Shows
Skating Penguin Podcast: A Pittsburgh Penguins podcastPensBurgh Podcast, Ep. 52: The "Malk-anen" ConnectionHow about those Pittsburgh Penguins? Winners of four out of their last five games, the team is riding high with stellar goaltending from a reformed Tristan Jarry and a defensive unit that has been jolted by the return of Brian Dumoulin.Add into the equation that the Pens are about to see the Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils a combined 15 more times this season, and the arrow could easily be pointing upwards toward the trade deadline in one month’s time.This episode of the PensBurgh Podcast attempts to answer one simple question: why?...2021-03-1346 min
microTalkThe Promise of Stem Cells: Travis Block Communicates ScienceTravis Block Communicates Science: the Promise of Stem Cells Dr. Travis Block is senior scientist at StemBioSys, Inc., a biotech company working on stem cell biology, and also the president of San Antonio Science, an organization that promotes science awareness. Dr. Block talks about the promise of stem cell research in treating various diseases, including cancers and degenerative diseases, and the challenges of developing technologies that can be affordable and useful for everyone. Dr. Block discusses ethical issues associated with stem cell research, whether humans can live forever, and how important it is for scientists to communicate...2018-01-1650 minmicroTalkExtra! Extra! Hear All About It! Science Reporting in the Age of Fake NewsDr. Alex Berezow is a science reporter, he works with the American Council on Science and Health to report on scientific discoveries and current issues. He discusses some of the difficulties associated with reporting on science to an increasingly skeptical and/or distrusting general public. In the era of fake news, conspiracy theories, and the internet, it has become increasingly difficult for scientists to convey the importance of their research, and the benefit to society. Alex discusses how the internet both supports and undermines science, how to restore the public’s trust in scientists, and what he would be do...2017-03-1340 minmicroTalkWhoop Whoop! The Pertussis VaccineWhooping cough, caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis, is an extremely dangerous and potentially fatal disease for infants. We rarely see this disease anymore because everyone is routinely vaccinated against it with the DPT childhood vaccine. But there has lately been a resurgence in whooping cough cases, caused primarily by a reformulation of the vaccine to make it safer, which unfortunately also made it less protective against this disease. Dr. Rajendar Deora is an Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Wake Forest University. Dr. Deora’s research involves improving the whooping cough vaccine. Dr. Deora is studying how to...2017-03-0337 minmicroTalkMurderous Microbes: The Type Six Secretion SystemDr. Stefan Pukatzki is a Professor of Immunology and Microbiology at the University of Colorado in Denver. Dr. Pukatzki studies Vibrio cholerae, the bacterium that causes the human disease cholera. Cholera is a dangerous water-borne disease that rapidly spreads through human populations in large epidemics. Dr. Pukatzki discovered that V. cholerae has a stabbing device, the Type Six Secretion system, that it uses to inject poisons into surrounding bacteria to kill them off and gain a competitive advantage. This stabbing device is wide-spread through many types of bacteria, illuminating the violent interactions that regularly take place among microbes. Dr...2017-02-2438 minmicroTalkGnarly! The Surfer Biome ProjectMr. Cliff Kapono is a PhD student at the University of California San Diego. The human body is covered with trillions of microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa), and these microbes produce lots of different chemicals that affect humans in many different ways. Kapono’s thesis studies are based on the idea that surfers spend a lot of time in the ocean, so their microbiomes are likely influenced by all the marine microbes and chemicals. Kapono is systematically studying the microbial communities found on surfers around the world, to discover the signature of a surfer biome. Kapono is an avid su...2017-02-2133 minmicroTalkSelenium for the Millenium: A Whooping Trace ElementDr. Girish Kirimanjeswara is an Assistant Professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Kirimanjeswara studies bacteria that cause disease in humans, and how the immune system fights against these microbes. Selenium is a trace element that is found naturally in various environments, and Dr. Kirimanjeswara has become interested in the involvement of selenium in infectious disease. Dr. Kirimanjeswara discusses trace elements, whooping cough, as well as his former life as a veterinarian, and the importance of vaccination. Discussants (in alphabetical order): Dr. Neal Guentzel (Professor and Parliamentarian of STCEID, UTSA) 2016-12-1540 min