Rad Scientist

Recent events involving the killing of unarmed Black people have brought discussions about racism to the forefront, including at scientific institutions. This season is centered on Black scientists, from graduate students to faculty to those who have left the ivory towers. They study bug microbiomes, autism, neural prosthetics and more. But they will also discuss how racism has impacted their scientific journey. To cap off the season, we will examine the root of inequity in STEM academia and what we can do moving forward to ensure a more diverse and inclusive ecosystem where science can serve everyone.

Recent events involving the killing of unarmed Black people have brought discussions about racism to the forefront, including at scientific institutions. This season is centered on Black scientists, from graduate students to faculty to those who have left the ivory towers. They study bug microbiomes, autism, neural prosthetics and more. But they will also discuss how racism has impacted their scientific journey. To cap off the season, we will examine the root of inequity in STEM academia and what we can do moving forward to ensure a more diverse and inclusive ecosystem where science can serve everyone.

Sophia Hirakis is always on the move, just like the proteins she studies. She’s always doing something, whether it's traveling between Greece and the States, watching Yankees' games, doing science, working at her family's hotel, or writing and performing poems and music. And now that she has her doctoral degree, she's starting a nonprofit to help refugees get into graduate schools.

Sophia Hirakis is always on the move, just like the proteins she studies. She’s always doing something, whether it's traveling between Greece and the States, watching Yankees' games, doing science, working at her family's hotel, or writing and performing poems and music. And now that she has her doctoral degree, she's starting a nonprofit to help refugees get into graduate schools.

When Elischa Sanders was young, he thought he would grow up to be in the NBA. But he realized he was better in the classroom than on the court. Now he studies how the brain controls movement. Maybe he can figure out why Stephen Curry's jump shot is so consistent.

When Elischa Sanders was young, he thought he would grow up to be in the NBA. But he realized he was better in the classroom than on the court. Now he studies how the brain controls movement. Maybe he can figure out why Stephen Curry's jump shot is so consistent.

Who gets access and benefits from our genomes? Keolu Fox, an indigenous geneticist, advocates for more fair and transparent rules on how companies and scientists use the DNA of others.

Who gets access and benefits from our genomes? Keolu Fox, an indigenous geneticist, advocates for more fair and transparent rules on how companies and scientists use the DNA of others.

UC San Diego professor Brian Keating wanted to understand how our solar system, our galaxy, our universe came to be.

The big bang theory didn’t fully explain the properties of our universe. So he built a telescope at the South Pole to detect signals from the earliest time possible, billions of light years away. This journey led him down a path of ambition, rivalry, discovery and failure. Ultimately, Keating has to grapple with his ego and what it means to be successful as a scientist This is part two of Keating's story. If you haven't listened to part one, go back and listen to that one first.

Brian Keating's book about his journey searching for Inflation: https://www.amazon.com/Losing-Nobel-Prize-Cosmology-Ambition/dp/1324000910

A link to the music video that accompanies "The Surface of Light" song that played during the end credits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2INJiNpZFBI

Correction: Margot mentions that her friend was first author on the the paper that suggested BICEP2's results could be explained by dust. He was, in fact, the second author. The first author was Raphael Flauger who is coincidentally a Physics professor at UC San Diego.

UC San Diego professor Brian Keating wanted to understand how our solar system, our galaxy, our universe came to be.

The big bang theory didn’t fully explain the properties of our universe. So he built a telescope at the South Pole to detect signals from the earliest time possible, billions of light years away. This journey led him down a path of ambition, rivalry, discovery and failure. Ultimately, Keating has to grapple with his ego and what it means to be successful as a scientist This is part two of Keating's story. If you haven't listened to part one, go back and listen to that one first.

Brian Keating's book about his journey searching for Inflation: https://www.amazon.com/Losing-Nobel-Prize-Cosmology-Ambition/dp/1324000910

A link to the music video that accompanies "The Surface of Light" song that played during the end credits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2INJiNpZFBI

Correction: Margot mentions that her friend was first author on the the paper that suggested BICEP2's results could be explained by dust. He was, in fact, the second author. The first author was Raphael Flauger who is coincidentally a Physics professor at UC San Diego.