Talks With Toh

In this episode of the podcast we discuss whether or not science has been vindicated by COVID-19. Has the response addressed the needs of the pandemic or has it only made apparent the gaps in our knowledge. We also discuss with Jack & Josh the global outlook of differing policy positions and public perception which may have shifted and altered the response to be one of emotion versus one rooted in the data. Has data been used correctly and have our political movements contributed to the unrest and misunderstanding of basic virtues and beliefs of society? This discussion will be an insightful look to potential responses to all of these topics and question.

Andre Arifin joins the podcast in an interesting discussion about discourse on college campuses. He has spent that past several years working closely with college students on various campuses, training and engaging with our youth in discussions of worldviews. We discuss what aspects shape peoples' actions and responses to events such as George Floyd's death at the hand of Minneapolis police and the subsequent protests and riots. This is by no means a resolution or the end, but rather a start to a discussion that needs to continue. We hope this will encourage people to have discussions rather than run from them in this time.

Carter Johnson is a Senior Commercial Product Analyst at Farmers Insurance and a graduate of UCLA. We discuss the business impact of COVID-19 and what pricing looks like as insurance companies grapple with how to insure their customers in a time of great uncertainty. This discussion was a good look into just how much shelter-in-place orders have affected the livelihoods of millions of Americans.

Andrew Phan, PhD Student in Dr. Tim Downing's Lab at UCI, joins the podcast with discussions on epigenetics and stem cell research. We talk about what epigenetics is, how he ended up in Grad School, and what we can do to stay connected in an environment like grad school. He also brings some recommendations for better show names and some ideas for segments. We plan to work closely together soon in our research!