AMSEcast

Produced from the American Museum of Science and Energy, AMSEcast invites guests from the world of science, literature, and technology to share unique perspectives from the realm of the highly trained and curiously minded.

The Past, Present, and Future of the TVA With Joe Hoagland 07/24/2024

The Past, Present, and Future of the TVA With Joe Hoagland The TVA has been tackling some of the South's biggest problems since 1933. What started as a solution to poverty, flooding, and depleted farmlands now works on nuclear power and clean energy. In this episode, Joe Hoagland joins us in the studio to discuss how the TVA got started, what it’s doing now, and where it's going in the future. We delve into TVA’s current energy portfolio, future small modular reactors, and economic development. Joe also discusses the push for nuclear leadership in Tennessee, grid capacity challenges, and the importance of engaging future generations in STEM to support the growing energy sector. About Joe Hoagland Joe Hoagland is the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Vice President of Innovation and Research. He earned his BS in Chemistry from Southern Utah University and an MS and PhD in Physical Chemistry from Washington State University. Joe has been with TVA since 1993, spearheading numerous key initiatives. He is also the Chair of Tennessee’s Energy Policy Council, an adjunct professor at the Howard Baker School at the University of Tennessee, and serves on the board of directors for the American Museum of Science and Energy Foundation. Show Highlights (0:35) Introducing Joe Hoagland (1:37) When TVA was created, what area it covers, and its primary missions (6:31) TVA’s current energy portfolio percentages and how it’s changing (9:51) The amount of electricity TVA distributes every year and how it gets to consumers (13:15) Understanding the TVA flood control system (17:19) The TVA’s focus on economic development (20:07) Joe Hoagland’s role as Chair of the Tennessee State Energy Policy Council (25:03) How energy storage systems are changing (29:16) Energy disruptors the TVA currently faces (37:39) Engaging this and future generations in STEM to be part of the growing energy sector /episode/index/show/amsecast/id/32267117

AMSE Science Report with guest Ernest Freeberg 07/20/2024

AMSE Science Report with guest Ernest Freeberg As part of our STEM of History series, done with support from Humanities Tennessee and the National Endowment for the Humanities, I interviewed Dr. Ernest Freeberg about his book The Age of Edison: Electric Light and the Invention of Modern America. We first talked about why America during Edison’s time was a hotbed of invention. /episode/index/show/amsecast/id/32222312

AMSE Science Report_ with guest Steve Olson 06/16/2024

AMSE Science Report_ with guest Steve Olson Thanks to a grant from Humanities Tennessee and the National Endowment for the Humanities, we created a series of interviews at the AMSE Foundation about the connections of science, engineering, and history, suitably called The STEM of History. One guest I interviewed was Steve Olson, the author of many terrific books including Mapping Human History: Genes, Race and our Common Origins. /episode/index/show/amsecast/id/31722432

AMSEcast with guest Dr. John Wagner 06/14/2024

AMSEcast with guest Dr. John Wagner Dr. John C. Wagner is the director of Idaho National Laboratory and president of Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC. He is responsible for management and integration of a large, multipurpose laboratory whose mission focuses on nuclear energy, national and homeland security, and energy and environmental science and technology. /episode/index/show/amsecast/id/31684982

AMSEcast with guest Kate Winkler Dawson 06/13/2024

AMSEcast with guest Kate Winkler Dawson Kate Winkler Dawson's years of research and thousands of never-before-published primary source materials shapes, American Sherlock to capture the life of the man who pioneered the science our legal system now relies upon–as well as the limits of those techniques and the very human experts who wield them. Host of @buriedbonespod, @tenfoldmorewicked, Wicked Words on @exactlyright. Author of All That Is Wicked and American Sherlock. /episode/index/show/amsecast/id/31680587

AMSEcast with guest Dr. Aarathi Prasad 06/11/2024

AMSEcast with guest Dr. Aarathi Prasad This episode of AMSEcast features Dr. Aarathi Prasad talking about silk, a very special and beautiful material. Dr. Prasad explains why people have loved silk for so long and how it's made, mainly by silkworms. She also talks about different kinds of silk from around the world and how silk was used in the past for things like making clothes and even in wars as armor. She also discusses how silk can be used for new, remarkable technologies in the future. The episode helps us learn much about silk's history and what makes it so important and exciting. Dr. Aarathi Prasad is a researcher, broadcaster, and writer who specializes in the intersection of science, history, and culture. She has contributed to major publications and has been involved in groundbreaking research on ancient DNA. Her latest work, "Silk: A World History," examines the impact of silk on human civilization and its potential future applications. /episode/index/show/amsecast/id/31679492

AMSE Science Report with Charles Wheelan 06/10/2024

AMSE Science Report with Charles Wheelan Welcome to the AMSE Science Report. It seems that we are bombarded every day with a lot of statistics, but for many of us, the meaning of all those numbers, and how they were compiled, can be a bit mysterious. That’s why I was glad to speak on our podcast, AMSEcast, with Charles Wheelan about his book Naked Statistics: Stripping the Dread from the Data. Charles makes the complicated world of statistics quite understandable and relatable. For example, we often hear the terms median and mean, or average. But what is the difference between those terms? /episode/index/show/amsecast/id/31572252

AMSE Science Report with Jim Holt 06/03/2024

AMSE Science Report with Jim Holt Welcome to The AMSE Science Report. What is nothingness? Why is there something rather than nothing? I spoke on our podcast, AMSEcast, with Jim Holt, the author of Why Does the World Exist? An Existential Detective Story, about those mind-bending questions. They have been responded to many ways over the years – answers were found in God, in philosophy, in mathematics. Some say that the universe came into existence due to the laws of quantum physics, but then the whole idea of the nature of laws comes into question. /episode/index/show/amsecast/id/31572347

AMSEcast with guest Dr. Eric Jay Dolan 06/03/2024

AMSEcast with guest Dr. Eric Jay Dolan Dr. Eric Jay Dolin wanted to be Jacques Cousteau as a child, but he changed his plans in college when he realized he wasn’t very good at science. Fortunately, he was able to pivot into environmental management, policy, and planning. Eric has written numerous books including A Furious Sky: The Five-Hundred-Year History of America’s Hurricanes. In this episode, Alan talks with Dr. Dolin about the history of studying hurricanes in the United States, the advances that have been made in predicting and tracking them, as well as what we can expect from them in future due to our changing climate. Dr. Eric Jay Dolan attended Brown University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Biology and Environmental Studies. He then completed a master’s in environmental management at Yale and a PhD in environmental policy and planning at MIT. Dr. Dolan has worked with institutions like the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Marine Fisheries Service. However, his true passion is storytelling. Eric has been widely published and is an award-winning author of books such as Rebels at Sea: Privateering in the American Revolution, Leviathan: The History of Whaling in America, and today's featured book, A Furious Sky: The Five-Hundred-Year History of America’s Hurricanes. /episode/index/show/amsecast/id/31573017

AMSEcast with guest Dr. Richard Ellis 06/03/2024

AMSEcast with guest Dr. Richard Ellis Dr. Richard Ellis has been a major part of astronomy since he was an undergrad in the 1960s when he served on committees for the creation of the Hubble Telescope. Since then, he has worked in observatories across the globe and published a book titled When Galaxies Were Born: The Quest for Cosmic Dawn, which explores the moment in the history of the universe when galaxies first emerged from darkness. In this episode Alan talks with Dr. Ellis about his experiences and what he hopes the future will bring for the field of astronomy. Dr. Richard Ellis is a professor of astrophysics at University College London where he studied before earning his doctorate at Oxford. His career includes roles at the University of Durham, Royal Greenwich Observatory, Cambridge, Caltech, and the European Southern Observatory, and as director of the Palomar Observatory. He has received numerous awards, such as the Michael Faraday Gold Medal, the Royal Medal, and the Gruber Cosmology Prize. Dr. Ellis was also made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. His recent book is When Galaxies Were Born: The Quest for Cosmic Dawn. /episode/index/show/amsecast/id/31572817

AMSE Science Report with Laurence Smith 05/02/2024

AMSE Science Report with Laurence Smith In Rivers of Power, geographer Laurence C. Smith explores the timeless yet underappreciated relationship between rivers and civilization as we know it. Rivers are of course important in many practical ways (water supply, transportation, sanitation, etc). But the full breadth of their influence on the way we live is less obvious. Rivers define and transcend international borders, forcing cooperation between nations. Huge volumes of river water are used to produce energy, raw commodities, and food. Wars, politics, and demography are transformed by their devastating floods. The territorial claims of nations, their cultural and economic ties to each other, and the migrations and histories of their peoples trace back to rivers, river valleys, and the topographic divides they carve upon the world. And as climate change, technology, and cities transform our relationship with nature, new opportunities are arising to protect the waters that sustain us. Beautifully told and expansive in scope, Rivers of Power reveals how and why rivers have so profoundly influenced our civilization and examines the importance this vast, arterial power holds for the future of humanity. /episode/index/show/amsecast/id/30969318

AMSE Science Report with Ben Goldfarb 05/01/2024

AMSE Science Report with Ben Goldfarb Ben Goldfarb is an independent conservation journalist. The author of Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping The Future of Our Planet, named one of the best books of 2023 by the New York Times, and Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, winner of the 2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award. /episode/index/show/amsecast/id/30969163

AMSEcast with guest Jim Holt 05/01/2024

AMSEcast with guest Jim Holt In this intriguing episode of AMSEcast, Alan is Joined by Jim Holt to discuss the captivating question: Why does the universe exist? Jim Holt, an esteemed author known for his explorations into the depths of existence, navigates through the realms of science, philosophy, and mathematics to seek answers. From the possibilities of nothingness to the complexities of cosmic laws and the mysteries behind the Big Bang, this episode offers a comprehensive yet accessible look into the theories and thoughts that deliberate about the universe's very foundation. Join us on a fascinating journey to explore the existential detective story of our cosmos. /episode/index/show/amsecast/id/31034308

AMSEcast with guest Guru Madhavan 05/01/2024

AMSEcast with guest Guru Madhavan Speaking to us during a visit for our Energy and Elements 2024 Gala the Norman R. Augustine Senior Scholar and Senior Director of Programs, National Academy of Engineering spoke to us about his most recent book: Wicked Problems: How to Engineer a Better World. /episode/index/show/amsecast/id/31034743

AMSE Science Report with Angela Creager 04/30/2024

AMSE Science Report with Angela Creager Dr. Angela Creager is the Thomas Siebel Professor in the History of Science at Princeton University and a member of AMSEF's National Advisory Committee. She spoke with us about her book Life Atomic: A History of Radioisotopes in Science and Medicine. /episode/index/show/amsecast/id/30968998

AMSE Science Report David Rooney 04/30/2024

AMSE Science Report David Rooney AMSE Science Report David Rooney David chairs the Electrical Timekeeping group and acts as pass steward of the Worship- ful Company of Clockmaker. David has authored several books, including Spaces of Congestion and Traffic, Politics and Technologies in 20th Century London Mathematics How It Shaped Our World. /episode/index/show/amsecast/id/31037863

AMSE Science Report with guest Dan Falk 04/29/2024

AMSE Science Report with guest Dan Falk Dan Falk is an award winning freelance writer and broadcaster specializing in science stories, and was a 2011/12 at MIT. /episode/index/show/amsecast/id/30968748

AMSE Science Report with guest Andrew Chaikin 04/28/2024

AMSE Science Report with guest Andrew Chaikin Acclaimed science journalist and space historian Andrew Chaikin has written extensively about our exploration of space including his book, A Man on the Moon, which became the basis for HBO’s miniseries, From the Earth to the Moon. /episode/index/show/amsecast/id/30968238

AMSE Science Report with guest Will Carroll 04/27/2024

AMSE Science Report with guest Will Carroll I grew up watching the Big Red Machine, the wonderful Cincinnati Reds of the 1970’s, and have kept my love of baseball since those glory days. I was excited to talk on an episode of AMSEcast, our podcast, with Will Carroll about his books The Science of Baseball: The Math, Technology, and Data Behind the Great American Pastime, and The Science of Football: The Math, Technology, and Data Behind America’s Game. One area we talked about was the use of data in sports, including the incredible detail now possible in analyzing each and every baseball pitch. /episode/index/show/amsecast/id/30967838

AMSE Science Report with guest Alanna Mitchell 04/26/2024

AMSE Science Report with guest Alanna Mitchell Remember playing with magnets when you were a kid and wondered what brought the opposite poles together and especially what kept the like poles apart. It turns out the force experienced is one of the most fundamental in the universe – electromagnetism. Along with gravity and the strong and weak nuclear forces, it comprises the foundation for, well, everything. We spoke about this topic on the podcast, AMSEcast, with Alanna Mitchell, author of The Spinning Magnet: The Electromagnetic Force that Created the Modern World – and Could Destroy It. /episode/index/show/amsecast/id/30967038

AMSE Science Report Bethany Brookshire 04/25/2024

AMSE Science Report Bethany Brookshire Welcome to the AMSE Science Report. I’m Alan Lowe, Executive Director of the American Museum of Science and Energy, and the K-25 History Center, both located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. On an episode of our podcast, AMSEcast, I had the pleasure of talking with Bethany Brookshire about her book Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains. In our discussion Bethany emphasized that defining a creature as a pest, whether it is something smaller like a rat or snake, or larger, like a coyote or an elephant, is based in large part on our culture. It is a subjective perspective, and because of that, Bethany argues that we can examine and change our views - if not eliminating our fears, at least gaining respect for many so-called pests. Here is Bethany: /episode/index/show/amsecast/id/30954923

AMSE Science Report with guest Raphael Rosen 04/24/2024

AMSE Science Report with guest Raphael Rosen Today I want to discuss mathematics! I’m sure some of you love math and see not only its usefulness but also its beauty. I have not counted myself among that number. Ever since bouts with trigonometry and calculus, I have steered as clear as possible from math. But as the executive director of two museums devoted to teaching STEM, I feel hypocritical in not embracing the last part of that acronym. So I calculated that by talking to experts on our podcast, AMSEcast, about this topic, I would find a new appreciation of math and that was indeed the case when I spoke to Raphael Rosen about his book, Math Geek: From Klein Bottles to Chaos Theory, a Guide to the Nerdiest Math Facts, Theorems, and Equations. /episode/index/show/amsecast/id/30953648

AMSEcast with guest Kathy McCarthy 04/01/2024

AMSEcast with guest Kathy McCarthy Working at Oak Ridge National Laboratory McCarthy works on the integration and deployment of next-generation fission technology, from concept to industry and regulatory adoption. /episode/index/show/amsecast/id/30349458

AMSEcast with guest Joel Levy 04/01/2024

AMSEcast with guest Joel Levy Renowned author and science historian, Joel Levy, shares his expertise on consciousness, intelligence, and the delicate dance between nature and nurture. Through his latest work, "Psychology for Busy People," the discussion traverses psychology's extensive history, from its origins to contemporary challenges and applications. Joel offers captivating perspectives on thought experiments, the core of consciousness, the nature-nurture debate, and the subtleties of mental health. Tune in as Alan and Joel guide us through the intriguing and complex realm of psychology. /episode/index/show/amsecast/id/30350923

AMSEcast with guest Peter Alagona 04/01/2024

AMSEcast with guest Peter Alagona Peter Alagona is a professor of environmental studies, with an affiliation in Geography, at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He received his Ph.D. from UCLA and completed postdoctoral fellowships at Harvard and Stanford. His work explores what happens when humans share their space and resources (habitats) with other species: how we interact with non-human creatures, how we make sense of these interactions, why we fight so much about them, what we can learn from them, and how we might use these lessons to foster a more just, humane, and sustainable society. /episode/index/show/amsecast/id/30350948

AMSEcast with guest Dr. Andrew Knoll 04/01/2024

AMSEcast with guest Dr. Andrew Knoll Dr. Andrew Knoll is a professor of Natural History and Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard University, renowned for his research on the evolution of life and Earth's surface environments. His work, particularly focused on the Archean and Proterozoic eons, delves into paleontology, biogeochemistry, and the critical transitions in life's history, such as the rise of eukaryotic organisms and complex life forms. Additionally, Dr. Knoll explores the causes and effects of mass extinctions and the development of early microbial life. His expertise extends to astrobiology, where he contributes to Mars exploration, applying his understanding of Earth's ancient life to the search for life on other planets. Through his research and publications, Dr. Knoll plays a pivotal role in advancing our comprehension of life's intricate history on Earth and beyond. /episode/index/show/amsecast/id/30617223

AMSEcast with guest Catherine Musemeche 02/06/2024

AMSEcast with guest Catherine Musemeche A pediatric surgeon for over three decades Catherine Musemeche is also the award winning author of Hurt The Inspiring Untold Story of Trauma, Small Life and Death on the Frontlines of Pediatric Surgery. Our discussion covers her book is Lethal Tides, Mary Seers and the marine scientist who helped win World War Two. /episode/index/show/amsecast/id/28693568

AMSEcast with guest Katie McKissick 02/06/2024

AMSEcast with guest Katie McKissick Explore the fascinating world of genetics with Katie McKissick, as she takes us on a journey through the wonders of genetics in this episode of AMSEcast. Using her unique blend of expertise and humor, Katie walks us through the complex fundamental elements of genetic structure, including DNA and RNA, and through the fascinating mechanisms behind genetic traits and inheritance. Join us for an entertaining learning experience! /episode/index/show/amsecast/id/29809988

AMSEcast with guest Dr. Paul Kearns 02/06/2024

AMSEcast with guest Dr. Paul Kearns Join us for a thrilling journey into the future of science with Dr. Paul Kearns, Director of Argonne National Laboratory, on this episode of AMSEcast. Discover Argonne's historic contributions to nuclear energy, biosciences, and quantum computing, and delve into how they're tackling global challenges like climate change.This episode is not just a conversation; it's a gateway to the future of scientific exploration and discovery. Join us for an insightful and inspiring journey through the world of scientific innovation with a true visionary in the field. /episode/index/show/amsecast/id/29810748

AMSE Science Report with Andrew Maynard 01/17/2024

AMSE Science Report with Andrew Maynard AMSE Science Report with Andrew Maynard /episode/index/show/amsecast/id/29507138

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