The Re/Cap Podcast

Ellis Malmgren is joined by Dr. Maya Ackerman, a globally renowned expert in the field of generative AI, the author of Creative Machines: AI, Art, & Us, and CEO/co-founder of WaveAI. Dr. Ackerman has been researching and developing innovative generative AI models for text, music, and art since 2014, with a focus on harnessing the power of AI to enhance and elevate human creativity. With over 50 peer-reviewed research publications to her name and her work having been cited in over 1,200 publications, Dr. Ackerman is an influential figure in the world of AI and Computational Creativity.She has been named a “Woman of Influence” by the Silicon Valley Business Journal and has been featured in numerous media outlets such as NBC News, New Scientist, NPR, Grammy.com, SiriusXM, and international television stations. She is also a member of the Steering Committee of the Association on Computational Creativity and has served on the program and reviewing committees of twenty different AI journals and conferences. A sought-after speaker, Dr. Ackerman has been invited to present at numerous high-profile events and institutions, including the United Nations, IBM Research, Microsoft, and Stanford University.Creative Machines: AI, Art, & Us: https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Machines-Future-Human-Creativity/dp/1394316267WaveAI: https://wave-ai.net/Re/Cap Host Ellis Malmgren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellis-malmgren-b22b0b74/Stay Connected with Reality Capture Network🔗 Explore more at: https://realitycapturenetwork.com/📲 Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/realitycapturenetwork/?viewAsMember=true📸 Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realitycapturenetwork/Subscribe for more insights! Stay updated on the latest in reality capture, AEC innovations, and emerging tech. Hit that like button and subscribe for future content!

Ellis Malmgren Re/Caps Emily Warren Roebling, a woman high in the running for Most Criminally Unsung Hero in built environment history. In 1869, The Brooklyn Bridge almost didn't get built, when chief engineer Washington Roebling fell severely ill from decompression sickness. So dude’s wife, Emily, who had neither studied nor sniffed engineering, taught herself everything. She ran the whole operation, and became the first person to cross the bridge. With a rooster. Construction's woman problem is older than you think. And so is the solution. 0:00 – The Story That Makes You Go “Wait… WHAT?”0:32 – Meet Emily (Not Who You Think)1:15 – The Brooklyn Bridge Problem2:05 – When Everything Falls Apart3:00 – The Unexpected Leader Steps In4:10 – The Wildest Twist (Yes… the Rooster 🐔)5:05 – How She Actually Pulled It Off6:20 – Why This Story Still Matters Today7:20 – Final Takeaway (You’ll Remember This)SOURCES:https://www.history.com/articles/brooklyn-bridge-emily-roeblinghttps://www.asce.org/about-civil-engineering/history-and-heritage/notable-civil-engineers/emily-warren-roeblinghttps://www.thesocialbrooklyn.com/emily-roebling-brooklyn-bridge/https://www.girlsincivil.com/pioneers/emily-warren-roeblinghttps://fendermarine.com/how-did-the-brooklyn-bridge-caissons-work/Re/Cap Host Ellis Malmgren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellis-malmgren-b22b0b74/

Dr. Manuelian’s Photo by Laurie ThomasDr. Peter Der Manuelian is Harvard University’s Barbara Bell Professor of Egyptology, and holds a joint appointment in the Anthropology Department and the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. He is also director of the Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East (HMANE). He came to Harvard in 2010, after serving on the curatorial staff of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. At the MFA he was Giza Archives Project Director from 2000 to 2011, and now directs the Giza Project at Harvard. In addition to Giza, his Egyptian archaeological and epigraphic site work includes New Kingdom temples at Luxor (Epigraphic Survey, University of Chicago), and the Predynastic site of Naqada. Interested in both ancient and modern graphic design, he believes in bringing new technologies into his research and into the classroom. Recent efforts have focused on photogrammetry, AR and VR visualizations, and other immersive technologies as an aid to archaeological research. The 3D Giza Project at Harvard University: http://giza.fas.harvard.edu/Donate to the 3D Giza Project: https://community.alumni.harvard.edu/give/34086571Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East (HMANE): https://hmane.harvard.edu/Sketchfab Library: https://sketchfab.com/hmaneRe/Cap Host Ellis Malmgren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellis-malmgren-b22b0b74/00:00 Intro: Why the pyramids still matter00:01 How the Giza Project began00:04 The massive challenge of digitizing Giza00:06 Drones, 3D scans, and rebuilding the pyramids00:12 Can virtual archaeology be trusted?00:15 The pioneers who invented modern Egyptology00:20 Egyptology vs. Egyptomania00:24 The lost Arabic diaries of Egyptian excavators00:28 What people still get wrong about ancient Egypt00:31 Fake pyramid discoveries, aliens, and internet nonsense00:35 Virtual museums and the mystery of Queen Hetepheres00:43 Teaching archaeology with VR at Harvard00:49 The moment Peter knew hieroglyphs would be digital01:00 What ancient Egypt still teaches us todayStay Connected with Reality Capture Network🔗 Explore more at: https://realitycapturenetwork.com/📲 Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/realitycapturenetwork/?viewAsMember=true📸 Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realitycapturenetwork/Subscribe for more insights! Stay updated on the latest in reality capture, AEC innovations, and emerging tech. Hit that like button and subscribe for future content!

Dr. Eric Jankowski is a professor, and Director of the Micron School of Materials Science and Engineering at Boise State University, where he also leads the Computational Materials Engineering Laboratory. He earned his PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan in 2012, where he developed computational tools to study the self-assembly of nanoparticles. 

Dr. Jankowski’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-jankowski-ph-d-227aa64/

Micron School of Materials Science and Engineering: https://www.boisestate.edu/coen-materials/

Computational Materials Engineering Laboratory: https://www.boisestate.edu/coen-cmelab/

Photographer and interdisciplinary scientist Chris Millbern is Head of Field Capture for CyArk, providing key technical and field experience in the areas of 3D mapping and cultural preservation. From Mt. Everest to underwater caves, Chris has led dozens of teams across the globe for everything from filmmaking to conservation, specializing in remote and hazardous environments.

Having earned a degree in Ecology and Environmental Biology from UCLA, Chris was later chosen as the Rolex 2016 North American Scholar and has since been featured numerous times with National Geographic, BBC, Smithsonian, and other media outlets in print and television. Chris is involved with designing data capture techniques, expedition logistics and planning, and building lasting on-the-ground relationships around the world.

While layering up for the occasion, Ellis Malmgren covers the 145 years of the Arctic data-collection extravaganza known as the International Polar Year, or IPY - and why only four have occurred since 1881. He then connects the history to a modern-day case study in Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, involving drones, AI, machine learning, and emergency response.

Sources:

IPY:

https://www.pmel.noaa.gov/arctic-zone/ipy.html

https://wayback.archive-it.org/23655/20241216111902/http://icestories.exploratorium.edu/dispatches/big-ideas/international-polar-year/index.html

https://fortconger.org/histoire_de_la_premiere_annee_polaire_internationale-history_of_the_first_international_polar_year

https://gml.noaa.gov/obop/spo/igy_history.html

https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/johnson/65-years-ago-the-international-geophysical-year-begins/

https://earthzine.org/securing-the-legacy-of-ipy-2/

https://library.arcticportal.org/1211/1/IPY_Summary.pdf

Arctic drones: https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/11/arctic-drones-search-rescue-disaster-response/

Ellis Malmgren details the history and causes of the leaning towers in Santos, Brazil, before explaining what reality capture and construction technology could have done to mitigate it…and why that’s still relevant today. 00:00 If You Think Watching a Lean Is Distracting…00:10 Brazil’s Soccer Supremacy… and an AEC Red Card00:20 Santos’ Three Claims to Fame00:40 651 Buildings That Forgot “Plumb”00:47 What Caused These Concrete Contortionists?01:00 Just Good Old-Fashioned Human Greed01:05 Post-War Boom, Cheap & Fast Construction01:17 Cutting Corners (Literally)01:35 Built on a Sand Trampoline01:45 Differential Settlement Takes Over01:55 MEP!? More Like WTF02:05 Living Inside a Funhouse02:30 Rooftop Putt-Putt, Anyone?02:35 Are the Leaning Towers Actually Safe?02:55 Can You Straighten a Building?03:10 Only Two Towers Got the Full Chiropractic Treatment03:30 What Could Have Prevented This Entire Mess03:40 No, the Tech Didn’t Exist in the 50s (That’s Not the Point)03:55 Reality Capture vs. Human Greed04:15 Seeing the Ground’s Deception Before Construction04:30 The Seven-Meter Sand Red Flag04:45 Verifying Instead of Just Trusting05:00 AI Detecting Lean Before Humans Notice05:10 Simulating Decades of Structural Regret05:35 Listening to Buildings in Real Time05:55 Turning Lean Into an Early Warning System06:00 Final Takeaway: Bring a Level to SantosSources:https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/leaning-towers-of-santoshttps://thetravellingsurveyor.com/2023/08/11/a-visit-to-brazil-baixada-santista-santos-sp-part-1/https://www.odditycentral.com/architecture/giant-dominoes-the-tilted-apartment-buildings-of-santos.htmlhttps://www.storyproductions.com/leaning-towers-santoshttps://www.smh.com.au/world/south-america/the-leaning-towers-of-santos-and-the-people-who-live-on-an-angle-20181113-p50fmb.htmlStay Connected with Reality Capture Network🔗 Explore more at: https://realitycapturenetwork.com/📲 Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/realitycapturenetwork/?viewAsMember=true📸 Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realitycapturenetwork/Subscribe for more insights! Stay updated on the latest in reality capture, AEC innovations, and emerging tech. Hit that like button and subscribe for future content!

Jason Jamerson is the Director of Virtual Production at LSU, and Director of the XR Studio. He is also a professor and a 20 year veteran of the entertainment industry in NYC as a Design Supervisor and Production Designer for film and TV clients including HBO, Netflix, Paramount, and The History Channel, as well as both on and Off-Broadway.Today he creates momentum at the intersection of the Arts and Sciences through building relationships, producing and curating world-class performances, and developing applied research. He helps lead teams creating simulations and digital twins, film and commercial video, and immersive and interactive media, including live performance, video games, and AR / XR content.LSU XR Studio: https://xr.lsu.edu/Jason’s website & projects: https://jasonjamerson.com/index.html

00:00 Intro – Digital Twins, Art & Innovation at LSU

01:25 Jason Jamerson & the LSU XR Studio

05:25 Digital Twins, Syngenta & the Future of Energy

15:12 Real-World Impact of Digital Twins & AI

25:10 Open-Source Tools, Game Engines & XR

31:25 NASA’s Rocket Factory Digital Twin

44:25 From Entertainment to Industrial Innovation

55:45 Building the LSU XR Studio

1:04:25 XR Projects, Education & Industry Partnerships

1:15:25 Leadership, Creativity & Constraints

1:29:10 AI, Storytelling & the Future of Creativity

1:35:00 Live Theater, Art & Human Experience

1:43:30 What’s Next – Innovation & 2026 Outlook

1:46:30 Final Thoughts & Where to Follow

Description

Ellis Malmgren explains how one of the most innovative 3D rendering techniques ties back to one of history’s most accomplished mathematicians - Carl Friedrich Gauss. Plus, a breakdown of today’s “world models” (Marble, JEPA, Google Genie 3) and the competition around them. 

00:00 Introduction and Overview

00:43 The Legacy of Carl Friedrich Gauss

03:06 Gaussian Splatting in 3D Rendering

04:21 Introduction to World Models

05:12 The Battle of World Models

08:03 Conclusion: The Future of World Models

Rogers “Caldwell” Buntin is a researcher, lecturer, and drone pilot who received his Ph.D. in Ocean & Earth Sciences from Old Dominion University. He specializes in interpreting subtle fossilized traces that reveal how dinosaurs interacted with their environments.

He joins Ellis Malmgren to explain his recent discovery at Dinosaur Ridge in Colorado; an apparent 100-million-year-old “dinosaur dance floor,” a site covered in intricate scrape marks and depressions made by theropods performing courtship displays. Using drones and high-resolution imaging, Buntin and his team interpreted these features as evidence of mating rituals, offering a rare glimpse into dinosaur social behavior and reshaping how scientists think about life in the Cretaceous.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:26 Dinosaur Ridge Discovery

01:27 Drone Photogrammetry and Field Work

04:07 Courtship Scrapes and Theories

18:40 Challenges and Logistical Hurdles

33:53 Emerging Technologies in Paleontology

50:02 Digitized Samples and Field Visualization

51:18 Communication and Collaboration in Research

52:10 Adoption and Resistance to New Technologies

54:17 3D Scanning and Its Potential

56:01 Artificial General Intelligence in Geology

57:42 Integrating Technology in Education

01:14:08 Challenges and Misconceptions in Field Work

01:16:47 Mentorship and Influences

01:19:51 Drone Piloting and Photography

01:27:41 Life Beyond Earth

01:34:15 Public Reach and De-Extinction

01:39:20 GIS and NASA Internship

01:43:03 Future Plans and Conclusion