Hoos in STEM

Time for HOOS in STEM to celebrate our graduating scientists! In this episode, producers Reeya Verma and Catherine Cossaboom interview fourth-year Hoos Vy Le (a published organic chemist and exemplar of the USOAR program), Grant GianGrassio (a biologist and Rhodes Scholar who founded the Virginia Medical Review), Sam Goldberg (a published mathematician who has proved striking theorems related to p...

Dr. Scott Doney is a superstar environmental scientist, the Kington Professor in Environmental Change at UVA and Assistant Director of Ocean Climate Science at the White House. In this Earth Day episode, he sits down with host Dr. Ken Ono to discuss the devastating effects of climate change on the world's oceans and our coastal environments, a well as the latest approaches to fight the climate cri...

Dr. George Bloom is a renowned cell biologist whose longtime focus has been deciphering the cellular processes at the heart of neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease, such as the buildup of amyloid-β peptides and tau protein tangles. In this episode, he sits down with host Dr. Ken Ono to discuss our understanding of Alzheimer's mechanisms, the current state of treatment, recent advan...

Dr. Mona Sloane is a superstar sociologist studying the intersection of technology and society. She leads the Co-Opting AI series, as well as UVA's Sloane Lab , which studies AI ethics, policy, and transparency. In this episode, she sits down with host Dr. Ken Ono to discuss the ethics of generative AI, the "social infrastructure" being created by AI, and how that infrastructure influenc...

Dr. Karen Kafadar is a renowned statistician who has worked across the country in government, industry, and academics. In this episode, she sits down with host Ken Ono to discuss her long history of statistics: from early mentors to her work in forensic science and her time growing UVA's Department of Statistics as Chair. They also discuss how UVA's statisticians can be found everywhere --from spa...

This week, Professor Mar Hicks of UVA's School of Data Science and Margot Lee Shetterly, author of "Hidden Figures," join host Ken Ono to discuss the remarkable women whose contributions to STEM have been forgotten--from biologists to code-breakers to the "human computers" whose computations helped America win the Space Race. That's why they're announcing the launch of the Huma...

UVA third-year Astrophysics major Samuel Crowe holds a distinct honor-- he's one of, if not the only undergraduate Principal Investigator with access to NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. Last year, his research proposal was accepted as one of just 249 programs selected to make use of the telescope's valuable time. In this episode, Sam sits down with host Ken Ono to discuss his early love for astr...

Dr. Melina Kibbe is a vascular surgeon, Chief Health Affairs Officer, and the Dean of UVA's School of Medicine. In this episode, she sits down with host Ken Ono to discuss breakthrough technologies coming out of the School of Medicine, including the artificial pancreas and targeted nanofibers meant to prevent scarring. They also talk about her path into medicine and administration, advice for wome...

How will institutions of higher learning respond to changes in the workforce as a result of AI? What role will universities play in the evolving era of big data and the Internet of Things? How can science and the humanities work together to shape the future, not just react to external challenges? To answer those questions, the University of Virginia has launched its Futures Initiative to help plan...

What's the nature of matter and energy? What would cold fusion mean for our energy systems? What is quantum physics -- and why was Einstein mistaken about it? These are just a few of the questions being asked by UVA's physicists, whose investigations of the universe collectively span from the smallest subatomic particles to the densest neutron stars. This week, Professor Ono is joined by theoretic...

How does the brain develop, change, and decline over a lifetime? What can we do to fight conditions like Alzheimer's disease and epilepsy? Dr. Jaideep Kapur and Dr. Sarah Kucenas, Director and Co-Director of UVA's Brain Institute, are committed to answering these questions. They discuss Dr. Kapur's work with epilepsy patients, Dr. Kucenas' use of zebrafish brain models, and UVA's $75-million inves...

In this episode of UVA's Data Points Podcast, guest host Professor Ken Ono is joined by three UVA swimmers who are pursuing graduate degrees in data science and statistics while also performing as student-athletes: August Lamb, Kate Douglass, and Will Tenpas. They discuss student life, balancing academics with swimming, and how data science and mathematics are helping them win championships--plus,...

How can engineers of vastly different disciplines work together to solve problems in the modern world? By putting them all in one place! This week's guests are Jonathan Goodall and Laura Barnes, the Director and Associate Director of UVA's Link Lab, an interdisciplinary space for faculty, undergraduates, and graduate students across engineering fields to brainstorm and build together. The combined...

What do erosion, urban planning, food insecurity, disaster relief, and the hunt for lost cities have for common? Big data can help identify and solve those problems--that's the domain of our guest this week, UVA Professor Dr. Bill Basener. Dr Basener is a Professor at the School of Data Science and a genuine polymath, with publications in machine learning, signal processing, game theory, ecologica...

Wouldn’t it be magnificent if we could reach back in time to witness the beginning of the universe…back to the Big Bang? What would we see? What would we learn? Well, UVA’s Bradley Johnson, Associate Professor of Astronomy is doing just that! He’s a world expert on Cosmic Microwave Background, known as CMB. It’s the faint glow of the flash of light that burst from the early universe. Tune in to he...

Back in April, UVA was excited to welcome the Story Collider team to Charlottesville. During a special recording at Carr's Hill, five UVA STEM leaders told stories about their careers, their research and some pretty wild experiences they've had along the way... We hope you'll head over to Story Collider to hear from Sara Maloni and Sarah Kucenas and Hoos in STEM is very excited to share the other...

Dr. “Ram” Ramasubramanian came to UVA to serve as Vice President for Research in 2017. Prior to that he developed new microneedle technology that was inspired by mosquitos. In this episode he discusses how his upbringing in Chennai, India, influenced his approach to engineering research and shares a little bit about two of his passions, Indian classical music and high-altitude mountaineering.

Big data is everywhere! This week’s featured guests, Phil Bourne, founding Dean of the UVA School of Data Science, and Cathy O’Neil, world-famous author, mathematician and UVA Visiting Scholar, talk about the opportunities and concerns in our world of big data.

It's finals week, and we are celebrating our grads! We'll hear from chemist Paul Bean, chemical engineer and swimmer Lexi Cuomo, and artificial intelligence researchers Louisa Edwards and Zach Boner. Join us as we celebrate their pursuits in and out of the classroom — as shining examples of our amazing Class of 2023! 

Happy Earth Day! In celebration, we are talking about the environment with today’s guest, Karen McGlathery. McGlathery’s work with the Virginia Coast Reserve restored battered seaside ecosystems to thousands of acres of thriving seagrass, and she tells all: why sea grass is so fundamental to climate change, what it’s like to snorkel for field work, and how the data is ultimately channeled toward c...

Once in a blue moon, a scientist comes along who revolutionizes the state of our world. Today’s guest, UVA alum Dr. Francis Collins, is one such scientist. After conducting research that isolated the genes that cause disorders like Huntington’s disease and cystic fibrosis, Dr. Collins went on to lead one of the most audacious projects in the history of science: the Human Genome Project. He also se...

These days, technology has enabled us to constantly interact with our cities. Whether by foot, bike, car or phone, our movements and interactions drive important design decisions, from traffic light patterns, to building layouts. Professor Devin Harris uses sensing techniques and data to ensure that the built environment and infrastructure serves the people that use it every day. Tune in to learn...

Dr. Marc Breton and Dr. Boris Kovatchev both knew they wanted to pursue a career in STEM research from an early age. Dr. Kovatchev was inspired to apply his statistical and mathematical prowess to diabetes after his father was diagnosed with the condition. It took over 40 factors but he was able to describe the body's insulin system mathematically. Dr Breton came to the world of biotechnological e...

Hoos in STEM is thrilled to introduce you to polar opposite environmental science professors, Howie Epstein, an ecologist who researches the Arctic, and Lauren Simkins, a geologist who studies the Antarctic Circle. We talk about what it looks like to be in some of the coldest places on Earth and delve into issues surrounding climate change. As always, this episode also features Hoos Making Discove...

Hoos in STEM is excited to welcome UVA Professor Bethany Teachman, an award-winning psychologist, to the show! Following the tragic events of November 13th here at UVA, we could not think of a more appropriate guest for the first podcast. This episode features HOOS Making Discoveries, a segment on recent news highlights, followed by Professor Teachman’s innovative research and philosophy on team s...