University of California Audio Podcasts (Audio)

In this fun and informative program Conductor Steven Schick guides the audience through excerpts from Béla Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra and Florence Price's Violin Concerto No.1 as well as the complete William Tell Overture by Rossini. Schick places particular emphasis on the orchestra's organization and how the various sections interact with each other, with each of the musical selections serving as examples. He also invites questions from the audience. Series: "La Jolla Symphony & Chorus" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 34845]

Transforming our energy infrastructure to support greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goals will require the deployment of technologies such as electric vehicles and energy storage. Improper integration of these technologies into the electric grid and a lack of careful planning of their scale, however, can significantly reduce their real-world effectiveness in supporting GHG emissions reduction goals. Research by Brian Tarroja and his colleagues at UC Irvine presented here focus on identifying grid integration needs and life cycle planning considerations for electric vehicles and energy storage deployment to better ensure that their potential GHG benefits are fully realized in future electricity systems. Series: "Institute for Energy Efficiency" [Show ID: 35164]

Some young adults have trouble fitting into societal norms and slip through the cracks. The professionals on this panel are unsung heroes who advocate for our lost youth to create a better future. They discuss what led them to their work, as well as the challenges and rewards. Series: "Global Empowerment Summit" [Show ID: 35329]

Composited digital and physical special effects, mechanical post-apocalyptic design, and the battle for limited resources are all touched on in this wide-ranging conversation between UC Berkeley professor and special effects scholar Kristen Whissel, and Carsey-Wolf Center director Patrice Petro. The two explore the films depiction of bodies and landscapes, masculinity and femininity. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Show ID: 35327]

Researchers at UC San Diego are working on cutting edge technology to combat the constant threat of wildfires in California. The WIFIRE Lab is a collaboration between the Qualcomm Institute and the San Diego Supercomputer Center. The technology uses big data from cameras, weather stations, topography and other sources to quickly predict where wildfires will spread. And, it's not just theoretical. Fire departments like LAFD are actively using WIFIRE to get ahead of blazes before they get out of control. Series: "Computing Around UC" [Science] [Show ID: 35075]

Yale University professor and filmmaker Charles Musser explores the historical and contemporary perspectives of race relations in German and American cinema from the 1920s by examining The Ancient Law (1923) and The Jazz Singer (1927). He evaluates how each film addresses anti-Semitism as well as the burning question of the history of blackface as a theatrical convention. Series: "Library Channel" [Show ID: 35016]

What defines consciousness? Can it develop in a petri dish? Patricia Churchland reviews the current state of brain organoid research and shares her views on how conciseness and physical structures within the brain intersect. She also cautions the media on the tendency to "over hype" new research advances. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Show ID: 35247]

Recently, some scientists have asked whether neural organoids will ever be conscious, and have wondered about the ethical implications of this possibility. Meanwhile, some philosophers have argued that neural organoids are miniature versions of “brains in vats.” Evan Thompson feels that both scientist and philosophers should shift their thinking. He argues that the minimal instantiation of sentience is organismic - not just neuronal, and that conscious processes of moral interest require embodiment and the capacity to suffer.

Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Show ID: 35248]

With the 2020 general elections looming, the nominee for the Democratic Party undetermined, and a defiant and volatile president at the helm, the impeachment inquiry is sure to heat up in the weeks ahead. At stake in this topsy-turvy political theater are our democratic institutions, which may be forever altered. This UC Berkeley's Social Science Matrix event features two prominent scholars: Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean of Berkeley Law, and Robert Reich, Carmel P. Friesen Professor of Public Policy, Goldman School of Public Policy, UC Berkeley. Series: "UC Public Policy Channel" [Show ID: 35379]

San Diego District Attorney Summer Stephan discusses her work to stop human trafficking. Series: "Global Empowerment Summit" [Show ID: 35330]