Slice of MIT

Data is everywhere—nearly anything can be represented by a number. In its simple form, data tells a story backed by numerical truth. But data is rarely simple or pure—and we have access to more data than any time in history.

In this podcast, recorded at the 2015 South by Southwest Interactive festival, five MIT alumni discuss how their work and research are making sense of this never-ending wave, and how we can better understand data and use it to solve real-world problems (and develop amazing food recipes). Read more: http://bit.ly/1Nz9yJh

Episode Transcript: https://bit.ly/2ImonSZ

Featuring:

Professor Sinan Aral PhD ’07

Professor of Management, MIT Sloan; Chief Scientist, Humin

Denise Cheng SM ’14

Peer Economy Expert

Tiffany Chu ’10

Cofounder, Remix

Jacquelyn Martino PhD ’06

Designer, IBM

Matt Stempeck SM ’13

Director of Civic Technology, Microsoft

Chef Watson

Computer, IBM

Music: “Carefree,” “Go Cart,” and “Pamgaea”

All songs by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

What was it like to be a women at MIT then and now? In this Slice of MIT podcast, MIT alumnae share their memories of the Institute. Read more: http://bit.ly/1clWEBn

Episode Transcript: https://bit.ly/2GuQXp6

Music: Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Joseph Reagle SM '96, an an assistant professor of communication studies at Northeastern University, discusses his new book, Reading the Comments: Likers, Haters, and Manipulators at the Bottom of the Web. Read more: http://bit.ly/1MWgRuR

Transcript: https://bit.ly/2q6FHnR

What’s the science behind climate change, and how can we combat a warming climate? Those are complex questions that MIT faculty are actively pursuing. In this podcast, four MIT professors— Dan Cziczo, Kerry Emanuel, Christopher Knittel, and Andrew Whittle—will discuss their climate research on areas including hurricane activity, coastal flooding, carbon dioxide, and economic policy. Read more: http://bit.ly/1ErRX5Y

Episode Transcript: https://bit.ly/2H7Qztx

Music: "Odyssey" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Both mathematics and cooking are pleasures, writes Jim Henle PhD '76 in his new book, The Proof and the Pudding (Princeton, 2015). "Real cooks and real mathematicians play. They play with structures, they play with ingredients, they play with the ideas and the flavors that attract them strongly." Henle shares his love of play in the kitchen and classroom in this edition of the MIT Alumni Books Podcast. Read more: http://bit.ly/1IyHxBe

Transcript: https://bit.ly/2H7DqAK

Eugene Rumer PhD '88, a senior associate and director of the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, discusses his new book, Conflict in Ukraine. Read more: http://bit.ly/1DZ8u1f

Transcript: https://bit.ly/2GTzPsx

Anjali Mitter Duva MCP '99 discusses her debut novel, Faint Promise of Rain, published by She Writes Press in 2014. With a key eye on public and private spaces in a religious state, Duva tells a compelling coming of age story of a young devadasi dancer named Adhira in 16th-century Rajasthan, India. Read more: http://bit.ly/1Iik8S8

Podcast transcript: https://bit.ly/2GuBYeN

Greg Brandeau ’84 SM ’85 shares his takeaways from leading innovation at Pixar Animation Studios, working alongside Steve Jobs, and embedding himself in the world's most innovative companies in a new book.

Collective Genius: the Art and Practice of Leading Innovation, was published in 2014 and co-authored with Linda Hill, Emily Truelove and Kent Kineback. Read more: http://bit.ly/1Dqw9pS

Podcast transcript: https://bit.ly/2EgEq2p

In her début young adult novel, published by Disney Hyperion press in July 2014, Livia Blackburne PhD '13 portrays a character and a state in crisis in warring medieval times. In this podcast, Blackburne talks about her character's moral growth and her own journey towards putting her cognitive science career on hiatus in favor of a book tour. Read more: http://bit.ly/1ylqIAv.

Podcast transcript: https://bit.ly/2H7KFbR

Ellen Swallow Richards graduated from MIT in 1873 and later became an instructor there. In this edition of the MIT Alumni Books podcast, Richards's cousin, three generations removed, tells the story of Richards's remarkable life. Pamela Curtis Swallow discusses "The Swallow Experiment" and the legacy of her forebear.

"What a difference she made in her years at MIT," she says. "I'm so proud of her. I can't believe I've got some of the same genes." Read more: http://bit.ly/1rnCzTh

Episode Transcript: https://bit.ly/2GqzXjH