NSF’s Discovery Files Podcast

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.