Lab Coat Optional

Plastic is everywhere. The same material that makes modern life easier has also become a persistent environmental pollutant.

Charlie Rolsky — ASU alumnus and executive director of the Shaw Institute in Blue Hill, Maine — explores how microplastics move through our environment and into our bodies, what we do and don’t know about their impacts, and why “biodegradable” often doesn’t mean what we think. He also reflects on his journey from ASU to Maine — and how scientists balance urgency with responsible communication.

Learn more about

• The Shaw Institute (and their free touch tank!)
• Dirigo Sea Farm

Further listening

• Listen to Science Vs!

Lab Coat Optional is a production of the Strategic Marketing and Communications team at Arizona State University’s Knowledge Enterprise. Learn more about research and discovery at ASU on Instagram, LinkedIn and Bluesky or visit us at research.asu.edu.

Please give us a five star review on the podcast app of your choice! It helps other listeners find us.

Got an idea for us? Get in touch at [email protected].

Episode credits

Executive produced by Kate Howells

Produced by Alexander Chapin and Pete Zrioka

Hosted and reported by Pete Zrioka

Shot by Alexander Chapin

Edited by Alexander Chapin and Quinton Kendall

Original music from Patrick Cheung

Motion graphics by Andy Ramos

Art by Andy Keena and Sophia Franz

Social media management by Lauren Hebing and Kyler Litson

Disclosure:

Lab Coat Optional is intended for general knowledge and informational purposes only, and does not constitute medical advice. This show does not create a doctor-patient relationship, and the information provided is not a substitute for professional medical diagnosis or treatment. Consult with a qualified healthcare professional for any health concerns or before making any decisions related to your health. In case of a medical emergency, please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

Opinions expressed on this show reflect the views of the individuals only, not the policy or opinion of Arizona State University.

As AI and emerging technologies reshape daily life, Andrew Maynard — scientist, author and professor in the Rob Walton College of Global Futures — discusses how we navigate disruptive innovation responsibly — and how we can hold onto our humanity in a rapidly changing world.

Further reading:

• Andrew’s Substack
• AI and the Art of Being Human
• Future Rising

Listen to Andrew’s show, Modem Futura wherever you get your podcasts.

Learn more about Andrew’s Future of Being Human Initiative, and the Rob Walton College of Global Futures, part of the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at ASU.

Lab Coat Optional is a production of the Strategic Marketing and Communications team at Arizona State University’s Knowledge Enterprise. Learn more about research and discovery at ASU on Instagram, LinkedIn and Bluesky or visit us at research.asu.edu.

Love the show? Give us a five star review on the podcast app of your choice!

Get in touch with us at [email protected].

Episode credits

Executive produced by Kate Howells

Produced by Alexander Chapin and Pete Zrioka

Hosted and reported by Pete Zrioka

Shot and edited by Alexander Chapin

Original music from Patrick Cheung

Motion graphics by Andy Ramos

Art by Andy Keena and Sophia Franz

Editorial support from Diane Boudreau

Social media management by Lauren Hebing and Kyler Litson

Director of the National Institutes of Health Dr. Jay Bhattacharya joins the show to discuss his priorities for the agency, building trust with Tribal communities, his advice to young researchers — and some of his favorite board games.

Jay's board game recs:

• Azul
• Castles of Burgundy
• Anything by Vital Lacerda!
  • Specifically: On Mars or Vinhos

Lab Coat Optional is a production of the Strategic Marketing and Communications team at Arizona State University’s Knowledge Enterprise. Learn more about research and discovery at ASU on Instagram, LinkedIn and Bluesky or visit us at research.asu.edu.

Love the show? Give us a five star review on the podcast app of your choice!

Get in touch with us at [email protected].

Episode credits

Executive produced by Kate Howells

Produced by Alexander Chapin and Pete Zrioka

Hosted and reported by Pete Zrioka

Shot and edited by Alexander Chapin

Original music from Patrick Cheung

Motion graphics by Andy Ramos

Art by Andy Keena and Sophia Franz

Social media management by Lauren Hebing and Kyler Litson

Energy demand is surging. To understand what’s driving it and how we’re going to meet it, I’m joined by energy veterans Kelly Barr and Gary Dirks from the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory. They explain the complicated nature of energy planning, why nuclear energy is getting another look and why when it comes to navigating our energy future — reliability is king.

Further reading:

• Analysis from the International Energy Agency
• Reports from the U.S. Energy Information Administration
• RMI research and analysis

• EPRI
• California Burning by Katherine Blunt

Learn more about Energy Forward, a unit of the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University.

Lab Coat Optional is a production of the Strategic Marketing and Communications team at Arizona State University’s Knowledge Enterprise. Learn more about research and discovery at ASU on Instagram, LinkedIn and Bluesky or visit us at research.asu.edu.

Love the show? Give us a five star review on the podcast app of your choice!

Get in touch with us at [email protected].

Episode credits

Executive produced by Kate Howells

Produced by Alexander Chapin and Pete Zrioka

Hosted by Pete Zrioka

Shot by Alexander Chapin

Edited by Alexander Chapin

Original music from Patrick Cheung

Motion graphics by Andy Ramos

Art by Andy Keena and Sophia Franz

Social media by Lauren Hebing and Kyler Litson

Clips

The growing environmental impact of AI data centers’ energy demands — PBS News Hour

How AI is driving a sharp rise in electricity bills — PBS News Hour

NBC 5 Responds: Soaring energy bills — NBC 5 Chicago

POWER CRISIS: Electricity demand SURGES as AI takes over — Fox Business

Inside the numbers: How data centers are increasing energy use — ABC15 Arizona

Nadya Bliss — executive director of the Advanced Capabilities for National Security Institute — explains how national security is more than tanks and battleships. She breaks down the vital role university research plays behind the scenes to anticipate emerging needs, strengthen infrastructure, accelerate innovation and quietly prevent conflict.

Further reading:

• Listen to Sources & Methods, NPR’s nat sec podcast
• Check out Phantom Orbit: A Thriller, by David Ignatius

Learn more about the Advanced Capabilities for National Security Institute at Arizona State University.

Lab Coat Optional is a production of the Strategic Marketing and Communications team at Arizona State University’s Knowledge Enterprise. Learn more about research and discovery at ASU on Instagram, LinkedIn and Bluesky or visit us at research.asu.edu.

Love the show? Give us a five star review on the podcast app of your choice!

Get in touch with us at [email protected].

Episode credits

Executive produced by Kate Howells

Produced by Alexander Chapin and Pete Zrioka

Hosted and reported by Pete Zrioka

Shot by Alexander Chapin

Edited by Alexander Chapin

Original music from Patrick Cheung

Motion graphics by Andy Ramos

Art by Andy Keena and Sophia Franz

Editorial support from Diane Boudreau

Social media management by Lauren Hebing and Kyler Litson

Disclosure:

Opinions expressed on this show reflect the views of the individuals only, not the policy or opinion of Arizona State University.

Bonus episode!

Guest host Dr. Lara Ferry, vice president for research at ASU Knowledge Enterprise, talks with Meha Jain, of the University of Michigan and Mayank Kejriwal, of the University of Southern California, the inaugural winners of the ASU-Science Prize for Transformational Impact, presented by ASU and Science.

Further reading:

• Environmentality by Arun Agrawal

• Development as Freedom by Amartya Sen

• Taking Down Backpage by Maggy Krell

• Science as a Vocation by Max Weber

• The Information by James Gleick

Learn more about AAAS and follow on LinkedIn, Instagram and Bluesky. Consider becoming a member, too!

Lab Coat Optional is a production of the Strategic Marketing and Communications team at ASU’s Knowledge Enterprise. Learn more about research at ASU on Instagram, LinkedIn and Bluesky or visit us at research.asu.edu.

Get in touch with us at [email protected].

Episode credits

Executive produced by Kate Howells

Produced by Alexander Chapin, Pete Zrioka and Carrie Herrera Niesen

Hosted by Lara Ferry

Shot by Alexander Chapin

Edited by Quinton Kendall and Alexander Chapin

Original music from Patrick Cheung

Motion graphics by Andy Ramos

Art by Andy Keena and Sophia Franz

Social media by Lauren Hebing and Kyler Litson

Special thanks to Sally C. Morton

Bonus episode!

You might’ve heard about a “shutdown” last week on January 30. Organizers urged people in the U.S. not to work, go to school or spend money at all to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement. But what is a shutdown, really? How is it different from a strike, or a protest — and what effect do these actions have?

In this bonus episode, sociologist and director of ASU’s Center for Work and Democracy Michael McQuarrie explains the significance of the labor action stemming from Minneapolis, and how it fits into the historical context of the American labor movement.

Disclaimer:

Opinions expressed on this show reflect the views of the individuals only, not the policy or opinion of Arizona State University.

Further reading:

• Strike! by Jeremy Brecher
• Street Rebellion: Resistance Beyond Violence and Nonviolence by Benjamin Case
• Popular Contention in Great Britain by Charles Tilly
• Breaking the Barrier: The Rise of Solidarity in Poland by Lawrence Goodwin

The last two books are out of print and therefore quite expensive — check your local library!

Learn more about the Center for Work and Democracy at Arizona State University.

Lab Coat Optional is a production of the Strategic Marketing and Communications team at Arizona State University’s Knowledge Enterprise. Learn more about research and discovery at ASU on Instagram and LinkedIn, or visit us at research.asu.edu.

Love the show? Give us a five star review on the podcast app of your choice!

Get in touch with us at [email protected].

Episode credits

Executive produced by Kate Howells

Produced by Alexander Chapin and Pete Zrioka

Hosted and reported by Pete Zrioka

Shot by Alexander Chapin

Edited by Alexander Chapin and Quinton Kendall

Original music from Patrick Cheung

Motion graphics by Andy Ramos

Art by Andy Keena and Sophia Franz

Editorial support from Diane Boudreau

Social media management by Lauren Hebing and Kyler Litson

Water law expert Rhett Larson explains why 2026 is a make-or-break year for the 40 million people who depend on the Colorado River for drinking water, power, agriculture and so much more. What happens if states can’t agree on how to share this resource going forward, and what do we have to give up to ensure a sustainable future for us all?

Further reading

Explore the Kyl Center’s Arizona Water Blueprint to find out the source of your water: azwaterblueprint.asu.edu

Read Rhett’s book, Just Add Water: Solving the World's Problems Using its Most Precious Resource.

Look out for Rhett’s next book, Day Zero, a comparative legal analysis of the water crises faced in recent years by Cape Town, Chennai, and Mexico City, and draws water policy lessons from those crises for other cities.

Learn more about the Kyl Center for Water Policy and the Sandra Day O’Conner College of Law at ASU.

Lab Coat Optional is a production of the Strategic Marketing and Communications team at Arizona State University’s Knowledge Enterprise. Learn more about research and discovery at ASU on Instagram and LinkedIn, or visit us at research.asu.edu.

Love the show? Give us a five star review on the podcast app of your choice!

Get in touch with us at [email protected].

Episode credits

Executive produced by Kate Howells

Produced by Alexander Chapin and Pete Zrioka

Hosted and reported by Pete Zrioka

Shot by Alexander Chapin

Edited by Quinton Kendall and Alexander Chapin

Original music from Patrick Cheung

Motion graphics by Andy Ramos

Art by Andy Keena and Sophia Franz

Social media management by Lauren Hebing and Kyler Litson

Disclaimer:

Opinions expressed on this show reflect the views of the individuals only, not the policy or opinion of Arizona State University.

We're back and bigger than ever!

Okay, well, we're exactly the same size, But we are definitely back!!!

This time around, we’ll take you on a trip... to explore psychedelics as a form of therapy! Into deep space, to understand the evolution of galaxies. We're digging into our growing energy demand, what happens when the rules governing the Colorado River expire and how music shapes our emotions.

All this and more coming soon!

New episodes every other Wednesday starting Feb. 4.

Follow ASU Research:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/asu-knowledge-enterprise

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asuresearch/

Learn more about our work: https://research.asu.edu

Love the show? Give us a five star review on the podcast app of your choice! We are at the mercy of the mighty, fickle algorithms and reviews help new listeners find our show.

Do you have thoughts or questions for us? Email us at [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you! As long as you are nice. Be nice.

From grant strategy and infrastructure to indirect costs, university research relies on a complex, fast-moving system to pursue discoveries and deliver real-world impact. Lara Ferry, vice president of research for ASU Knowledge Enterprise and President’s Professor, joins the show to explain how universities balance basic curiosity-driven work with applied goals, the challenges and opportunities of the current federal funding landscape and more.

Lab Coat Optional is a production of the Strategic Marketing and Communications team at Arizona State University’s Knowledge Enterprise.

Follow ASU Research:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/asu-knowledge-enterprise

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asuresearch/

Learn more about our work: https://research.asu.edu

Love the show? Give us a five star review on the podcast app of your choice! We are at the mercy of the mighty, fickle algorithms and reviews help new listeners find our show.

Do you have thoughts or questions for us? Email us at [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you! As long as you are nice. Be nice.

Episode credits

Executive produced by Kate Howells

Produced by Alexander Chapin and Pete Zrioka

Hosted and reported by Pete Zrioka

Shot by Alexander Chapin and Christian Van Bebber

Edited by Alexander Chapin and Quinton Kendall

Original music from Patrick Cheung

Motion graphics by Andy Ramos

Art by Andy Keena and Sophia Franz

Editorial support from Diane Boudreau and Sandy Leander

Social media management by Lauren Hebing and Kyler Litson