loader from loading.io

Tracks Across America with Simon Cordery

AMSEcast

Release Date: 06/11/2025

AMSE Science Report with Simon Cordrey show art AMSE Science Report with Simon Cordrey

AMSEcast

Author Simon Cordrey discusses the early days of the railroad and how that changed America.

info_outline AMSE Science Report with Jay Feldman show art AMSE Science Report with Jay Feldman

AMSEcast

Author Jay Feldman and Alan Lowe, Director of the AMSE Foundation discuss his book, When the Mississippi Ran Backwards.

info_outline Planetary Defense 101 with Dr. Robin Andrews show art Planetary Defense 101 with Dr. Robin Andrews

AMSEcast

Alan Lowe is joined in this episode of AMSEcast by Dr. Robin Andrews, volcanologist, science journalist, and author of How to Kill an Asteroid. Dr. Andrews explores how modern planetary defense blends cutting-edge detection networks, such as NASA’s NEO Surveyor, with active deflection efforts like the DART mission, which successfully shifted an asteroid’s orbit. He also delves into theoretical approaches, including gravity tractors and even nuclear options as last-resort strategies. While comets remain a tougher, faster-moving threat, advances in technology continue to make catastrophic...

info_outline AMSE Science Report with Author Michele Gelfand show art AMSE Science Report with Author Michele Gelfand

AMSEcast

Michele J. Gelfand is the John H. Scully Professor of Cross-Cultural Management  Professor of Organizational Behavior and Psychology at Stanford Graduate School of Business. Her book, RULE MAKERS, RULE BREAKERS: How Tight and Loose Cultures Wire Our World takes readers on a journey through a variety of human cultures, exploring unique a multi-faceted glimpse into the world around us and ourselves.

info_outline Invention and Exploration at the Smithsonian Institution show art Invention and Exploration at the Smithsonian Institution

AMSEcast

Host Alan Lowe continues AMSEcast’s exploration of 250 years of American innovation with Smithsonian experts Harold Wallace Jr., Dr. Eric Hintz, and Tim Pula. Together, they trace invention from Benjamin Franklin’s experiments to modern breakthroughs, highlighting the Smithsonian’s exhibitions, collections, and hands-on learning at Spark!Lab. The discussion spans collaboration with the Library of Congress, the role of failure in creativity, and how patents shape (but don’t define) innovation. The guests also reflect on nuclear technology’s history and social impact, and share how...

info_outline Exploring the Human Microbiome with Dr. Bob Hettich show art Exploring the Human Microbiome with Dr. Bob Hettich

AMSEcast

Dr. Robert Hettich is a pioneer in bioanalytical mass spectrometry. In this episode of AMSEcast, he describes how microbiomes form, vary across the body, and influence digestion, immunity, and overall health. Dr. Hettich also explains metaproteomics, the study of microbial proteins, to reveal how microbes function beyond their genes as well as their applications from human health to environmental cleanup and bioenergy. Inspired by his daughter’s experience with Crohn’s, Robert Hettich is especially focused on microbiomes’ links to inflammatory and neurological diseases, including...

info_outline One Woman's Personal Journey Through Sexism in Science author on AMSE Science Report show art One Woman's Personal Journey Through Sexism in Science author on AMSE Science Report

AMSEcast

Dr. Colwell shares her insight on the progression of women in science through the years. Framed by her own experiences we learn about her incredible work.

info_outline The History of the American Railroad with Albert Churella show art The History of the American Railroad with Albert Churella

AMSEcast

Railroads have shaped America’s growth, technology, and daily life for nearly two centuries. In this episode of AMSEcast, Alan talks with Dr. Albert Churella of Kennesaw State University about how innovations such as the automatic knuckle coupler, Westinghouse’s air brake, and the move from steam to diesel transformed safety and efficiency. Dr. Churella explains how signaling, centralized traffic control, and GPS-based Positive Train Control modernized operations. While U.S. passenger service lags Europe, its freight rail system leads the world in ton-miles, fuel efficiency, and low...

info_outline AMSE Science Report with Marc Wortman show art AMSE Science Report with Marc Wortman

AMSEcast

info_outline AMSE Science Report with Richard Ellis show art AMSE Science Report with Richard Ellis

AMSEcast

Author Richard Ellis speaks about his latest book The Quest for the Cosmic Dawn. A breakdown of the earliest moments of our celestial cosmic soup.

info_outline
 
More Episodes
Alan Lowe speaks with Dr. Simon Cordery about the transformative role of railroads in American history. From the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1828 to a national network by 1916, Cordery details how rail shaped commerce, industry, and infrastructure. He also explores regulation, from early oversight efforts to the 1980 Staggers Act, which revitalized the struggling industry. The conversation touches on Amtrak’s dependence on subsidies, the challenges of expansion, and the promise of high-speed rail. Cordery also previews his book on Albert Pullman, a largely forgotten innovator behind the Pullman Company’s early success and a symbol of overlooked entrepreneurial ambition.
 
 
Guest Bio
Dr. Simon Cordery is Chair of the History Department at Iowa State University and a leading scholar of American labor and transportation history. He previously served as department chair at Western Illinois University and Monmouth College. Dr. Cordery has authored several acclaimed books, including Mother Jones: Raising Cain and Consciousness and The Iron Road in the Prairie State: The Story of Illinois Railroading. His forthcoming work, Gilded Age Entrepreneur: The Curious Life of American Financier Albert Benton Pullman, explores the overlooked legacy of the elder Pullman brother and offers fresh insight into the entrepreneurial spirit of 19th-century America.
 
 
Show Highlights
  • (2:14) When railroads first arrived in America and how quickly they spread
  • (6:18) Changes in the business world that supported and continued railroad expansion
  • (7:16) The impact of government oversight as the industry develops
  • (14:47) When deregulation of the railroad industry occurred and the effects it had
  • (19:46) The effects railroads had on labor organization and the labor market in America
  • (22:32) How railroad expansion affected how we keep time throughout the U.S.
  • (24:28) The effect of digital technology on the American railroad industry
  • (31:47) Is high-speed rail a profitable enterprise?
  • (35:23) Simon Cordery’s upcoming book, Gilded Age Entrepreneur: The Curious Life of American Financier Albert Benton Pullman
 
 
Links Referenced