2Scientists

Latest Episodes:

Math the vote pt II: Polls and predictions Aug 10, 2021

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While at Northwestern University, Dr. Alexandria Volkening and her colleagues developed compartmental mathematical models to predict the 2020 US elections. What's a compartmental model? How do you teach kids about math modeling using Finding Nemo? Which is better: the Parmvir poll or the Alexandria poll? We ask her about this and more.

Math the vote pt I: The geometry of gerrymandering Aug 03, 2021

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Gerrymandering has been described as the process by which the people being elected get to chose the people that elect them. It turns out that, while many people would argue that gerrymandering is not healthy for democracy, doing it right requires some maths. Dr. Thomas Weighill is a mathematician “weighing in” to do just that.

COVID-19 special: The Math Epidemiologist May 01, 2020

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A journey through ecology, evolution, infectious disease, mathematics and computational biology in medicine is what has made Dr. Brandon Ogbunu the scientist he is today. And he is completely unapologetic about it because Brandon’s believes that all these facets of his work, personality and ethnicity put him in a unique position to understand complex interactions. That includes those that we’re seeing in the midst of a pandemic.

COVID-19 special: The Microbiologist Apr 24, 2020

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Dr James Gurney is a microbiologist interested in infectious diseases. He is also a big fan of science communication whether that means talking to students in classrooms, hosting his own podcast, or consulting for Kurzgesagt. In fact it’s the latter that inspired us to ask James on our show. You can find the Kurzgesagt on the novel coronavirus here. We talked about James’ current research, armchair scientists and naturally, COVID-19.

COVID-19 special: The Conservation Biologist Apr 18, 2020

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Bats are a hot topic right now in light of COVID-19, but anyone working on them will tell you these are some of the most misunderstood mammals. Thankfully Dr. Susan Tsang is an expert and she sat down with us to talk about her favorite pollinators. Yes, just like the birds and the bees, we should be including bats among the organisms that help transfer seeds.

Eat the crust Apr 16, 2020

Show notes

Eat the crust? No, we’re not talking bread, we are talking about that layer of our planet earth, because our guest is geoscientist, Beth Bartel. For someone who’s worked a lot with GPS, much of Beth’s career has been pretty meandering. For now though she’s settled on a job she loves, helping communicate the science of geology and natural hazards, while training other scientists to share their work. We talked to Beth about the challenge of tackling pseudoscience, and the need for including social sciences to inform other fields of research.

The doctor will see you now Apr 09, 2020

Show notes

Oz Ismail went from being a research scientist taking pictures of bones, to a doctoral scientist, taking pictures of brains. He spent his PhD imaging as part of a project on Alzheimer’s disease. We talked to him about what’s known about the disease and the difficulties in treatment and diagnosis. We also talked about how along the way he’s performed stand-up, worked with friends to create the Minorities in STEM community, and how he himself is co-host of a science podcast called Why aren’t you a doctor yet? Thankfully, Oz now is Dr. Ismail and currently playing up his Britishness in Portland, OR.

The H.E.A.R.T. doctor Apr 02, 2020

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How many people knew what they wanted to do when they were 9? Sure, maybe you wanted to be a rockstar or a fire fighter, but a psychologist? Well we know one person at least! Dr. Lindsey Rodriguez is a social psychologist interested in the science underlying close relationships. As the director of Healthy Emotions and Relationship Theories (HEART) Laboratory she and her colleagues are looking for new ways to help people with difficult relationships. We talked to Lindsey about her work studying how alcohol can be harmful and helpful in romantic relationships, and how to do that in a scientific manner.

When science gets political Mar 26, 2020

Show notes

Science, genetics, teaching and policy. Four things that easily define our guest Dr. Amy J Hawkins. She’s studied the ways that DNA can be damaged in cancer. She’s worked on curricula to help teach genetics at the Genetics Science Learning Center in Utah. She’s worked with policy makers to help improve the lives of fellow Utahans. All makes sense because science, people and politics are all connected. Find out how in this episode with Amy.

Academic stand-up Mar 19, 2020

Show notes

Knock knock. Who’s there? Since this is the extent of our joke-telling ability, we’ll leave the real thing to the experts and one of our favorites is Kyle Marian. She began her scientific career as an anthropologist, but has since transitioned into communicating science through…comedy? Find out more about the parallels between academia and stand-up, and how Kyle uses her art as a powerful tool to include those most disenfranchised. Before we go on though, this episode contains a lot of strong language and explicit content. Now that you’ve been warned, go forth and enjoy!

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