Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond

How are planets formed; how do we know which theory is true? In this episode of Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond, Jovian Cheung sits down with Dr. Guðmundur Stefánsson (prior postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Astrophysics) and Dr. Vyshnavi Vennelakanti (prior postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering) to discuss new findings in planet formation...

Have you ever wondered how similar information encoding and processing of artificial intelligence (AI) is to our own human brain? How are our minds incredibly energy efficient compared to the bucketloads of energy required to power these sophisticated yet oftentimes naive AI models? These are all questions we explore, and practical advice on how students can get involved in answering these types o...

The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), roughly four miles out from campus, is a national lab run by the Department of Energy and yet remains a relatively elusive branch of Princeton’s research centers. The PPPL focuses on using plasma, often called “the fourth state of matter,” to tackle the world’s toughest science and technology challenges. In this episode of Brains, Black Holes, and Be...

How do computational processes help us understand mental health disorders and precisely tailor treatments to each individual? In this episode of Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond, Aanya Kasera sits down with Dr. Yael Niv, a professor and researcher in the Princeton Neuroscience Institute to learn more about computational neuropsychiatry and mental health on campus. Dr. Niv discusses her research in...

In this episode, Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond sits down with Dr. Alexander Glaser (MAE) and Dr. Ryo Morimoto (ANT) on their inaugural course, "Robots in Human Ecology ( ANT 325/MAE 347/SPI 384 )," which not only combines engineering and anthropological disciplines to shed light on technology's increasingly prevalent role in the everyday lives of humans but also allows students to work with the...

Welcome back, Princeton! Today we sit down with Lina and Jovian as they talk about why they're working on Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond (B Cubed), what drew them to science communication, and what to expect for future episodes! This episode of B Cubed was produced under the 148th board of The Daily Princetonian in partnership with the Insights newsletter. CREDITS Written and Hosted by Senna Aldo...

In this episode, Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond sits down with Dr. Thalia Gigerenzer on the impact of technology and dating apps on modern interpretations of love. Dr. Gigerenzer's research as an anthropologist has focused on Muslim communities in India, including deep dives into the impacts of technology on relationships and courtship.  Dr. Gigerenzer's Page (publications, projects, and more!):...

In this episode, Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond sits down with Avery Barnett, a PhD student from Jamaica. She works closely with her advisors SPIA Professor Michael Oppenheimer and MAE Professor Jesse Jenkins focusing on renewable energy policies in the Caribbean. Barnett spoke about her work with the N.J. Wind Institute Fellowship Program through Princeton, and how she hopes she can apply her fi...

In this episode of B-Cubed, Senna Aldoubosh and Ria Tomar sat down with ECE graduate student Atsutse Kludze to discuss recent findings of how producers can use 6G wireless signaling as a non-invasive way to quantify and assess produce quality. The project was done at the SWAN lab, in collaboration with Microsoft, with the goal of finding ways to reduce food waste.  This episode of Brains, Black Ho...

Sleep is an integral, yet often overlooked, part of a Princeton students daily schedule. But, what does our brain actually do when it’s asleep? This is a focus of Princeton Computational Memory Lab. Dr. Elizabeth McDevitt, a postdoctoral researcher in the lab, likes to picture sleep as the replaying of a playlist of memories and experiences that your brain builds throughout the day when you’re awa...

We asked Princeton undergraduates to send us the names of their favorite teacher's assistants — and they answered. Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond interviewed three STEM TAs: Chemical and Biological Engineering (CBE) PhD candidate Jessica Jin, COS Master's Student Rish Raghu, and Math Undergraduate Ben Zenker '24. They explain the demands of their job and how they balance the research and studies...

In this episode of Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond, Senna Aldoubosh and Simone Kirkevold sit down with Hannah Faughnan, a senior in the EEB department, and Imani Mulrain, a senior in the Chemistry department, to learn more about their senior theses. Hannah and Imani cover what got them interested in their topics, their results, and important advice for future seniors undertaking their thesis. This...

In this episode of Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond, Senna Aldoubosh and Noelle Kim sit down with Josh Leeman, a graduate student in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department. Josh discusses his interest in applying technologies from condensed matter theory to quantum computing applications, how doing research remotely during the pandemic gave him insight on his research interests, and val...

In this episode of Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond, Senna Aldoubosh sits down with Dr. Ruth Fong, a researcher and professor at Princeton in the COS department. Dr. Fong discusses her interest in computer vision and explainable AI, gives us insight into her lab's (Looking Glass Lab) collaboration with the Visual AI Lab to learn more about AI biases, and offers the valuable advice of 'finding your...

In this episode of Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond, Senna Aldoubosh and Lina Kim sit down with Dr. Pedro Paredes, a professor and researcher in the Computer Science Department to learn more about his research with theoretical computer science. Aside from discussing his work, Dr. Paredes delves into what sparked his interest in the topic, and even includes a puzzle for listeners. This episode of Br...

In this episode of Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond, Senna Aldoubosh and Ketevan Shavdia sit down with Alexander E. Downie, a final year graduate student in the Graham lab, to learn more about his upcoming dissertation. Alec discusses his research with rewilded lab mice, a recent New Yorker article featuring the Graham lab, and advice for students pursuing grad school. This episode of Brains, Black...

In this episode of Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond, Thiago Tarraf Varella sit down with Benjamin Muhoya, a graduate student in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology department to learn more about his research. Benjamin discusses his research in hospitals prior to coming to Princeton, his research looking at the evolutionary perspective of the trends noncommunicable diseases among different socioeco...

In this episode of Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond, Senna Aldoubosh and Oyshee Lahiry sit down with Timothy W. Schwanitz, a graduate student in the McBride lab to learn more about his experience working in the lab. Timothy discusses his interest in insects and etymology, the research the McBride lab does, and advice for students in STEM. This episode of Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond (B cubed) wa...

In this episode of Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond, Senna Aldoubosh and Lina Kim sit down with Dr. Andrés Monroy-Hernández, a professor in the Computer Science department to learn more about Social Computing. Dr. Monroy-Hernández discusses his journey into CS, creative uses for AI, and addressing AI biases. This episode of Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond (B cubed) was produced under the 146th mana...

In this episode of Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond, Senna Aldoubosh and Ketevan Shavdia sit with Dr. Cameron A. Myhrvold, an assistant professor in the Molecular Biology at Princeton, to discuss his research on using CRISPR to develop new technologies to detect pathogens. Dr. Myhrvold discusses his experience as a Princeton undergraduate, his development of CRISPR technologies including mCARMEN, a...

In this episode of Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond, Thiago Tarraf Varella sits down with Princeton researcher Dr. Jamey R. Szalay to discuss the science behind Jupiter's auroras. Dr. Szalay also discusses exciting breakthroughs being madeby the Jovian Auroral Distributions Experiment (JADE) in learning about Europa, one of Jupiter's moons. This episode of Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond (B Cubed)...

In this special episode of The Highlights, we interview Chino Eke, an undergraduate senior in the Neuroscience department. We discuss his senior thesis research, which was done with his advisor Professor Elizabeth Gould, a professor and researcher in the Princeton Neuroscience department focused on brain plasticity. Chino’s paper investigates two types of social impairments in Autism mouse models,...

In this special episode of Princeton Insights: The Highlights, we interview show host Thiago Tarraf Varella, a third year graduate student in the Psychology department. We discuss his research, which was done with his advisor, Dr. Asif Ghazanfar, a professor and researcher in the Princeton Psychology Department focused on developmental and evolutionary bases for communication in humans. Thaigo’s r...

In this episode of The Highlights, we're joined by Yeon Soon Shin, who completed her doctoral degree in neuroscience at Princeton in 2020 and Rolando Masís-Obando, a 5th-year graduate student in neuroscience. We discuss their paths to graduate work in psychology, their research on how environmental context affects memory, and the virtual reality environments they created to test their ideas. This...

In this episode of The Highlights, we're joined by Mira Nencheva, a graduate student in the Department of Psychology. We discuss her path to graduate work in psychology, the day-to-day of working with toddlers at the Princeton Baby Lab, and how the vocal pitch of a caregiver can affect learning early in life. This episode of The Highlights was produced under the 145th Managing Board of The Daily P...