Superheroes of Science

Did you realize that the brain is like plastic and continues to change throughout your life? Dr. Ginger Campbell, Host of Brain Science podcast, joins us to discuss the 6 Things YOU Need to Know about YOUR Brain. Campbell takes us through a variety of interesting facts about the brain before discussing what we have learned through neuroscience. The interview closes with a discussion of some of the...

'Tis the season for holiday treats! While it can be fun to indulge, it's always a good idea to be mindful of our daily sugar intake. Can artificial sweeteners help us with our nutritional goals throughout the holiday season? Susie Swithers, Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs in the College of Health and Human Sciences and Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Purdue University,...

While hypoxia, or the reduced amount of oxygen available in a body of water, is a naturally occurring phenomenon, human impact can make hypoxia worse. Paris Collingsworth, Assistant Research Professor in the Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resources and Great Lakes Ecosystems Specialist for the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, discusses his research with hypoxia in Lake Erie along...

Did you ever wonder how scientists know what rocks are on Mars? Dr. Roger Wiens, PI of the SuperCam instrument on the Perseverance Rover that just landed this year on Mars, explains how it works. Roger also discusses meteorites on Earth from Mars, and the Wiens asteroid. That's right he even has an asteroid named after him! 

Dan Cziczo is not only a friend of the Science from the Experts show on Superheroes of Science, he is an atmospheric scientist whose publications have been cited in scientific journals over seven thousand times. Cziczo serves as the current Department Head, as well as Professor, of the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences at Purdue University. Cziczo explains the meaning behind...

Aerosols can be naturally existing or man-made, and both types of aerosols exist in our atmosphere. Alexander Laskin, Professor of Analytical Chemistry at Purdue University, explains how aerosols are classified, where different types of aerosols can be found throughout the world and the goal of his research in atmospheric chemistry.

Did you know that a 6 digit passcode takes less than 1 day to crack, while a 10 digit passcode can take several years? Just do not use a phone number, as this can be guessed easily. Nick Egbert joins us from the  Purdue University  Department of Mathematics. Nick is a  PhD candidate who is specializing in cryptography and number theory. He explains how simple and extremely complex codes work. Nick...

Professor Tim Donohue from University of Wisconsin-Madison joins us to discuss Bioenergy. Donohue explains the importance of thinking about bioenergy-based research solutions and emphasizes that biofuels are not a new concept. Donohue explains various products that co me from a barrel of oil, and making fuels and chemicals from dedicated non-food energy crops.

Most all diseases include some kind of environmental component according to Dr. Sarah Evans, Assistant Professor of Environmental Medicine and Public Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. If environmental factors are responsible for rapid disease rates, then we can work toward solutions that will be helpful in slowing these rates. Dr. Evans suggests actionable ite...

Deep learning was such an unpopular field of research in 2012 that there were only 3 labs in the world doing any research. Only in the last decade have we seen enormous progress in the fields of deep learning, machine learning (ML), and ultimately artificial intelligence (AI). Slater Victoroff, CTO and Founder of Indico Data, explains that AI is the automation of any process, with a computer, that...

When a crime takes place, it seems natural that collecting DNA evidence would be a necessary part of the investigation. But what happens if there isn't any DNA to collect, or DNA evidence is available but there isn't a reference to use with the evidence? Melanie Beasley, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Purdue University, explains how the use of stable isotopes provides strong evidence to he...

Dr. Ryan Ickert, senior research scientist with the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences at Purdue University, describes how radioactive isotopes are used to determine the age of rocks and minerals in a field of study known as geochronology. When scientists knowing the rates of decay of elements such as u ranium, thorium, and potassium, they can use this information as a type o...

Dr. David A. Padgett is an Associate Professor of Geography and Director of the Geographic Information Sciences Laboratory at Tennessee State University. Dr. Padgett discusses Sea Level Rise in North American Coastal Regions: Impacts upon Coastal Aquatic Ecosystems. Discussions included evidence of sea level rise, climate change, impacts on aquatic ecosystems, and the loss of critical wetlands eco...

Dr. Ronnie Schumann, Associate professor in the Department of Emergency Management and Disaster Science at the University of North Texas, tells us that there is "No such thing as a natural disaster". In this interview we learn about disaster science, recovery from disasters and how to become fire-adapted.  

The story of the Asian giant hornet, or murder hornet, starts with an email: "I found a bug...what is it"? Dr. Gwen Pearson runs the Human Insect Interaction Lab for Purdue Entomology and candidly discusses many common myths associated with the hornets. Dr. Pearson also explains a convincing argument for describing the insects as Halloween hornets instead of Murder hornets.

What do the guts of a volcano look like? According to Jonathan Delph, Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at Purdue University, it depends on the geoscientist you ask. Delph walks us through several illustrations showing the ways different geoscientific disciplines might view magmatic structure: Geochemistry (process-focused), Petrology (field-focused...

Advancements in technology are creating infinite opportunities for improvements to cybersecurity. Jin Wei-Kocsis, Assistant Professor of Computer and Information Technology with Purdue Polytechnic Institute and Director of the Cyber-Physical-Social Systems Design Lab, explains both Deep Learning and Blockchain technologies and how these technologies intersect with cooperative and secure computing.

Data is all around us! What can we do to make this data meaningful and understandable without making it complicated and overwhelming? Vetria Byrd, Assistant Professor of Computer Graphics Technology with Purdue Polytechnic Institute and Director of the Byrd Data Visualization Lab joins us to discuss data visualization, building data visualization capacity, and the 4 V's of big data.  Additional re...

Tillmann Kubis, the Katherine Ngai Pesic & Silvaco Research Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue University, explains how Quantum mechanics is "simply" wave mechanics. Kubis explains and provides examples of the presence of particle physics all around us. He also advises that considering the wave-particle duality, and being open to the hybrid nature of waves and par...

Explore the science that goes into firework displays with Paul Smith, Director of Lecture Demonstrations for the Department of Chemistry at Purdue University. Smith describes the anatomy of firework shells, explains the chemicals used in making fireworks, and covers the requirements needed for getting licensed to build fireworks. Smith also gives a great explanation of the role that science has pl...

Do you know all the ways you can be hacked? Dr. Ida Ngambeki, Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer and Information Technology and Executive Director of Purdue Cyber Education Network Training Resources (CENTR) at Purdue Polytechnic Institute, explains many different types of social engineering including vishing, shoulder surfing, and watering holes. Dr. N presents strategies we can us...

While some invasive species like the Bradford pear tree can seem like a good thing, (trees ARE good for the environment!), they are considered invasive because they crowd out more favorable and sustainable native trees, shrubs, and understory plants that are better for the environment. Lindsey Purcell, Urban Forestry Specialist for the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources at Purdue Univers...

Horticulture helps us improve the environment, strengthen community, use environmental solutions to solve real-world problems, and bring beauty to the world, all through growing plants! We can't exist without the field of horticulture. As Brie explains, horticulture is relevant, necessary, and essential. In this episode, Brie discusses the different types of plant propagation and where each type i...

What is MRI? Is it an invasive procedure? How do the risks of getting an MRI compare to the risks involved with getting an X-ray? Deva Chan, Assistant Professor in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering at Purdue University, joins us this week to explain MRI and how Chan's research specifically uses MRI to study arthritis.

Proteins perform a lot of different jobs within our cells. As proteins either age or mutate, they can begin to cause problems for the cells. The ubiquitin system, (present only in eukaryotic organisms - animals and plants), works to tag proteins that go bad. Proteins tagged by the ubiquitin system send a signal to proteasomes which then shred the bad protein, hence the expression "kiss of death."...