Science Straight Up

Scientists speak of those moments of discovery when all their hard work, all their experimenting, and all their trial and error yield sometimes surprising results.  Hosts Judy Muller and George Lewis chat with three noted researchers about how creativity plays a big part in their science.  Our guests are Philip Bevilacqua, Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Penn State, Scott Showalter, also from Penn State, Professor of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; and Kathleen Hall, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics at Washington University in St. Louis.  Our panel was part of a series of "Town Talks" in Telluride, recorded before a live audience at the Wilkinson Public Library.

The science of cryopreservation and cryogenics promises new life through fertility treatments, preserves plant and animal species and provides cell therapy for ailments ranging from cancer to spinal cord injuries. It can also help with organ transplants. Hosts Judy Muller and George Lewis discuss cryopreservation with three prominent scientists:  Allison Hubel, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Minnesota; Songi Han, Professor in the Department of  Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara; and Nancy Levinger, Professor of Chemistry at Colorado State University.

Science isn't just about white guys in white lab coats these days.  Joining us are Rigoberto Hernandez from the Johns Hopkins University,  Amber Krummel from Colorado State University and Stephen Bradforth from the University of Southern California.  They talk about the importance of diversity on scientific teams with hosts Judy Muller and George Lewis. 

Three scientists (Anna Marie Pyle from Yale, Yogesh Surendranath from MIT and Forest Rohwer  from San Diego State University) join hosts Judy Muller and George Lewis to discuss the amazing advances in science that will soon upend our world.  This was recorded during a live "Town Talk" at the Transfer Warehouse in Telluride, CO.  The talks are sponsored by the Telluride Science Research Center (TSRC).

In a summer when the American West is on fire, where drought parches southwest Colorado and the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts are bracing for repeated hurricanes, the effects of climate change are everywhere.  We talk to Telluride-based environmental entrepreneur and climate activist Christopher Arndt about his hopes for a greener future.

Dr. R. Stephen Berry, a renowned chemist and recipient of a MacArthur Foundation Genius grant, revolutionized the field of thermodynamics and went on to co-found the Telluride Science Research Center.  He believed that scientists could refresh their creative impulses and share valuable information by gathering in his beloved Colorado mountains, where he could often be found fishing, skiing, hiking and urging his colleagues to keep up with him.  This episode pays tribute to Steve Berry who passed away in July of 2020.

Scientists at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory are using the fastest supercomputer in the nation to sift through thousands of substances in search of a treatment for people who have COVID-19.  We talk to the man in charge of the project, Dr. Jeremy Smith.

Imagine a high-tech device slightly larger than a breadbox that could detect the presence of the COVID virus in real time in classrooms or meeting halls or even homes.  That's what Dr. Paul Cremer and his team at Penn State University are developing.  Dr Cremer talks about his exciting research that could lead to such a device in the months to come.

"It's kind of like Silly String," says Dr. Anna Marie Pyle, a Yale biochemist, describing the appearance of COVID-19 RNA, the genetic roadmap that allows the virus to replicate and spread.  But there's nothing silly about the vital research she and her colleagues are conducting as they look for a weapon that will hunt down the virus and destroy it.

In conjunction with the Telluride Science Research Center, veteran broadcast journalists Judy Muller and George Lewis talk to leading scientists about how their work impacts our everyday lives.  This premiere episode, "The Air We Breathe," talks about something we can no longer take for granted in the age of COVID-19.  This week's guest is chemical engineer Faye McNeill who takes her research on the air around us personally.  She explains why.