NSF’s Discovery Files Podcast

Engineering is critical in modern society, from building bridges and homes to designing computers and life-saving medical devices. Nehemiah Mabry, a structural engineer and host of the NSF-supported series “Building Stuff with NOVA,” discusses streaming the live show every weekday and how it engages its audience through engineering news, games and interviews.

Imaging is central to biology and medicine, but light refracts and scatters as it hits tissues and lipids. Zihao Ou, associate professor of physics at The University of Texas at Dallas, discusses his paper demonstrating a new technique to achieve optical transparency in live tissue, a project he worked on in Guosong Hong's research group as a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University.

At the U.S. National Science Foundation Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure Wall of Wind Experimental Facility, researchers seek to better understand wind effects on civil infrastructure systems and to prevent wind hazards from becoming community disasters. Arindam Chowdhury, director and principal investigator at the facility, discusses hurricane-force winds and how they are studi...

People who enjoy birdwatching can provide valuable citizen science observation. An application called Merlin Bird ID can help users of all experience levels. Miyoko Chu, senior director of communications at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, discusses Merlin Bird ID, its development, and how new features have impacted birding and conservation efforts.

A quantum-educated workforce will be essential in the future; however, most students are not introduced to quantum mechanics until taking physics courses late into their college careers. Karen Jo Matsler, assistant professor at The University of Texas at Arlington,  joins to discuss the Quantum for All initiative to expose K-12 students to the principles of quantum mechanics.

More than 8 million species call Earth home, but we only understand the language of one. Mickey Pardo, a postdoctoral associate at the K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, discusses research into how elephants are using vocalizations to communicate with each other.

Dangerous storms such as hurricanes can cause billions of dollars in damage and cost hundreds to thousands of lives. Rebecca Morss, a senior scientist at the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research, discusses weather risk communication and response.

As next-generation technologies, such as robots, are developed, operational challenges come to light that need specialized solutions. Hao Zhang, associate professor of computer science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, discusses perception strategies, ethics and other challenges in human-centered robotics.

The future of the nation's leadership in science and technology discovery requires the engagement of diverse groups of students in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. Michele Yatchmeneff, a professor of civil engineering and executive director for Alaska Native Education and Outreach at the University of Alaska Anchorage, discusses supporting Alaska Native students in thei...

Electricity is the backbone of modern civilization and the increased demand due to extreme weather-related events is causing system failures and blackouts. Kyri Baker, assistant professor in the civil, environmental and architectural engineering department at the University of Colorado, Boulder joins to discuss optimization and control techniques for electricity systems and power grids.

Semiconductors are the backbone of modern electronics and energy-efficient ones will be critical for the future of artificial intelligence and quantum computing. Matthew Panthani, a professor of chemical and biological engineering from Iowa State University, discusses developing next-generation semiconductors.

Time is used to set many standards by counting a periodic event with a known frequency. Eric Hudson, a professor in the department of physics and astronomy at UCLA, joins to discuss working to directly manipulate the energy level of an atomic nucleus using a laser, something that has never been done before and may result in the most accurate clocks ever.

On August 8, 2023, a devastating fire swept through the town of Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui. Andrea Kealoha, an assistant professor, and Sean Swift, a doctoral student, from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, join to discuss their research into the impacts of wildfire on the coastal ecosystem.

From traffic to TVs and portable devices, people are surrounded by unwanted noise. Grace Yang, who worked on her doctoral degree as part of the fiber group at MIT, joins to discuss developing materials with acoustic properties for noise cancellation and sound suppression applications.

Most living creatures reveal themselves visually and are routinely photographed by humans from all walks of life. What if researchers could use those photos to answer fundamental biological questions? Tanya Berger-Wolf, a professor and computer scientist at The Ohio State University joins to share how she is using technology to extract information from images in the new field of imageomics.

Every year, songbirds across the United States make the arduous journey south to warmer winter climates and back again. But what behaviors, environmental cues, or genetic factors tell them it's time to go? Kira Delmore, assistant professor of biology at Texas A&M University, joins to share new insights into songbird migration.

In the 1990s, Atlantic surf clams largely died off in their southernmost range off the coast of Virginia. Daphne Munroe, associate professor at the Rutgers University Haskin Shellfish Lab, joins to discuss Atlantic surf clams, rebounding fishing efforts, and how this species may be adapting to changing conditions.

Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide act like an atmospheric blanket, but what if society could capture and repurpose those gases into useful products? Burcu Gurkan, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering department at Case Western Reserve University, joins this episode to discuss electrochemical methods of carbon capture, how the resulting products might be used and how flow batter...

This year billions of cicadas will emerge as the annual varieties are joined by the periodic Brood XIX and Brood XIII species that pop up every 13 and 17 years. Allen Moore, division director for the Division of Environmental Biology at the U.S. National Science Foundation, joins to discuss cicadas and answer some questions about these mysterious insects. 

Prior to European arrival, the Maya peoples built a civilization in the inhospitable lowland jungles of Middle America. David Lentz, professor of biological sciences and executive director at the University of Cincinnati Center for Field Studies, joins to discuss his archeological findings from ancient Mayan cities.

Advancing tools and techniques are revealing more about black holes, but they also raise more questions that continue to capture the imaginations of people everywhere. Joe Pesce, an astrophysicist with the U.S. National Science Foundation, joins to answer some popular questions.

With applications across the sciences and beyond, quantum information science is revolutionizing the world around us. We are joined by Scott Aaronson, Schlumberger Chair of Computer Science at The University of Texas at Austin and director of its Quantum Information Center, to discuss quantum computers, how to understand quantum mechanics and how artificial intelligence is misunderstood.

Over six million people get bacterial infections that develop into biofilms every year, but what if you could cut off the bacteria before infection occurs? We are joined by Amber Doiron, assistant professor in the University of Vermont Department of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering, to discuss developing biofilm-resistant wound dressings, the problems with treating bacteria, and how exciting...

Tattoos have been a part of human culture for a very long time, but what if your tattoo could help diagnose your health? We are joined by Dmitry Kireev, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst to discuss developing graphene biosensors, how they're like a tattoo, and how this technology may impact the future of health monitoring.

For a few minutes on April 8, when the moon passed between the sun and Earth, millions of people in the path of totality from Maine to Texas experienced a total solar eclipse. We are joined today by Amir Caspi, a principal scientist at the Southwest Research Institute, who explains the Citizen Continental-America Telescope Eclipse 2024 and his role in the project, the unique opportunities for scie...