Talk Nerdy with Cara Santa Maria

Latest Episodes:

Green News Report w/ Desi Doyen Jul 20, 2015

Show notes

Desi Doyen of the Green News Report talks with Cara about the culture of climate denialism in America, including who's really pulling the strings and how we can be empowered to effect change.

Gravitational Waves w/ Chiara Mingarelli Jul 13, 2015

Show notes

Dr. Chiara Mingarelli, Marie Curie Fellow in Theoretical Astrophysics at Caltech, gives Cara a primer on gravitational waves. She talks about using pulsar timing arrays to detect and analyze gravitational waves, and she throws in some black hole physics for good measure!

Thinking Atheist w/ Seth Andrews Jul 06, 2015

Show notes

Seth Andrews (The Thinking Atheist) tells Cara stories about his past as a fundamentalist Christian. Also discussed: how to be an example to atheists and religious people alike, and atheist activism in the new media landscape.

Producing the News w/ Jenny Churchill Jun 29, 2015

Show notes

Producer Jenny Churchill offers Cara a behind-the-scenes look at producing the news, including how we learn by making huge mistakes, what qualifies as news vs. opinion in our new media echo-chambers, and why car chases are just so damn fun to watch.

Astrobiology w/ Michael Lee Jun 22, 2015

Show notes

Cara sits down with USC graduate student Michael Lee to talk about all things astrobiology. What is it? What can it tell us about alien life? And how does studying our own ocean floor help us understand what might be lurking on Jupiter's moon Europa?

Congressional Dish w/ Jennifer Briney Jun 15, 2015

Show notes

This week, Cara is joined in studio by one of #TalkNerdy's most requested guests, Jennifer Briney of the Congressional Dish Podcast. They discuss the dominant role corporate interests play in the American legislative process.

GMOs and Society w/ Kevin Folta Jun 08, 2015

Show notes

Cara sits down with Dr. Kevin Folta (Professor and Chair of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida) to continue their conversation about genetically modified organisms. Especially poignant: the philosophy of activism denying opportunities for the developing world.

Atheist Activism w/ Jaclyn Glenn Jun 01, 2015

Show notes

Cara chats with YouTuber Jaclyn Glenn about her departure from the Catholic Church and subsequent rise as an atheist advocate. Also discussed: hate comments on YouTube and how life would be different if there were no religion.

Fluid Dynamics w/ Shini Somara May 25, 2015

Show notes

Dr. Shini Somara (TechKnow) sits down with Cara to talk about why computational fluid dynamics is so important. Also included: lots of airplane talk and Shini’s journey across the pond to communicate science to the American public.

Everyone is Gay w/ Dannielle Owens-Reid May 18, 2015

Show notes

Cara and Dannielle Owens-Reid (Everyone Is Gay and The Parents Project) talk about issues facing LGBTQ youth, including the special struggles of bisexual and pansexual individuals. They also open up about their own sexual identities and histories.