ScienceMatters:The Podcast of GT College of Sciences

The new dean of the Georgia Tech College of Sciences, Susan Lozier, is continuing her physical oceanography research as she takes the reins of her administrative duties in Tech Tower. She talks about her studies of “the global ocean conveyor belt,” her plans to get back to the ocean in 2020, and her commitment to mentorship.

Cosmologists use computers simulations to recreate the birth of stars and black holes. James “JC” Gumbart, an associate professor in the School of Physics, goes in the other direction: He uses powerful hardware and software to chart the possible paths of molecules like proteins in hopes of finding solutions to problems like antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Gardeners love peat moss; it’s great for growing. But Joel Kostka, professor in the School of Biological Sciences and the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, wonders if it serves as a warning sign for the impact of climate change on plants and microbes. He travels to a unique experimentation site in Minnesota to find answers to his questions.

Georgia Tech science powers the technology behind TV and smartphone screens, thanks to breakthroughs in physics, chemistry, and materials science. Carlos Silva is adding to that legacy with his research into the next generation of semiconductors for electronic devices.

School of Biological Sciences Associate Professor Lewis Wheaton uses his Cognitive Motor Control Lab to research the neurological processes involved when people cope with the loss of a limb, a stroke, or a traumatic brain injury that can impact motor skills.

Sally Ng is one of the top experts in the world on aerosol science, the study of tiny particles in our atmosphere and what they mean for our climate, and our health. Ng, an associate professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, describes her work testing air quality in the field, and in a special indoor lab that she designed.

How can NASA stretch their fuel dollar for future missions to Jupiter and Saturn, and their potentially habitable moons? By using mathematical concepts that have been around for centuries. School of Mathematics Professor Rafael de la Llave is crunching the numbers for the space agency as it looks to save money during its next phase of exploration.

The search for life elsewhere in the Solar System can start at the most inhospitable regions of Earth, like Iceland’s volcanic landscape, or frigid Antarctic waters. Amanda Stockton, assistant professor with the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, talks about her astrobiology work for NASA.

How long has oxygen been in our planet’s atmosphere, and what could the answer mean for life on other planets? School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Professor Chris Reinhard researches the early Earth, and potential Earths outside our solar system.

What can Alfred Hitchcock’s “North by Northwest” teach us about paying attention? Are daydreamers really more intelligent and creative? Eric Schumacher, professor in the School of Psychology, talks about his research into the brain process known as cognitive control, and what it could mean for the future of communications, work, and education.