We may not be able to predict earthquakes, but we can certainly find better ways to prepare for them! Modeling earthquakes by researchers at Northwestern University like Jamie Neely informs many levels of preparedness by policymakers for large, potentially dangerous earthquakes – listen on to hear what earth science is capable of to improve our world!

If you want to learn more about the topics discussed in this episode, check out: 

• The Great Quake: How the Biggest Earthquake in North America Changed Our Understanding of the Planet by Henry Fountain
• A Crack in the Edge of the World: America and the Great California Earthquake of 1906 by Simon Winchester

Don't forget to follow us on Twitter @SpotlightThePod to stay up-to-date on all news and episode releases!

Learn more about Northwestern University SPOT on Twitter @SPOTForceNU or at our website spot.northwestern.edu

Podcast artwork created by Edie Jiang, available at her website https://ediejiang.weebly.com/ or on Instagram @ediejiang

Music in this episode: Earth by MusicbyAden https://soundcloud.com/musicbyadenCreative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/_earthMusic promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/5yIbZVOv438

Even just the word "nuclear" might make your brain go numb, but not anymore! Graduate student Katie Mummah has heard every single question trying to understand nuclear energy and engineering, and she's here to answer them all. Katie will also discuss her research on coding for nuclear non-proliferation across the world.

If you want to learn more about the topics discussed in this episode, check out: 

• Podcast episode about Katie's research
• IAEA Safeguards: Delivering effective nuclear verification for world peace (flyer)
• World Nuclear Association's information library for up-to-date resources!

Don't forget to follow us on Twitter @SpotlightThePod to stay up-to-date on all news and episode releases!
Learn more about Northwestern University SPOT on Twitter @SPOTForceNU or at our website spot.northwestern.edu

Podcast artwork created by Edie Jiang, available at her website https://ediejiang.weebly.com/ or on Instagram @ediejiang
Music in this episode: Earth by MusicbyAden https://soundcloud.com/musicbyadenCreative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/_earthMusic promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/5yIbZVOv438

More nanoparticle talk, but for a completely different application: the ways that we treat allergies. Biomedical engineering PhD student Clayton Rische investigates new ways to treat allergic reactions at their source, not just the symptoms, connecting researchers and doctors together in the process.

If you want to learn more about the topics discussed in this episode, check out: 

• How nanoparticles could change the way we treat cancer (TedTalk)
• Nanomaterials for direct and indirect immunomodulation (scientific article)
• Advances in nanotechnology and asthma (scientific article)

Don't forget to follow us on Twitter @SpotlightThePod to stay up-to-date on all news and episode releases!
Learn more about Northwestern University SPOT on Twitter @SPOTForceNU or at our website spot.northwestern.edu

Podcast artwork created by Edie Jiang, available at her website https://ediejiang.weebly.com/ or on Instagram @ediejiang
Music in this episode: Earth by MusicbyAden https://soundcloud.com/musicbyadenCreative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/_earthMusic promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/5yIbZVOv438

For our first EVER episode, we are welcoming chemistry graduate student and science communication veteran Suyog Padgaonkar to talk about his work on the fascinating nanomaterials that may change the way we trap and emit light. He also gives us the scoop on why science outreach matters, and not just the programs for kids. 

If you want to learn more about the topics discussed in this episode, check out: 

• The Mighty Power of Nanomaterials: Crash Course Engineering #23 (video)
• What are quantum dots, and why do I want them in my TV? (news article)
• Northwestern graduate students host virtual, monthly science talks with seniors (news article)

Don't forget to follow us on Twitter @SpotlightThePod to stay up-to-date on all news and episode releases!
Learn more about Northwestern University SPOT on Twitter @SPOTForceNU or at our website spot.northwestern.edu

Podcast artwork created by Edie Jiang, available at her website https://ediejiang.weebly.com/ or on Instagram @ediejiang
Music in this episode: Earth by MusicbyAden https://soundcloud.com/musicbyadenCreative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/_earthMusic promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/5yIbZVOv438

Welcome to In the Spotlight, the science communication podcast brought to you by Northwestern University's Science Policy Outreach Taskforce! In each episode, host Emily Schafer interviews a different graduate student or postdoctoral scholar in the sciences  to discuss their research and how it relates to the world around us. What problems are they trying to solve? What should we all understand about their work? What policies may be needed to support this research? These are the questions we will try to answer on In the Spotlight.

Don't forget to follow us on Twitter @SpotlightThePod to stay up-to-date on all news and episode releases!

Learn more about Northwestern University SPOT on Twitter @SPOTForceNU or at our website spot.northwestern.edu