Carnegie Science Center's Podcast

Carnegie Science Center's Podcast

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Carnegie Science Center's Podcast episodes

  • Cafe Scientifique Q&A: "Robot Futures"

    Illah Reza Nourbakhsh
    This is the Q&A portion of Dr. Nourbakhsh's presentation on 'Robot Futures'.
    The ambition of modern robotics goes beyond copying humans, beyond the effort to make walking, talking androids that are indistinguishable from people. Future robots will have superhuman abilities in both the physical and digital realms. They will be embedded in our physical spaces, with the ability to go where we cannot, and will have minds of their own, thanks to artificial intelligence. They will be fully connected to the digital world, far better at carrying out online tasks than we are.
    In his new book Robot Futures, the Illah Reza Nourbakhsh considers how we will share our world with these creatures, and how our society could change as it incorporates a race of stronger, smarter beings.
    Nourbakhsh imagines a future that includes adbots offering interactive custom messaging; robotic flying toys that operate by means of "gaze tracking"; robot-enabled multimodal, multicontinental telepresence; and even a way that nanorobots could allow us to assume different physical forms. In Robot Futures, Nourbakhsh follows each glimpse into the robotic future with an examination of the underlying technology and an exploration of the social consequences of the scenario.
    Nourbakhsh is the director of the Community Robotics, Education and Technology Empowerment (CREATE) lab and head of the Robotics Masters Program in The Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. His current research projects explore community-based robotics, including educational and social robotics and ways to use robotic technology to empower individuals and communities. His other past projects include serving as a robotics group leader at NASA/Ames Research Center as well as the founder and chief scientist of Blue Pumpkin Software, Inc., which was acquired by Witness Systems, Inc. Nourbakhsh earned his bachelor's, master's and doctorate in computer science at Stanford University and has been a faculty member of Carnegie Mellon since 1997.
    Recorded at Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh, PA on September 9, 2013.
    48 min
  • Cafe Scientifique: "Bikes and Bodies"

    Georgena Terry
    Founder, Terry Precision Bicycles for Women
    CEO, Heart of Steel Bicycles
    Have you ever ridden on a bike that just felt right – or that just felt wrong? At its heart, a bicycle frame is an exercise in trigonometry. As with dominoes, changing one element often has effects on the other elements. The body of the rider also has to fit into the equation. There's no better way to understand these relationships than by designing a bicycle frame.
    Georgena Terry will help you understand this very simple, yet very sophisticated machine, based on her background in mechanical engineering and her experience in designing bicycles. The next time you look at your bike, you'll see it through different eyes. Learn why women's bodies often call for different bike design than men's, and why some bikes might wear you out more than others. And if you're in the market for a new bicycle, you'll be prepared to understand the meaning behind all the numbers.
    Recorded at Carnegie Science Center on Monday, July 8, 2013.
    39 min
  • Café Scientifique Q&A: "Bikes and Bodies"

    This is the Q&A portion of Georgena Terry's talk, "Bikes and Bodies"
    Have you ever ridden on a bike that just felt right – or that just felt wrong? At its heart, a bicycle frame is an exercise in trigonometry. As with dominoes, changing one element often has effects on the other elements. The body of the rider also has to fit into the equation. There's no better way to understand these relationships than by designing a bicycle frame.
    Georgena Terry will help you understand this very simple, yet very sophisticated machine, based on her background in mechanical engineering and her experience in designing bicycles. The next time you look at your bike, you'll see it through different eyes. Learn why women's bodies often call for different bike design than men's, and why some bikes might wear you out more than others. And if you're in the market for a new bicycle, you'll be prepared to understand the meaning behind all the numbers.
    Recorded at Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh, PA on July 8, 2013.
    48 min
  • Café Scientifique: "The Living Dead Brain"

    "The Living Dead Brain: What human brains teach us about zombie minds"
    The realities of modern neuroscience once only existed in the imaginations of science fiction authors. Brain signals can control robotic arms or make music, viruses are being used to reprogram neurons to fire when exposed to light, and giant magnets are capable of visualizing our thoughts in action. Join Dr. Timothy Verstynen (Assistant Professor in Psychology & Neuroscience at Carnegie Mellon University) as he turn the tables and shows how real science can be used to explain science fiction. Using forensic neuroscience, Dr. Verstynen will demonstrate how the behavior of horror movie zombies (e.g., the way they move, their inability to talk or experience pain) can be understood as a surreal convergence of neurological impairments. This educational talk is designed to highlight how popular culture can be leveraged as a useful teaching tool for science education at all ages.
    Recorded on Monday, June 3, 2013 at Carnegie Science Center
    57 min
  • Café Scientifique Q&A: "The Living Dead Brain"

    This is the Q&A portion of Dr. Timothy Verstynen's talk, "The Living Dead Brain: What human brains teach us about zombie minds"
    The realities of modern neuroscience once only existed in the imaginations of science fiction authors. Brain signals can control robotic arms or make music, viruses are being used to reprogram neurons to fire when exposed to light, and giant magnets are capable of visualizing our thoughts in action. Join Dr. Timothy Verstynen (Assistant Professor in Psychology & Neuroscience at Carnegie Mellon University) as he turn the tables and shows how real science can be used to explain science fiction. Using forensic neuroscience, Dr. Verstynen will demonstrate how the behavior of horror movie zombies (e.g., the way they move, their inability to talk or experience pain) can be understood as a surreal convergence of neurological impairments. This educational talk is designed to highlight how popular culture can be leveraged as a useful teaching tool for science education at all ages.
    Recorded at the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh, PA on Monday, June 3, 2013
    56 min
  • Café Scientifique Q&A: "Flying Colors: Innovation and Evolution in Butterfly Coloration"

    This is the Question and Answer portion of our evening with Dr. Nathan Morehouse following his lecture "Flying Colors: Innovation and Evolution in Butterfly Coloration."
    Dr. Morehouse has been chasing colorful insects since the age of 3, but he began his formal training as a biologist at Cornell University, graduating with Distinction in Research in 2000. After graduation, he worked as a commercial salmon fisherman off of the coast of Kodiak Island, a farmhand on Vancouver Island, and the general manager and sommelier of a French restaurant in New York, before returning to biology as a doctoral student at Arizona State University. He received his Ph.D. in 2009 studying sexual selection, coloration and resource dynamics in the Cabbage White butterfly under the direction of Dr. Ron Rutowski. He then joined the lab of Dr. Jerome Casas at the Université de Tours, France as a European Union Marie Curie Fellow, where he studied the evolution and development of seasonal wing coloration in the European Map Butterfly from 2009-2011. He is now an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh, where his lab studies the use of color in the animal kingdom, focused predominantly on color vision and color signaling in butterflies and jumping spiders.
    Recorded at the Carnegie Science Center, Pittsburgh, PA. Monday, May 6th, 2013.
    47 min
  • Café Scientifique: "Flying Colors: Innovation and Evolution in Butterfly Coloration"

    *Note: Due to a microphone malfunction, the first few minutes of the lecture were lost. We apologize for the inconveniance and less than ideal quality of what was able to be recorded.

     

    Butterfly colors have fascinated biologists and amateurs alike for thousands of years, but it’s only been in the past several decades that researchers have begun to understand many aspects of the function and evolution of these eye-catching traits. Drawing from his own research, Dr. Morehouse will talk about new developments in our understanding of how butterflies produce their colors, what they use them for and why some butterflies are colorful and others are not.

     

    Dr. Morehouse has been chasing colorful insects since the age of 3, but he began his formal training as a biologist at Cornell University, graduating with Distinction in Research in 2000. After graduation, he worked as a commercial salmon fisherman off of the coast of Kodiak Island, a farmhand on Vancouver Island, and the general manager and sommelier of a French restaurant in New York, before returning to biology as a doctoral student at Arizona State University. He received his Ph.D. in 2009 studying sexual selection, coloration and resource dynamics in the Cabbage White butterfly under the direction of Dr. Ron Rutowski. He then joined the lab of Dr. Jerome Casas at the Université de Tours, France as a European Union Marie Curie Fellow, where he studied the evolution and development of seasonal wing coloration in the European Map Butterfly from 2009-2011. He is now an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh, where his lab studies the use of color in the animal kingdom, focused predominantly on color vision and color signaling in butterflies and jumping spiders.

     

    Recorded at the Carnegie Science Center, Pittsburgh, PA. Monday, May 6th, 2013.

    40 min
  • Café Scientifique: The New 21st Century 'War of the Currents' – AC vs. DC Electricity

    View the corresponding slide show here!

    Abstract:

    Improvements to the existing electric power grid infrastructure, whose design dates back nearly a century, have been identified as a key aspect of the current U.S. strategy to improve energy efficiency, grid reliability, and power security. In order to effectively and economically implement the necessary improvements and expansions of the power grid infrastructure to meet the emerging needs of smart grid implementation, renewable energy integration, and energy storage applications, increased development and applications of advanced power electronics based technologies, such as High Voltage and Medium Voltage DC Systems (HVDC and MVDC) and Flexible AC Transmission Systems (FACTS), must take place. An overview of current HVDC, MVDC, and FACTS technologies will be provided, along with a discussion of new developments and emerging needs for future transmission and distribution system applications. In addition, an interesting historical perspective will be provided on the AC vs. DC controversy dating back to the days of Westinghouse, Tesla, and Edison - and why that battle is being renewed today.

    Biography:

    Dr. Gregory Reed is the Director of the Electric Power Initiative in the Swanson School of Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh, Associate Director of the University’s Center for Energy, and Associate Professor of Electric Power Engineering in the Swanson School’s Electrical & Computer Engineering Department. He is also the Director of the newly established Grid Technologies Collaborative of the DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory's Regional University Alliance; and an inaugural member of the National Academies of Science and Engineering's Energy Ambassador Program. His research interests, teaching activities, and related pursuits include advanced electric power and energy generation, transmission, and distribution system technologies; power electronics and control technologies (FACTS, HVDC, and MVDC systems); renewable energy systems and integration; smart grid technologies and applications; and energy storage. Dr. Reed has over 27 years of combined industry and academic experience in the electric power and energy arena, including engineering, research & development, and executive management positions throughout his career with the Consolidated Edison of New York, ABB Inc., Mitsubishi Electric Corp., and DNV-KEMA Inc. He has authored or co-authored more than 75 papers and technical articles in the areas of electric power system analysis, the applications of advanced power systems and power electronics technologies, and power engineering education. He is an active member of the IEEE Power & Energy Society and the American Society of Engineering Education. Dr. Reed earned his Ph.D, in electric power engineering from the University of Pittsburgh (1997), M.Eng. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1986), and B.S. from Gannon University (1985).

    Web: www.power.pitt.edu ; http://www.energy.pitt.edu/About/Reed.asp

    Recorded at the Carnegie Science Center, Pittsburgh, PA. Monday, April 8th, 2013. 

    1 hr 56 min
  • Cosmology Lecture Part 4 of 4

    Join the staff of Carnegie Science Center's Buhl Digital Dome for a lecture on Cosmology, the study of the structure and evolution of the universe. In this episode, join Robert Marshall to learn about the history of our ever evolving understanding of the universe, explore different techniques for getting around astronomy's problems, and take steps to better understand the true reality of our own galaxy and the universe. This is Part 4 of 4.
    25 min
  • Cosmology Lecture Part 3 of 4

    Join the staff of Carnegie Science Center's Buhl Digital Dome for a lecture on Cosmology, the study of the structure and evolution of the universe. In this episode, join Robert Marshall to learn about the history of our ever evolving understanding of the universe, explore different techniques for getting around astronomy's problems, and take steps to better understand the true reality of our own galaxy and the universe. This is Part 3 of 4.
    27 min

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