NSF's Discovery Files

This is the Discovery Files Podcast from the U.S. National Science Foundation. Where we will look at some of the latest research in the world of science, with commentary from the scientists making these discoveries. Join us as we explore the world of scientific research, coming soon from the US National Science Foundation. Subscribe wherever you get podcasts.

Leonid Meteor Shower 11/18/2024

Leonid Meteor Shower Every fall, the Leonid meteor shower puts on an amazing display with observers counting numbers from thousands to tens of thousands of meteors per hour. Joe Pesce, an astrophysicist with the U.S. National Science Foundation, discusses meteor showers, why they occur and how to view the Leonid meteor shower. /episode/index/show/48785071-4186-4b15-b961-5d3aa8196ef7/id/33945107

Perspectives in STEM 11/11/2024

Perspectives in STEM The future of science, technology, engineering and mathematics will require many perspectives to achieve its utmost potential. Keivan Stassun, professor of physics and astronomy at Vanderbilt University, discusses astronomy, his efforts in expanding diversity in STEM and some of the discoveries that are resulting from it at the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation, and his recent MacArthur Fellowship that acknowledges those efforts. /episode/index/show/48785071-4186-4b15-b961-5d3aa8196ef7/id/33847792

Concrete Designs 11/04/2024

Concrete Designs Advances in materials science and rapidly developing technologies are leading to new approaches to engineering concretes and building infrastructure. Reza Moini, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Princeton University, discusses his work with concrete, 3D-printing techniques and how his lab takes inspiration from nature as it works to reimagine the future of building materials. /episode/index/show/48785071-4186-4b15-b961-5d3aa8196ef7/id/33734252

National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource Pilot 10/28/2024

National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource Pilot The world of artificial intelligence is changing the way people live, work and think. This new frontier is also shifting the world of scientific research and has led the U.S. National Science Foundation to launch the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource pilot. Tess deBlanc-Knowles, NSF special assistant to the director for AI, discusses developing safe and responsible A.I. and how it is impacting new discoveries. /episode/index/show/48785071-4186-4b15-b961-5d3aa8196ef7/id/33583357

Biology and Living Systems 10/21/2024

Biology and Living Systems To advance the understanding of complex living systems, research must have an integration of scientific disciplines. Pankaj Jaiswal, a program officer in the U.S. National Science Foundation Division of Integrative Organismal Systems' Plant Genome Research Program, and Robyn Smyth, a program director in the NSF Division of Environmental Biology's Ecosystem Science Cluster, discuss plant genomes and water systems research. /episode/index/show/48785071-4186-4b15-b961-5d3aa8196ef7/id/33512417

Global Artificial Intelligence Research Agenda (Part 2) 10/14/2024

Global Artificial Intelligence Research Agenda (Part 2) An interagency effort has crafted a document to support the entire artificial intelligence research ecosystem, from foundational discoveries to societal applications. Jillian Mammino, a contractor at the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs; Mary Beech, director of workers and technology policy in the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy; and Craig Jolley, a senior data scientist in the Bureau for Inclusive Growth, Partnerships, and Innovation at the U.S. Agency for International Development discuss the Global AI Research Agenda. /episode/index/show/48785071-4186-4b15-b961-5d3aa8196ef7/id/33418847

Bioplastics from Bacteria 10/07/2024

Bioplastics from Bacteria Plastics are foundational in modern life, but only a fraction of those produced are recycled. WashU researchers Arpita Bose, associate professor of biology; Eric Conners, a graduate student; and Tahina Ranaivoarisoa, a lab manager in the Bose Lab, discuss purple bacteria and how they might be used to produce biodegradable bioplastics. /episode/index/show/48785071-4186-4b15-b961-5d3aa8196ef7/id/33328532

Global Artificial Intelligence Research Agenda 09/30/2024

Global Artificial Intelligence Research Agenda An interagency effort has crafted a document to serve as a starting point to align an international artificial intelligence research vision. Michael Littman, the division director of the U.S. National Science Foundation Information and Intelligent Systems in the NSF Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering, and Joshua E. Porterfield, a Federation of American Scientists Impact Fellow in the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Critical and Emerging Technologies discuss the Global Artificial Intelligence Research Agenda. /episode/index/show/48785071-4186-4b15-b961-5d3aa8196ef7/id/33231427

Building Stuff 09/23/2024

Building Stuff Engineering is critical in modern society, from building bridges and homes to designing computers and life-saving medical devices. Nehemiah Mabry, a structural engineer and host of the NSF-supported series “Building Stuff with NOVA,” discusses streaming the live show every weekday and how it engages its audience through engineering news, games and interviews. /episode/index/show/48785071-4186-4b15-b961-5d3aa8196ef7/id/33125547

Optical Transparency with Food Dye 09/16/2024

Optical Transparency with Food Dye Imaging is central to biology and medicine, but light refracts and scatters as it hits tissues and lipids. Zihao Ou, associate professor of physics at The University of Texas at Dallas, discusses his paper demonstrating a new technique to achieve optical transparency in live tissue, a project he worked on in Guosong Hong's research group as a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University. /episode/index/show/48785071-4186-4b15-b961-5d3aa8196ef7/id/33046447

Wall of Wind 09/09/2024

Wall of Wind At the U.S. National Science Foundation Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure Wall of Wind Experimental Facility, researchers seek to better understand wind effects on civil infrastructure systems and to prevent wind hazards from becoming community disasters. Arindam Chowdhury, director and principal investigator at the facility, discusses hurricane-force winds and how they are studied. /episode/index/show/48785071-4186-4b15-b961-5d3aa8196ef7/id/32942982

Merlin 09/02/2024

Merlin People who enjoy birdwatching can provide valuable citizen science observation. An application called Merlin Bird ID can help users of all experience levels. Miyoko Chu, senior director of communications at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, discusses Merlin Bird ID, its development, and how new features have impacted birding and conservation efforts. /episode/index/show/48785071-4186-4b15-b961-5d3aa8196ef7/id/32795002

Quantum for All 08/26/2024

Quantum for All A quantum-educated workforce will be essential in the future; however, most students are not introduced to quantum mechanics until taking physics courses late into their college careers. Karen Jo Matsler, assistant professor at The University of Texas at Arlington, joins to discuss the Quantum for All initiative to expose K-12 students to the principles of quantum mechanics. /episode/index/show/48785071-4186-4b15-b961-5d3aa8196ef7/id/32711317

Do Elephants Use Language? 08/19/2024

Do Elephants Use Language? More than 8 million species call Earth home, but we only understand the language of one. Mickey Pardo, a postdoctoral associate at the K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, discusses research into how elephants are using vocalizations to communicate with each other. /episode/index/show/48785071-4186-4b15-b961-5d3aa8196ef7/id/32591032

Hurricane Warnings 08/12/2024

Hurricane Warnings Dangerous storms such as hurricanes can cause billions of dollars in damage and cost hundreds to thousands of lives. Rebecca Morss, a senior scientist at the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research, discusses weather risk communication and response. /episode/index/show/48785071-4186-4b15-b961-5d3aa8196ef7/id/32512182

Robotic Interaction 08/05/2024

Robotic Interaction As next-generation technologies, such as robots, are developed, operational challenges come to light that need specialized solutions. Hao Zhang, associate professor of computer science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, discusses perception strategies, ethics and other challenges in human-centered robotics. /episode/index/show/48785071-4186-4b15-b961-5d3aa8196ef7/id/32387802

Engaging Alaska Native Students in STEM 07/29/2024

Engaging Alaska Native Students in STEM The future of the nation's leadership in science and technology discovery requires the engagement of diverse groups of students in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. Michele Yatchmeneff, a professor of civil engineering and executive director for Alaska Native Education and Outreach at the University of Alaska Anchorage, discusses supporting Alaska Native students in their STEM interests. /episode/index/show/48785071-4186-4b15-b961-5d3aa8196ef7/id/32303407

Optimizing the Electric Grid 07/22/2024

Optimizing the Electric Grid Electricity is the backbone of modern civilization and the increased demand due to extreme weather-related events is causing system failures and blackouts. Kyri Baker, assistant professor in the civil, environmental and architectural engineering department at the University of Colorado, Boulder joins to discuss optimization and control techniques for electricity systems and power grids. /episode/index/show/48785071-4186-4b15-b961-5d3aa8196ef7/id/32213652

Developing Semiconductors 07/15/2024

Developing Semiconductors Semiconductors are the backbone of modern electronics and energy-efficient ones will be critical for the future of artificial intelligence and quantum computing. Matthew Panthani, a professor of chemical and biological engineering from Iowa State University, discusses developing next-generation semiconductors. /episode/index/show/48785071-4186-4b15-b961-5d3aa8196ef7/id/32116852

Thorium Nuclear Clock 07/08/2024

Thorium Nuclear Clock Time is used to set many standards by counting a periodic event with a known frequency. Eric Hudson, a professor in the department of physics and astronomy at UCLA, joins to discuss working to directly manipulate the energy level of an atomic nucleus using a laser, something that has never been done before and may result in the most accurate clocks ever. /episode/index/show/48785071-4186-4b15-b961-5d3aa8196ef7/id/32022952

Maui Fire Coastal Ecosystem Resilience 07/01/2024

Maui Fire Coastal Ecosystem Resilience On August 8, 2023, a devastating fire swept through the town of Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui. Andrea Kealoha, an assistant professor, and Sean Swift, a doctoral student, from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, join to discuss their research into the impacts of wildfire on the coastal ecosystem. /episode/index/show/48785071-4186-4b15-b961-5d3aa8196ef7/id/31928382

Acoustic Fibers 06/24/2024

Acoustic Fibers From traffic to TVs and portable devices, people are surrounded by unwanted noise. Grace Yang, who worked on her doctoral degree as part of the fiber group at MIT, joins to discuss developing materials with acoustic properties for noise cancellation and sound suppression applications. /episode/index/show/48785071-4186-4b15-b961-5d3aa8196ef7/id/31837292

Imageomics 06/17/2024

Imageomics Most living creatures reveal themselves visually and are routinely photographed by humans from all walks of life. What if researchers could use those photos to answer fundamental biological questions? Tanya Berger-Wolf, a professor and computer scientist at The Ohio State University joins to share how she is using technology to extract information from images in the new field of imageomics. /episode/index/show/48785071-4186-4b15-b961-5d3aa8196ef7/id/31737407

Songbird Migration 06/10/2024

Songbird Migration Every year, songbirds across the United States make the arduous journey south to warmer winter climates and back again. But what behaviors, environmental cues, or genetic factors tell them it's time to go? Kira Delmore, assistant professor of biology at Texas A&M University, joins to share new insights into songbird migration. /episode/index/show/48785071-4186-4b15-b961-5d3aa8196ef7/id/31650632

Mysterious Return of Atlantic Surfclams 06/03/2024

Mysterious Return of Atlantic Surfclams In the 1990s, Atlantic surf clams largely died off in their southernmost range off the coast of Virginia. Daphne Munroe, associate professor at the Rutgers University Haskin Shellfish Lab, joins to discuss Atlantic surf clams, rebounding fishing efforts, and how this species may be adapting to changing conditions. /episode/index/show/48785071-4186-4b15-b961-5d3aa8196ef7/id/31547722

Repurposing Carbon Dioxide 05/27/2024

Repurposing Carbon Dioxide Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide act like an atmospheric blanket, but what if society could capture and repurpose those gases into useful products? Burcu Gurkan, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering department at Case Western Reserve University, joins this episode to discuss electrochemical methods of carbon capture, how the resulting products might be used and how flow batteries may fuel the future. /episode/index/show/48785071-4186-4b15-b961-5d3aa8196ef7/id/31451807

Cicadas 05/20/2024

Cicadas This year billions of cicadas will emerge as the annual varieties are joined by the periodic Brood XIX and Brood XIII species that pop up every 13 and 17 years. Allen Moore, division director for the Division of Environmental Biology at the U.S. National Science Foundation, joins to discuss cicadas and answer some questions about these mysterious insects. /episode/index/show/48785071-4186-4b15-b961-5d3aa8196ef7/id/31357807

Mayan Archeology 05/13/2024

Mayan Archeology Prior to European arrival, the Maya peoples built a civilization in the inhospitable lowland jungles of Middle America. David Lentz, professor of biological sciences and executive director at the University of Cincinnati Center for Field Studies, joins to discuss his archeological findings from ancient Mayan cities. /episode/index/show/48785071-4186-4b15-b961-5d3aa8196ef7/id/31232842

Black Hole Questions 05/06/2024

Black Hole Questions Advancing tools and techniques are revealing more about black holes, but they also raise more questions that continue to capture the imaginations of people everywhere. Joe Pesce, an astrophysicist with the U.S. National Science Foundation, joins to answer some popular questions. /episode/index/show/48785071-4186-4b15-b961-5d3aa8196ef7/id/31092108

Clarifying Quantum Information 04/29/2024

Clarifying Quantum Information With applications across the sciences and beyond, quantum information science is revolutionizing the world around us. We are joined by Scott Aaronson, Schlumberger Chair of Computer Science at The University of Texas at Austin and director of its Quantum Information Center, to discuss quantum computers, how to understand quantum mechanics and how artificial intelligence is misunderstood. /episode/index/show/48785071-4186-4b15-b961-5d3aa8196ef7/id/30986418

NSF's Discovery Files

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