NSF’s Discovery Files Podcast

This is the Discovery Files Podcast from the U.S. National Science Foundation. Join us as we explore the latest breakthroughs in science, technology and engineering with the researchers making these discoveries. Learn how scientific innovation bolsters the U.S. economy, supports our Nation’s interests around the globe, and improves the lives of Americans.

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Episodes

Monday Jul 29, 2024

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.

Optimizing the Electric Grid

Monday Jul 22, 2024

Monday Jul 22, 2024

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.

Developing Semiconductors

Monday Jul 15, 2024

Monday Jul 15, 2024

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.

Thorium Nuclear Clock

Monday Jul 08, 2024

Monday Jul 08, 2024

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.

Monday Jul 01, 2024

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.

Acoustic Fibers

Monday Jun 24, 2024

Monday Jun 24, 2024

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.

Imageomics

Monday Jun 17, 2024

Monday Jun 17, 2024

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.

Songbird Migration

Monday Jun 10, 2024

Monday Jun 10, 2024

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.

Monday Jun 03, 2024

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.

Repurposing Carbon Dioxide

Monday May 27, 2024

Monday May 27, 2024

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.

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