GRASP podcast (Growing Research Awareness Speaking with Professors)

Michael Sandborn

What do professors do all day? What does the journey to academia look like? What are the secrets to success in a productive research career? In this show, we aim to answer these questions and more by interviewing professors about their past experiences and inspirations in their respective research areas. The show is intended to help prospective students or curious listeners "grasp" what a career in academia might look like as well as emphasize the incredible work of each guest and provide advice and tips for choosing a research-focused career for aspiring researchers.

Episodios

  1. 02/11/2023

    9. Michael Bess: European History, Technological Change, and the Future of Humanity

    This is a conversation with Dr. Michael Bess, a Chancellor's Professor of History, Professor of Communication of Science and Technology, and Professor of European Studies at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Bess is an expert in 20th and 21st-century Europe with an emphasis on the interactions between social and cultural processes and technological change. Dr. Bess is also the author of five books in these areas. Dr. Bess's Homepage: https://as.vanderbilt.edu/history/bio/michael-bess/ Dr. Bess's latest book, "Planet in Peril: Humanity’s Four Greatest Challenges": https://www.amazon.com/Planet-Peril-Humanitys-Greatest-Challenges/dp/1009160338 ------- Timestamps: [1:00] Childhood and early education [3:00] Studying art history in Italy [7:00] Grad school in journalism at Berkeley, pivot to philosophy [10:00] Thesis work on England, France, Italy, USA during the Cold War [21:00] How to study history [27:00] The environmental movement in France [32:00] Amplified consequences of combining technology [42:00] The tradeoff between domain expertise and legislative influence [47:00] AI-augmented United Nations and geopolitics, planet-level problems [59:00] The long-term effects of AI on humanity, coopetition in a global framework [1:14:00] Bio-enhancements and the future of humanity [1:25:00] Quantum computing [1:30:00] Meditation ------- If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to Like and Subscribe to the show. Find more episodes at: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1wWqHwxmGqSKywLmaLg7CD?si=43eae8bef0a144e2 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grasp-podcast-growing-research-awareness-speaking-with/id1652092830 ------- Music Credits: Spring Flowers by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

    1 h y 38 min

  2. 17/06/2023

    8. Catie Chang: Computational Neuroscience, Neuroimaging, and the Brain

    This is a conversation with Dr. Catie Chang, a Sally and Dave Hopkins Faculty Fellow and assistant professor in the departments of Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Chang runs the neurdylab, which aims to increase the understanding of the human brain by advancing functional neuroimaging methodology. Dr. Chang's homepage: https://www.cchanglab.net/ ------- Timestamps: [1:00] First exposure to neuroscience, MIT and Stanford memories [7:00] The brain, MRI vs fMRI, identifying correlated signal changes in the brain over time [10:00] fMRI imaging, thesis work on temporal dynamics [15:00] fMRI vs. FNIRs, limitations of fMRI, modeling the influence of respiratory and cardiac activity in BOLD signals [26:00] Open questions in signal processing, interpreting neural circuits [30:00] Addressing subjective experience from study participants, group patterns vs. unique patterns of brain signals [35:00] Bridging the gap between lab study and practice and the role of AI in populations vs. individuals [40:00] Addressing ethical concerns about the ability to attribute brain signal artifacts to the emotional states of an individual [44:00] "Neuroscience edge cases" in The Man Who Mistook His Wife for A Hat, open questions in neuroscience [48:00] The role of understanding the brain in emulating intelligence ------- Music Credits: Spring Flowers by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

    51 min

  3. 02/06/2023

    7. Doug Fisher: Artificial Intelligence, Consciousness, and the Environment

    This is a conversation with Douglas Fisher, an Associate Professor of Computer Science and Computer Engineering at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Fisher's research interests include Artificial Intelligence and the Environment, Machine Learning, and Natural Resources. Dr. Fisher's homepage: https://engineering.vanderbilt.edu/bio/douglas-fisher ------- Timestamps: [1:00 - 5:00] Early education, first exposure to programming [6:00 - 8:00] Graduate school, early days of machine learning, switching to computer science [8:30 - 12:30] Misconceptions of AI, computer science courses, connecting cognition and memory to data structures [13:30 - 20:00] Early programming languages, early days of AI in the '50s and '60s, tools vs. generally intelligent agents, the development of deep learning [21:00 - 26:00] Intelligence as evaluation of alternatives, "Other Minds" by Peter Godfrey-Smith [27:00 - 32:00] Biological inspirations of AI, manipulation of surroundings [33:00 - 42:00] AI and the environment, applications of AI for endangered species and energy efficiency, the Rebound Effect [43:00 - 52:00] "The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind" by Julian Jaynes, consciousness as introspection, ChatGPT [53:00 - 57:00] Layered Large Language Models, hypercommunication, goal-setting [59:00 - 1:02:00] Animal vocabulary [1:03:00 - 1:11:00] AI in the limit, discussion of "The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect", educated guesses [1:12:30 - 1:19:00] AI alignment, conception to implementation distance [1:20:00 - 1:30:00] Computational creativity, reflection on output content, co-creativity [1:31:00 - 1:38:00] Advice ------- Music Credits: Spring Flowers by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

    1 h y 38 min

  4. 21/05/2023

    6. Wes Ely: Pulmonary and Critical Care, Long Covid, Delirium Research

    This is a conversation with Dr. Wes Ely, a professor of medicine in the Division of Allergy, Pulmonary, and Critical Care Medicine at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Ely is also the co-director of the Critical Illness, Brain Dysfunction and Survivorship (CIBS) Center at Vanderbilt University, has completed over 500 peer-reviewed publications, and has been federally funded for medical research for the past 20 years. I was truly inspired by Dr. Ely's compassion and emphasis on the importance of maintaining patient dignity throughout the recovery journey. Dr. Ely's bio: https://medicine.vumc.org/person/e-wesley-ely-md CIBS website: https://www.icudelirium.org/ Dr. Ely's latest book: https://www.amazon.com/Every-Deep-Drawn-Breath-Critical-Transforming/dp/1982171146#customerReviews Timestamps: 01:30] Recognizing the calling to be a healer 03:30] Pulmonary and Critical care, bedside delirium: issues and innovations, ADRD re-classification 06:30] "How can we keep people safer?", lighting escape fires, maximizing human dignity, ABCDEF bundle, healing with mercy 10:30] Challenges of handling Long Covid, handling misinformation 12:30] Neuropathology of Long Covid, viral ghosts creating antigenic stimulation, Glial cell degradation and indirect neuron death, Paxlovid and Baricitinib, testing for immunoregulation 16:00] AI in medicine, Baricitinib, Eli Lilly's free distribution of Baricitinib in LMICs, ChatGPT can't replace human touch 19:00] Advice

    22 min
  5. 5. Larry Rolen: Math Research, Number Theory, Ramanujan's lost notebook

    17/02/2023

    5. Larry Rolen: Math Research, Number Theory, Ramanujan's lost notebook

    This is a conversation with Dr. Larry Rolen, a tenure-track professor in the Department of Mathematics at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Rolen's research interests include modular forms, integer partitions, and L-functions. Dr. Rolen's homepage: https://math.vanderbilt.edu/rolenl/index.html ------- Timestamps: [ 1:30 ] Early education [ 6:30 ] The Banach-Tarski paradox, fractals [ 10:00 ] Measuring coastlines [ 12:30 ] First exposure to number theory, switching colleges, research opportunities [ 18:00 ] Introducing number theory, ubiquity of number theory in branches of math [ 20:00 ] Integer partitions, p(5n + 4) = 5k (Ramanujan), physics applications of integer partitions [ 24:00 ] Modular forms (hyperbolic complex functions), Fourier Series in music [ 29:00 ] Symmetry of modular forms, growth rates of number sequences [ 30:00 ] Connecting 0 to infinity [ 32:00 ] Symmetries of Modular forms in physics [ 35:00 ] Connecting distant mathematical fields with symmetry, slightly broken symmetry [ 38:00 ] Fermat's Last Theorem (x^n + y^n = z^n, n > 2) proof from Wiles, Pythagorean triples [ 45:00 ] The Weil Conjectures, Connecting elliptic curves to modular forms, mod p, encryption [ 53:00 ] Lattice-based cryptography, Discrete Log Problem, RSA key crowding [ 59:00 ] Unpacking elliptic curves, point adition on elliptic curves, unpredictability of elliptic curve sequences [ 1:03:00 ] George Andrews, Rescuing Ramanujan's lost notebook, mock theta functions [ 1:13:30 ] The Riemann Zeta Function, The Riemann Hypothesis, infinite sums, the critical strip [ 1:18:30 ] Counting prime numbers, connecting proportions of primes to the zeros of the Riemann Zeta Function, burden of proof for the Prime Number Theorem [ 1:26:00 ] Montgomery's pair correlation conjecture, random matrix models of the distribution of prime numbers [ 1:28:00 ] Dr. Rolen's favorite number e^(pi * sqrt(163) and its connection to Hilbert's complex multiplication [ 1:34:00 ] Combining LLMs and Sage for proof assistance [ 1:38:00 ] Hobbies outside of math ------- Music Credits: Spring Flowers by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

    1 h y 42 min
  6. 4. Doug Schmidt: Programming Paradigms, Embedded Systems, Open Source Software

    05/11/2022

    4. Doug Schmidt: Programming Paradigms, Embedded Systems, Open Source Software

    This is a conversation with Dr. Doug Schmidt, a tenured professor of computer science at Vanderbilt University who studies network communication software, parallel computation, and software engineering. Dr. Schmidt's homepage: https://www.dre.vanderbilt.edu/~schmidt/  Dr. Schmidt's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/DouglasSchmidt  ------ Timestamps [2:00 - 9:30] Early programming experience, from sociology to computer science, managing people [10:00 - 16:00] Working at a startup in the 90s, discovering network programming, eternal vs. practical concepts [16:30 - 25:00] Functional programming, Object-Oriented programming, sequential vs. parallel processing [25:30 - 29:00] Modern multi-paradigm programming languages, Rust in the Linux Kernel, C vs. C++ [29:30 - 33:00] Technical debt, adapter code, Java for concurrency, code smells [34:30 - 41:30] From software engineering to computer networking, zero-cost abstractions, write once run anywhere [42:00 - 48:00] Enterprise vs. Embedded worlds, average vs. worst case optimization, software standards and lifetime [48:30 - 57:00] Architecture search, AI for developing adaptive and intelligent systems, smart composition at scale [57:00 - 1:08:00] Alternate models of computation, difficulties of correct programming, system complexity [1:08:00 - 1:15:00] MOOCs, democratization of knowledge, open source software [1:15:30 - 1:21:00] How to do prolific research, collaboration, imposter syndrome, modular design [1:21:30 - 1:26:00] Mind-body connection, music, patterns   [1:26:30 - 1:30:00] Advice  ------- Music Credits: Spring Flowers by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

    1 h y 31 min
  7. 3. Jules White: Software Evolution, Cybersecurity, AI Art

    03/11/2022

    3. Jules White: Software Evolution, Cybersecurity, AI Art

    This is a conversation with Dr. Jules White, a tenured professor of computer science at Vanderbilt University and the associate Dean for Strategic Learning Programs in the School of Engineering. Dr. White's research interests include mobile computing, cybersecurity, and optimization. Previously, Dr. White was a professor of computer science at Virginia Tech and an artist. Dr. White's homepage: https://www.magnum.io/ Some of Dr. White's art: https://www.upstairsartgallery.com/Artist_Pages/jules_white.htm  ------- Timestamps:  [1:30 - 8:30] Early years with computers, creative writing, art, professors for parents [9:00 - 12:00] Honing writing skills, communicating research [13:00 - 17:00] Software product lines, software evolution, academia vs. industry [17:30 - 22:00] Technical debt, software vulnerabilities, software design process, human mistakes [23:00 - 27:30] Software security, vulnerabilities as repeated mistakes, attackers aim for low-hanging [29:00 - 36:00] GitHub Copilot, development speed vs. quality, future of software engineering [37:00 - 42:30] Creativity, AI art [43:00 - 46:00] Advice ------- Music Credits: Spring Flowers by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

    46 min
  8. 2. Forrest Laine: Computational Game Theory, Optimization, Autonomous Vehicles

    31/10/2022

    2. Forrest Laine: Computational Game Theory, Optimization, Autonomous Vehicles

    This is a conversation with Dr. Forrest Laine, a tenure-track professor of computer science at Vanderbilt University who studies computational game theory, optimization, reinforcement learning, robotics, and autonomous vehicles. Dr. Laine's homepage: https://forrestlaine.github.io/ ------- Timestamps:  [1:00 - 5:00] First computer interaction, intro to programming, game theory, and optimization [6:00 - 11:30] Undergrad experiences, deciding to get a Ph.D. [12:00 - 15:00] Working at Uber and Apple, formal exposure to optimization from "Nonlinear Programming" by Bertsekas  [16:00 - 22:30] Falling in love with game theory, the relationship between optimization and game theory, mathematical models of decisions [24:00 - 33:00] Expressivity vs. complexity in optimization, challenges of scaling game-theoretic models, the process of modeling a decision problem, theory vs. application [34:00 - 42:00] Ingredients of autonomous vehicles, open problems in self-driving [43:00 - 49:30] "more data, more compute" to improve state-of-the-art AI, humans as sources of uncertainty in games, (ir)rationality, flavors of optimization [50:00 - 58:00] Reinforcement learning, AlphaTensor, derivative-free optimization [58:45 - 1:02:30] Advice ------- Music Credits: Spring Flowers by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

    1 h y 4 min
  9. 1. Kevin Leach: Security Arms Race, Brain Imaging, Communicating Research

    31/10/2022

    1. Kevin Leach: Security Arms Race, Brain Imaging, Communicating Research

    This is a conversation with Dr. Kevin Leach, a tenure-track professor of computer science at Vanderbilt University who studies system security, human factors in software engineering, and conversational Artificial Intelligence. Dr. Leach's homepage: https://kjl.name/ ------- Timestamps:  [1:00 - 7:30] First computer interaction, early internet [8:00 -  13:00] College, research interests, internships, freedom of research [13:30 - 31:00] Setbacks, imposter syndrome, research diversity, each failure is a story [32:30 - 40:00] Security arms race, human decision-making in security, program instrumentation [41:00 - 51:30] Using fMRIs and fNIRS to assess brain activity during programming and English prose tasks [53:00 - 1:03:00] AI explainability, simplicity vs. complexity, intuitive explanations make good research [1:04:30 - 1:15:30] Research as the repeated application of creativity, brainstorming for new research problems, managing time [1:15:30 - 1:17:00] Advice ------- Music Credits: Spring Flowers by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

    1 h y 17 min
  10. 0. Introduction

    28/10/2022

    0. Introduction

    This introductory episode outlines the background and plans for the show. Stay tuned for new episodes (release schedule TBD). Thank you for your interest! [Intro and Outro Music Credits] Spring Flowers by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

    1 min
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What do professors do all day? What does the journey to academia look like? What are the secrets to success in a productive research career? In this show, we aim to answer these questions and more by interviewing professors about their past experiences and inspirations in their respective research areas. The show is intended to help prospective students or curious listeners "grasp" what a career in academia might look like as well as emphasize the incredible work of each guest and provide advice and tips for choosing a research-focused career for aspiring researchers.

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