The Academic Minute

There’s more information than ever for investors, so how does the public use it? Reena Aggarwal, Robert E. McDonough professor of finance and director at the McDonough’s Psaros Center for Financial Markets and Policy at Georgetown University, examines this. Professor Aggarwal is a globally renowned expert in the field of finance. She specializes in financial […] This is a public episode. If...

On Soka University of America Week: Movie theaters can be used for more than just movies. Sandrine Siméon, assistant dean of global citizenship and associate professor of French language & culture, examines another form of entertainment that can fill the screens. Originally from Paris, Sandrine Siméon completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Paris […] This is a public epi...

On Soka University of America Week: Autonomous states around the world and the reasons behind them can be misunderstood. Shane Barter, professor of comparative politics, delves into why. Dr. Shane Joshua Barter is Professor of Comparative Politics at Soka University of America. He earned his PhD in 2011 at the University of British Columbia. He […] This is a public episode. If you would like...

On Soka University of America Week: Introduced species can be a threat to coral reefs. Marie Nydam, associate professor of biology, dives down to take a look. Marie Nydam has a BS in Evolution and Ecology from the University of California, Davis. She earned a PhD in Evolutionary Biology from Cornell University and worked as […] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with...

On Soka University of America Week: Can we reimagine our urban spaces to more align with the natural world? Deike Peters, associate professor of environmental planning and practice, discusses. Deike Peters is a German-American environmental urbanist whose focus is on ‘getting cities right.’ She has published extensively on sustainable and green urbanism, rail- and megaproject-oriented […] Th...

On Soka University Week: Colleges are closing across the country, so what happens next to the spaces they occupied? Ryan Allen, associate professor of comparative and international education and leadership, looks around to find answers. Ryan M. Allen is the Associate Professor of Comparative and International Education and Leadership in the Educational Leadership and Societal Change […] This...

How do we make the trucking industry more efficient? Qi Luo, assistant professor in the department of business analytics at the University of Iowa, examines one possible solution. Qi Luo’s research focuses on data-driven decision-making in operations management and emerging mobility systems. His work has been recognized with several prestigious awards, including the TRB Kikuchi-Karlaftis […]...

Re-entry from space is challenging because of many factors, including heat. Marcos Fernandez-Tous, assistant professor in the department of space studies at the University of North Dakota, details how a new trajectory may help cool things down. Assistant professor of space technology, I teach courses on rocket propulsion and hypersonic aerodynamics at the University of […] This is a public e...

Our genetic code still holds mysteries for us to discover. Sawsan Wehbi, Genetics Ph. D. candidate at the University of Arizona, takes a look. I am a fourth year PhD candidate majoring in genetics and minoring in astrobiology. I am interested in the origins of life on Earth. My research focuses on early life proteins and […] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with ot...

Having the right friends might mean a more secure financial future. Bradley Cannon, assistant professor of finance within the School of Management at Binghamton University, outlines the link. Brad Cannon, assistant professor of finance at Binghamton University Dr. Cannon’s research interests include behavioral finance, household finance, investments and financial technology. The study, titled “Fri...

How do we lower the amount of preterm or low weight births? Dongqing Wang, Assistant Professor in the Department of Global and Community Health at George Mason University’s College of Public Health, examines one solution. Dongqing Wang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Global and Community Health. Wang’s research focuses on the nutritional […] This is a public episode. If you wo...

The conglomeration of news media is having impacts on financial markets. Flora Sun, assistant professor of accounting at Binghamton University, explains why. Dr. Sun’s research interests include disclosure and information production in capital markets, focusing on the determinants of media coverage and its impact on capital markets. Sun is also interested in studying how investors […] This i...

Understanding extremism can be key to our future. Art Jipson, associate professor of sociology and criminology at the University of Dayton, explores why. Arthur “Art” Jipson is an associate professor of sociology and criminology at the University of Dayton, where he has taught since 2001. From 2005 to 2016, Jipson was director of UD’s criminal […] This is a public episode. If you would...

What role does vitamin D play in pregnancy? Alison Gernand, associate professor of nutritional sciences at Penn State University, shows us the importance. Alison Gernand is an Assistant Professor of Nutritional Sciences at Penn State University. The focus of her research is the impact of maternal micronutrient status on adverse pregnancy outcomes. She received a […] This is a public episode....

Is prayer a form of problem solving for the person praying? Eleanor Schille-Hudson, postdoctoral research scientist in the department of anthropology at Stanford University, discusses why it may be the case. A cognitive scientist by training, she studies how people rely on their priors, habituated behaviors, social networks, and cultural context to make sense of […] This is a public episode....

Wildfires are a topic that is demanding our attention these days. John Daily, emeritus professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Colorado, says science can teach us what we need to know. Dr. Daily is Emeritus Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He studied Mechanical Engineering at the University […] This is a public episode. If you wou...

3D printing may hold the key to making airplanes superefficient. Peter Serles, Schmidt Science Fellow at the California Institute of Technology, looks to let this research take off. Dr. Peter Serles received his PhD from the University of Toronto working with Prof. Tobin Filleter where he was a Vanier Scholar and was awarded the Canadian […] This is a public episode. If you would like to dis...

Labels on products showing ‘healthier’ information, may not be telling the whole story. Anita Rao, Beyer Family associate professor at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University, tells us why. Anita Rao, Beyer Family Associate Professor at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, is an empirical marketing researcher. Her work focuses on causally measuring […] This...

What can birds teach us about testosterone? Jasmine Loveland, Lise Meitner postdoctoral fellow at the University of Vienna, examines this. Dr. Jasmine Loveland is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Vienna and a guest scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence. Her main interests are in molecular evolution, comparative neuroanatomy and the […] This is a publ...

Federal food waste reduction goals are proving hard for states to meet. Sarah Kakadellis, postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Food Science and Technology at the University of California, Davis, explains why. Kakadellis’ research addresses the significant yet mostly untapped potential of food loss and waste solutions for the design of sustainable, circular, and resilient […] This is...

Finding the right treatment for cancer is difficult at times, so how can computing power help us with this goal? Gabe Kwong, the Robert A. Milton associate professor of biomedical engineering at Georgia Tech University, examines. Gabe A. Kwong, Ph. D. is the Robert A. Milton Endowed Chair and Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia […] This is a public episode. If you would...

Certain age groups think the music of today is not as a good as it used to be. Frank McAndrew, Cornelia H. Dudley professor of psychology at Knox College, explores why this may be. To the extent that there is a common theme tying my research together, it is that I study human social behavior […] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access...

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but is it also in science? Brandon Vaidyanathan, professor of sociology at the Catholic University of America, takes a closer look. Dr. Brandon Vaidyanathan is Professor of Sociology and Director of the Institutional Flourishing Lab at The Catholic University of America. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees […] This is a public episode. If you would...

What do animals eat when they live in urban spaces? Tali Caspi, urban ecologist and Ph. D. candidate at the University of California, Davis, takes off the lid. Tali’s work on urban wildlife focuses on emerging patterns and underlying mechanisms of individual variation across the urban landscape to better understand the factors that allow animals to […] This is a public episode. If you would...

There are always new wellness treatments, but should we believe the hype? Praveen Arany, associate professor of oral biology and biomedical engineering and surgery at the University at Buffalo, examines one. Dr. Arany trained as a dentist, oral pathologist, and biomedical engineer. He served as an Assistant Clinical Investigator at NIDCR/NIH, Bethesda, from 2012 to […] This is a public episo...