Ask a Harvard Professor

Harvard Magazine
  • 4.5 (29)
  • EDUCATION
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Ask a Harvard Professor

A podcast presented by Harvard Magazine. Managing editor Jonathan Shaw sits down with some of the world’s most thoughtful scholars to discuss everything from academic ethics – to hip hop music and medical marijuana.

  1. 12/20/2021

    Rudolph Tanzi: What Can People Do To Maintain Brain Health As They Age?

    Harvard Medical School professor of neurology Rudolph Tanzi discusses how lifestyle choices can help maintain brain health during a person’s lifespan. Topics include Alzheimer’s disease and other kinds of dementia, the role of genetics and environment in health, and the importance of sleep, exercise, and diet in controlling neuroinflammation.

    34 min

  2. 12/13/2021

    Makeda Best: What Does Landscape Photography Say About Our Politics?

    Makeda Best, curator of photography at the Harvard Art Museums and a visiting professor of Art, Film, and Visual Studies, shares her insights on landscape photographers, as well as photographers of war and protest, capture their historical moments, and what their work says about cultural history and politics. Topics discussed include Best’s research on Alexander Gardner, a Civil War photographer who was also active in the worker’s rights movement, her current book project on American landscape photography, and Devour the Land, the current exhibit she curated at the Harvard Art Museums.

    29 min

  3. 12/06/2021

    Claudia Goldin: Why Do Women Still Make Less Than Men?

    Claudia Goldin, Henry Lee professor of economics, shares the reason why working mothers still earn less and advance less often in their careers than men: time. Even with antidiscrimination laws and unbiased managers, certain professions pay employees disproportionately more for long hours and weekends, passing over women who need that time for family care. Goldin also discusses how COVID-19’s flexible work policies may help close the gender earnings gap.

    33 min

  4. 11/29/2021

    Jerrold Rosenbaum: Are Psychedelics an Effective Treatment for Mood Disorders?

    Jerrold Rosenbaum, director of Massachusetts General Hospital’s Center for the Neuroscience of Psychedelics, discusses the potential of using psychedelics, such as MDMA and magic mushrooms, to treat treatment-resistant mood disorders like depression and anxiety. Topics include the effect of psychedelics on the brain, how psychedelic therapy is conducted, the legality of medicinal psychedelics, and current research findings.

    45 min

  5. 11/22/2021

    Nicholas Stephanopoulos: Why Does Gerrymandering Matter So Much?

    Nicholas Stephanopoulos, a political scientist and legal scholar whose research focuses on gerrymandering, explains its effect on American democracy and how it might be stopped. Topics include recent state laws that limit voting, the voting-rights bills being debated in Congress, and the current state of “alignment” between voters’ wishes and government actions.

    28 min

  6. 11/15/2021

    Emily Broad Leib: What Can be Done About Food Waste?

    Emily Broad Leib, founder and director of Harvard’s Food Law and Policy Clinic, discusses how to reduce food waste in the United States and abroad. Topics include the confusion caused by misleading date labels, the impact of COVID-19 on food waste, and the FLPC’s collaborations with governments and non-profit organizations to enact better food laws.

    31 min

  7. 11/08/2021

    Sandeep Robert Datta and Venkatesh Murthy: Why is Smell Such a Mystery to Scientists?

    Neurobiologists Venkatesh Murthy and Sandeep Robert Datta discuss what scientists know about our sense of smell, and what big mysteries remain. Topics include smell loss from COVID-19, experimental approaches to understanding olfaction, and the role of artificial intelligence in olfactory research.

    36 min

  8. 11/01/2021

    Michael Mina: Why Do We Still Need Rapid Tests?

    Epidemiologist and immunologist Michael Mina discusses the use of rapid tests as public health tools. Topics include using rapid tests to protect gatherings of friends and family; the differences between rapid tests and PCR tests; and why rapid tests are useful even for people who are vaccinated—particularly the elderly.

    32 min
See All (32)

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Ratings & Reviews

4.5
out of 5
29 Ratings

About

A podcast presented by Harvard Magazine. Managing editor Jonathan Shaw sits down with some of the world’s most thoughtful scholars to discuss everything from academic ethics – to hip hop music and medical marijuana.

Information

  • Creator
    Harvard Magazine
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2021
  • Episodes
    32
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2019-2021 Harvard Magazine
  • Show Website
    Ask a Harvard Professor

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