Scientifically Sound: Hosted by Ralph White III

You know we had to bring some R&B into the mix this Valentine's Day!  Rexxy Pendergrass and I decided to lay down some vocals in honor of the hormone, oxytocin. So lovely, don't you agree.  Here's to more #neuroscience research on the role of this cool neuropeptide. ---- Welcome to Scientifically Sound! Where I, Ralph from the South, along with my "roommate", Rex the L...

Video to Episode: https://youtu.be/QomjXhg0fN8?feature=shared After a year of changes, Rex and I decide to have a talk and do something new. Welcome to Scientifically Sound! Where I, Ralph from the South, along with my "roommate", Rex the Lab Tech, kick back and bring science into the creative spaces of music, storytelling, and art. Think of us as your fellow goofballs giving you science...

Happy Holidays, fellow listeners! Lauren Girouard-Hallam joins me on the show as we discuss Santa's powers based on the holiday hit famously recorded by Gene Autry "Up on the Housetop" in the scope of psychology of children's belief in them. And of course, we have some fun as we tease out what kind of scientist(s) would Santa Claus would be! More information about Lauren below....

Be thankful. That's it. That's the tweet. For this holiday episode, we keep it short and sweet with talking about A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and the reaction we all need in cooking ANYTHING, especially turkey. The Maillard reaction! Follow Scientifically Sound Instagram @ scientificallysound TikTok @scientificallysound email: 4thescientificallysound@gmail.com and visit our website scie...

Sumeet Kulkarni is a 6th-yr. PhD student studying gravitational waves at the University of Mississippi.  Sumeet uses really smart code written by others to evolve binary black holes forward and backward in time, and apply it to whole populations of black holes to figure out if we can detect signatures of them precessing like a spinning top. He is also involved with education and outreach efforts w...

Welcome Back, Welcome Back, Welcome Back! Daniela Mesa and Haley Stubbs come back to the Sound one mo' time! We catch up on what they've been up to since their last appearance, try and create a science awards show, and discuss the hit "September" by Earth Wind and Fire.  What we decided to do is look into what happened on September 21st from a scientific point of view! You&apos...

It's the most wonderful time of the school year! First day/week back to school! So of course we do an episode focused on going to bed on time and its importance! I'm hanging out with Jazmine Benjamin as we discuss grad student life this past summer as it comes to an end and dive into the Kid Cudi classic " Day 'N' Nite" as we learn about circadian misalignment. Maybe...

We are halfway through the summer! Ralph from Da South coming in hot like this heatwave coming across all our nations. I give updates on my PhD career and ComSciCon preparations for next week.  Then, we cool off and chill as we learn about records in skydiving, some physics, and highlight the outstanding scientist in honor of Disability Pride Month, Dr. Wanda Diaz Merced.  Song for the Episode: Sk...

We Outsiiiiiiiiide! For this month's episode, I am taking a different approach. 4 short stories. 4 fun facts. And they all revolve around my memories of summer. We first wake up "Early in the Morning" and learn about circadian rhythms. We then go grab some "Hot Cheetos" and understand why it is so spicy "insert tiktok". Can't forget about "Sweet Love&qu...

Hey. How are you? How's your mental health? Yes, really. In this month's episode, I invited my mental health neighbor and forever dance partner in science, Krystle Osby. We talk about our mental health journeys so far as it pertains to our graduate school career. So for you academics out there, maybe there is something that we say that you relate to. I then introduce her Johnny Mathis&ap...

Happy Jazz Appreciation Month from your favorite scientist! To celebrate, we are going to talk about how cool jazz kept us cool in the abstract sense with the album "Birth of the Cool" by Miles Davis. Then we will talk about how the neurotransmitter that keeps us cool, serotonin, was discovered and understood. Question of the episode: What celebrity would you want to listen to your resea...

Happy Women's History Month from Scientifically Sound! It's a celebration on this side as we channel our inner Chaka Khan with her 1978 hit single "I'm Every Woman", in honor of the #IfThenSheCan exhibit. This exhibit highlights 120 women in STEM from all kinds of careers with 3D life-size statues! It is currently wrapping up its time at the Smithsonian, so I thought it wo...

Happy Black History Month! Lift Every Voice and Sing, till earth and heaven ring! Happy American Heart Month, as well. In this episode of Scientifically Sound, I'm hanging out with Dre'Von Dobson as we talk about our time as black scientists in our love of Ernest Everett Just and discuss The Bee Gees' hit, Al Green classic, "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart". We are tying t...

And we're back! Here we go again! Ralph from the South here! It is the 1 year anniversary of Scientifically Sound! I got my party hat on. So I decided to do something different. I've brought my friend Jasmin Giles from Black in Science Podcast to chill with me as I tell a story of "energetic" proportions. I talk about my love of sampling as we focus in on the song, Energy by Bi...

Finally, Finale! Potato, Potato. Corn, Beans, and Squash! Welcome to the last episode as we complete Season 1 of Scientifically Sound! Today, we are taking a quick look at vocal arrangement (with a special take from my friend, Ivory Doublette) as far as vocal groups are concerned and finding that something similar happens in the scientific world of plants and agriculture. Inspired by Dr. Beronda M...

Hey, you SciGoblins ad SciGhouls! Welcome to another episode of Scientifically Sound. Number 11! We are headed to space as we learn about a blip in a mission to detect the first ever stars. The blip was that space decided to ROAR at us! We are coming from the song "Example #22" by avant-garde singer-songwriter Laurie Anderson on her debut album, "Big Science." We also learn som...

We've made it! Episode 10! And what better way to bring in the double digits than with double the guests. Everyone, introducing my wonderful best friends, my lab mates straight out of Furman University, Haley Stubbs and Daniela Mesa Sanchez. We reminisce over the good ol' days of working with Karen Buchmueller (our advisor)! We dive into how we ride the ebbs and flows of scientific resea...

Can you get "Behind the Groove"? I know I can if Teena Marie is telling me to do so.  Today's episode we are diving into the Teena Marie's hit song "Behind the Groove" and learning about the major and minor grooves in DNA. Also, giving updates on my graduate career and my life. Plus,  we take a visit to Not Quite Scientific to hear in on some customer service calls. S...

Are you a lover of Wikipedia? Well, this one is for you. I bring Abir Majumdar, PhD on to the Sound to talk about his thesis research on CDK2 and we tie it to the hit song "Doing It to Death" by James Brown and the JBs. We laugh and chill as we have all the feels since he is heading to Dallas, Texas. Song of the Sound: Miracles by SAULT Instagram @scientificallysound  Twitter: 4theSci_So...

I'm back, baby! Did you miss me? Of course you did! I definitely missed telling you all stories, at least. Today's episode is on my summer research experiences back at Furman University. How it was fantastic and at times, maddening! Luckily, Kool and the Gang made the soundtrack for that. A synthesizer masterpiece called "Summer Madness". Song of the Sound this episode: Sun Kis...

Let's keep the momentum going with a coffee in hand! My friend Maram Essawy joins me on the Sound in this episode. We discuss happiness in our work, we (more like Maram) giggle about lab. We discuss the 1980 hit record by Kurtis Blow, "The Breaks", and connect it to Maram's past work on DNA breaks! More info below about our guest, Maram Essawy. Maram is an Egyptian-American PhD...

FIRST (interview)! My friend Lynnea Harris joins me on the Sound in our first interview. We sing, we laugh, we discuss impulse buys (in the love of science).  We breakdown the 1963 heartbreak single "Put Me Down Easy" by Sam Cooke's little brother, L.C Cooke. We tie that song to Lynnea's research to how opioids work. More below about my guest, Lynnea Harris. "Born and rais...

Ah, 1980. Gucci Mane is born. Michael Jackson is coming off tour with "Off the Wall" and prepping to record "Thriller". And the great tenor saxophonist, Grover Washington Jr., released the Grammy-Awarded album "Winelight".  A traditionalist transplanted into jazz fusion/smooth jazz. At the same time, we learn about our histocompatibility and how it influences organ tr...

It was in the Cotton Club during the roaring 20s. A picturesque  "A Great Gatsby" time while Duke Ellington was writing the standard "Sophisticated Lady." But who was it about? His mom? His grade teachers? Well, we here at the Sound believe it is about a wonderful Black Women of Medical Science. Found out who we are talking about this episode! With me, Ralph from the South! Son...

Did you know that cells can freestyle? Right? Today, we take some bars from Common off his feature on RH (Roy Hargrove) Factor's album in 2003, Hard Groove. Common apparently knows about the cell cycle and the decisions and twists involved for a cell just out of the hood. The cell hood that is. You'll even hear about the early days of a middle band geek Ralph from the South. All this, on...