: Real Rock ‘n’ Roll: The “Music” of Earthquake

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 26, 2019 16:08


    When the Earth’s tectonic plates collide and slide, School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Professor Zhigang Peng takes data from seismic sensors and creates “earthquake music.” The results can help scientists learn more about what goes on beneath the planet’s crust.

    ScienceMatters - Season 2, Episode 2: The Science Behind OOOMMMMM

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 26, 2019 20:22


    There’s more to meditation than just chanting mantras in your favorite yoga studio. Practitioners claim the benefits include better mental and physical health. Does the data back that up? School of Psychology Professor Paul Verhaeghen researches the science behind meditation.    

    ScienceMatters - Season 2, episode 3: Helping Glaucoma Patients

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 26, 2019 19:47


    Glaucoma usually affects older people, but a form of the eye disease can strike younger patients, including children. That keeps School of Chemistry and Biochemistry Professor Raquel Lieberman hard at work studying wayward proteins that may hold the key to new treatments for the second-leading cause of blindness.

    ScienceMatters - Season 2, Episode 4: Coral Reefs in Mortal Peril

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 26, 2019 13:34


    One of the top algae scientists in the world, award-winning School of Biological Sciences Professor and Chairman Mark Hay, gives a grim prognosis for the world’s coral reefs. First of a two-part episode.

    ScienceMatters - Season 2, episode 5: Hope for Coral Reefs

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 26, 2019 14:55


    In Part Two of our podcast with School of Biological Sciences Professor and Chair Mark Hay, the scientists says some coral reefs damaged by climate change could heal themselves – if given the chance. 

    ScienceMatters - Season 2, episode 6: Pee Pee Pipes and Other Animal Curiosities

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 26, 2019 15:49


    His incessant curiosity inspires David Hu to search for the physics among water-walking geckos, bridge-building ants..and urinating zoo animals. Hu, an assistant professor in the School of Biological Sciences, has a joint appointment with the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. This conversation is an edited excerpt from the Uncommon Engineer podcast. (Our thanks to Steven McLaughlin, Dean of the College of Engineering.)

    ScienceMatters - Season 2, episode 7: Searching for Life on Mars and Beyond

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 26, 2019 16:58


    Kennda Lynch studies ancient lakes on Earth that serve as stand-ins for Mars’ formerly-flooded craters. The School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences postdoctoral researcher helps NASA look for potential landing sites on the planet, while also helping to build Georgia Tech’s astrobiology community. 

    ScienceMatters - Season 2, Episode Preview: A New Season of Science Discovery

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 26, 2019 3:10


    What is earthquake “music?” Can coral reefs devastated by climate change be saved? Does science support the supposed benefits of meditation? More tales of curiosity and discovery are coming in Season 2 of ScienceMatters, the podcast of the Georgia Tech College of Sciences.

    Season 1, Episode 10: Chasing Cancer With Gold

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 22, 2018 15:14


    Mostafa El-Sayed, Regents Professor and Julius Brown Chair in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, is working on a promising cancer treatment based on gold nanoparticles. His work is inspired by, and dedicated to, his late wife, who died from the disease.

    Season 1, Episode 9: The Mathematics of ... Donuts?

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 15, 2018 13:39


    School of Mathematics Professor Dan Margalit describes the beauty and creativity in his research area, topology, while we reveal its connection to the oldest of math jokes. Margalit also offers ways to help students overcome fear of mathematics.

    Season 1, Episode 8: When People Age and Memory Fails

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 8, 2018 14:36


    What is “memory clutter”? Can we make it go away? Audrey Duarte, an associate professor in the School of Psychology, uses magnetic resonance imaging and special tests in her Memory and Aging Lab to discover what causes obstacles in the brain’s pathways as people age.

    Season 1, Episode 7: Sneaking Science into Punk Rock

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2018 11:39


    By day, she’s Jennifer Leavey, senior academic professional in the School of Biological Sciences. When she straps on a guitar, Leavey becomes Leucine Zipper, leader of the rock band Zinc Fingers. For a change of pace, ScienceMatters samples the band’s science-inspired songs. Leavey shares how the band uses music and other media to teach science.

    Season 1, Episode 6: There’s a Moth in My Video Game!

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 24, 2018 16:30


    Simon Sponberg, a professor with joint appointment in the School of Physics and the School of Biological Sciences, studies how animals move through their environments. Among his unusual research methods is placing moths on joysticks so they can “play” video games in virtual reality.

    Season 1, Episode 5: Visualizing the Birth of Galaxies

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 17, 2018 14:04


    Possible scenarios for the birth of stars, galaxies, and black holes come alive in the data crunching and visualizations of John Wise, a professor in the School of Physics. Wise explains how his simulations and visualizations – some of which have won awards – help researchers “rewind” space and time back to the origins of the universe.

    Season 1, Episode 4: A Healthy Microbiome for the Georgia Aquarium

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 10, 2018 9:46


    Massive whale sharks headline the Ocean Voyager exhibit at the Georgia Aquarium. Its tiniest residents are the ones that concern Nastassia Patin. The School of Biological Sciences postdoctoral researcher studies the exhibit's microbiome, and what she’s learning may help keep all aquariums clear and healthy.

    Season 1, Episode 3: Toward a Vaccine for an Ancient Scourge

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 3, 2018 14:09


    The parasite that causes leishmaniasis, a scary flesh-rotting disease, is tough to beat, says School of Chemistry and Biochemistry Professor and Chair M.G. Finn. It usually ravages equatorial countries but is now in North America. Finn is teaming with Brazilian scientists to work on a potential vaccine.

    Season 1 , Episode 2: Can Lessons from Fossils Guide Earth’s Future?

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 27, 2018 15:12


    Jenny McGuire, an assistant professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and the School of Biological Sciences, has a tough commute to her summer research site: an 80-foot drop into a deep, dark Wyoming cave. McGuire studies fossils to better understand climate change’s impact on animal and human populations.

    Season 1, Episode 1: Giving a Voice to Data

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 20, 2018 13:55


    ScienceMatters’ inaugural episode takes us back to the first day of the 2017-18 school year. As Georgia Tech welcomed students with a solar-eclipse-viewing, campus-wide party, School of Psychology researchers recreated the eclipse experience for a blind man by giving voice to data in real time.

    About ScienceMatters Season 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 15, 2018 3:57


    Georgia Tech researchers help a blind man “hear” the 2017 solar eclipse, search for vaccines against deadly parasitic diseases, and rappel deep into caves in search of fossils. Here’s a preview of what’s to come in the inaugural season of ScienceMatters, the podcast of the Georgia Tech College of Sciences.

    A Dean's Valedictory, Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later May 18, 2018 15:06


    Why, indeed, does science matter? Former College of Sciences Dean and Sutherland Chair Paul Goldbart explains the need for evidence-based thinking. Also, the College adds a neuroscience degree, and School of Physics researchers help detect the collision of two neutron stars.

    A Dean’s Valedictory, Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later May 18, 2018 14:09


    A festive solar-eclipse-watching party, a new emphasis on astrobiology, helping to prove Einstein right on gravitational waves – former dean Paul Goldbart recalls the highlights of his tenure at the helm of the College of Sciences.

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