NSF’s Discovery Files Podcast

On April 8, parts of the United States, Canada and Mexico will experience a total solar eclipse. We are joined today by Carrie Black, a program officer in the NSF Division of Astronomical Sciences Division; Alain Brizard, a professor of physics at Saint Michael's College; and Maria Kazachenko, an assistant professor at the University of Colorado Astrophysical & Planetary Science department to...

In chemistry, advances in artificial intelligence are allowing automated and self-driving labs to quickly realize complex experiments while providing new avenues for exploration. We are joined by Milad Abolhasani, associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at North Carolina State University to hear about how he developed Smart Dope, a self-driving fluidic lab, and how it is being...

Using cutting-edge tools such as the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, astronomers can study the sun as never before.  We are joined by Maria Kazachenko, assistant professor in the University of Colorado Boulder Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences department and assistant professor at the National Solar Observatory, to hear about how why it's important to study the sun, why magnetic fields resu...

Plastics have historically been developed to be optimal for a specific use, but what if a single material could be made flexible for one application or sturdy for another? We are joined by Stuart Rowan, professor of molecular engineering innovation and enterprise at the University of Chicago, who shares how he is developing materials whose properties can be changed on demand.       

Crocodilian species first appeared during the Mesazoic era 252-66 million years ago and have since adapted to survive changing environments and mass extinction events. We are joined by Greg Erickson, professor of anatomy and vertebrate paleobiology at Florida State University and curator at FSU's Biological Science Museum, who shares how he measured crocodilian bite strength, what happens if a cro...

Since 2007, Detroit's Downtown Boxing Gym has provided a free academic and athletic program to students aged 8-18, where they have seen long-term, life-changing impacts and a 100% high school graduation rate. We are joined by Purdue University Associate Professor of Counseling Psychology Amanda Case, Downtown Boxing Gym Executive Director Jessica Hauser, STEAM Lab Coordinator Remi Napier and stude...

Quantum information science is a rapidly advancing field. The unique possibilities that quantum phenomena offer will create breakthroughs in areas such as sensing and measurement, computation and simulation, communication, networking, and security. Dolev Bluvstein, a doctoral student at Harvard University, working in the Lukin Group at the Quantum Optics Laboratory joins to discuss how they are ma...

The U.S. National Science Foundation's Zettawatt-Equivalent Ultrashort pulse laser System (ZEUS) is the highest power laser system in the United States, providing world-leading capabilities for scientific, medical, defense and industrial research. We are joined by Karl Krushelnick, professor of nuclear engineering and radiological sciences and director of the Gérard Mourou Center for Ultrafast Opt...

From weather apps to maps, geographic information systems (GIS) are the computer-based tools that drive many modern-day conveniences. The U.S. National Science Foundation has played a central role in the technology's development and growth. NSF established the National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis (NCGIA) in 1988 and funded more than $83 million in grants in the last two years al...

In the immune system, white blood cells help protect the body from viruses and bacteria. A subset known as macrophages offer great promise for cancer treatment. We are joined by Kolade Adebowale, a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences to hear about his macrophage studies, how they might be made more effective, and why we should be optimistic...

Since the discovery of incomplete dinosaur skeletons in the early 1800s, the collective knowledge about these creatures that roamed the Earth millions of years ago has grown dramatically. We are joined by Greg Erickson, a professor of anatomy and vertebrate paleobiology at Florida State University and curator at FSU's Biological Science Museum who shares how new Gorgosaurus discoveries impact what...

Light catches the imagination and raises questions about phenomena such as rainbows or why the sky is blue from an early age. We are joined by Franklin Dollar, professor of physics and astronomy and associate dean of graduate studies in the School of Physical Sciences at University of California, Irvine to hear about how he uses extreme ultraviolet light and lasers to reproduce and study the plasm...

The U.S. National Science Foundation's Center for Computer Assisted Synthesis is developing data science tools and computational workflows that aim to shape the future of synthetic chemistry. We are joined by Gabe Gomes, assistant professor of chemistry and chemical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, to hear about the work being done at the facility and the revolutionary new tool his team...

From the Viking age to a Cold War military installation revealing insights into the ice age, advances in artificial intelligence, and looks at black holes and gravitational waves in the depths of space, these are just some of the stunning findings produced by U.S. National Science Foundation-supported researchers in 2023. As we start a new year, we're looking back at some memorable moments from th...

Humans have always looked up to the sky and wondered about the stars and what life may be out there. Astronomers are using tools such as the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Green Bank Observatory and the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array to search for radio waves, technosignatures sent from distant stars. David DeBoer, a research astronomer at the University of California, Berkeley joins to expla...

Blue whales are the largest animals to ever inhabit the planet and were hunted to near extinction in the era of commercial whaling. Since the 1960's, these giants have been protected but continue to be considered endangered and are seldom seen. Kate Stafford, an associate professor and bio-acoustician at Oregon State University's Marine Mammal Institute, joins today to explain how a film brought h...

The U.S. National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) has helped ensure the quality, vitality and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce by recognizing and supporting outstanding graduate students since 1952. Kyle Johnson, a doctoral student at the University of Washington, joins us to talk about his work with robotics, his GRFP experience and how he ins...

The ubiquity of plastic materials in modern life has meant that plastic debris can be found everywhere. A subset of these environmental contaminates, smaller than a sesame seed, are called microplastics, and an even smaller subset of those are called nanoplastics. We are joined by Lauren Pincus, an environmental chemist and post-doctoral fellow at Princeton University, to learn about plastic degra...

The U.S. National Science Foundation has invested over half a billion dollars to establish the National AI Research Institutes. We are joined by D.K. Panda, from the AI Institute for Intelligent Cyberinfrastructure with Computational Learning in the Environment; Giovanni Vigna, from the AI Institute for Agent-based Cyber Threat Intelligence and Operation; Yiran Chen, from the AI Institute for Edge...

The HistoryMakers is the world's largest searchable oral history archive, featuring the first-person accounts of over 3,000 African American people from a wide variety of disciplines, including a special subset of STEM community members under a project called "ScienceMakers." Founder Julieanna Richardson tells us about early challenges, memorable moments along the journey and how the Library of Co...

The U.S. National Science Foundation has invested over half a billion dollars to establish the National AI Research Institutes. We are joined by Aarti Singh from the AI Institute for Societal Decision Making; Amy McGovern from the AI Institute for Research on Trustworthy AI in Weather, Climate, and Coastal Oceanography; Ashok Goel from the National AI Institute for Adult Learning and Online Educat...

A team of researchers at the NSF-supported EduceLab are working to revolutionize digital restoration. They are investigating the Herculaneum Scrolls, ancient writings that were carbonized in the Mount Vesuvius eruption of 79 C.E. We are joined by EduceLab principal investigator Brent Seales, a computer science professor at the University of Kentucky, to hear about imaging the fragile scrolls, usin...

Insects play vital roles in the ecosystem, but some species can be pests and home infestations can raise serious health issues. Coby Schal, a professor of entomology at North Carolina State University, joins to share his expertise of how moths and cockroaches communicate, their impacts as pests and strategies for controlling them.  

Today's guest is approaching the grand problem of energy by developing thermal energy batteries. Asegun Henry is a professor in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Department of Mechanical Engineering, where he also directs the Atomistic Simulation & Energy Research Group. His work has earned him a Guinness World Record and recently an Alan T. Waterman award, the nation's highest honor f...

An understanding of the structure, composition and processes involved in erupting volcanoes and the ways lava flow can help better mitigate the effects of these environmental hazards. Our guest is Stephan Kolzenburg, assistant professor at the University at Buffalo, who joins us to share what makes volcanoes active, how researchers study lava flow in the field and ways to study it from a lab.