'Cuse Conversations

Syracuse University

Hosted by Syracuse University’s Internal Communications team, the ’Cuse Conversations podcast allows listeners to hear directly from Syracuse University's talented current students, decorated faculty members, dedicated staff members and accomplished alumni.

  1. -23 Ч

    Studying the Blood-Brain Barrier to Devise Treatments for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s

    The blood-brain barrier is a tightly locked network of cells that protects and defends the brain from harmful substances and pathogens that could cause damage. While this barrier serves to protect our brains, in the case of finding cures for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, the blood-brain barrier has been a big obstacle.  Enter research from Shikha Nangia, the Milton and Anne Stevenson endowed professor of biomedical and chemical engineering and department chair in the College of Engineering and Computer Science. Working with undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral students, the Nangia Research Lab uses theoretical and computational techniques to determine how to best enable the transport of drug molecules across the blood-brain barrier. Nangia’s research led to the creation of the first molecular model depicting what the blood-brain barrier looks like, which has proven helpful in identifying what can and what cannot pass through the narrow tunnel into the brain. Understanding that Alzheimer’s and cancer treatments are too large to pass through the blood-brain tunnel, Nangia’s group is advancing research to find a cure for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. On this episode, Nangia will explain the findings of her research, share how students help advance this work, discuss how the Interactive Biomaterials Research Experiences for Undergraduates site on campus prepares participants for successful careers in science and engineering, and explores her role as a Syracuse University Art Museum faculty fellow.

    35 мин.
  2. 30.11.2025

    The Science of Black Holes: Secrets of the Cosmos With Eric Coughlin

    Black holes are among the most studied, but least understood cosmic phenomena for astrophysicists. These objects derive their name from the fact that nothing, including light, can escape the grasp of their immense gravitational field.  College of Arts and Sciences physicist Eric Coughlin, who researches how stars are consumed by black holes, explains that black holes range in mass, with the smallest—comparable to our sun—forming from stellar evolution. Starting with hydrogen, massive stars burn through fuel in their cores through nuclear fusion. Between fusion stages, the core contracts, releasing gravitational energy that causes the star's outer layers to expand. This process progresses through increasingly heavier elements like helium and carbon until the star produces iron, at which point the fusion process halts. “The star can’t release any more energy through fusion, and all the pressure being generated from that energy release stops,” Coughlin says. “The core starts to collapse under its own self-gravity. That collapse continues until it forms a neutron star, which can ultimately collapse to a black hole.” Coughlin has examined black holes and tidal disruption events, one of the cosmos’ most extreme occurrences where the gravitational field of a supermassive black hole repeatedly tears apart or shreds a gigantic star. His team's groundbreaking research offers a rare glimpse into the feeding habits of a supermassive black hole using a predictive model to forecast when stars will be shredded and torn apart as it is spaghettified. Coughlin stopped by the "'Cuse Conversations" podcast to discuss the different types of black holes, how hungry black holes can shred distant stars and other cool secrets of thecosmos.

    37 мин.
  3. 21.10.2025

    Why Our Students Love Giving Back to Their Community

    From building beds for children in need and making sandwiches for hungry neighbors to spreading holiday cheer through handwritten cards, hundreds of Syracuse University students give back to their community every year through their involvement with their Recognized Student Organizations. Now, it’s time to honor the passion of these student leaders through the Fall 2025 Student Organization Challenge, which awards valuable funds to the student groups with the most unique donors and the most social media interaction during October. Last year, the Syracuse University Volunteer Organization (SUVO) captured the Fall 2024 Challenge, while OrangeSeeds claimed the Spring 2025 Challenge. Every child should have access to a bed when they go to sleep. That's the driving force behind the SUVO's annual bed-building project. Student leaders like Ryan Edwards '26 have helped build 132 beds over the past two years, partnering with the local Sleep in Heavenly Peace chapter to get them to Central New York children who need them. On Service Saturdays, Nolan Singh '28 and his OrangeSeeds peers partner with nonprofits like We Rise Above The Streets Recovery Outreach, the Salvation Army and the Nottingham. These efforts culminate in “The Big Event,” the University's largest student-run community service project. With the Fall 2025 Challenge in full swing, Edwards and Singh stopped by the "'Cuse Conversations" podcast to share why they give back, how volunteering has shaped them as leaders and why every student should volunteer.

    27 мин.

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Hosted by Syracuse University’s Internal Communications team, the ’Cuse Conversations podcast allows listeners to hear directly from Syracuse University's talented current students, decorated faculty members, dedicated staff members and accomplished alumni.