Shows
Reclaiming the Gentle ManEngaging Fear for Freedom and ClarityIn this episode of Reclaiming the Gentle Man, we explore how fear and discomfort are often the threshold to our next level of freedom, purpose, and intimacy.Sometimes, the growth we’re seeking requires learning to listen to the deeper fear in our bodies—and letting it guide us toward what truly matters.If you’ve been circling a hard decision, avoiding a conversation, or wondering why change feels just out of reach—this conversation is for you.Because when we stop running from discomfort and start relating to it consciously, we reclaim the powe...2025-07-3121 minReclaiming the Gentle ManBefriend Your EgoWhat if your ego isn’t the enemy… but a misunderstood ally?In this episode of Reclaiming the Gentle Man, we explore how our cultural obsession with “ego death” might actually be keeping us disconnected — from ourselves, our partners, and our deeper purpose. And how befriending your ego might be the unlock you’ve been searching for.We challenge the common belief that ego must be dismantled or destroyed… and instead offer a radically different path: conscious relationship with the part of you that’s been trying to keep you safe all along.If you’ve ever s...2025-07-2424 minReclaiming the Gentle ManWhen Gentleness Becomes DisguiseWhat begins as care can quietly become performance.What feels like softness can sometimes be a wall.In this episode of Reclaiming the Gentle Man, we explore how our gentleness—especially as men—can become a mask. A way to stay safe, to be chosen, to be seen as “good”… even if it costs us clarity, courage, and real intimacy.What happens when we stop performing the “evolved” man—and start reclaiming all of us?Boldness. Gentleness. Directness. Compassion.The full spectrum of who we are.Men...2025-07-1723 minReclaiming the Gentle ManWhat Makes a Great Relationship?How do you actually know if you're in a great relationship—or just working too hard to keep something broken alive?In this episode of Reclaiming the Gentle Man, we explore some of the most tender, misunderstood, and courageous places relationships take us.Whether you’re caught in recurring conflict, feeling unseen or unsupported, or wrestling with that quiet, persistent doubt… this conversation is here to help you move from looping uncertainty to meaningful clarity.If you’ve been trying to decide whether to stay or go—or whether your relationship could ever become the...2025-07-1026 minReclaiming the Gentle ManRethinking Therapy (And How To Make It Work For You)If you grew up in or before the 90s or early 2000s, chances are you absorbed some strong—but often invisible—beliefs about therapy. Even if you believe in it. Even if you go.Somewhere along the way, many of us got the idea that therapy is where someone “fixes” us. Or that it’s just a space to dump our pain. Or that if we need therapy, we must be broken.In this episode, I want to help you reimagine therapy: What it is. What it isn’t. And how it c...2025-07-0325 minReclaiming the Gentle ManReimagining Self-RelianceFor so many of us, self-reliance means silence through pain, stoicism through struggle, and going it alone. We’re taught that strength means being unshakable. That asking for help is weakness. That to be a man is to sacrifice for your family—and never be a burden.But what if there's more to becoming self-reliant that can help us become the better men, the better humans, we wish to be?In this episode of Reclaiming the Gentle Man, we explore a new definition of self-reliance—one that honors Ralph Waldo...2025-06-2625 minReclaiming the Gentle ManAm I With the Right Person?We all eventually hit a moment in our intimate relationships where we wonder:Am I with the right person?Most people wrestle with it silently, stuck in looping thoughts, second-guessing, or disconnecting to protect ourselves or our partners. But the clarity we need in these moments usually doesn’t come from thinking, but instead from a deeper kind of listening, surrendering, and allowing. In this episode of Reclaiming the Gentle Man, we explore what to do when you're stuck in doubt, and how to ac...2025-06-1934 minReclaiming the Gentle ManFacing the Inner CriticIn this episode, we explore the quiet epidemic of male loneliness—and how much of it begins with something we rarely question: the voice inside.It’s time we get to know—and even befriend—the inner critic that so often shapes our sense of self, our relationships, and our capacity for connection.You’ll learn:Why so many men feel alone, even when surrounded by othersWhy you might not actually be an introvert…How the inner critic drives self-isolation—and what to do about itA simple 3-ste...2025-06-1222 minReclaiming the Gentle ManFrom Avoidance to Self-AuthorshipThe pattern that’s keeping you stuck isn’t your fault — but it is your responsibility.In this episode, I share the moment everything shifted for me. Specifically, the moment I stopped blaming my life, my partner, and the world around me… and surrendered to the path of self-authorship instead.We explore:How we unconsciously avoid the parts of ourselves that most need witnessingWhy requesting vulnerability and openness doesn't work — and what to do insteadThe circle experience that cracked open my inner world and began my real transforma...2025-06-0529 minReclaiming the Gentle ManThe Unwanted Parts of Us: Who Holds the Key to Change?In this episode of Reclaiming the Gentle Man, we dive into one of the most important obstacles in personal and relational growth: the unwanted parts of ourselves. These are the qualities or behaviors we often try to suppress, reject, or change—because we believe that by doing so, we’ll become better versions of ourselves. But what if this approach is exactly what’s keeping us stuck?In this episode, we explore:Two core beliefs that hold us back from what we really want in life and relationshipsThe powerf...2025-05-2924 minReclaiming the Gentle ManWhen It’s Never Enough for Her: The Cost of Feeling Unseen (and How to Be Chosen)📣 LAST CALL to join my 21-day relationship reset: davelishansky.com (doors close at 11:59pm!)–––What happens when you're doing your best—showing up, providing, staying steady—but it still doesn’t feel like enough for her?In this episode, we explore a painful and confusing dynamic that so many men face in love: giving everything and still feeling unseen. We’ll look at what’s really happening underneath that cycle—and how unconscious patterns might be playing a bigger role than you think.You’ll also hear:Why being “chosen” isn’t just about...2025-05-2229 minReclaiming the Gentle ManThe Good Reasons Men Stay Guarded (And Why They Backfire)In this special short episode, I dive into the unspoken (and really good) reasons why men may not be as emotionally expressive as their partners want them to be. These aren’t just arbitrary behaviors—there are real, adaptive reasons why we hold back. We'll also explore how these protective measures, while intended to preserve peace and harmony, often incite more conflict and turmoil in relationships.Learning to transform this frustrating pattern is exactly what we're doing in my 21-day experience, Reclaiming the Gentle Man. It’s designed to help you shed that armor in relationships (not life...2025-05-1914 minReclaiming the Gentle ManThe Map to Freedom Inside Your Relationship👉 Reclaiming the Gentle Man – Join the journey to reclaim your romantic connections, expand your emotional fluency, and experience tectonic shifts in your relationship dynamics. (Doors closing soon!)In this episode, we explore how the energy between two people—or even the tension between different parts of yourself—can reveal the hidden stories that keep you from clarity, intention, purpose, and joy.Relationships offer us maps—when we learn to read the signs, we uncover pathways to freedom that are often hidden in plain sight. Together, we'll explore how to transform t...2025-05-1527 minReclaiming the Gentle ManBreaking the Fog: Nervous System Stewardship for Deeper Connection👉 Reclaiming the Gentle Man – Join the journey to reclaim your romantic connections, expand your emotional fluency, and experience tectonic shifts in your relationship dynamics.In this episode, we'll explore ways to better steward our nervous systems and reveals what changes when we do (Hint: it's a lot—especially if you've been feeling numb, foggy, or disconnected from your presence and joy).By the end of the episode, you'll walk away with three actionable practices to begin stewarding your nervous system, paving the way for healthier, happier relationships and a life of presence and peace.Conne...2025-05-0833 minReclaiming the Gentle ManWelcome to Reclaiming the Gentle ManOur relationships are in the midst of a revolution—and this is your invitation to join it. If you’re ready to stop sacrificing your time, energy, what you want, and your clarity of purpose, Reclaiming the Gentle Man is for you.Dave Lishansky is a Podcast Producer, Men’s Work Facilitator, and Relationship Coach. His work helps couples transcend the instinct for blame and dehumanization to create relationships that center love, curiosity, accountability, and openness.Join Dave's 21-Day Men's Course → Reclaiming the Gentle ManThis 21-day program is designed to radically transform the way conf...2025-05-0805 min
MIT Open Aggregated Podcast FeedIn this the first of two pilot episodes of Chalk Radio with VIDEO, Professor Andrew Lo, who teaches finance at MIT’s Sloan School of Management, knows that many people find financial matters perplexing and scary. Lots of us don’t have a good head for numbers, and besides, how can one get advice and make sound decisions when it’s taboo to discuss one’s finances at all? That’s where a financial advisor is useful–someone who understands the concepts, can crunch the numbers, and has a fiduciary responsibility to look out for your best interests. For many people...2025-04-1600 min
Chalk RadioMIT Economist Andrew W. Lo on Finance, AI, and Human BehaviorIn this the first of two pilot episodes of Chalk Radio with VIDEO, Professor Andrew Lo, who teaches finance at MIT’s Sloan School of Management, knows that many people find financial matters perplexing and scary. Lots of us don’t have a good head for numbers, and besides, how can one get advice and make sound decisions when it’s taboo to discuss one’s finances at all? That’s where a financial advisor is useful–someone who understands the concepts, can crunch the numbers, and has a fiduciary responsibility to look out for your best interests. For many people...2025-04-1639 minMIT Open Aggregated Podcast FeedSujood Khalid Eldouma recently relocated to the UK for her master’s studies, having previously lived in Egypt after fleeing her native Sudan to escape the devastating civil war in that country. Sujood holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Khartoum, but her ambitions extend far beyond the field she was trained in. She recently graduated from the MIT Emerging Talent certificate program in Computer and Data Science and is pursuing a MicroMasters in statistics and data science through the support of MIT Emerging Talent. In this episode, we hear how Sujood and her clas...2024-12-1800 minChalk RadioSujood from Sudan: An Open Learner's StorySujood Khalid Eldouma recently relocated to the UK for her master’s studies, having previously lived in Egypt after fleeing her native Sudan to escape the devastating civil war in that country. Sujood holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Khartoum, but her ambitions extend far beyond the field she was trained in. She recently graduated from the MIT Emerging Talent certificate program in Computer and Data Science and is pursuing a MicroMasters in statistics and data science through the support of MIT Emerging Talent. In this episode, we hear how Sujood and her clas...2024-12-1829 minMIT Open Aggregated Podcast FeedThey say every crisis also presents an opportunity. Open learner Jerry Vance Anguzu seized one such opportunity in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, when his native country of Uganda went into lockdown. Jerry was stuck at home, unable to earn a living, but that enforced inactivity gave him the chance to pursue new directions in his education. A few years earlier, he had discovered MIT OpenCourseWare and had seen what it had to offer; now he returned to MIT Open Learning resources in earnest, plowing through courses in data science and computer programming; soon thereafter he was accepted...2024-12-0400 minChalk RadioJerry from Uganda: An Open Learner's StoryThey say every crisis also presents an opportunity. Open learner Jerry Vance Anguzu seized one such opportunity in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, when his native country of Uganda went into lockdown. Jerry was stuck at home, unable to earn a living, but that enforced inactivity gave him the chance to pursue new directions in his education. A few years earlier, he had discovered MIT OpenCourseWare and had seen what it had to offer; now he returned to MIT Open Learning resources in earnest, plowing through courses in data science and computer programming; soon thereafter he was accepted...2024-12-0426 minChalk RadioNader from Jordan: An Open Learner's StoryWhen Nader AlEtaywi was in high school in Jordan, he had a passion for finance but his prospects seemed limited. Juggling his studies, minimum-wage jobs, and family crises made it hard to envision a future where he could develop his talents and flourish in his chosen field. Through sheer perseverance he finished high school and entered university, where during the Covid pandemic in late 2020 he discovered the world of educational resources that MIT Open Learning offers. He devoured MIT OpenCourseWare courses in statistics, computer programming, and calculus, and soon realized that he could take steps toward a career in...2024-10-3026 minChalk RadioJae-Min from South Korea: An Open Learner’s StoryJae-Min Hong, our guest for this episode, is a hungry learner with wide-ranging curiosity and a distrust of groupthink. A native of South Korea, she has been fluent in English from childhood, which has opened up many educational possibilities for her. Aiming to widen her cultural horizons, she opted to attend high school in New Zealand; a few years later, she transferred from a Korean university to an American one so she could attend in-person classes during the Covid pandemic. With the help of lecture videos from MIT OpenCourseWare, Jae-Min was able to supplement her formal studies and pursue...2024-10-1629 minChalk RadioMaria from Brazil: An Open Learner’s StoryIn this inaugural episode of the Open Learners podcast, hosts Emmanuel Kasigazi and Michael Jordan Pilgreen interview Maria Eduarda Barbosa, a medical student located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Maria tells in her own words how MIT OpenCourseWare changed the trajectory of her life, particularly how she might never have achieved her full potential if one of her teachers had not recognized her abilities and urged her to pursue more challenging studies. Googling “Calculus introductory course,” Maria discovered one of Prof. Gilbert Strang’s videos on MIT OpenCourseWare, and it opened a vision of new horizons for her. She became...2024-10-0226 minChalk RadioIntroducing the Open Learners PodcastEmmanuel Kasigazi is a data scientist from Kampala, Uganda. Michael Jordan Pilgreen is a financial technology engineer from Memphis, Tennessee. Kasigazi and Pilgreen know firsthand how transformative open learning can be: Pilgreen’s discovery of the free educational materials at MIT OpenCourseWare helped him develop new technical skills and eventually led to a new career in a field he is passionate about, while Kasigazi has enjoyed MIT OpenCourseWare’s wealth of lecture videos on YouTube for years, not only to learn within his field but also to immerse himself in the deep questions of psychology and philosophy. In this epis...2024-09-2511 minChalk RadioRobust Science with Prof. Rebecca SaxeOur guest for this episode, Professor Rebecca Saxe, is MIT’s Associate Dean of Science. Prof. Saxe is also the principal investigator for her own laboratory, the Saxe Lab, where she deploys powerful technologies such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study the relationship between human thought and brain activity. (She originally went into cognitive neuroscience because, as she puts it, there’s nothing cooler than the fact that “all the thoughts we ever have” arise out of the firing of neurons.). Prof. Saxe is also deeply committed to improving how research is conducted and published, both in her own...2024-06-191h 01Chalk RadioInnovation, Past and Future with Open Learning's Dean Christopher CapozzolaAs MIT’s Senior Associate Dean for Open Learning, Christopher Capozzola’s job is to look forward, identifying new opportunities and facing new challenges in online and digital learning. But he’s also a professor of American history. In that capacity, his job also requires him to study the opportunities and challenges people faced in the past—and, in the classroom, to make those past events meaningful to young people in the present. In this episode, Prof. Capozzola draws analogies between the present moment and the late 1800s, when new communication technologies and systems for organizing and presenting information transfor...2024-06-0513 minChalk RadioWhat’s Worth Making? with Prof. Hal AbelsonProfessor Hal Abelson has been active in computer science for over half a century—the first computer he worked with, in high school, was the kind where programs were encoded in a pattern of holes punched into a paper tape fed into the machine. When he arrived at MIT as a graduate student in the late 1960s, Abelson became involved in exploring computers’ potential as educational tools. One of his first projects, under the guidance of Prof. Seymour Papert, involved working to create a graphics display for use with the Logo programming language, which had first been introduced to scho...2024-05-2942 minChalk RadioEverything Here Is Sacred (Terrascope Radio Replay)In a departure from our usual format, in which we interview an exceptional faculty member to learn about their approach to teaching, this time we’re showcasing an exemplary piece of student work: an exploration of ways in which seemingly everyday places and activities, such as a cornfield, the meeting place of two rivers, or the process of planting and tending crops, are imbued with sacredness in Diné (Navajo) tradition. This episode was created by first-year students as a semester-long project in the course SP.360 Terrascope Radio as part of MIT Terrascope, a learning community for first-year undergraduate students foc...2024-05-2218 minChalk RadioThe Power of Experience with Dr. Ari EpsteinYou thought Chalk Radio was a podcast about inspired teaching at MIT? Yes and no! “We don't do a lot of teaching,” says Dr. Ari Epstein, our guest for this week’s episode. Dr. Epstein is associate director of the Terrascope program, a learning community for first-year undergraduates. Each year the program focuses on one particular issue relating to sustainability, and participants in the program learn by direct experience, launching themselves into projects focused on solving complex environmental problems. The role of the program’s instructional staff, Dr. Epstein says, is to create an environment where learning can happen, rather t...2024-05-2219 minChalk RadioEconomics and Real-World Impact with Dr. Sara Ellison and Prof. Esther DufloIn this episode we meet professor and Nobel laureate Esther Duflo and her colleague Dr. Sara Ellison for a discussion about economics: what it is, how it differs from sociology, how it incorporates classic intellectual tools like probability and statistics with newer technologies like machine learning, and how it can itself be a tool for improving the world by solving problems of inequity one problem at a time. As Duflo and Ellison explain, economics has shifted in recent decades from a primarily solo endeavor to an intensely collaborative one, in which any given paper is likely to have multiple...2024-05-1536 minChalk RadioThe Lumpy Universe with Prof. David KaiserThis conversation with Prof. David Kaiser, who teaches physics and the history of science at MIT, covers a vast timespan, from the beginning of the universe to the present day. Prof. Kaiser explains that inflationary cosmology helps connect our understanding of quantum fluctuations—what he calls the “jitters” that particles undergo at subatomic levels—to the irregular distribution of matter in the universe. What’s most exciting, he says, is that simulations based on inflationary theory produce predictions that closely match detailed measurements of the cosmos. Later in the interview, Prof. Kaiser discusses how he teaches his course on 20th-century...2024-05-0853 minChalk RadioReimagining Cities with Prof. David HsuParadoxically, urban planning professor David Hsu doesn’t consider himself a “city person,” but he has great appreciation and enthusiasm for cities as places where meaningful steps can be taken toward climate mitigation. In this episode, Prof. Hsu explains that urban planners can help move cities to take action to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions from the construction, heating, power, and transport sectors. But he observes that the most lasting and successful actions are ones that are implemented democratically, with the consent and participation of the affected communities. To win over those communities, he says, technical experts have t...2024-05-0110 minChalk RadioThe Kitchen Cloud Chamber with Prof. Anne WhiteYou don’t need a multibillion-dollar supercollider to detect subatomic particles. In fact, you can build a working cloud chamber—a device capable of revealing the cosmic radiation and radon decay events that go on continuously around us—with just a block of dry ice, some rubbing alcohol, and a few objects you probably already have in your kitchen. What’s more, constructing the cloud chamber only takes about an hour, making it an ideal project for an introductory physics class, for intellectually engaged nonscientists, or even for curious kindergartners (with some adult supervision!). In this interview, engineering professor Anne Whi...2024-04-2444 min
dusp@MITMore Just and Sustainable InfrastructureHow could funds and opportunities created through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal help rebuild and strengthen existing infrastructure for a more sustainable and just future? How will the impacts of the pandemic change how we plan and utilize downtowns?
Guests Jeff Levine and Chris Rhie (MCP '14, SM '14) join hosts Tiffany Ferguson (MCP '18) and Samra Lakew (MCP '20) to discuss the implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal.
Levine, AICP, has been involved with land use planning on the local and regional level for 25 years. He is interested in how to apply best practices in theory and research in local...2023-05-2646 min
dusp@MITA Once in a Generation InvestmentGuests Gabriella Carolini and Darryle Ulama (MCP '21) join hosts Tiffany Ferguson (MCP '18) and Samra Lakew (MCP '20) to discuss the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal. The Infrastructure Deal is designed to deliver clean water to all American families, extend and update broadband networks, repair and modernize roads and bridges to adapt to the climate crisis, improve mobility options, upgrade our energy infrastructure to be more reliable and renewable, and address risks such as acute climate events, cyber-attacks, and a legacy of anthropogenic degradation of the environment. How will this "once in a generation investment" be spent and can we incorporate...2023-05-1243 min
dusp@MITThe Future of Work and Corporate Social ResponsibilityGreat resignation, working remotely, essential work and essential workers - the landscape of employment, labor, economics, and finance shifted dramatically during the COVID 19 pandemic. Seen through that lens, what might we infer about trajectory of the future of work?
Guests Jason Jackson (PhD '13) and Carolyn Weng Yang (MCP '20) join hosts Tiffany Ferguson (MCP '18) and Samra Lakew (MCP '20) to discuss the historical foundations that scaffolded into shapes witnessed during the pandemic and what these trends imply about the future.
Season two of the Planning Ideas that Matter (PITM) podcast examines how the global COVID-19 pandemic has re-shaped...2023-05-0539 min
dusp@MITLeveraging Community Development for More Equitable CitiesGuest Holly Harriel (MCP '03) and Dasjon Jordan (MCP '19) join hosts Tiffany Ferguson (MCP '18) and Samra Lakew (MCP '20) to explore how community and economic development in the pursuit of more just and equitable cities has been transformed by disruptions associated with the COVID 19 pandemic.
Season two of the Planning Ideas that Matter (PITM) podcast examines how the global COVID-19 pandemic has re-shaped the field of urban planning, changed our thinking about interventions, and what ought to be? This question is discussed with members of the Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP) faculty as well as MIT...2023-04-2846 min
Me, Myself, and AIPartnerships in AI Drive Conservation Efforts: WWF’s Dave ThauWildlife conservation efforts may not be the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks about opportunities to use artificial intelligence and machine learning. But Dave Thau, data and technology lead scientist at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), can share myriad examples of how these technologies are helping our planet.On this episode, Dave joins Sam and Shervin to discuss WWF’s many uses of AI and machine learning. Among them are applications that predict deforestation, analyze images from motion-sensitive cameras to identify species, optimize wildlife patrols to catch poachers, and reduce the illegal wildlife trade on...2023-04-2526 min
dusp@MITAdvancing Environmental Justice in Post-Pandemic InterventionsDUSP's Justin Steil and Sam Jung (MCP '17) join hosts Tiffany Ferguson (MCP '18) and Samra Lakew (MCP '20) to explore the interconnectivity of environmental justice and spatial inequality.
Steil is an associate professor at DUSP whose research analyzes how power and inequality are created and contested through control over access to particular places. As a lawyer and urban planner, his scholarship disentangles how the structure of local governance and land use law interacts with housing policies to shape the spatial structure of our social world in ways that produce economic and racial inequality. He also analyzes how zoning and...2023-04-2144 min
dusp@MITA More Equitable Real Estate Industry?How has the global COVID-19 pandemic changed the real estate industry and shifted our behavior in relation to real estate?
Hosts Tiffany Ferguson (MCP '18) and Samra Lakew (MCP '20) explore this question with DUSP's Andrea Marie Chegut and MIT alum Kayode Agbalajobi (SM '20).
Chegut was the Director and Co-Founder of the MIT Real Estate Innovation Lab, Co-Founder of MIT DesignX and Research Scientist at MIT. Her passion for creating a better world through a deeper understanding of innovation in the built environment, urban economics and real estate was reflected in her courses at MIT and her online short...2023-04-1435 min
dusp@MITUrban Design for Community EngagementIn the third episode of the second season of Planning Ideas that Matter (PITM), hosts Tiffany Ferguson (MCP '18) and Samra Lakew (MCP '20) are joined by Fábio Duarte and DUSP alumna Taskina Tareen (MCP '18) to discuss how design can be leveraged to enhance urban planning goals such as enhancing community engagement, introducing more playfulness into urban experiences, and placemaking.
The second season of PITM focuses on how has the global COVID-19 pandemic shaped the field of urban planning, the lessons we have learned from a period of disruption, and where we might go from here.
PITM is p...2023-04-0755 minChalk RadioSustainability Education Across Learning Environments with Dr. Liz Potter-Nelson and Sarah MeyersMany people associate the word “sustainability” with a few specific activities such as composting or recycling. Our guests for this episode, Dr. Liz Potter-Nelson and Sarah Meyers, point out that sustainability is actually much broader, encompassing all the future-oriented practices that promote the continued flourishing of individuals, cultures, and life on earth. Dr. Potter-Nelson and Meyers have sought not only to make education a tool for sustainability but to make it a sustainable activity itself. In this episode, they describe how they created the Sustainability and Climate Change Across Learning Environments (SCALES) project, a curated repository of open-source, easily adap...2023-04-0515 min
dusp@MITUrban Mobility, Planning and AdaptationEpisode Two of Season Two features guests Andres Sevtsuk and Lindiwe Rennert. Sevtsuk (SM '06, PhD '10) is the Head of the City Design and Development Group (CDD) and the Charles and Ann Spaulding Career Development Associate Professor of Urban Science and Planning at DUSP. His research focuses on public qualities of cities, and on making urban environments more walkable, sustainable and equitable, bridging the fields of urban design, spatial analytics and mobility research. Rennert (MCP '16) is a PhD Candidate in Regional and Urban Planning Studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Her current research focuses...2023-03-2436 minChalk RadioTeaching Teachers with Dr. Summer MorrillNobody comes into this world already knowing how to teach—and most students arrive at undergraduate or graduate programs without any teaching experience at all. For those who are selected to be teaching assistants, the prospect of facing a classroom of students for the first time can be terrifying. To assuage those fears and provide pedagogical skills, the Biology department at MIT runs a training program for new TAs; our guest Dr. Summer Morrill helped develop the curriculum for that program, as well as serving as an instructor in it. In this episode, Dr. Morrill describes how she designed th...2023-03-2218 min
dusp@MITGovernance During a Prolonged Era of DisruptionHow has the global COVID-19 pandemic shaped the field of urban planning? In the second season of Planning Ideas that Matter (PITM), hosts Tiffany Ferguson (MCP '18) and Samra Lakew (MCP '20) explore this question with members of the Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP) faculty as well as MIT alumnae/i.
In the first episode of Season 2, Tiffany and Samra discuss how governance structures and planners are adapting to the disruptions caused by the 2020 pandemic. Guests included DUSP faculty members Karilyn Crockett and Delia Wendel.
PITM is produced by DUSP and Dave Lishansky of David Benjamin Sound through...2023-03-1746 minChalk RadioOpening Computer Science to Everyone with Chancellor Eric GrimsonEric Grimson is MIT’s chancellor for academic advancement and interim vice president for Open Learning; he’s also a longstanding professor of computer science and medical engineering. In this episode, Prof. Grimson shares his thoughts on in-person and online education. We learn that he rehearses each lecture one, two, or even three times before coming to the classroom, and that he often pauses in his speech when lecturing to avoid distracting his students with “um”s and “ah”s and similar disfluencies. But though some of the techniques he describes might seem to reflect a view of teaching as performan...2023-02-2216 minChalk RadioWell-being is the Goal with Prof. Frank SchilbachDo you always make the best possible choices, even when you’re stressed or short on sleep? The ideally rational person (“Homo economicus”) assumed by conventional economics always acts in ways that are materially advantageous to them. But Associate Professor Frank Schilbach seeks in his research and teaching to explore the ways in which Homo economicus fails as a model of actual human behavior; in particular, Prof. Schilbach is interested in uncovering the psychological factors that influence people’s choices, even when those choices appear obviously counterproductive and irrational. In this episode, Prof. Schilbach discusses how psychologically-informed interventions can not only...2023-01-2516 minChalk RadioThe Greatest Existential Threat with Prof. Robert Redwine and Dr. Jim WalshTo most people, especially those who are too young to remember the Cold War, the possibility of nuclear Armageddon may seem so remote as not to be worth contemplating. But Prof. Bob Redwine and Jim Walsh, two of the instructors behind MIT’s Nuclear Weapons Education Project (NWEP), warn that it may not be so unlikely after all, and that failure to take the threat of nuclear war seriously makes it more likely that it will actually occur. Redwine, Walsh, and their colleagues used their expertise from a wide array of fields to create the NWEP and its associated co...2023-01-1115 minChalk RadioVisualizing Calculus with Professor Gigliola StaffilaniProfessor Gigliola Staffilani, who teaches in MIT’s Department of Mathematics, was closely involved in designing and teaching the introductory-level 18.01 Calculus I course series now found on the MIT Open Learning Library. She’s also been involved in teaching calculus to students on campus. To help students become proficient in a notoriously intimidating subject, she has tried to design learning experiences that bridge the gap between the pure abstractions that mathematicians love, exemplified by the use of conventional notation such as x, y, and f(x), and the concrete real-world situations in which calculus is typically applied in other fiel...2022-06-3013 minChalk RadioAI Literacy for All with Prof. Cynthia BreazealWhen humans interact, they don’t just pass information from one to the other; there’s always some relational element, with the participants responding to each other’s emotional cues. Professor Cynthia Breazeal, MIT’s new Dean of Digital Learning, believes it’s possible to design this element into human-computer interactions as well. She foresees a day when AI won’t merely perform practical tasks for us, but also will provide us with companionship, emotional comfort, and even mental health support. But a future of closer human-AI collaborative relationships doesn’t only require technological development—it also requires us to learn what AI...2022-03-3021 minChalk RadioRe-engineering Education with VP for Open Learning Sanjay SarmaSanjay Sarma is not only a professor of mechanical engineering; he’s also Vice President for Open Learning at MIT, where he oversees innovative efforts to reimagine education, and he is coauthor (with Luke Yoquinto) of the recent book Grasp, which explores the nature of learning. In this episode, Professor Sarma discusses the differences between nominal learning, in which you memorize a fact or procedure but soon forget it, and real learning, in which you can effectively apply the skills and concepts you’ve previously mastered. When the format of education is consistent with what science tells us about how...2021-12-0112 minChalk RadioSketching a Picture of the Mind with Prof. Nancy KanwisherNancy Kanwisher, founding member of the McGovern Institute for Brain Research and professor in MIT’s Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, describes the effort to understand the mind as “the grandest scientific quest of all time,” partly because it seeks to answer fundamental questions that all people ponder from time to time: What is knowledge? How does memory work? How do we form our perceptions of the world? In this episode, Prof. Kanwisher gives a nutshell history of her field and describes how scientists use imaging techniques to study the brain structures involved in different cognitive skills. She also r...2021-11-1718 min
Me, Myself, and AIAI and the COVID-19 Vaccine: Moderna’s Dave Johnson"We tend not to be a company of half measures,” notes Dave Johnson, chief data and artificial intelligence officer at Moderna, “so when we decide we’re going to do something, we’re going to do it.” This characterization certainly seems to fit the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotech company that made a name for itself in 2020 upon releasing one of the first COVID-19 vaccines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for emergency use to combat the coronavirus.In this bonus episode, Sam and Shervin learn how Moderna used artificial intelligence to speed up development of the vaccin...2021-07-1324 minChalk RadioBuilding Our Muscle for Democracy (Prof. Ceasar McDowell)The classic New England town meeting, with voters gathered in a large hall to decide issues directly, is often cited as the purest form of American democracy. But historically, those town meetings gave a voice only to certain classes of people. In this episode we meet Ceasar McDowell, Professor of the Practice of Community Development at MIT and newly appointed associate director of MIT’s Center for Constructive Communication. Prof. McDowell has devoted his career to nurturing a more vibrant, inclusive democracy, one adapted to the complex reality of a modern, largely urbanized America. In his course 11.312 Engaging Community (co...2021-06-0331 minChalk RadioVisualizing the Future of Spaceship Earth (Prof. Dava Newman)Professor Dava Newman is an aerospace engineer whose career has largely focused on developing improved space suits for eventual interplanetary travel. But in recent years she has turned her sights back toward Earth, using the vast amounts of data collected by satellites in near space to inform and motivate the public for the fight against catastrophic climate change. In this episode, Prof. Newman fields listener-submitted questions about climate change and also talks more specifically about EarthDNA, a nonprofit startup she co-founded to serve as a platform for climate advocacy and action. EarthDNA aims to curate petabytes of data and...2021-03-0315 minChalk RadioSeeing the Big Picture from Space (Astronaut Jeff Hoffman)Over the years, Sarah Hansen has interviewed the creator of the “Women of NASA” minifigure series as well as a professor of astronautics and former deputy administrator of NASA. Now, for the first time, she interviews an actual astronaut, Jeff Hoffman, who teaches aerospace engineering and systems engineering at MIT. In this episode, Prof. Hoffman describes his experiences in space and how one’s understanding of the world is changed by seeing it from the outside, as a finite sphere, with our seemingly boundless sky revealed as just a thin layer of breathable atmosphere. So far this broadening of physic...2021-01-2719 min
MIT TALKSProf Ed Roberts: An MIT LiferHost Gayatri Aryan talks to Prof. Ed Roberts. Pronounced as "Godfather of Entrepreneurship" now, he helped establish Entrepreneurship as a branch of science that could be taught.Prof. Roberts has recently published a book: Celebrating Entrepreneurs. All the author proceeds from this book will be donated to the MIT Entrepreneurship Program.-----Guests: Prof. Ed RobertsProduced by: Dave LishanskyArtwork by: Vibha VermaMusic by: Marco Valentino2020-05-1535 minMIT TALKSCOVID-19 Pandemic and LayoffsHost Gayatri Aryan talks to Paul Levy. As CEO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), one of nation's preeminent academic medical center, Paul received national attention in 2009 for leading the workers at BIDMC to avoid hundreds of layoffs by engaging them in the crowdsourcing of ideas to save money as the hospital faced deficits due to the national recession.Paul, along with his colleagues, published the following HBR article recently articulating their thoughts on layoffs during crisis: https://hbr.org/2020/03/the-coronavirus-crisis-doesnt-have-to-lead-to-layoffs.-----Guests: Paul LevyProduced by: Dave LishanskyArtwork b...2020-04-1523 minMIT TALKSMartin Trust CenterHost Gayatri Aryan talks to Dr. Trish Cotter, Executive Director at Martin Trust Center and Carly Chase, Founding Managing Director at NYC Startup Studio (an extension of MTC). -----Guests: Trish Cotter and Carly ChaseProduced by: Dave LishanskyArtwork by: Vibha VermaMusic by: Marco Valentino2020-03-1426 minMIT TALKSTB InnovationsHost Gayatri Aryan talks to Dr. Eric Miller and Dr. Malvika Verma about their moonshot to deal with world's leading infectious cause of death: Tuberculosis. While Eric is focused on streamlining the diagnosis process, Malvika is innovating around medication adherence.-----Guests: Dr. Eric Miller and Dr. Malvika VermaProduced by: Dave LishanskyArtwork by: Vibha VermaMusic by: Marco Valentino2020-02-1418 minChalk RadioComing Soon: Chalk Radio from MIT OCWIn each episode of this new podcast, we meet the instructors behind one of MIT’s most interesting courses, from nuclear physics to film appreciation to piloting small aircraft. The instructors open up to us about the passions that drive their cutting-edge research and innovative teaching, sharing stories that are candid, funny, serious, personal, and full of insights. Listening in on these conversations is like being right here with us in person under the MIT dome, talking with your favorite professors. About the HostDr. Sarah Hansen connects educators around the world to openly...2020-02-0101 minMIT TALKSSelf-Awareness in EntrepreneurshipHost Gayatri Aryan talks to Kathleen Stetson. CEO and coach, Kathleen helps many-hats-wearing people better understand themselves and the world around them.Kathleen led the first self-awareness program for entrepreneurs, Entrepreneurial Confidence and Communication (ECC), for MIT Sloan's delta v accelerator in Summer 2019.-----Guest: Kathleen Stetson (www.kathleenstetson.com)Produced by: Dave LishanskyArtwork by: Vibha VermaMusic by: Marco Valentino2020-01-1519 minMIT TALKSMIT Energy InitiativeHost Gayatri Aryan talks to Dr. Diane Rigos, Executive Director at MIT Tata Center for Technology & Design. Tata Center is part of MIT Energy Initiative, MIT’s hub for energy research, education and outreach.In addition, we get to hear from three Tata Fellows working on ground breaking ideas and their impact on people in developing countries:Kriti SubramanyamSomya SinghviPiyush Verma-----Produced by: Dave LishanskyArtwork by: Vibha VermaMusic by: Marco Valentino2019-12-1427 minMIT TALKSMeet the MIT Club of BostonHost Gayatri Aryan introduces MIT Club of Boston, its mission and the goal for this podcast series.Produced by: Dave LishanskyArtwork by: Vibha VermaMusic by: Marco Valentino2019-11-0801 min
Climate ConversationsS3E13 Season 3 Wrap-up: What Have We Learned About Learning To Change?We hope you've enjoyed Season 3 of Climate Conversations, devoted to the question: what does it mean to learn to change, with the speed and scale that can address the climate crisis? In this episode, co-hosts Rajesh, Dave and Curt reflect on their key takeaways, surprising realizations, and nagging questions from the season. Across such varied settings -- personal conversations, community connections, school classes -- we've been inspired by the creative and committed ways people are turning crisis into opportunity and creating the change we all need.2019-01-1030 min
Climate Conversations: A Climate Change PodcastS2E13 Climate Conversations Season 2 Wrap-UpAfter a whole season of climate justice episodes, the ClimateX team and podcast producer Dave Lishansky step back and take stock. How has our understanding of climate justice evolved? What voices and stories have stuck with us?
The team discusses recurring themes, such as visibility issues, collaboration across social divides, institutional oppression, and intersectionality.
They also explore areas of difference among the guests (and among themselves), such as whether capitalism is inherently exploitation or can be a force for social good.
The episode and the season end with dreaming big: if you could...2018-02-2100 min