The State of Inquiry (Audio)

How is AI reshaping eye care and vision science?  In this episode of AI and You , Dr. Tasneem P. Sharma and host Dr. Kevin Jones explore how breakthroughs in glaucoma research are moving beyond slowing vision loss toward protecting and even regenerating damaged neurons. She discusses her lab’s development of advanced disease models, the role of stem cells and precision medicine, and how AI is help...

Ahmed Ozsever is an Associate Professor in the Creative Core area of the Eskenazi School’s Studio Art program. An interdisciplinary artist who works in photography, installation, time-based media, sculpture, and text, Ozsever works from the perspective that the conditions of the Anthropocene era result from humans’ inability to comprehend time scales that extend beyond our own. His independent and...

In this episode of Design in Service of Humanity , host Yael Ksander brings together fiber artist Rowland Ricketts and merchandising professor Mary Embry to examine the full lifecycle of textiles, from soil to studio to global supply chains. Ricketts reflects on his farm-to-gallery practice, cultivating indigo in Bloomington and using historical dyeing methods to create immersive works that link a...

In this episode of The State of Inquiry , host Yael Ksander speaks with Angela Caldwell and Lucas Brown about the ways artists and designers shape our relationship to objects, materials, and the built environment. From contemporary jewelry that reflects personal history and place to adaptive reuse projects like The Kiln in Bloomington’s Trades District, the conversation explores how thoughtful des...

In this episode of The State of Inquiry , host Yaël Ksander brings together architect and sustainability expert Christopher Reinhart and multidisciplinary designer Max Fertik for a conversation about how design shapes the way we live with the world around us. From high-performance buildings and global sustainability standards to experimental materials and community-driven design, they explore how...

How do educators design and test new ideas? From digital literacy platforms to AI-supported instruction, educators have new ways to prepare students and teachers for a rapidly changing technological world. What does innovation look like inside a school of education? In this episode, Dean Robert Q. Berry III speaks with James Damico and Richard Carter about how educators design learning environment...

Fifty years after landmark special education laws transformed America's classrooms, are we truly preparing teachers for what's next? Special education has changed dramatically over the past half century, but its evolution is far from over. In this episode, Dean Robert Berry is joined by Indiana University School of Education faculty Sarah Hurwitz and K. Alisa Lowrey to explore how decades of legis...

How can design expose hidden labor systems and help build more equitable global industries and communities? In this episode of Design in Service of Humanity , Cydni Robertson and Leticia Pardo examine how labor, migration, and global systems shape both the clothes we wear and the spaces we inhabit. Robertson draws from her research in El Salvador to explore how centering garment workers’ education...

How can AI and immersive media serve human experience and help designers build more humane spaces? In this episode of Design in Service of Humanity, Hoa Vo and Megan Young explore how emerging technologies can deepen, rather than diminish, our humanity. Vo shares how AI and virtual reality can model human behavior in architectural spaces before they are built, helping designers create more intuiti...

Architecture becomes an act of service when building happens with communities, not just for them. In this episode of Design in Service of Humanity, Silvia Acosta and Beth Huffman discuss how architecture and design education can extend beyond the studio to engage communities across cultures. Acosta reflects on collaborative design-build work that treats architecture as something made collectively...

How can play, public art, and human-centered design transform spaces into places of connection and impact? In this episode of The State of Inquiry: Design in Service of Humanity , Jon Racek and Daniel Luis Martinez explore how design can move beyond objects to shape communities, public spaces, and systems of collaboration. Racek reflects on human-centered design, play, and social impact work that...

Host Leslie Lenkowsky is joined by historian Konstantin Dierks and honors students Rohan Pai and Maddie Stock to reflect on the American Revolution as more than a moment in the past. The conversation explores how ideas, conflicts, and systems that emerged in the Revolutionary era continued to shape the nation long after independence was declared. Drawing on Dierks’s work in early America and the A...

Host Leslie Lenkowsky explores how history moves from archive to exhibit. Joined by Erika Dowell from the Lilly Library, Mindy Besaw from the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, and Heather Calloway from University Collections at Indiana University, the conversation looks at how institutions shape historical narratives through objects, design, and interpretation, and what is gained and lost in...

Host Leslie Lenkowsky talks with Gene Coyle, a retired CIA field operations officer and former Indiana University professor, about the role of espionage in both the American Revolution and modern intelligence work. Drawing on his own 30-year career, Coyle explores how figures like George Washington and Benjamin Franklin used intelligence to shift the course of the war, and how those same principle...

In this episode, host Leslie Lenkowsky is joined by John Summerlot and James Capshew to examine Indiana’s connections to the Revolutionary era. The conversation traces how early American history continues to inform the development of institutions, from military traditions to higher education, and how those legacies remain visible today. John Summerlot is Director of Enterprise Risk & Incident...

In this episode, host Leslie Lenkowsky dives into the science of fermentation and the story behind a founding-era-inspired beer. Dr. Matt Bochman explains how yeast research at Indiana University Bloomington connects to real-world brewing, including a project using yeast isolated from a 250-year-old oak tree. Local brewers Clay Seenbergen (Upland), Chris Paumi (The Tap), Kim Collins (Towaki Brewin...

Host Les Lenkowsy is joined by Matt Ely and Dr. Abigail Rawleigh to explore the texts that shaped the revolutionary generation. From Horace to Cicero, the conversation looks at what students in colonial colleges were assigned and how those ideas influenced early American thought. Ely shares how he brings these works into the present through interactive workshops, while Rawleigh adds context from e...

Host Lisa Koontz is joined by Corey Kalbaugh and sisters Carly and Ricky Camplain to examine how equity-focused research is improving health systems that often overlook underserved populations. The conversation explores how clinical evidence, policy, and community-engaged research shape care for people facing structural barriers, from patients with chronic disease to Indigenous people impacted by...

In this episode, Debby Herbenick joins host Lisa Koontz to explore how public health researchers study sexual behavior, communication, and well-being across the lifespan. Drawing on decades of nationally representative research, they discuss how data helps identify emerging trends, clarify risks, and inform education and prevention efforts. The conversation focuses on how research can support heal...

In this episode of Living Well: Public Health for All , host Lisa Koontz is joined by Dr. Kyle Kercher and IU School of Public Health-Bloomington students Luke Troyer and Maddie Mastin to explore the role sport can play in advancing public health. The conversation focuses on Hoosier Sport, a campus-community initiative that partners with schools and local organizations to create youth programs cen...

In this episode, host Lisa Koontz talks with Charlie Beeker about how shipwrecks become living ecosystems and why preserving them matters. Beeker explains how underwater sites serve as both historical records and biological habitats, and how creating protected “living museums” supports conservation, education, and public access. The conversation highlights how studying and managing submerged envir...

In this episode, host Lisa Koontz talks with Daniella Chusyd about how studying elephant health can reveal new insights into human aging, resilience, and disease prevention. Chusyd explains why elephants are a powerful model for understanding longevity, cognitive health, and cancer resistance, and how factors like early-life trauma, pollution, and habitat change affect health over time. The conver...

What does AI actually mean for business, and who has the advantage: humans or machines? Dr. Brian Williams and host Dr. Kevin Jones explores how generative and explainable AI are reshaping decision-making in areas like accounting, finance, and corporate strategy. From predicting tax outcomes to building AI tools inside a business school, he breaks down what AI does well, where humans still matter...

In this episode of AI and You , Dr. Kevin Jones talks with Adam Maksl and Justin Hodgson about how universities are responding to the rapid rise of generative AI. Drawing on their leadership roles at Indiana University, they explore the intersection of policy, pedagogy, and technology, from developing system-wide frameworks for AI literacy to rethinking classroom practices in an era where traditio...

Dr. Rebecca Itow and host Dr. Kevin Jones explores the balance between innovation and intention, arguing that it’s not about whether to use AI, but how to use it thoughtfully. From assessment and academic integrity to designing meaningful learning experiences, she shares how educators can adapt without losing sight of what actually matters: helping students learn in ways that are both personally m...