Archive 2013

Click on the show title below to access the show archive stored on the Georgia Tech SMARTECH system.

Wednesday May 8th, 2013 noon-1pm TRIZ – More Than a Cool Russian Acronym
Jack Hipple, joins us to discuss TRIZ method for problem solving analysis and innovation. The name TRIZ is an acronym for a Russian phrase that roughly means “The theory or inventor’s problem-solving.”
Wednesday May 1st, 2013 noon-1pm Bees in Trouble
Michael Goodisman, from the Georgia Tech School of Biology, joins us to discuss Honeybee Colony Collapse Syndrome and its possible connection to a new class of pesticides..
Wednesday April 24th, 2013 noon-1pm Classic Rewind
Pete is busy grading Senior Design presentations so please enjoy this previously aired episode of Inside the Black Box..
Wednesday April 17th, 2013 noon-1pm Classic Rewind
Pete is busy grading Senior Design presentations so please enjoy this previously aired episode of Inside the Black Box..
Wednesday April 10th, 2013 noon-1pm Inventure 2013
The winners of the 2013 Georgia Tech Inventure Prize Competition Chris Taylor, and Erika Tyburski join us to discuss the competition, their inventions and the role of innovation in science and engineering education..
Wednesday April 3rd, 2013 noon-1pm Science of Comedy
To celebrate the return of our original co-host Bill Hunt, we take on the science of comedy. Comedian Tim Northern joins us to look at the fundamentals of this important field..
Wednesday Mar. 27th, 2013 noon-1pm Electric Cars: Busting Myths and Smoking Tires
Tech Alum Chris Campbell, joins us again for an update on electric car technology on the eve of this weekend’s Georgia Tech Auto Show.
Wednesday Mar. 20th, 2013 noon-1pm The Buzz about Urban Honey Bees
Jennifer Kraft Leavey of the Georgia Tech College of Sciences joins us to discuss Tech’s new Urban Honey Bee Project. This project will raise honey bees on campus for use in undergraduate research and classroom projects.
Wednesday Mar. 13th, 2013 noon-1pm Classic Rewind
Pete is lecturing on the costing and sizing of process equipment so trust us, this Black Box replay will be much more interesting than that.
Wednesday Mar. 6th, 2013 noon-1pm The Shocking Truth about Electrodynamics
Andy Zangwill, from the Georgia Tech School of Physics, has just written a new textbook entitled Modern Electrodynamics, and he joins us to talk about this important topic in physics and why some many students struggle with it. Andy was our very first guest on WREK in 2008, and in honor of this occasion our former co-host Bill Hunt will join us as well.
Wednesday Feb. 27th, 2013 noon-1pm Classic Rewind
Pete is out of town so please enjoy this previous recording from the Inside the Black Box archives.
Wednesday Feb. 20th, 2013 noon-1pm Amateur Science Research
Charlie Bennett from the Georgia Tech Library joins us to discuss the changing nature of technical library research and how the internet can provide amateurs with some useful resources.
Wednesday Feb. 13th, 2013 noon-1pm No Bad Chemicals Just Bad Chemical Names
Today’s title of from one of Pete’s bits he did in front of a bunch of MIT alumni last weekend, but it underscores the difficulty in assessing the complexities of chemical safety. We’ll chat about chemical safety and why determining it is so difficult.
Wednesday Feb. 6th, 2013 noon-1pm Testing Scientific Literacy
In 2009 we spoke with Chris Mooney about the book on the dangers of scientific illiteracy in the U.S. he co-authored with Sheril Kirshenbaum. Today we tackle the challenge of determining scientific literacy by chatting with Cara Gormally, of the Georgia Tech School of Biology, the Test of Scientific Literacy Skills (TOSLS) she recently developed with her collaborators Peggy Brickman from the Dept. of Plant Biology at the University of Georgia and Mary Lutz from the Dept. of Educational Psychology and Instructional Technology at the University of Georgia.
Wednesday Jan. 30th, 2013 noon-1pm Don’t Be Such a Scientist
We review “Don’t Be Such a Scientist,” a book on communication science to the public by Biology Professor turned film director Randy Olson. It provides some useful advice on how use geeks might better engage the public.
Wednesday Jan. 23rd, 2013 noon-1pm Minute Physics
Henry Reich, the talented artist behind the popular YouTube series MinutePhysics joins us to discuss this popular animated video series that teaches physics in about a minute.
Wednesday Jan. 16th, 2012 noon-1pm Robots: Why Don’t They Call Anymore
Lora Weiss from the Georgia Tech Research Institute joins us to discuss autonomous robot systems and what makes them work and think for themselves.
Wednesday Jan. 9th, 2012 noon-1pm Seismology on Trial
Reginald DesRoches, chair of the Georgia Tech School of Civil and Environmental Engineering discusses the challenging field of seismology and a widely condemned, recent conviction of Italian officials over a misassessment of earthquake risk.
Wednesday Jan. 2nd, 2012 noon-1pm Classic Rewind
Please enjoy an encore presentation of Inside the Black Box while we take a brief break over the holidays.