In this thought-provoking episode of Quantum Potential, Vanderbilt University Provost C. Cybele Raver hosts renowned developmental psychologist David Yeager, professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, co-founder of the Texas Behavioral Science and Policy Institute, and author of 10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People, for a closer look at how older adults can connect with and empower the next generation. In a relatable, live conversation, Yeager challenges common misconceptions about adolescent brain development and reveals how simple shifts in communication between young people and adults can provide support and transparency, triggering collaboration and inspiration rather than disengagement. 

The Quantum Potential podcast is produced by Vanderbilt University. The leadership team includes Metanoya Z. Webb, director of content and editorial strategy for this episode, and Sydney Jones-Wright, director of academic affairs communications. Patrick Sams is the senior social media specialist, and Maisie Wilson is the senior creative project manager. Mike Todd is the university visual media manager.

Special thanks to Jad Abumrad, Vanderbilt University Distinguished Research Professor of Communication of Science and Technology and the executive producer of the Quantum Potential podcast and video series. We also want to thank Major Jackson, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of English, for lending his voice to the end credits for this episode.

Copyright 2025, Vanderbilt University.

For more information about Quantum Potential, go to vanderbilt.edu/quantumpotential/podcast.

The views and opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Vanderbilt University.

Follow Vanderbilt on Social Media: http://social.vanderbilt.edu/

In this episode, Provost Raver welcomes chemist Brian Bachmann, who is the principal investigator for the Vanderbilt Laboratory for Biosynthetic Studies. Bachmann talks about his work discovering useful chemicals made from natural products (compounds made by tiny living things like bacteria and fungi) that are paving new avenues for drug discovery. He also unpacks how he is using biosynthesis to identify individuals’ specific type/combination of cancers. Bachmann envisions a near future where each cancer case is managed individually, moving beyond the traditional approach of location-based treatments. Join us to learn why “conjugal lagoons,” “molecular choreography” and “stealing IP from molecules” will help make his vision a reality. 

The Quantum Potential podcast is produced by Vanderbilt University. The leadership team includes Metanoya Z. Webb, director of content and editorial strategy for this episode, and Sydney Jones-Wright, director of academic affairs communications. Patrick Sams is the senior social media specialist, and Maisie Wilson is the senior creative project manager. Mike Todd is the university visual media manager.

Special thanks to Jad Abumrad, Vanderbilt University Distinguished Research Professor of Communication of Science and Technology and the executive producer of the Quantum Potential podcast and video series. We also want to thank Major Jackson, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of English, for lending his voice to the end credits for this episode.

Copyright 2025, Vanderbilt University.

For more information about Quantum Potential, go to vanderbilt.edu/quantumpotential/podcast.

The views and opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Vanderbilt University.

Follow Vanderbilt on Social Media: http://social.vanderbilt.edu/

How do we create a more “person-centered” judicial system, and when is fairness more valued than winning? Join the latest episode of Provost Cybele Raver’s ‘Quantum Potential’ podcast with law professor Lauren Sudeall. 

Vanderbilt University provost C. Cybele Raver explores civil justice inequities with Lauren Sudeall, law professor and director of Vanderbilt's Access to Justice program. Through her groundbreaking research in rural Alabama and Georgia, Sudeall reveals how low-income individuals navigate eviction proceedings—with or without legal representation—and advocates for a more "person-centered" judicial system. The conversation examines how courts handle eviction cases across jurisdictions, the impact of food and housing insecurity, and why many defendants value fairness over winning. Sudeall also shares her perspective as a legal scholar from Boston conducting research in impoverished rural communities in the U.S. South.

The Quantum Potential podcast is produced by Vanderbilt University. The leadership team includes Metanoya Z. Webb, director of content and editorial strategy for this episode, and Sydney Jones-Wright, director of academic affairs communications. Patrick Sams is the senior social media specialist, and Maisie Wilson is the senior creative project manager. Mike Todd is the university visual media manager.

Special thanks to Jad Abumrad, Vanderbilt University Distinguished Research Professor of Communication of Science and Technology and the executive producer of the Quantum Potential podcast and video series. We also want to thank Major Jackson, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of English, for lending his voice to the end credits for this episode.

Copyright 2025, Vanderbilt University.

For more information about Quantum Potential, go to vanderbilt.edu/quantumpotential/podcast.

The views and opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Vanderbilt University.

Follow Vanderbilt on Social Media: http://social.vanderbilt.edu/

In our premiere episode, Vanderbilt University provost C. Cybele Raver hosts acclaimed poet Major Jackson for a deep dive into what he calls "sacred secular conversation." During this extraordinary conversation, they explore the intersection of music and poetry, pluralism, and living with uncertainty. Jackson, who describes the act of writing as a “dialogue with the subconscious,” also reads from his latest book, Razzle Dazzle: New and Selected Poems 2002-2022. Jackson has released nine books of poetry to date and been awarded the Pushcart Prize, a Whiting Award, and a Pew Fellowship, among many others. 

The Quantum Potential podcast is produced by Vanderbilt University. The leadership team includes Metanoya Z. Webb, director of content and editorial strategy for this episode, and Sydney Jones-Wright, director of academic affairs communications. Patrick Sams is the senior social media specialist, and Maisie Wilson is the senior creative project manager. Mike Todd is the university visual media manager.

Special thanks to Jad Abumrad, Vanderbilt University Distinguished Research Professor of Communication of Science and Technology and the executive producer of the Quantum Potential podcast and video series. We also want to thank Major Jackson, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of English, for lending his voice to the end credits for this episode.

Copyright 2025, Vanderbilt University.

For more information about Quantum Potential, go to vanderbilt.edu/quantumpotential/podcast.

The views and opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Vanderbilt University.

Follow Vanderbilt on Social Media: http://social.vanderbilt.edu/

Journey into the Extraordinary - Join Vanderbilt University Provost C. Cybele Raver as she guides us through humanity’s greatest frontiers in her new Quantum Potential podcast. Tune in twice each month hear about Vanderbilt’s groundbreaking collaborations that weave together science and music, hard data and creative expression, empirical evidence and poetry—proving that in the pursuit of knowledge, there are no boundaries.

The Quantum Potential podcast is produced by Vanderbilt University. The leadership team includes Metanoya Z. Webb, director of content and editorial strategy for this episode, and Sydney Jones-Wright, director of academic affairs communications. Patrick Sams is the senior social media specialist, and Maisie Wilson is the senior creative project manager. Mike Todd is the university visual media manager.

Copyright 2025, Vanderbilt University.

For more information about Quantum Potential, go to vanderbilt.edu/quantumpotential/podcast.

The views and opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Vanderbilt University.

Follow Vanderbilt on Social Media: http://social.vanderbilt.edu/