Stanford Radio

The Future of Everything with Russ Altman:

E187 | An innovative polling model can move us past political polarization

A Stanford professor explains how the deliberative polling model can get people to listen to one another and even compromise on some of society’s most complex policy issues.

In our deeply polarized society, the prospect of holding thoughtful discussions on policy issues seems impossible. But it doesn’t have to be.

In this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything, James Fishkin, a professor of communication at Stanford’s School of Humanities and Sciences, describes the deliberative polling model, a system of structured and moderated small group discussions that can help bring people together and bridge differences in perspective on even some of the most politically fraught issues. Together with host, bioengineer Russ Altman, Fishkin discusses how deliberative democracy has been successfully used in more than 30 countries, including Chile, Denmark, and Japan, and how it can be scaled up through technology. Listen and subscribe here.

The Future of Everything with Russ Altman:

E185 | Data is transforming our understanding of natural disasters

A Stanford professor explains how new types of data collection and advanced computers are improving our knowledge of earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes – and how we might prepare for them.

Humans have been trying to predict when earthquakes will happen for centuries, with little success, by developing earthquake detectors and by wondering if unusual animal behavior could be a sign of an incoming temblor. In this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything, Eric Dunham, a geophysicist at Stanford University, explains that while we’re still unable to predict when earthquakes will happen, advanced computers and new sensors on the seafloor are pushing the field of natural-hazard modelling forward and providing new information about the nature of earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes. Dunham and host, bioengineer Russ Altman, discuss how this modeling could help us understand where large earthquakes and tsunamis are likely to happen – and how it could help us prepare for these potentially devastating events. Listen and subscribe here.

The Future of Everything with Russ Altman:

E184 | Computational modeling can help understand Alzheimer’s disease

A professor of mechanical engineering explains how computational models of Alzheimer’s spread in the brain are providing new information about the disease.

Physicians diagnose Alzheimer’s disease with tests that measure memory loss and behavioral change. But many years before these symptoms appear, the disease is changing the brain, leading to the buildup of misfolded proteins and brain shrinkage that cause cognitive decline. In this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything, Stanford mechanical engineer Ellen Kuhl explains how she’s using databases of brain images of both Alzheimer’s patients and healthy individuals to create computational models that show how the disease spreads through distinct parts of the brain and gradually impacts different brain functions. Kuhl and host, Stanford bioengineer Russ Altman, explore how these models have generated new insights into how Alzheimer’s affects the brain, as well as its diagnosis and its potential treatment. Listen and subscribe here.

Using enterprise software, Arc provides tech startups with customized financial products they deserve.

Originally aired on SiriusXM on July 9, 2022.

Nearly ten years after the massacre of 26 students and teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, the world has been shocked by another American school shooting—this one at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas where 19 students and two teachers were gunned down on May 24. That came barely a week after the racially motivated massacre of ten shoppers at a Tops Friendly Market in a predominantly Black neighborhood in Buffalo, New York. And these are only the most lethal mass shootings—hundreds more have already occurred in cities across the United States. In this episode, Professor John Donohue, an expert on gun law, joins Rich and Joe to discuss can be done to meet this uniquely American challenge of mass shootings.

Full title: Dr. Trina Wiggins, pediatrician, wellness coach, & author on keeping it short and simple to live a healthy and balanced life.

Description: Dr. Trina Wiggins, Stanford alum and past Miss Fitness winner on her mission to move others to a healthier lifestyle.

Originally aired on SiriusXM on June 11, 2022.

Geoffrey Canada, founder, Harlem Children’s Zone on importance of Early Childhood Education through high school for disadvantaged communities.

Blurb: Breaking the cycle of generational poverty from birth to college through education reform.

Originally aired on SiriusXM on June 4, 2022.

Peter Tseng, Stanford alum and co-founder, Open, on designing a new way to practice well being.

Originally aired on SiriusXM on May 28, 2022.

The Future of Everything with Russ Altman:

E183 | How to develop ever better computer chips

The pandemic accelerated society’s digital transformation by years, requiring more and better computer chips. A Stanford electrical engineer explains how to make that happen.

Computer chips are everywhere: your cellphone, your car, even your refrigerator. And they’re essential to enabling advances in artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, and faster and better computers -- and to solving global challenges such as climate change. The omnipresence of this foundational technology has been growing for decades, but the pandemic accelerated the digital transformation of society, significantly increasing the demand for more and better chips.

In this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything, Stanford electrical engineer Philip Wong and host, bioengineer Russ Altman, discuss why filling that need will require a greater emphasis on semiconductor research in universities, global cooperation, and increased investment in both research and development (R&D) and manufacturing. They also discuss the importance of shortening the distance between the kind of computer chip innovations happening in university labs and the fabrication of the next generation of chips, or what Wong calls “the lab-to-fab gap.” Listen and subscribe here.

The Future of Everything with Russ Altman:

E182 | Training the next generation of entrepreneurs

Are entrepreneurs born or made? A Stanford professor explains how understanding and practicing a set of skills can make entrepreneurs of us all.

Search online and you’ll find lists of all the skills entrepreneurs should have - among them are imagination, creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship. But are entrepreneurs born with these relevant skills, or can they be taught?

In this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything, Tina Seelig, professor of the practice in the Department of Management Science and Engineering at Stanford, explains the differences between imagination, creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship, and how all four can be taught and then applied to finding solutions to big challenges. Join Seelig and host, bioengineer Russ Altman, as they discuss how to train a generation of entrepreneurs who will make positive contributions to the world. Listen and subscribe here.