Podcast Transcripts

In this episode, we’ll learn about Dr. Crimaldi's early fascination with sailing and how it set the course for his lifelong interest in fluid mechanics. As the Network Lead for the ambitious Odor2Action project, he also tells us about this international network working to understand how brains organize and process information from odors to guide behaviors.

In this episode, we’ll learn from engineering and management team members—and married dynamic duo—Heather Reed and Pete Withnell about the extraordinary international collaboration that made the Emirates Mars Mission Hope spacecraft possible, and the more terrestrial effects of the mission on their family.

Dr. Fierer shares his natural curiosity for learning with us, and his unexpected and enduring passion for ... SOIL! Get a glimpse into the hidden world of microbes, the functions they serve, and how new research can help us understand and improve the health of our environment and ourselves.

Meet Dr. Qin (Christine) Lv and hear about her journey from China to Princeton and eventually to CU Boulder, where her interdisciplinary research intersects with domains such as Earth sciences, transportation electrification and sustainability—the focus of a new NSF center that is exploring transportation challenges facing our world today.

Meet Dr. Iain Boyd, director of the Center for National Security Initiatives at CU Boulder, and hear about how he followed his early interest in math from Scotland to England to the U.S., where he’s now regarded as pioneer in hypersonics and a key figure in deploying computation and technology to solve our most pressing challenges.

In this episode, we'll learn about how Dr. Druckenmiller's family-centered upbringing in rural Pennsylvania formed the foundations for his lifelong work exploring the relationships between the physical environment and the communities—especially indigenous communities—that dwell there.

Follow Dr. Randall's journey from earning her PhD in chemistry to working on the Hubble Space Telescope and, now, to leading a new NASA DRIVE center working at the leading edge of next-generation space weather prediction.

Meet Dr. Reiland Rabaka, inaugural director of the Center for African and African American Studies (CAAAS). Dr. Rabaka describes the mix of church, poverty, family and jazz that shaped his early years; the combination of mentors and educational opportunities led him to CU Boulder; and his vision for CAAAS.

Learn how Dr. Jennifer Balch's work in places like Kenya and Amazon rainforests shaped her interests in the relationships between fire, Earth systems and people, and how she’s working to transform data into insights to help solve some of the world’s most challenging problems.

In this episode, Dr. D’Mello describes how his unique combination of education and research experiences led to his leading-edge work at the NSF National Institute for Student-Agent Teaming, which is reimagining the role of artificial intelligence in the classroom to better serve both students and teachers.