Podcasts about Undergraduate education

Dr. Lee D. Baker is a Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education cultural anthropologist and Duke University professor whose work focuses on race and the history of anthropology. Based in San Diego, he is best known for From Savage to Negro and Anthropology and the Racial Politics of Culture. He also served as Duke's Dean of Academic Affairs (2008–2016). Baker has recently noted that AI is reshaping how students learn and helping improve the accuracy of search‑engine information.https://www.instagram.com/lee.d.baker.9/ https://www.ldbaker.com/ https://www.instagram.com/diprimaradio/

Show Notes: Ian McNeely talks about his academic path, including a PhD in History from the University of Michigan and a position in the Society of Fellows at Harvard. He met his wife at Harvard, and they both found work at the University of Oregon where they became professors. They raised a family and lived there for 24 years. In 2024, Ian moved to UNC Chapel Hill, where he continues as a professor of history and oversees undergraduate education.  The Society of Fellows When asked about the Society of Fellows,  Ian explains that he thought of it as a mystique during his undergraduate years. The Society was conceived in the 1930s as an alternative to the PhD, offering young men (later women) a three-year fellowship with no academic requirements. Ian attended lavish dinners and lunches with other fellows, including senior fellows from Harvard faculty. He met his wife at the Society, and the fellowship allowed him to convert his dissertation into a book, which was crucial for his tenure. Exploring  the History of Knowledge Ian explains how he and his wife co-wrote a book on the history of knowledge, covering various institutions like libraries, monasteries, and universities. He describes the different definitions of knowledge across these institutions, from written debates in libraries to scientific experiments in laboratories. Ian emphasizes the importance of institutions in defining what counts as knowledge. He discusses the role of vernacular knowledge and how it has been institutionalized over time. A Fellow's Activities Ian talks about his activities as a fellow. He describes his monastic approach, focusing on conversations with people outside his field. Ian interacted with particle physicists, art historians, and other disciplines, which broadened his perspective. He bonded with his wife, who is a medieval historian, over their mutual disdain for the Renaissance. Ian values the diverse group of equals in the Society of Fellows and the opportunity to explore various aspects of knowledge. The Politicization of Higher Education The conversation turns to Ian's current role as Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education at UNC Chapel Hill. He discusses the politicization of higher education and the challenges of the proliferation of knowledge. Ian emphasizes the importance of helping students diversify their intellectual portfolios to hedge against unpredictability, and he expresses optimism that AI will be a force multiplier rather than a replacement for human judgment and expertise. The Impact of AI on Undergraduate Education Ian believes AI will not replace human judgment but will be a force multiplier for routine tasks. He stresses the importance of communication skills, teamwork, ethical judgment, and aesthetic judgment in the face of AI. Ian advises students to use AI as a refinement tool after doing cognitive heavy lifting themselves. He emphasizes the importance of preserving curiosity-driven knowledge alongside applied knowledge, and he states  that rote-type learning will not be needed while high-level skills will be sought by employers.  The Changing Definition of Knowledge  Ian explains that, over the past two decades,  the shift towards justifying knowledge in economic or scientific terms, especially in the United States. He talks about the value of interpretation and judgement, and how he is concerned that students are losing the ability to do the cognitive heavy lifting of assessing research and determining the gaps in information. Ian's administrative career reflects his efforts to balance these two aspects of knowledge. Ian advises students to use AI as a refinement tool after doing their own cognitive heavy lifting, but he stresses the importance of taking time in nature to write by hand and give the mind time to think.  The Meeting of Medieval and Modern History Ian talks about the difference between his wife's studies in medieval history  to his own. Creative thinking plays a role in the study of medieval history where there are gaps in knowledge and errors of interpretation; this contrasts with Ian's field of study which drew research from  a high level of bureaucracy. He explains why he structured their book, Reinventing Knowledge,  to combat information overload. Ian shares his experience of empowering others in his professional life and giving up the desire to control outcomes. Ian also reflects on the importance of humility and the value of learning a new language to gain a deeper understanding of other cultures. Harvard Reflections Ian mentions Math 25 with Mark McConnell, which taught him rigorous thinking and precision, and he highlights a course on European Political development 1850 to 1950 by Peter Baldwin, which inspired him to become a European historian. Ian states that he  values the bridge between the arts and sciences provided by these courses. Timestamps: 02:09: The Society of Fellows at Harvard  04:07: Ian's Research and Book on the History of Knowledge  09:43: Ian's Experience as a Fellow and Interactions with Other Disciplines  11:21: Ian's Role as Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education at UNC Chapel Hill  12:11: The Impact of AI on Higher Education  23:29: Ian's Perspective on the Evolution of Knowledge  28:17: Ian's Personal Reflections and Recommendations  32:56: Influential Courses and Professors at Harvard Links: Book: https://www.amazon.com/University-Unfettered-Public-Education-Disruption/dp/0231220588 Book: https://www.amazon.com/Reinventing-Knowledge-Alexandria-Ian-McNeely/dp/0393337715 Contact: https://history.unc.edu/person/ian-f-mcneely/ This episode on The 92 Report:  AI generated show notes and transcript  

Celena Simpson, Assistant Vice Provost for Advising, discusses how she and the Undergraduate Education and Student Success (UESS) staff help students with academic advising and finding success both in and outside of the classroom.  advising.uoregon.edu (hyperlink to https://advising.uoregon.edu)

How can you make a variety of experiential learning opportunities accessible to all students? How might student projects make an impact internally with the institution as client and externally for companies and community groups? What barriers might you (and students) encounter and how can you get over, around, or through them? We talk through these with Susan McCahan, Vice Provost for Innovations in Undergraduate Education at the University of Toronto. Episode Highlights include:  [03:54] Defining the Experiential Learning Menu – Susan McCahan defines experiential learning broadly at the University of Toronto, ranging from traditional co-ops and internships to undergraduate research and specialized work-study roles. [05:24] Data-Driven Student Success – The Vice Provost's office utilizes work-study students to analyze institutional data, identifying key correlations between co-curricular involvement and higher student retention rates. [11:46] Navigating Intellectual Property – To reduce friction for partners and faculty, the university provides clear resources on IP ownership, distinguishing between corporate-owned placement work and student-owned course projects. [18:07] Building Professional Confidence – Engaging with community clients, such as designing solutions for a local women's shelter, shifts student focus from simple grade attainment to understanding the real-world impact of their professional identity. [25:35] Addressing Accessibility Barriers – The university is focused on creating a "smooth handoff" for students with disabilities and financial constraints to ensure experiential opportunities are inclusive and frictionless

The Hoover Institution's Project on Taiwan in the Indo-Pacific Region held a public session on Resilient Realists: How Taiwan Navigates Its Future in a Turbulent World on March 2, 2026 from 1:00-2:30 PM PT. Since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical competition between the United States and the People's Republic of China (PRC) has rapidly intensified, and the global order has faced growing strains. Through it all, Taiwan has remained remarkably resilient. In the face of relentless diplomatic, economic, and military pressure from Beijing, Taiwan's leaders have leveraged the island's critical role in global technology supply chains, its reputation as a robust liberal democracy, and its strategic position in the Indo-Pacific to deepen engagement with key world powers. As many Americans question core assumptions of the post-Cold War global order, the PRC's military power continues to grow, and the world stands on the cusp of a technological revolution in artificial intelligence, can Taiwan continue to navigate so deftly through turbulent geopolitical waters? To address these topics, the Project on Taiwan in the Indo-Pacific Region at the Hoover Institution held a fireside chat featuring Dr. Hung-mao Tien, President of the Institute for National Policy Research (INPR) in Taipei and a former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Dr. Tien joined in conversation by Adm. (Ret.) James O. Ellis, the Annenberg Distinguished Visiting Fellow, and Dr. Larry Diamond, the William L. Clayton Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution.   ABOUT THE SPEAKERS Dr. Hung-mao Tien is the President and Chairman of the Institute for National Policy Research in Taipei, and board member of several foundations and business corporations in Taiwan. He also serves as a Senior Advisor to the President of the Republic of China (Taiwan). From 2000-2002, he was the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He also served as the chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation, the semi-official body in Taiwan responsible for direct exchanges and dialogue with the People's Republic of China, Representative (ambassador) to the United Kingdom, and presidential advisor to former President Lee Teng-hui. He has also served in an advisory capacity to Harvard University's Asia Center, The Asia Society in New York, and the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.  Dr. Tien has taught in universities in both the US and Taiwan as professor of political science.  His numerous publications in English (author, editor and co-editor) include: Government and Politics in Kuomintang China 1927-37 (Stanford University Press); The Great Transition: Social and Political Change in the Republic of China (Stanford: Hoover Institution Press); and Democratization in Taiwan, Implications for China (St. Anthony's Series, Oxford University), Consolidating the Third Wave Democracies, Themes and Perspectives (Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press), China Under Jiang Zemin (Rienner), and The Security Environment in the Asia-Pacific (M.E. Sharpe). He received his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Larry Diamond is the William L. Clayton Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, the Mosbacher Senior Fellow in Global Democracy at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI), and a Bass University Fellow in Undergraduate Education at Stanford University. He is also professor by courtesy of political science and sociology at Stanford, where he lectures and teaches courses on democracy (including an online course on EdX). At Hoover, he co-leads the Project on Taiwan in the Indo-Pacific Region and participates in the Program on the US, China, and the World. At FSI, he is among the core faculty of the Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law, which he directed for six and a half years. He leads FSI's Israel Studies Program and is a member of the Program on Arab Reform and Development. He also co-leads the Global Digital Policy Incubator, based at FSI's Cyber Policy Center. He served for thirty-two years as founding coeditor of the Journal of Democracy. Diamond's research focuses on global trends affecting freedom and democracy and on US and international policies to defend and advance democracy. His book Ill Winds: Saving Democracy from Russian Rage, Chinese Ambition, and American Complacency (2019; paperback ed. 2020) analyzes the challenges confronting liberal democracy in the United States and around the world and offers an agenda for strengthening and defending democracy at home and abroad. His other books include In Search of Democracy (2016), The Spirit of Democracy (2008), Developing Democracy: Toward Consolidation (1999), Promoting Democracy in the 1990s (1995), and Class, Ethnicity, and Democracy in Nigeria (1989). He has edited or coedited more than fifty books, including China's Influence and American Interests (2019, with Orville Schell), Silicon Triangle: The United States, Taiwan, China, and Global Semiconductor Security (2023, with James O. Ellis Jr. and Orville Schell), and The Troubling State of India's Democracy (2024, with Šumit Ganguly and Dinsha Mistree). Admiral James O. Ellis Jr. is Annenberg Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution, where he oversees both the Global Policy and Strategy Initiative and the George P. Shultz Energy Policy Working Group. He retired from a 39-year career with the US Navy in 2004. He has also served in the private and nonprofit sectors in areas of energy and nuclear security. A 1969 graduate of the US Naval Academy, Ellis was designated a naval aviator in 1971. His service as a navy fighter pilot included tours with two carrier-based fighter squadrons and assignment as commanding officer of an F/A-18 strike fighter squadron. In 1991, he assumed command of the USS Abraham Lincoln, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. After selection to rear admiral, in 1996, he served as a carrier battle group commander, leading contingency response operations in the Taiwan Strait. His shore assignments included numerous senior military staff tours. Senior command positions included commander in chief, US Naval Forces, Europe, and commander in chief, Allied Forces, Southern Europe, during a time of historic NATO expansion. He led US and NATO forces in combat and humanitarian operations during the 1999 Kosovo crisis. Ellis's final assignment in the navy was as commander of the US Strategic Command during a time of challenge and change. In this role, he was responsible for the global command and control of US strategic and space forces, reporting directly to the secretary of defense.

The Hoover Institution Program on the US, China, and the World hosted, Insights from the 2025 US-China Economic and Security Review Commission Report: Findings and Recommendations, on Thursday, January 29, 2026.  This event features leading experts from the Hoover Institution and the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission for a discussion analyzing the key bilateral economic and security challenges faced by the US and China and their impacts on the broader international landscape. Congress created the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission to monitor, investigate, and report on the national security implications of the bilateral trade and economic relationship between the United States and the People's Republic of China. Its annual reports to Congress address and make recommendations about pressing issues such as trade practices, technological competition, military strategy, and human rights concerns, with far-reaching implications for policymakers and stakeholders around the world. The Commission's 2025 Annual Report was released in November 2025. To view the report, click the following link: https://www.uscc.gov/annual-reports FEATURING Erin Baggott Carter is a Hoover Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. She is also an associate professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Southern California, a faculty affiliate at the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) at Stanford University's Freeman Spogli Institute, and a nonresident scholar at the 21st Century China Center at UC San Diego. She has previously held fellowships at the CDDRL and Stanford's Center for International Security and Cooperation. She received a PhD in political science from Harvard University.  Drew Endy is a science fellow and senior fellow (courtesy) at the Hoover Institution. He leads Hoover's Bio-Strategy and Leadership effort, which focuses on keeping increasingly biotic futures secure, flourishing, and democratic. Professor Endy also researches and teaches bioengineering at Stanford University, where he is the Martin Family University Fellow in Undergraduate Education, senior fellow (courtesy) of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, and faculty codirector of degree programs for the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design.  Mike Kuiken is a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution and serves as a Commissioner on the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. He is an advisor to the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP) and a member of Anthropic's National Security and Public Sector Advisory Council. He also consults with CEOs, boards, and senior leaders across investment, AI, defense, technology, and multinational firms globally.  The Honorable Randall G. Schriver is Chairman of the Board at The Institute for Indo-Pacific Security. In addition, Mr. Schriver is currently a partner at Pacific Solutions LLC. Most recently, Mr. Schriver served as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs from 8 January 2018 to 31 December 2019. Prior to his confirmation as Assistant Secretary, Mr. Schriver was a founding partner of Armitage International LLC, a consulting firm that specializes in international business development and strategies. He was also a founder of the Project 2049 Institute and served as President and CEO. Previously, Mr. Schriver served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.  MODERATOR  Glenn Tiffert is a distinguished research fellow at the Hoover Institution and a historian of modern China. He co-chairs Hoover's program on the  US, China, and the World, and also leads Stanford's participation in the National Science Foundation's SECURE program, a $67 million effort authorized by the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 to enhance the security and integrity of the US research enterprise. He works extensively on the security and integrity of ecosystems of knowledge, particularly academic, corporate, and government research; science and technology policy; and malign foreign interference.  

George Mason University proudly proclaims that we are All Together, Different. We are a school where non-traditional students are traditional students. And though they face unique challenges, these students bring important perspectives and experiences to our classrooms. Nowhere is this clearer than with our population of students connected to the military.   On this episode of Access to Excellence, Senior Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education and Professor of Psychology Keith Renshaw joins President Gregory Washington to discuss the role George Mason plays in providing service members, veterans, and their families the means to find community, purpose, and fulfillment beyond their military service.  

Amy Goodburn: Building the Good Life with Husker P.O.W.E.R. Senior Associate Vice Chancellor & Dean of Undergraduate Education, University of Nebraska-LincolnCliftonStrengths: Learner | Achiever | Input | Discipline | ArrangerRecorded: September 10, 2025P.O.W.E.R. = Purpose, Ownership, Well-being, Engagement, and RelationshipsFrom the Inter-association Wellbeing Collaborative:We define well-being as an optimal and dynamic state that allows people to achieve their full potential. Our focus is on two interdependent types of well-being: 1) individual and 2) community.

In this episode of BG Ideas we engage with Dr. Thomas Roberts, ICS Faculty Fellow in Spring 2025 and Assistant Director of Undergraduate Education and Associate Professor in the School of Inclusive Education at BGSU, to discuss the importance of access to STEM education in primary schools.  Throughout his diverse teaching experiences, Dr. Roberts has identified a resource-based disparity in STEM programs and seeks to find equity-centered practices in STEM education.  He shares with us the importance of an interpretive, context-based approach to STEM education that enhances the student's ability to critically and creatively solve problems as well as communicate solutions. Through his research, Dr. Roberts is not only working to allow students the opportunity to participate in STEM education, but he hopes to create a student-centered method of teaching that allows students to find purpose and meaning in STEM centered learning. A transcript for this episode can be found here.

Dr Guenther interviews Dr. James “Jay” Hamilton, Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education at Stanford University and author of “You Got In, Now What? 100 Insights Into Finding Your Best Life In College”. The post Brain Matters S12.E02: You Got In, Now What? 100 Insights Into Finding Your Best Life In College first appeared on Capstone Voices Podcasting Network.

We kicked off the program with four news stories and different guests on the stories we think you need to know about!The first Black author to write a book on the Ku Klux Klan from in-person, face-to-face interviews with leaders and members, called The Klan Whisperer. Guest: Daryl Davis – civil rights activist, author, co-founder and Global Ambassador for the Prohuman Foundation. His new book, The Klan Whisperer, shares his courageous story, a lifetime of victories over darkness and ignorance You Got In! Now What?: 100 Insights into Finding Your Best Life in College! Guest: James (“Jay”) Hamilton - Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Hearst Professor of Communication at Stanford University Children's Book: Elephant Beach Guest: Christine Devane – Author of children's book, former elementary school teacher Local artist creates unique fish prints using the traditional Japanese method of printing fish, Gyotaku, a practice which dates back to the mid-1800s. We'll talk about what the art form entails and the public interest in it. Guest: Joe Higgins – Owner of Joe's Fresh Fish Prints

Colleges and universities have survived many challenges. In this episode, Ian McNeely joins us to discuss how public higher ed institutions continued to thrive despite the challenges of the Great Recession, low-quality online diploma mills, and the COVID pandemic. Ian is a Professor of History and Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, He specializes in German history and the history of knowledge. Ian is the author of The University Unfettered: Public Higher Education in an Age of Disruption, which examines how modern research universities responded to the disruptions in higher education between the Great Recession and COVID-19 and the lessons learned from these experiences. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

On this episode of Digital Squared: From the Archives, we're revisiting a conversation with Dr. Mike Dennin, Dean of Undergraduate Education and Vice Provost of Teaching and Learning at UC Irvine to discuss the latest trends in the using both data and technology to maximize student success.   

How can you implement evidenced-based practices for more engaging and equitable teaching and learning across research universities? What systems and process within them need to change? How can universities collaborate with peer institutions and with employers to get better outcomes? We discuss these questions with Julia Michaels, Director of Development and Strategic Partnerships at UERU, the Association for Undergraduate Education at Research Universities.

Matters Microbial #102: Teaching Through the Issues with Microbes! July 31, 2025 Today, Dr. Davida Smyth, Professor of Biology and Deputy Director of the National Center for Science and Civic Engagement at Texas A&M University-San Antonio joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss her impressive work using microbiology to engage students at the intersection of cutting edge research and current events. #MicrobialLiteracy! Host: Mark O. Martin Guest: Davida Smyth Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify Become a patron of Matters Microbial! Links for this episode The American Society for Microbiology Carski Award website. The American Society for Microbiology Distinguished Lecturer website. The concept of “classroom agreements.” The 10:1 (microbial cells to human cells) story, and a related article. The 3-2-1 approach to learning in the classroom. Dr. Smyth's “How Toilets Changed the World” class. The American Society for Microbiology Curriculum Guidelines. The National Science Foundation's “Vision and Change” website describing improvements in biology education. The American Society for Microbiology profile for Dr. Smyth. A video seminar by Dr. Smyth describing open science in undergraduate education. The website for the National Center for Science and Civic Engagement. Dr. Smyth's faculty website. Dr. Smyth's superb research website. Intro music is by Reber Clark Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com

Dr. Jake Thompson, Associate Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education at UNLV, discussed the university's new microcredentials program. Microcredentials are bite-sized, skill-specific credentials that can be for or not for credit. Examples include podcasting, DNA analysis, and hospitality management. These credentials are designed to enhance students' employability by certifying specific skills. Thompson emphasized the program's ease of access, with automatic enrollment and awarding upon completion of courses with a grade better than C. He also highlighted the integration of industry partnerships and the potential for stacking microcredentials into larger qualifications.

Dr. Dan and Dr. Greg Walton discuss Greg's new book Ordinary Magic: The Science of How We Can Achieve Big Change with Small Acts.  On today's episode, Dr. Walton explains his vision of what is possible for our relationships, communities, institutions, and the world. The interview reveals that even when we feel trapped, we have vast opportunities for change and we can free ourselves. In his literally “life-changing” work and book, Greg reveals how through “ordinary magic” we can create ordinary experiences that help us set aside the ordinary worries of life to unleash extraordinary change. Dr. Walton and Dr. Dan dig into how and why these “wise interventions” can help us chart new trajectories for our lives.  Listeners will leave this episode with the knowledge that we all have more power to improve our lives than we realize - and that we can become psychologically wiser humans by using Ordinary Magic. Greg Walton, Ph.D. developed the concept of “wise interventions” and has led much of the groundbreaking research. Dr. Walton is the co-­ director of the Dweck-­ Walton Lab, the Michael Forman University Fellow in Undergraduate Education, and a professor of psychology at Stanford University.  For more information gregorywalton.com and follow @stanford on Instagram. Please listen, follow, rate, and review Make It a Great One on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow @drdanpeters on social media. Visit www.drdanpeters.com and send your questions or guest pitches to podcast@drdanpeters.com. We have this moment, this day, and this life—let's make it a great one. – Dr. Dan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the Ideas on Stage podcast we spoke with Patricia Ryan Madson. Patricia Ryan Madson is a world authority on improvising in everyday life. She is the author of IMPROV WISDOM: Don't Prepare, Just Show Up. Her book has been translated into nine languages. Patricia is a professor Emerita from Stanford University where she taught since 1977. In their Drama Department she served as the head of the undergraduate acting program and developed the improvisation program. In 1998 she was the winner of the Lloyd W. Dinkelspiel Award for Outstanding Innovation in Undergraduate Education at Stanford. She is a frequent speaker for business and educational groups. Her corporate clients have included: IDEO, Google, Gap Inc.'s Executive Leadership Team, The Lucille and David Packard Foundation, the Banff Centre for Leadership, Sun Microsystems Japan Division, Apple Computers, Adobe Systems, and Price Waterhouse.  In this episode, we talked about how the principles of improvisation can help you become a more engaging presenter, and communicate with greater authenticity and impact. What You'll Learn:- How to balance preparation with being fully present- How improvisation can make you a better speaker – even if you fear public speaking- Why performance anxiety is really about self-focus – and how shifting your attention can help- How to handle mistakes during a presentation - A simple way to start using improv today to improve your communication skills instantlyWe hope you enjoy it! ———————Patricia Ryan Madson:Book: Improv Wisdom: Don't Prepare, Just Show Up Website: www.improvwisdom.com  Blog: www.improvwisdom.blogspot.com  Email: improvwisdom@gmail.com  Recommended books: Constructive Living by David K. ReynoldsImpro: Improvisation and the Theatre by Keith Johnstone ———————IDEAS ON STAGE RESOURCES  Books: ‘Confident Presenter' (https://www.ideasonstage.com/resources/confident-presenter-book/) and ‘Business Presentation Revolution' (https://www.ideasonstage.com/business-presentation-revolution/book/)The Confident Presenter Scorecard: https://ideasonstage.com/score   Free Web Class: https://www.ideasonstage.com/uk/masterclass   Free Mini-Course: https://bit.ly/confident-presenter-mini-course    

Grant Schonover, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Student Success discusses how he and his staff help students to be successful outside of the classroom.

In this episode of the Brain & Life Podcast, co-host Dr. Katy Peters is joined by Hide Harashima, dad, advocate, and founder and president of Love4Lucas Foundation. He discusses creating the Love4Lucas Foundation in honor of his son Lucas, who was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG). Dr. Peters is then joined by Dr. Paul Fisher, Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics, and by courtesy, Neurosurgery and Epidemiology and Population Health, Beirne Family Professor of Pediatric Neuro-Oncology, Dunlevie Family University Fellow in Undergraduate Education at Stanford University, and Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Pediatrics. Dr. Fisher explains DIPG and other similar cancers, discusses treatment options, and what new research is being done today.   Additional Resources Love4Lucas Patients and Their Loved Ones Find New Roles as Advocates After Diagnoses Lawyer and Model Who Survived Brain Tumors Focuses on Giving Back   Other Brain & Life Podcast Episodes Actor Craig Russell on Staying Positive during his Brain Tumor Diagnosis Lawyer, Model Victoria Vesce Uses Her Platform for Brain Tumor Advocacy BMX Athlete Josh Perry's Perseverance Living with Brain Tumors We want to hear from you! Have a question or want to hear a topic featured on the Brain & Life Podcast? ·       Record a voicemail at 612-928-6206 ·       Email us at BLpodcast@brainandlife.org   Social Media: Hide Harashima @love4lucasfoundation; Dr. Paul Fisher @stanfordchildrens Hosts: Dr. Daniel Correa @neurodrcorrea; Dr. Katy Peters @KatyPetersMDPhD

Matters Microbial #81: Viruses, Innate Immunity, and Undergraduates March 5, 2025 Today, Dr. Brianne Barker, Associate Professor of the Biology Department at Drew University, joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss how her undergraduate research group studies how innate immune mechanisms of cells recognize viral invasion. Host: Mark O. Martin Guest: Brianne Barker Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify Become a patron of Matters Microbial! Links for this episode A video describing the immune system, both innate and adaptive. More of a focus on mechanisms of innate immunity, the focus for today. A description of basic immune cells. An introductory video describing the viral reproductive cycle in general. A description of PRRs (pattern recognition receptors) and MAMPs (microbially associated molecular patterns) An overview of interferons and disease. An introductory video overview of programmed cell death, called apoptosis. The role that retroviruses play in producing blue eggs in chickens.  Here is a very introductory summary.   The role that retroviruses play in placental mammals, including humans. How do cells recognize invading DNA during viral infection? A research paper by Dr. Barker's research group. Dr. Barker on This Week in Virology. Dr. Barker's faculty website. Dr. Barker's research group website. Intro music is by Reber Clark Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com

During Brandon Allmon-Jackson's major theatrical productions, he is never seen by the audiences. But as a stage manager fulfilling his dream of working on Broadway, he's the person most responsible for making sure big acts—including The Music Man, Back to the Future, and Sunset Boulevard—go off without a hitch.In the years since he graduated from Ball State in 2012, Brandon has applied the skills he learned in the classroom, along with his dedication and drive, to stand out in the competitive world of commercial theatre. He's also dedicated himself to providing more opportunities for artists of color.In this episode, Brandon talks about how the confidence he built and connections he made at his alma mater helped him advance professionally. In less than 10 years, he's gone from stage managing regional theater and cruise ship performances to working on the biggest shows on Broadway. Brandon also reveals why he's grateful for his humble Southern upbringing and how, by mentoring the next generation of talent at Ball State, he's giving back in a way that upholds the promise of Beneficence. If you enjoy this episode, please leave a review to support the show. 

Michele Elam, the William Robertson Coe Professor of Humanities in the English Department at Stanford University and a Race and Technology Affiliate at the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity, joins Behind the Tech to discuss her journey and work. Michele shares her unique path from a humanities background to engaging with technology and AI, influenced by her father's career as an astronautics engineer.  In this episode, Michele and Kevin explore the intersection of humanities and technology, discussing the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and the ethical considerations of AI. They delve into Michele's work at the Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence at Stanford, where she represents arts and diversity perspectives. The conversation also touches on the cultural status of arts versus technology, the impact of storytelling in shaping cultural imagination, and the evolving education of engineering students to include social and ethical questions.   Kevin and Michele reflect on the balance between deep expertise and broad curiosity, the role of arts in technology, and the importance of integrating different perspectives to address complex societal issues. They also discuss the significance of tradition and innovation, drawing insights from Kevin's recent trip to Japan where he observed the coexistence of advanced technology and centuries-old crafts.  Michele Elam  Kevin Scott    Behind the Tech with Kevin Scott    Discover and listen to other Microsoft podcasts.    

Episode Summary Mother-Son duo, Brenda Wilson, Ph.D., professor of microbiology and the Associate Director of Undergraduate Education in the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and Brian Ho, Ph.D., researcher and lecturer at the Institute of structural and molecular biology, a joint institute between the Department of structural and molecular biology at the University College of London and the Department of Biological Sciences at Birkbeck University of London discuss the inspiration and motivation for their recent book, Revenge of the Microbes: How Bacterial Resistance is Undermining the Antibiotic Miracle, 2nd Edition, emphasizing the global nature of AMR and providing a unique perspective on what is needed to solve it. Ashley's Biggest Takeaways: Dynamics surrounding the AMR crisis are complex and require an understanding of many different perspectives, including those of the farmers, health care professionals, pharmaceutical companies and individuals, in order to foster true and lasting global collaboration on the issue. Point-of-care diagnostics are critical to improving treatment decisions and reducing hospital costs. Better communication and education are needed in order to rebuild trust in scientists and institutions. Continuous research is necessary, as AMR will continue to evolve. Citizens are a key piece of the puzzle when it comes to pushing for change and supporting solutions to AMR. Featured Quotes: Wilson: “I'll start with actually my Ph.D., which is talking about bacterial antibiotic biosynthesis. And so, I did some work in that arena, but since then, I've actually been working on bacterial protein toxins. These are very potent eukaryotic modulators that when bacteria get into the host, they release these proteins that are very large, that are able to interact with very specific cells. They actually get inside the cells—into the cytosol—and then they affect various signaling pathways in the host that can go anywhere from killing the cell to modulating some of the processes that the cell undertakes, even differentiating them and causing cancer. So, one of my main focuses in my lab has always been to understand the structure and function of these toxins, to understand how they affect the eukaryotic cell system. And then now that we know a lot about them, we're actually moving more into the direction of trying to basically use them as biologics. We have some platforms that we call bacterial toxin inspired drug delivery, where we're using the mechanisms of how they work and their exquisite specificities to be able to actually use them for therapeutic applications.” Ho: “I got my start doing molecular genetics, actually, with John Mekalanos at Harvard, and I was kind of at the ground floor of the seminal work looking at the Type VI secretion system. And so, I got a front row seat to the kind of discovery and a lot of the initial understanding of the system. And I've kind of taken that work and expanded beyond it to look at kind of the ways different bacteria interact with each other within microbial communities. So my current work is looking at both DNA conjugation as well as the type six antagonism, and how the bacterial interactions kind of work together to build a larger population dynamics and interface with like the hosts that kind of house a your microbial communities.” Antimicrobial Resistance Wilson: “In 2005 [when the first edition of Revenge of the Microbes was written], there was very little activity or understanding about antibiotic resistance and how important it was. Outside of the field, doctors were encountering it. But oftentimes what was happening is they just said, ‘Oh, well, we'll just find another drug, you know.' And pharmaceutical companies, they were recognizing that there was a problem, and they would go off trying to hunt for new ones. And then right around the late 90s, there was a big impetus, because they thought, ‘Oh, we, we have a miracle here, because we now do complete genomes. We can get out the comparative genomics and all the high throughput things, all the animations,' and that this would lead to many more new discoveries. And I think the pharmaceutical companies were very disappointed, and they started backing out of what they deemed a huge commitment. Two decades later, people already were starting to get aware, at least in the field, and even the industry and the physicians. People were getting aware, but I think that they were stumbling, because of their silos, in trying to get interactions with each other. And I think part of it was that they felt that, ‘Oh, we can try to solve it ourselves.' And in reality, this is a problem that that is concerning everyone, and everyone is contributing to it. Everyone has to find a solution to help, and we need to have more synergy. There have to be more interactions, and we have to do this at a much more global scale. And so that was sort of what, what we thought when we first started the [2nd edition of the book, Revenge of the Microbes].” Ho: “At that point, I was just starting my new faculty position, and so I started having to teach students directly. And a lot of students were coming in and giving their presentation on their research proposal or project that they have, and they very adamantly declared the reason why we have antibiotic resistance. ‘The problem is because doctors are over prescribing antibiotics.' And I'm scratching my head—a little like, ‘Hmm, that's a really confident statement that you're making.' Next student comes in and they're talking about, ‘Oh, it's all the farmers that are overusing antibiotics and causing the problem.' And then the next student comes in like, “Oh, the greedy corporations or pharmaceutical industry is trying to milk us for everything, and antibiotics are not profitable enough.' And, and I'm sitting here listening to the students who have a very narrow perspective. And clearly, they're getting it from whoever is teaching their classes. And so, it feels like every single perspective at every single stage, they only see things through their own eyes, and can't understand what the broader perspective is and why you have all these various different problems, and I guess we call them stakeholders in the thing. It is that that every different angle has its own personal motivations. Corporations do need to have money and persist to exist. Doctors, if you encounter a patient that is dying, well, you have a moral compulsion to actually treat them. And farmers having their livestock, well, their livelihood is at stake if they don't have their animals survive, right? And so, what I think was really important that we wanted to do is present the problem of antibiotic resistance and the way it works and why it's an issue, but also convey different perspectives on it, so that if people can kind of understand where everybody else is coming from, we can come together and have a more unified perspective, or understanding, at least, so that you're not thinking that everybody is this malicious actor, and you can actually work together to come with up with a complete solution.” Wilson: “The first book, was very important, because you needed to get people's attention right, right? But we got the attention. So, now let's come up with a plan! And we don't have a good plan. People are making progress. People are moving in the directions that need to be moved, coming up with alternatives, coming up with, you know, even financial solutions, to some extent. They're not enough, still, and it's going to take a global community to come forward and buy in to the problem. And I think we still have a large sector of our whole global community that are not really fully aware of what really this problem entails. They hear on the media and the news, ‘Oh, the crisis is here. We're in danger.' And then a year later, they say, ‘Well, what happened? Nothing's happened.' It hasn't impacted their lives yet, right? Or at least not in a way that they've noticed. And I think this is why we need more awareness. We need to get the word out there. We need to actually start having folks that make some of the big decisions, both financially, regulatory and other types of things, like education.” Ho: “One really big problem I think that COVID introduced us to, is that it's not just that we have to convince everybody it's important, but we have to also get people, in general, the population, to trust us. You know, that there is a problem. There's been a kind of an erosion in the trustworthiness, or trust in the institutions that we relied upon that are responsible for keeping everybody safe and healthy. And I think a big part of that is also communication education, that the populace needs to be better educated, but the communication level of people in charge, as well as researchers like us—we need to speak to the people in a way that people can understand.” Wilson: “We're not saying that we have a solution, but we do have some directions that, in many areas, have started, and we feel that they need more support. And we're hoping that folks that are reading the book actually appreciate that aspect of it, and then start realizing that, ‘Hey, I'm part of this solution too.' It can be very little—being mindful of making sure that we have clean water, making sure that we have food security, making sure that we stay healthy and, therefore, we don't have as many infections, right? Just little things like that that we can actually do as individuals, that as a whole population, will actually contribute to improving the situation. Then, of course, we have to support our leaders in making some of the decisions. We have to let them know that we care about this. And I think at this stage, what we're hoping is that we can maybe encourage some folks to take a citizen stand on this, to ask questions, to start going and probing and saying, ‘Hey, congress person, what are you doing about this?' And maybe just start the dialog. This is all we're doing, is starting a dialog.” Links for the Episode: The 2nd Edition of Revenge of the Microbes, details the intricacies of the antibiotic-microbe arms race. Beginning with a historical perspective on antibiotics and their profound impact on both modern medicine and present-day society. It also examines the practices and policies driving the discovery and development of new antibiotics, what happens to antibiotics once they are released into the environment, how antibiotic-resistant bacteria evolve and spread and the urgency for finding alternative approaches to combating infections. For anyone interested in antimicrobial resistance (AMR), this is a completely approachable 360-degree view of a very complex topic. Get your copy of Revenge of the Microbes today! Want to get involved and spread the word about AMR? Become an ASM Advocate Bacterial Pathogenesis: a Molecular Approach Take the MTM listener survey!

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October 22, 2024 ~ Marika Seigel, Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education and Dean of the Pavlis Honors College at Michigan Tech, joins Guy, Lloyd, and Jamie on the 2024 WJR College Tour about their new program launching next fall, and preparing students for post-graduation.

In this episode, we explore the role of imagination in social movements and the ongoing fight for justice. We investigate both how the imagination helps us think of how the world might be better and identify the problems of the moment. Our guest scholar in this episode is Dr. Michele Moody-Adams, Joseph Straus Professor of Political Philosophy and Legal Theory at Columbia University. --- Michele Moody-Adams is Joseph Straus Professor of Political Philosophy and Legal Theory at Columbia University, where she served as Dean of Columbia College and Vice President for Undergraduate Education from 2009-2011. Before Columbia, she taught at Cornell University, where she was Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Director of the Program on Ethics and Public Life. She has also taught at Wellesley College, the University of Rochester, and Indiana University, where she served as Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education.  She has published on equality and social justice, moral psychology and the virtues, moral objectivity and moral relativism, and the philosophical implications of gender and race.  She is the author of Making Space for Justice: Social Movements, Collective Imagination and Political Hope, published in 2022.  She is also the author of a widely cited book on moral relativism, Fieldwork in Familiar Places: Morality, Culture and Philosophy, and a co-author on the multi-author work Against Happiness (May 2023).  Her current work also includes articles on academic freedom, equal educational opportunity, democratic disagreement, and what constitutes an epistemically and morally defensible understanding of history. A special focus of her work on democracy is the connection between democracy and the civic art and architecture of remembrance. ---While her full catalog of articles and books is far too long to list here, the publications below provide a useful introduction to her scholarship addressing the topic of imagination and justice: Moody-Adams, M. (2022). Making Space for Justice: Social Movements, Collective Imagination, and Political Hope. Columbia University Press. Moody-Adams, M. (2015). The enigma of forgiveness. The Journal of Value Inquiry, 49, 161-180. Moody-Adams, M. M. (2018). Democratic conflict and the political morality of compromise. Nomos, 59, 186-219. Moody-Adams, M. M. (2017). Moral progress and human agency. Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, 20, 153-168. --- The Social Science for Public Good Podcast is a project of the ⁠Virginia Tech Institute for Policy and Governance⁠ and ⁠VT Publishing⁠ intended to make social science theories accessible and available to individuals and organizations seeking to promote social change. Music: purple-planet.com

Matters Microbial #59: Some (Microbes) Like It Hot—Discussions with the Thermal Biology Institute October 3, 2024 Today is an unusual episode of the podcast.  I am visiting four microbiologists in the Thermal Biology Institute at Montana State University of Bozeman, Montana.  They discuss their work exploring the unusual microbes and environments to be found in Yellowstone National Park, ranging from the history of the park to opportunities for undergraduate students, as well as up-to-the-minute research done on the microbial denizens of this microbiological landmark. Host: Mark O. Martin Guests (in order of appearance:): Brent Peyton, Dana Skorupa, Zackary Jay, Anthony Kohtzy Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify Become a patron of Matters Microbial! Links for this episode A history and overview of Yellowstone National Park. An overview of microbiology in Yellowstone National Park. The story of Yellowstone National Park and PCR. Website for the Thermal Biology Institute. A prior podcast of #MattersMicrobial involving Dr. Roland Hatzenpichler and the research done by several of today's guests. Dr. Peyton's faculty website. Dr. Peyton's laboratory website. Dr. Skorupa's faculty website. A great article on the adventurous REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) that Dr. Skorupa supervises. Dr. Jay's faculty website. A journal article describing some of Dr. Jay's (and Dr. Kohtz') work. A page including Dr. Kohtz An article describing some of Dr. Kohtz' (and Dr. Jay's) work. Intro music is by Reber Clark Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com

Dr. Allison Okamura is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University. She also holds a courtesy appointment in Computer science there. Research in Allison's lab examines three different areas of robotics. The first is haptics, which involves human machine interactions through the sense of touch. The second is designing medical robots that can, for example, be used to help people recover from stroke or perform surgery. A final area that Allison studies is creating soft robots that can conform to their environments. Much of Allison's free time is spent with her husband, daughter, and son. When she's not at work, Allison also enjoys relaxing, running, and playing ice hockey. Allison received her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and she was awarded her M.S. and Ph.D. both in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University. Before joining the faculty at Stanford University, Allison was Professor and Vice Chair of Mechanical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. Allison is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including being elected as a fellow for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). She has also been awarded the IEEE Technical Committee on Haptics Early Career Award, the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society Early Academic Career Award, and an NSF CAREER Award. In addition, Allison was honored as a Duca Family University Fellow in Undergraduate Education, a Robert Bosch Faculty Scholar, a Gabilan Fellow, and an Alumni Distinguished Scholar by Stanford University, as well as a Decker Faculty Scholar by Johns Hopkins University. In our interview, Allison speaks more about her experiences in life and science.

In Berkeley Talks episode 208, three UC Berkeley professors from a wide range of disciplines — psychology, biology and ethnic studies — broach a deep question: What is understanding?“When I think about it through the lens of being a psychologist, I really think about understanding as a demonstration of, say, knowledge that we have about the world,” began Arianne Eason, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology. “But that knowledge doesn't necessarily have to be through what we say. It doesn't necessarily have to be explicit. It's really about shaping the way that we engage with the world around us, and with those around us, and being very flexible. “I think a lot of times, if we're thinking about the college context, and what is understanding, people's first reaction might be, ‘I'm able to give an answer.' But that's not really understanding. It's really about being able to apply it to different contexts that you may not have seen before. “And I think kind of wrapped up in that for me is a recognition of what you don't know. To really understand also means to recognize what you don't understand, and where the limits of your knowledge are.” The fall 2024 discussion also included Christian Paiz, an associate professor of ethnic studies, and Hernan Garcia, an associate professor of molecular and cell biology and of physics. It's part of a video series for Research, Discovery and You, a course for new students offered every fall semester by the College of Letters and Science. In the course, students are introduced to different ways of thinking and approaches to knowledge production as practiced across the college's 79 majors. Research, Discovery and You is taught by Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton, professor of psychology and associate dean of student outreach and engagement in L&S, and Aileen Liu, director of curricular engagement initiatives in L&S. The video series, part of the course's recent redesign, was supported by L&S and the Division of Undergraduate Education's Instructional Technology and Innovation Micro Grant Program.Read the transcript and listen to the episode on UC Berkeley News (news.berkeley.edu/podcasts).Music by Blue Dot Sessions.Screenshot from L&S video. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023, colleges and universities have seen heightened tensions on campus as student protesters demand change from their administrators. Anti-war protests on college campuses are not a new phenomenon, with many institutions seeing similar unrest during the 1960s during the Vietnam War. The University of South Carolina was one such institution, which saw a general unrest among its student body amid racial tensions, the anti-war movement and other institutional grievances which came to a head in May 1970. The University of South Carolina took an unconventional approach to mitigate student frustrations, which included implementing a comprehensive University 101 course that infused feelings of belonging among participants. The initiative was largely successful, with the university experiencing no student riots for another 50 years. In this episode, John Gardner, one of the professors who helped create the first-year seminar at USC and founder of the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education, reflects on the protests of the 70s and shares how campus leaders today can learn from the past. Hosted by Inside Higher Ed Student Success Reporter Ashley Mowreader. Read a transcript of the podcast here. Follow us on Apple Podcasts  Google Podcasts  Stitcher  Spotify

I really believe in local government. It's nice having a functioning sewage system. Zoning affects all of us. The parks here in Bloomington are hard to beat. And yet, in spite of all that, I cannot get myself to a city council meeting.So I wanted to talk with someone who can, someone who was so into city council that they wanted to join it. Last spring, I heard Isak Asare on a local podcast, The 812, talking about what public life means to him. He had just become one of Bloomington's three At-Large City Councilmembers. So I reached out. In his day job, Isak works at Indiana University's Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies as the Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Education and Student Affairs and as the Co-Director of the Cybersecurity and Global Policy Program. We talked in May. Isak was only two months into his term as a Bloomington City Councilmember, and he still had that warm glow of optimism most of us have at the beginning of a project. I think he'll keep it, though, and, in any case, that can-do attitude is we want in our representatives. Isak and I talked about what public life means, how budgets are moral documents, and about how protocol – which is boring almost by definition (Shall petitioners receive three minutes or five minutes to speak on a topic? Shall councilmembers be required to request permission to ask a follow-up question?) affects who's able to participate in a meeting. Which is to say, how protocol is intimately intertwined with justice.

The standard high school education covers a broad and deep array of state-mandated subjects but doesn't necessarily cultivate strong critical reasoning skills. That's a shame, because those skills are essential to success in higher education. Amy and Mike invited college dean Louis Newman to explore what thinking critically in college means. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Do teens typically arrive at college with sufficient critical thinking skills?  What does critical thinking mean in an academic context? What kinds of critical thinking do college professors expect students to do in their courses?  How can parents best support their students in college?  How can learners improve their critical thinking skills? MEET OUR GUEST Louis E. Newman is the former Dean of Academic Advising and Associate Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education at Stanford University. His responsibilities at Stanford included overseeing an extensive residential advising program, the pre-law and pre-med advising programs, transfer and co-term student advising, new student orientation programs, a summer bridge program, and the university's academic progress review system. At Stanford, he grew the advising program, promoted a holistic approach to academic advising, and advocated for liberal education. He is also the John M. and Elizabeth W. Musser Professor of Religious Studies, Emeritus, at Carleton College, where he taught for thirty-three years. During his tenure at Carleton, he also served as an Associate Dean of the College, which included expanding the advisor training program and launching new programs to support advisors. He served for a term as Director of the Perlman Center for Learning and Teaching, which sponsored weekly programs for faculty and staff on all aspects of pedagogy, academic policy, and trends in higher education. In this role he functioned as the informal mentor to the faculty at Carleton, which is consistently rated by US News & World Report as #1 for undergraduate teaching. He is also an internationally recognized scholar in the field of Jewish ethics and has written and co-edited several books in that field, as well as dozens of articles. He was the first president of the Society of Jewish Ethics and the co-founder of its journal. Louis Newman completed his B.A. in Hebrew and Philosophy and his M.A. in Philosophy at the University of Minnesota, and received his Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Brown University.  Throughout his career, hundreds of students and colleagues have attested to the profound impact he had on their learning and their lives as a gifted teacher and as a trusted advisor and mentor. Find Louis at info@thinkingcritically.us. LINKS Thinking Critically in College: The Essential Handbook for Student Success Collegiate Learning Assessment College Success Coaching RELATED EPISODES COLLEGE READINESS ADVICE FROM A COLLEGE PROFESSOR HOW TO BE A SUCCESSFUL COLLEGE FRESHMAN THE UNWRITTEN RULES OF COLLEGE SUCCESS ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.  

Storm-chasing for scientific purposes is both thrilling and essential for understanding tornado formation and behaviour. Guest: Dr. Yvette Richardson, Professor of Meteorology and Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education at the Pennsylvania State University Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Seg 1: What's it like being a real storm chaser? Storm-chasing for scientific purposes is both thrilling and essential for understanding tornado formation and behaviour. Guest: Dr. Yvette Richardson, Professor of Meteorology and Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education at the Pennsylvania State University Seg 2: View From Victoria: Getting involved with equalization David Eby tries to give the impression that BC is 100% joining Newfoundland's challenge to equalization. Unfortunately he almost immediately began with qualifications. The Vancouver Sun's Vaughn Palmer is here with his take on the day's headlines. Seg 3: How scientists are bringing a butterfly back from extinction A pioneering experiment in San Francisco is looking to restore the Xerces blue butterfly, a species that went extinct over eight decades ago.  Guest: Dr. Durrell D. Kapan, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Biodiversity Science and Sustainability Seg 4: Gone Country ending its epic run A major country music festival in the Fraser Valley is coming to an end and we'll hear from the headline performer of the' Gone Country' Music Festival. Guest: Dallas Smith, Musician Seg 5: How is Canada protecting its valuable biodiversity The Canadian government is prioritizing conservation and restoration of nature to capture greenhouse gas emissions and protect biodiversity. Guest: Steven Guilbeault, Federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change Seg 6: Can we protect students from toxic drug overdoses on campus? In response to the January death of a University of Victoria student from a fentanyl overdose, the B.C. government is developing new safety measures to protect university students from overdoses. Guest: Minister Lisa Beare, BC's Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills Seg 7: Can BC improve its Ministry of Children and Family Development? The government is adopting a new approach to child welfare in response to the “Don't Look Away” investigation, which highlighted systemic issues leading to the abuse and death of an Indigenous boy. Guest: Grace Lore, BC's Minister of Children and Family Development Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Hoover Project on China's Global Sharp Power held Hong Kong After the National Security Law on Tuesday, May 14 from 4-5:30pm PT.  This event presented perspectives on the current political and civic climate in Hong Kong since the passage of the National Security Law on June 30, 2020 and the imposition of Article 23 on March 23, 2024. How have these developments fit into the broader history of the struggle for democracy in Hong Kong? What has changed in Hong Kong's once vibrant civil society? What is the latest on the trials of pro-democracy activists? How have diasporic advocates constructed a Hong Kong political identity in exile? Four panelists—Ambassador James Cunningham, the Chairman of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong and former Consul General of the United States to Hong Kong and Macau (2005-2008); Sebastien Lai, a democracy advocate and son of jailed Hong Kong businessman and publisher Jimmy Lai; Sophie Richardson, the former China Director at Human Rights Watch; and Cherie Wong, the former leader of Alliance Canada Hong Kong (ACHK)—will discuss these issues and more in a conversation moderated by Hoover William L. Clayton Senior Fellow Larry Diamond. ABOUT THE SPEAKERS Ambassador James B. Cunningham retired from government service at the end of 2014.  He is currently a consultant, a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, an adjunct faculty member at Syracuse University's Maxwell School, and Board Chair of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation. He served as Ambassador to Afghanistan, Ambassador to Israel, Consul General in Hong Kong, and Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations. Ambassador Cunningham was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania and graduated magna cum laude from Syracuse University.  He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Asia Society, the National Committee on US-China Relations, and the American Academy of Diplomacy. Sebastien Lai leads the international campaign to free his father Jimmy Lai, the pro democracy activist and publisher currently jailed by the Hong Kong government. Having had international calls for his release from multiple states including the US and the UK, Jimmy Lai's ongoing persecution mirrors the rapid decline of human rights, press freedom and rule of law in the Chinese territory.  Sophie Richardson is a longtime activist and scholar of Chinese politics, human rights, and foreign policy.  From 2006 to 2023, she served as the China Director at Human Rights Watch, where she oversaw the organization's research and advocacy. She has published extensively on human rights, and testified to the Canadian Parliament, European Parliament, and the United States Senate and House of Representatives. Dr. Richardson is the author of China, Cambodia, and the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence (Columbia University Press, Dec. 2009), an in-depth examination of China's foreign policy since 1954's Geneva Conference, including rare interviews with Chinese policy makers. She speaks Mandarin, and received her doctorate from the University of Virginia and her BA from Oberlin College. Her current research focuses on the global implications of democracies' weak responses to increasingly repressive Chinese governments, and she is advising several China-focused human rights organizations.  Cherie Wong (she/her) is a non-partisan policy analyst and advocate. Her influential leadership at Alliance Canada Hong Kong (ACHK), a grassroots community organization, had garnered international attention for its comprehensive research publications and unwavering advocacy in Canada-China relations. ACHK disbanded in November 2023. Recognized for her nuanced and progressive approach, Cherie is a sought-after authority among decision-makers, academics, journalists, researchers, and policymakers. Cherie frequently appeared in parliamentary committees and Canadian media as an expert commentator, speaking on diverse public policy issues such as international human rights, foreign interference, and transnational repression.  Larry Diamond is the William L. Clayton Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, the Mosbacher Senior Fellow in Global Democracy at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI), and a Bass University Fellow in Undergraduate Education at Stanford University. He is also professor, by courtesy, of political science and sociology at Stanford. He co-chairs the Hoover Institution's programs on China's Global Sharp Power and on Taiwan in the Indo-Pacific Region.

In his early opposition to the Iraq war and other overseas misadventures in Bosnia, Haiti and El Salvador, Mark Danner is one of the most respected observers of American foreign policy. So it was a real honor to sit down with him and talk about his life both as an American and as a critic of America's increasingly frayed relations with the rest of the world. Given his peripatetic life as a correspondent of overseas conflict, there's a Homeric quality to Mark Danner, both as a man and as a writer. And so it wasn't surprising that we began our conversation with Danner's memories of how the Illiad inspired his life of travel and adventure.Mark Danner is a writer, journalist and educator who has written on war and politics for more than three decades. He has covered conflicts in Central America, Haiti, the Balkans, Iraq and the greater Middle East, and has written extensively about the development of American foreign policy during the Cold War and the post-Cold War era, focussing on human rights and democracy. He has covered every American presidential election from the 2000 vote recount in Florida to Trump's “Capitol Coup” in 2021. His books include Spiral: Trapped in the Forever War (2016), Torture and the Forever War (2014), Stripping Bare the Body: Politics Violence War (2009), The Secret Way to War: The Downing Street Memo and the Iraq War's Buried History (2006), Torture and Truth: America, Abu Ghraib and the War on Terror (2004), The Road to Illegitimacy: One Reporter's Travel's Through the 2000 Florida Vote Recount (2004) and The Massacre at El Mozote: A Parable of the Cold War (1994). Danner was a longtime staff writer for The New Yorker and is a regular contributor to The New York Review of Books. Danner holds the Class of 1961 Distinguished Chair in Undergraduate Education at the University of California at Berkeley, and the James Clarke Chace Professor of Foreign Affairs and Humanities at Bard College. Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.Keen On is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe

Larry Diamond once again joins Francis Fukuyama for a year-end review to discuss the state of global democracy as 2023 draws to a close. Diamond also recounts his Seymour Martin Lipset Lecture, the 20th iteration of the annual lecture series named in honor of the famed political scientist and sociologist Seymour Martin Lipset, sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for Democracy, the Munk School at the University of Toronto, and the Canadian Embassy.Larry Diamond is the William L. Clayton Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, the Mosbacher Senior Fellow in Global Democracy at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI), and a Bass University Fellow in Undergraduate Education at Stanford University.  He is also a professor by courtesy of Political Science and Sociology at Stanford. His research focuses on democratic trends and conditions around the world and on policies and reforms to defend and advance democracy. His latest edited book (with Orville Schell), China's Influence and American Interests (Hoover Press, 2019), urges a posture of constructive vigilance toward China's global projection of “sharp power,” which it sees as a rising threat to democratic norms and institutions. He offers a massive open online course (MOOC) on Comparative Democratic Development through the edX platform and is now writing a textbook to accompany it.Diamond's book, Ill Winds: Saving Democracy from Russian Rage, Chinese Ambition, and American Complacency, analyzes the challenges confronting liberal democracy in the United States and around the world at this potential “hinge in history,” and offers an agenda for strengthening and defending democracy at home and abroad. A paperback edition with a new preface was released by Penguin in April 2020. His other books include: In Search of Democracy (2016), The Spirit of Democracy (2008), Developing Democracy: Toward Consolidation (1999),  Promoting Democracy in the 1990s (1995), and Class, Ethnicity, and Democracy in Nigeria (1989). He has also edited or coedited more than forty books on democratic development around the world, most recently, Dynamics of Democracy in Taiwan: The Ma Ying-jeou Years.Democracy IRL is produced by the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL), part of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) at Stanford University.To learn more, visit our website or follow us on social media.

Welcome back to the Distinctly Detroit Podcast! Our guest, Professor Angela Dillard was the Chair of the Department of History at the University of Michigan, but since the recording, Professor Dillard has been promoted as the first Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education. She is also the Richard A. Meisler Collegiate Professor of Afro-American & African Studies in the Residential College. Professor Dillard is a native Detroiter whose interdisciplinary research focuses on racial issues in America within the scope of religion and bi-partisan politics. She is working on her third book tentatively titled A Different Shade of Freedom that will examine the unexpected relationship between the Civil Rights Movement and the New Right. Please help us welcome Professor Angela Dillard!

How can we improve teaching AND support all the instructors who teach science courses for undergraduates? Today we discuss this question with Marielena DeSanctis, President of the Community College of Denver, and Cassandra Volpe Horii, Associate Vice Provost for Education and Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at Stanford University, who are co-authors of the article titled, “An Instructional-Workforce Framework for Coordinated Change in Undergraduate Education” (2023). Drs. DeSanctis and Volpe Horii discuss their framework—based on principles of justice, equity, and inclusion—which proposes treating all instructors (Visiting, Instructor, Teaching Assistant, Adjunct, Teaching Professor, TT/Tenured, Lecturer) as a unified workforce. Using the levers of governance, professional development, and reward systems, they offer institutions a path to significant improvement in the teaching of undergraduate science courses. Resource“An Instructional-Workforce Framework for Coordinated Change in Undergraduate Education” (February 1, 2023) by Mark Lee, Cassandra Volpe Horii, Ann E. Austin, Leanne Avery, Marielena DeSanctis, Noah Finkelstein, Emily Miller & Barbara Schaal in Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning

Subscribe to Receive Venkat's Weekly Newsletter As a kid, Science for Dr Anil Menon was a dinner table conversation with his parents, who were both scientists. Dr Menon enjoyed those discussions. As a young boy, he was fascinated with Mendeleev's Periodic Table of the Elements. This fascination led to his lifelong commitment for science in general, and Molecular Genetics in particular. Dr. Anil Menon is Professor of Molecular Genetics & Associate Dean of the UG Program in Medical Sciences. In this Podcast, Dr. Menon reflects on his journey into the then emerging field of Molecular Genetics, Working in Jim Watson's Lab in SUNY Stony Brook, PhD in Jerry Lingrel's Lab at the U Cincinnati, Postdoctoral work with the Human Genome Project at Harvard with Jim Watson, Jim Gazella, and his Professional Career at the UC. In particular, we discuss the following with him:  Dr. Menon's Passion For Science PhD in Jerry Lingrel's Lab, UC Human Genome Project at Harvard Embryonic Stem Cells Research, UC Topics discussed in this episode: Introducing Dr. Anil Menon, U of Cincinnati [] Hi Fives - Podcast Highlights [] The Passion For Science [] UG to PhD [] Jerry Lingrel's Lab [] PhD Work [] Fast Forward 35 Years! [] Yamanaka Factors [] The OCT4 Potential [] Reflecting on the elusive OCT4 [] Postdoc at Harvard - Human Genome Project [] Jim Gazella's Lab - Gene Sequencing [] UC - Embryonic Stem Cells [] Why Molecular Biology? [] Our Guest: Dr. Anil Menon is the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Dr. Menon received his PhD at the University of Cincinnati and did his Postdoctoral Fellowship at Harvard Medical School.  Memorable Quote: “So, I think I will always be a scientist, I think I'm a little more you know, I view it with less, less naivety now than I did when I first started, but it has not changed. I think the atoms that comprise me, have been touched with, with just the joy of doing science, and I will always be a scientist.” Dr. Anil Menon. Episode Transcript: Please visit Episode's Transcript. Suggestions for you: College Experiences, UG Research Calls-to-action: Follow us on Instagram. To Ask the Guest a question, or to comment on this episode, email podcast@almamatters.io. Subscribe or Follow our podcasts at any of these locations: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify.

The Key continues to share Inside Higher Ed's latest collaboration with Times Higher Education – Campus Podcast. Eve Riskin, dean of undergraduate education at Stevens Institute of Technology, talks about the power of mentorship, diversity in excellence and what she, as an electrical engineer and computer scientist, thinks about the emergence of generative AI. Episode sponsored by Stevens Institute of Technology.

To truly let our education change us, we must seek for truth, be humble, be patient, and make the Holy Ghost our constant companion. Christopher P. Oscarson, an associate dean in Undergraduate Education, delivered this devotional address on June 27, 2023. You can access the talk here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to an episode with Christina Maslach, PhD, a professor of psychology (Emerita) and a researcher at the Healthy Workplaces Center at the University of California, Berkeley.  In this episode, we discuss the causes of burnout and the factors contributing to it, and how leaders and organizations can address this issue to provide a sustainable and healthy working environment for their employees.  Christina Maslach, PhD, received her BA from Harvard and her PhD from Stanford. She is best known as the pioneering researcher on job burnout, producing the standard assessment tool (the Maslach Burnout Inventory, MBI), books, and journal articles. She has received numerous awards for her work, including both academic (the 2020 award for scientific writing from the National Academy of Sciences) and public (named in 2021 as one of the top 100 people transforming business, by Business Insider). In addition, she is an award-winning teacher and was Professor of the Year in 1997. As an administrator, she was Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Instructional Technology, and the Chair of the faculty Academic Senate (twice) at UC-Berkeley. She was the president of the Western Psychological Association when it celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2020. She is now interviewing women faculty who arrived at Berkeley in the 1970s, after the historic low point for women in the 1960s. Get Christina's new book here: The Burnout Challenge: Managing People's Relationships with Their Jobs. Christina Maslach and Michael P. Leiter Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Many graduates describe their college experience as being transformative, changing how they view the world and their role in it. In this episode, Caralyn Zehnder, Karynne Kleine, Julia Metzker, and Cynthia Alby join us to explore the role that college faculty can play in creating transformative learning experiences. Caralyn is a senior lecturer in biology at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Karynne is the former Dean of the Division of Education at Young Harris College, Julia is the Director of the Washington Center for Undergraduate Education at Evergreen St College, and Cynthia is a Professor of Education at Georgia College. They are the authors of Learning that Matters: A Field Guide to Course Design for Transformative Education. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 330, an episode with Christina Maslach, PhD, a professor of psychology (Emerita) and a researcher at the Healthy Workplaces Center at the University of California, Berkeley.  In this episode, we discuss the causes of burnout and the factors contributing to it, and how leaders and organizations can address this issue to provide a sustainable and healthy working environment for their employees.  Christina Maslach, PhD, received her BA from Harvard and her PhD from Stanford. She is best known as the pioneering researcher on job burnout, producing the standard assessment tool (the Maslach Burnout Inventory, MBI), books, and journal articles. She has received numerous awards for her work, including both academic (the 2020 award for scientific writing from the National Academy of Sciences) and public (named in 2021 as one of the top 100 people transforming business, by Business Insider). In addition, she is an award-winning teacher and was Professor of the Year in 1997. As an administrator, she was Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Instructional Technology, and the Chair of the faculty Academic Senate (twice) at UC-Berkeley. She was the president of the Western Psychological Association when it celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2020. She is now interviewing women faculty who arrived at Berkeley in the 1970s, after the historic low point for women in the 1960s. Get Christina's new book here: The Burnout Challenge: Managing People's Relationships with Their Jobs. Christina Maslach and Michael P. Leiter Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo  

In this episode Eric interviews Emily Leary Chesney from the American Psychological Association in Washington, DC. Within the Education Directorate, Emily is the Associate Director of the Office of Pre-College and Undergraduate Education. She is the staff liaison to Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools, or, the TOPSS Committee. She discusses her dedication and passion for working on behalf of high school teachers of psychology in numerous forms.  Working at APA and the pandemic has brought about change, but the silver lining has been more work flexibility for now.  Emily shares some of the details of her undergraduate past, having been a psychology major at Furman University and having taken three courses from Charles Brewer (with fond memories). TOPSS: https://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/topss National Council for the Social Studies (which has a psychology community): https://connected.socialstudies.org/home

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Professor Lawrence Schiffman about Second Temple and Rabbinic Judaism. Lawrence Schiffman is a professor at New York University, where he lectures on topics such as the Dead Sea Scrolls, Midrashei Halacha, and Second Temple Judasim. He joins us today to discuss the evolution from early Judaism to modern observance, as well as the outcomes of superimposing ancient Judaism onto our present day understandings. - Who is a “common Jew”? - Is Jewish disunity as modern as we think it is? - Why would one cling to modern Judaism despite its evolution over history? Tune in to hear a conversation on the development of Judaism and how faith must be the answer when history fails us. Interview begins at 23:48Lawrence Schiffman is a professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York University and Director of the Global Institute for Advanced Research in Jewish Studies. Dr. Schiffman is a specialist in the Dead Sea Scrolls, Judaism in Late Antiquity, the history of halacha, and Talmud. He has served as Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Professor of Judaic Studies at Yeshiva University. Dr. Schiffman was featured in the PBS Nova series documentary, Secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and several other documentaries. Dr. Schiffman's book, From Text to Tradition, is a journey through the history of the emergence of rabbinic Judaism in the Second Temple era. Dr. Schiffman joins us to talk about the world of Early Judaism. References:“The Rambam's Introduction to the Mishna” by Maimonides Zakhor: Jewish History And Jewish Memory by Yosef Hayim YerushalmiThe Formation of the Talmud: Scholarship and Politics in Yitzhak Isaac Halevy's Dorot HaRishonim by Dr. Ari BergmannDorot HaRishonim by Rav Yitzhak Isaac Halevy“Wissenschaft Des Judentums, Historical Consciousness, and Jewish Faith: The Diverse Paths of Frankel, Auerbach, and Halevy” by David Ellenson From Text to Tradition, a History of Judaism in Second Temple and Rabbinic Times: A History of Second Temple and Rabbinic Judaism by Lawrence SchiffmanJosephus: The Complete Works by Flavius JosephusComparing Judaism and Christianity: Common Judaism, Paul, and the Inner and the Outer in Ancient Religion by E.P. SandersBook of JeremiahTractate YadayimPirkei Avot 1:1Book of EzraBook of NechemiaDivrei HaYamim II 35:13The Four Stages of Rabbinic Judaism by Jacob NeusnerMatthew 12, The New TestamentMiktzat Ma'ase Ha-TorahDer Babylonische Talmud by Lazarus Goldschmidt Sefer HaIkkarim by Rav Yosef AlboTexts and Traditions: A Source Reader for the Study of Second Temple and Rabbinic Judaism by Lawrence SchiffmanSefer HaChinuch by Anonymous

Somali and Phil join Immune to discuss their approaches to immunology education. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Cynthia Leifer, Steph Langel, and Brianne Barker Guest: Sumali Pandey and Phil Mixter Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts. RSS, email Become a patron of Immune! Links for this episode ImmunoReach ASMCUE: ASM Conference for Undergraduate Educators (ASMCUE) Upcoming ASM Webinars: free Microedu Live! discussions: Friday, October 14, 1:00 PM Eastern time/10:00 AM Pacific time, topic will be the assessment of learning. Register here. Friday, November 4, 1:00 PM Eastern time/10:00 AM Pacific time, topic will be microbiology laboratory biosafety. Register here. Journals with relevant education resources: AAI ImmunoHorizons ImmunoHorizons Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education (ASM; open-source, see Tips & Tools for examples):Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education Table of Contents Volume 23, Issue 2 (asm.org) CBE Life Sciences Education CBE–Life Sciences Education (LSE) (lifescied.org)  How to tell your professional story effectively – for instruction-focused scientists (including external review): Initiative: External Peer Review of Teaching – The Teaching Academy of the Consortium of West Region Colleges of Veterinary Medicine (westregioncvm.org)  ASM Carski Award for Educators: ASM Carski Award for Undergraduate Education Undergraduate degree program in Immunology at University of Alabama-Birmingham (only one in the USA): CAS – Undergraduate Immunology Program | UAB 3D printable antibody-antigen epitope models Antibody Epitope teaching kit by esuchman – Thingiverse Time stamps by Jolene. Thanks! Music by Steve Neal. Immune logo image by Blausen Medical Send your immunology questions and comments to immune@microbe.tv