Discover Science

University of Nevada, Reno

Listen in on in-depth conversations with some of the world's leading scientists and researchers. Produced by the College of Science at the University of Nevada, Reno, the Discover Science podcast is an offshoot of the lecture series by the same name. Join us and dig in on the science that is changing our world.

  1. 12/02/2025

    Discover Science: Alie Ward on why curiosity is your greatest superpower

    Host of the famous "Ologies" podcast Alie Ward gets a turn on the other side of the microphone in this Discover Science podcast episode. Seven years into her podcasting journey, Ward reflects on why Ologies is a success, and hints that curiosity has played a big role. This episode is hosted by Hitchcock Project for Visualizing Science student Katrina Perce and Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology Student Ai Ana Richmond.

    47 min

  2. 06/27/2025

    Discover Science: Maya Warren and Page Buono on how ice cream makes for a sweet way to communicate science

    Communicating science is a tricky job, but "The Ice Cream Scientist" Dr. Maya Warren is up to the task, with help from filmmaker Page Buono. Warren and Buono collaborated on the film, "Frosty Formulations" which shows audiences that science can be sweet and fun, just like ice cream. This episode is hosted by Hitchcock Project for Visualizing Science student Katrina Perce.

    41 min

  3. 01/21/2025

    Discover Science: Baker Perry and Julie Loisel on fieldwork in extreme environments

    The top of Mount Everest is a cold, unforgiving place to conduct scientific research. So are the mangrove jungles deep in the Amazon, accessible only by boat. But for scientists, those regions can be some of the most important sources of data when it comes to the climate crisis. Nevada State Climatologist and geography professor Baker Perry and his colleague, fellow geography professor Julie Loisel, share some of their insights into extreme fieldwork locations and why the science there is too important to ignore. This episode is hosted by Hitchcock Project for Visualizing Science student Ali Dickson.

    41 min

  4. 03/25/2024

    Discover Science: Jevin West on the rise of misinformation in and about science

    To its disciples, science can seem like an infallible tool to determine fundamental truths about the world that we live in. But the truth is, science can fall victim to misinformation, disinformation and fraud, like many other institutions. Some scientists have turned the proverbial microscope on science itself. Jevin West, an associate professor in the Information School at the University of Washington, and co-founder and inaugural director of the Center for an Informed Public at UW, visited the University of Nevada, Reno for a Discover Science lecture and was hosted on the Discover Science podcast by associate professor of statistics Paul Hurtado, and Madeleine Lohman, master's and doctoral student in the Department of Statistics and Data Science and the Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology program. The three discuss issues related to trust in science, education about how to identify trustworthy information for people as young as kindergarteners to the elderly and how taking an interdisciplinary approach is critical to making progress in the information sciences.

    51 min

  5. 01/25/2024

    Discover Science: Colby Pellegrino on the water challenges of the Colorado River

    Colorado River water allocation policy is an extremely complicated field to navigate. That, in part, is why the Colorado River is known as the most litigated river in the world. But researchers, policymakers and water managers have taken a more collaborative approach in recent years. Those collaborations are made more critical by the increasing risk drought poses to the Lower Basin.Colby Pellegrino is the Deputy General Manager of Resources for the Southern Nevada Water Authority and the Las Vegas Valley Water District. In her current capacity, she is responsible for the management of the Water Authority’s water resource portfolio, which includes protecting Nevada’s interests and rights to Colorado River water through interstate negotiations, developing regional water conservation programs, managing groundwater resources, and water resource planning. Colby Pellegrino speaks with Associate Professor Elizabeth Koebele.

    41 min

  6. 01/09/2024

    Discover Science: Joe Schwarcz on the magic of chemistry

    The advent of the internet has benefitted humanity in many ways. It has also caused some chaos, as people try to discern fact from fiction and sense from nonsense shared online. Many scientists have recently taken a more active role in helping society to understand how science works. One of those scientists is Dr. Joe Schwarcz. Dr. Schwarcz is a professor of chemistry at McGill University and the director of the Office for Science and Society. He has spent over four decades trying to combat misinformation, especially misinformation related to science. Dr. Schwarcz also hosts a radio show, “The Dr. Joe Show,” writes a newspaper column and has written 19 best-selling books. Dr. Schwarcz speaks with chemistry undergraduate student Jesus Diaz Sanchez and Associate Professor Brian Frost.

    34 min

  7. 02/06/2023

    Discover Science: Sarah Hörst on life as we do not know it

    Titan is Saturn's largest moon and is the subject of distinguished atmospheric chemist Sarah Hörst's research. The distant moon is considered to be one of the most Earth-like worlds in the solar system, and its potential to host life is the topic of conversation in this episode of Discover Science. Dr. Hörst is an associate professor at Johns Hopkins University in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and an adjunct astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute. Dr. Hörst is also part of the team leading NASA’s Dragonfly mission – a rotorcraft-lander expedition to Titan's surface. Dr. Hörst speaks with alumna Donna dePolo and Associate Professor Carlos Mariscal. DePolo graduated with her degree in astronomy and physics in 2021 from the University of Nevada, Reno, and was also a successful Wolf Pack athlete as a member of the swim team. As an undergraduate, dePolo published research titled "The flickering radio jet from the quiescent black hole X-ray binary A0620-00" with Assistant Professor of Physics Richard Plotkin. Dr. Mariscal is an associate professor of philosophy at the University of Nevada, Reno interested in understanding the origin of life, the nature of extreme organisms, and what we can know about life in the universe. Dr. Mariscal is faculty in the Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology graduate program where he works in areas related to the evolution, origin, and distribution of life in the universe, a field known as astrobiology.

    45 min

  8. 11/16/2022

    Discover Science: Andrew Revkin asks "Sustain What?"

    An aware society is one of the best weapons against climate change. Sustainable solutions can only advance if voters and policy makers understand what's at stake. From vanishing biodiversity to the widespread intensification of destructive weather patterns, that's where environmental journalists play a decisive role acting as the bridge between scientists and the general public. Andrew Revkin is a renowned science journalist, author, and educator. He's covered a variety of environmental topics, including the destruction of the Amazon rainforest, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and the changing climate of the North Pole. Revkin is also the founding director of the Initiative on Communication and Sustainability at the Columbia Climate School.  On this episode of Discover Science, hosted by graduate student Shelby Herbert of the UNR Reynolds School of Journalism's Hitchcock Project for Visualizing Science, Andrew Revkin speaks with NatGeo Monster Fish host Zeb Hogan and Professor of limnology Sudeep Chandra about the media's coverage of climate impacts around the world, Revkin's 35+ years of experience in the field, even how music has influenced his perspective as a journalist and climate defender.

    41 min
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About

Listen in on in-depth conversations with some of the world's leading scientists and researchers. Produced by the College of Science at the University of Nevada, Reno, the Discover Science podcast is an offshoot of the lecture series by the same name. Join us and dig in on the science that is changing our world.

Information

  • Creator
    University of Nevada, Reno
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2025
  • Episodes
    15
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © University of Nevada, Reno
  • Show Website
    Discover Science