Abstract: The Future of Science

Abstract: The Future of Science

By Jeremy UllmanScience
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Abstract: The Future of Science episodes

  • Ep. 72 - Goal Orientation Theory ft. Brandon Klaitman

    Brandon Klaitman, like me, is pursuing an M.A. in Teaching and Learning (MATL) at McGill University. He is on the Social Science path while I am in the Math stream. We got together for a special episode this week to discuss Goal Orientation Theory and how it relates to student success.


    Topics & Concepts
    Goals
    Goal Orientations
    Mastery vs. Performance Goals
    Approach vs. Avoidance Behavior
    Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation
    Teacher Influence
    Factors of Effective Goal Setting in the Classrooms
    Feedback, Framing & Acceptance
    Subgoals
    Work-Avoidant Learners
    Mixed-Grade & Mixed-Ability Classes
    Social Goals, Well-Being & Self-Esteem

    /// Resources

    Deemer, S. (2004). Classroom goal orientation in high school classrooms: Revealing links   between teacher beliefs and classroom environments. Educational research, 46(1), 73-90.

    McCollum, D.L., & Kajs, L.T. (2007). Applying goal orientation theory in an exploration of student motivations in the domain of educational leadership. Educational Research Quarterly, 31(1), 45-59.

    Stavrou, N. A. M. et al. (2015). Flow theory – goal orientation theory: positive experience is related to athlete’s goal orientation. Frontiers in Psychology, 6(1), 1499. https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01499. 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01499

    Woolfolk, A., Perry, N. E., & Winne, P. H. (2020). Educational psychology, 7th Canadian Edition. Pearson.

    /// CLOSING REMARKS

    Does free will exist? Maybe. Regardless, please share your cherished feedback with me at [email protected]!

    Liking the show? Drop us a juicy 5-star rating or a written review on Apple Podcasts!

    Want to support the show? Save your $$$ and support us by Following & Subscribing on: Spotify, Facebook, Instagram & Twitter!

    27 min
  • Ep. 71 - Game Theory & Multiagent Systems ft. Rahul Chandan

    Rahul Chandan is a fifth-year PhD student and UC Regents' Fellow in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). His research work uses game theory and optimization to study the coordination of multi-agent systems. His research interests are motivated by a desire to understand complex biological, social and technological systems composed of relatively simple agents, and to explore interesting applications of mathematics. In his spare time, Rahul enjoys biking the hills of Santa Barbara, cooking new and challenging dishes, and watching terrible Netflix movies with his friends.


    Tune in for answers to questions like...
    How does Game Theory describe human behavior?
    What are multiagent systems and where do we find them in the real world?
    How does a system reach equilibrium, Nash or otherwise?
    What is the role of information, new and old, in a complex system?
    and many more!

    Topics & Concepts
    Multi-Agent Systems
    Intelligence
    Consciousness
    Optimization
    (Local) Utility Functions
    Rationality
    Economics
    Game Theory
    Road Networks & Routing
    Nash Equilibrium
    Intractable Equilibria
    Centralized Authority (And the Pseudo-Dictatorship of Google Maps)
    A Multiplicity of Solutions
    Drones & Forest Fire Surveillance
    Information
    Single-Agent Systems
    Distributed Decision-Making
    The Tragedy of the Commons
    Policy
    Hobbes vs. Rousseau
    Noise & Unpredictability
    Cake Equality

    /// FURTHER READING
    (Non-cooperative) game theory -- the branch of game theory that deals with self-interested decision making: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-cooperative_game_theory

    Tragedy of the commons: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy_of_the_commons

    Price of Anarchy (a term of the art in game theory which serves as a metric for the "tragedy of the commons"): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Price_of_anarchy

    Fair cake-cutting problem (by the way, it turns out there's a solution for 3 or more agents, but the optimal mechanism just gets really complex): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_cake-cutting

    ///CONTACT
    Rahul's Website: https://rahul-chandan.github.io

    /// CLOSING REMARKS

    Does free will exist? Maybe. Regardless, please share your cherished feedback with me at [email protected]!

    Liking the show? Drop us a juicy 5-star rating or a written review on Apple Podcasts!

    Want to support the show? Save your $$$ and support us by Following & Subscribing on: Spotify, Facebook, Instagram & Twitter!

    Episode Cover Art by the very talented Eva Goblot.

    39 min
  • Ep. 70 - Neuroscience of Mental Disorders ft. Neurolingo

    Welcome to our 2nd ever panel discussion, this time discussing the intersection of Neuroscience and Mental Health! Our guests this week, Liam O’Leary, Tommy Markopoulos, Claudia Belliveau and Candice Canonne, are Neuroscience researchers studying brain anatomy, mental disorders and treatments for them. They have all been trained at Neurolingo, a science outreach initiative founded and managed by graduate students in the Integrated Program in Neuroscience at McGill University, to deliver effective science presentations to public audiences. 

    Tune in for answers to questions like...

    How do we study the neuroscience of mental health?
    What are the main factors affecting mental health onset and outcomes?
    What's the distinction between mental health and brain health?
    and many more!

    Topics & Concepts
    Mental Health
    Pre-Clinical Modeling
    Post-Mortem Human Brains
    Genetics, Environment & Epigenetics
    Schizophrenia
    Depression
    Astrocytes
    Neurotransmitters
    Diagnosis
    Speech Disorders
    Brain Health
    Deep Brain Stimulation
    Antidepressants & SSRIs
    Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
    Fragile-X Syndrome
    Stress-Diathesis Model
    The Limbic System: A Circuit
    Brain Surgery & The Default Mode Network
    Neuroplasticity
    Psychedelics
    Ketamine & Treatment-Resistant Depression
    Von Economo Neurons

    /// CONTACT

    Claudia

    Insta/Twitter: @belliveau13
    Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claudia-belliveau/
    Candice
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/candice.canonne.5/
    Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/candice-canonne-310649181/
    Liam
    Twitter: @Neuroleary
    Tommy
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tommy.markopoulos.1
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommy-markopoulos-0034921ba/

    /// CLOSING REMARKS

    Does free will exist? Maybe. Regardless, please share your cherished feedback with me at [email protected]!

    Liking the show? Drop us a juicy 5-star rating or a written review on Apple Podcasts!

    Want to support the show? Save your $$$ and support us by Following & Subscribing on: Spotify, Facebook, Instagram & Twitter!

    Episode Cover Art by the very talented Eva Goblot.

    1 hr 4 min
  • Ep. 69 - Why You Should Sleep ft. Jonathan Charest

    Jonathan Charest is currently working on validating a sleep questionnaire for student-athletes as part of his postdoctoral research at the University of Calgary. Concurrently, he works with different sports teams and athletes to help them with their travel and jet lag for the upcoming Olympic Games next winter in Beijing. As an ex-track and field athlete, Jonathan is hugely interest in sport and student-athletes and believes that sleep is a crucial part of their success. In his free time, if and when it arises, he loves every outdoor activity including hiking, jogging, cycling and oh yeah, he loves craft beer!


    Tune in for answers to questions like...
    Do I have a healthy relationship with caffeine?
    Should I be taking melatonin to fall asleep?
    How can sleep help improve my quality of life?
    and many more!

    Topics & Concepts
    Blue Light: Screens, Glasses & f.lux
    Caffein Half-Life
    Sleep Currency: Banking & Debt
    Adaptability
    Melatonin: Time-Shifting & Sleep Phase
    Falling vs. Sinking into Sleep
    Scheduling & Priorities
    Teens: Lazy or Sleep Deprived?
    Napping: How & When
    Quality of Life
    Waste Management: Cerebrospinal Fluid
    Sleep Tech & Gadgets
    Mental Health Impacts

    Name Drops: Dr. Penny Werthner, Dr. Charles Samuels

    /// Resources ///
    https://justgetflux.com/

    /// Contact ///
    Twitter: @Jocharest1, @CentreforSleep, @uofcknes
    Linkedin: dr-jonathan-charest-98647733

    39 min
  • Ep. 68 - Stem Cells & The Pancreas ft. Jonathan Brassard

    Jonathan Brassard obtained his Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering at Université Laval followed by a Master's in Bioengineering in Switzerland. Two years ago, he joined Prof. Corinne Hoesli at Mcgill University in Biological and Biomedical Engineering to work on combining stem cell biology and device engineering to treat type 1 diabetes. When he's not in the lab tending to his very needy stem cells, you can find him hiking, climbing or taking pictures of cute animals he encounters during his outdoor adventures!  


    Tune in for answers to questions like...
    How did we discover stem cells and how are they used in bioengineering research?
    How do we create and manipulate miniature organs in the lab?
    What is the cutting edge in the treatment and management of diabetes?
    Where does the future of bioengineering look like?
    and many more!

    Topics & Concepts
    Bioengineering, Chemistry & Medicine
    Stem Cells
    Pluri- & Multi-potency
    Progenitor Cells
    Genetics & Environment
    Differentiation & Self-Organization
    Morphogenesis
    Organoids
    Personalized Medicine
    In Vitro vs. In Vivo
    Bioprinting
    Freedom & Constraint
    The Pancreas
    Exocrine & Endocrine
    Islets of Langerhans
    Alpha, Beta & Delta Cells
    Artificial Pancrease
    Insulin & Glucose
    Transplantation & Cadaveric Donors
    The Immune System
    Pouches & Membranes
    Collaboration

    Resources

    Bioprinting, Stem Cells & Organoids

    https://www.technologynetworks.com/tn/news/researchers-develop-new-method-to-print-tiny-functional-organs-340763

    Self-Organization of Stem Cells

    https://www.cell.com/cell-stem-cell/fulltext/S1934-5909(19)30209-7?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS1934590919302097%3Fshowall%3Dtrue#secsectitle0010

    Contact

    Twitter: @Brassardjon

    Facebook: facebook.com/jonathan.brassard.77

    /// CLOSING REMARKS

    Does free will exist? Maybe. Regardless, please share your cherished feedback with me at [email protected]!

    Liking the show? Drop us a juicy 5-star rating or a written review on Apple Podcasts!

    Want to support the show? Save your $$$ and support us by Following & Subscribing on: Spotify, Facebook, Instagram & Twitter!

    34 min
  • Ep. 67 - Ophthalmology & The Eye ft. Tina Felfeli

    Tina Felfeli is a resident physician in the Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences at University of Toronto. Currently, she's completing a PhD degree in Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Toronto (UofT) as a part of the Integrated Physician-Scientist program. She is a Vanier Scholar and was recently awarded the Fighting Blindness Canada Clinician Scientist Emerging Leaders Award. She's also the author of the Toronto Guide to Clinical Ophthalmology (linked below), which is a textbook used in the ophthalmology curriculum for medical students at UofT. Her research interests include population-based studies, economic evaluations, and prediction models for outcomes of surgical retinal diseases and uveitis, and evaluation of health care delivery within the field of ophthalmology. She combines the worlds of health services research and biomedical research to better understand patient outcomes.


    Tune in for answers to questions like...
    What are the key structures of the eye and the visual system that contribute to my sense of sight?
    What's the difference between optometry and ophthalmology?
    What's the deal with eye floaters?
    What constitutes proper contact lens etiquette?
    Why have I never heard of the leading cause of preventative blindness (Uveitis) before?
    How do we diagnose and treat ocular diseases?

    Topics & Concepts

    Retinal Degenerative Diseases
    Optometry vs. Ophthalmology
    Anatomical Structures of the Visual System:
    - Surrounding the Eye: Orbit, Extraocular Muscles, Fat
    - Front of Eye: Iris, Lens, Cornea, Anterior/Posterior Chamber, Ora Serrata
    - Back of Eye: Vitreous Humor, Retina, Macula, Rods, Cones,
    Floaters
    Retinal Detachment (yikes!)
    Oblong Eyeballs & Myopia (Near-Sightedness)
    Lasik
    Refraction
    Non-Infectious Uveitis: The Star of the Show
    Age & Pathology
    Welcome to the Uvea: Iris, Ciliary Body, Choroid
    Psoriasis, Arthritis, Sarcoidosis
    Inflammatory Disease
    Contact Lense PSA
    Treatment
    Cataracts
    Developing vs. Developed Countries
    Macula & Fovea

    /// Resources ///

    Book: The Toronto Guide to Clinical Ophthalmology (https://books.google.ca/books?id=DDmhDwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false)

    Webinar: FBC’s Clinician-Scientist Emerging Leader Award Recipients
    (https://youtu.be/F8mahC46a7Y?t=1220)

    ///Contact///
    Website: https://theta.utoronto.ca/tina-felfeli-md
    Twitter: @TinaFelfeli, @ihpmeuoft, @uoftmedicine

    42 min
  • Ep. 66 - Quantum Computation ft. Alba Cervera-Lierta

    Alba Cervera-Lierta is a Postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto (Matterlab group). She earned her PhD in quantum computation and quantum information at the Universitat de Barcelona and is currently working on near-term quantum algorithms and high-dimensional quantum physics. Besides fundamental physics, she has a great interest in quantum technologies, education and public outreach activities including popular science talks, seminars, and newspaper and radio programs explaining what quantum computational scientists are doing! And now we've got her on Abstract -- what a treat!


    Tune in for answers to questions like...
    What does it mean to have a probability of -1?
    How do you build a qubit?
    What are the limitations of classical (digital) computers?
    Do quantum physicists believe in free will?
    What will be the capability of the quantum computers of the future?

    Topics & Concepts
    Quantum Information
    Quantum Mechanics
    Quantum Revolution, The
    Quantum Computation
    Quantum Bits (Qubits)
    3 Branches of Quantum Information Theory:
    (1) Communication & Cryptography
    (2) Sensing & Metrology
    (3) Quantum Simulation
    Superconducting Circuits
    Superposition
    Entanglement
    Particle Physics
    Probabilities & Amplitudes
    Continuous vs. Discrete
    Quantum Algorithms
    Digital vs. Quantum Computers
    Controlling Randomness
    Photons & Dyson Spheres
    Quantum Machine Learning
    Complexity

    Name Drops: Max Planck, Richard Feynman

    /// Resources ///
    Quantum Random Number Generator (https://qrange.eu/)

    /// Contact ///
    Alba's Personal Website (https://albacl.github.io/)

    Alba's Twitter Page (@ACLierta)

    ///

    Does free will exist? Maybe. Regardless, please share your cherished feedback with me at [email protected]!

    Liking the show? Drop us a juicy 5-star rating or a written review on Apple Podcasts!

    Want to support the show? Save your $$$ and support us by Following & Subscribing on: Spotify, Facebook, Instagram & Twitter!

    Episode Cover Art by the very talented Eva Goblot.

    40 min
  • Gratitude & The Good Life ft. Jeremy Ullman

    Tune in for a peek behind the curtain and into my personal gratitude journal (and a little solo podcasting to change things up).

    ///

    Interested in a free core workout, every weekday @ 8:30am EST? Here's the Core Collective Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83608422966?pwd=M21BNXVGdEE4cmljUUl3cktOc09qZz09

    ///

    Does free will exist? Maybe. Regardless, please share your cherished feedback with me at [email protected]!

    Liking the show? Drop us a juicy 5-star rating or a written review on Apple Podcasts!

    Want to support the show? Save your $$$ and support us by Following & Subscribing on: Spotify, Facebook, Instagram & Twitter!

    15 min
  • Ep. 65 - Sleep: When Less is More ft. Jesse Cook

    Jesse Cook is a 5th year Clinical Psychology PhD student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His primary research program focuses on advancing the classification, assessment, and treatment of unexplained excessive daytime sleepiness, which is classified as either Idiopathic Hypersomnia or Hypersomnolence Disorder. Supplementarily, he has unique expertise in the capabilities and shortcomings of commercially available sleep tracking technology. He has a longstanding affiliation with the Sleep Research Society and previously served as the Sleep Research Society Trainee Member At-Large, while currently assisting efforts on the Communications Committee. In his free time, I loves to stay active by running, biking, hiking, and playing all the sports. Also, he finds comfort and accomplishment in making healthy, delicious meals and desserts. Ultimately, he aspires for a career that bridges clinical, research, and commercial domains, and intends to pursue a clinical specialty as a Behavioral Sleep Medicine provider.


    Tune in for answers to questions like...
    Why do we sleep?
    Is sleep an automatic process?
    What goes into a good night's sleep?
    How do we define (and what are the different) sleep-states across the animal kingdom?
    What does abnormal sleep look like?
    What treatments exist for people with abnormal sleep behaviors?

    Topics & Concepts
    Sleep Evolution, Behavior & Importance
    Sleep Hygiene & Process
    Sleep States & Stages
    Rapid Eye Movement (REM) & Non-REM Sleep
    Sleep Duration, Quality & Consistency
    Hypersomolence
    Sleep Apnea, Narcolepsy & Idiopathic Hypersomnia
    Intl. Classification of Sleep Disorders (ICSD) & Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)
    Sleep Inertia
    The Bed: Refuge vs. Restoration
    Sleep Tolerance
    The Sleep Seesaw
    Treatment & Management
    The Future of Hypersomnolence Disorder
    Kline-Levin Syndrome (KLS)
    Fatal Familial Insomnia

    /// Contact

    Jesse's Twitter & Instagram: @SleepAndSports

    /// Misc.

    Does free will exist? Maybe. Regardless, please share your cherished feedback with me at [email protected]!

    Liking the show? Drop us a juicy 5-star rating or a written review on Apple Podcasts!

    Want to support the show? Save your $$$ and support us by Following & Subscribing on: Spotify, Facebook, Instagram & Twitter!

    Episode Cover Art by the very talented Eva Goblot.

    36 min
  • Ep. 64 - The Future of Mentorship ft. Lauren Ortosky & Payton Small

    Lauren Ortosky is a PhD candidate in Social Psychology with diverse research interests exploring the interaction of personal and social identity in critical domains. Her primary research examines the passive influence of living in a nationalist country on the beliefs and behaviors of those who are or are not already sympathetic to that ideology. She is also involved in projects to improve diversity in the professoriate with culturally-sensitive training programs and mentorship, as well as work on reducing under-employment among returning veterans. In her free time she is a dedicated trail runner and rock climber - hobbies that combine her passionate support of environmental sustainability and personal health, fitness, wellness, and overall human optimization.


    Payton Small is a PhD candidate in the Psychological and Brain Sciences department at UC Santa Barbara. Broadly, he studies how people of color cope with race-related prejudice, discrimination and stressful life events. In a separate line of work, he examines Whites' pushback against pro-diversity organizational messages and the downstream consequences of such pushback on people of color. In addition to researching topics related to diversity, he is deeply committed to the diversification of the field of social psychology, both in terms of who is conducting research and whose perspectives we are interested in when we conduct research.

    Tune in for answers to questions like...
    What is Access Grads and how can I get involved?
    What goes into creating a student mentorship program?
    What are graduate students best able to help undergraduates with in their academic and even non-academic lives?
    ... and so much more!

    Topics & Concepts
    Cultural Mismatch Theory
    The Independence Norm & Creating Norms
    Winding Academic Paths
    Humanizing Graduates & Research
    Mentorship Experiences
    Starting Your Own Mentorship Program

    /// GUEST SOCIALS ///
    Twitter: PaytonSmall2
    Instagram: Payton_Small, LOrtosky
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenortosky

    /// ACCESS GRADS CONTACT ///
    Website: https://accessgrads.wixsite.com/psychology

    ///

    Does free will exist? Maybe. Regardless, please share your cherished feedback with me at [email protected]!

    Liking the show? Drop us a juicy 5-star rating or a written review on Apple Podcasts!

    Want to support the show? Save your $$$ and support us by Following & Subscribing on: Spotify, Facebook, Instagram & Twitter!

    Episode Cover Art by the very talented Eva Goblot.

    37 min

About Abstract: The Future of Science

From the publisher's feed

Abstract brings unprecedented accessibility to graduate research, shedding light on the wonderful work of Masters, PhDs and Postdocs.