Tech Refactored

Christine Wittich, a Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor at the University of Nebraska, joins the show to continue our discussion on earthquakes from last week, but this time from a structural engineering perspective. We initially planned to discuss Christine's research on the usage of social media by state departments of transportation during emergencies, but given Christine's expertise on structural engineering and the recent earthquake in Turkey and Syria, we discuss both topics during this episode.

On February 6th, 2023, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck in Turkey and Syria, causing widespread damage across the region and tens of thousands of fatalities. Cara Burberry, a structural geologist and Professor in the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Department at the University of Nebraska, joins the show to explain what causes earthquakes.

Heike Hofmann, Professor of Statistics at Iowa State University, joins the show to discuss forensic bullet matching. Hofmann explains how bullet striations are created, how she uses statistical analysis when matching bullets, how she became involved in this field, and much more.

Natalia Alamdari, a reporter for Flatwater Free Press, joins the podcast to discuss her recent article, Crypto needs cheap energy. It found a whole bunch in Nebraska. The article explores recent developments in cryptomining across Nebraska, focusing on a facility in Kearney that uses as much energy annually as the entire city itself. Natalia and Gus discuss the challenges these types of facilities present to communities.

What's on the horizon for the NTIA's $42 billion BEAD Program (Broadband Equity Access and Deployment) in 2023? Mike Romano, the Executive Vice President of NTCA-The Rural Broadband Association, joins Gus to discuss BEAD and developments in communication policy including municipal broadband legislation, rural telecom carriers perspectives on national security and robocalls, and more.

Gus is joined by Baher Abdulhai, a Professor in the Department of Civil & Mineral Engineering at the University of Toronto. Together they explore a range of topics including how AI can be used to pace traffic and mitigate congestion, autonomous vehicles, increasing efficiency on roadways through advanced traffic management, simulations for dynamic transportation networks, and emerging technologies in the field.

Shane Tews, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, joins Gus to examine several contemporary tech policy issues as we move into 2023. Together they discuss the BEAD program, antitrust, Section 230, the CHIPS Act, cybersecurity, Chat GPT, AI, and more.

Gus is joined by Justin Bradley, co-director of NIMBUS Lab at University of Nebraska-Lincoln. From using drones to monitor beavers in Alaska, to taking soil samples on the great plains, Justin and his team at NIMBUS are developing innovative ways to use drones as a research tool. Together they discuss autonomous operation of drones in swarms, interacting with the physical environment, and the challenges presented as he develops these technologies.

Zvi Rosen, Professor at the Southern Illinois University School of Law, joins Gus to discuss copyright law. Rosen, a copyright expert, shares some history on copyright law before turning to the main focus of the conversation: how copyright law applies to computer software.

Jess Miers, Legal Advocacy Counsel at Chamber of Progress, joins Gus to discuss trust and safety on the internet. Together they examine content moderation policies, business and technical decisions made by online platforms, and Section 230. Prior to joining the team at Chamber of Progress, Miers worked as a Policy Analyst at Google. She discusses her experiences working with Google's engineering teams on policy issues, and how she shaped her own career path starting at Santa Clara University School of Law.