NSF’s Discovery Files Podcast

Listening To Giants

Blue whales are the largest animals to ever inhabit the planet and were hunted to near extinction in the era of commercial whaling. Since the 1960's, these giants have been protected but continue to be considered endangered and are seldom seen. Kate Stafford, an associate professor and bio-acoustician at Oregon State University's Marine Mammal Institute, joins today to explain how a film brought her to the Republic of Seychelles to locate blue whales using their vocalizations, share insights into whale song and explain how she hears climate change.

Demonstrating Potential

The U.S. National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) has helped ensure the quality, vitality and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce by recognizing and supporting outstanding graduate students since 1952. Kyle Johnson, a doctoral student at the University of Washington, joins us to talk about his work with robotics, his GRFP experience and how he inspires the next generation.

Microplastics in the Environment

The ubiquity of plastic materials in modern life has meant that plastic debris can be found everywhere. A subset of these environmental contaminates, smaller than a sesame seed, are called microplastics, and an even smaller subset of those are called nanoplastics. We are joined by Lauren Pincus, an environmental chemist and post-doctoral fellow at Princeton University, to learn about plastic degradation, how it interacts with inorganic materials in the environment and what we might do to help prevent it.

At the Edge of Artificial Intelligence

The U.S. National Science Foundation has invested over half a billion dollars to establish the National AI Research Institutes. We are joined by D.K. Panda, from the AI Institute for Intelligent Cyberinfrastructure with Computational Learning in the Environment; Giovanni Vigna, from the AI Institute for Agent-based Cyber Threat Intelligence and Operation; Yiran Chen, from the AI Institute for Edge Computing Leveraging Next Generation Networks; Ness Shroff, from the AI institute for Future Edge Networks and Distributed Intelligence; and Tess DeBlanc-Knowles, staff associate for technology policy and strategy in NSF's Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships, to hear how these institutes will drive cutting-edge innovations in AI and how society will benefit from this research.

The History Makers

The HistoryMakers is the world's largest searchable oral history archive, featuring the first-person accounts of over 3,000 African American people from a wide variety of disciplines, including a special subset of STEM community members under a project called "ScienceMakers." Founder Julieanna Richardson tells us about early challenges, memorable moments along the journey and how the Library of Congress is now housing the collection.

The Frontier of Artificial Intelligence

The U.S. National Science Foundation has invested over half a billion dollars to establish the National AI Research Institutes. We are joined by Aarti Singh from the AI Institute for Societal Decision Making; Amy McGovern from the AI Institute for Research on Trustworthy AI in Weather, Climate, and Coastal Oceanography; Ashok Goel from the National AI Institute for Adult Learning and Online Education; Vikram Adve from the Artificial Intelligence for Future Agricultural Resilience, Management, and Sustainability Institute; and Michael Littman, division director for Information and Intelligent Systems in NSF's Computer and Information Science and Engineering Directorate, to hear how these institutes will revolutionize the frontiers of AI and how society will benefit from these innovations.

Unwrapping Heritage Science

A team of researchers at the NSF-supported EduceLab are working to revolutionize digital restoration. They are investigating the Herculaneum Scrolls, ancient writings that were carbonized in the Mount Vesuvius eruption of 79 C.E. We are joined by EduceLab principal investigator Brent Seales, a computer science professor at the University of Kentucky, to hear about imaging the fragile scrolls, using advanced computer technology to process the data and how the Vesuvius Challenge is revealing words.

Insects Scent

Insects play vital roles in the ecosystem, but some species can be pests and home infestations can raise serious health issues. Coby Schal, a professor of entomology at North Carolina State University, joins to share his expertise of how moths and cockroaches communicate, their impacts as pests and strategies for controlling them.  

Harnessing Thermal Energy

Today's guest is approaching the grand problem of energy by developing thermal energy batteries. Asegun Henry is a professor in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Department of Mechanical Engineering, where he also directs the Atomistic Simulation & Energy Research Group. His work has earned him a Guinness World Record and recently an Alan T. Waterman award, the nation's highest honor for early-career scientists and engineers.

Volcanic Eruption and Lava Flow

An understanding of the structure, composition and processes involved in erupting volcanoes and the ways lava flow can help better mitigate the effects of these environmental hazards. Our guest is Stephan Kolzenburg, assistant professor at the University at Buffalo, who joins us to share what makes volcanoes active, how researchers study lava flow in the field and ways to study it from a lab.