The OIST Podcast

Samaya Nissanke is an astrophysicist at the University of Amsterdam's center of excellence for Gravitation and Astroparticle Physics (GRAPPA). She is also a joint faculty member at the Anton Pannekoek Institute and the Institute for High Energy Physics.

This episode, Dr. Nissanke talks about a cosmic scavenger hunt to find evidence of merging events in binary neutron stars using an array of telescopes to detect gravitational and electromagnetic waves - and also how they disrupted a family holiday!

Professor Tom Froese is the head of the Embodied Cognitive Science Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST). He studies the interaction between agents and their environment, and the role of these interactions in cognition.

In this episode we cover the possibilities and limitations of considering brains as isolated computers, the alternative positions adopted in embodied cognitive science, and the experimental setups used to make sense of agent-environment interactions. We also move beyond the lab to consider the implications of this work on wider culture.

To find out more about Professor Froese's work, head over to groups.oist.jp/ecsu.

Enjoy!

Professor Yasha Neiman is the head of the Quantum Gravity Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST). He spends his time thinking about how gravity and quantum mechanics can coexist in a universe that is expanding at an accelerating rate.

In this episode we cover the standard model of particle physics, how limits in the model led to research on quantum gravity, and the approaches now being taken by physicists to understand the laws of nature. We also touch on the failed promises of physics, and its role in capturing imaginations.

To find out more about Professor Neiman's work, including his lectures and lively TED talk, head over to groups.oist.jp/qgu.

Enjoy!

Professor Fred Turek is the Director of the Center for Sleep & Circadian Biology and Charles & Emma Professor of Biology in the Department of Neurobiology at Northwestern University. He is also the founder and first President of the Society for Research on Biological Rhythms.

In this episode, we cover the basics of the "master clock" in the brain, and its control on downstream processes in the body via two well-known circadian rhythms - the sleep/wake cycle and the feed/fast cycle. We also talk about changing policy, and Professor Turek's involvement in the recent NASA Twins Study.

Enjoy!

Sir Jim Smith is Head of the Wellcome Science Review and Group Leader at the Francis Crick Institute's Developmental Biology Laboratory. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society and was knighted in 2017 for services to medical research and science education.

In this episode, we talk about the future of embryonic research, including the development of new stem cell therapies for humans. We also talk about Sir Jim's leadership, including how he decides who gets funding, how to make science more collaborative, and how to bring a diverse community of people together for the best results.

Enjoy!

In 2012, when OIST had only 200+ researchers, representing approximately 30 countries, OIST's first podcast "Crossing Frontiers, a Scientific Passport Podcast" was created to highlight the interesting backgrounds and fascinating research of five OIST researchers. This is the fifth of those episodes.

Pinaki Chakraborty, a Physicist from India explains why studying the motion of fluids, for example the turbulent churning and whirling movements of typhoons, can assist us in better understanding and coping with such adverse weather conditions.

Creator: Juliette Mutheu February 20, 2012

In 2012, when OIST had only 200+ researchers, representing approximately 30 countries, OIST's first podcast "Crossing Frontiers, a Scientific Passport Podcast" was created to highlight the interesting backgrounds and fascinating research of five OIST researchers. This is the fourth of those episodes.

Masako Nakamura, Marine Biologist from Chiba, Japan speaks about sessile or immobile small animals referred to as benthos or benthic animals living at the bottom of the sea. She explains why studying larvae of those benthos assists in marine protection and conservation.

Creator: Juliette Mutheu February 19, 2012

In 2012, when OIST had only 200+ researchers, representing approximately 30 countries, OIST's first podcast "Crossing Frontiers, a Scientific Passport Podcast" was created to highlight the interesting backgrounds and fascinating research of five OIST researchers. This is the third of those episodes.

Lars Goran Ofverstedt, a Swedish Structural Biologist talks about examining the structures of molecules in 3D using a new Transmission Electron Microscope.

Creator: Juliette Mutheu February 18, 2012

In 2012, when OIST had only 200+ researchers, representing approximately 30 countries, OIST's first podcast "Crossing Frontiers, a Scientific Passport Podcast" was created to highlight the interesting backgrounds and fascinating research of five OIST researchers. This is the second of those episodes.

Marianela Garcia-Munoz, Neuroscientist from Costa Rica explains her enthusiasm for research on basal ganglia and underlines why OIST is the perfect place for science.

Creator: Juliette Mutheu February 17, 2012

In 2012, when OIST had only 200+ researchers, representing approximately 30 countries, OIST's first podcast "Crossing Frontiers, a Scientific Passport Podcast" was created to highlight the interesting backgrounds and fascinating research of five OIST researchers. This is the first of those episodes.

Ivan Raikov, a Bulgarian Computational Neuroscientist at OIST gives us a glimpse of how computers can be used to model brain behavior.

Creator: Juliette Mutheu February 16, 2012