Archive 2015

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

Wednesday November 30th, 2015 noon-1pm Classic Rewind
Please enjoy this classic rewind of Inside the Black Box.
Wednesday November 23rd, 2015 noon-1pm Classic Rewind
Please enjoy this classic rewind of Inside the Black Box.
Wednesday December 16th, 2015 noon-1pm Chemistry Lab: Not as bad as you may think
Mike Evans, the Freshman Chemistry Lab Coordinator from the Georgia Tech School of Chemistry, joins us to talk about improving many people’s least favorite part of the college experience. Mike also plays bass in Leucine Zipper and Zinc Fingers when not try to improve the chemistry lab experience.
Wednesday December 9th, 2015 noon-1pm MOOCs and Beyond
Mike Schatz from the Georgia Tech School of Physics and the Physics Education Research Group joins us to talk about educational innovations in physics, and where such innovations may be taking us. Specifically we will talk about Massive Open On-line Courses and how they work with physics.
Wednesday December 2nd, 2015 noon-1pm Cognitive Load in STEM Education
Pete will discuss some new work with colleagues looking at the cognitive load in STEM education. Apparently Cognitive Load Theory suggests limiting the amount of problem-solving to be done to enhance learning, but most STEM educators teach through problem-solving. Are we all doing this incorrectly?
Wednesday November 25th, 2015 noon-1pm What’s New with Volcanoes
Josef Dufek, from the Georgia Tech School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences joins us to update us on the world of volcanoes and his research in that area.
Wednesday November 18th, 2015 noon-1pm Classic Rewind
Please enjoy this classic rewind of Inside the Black Box.
Wednesday Novenber 11th, 2015 noon-1pm Animals in Motion
Simon Sponberg, from the Georgia Tech School of Physics, joins us to discuss his work in neuromechanics, which integrates physics and phisiology in animal brains and bodies to understand their complex movements.
Wednesday Novenber 4th, 2015 noon-1pm The Science of Business
Just after World War II some crazy engineers started using the scientific method to improve manufacturing in Japan. This application is now commonplace in new technical startup at Georgia Tech and around the World. Today we discuss this application of the scientific method and ponder what other applications are out there.
Wednesday October 28th, 2015 noon-1pm Listener Calls
No guest today so we are taking listener calls (hopefully tweets too – @blackboxwrek) show. We will also discuss everything from preventative medicine and candy corn to home brewing sorghum
Wednesday October 21st, 2015 noon-1pm Urination and Other Examples of Math in Nature
David Hu, from the Georgia Tech School of Mechanical Engineering, joins us to talk about his work in fluid mechanics and its application to nature. Specifically he will discuss the work that won a recent IgNobel Prize on the universal duration of urination throughout the animal kingdom (no, we’re not joking).
Wednesday October 14th, 2015 noon-1pm Listener Calls
Our guest cancelled so we are taking listener calls (hopefully tweets too – @blackboxwrek) show. If you have a question or comment about science and technology contact us during today’s show.
Wednesday October 7th, 2015 noon-1pm The Robot in You
Craig Forest of the Georgia Tech School of Mechanical Engineering joins us to talk about his work on tools to measure characteristics of individual cells and molecules in the human body.
Wednesday September 30th, 2015 noon-1pm Water on Mars
James Wray of the Georgia Tech School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences joins us to discuss his lab’s work involving NASA, and two of his graduate students Luju Ojha, and Mary Beth Wilhelm that recently discovered flowing water on the surface of Mars.
Wednesday September 23rd, 2015 noon-1pm Classic Rewind
Please enjoy this classic rewind of Inside the Black Box.
Wednesday September 16th, 2015 noon-1pm Potpourri
Since we haven’t done one of these in a while, and we have not guest scheduled we are doing a listener call in (hopefully tweet in too – @blackboxwrek) show. If you have a question or comment about science and technology contact us during today’s show.
Wednesday September 9th, 2015 noon-1pm Maker Movement
David MacNair, of the Georgia Tech School of Mechanical Engineering and Lew Lefton of the School of Mathematics join us to discuss the Maker Movement and its current and future impact on STEM education. David is the executive director of the 2015 Atlanta Maker Faire, and Lew is a previous director.
Wednesday September 2nd, 2015 noon-1pm Protein Legos
Anant Paravastu, of the Georgia Tech School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering join us to discuss the self-assembly of proteins into aggregate assemblies. Anant uses Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectroscopy to study how these aggregates are related to diseases like Alzheimer’s Disease, and the purposeful engineering of such assemblies.
Wednesday August 26th, 2015 noon-1pm Science at the Con 2015
Stephen Granade, director of the science track at Dragon Con joins us to discuss the fascinating science offerings at this year’s Dragon Con (It’s a lot more than just people dressed-up in costume).
Wednesday August 19th, 2015 noon-1pm Nerd Culture
Ann Hoevel, Director of Communications for the Georgia Tech College of Architecture joins us to discuss Nerd Culture and its place and function in the world. Ann developed the Geek Out brand and blog at CNN before joining Georgia Tech.
Wednesday August 12th, 2015 noon-1pm The Performance in Performance Sportswear
Haskell Beckham, of Exponent Engineering and Scientific Consulting joins us to discuss the science and engineering behind modern performance sportswear. Haskell as been working on this problem for years when he began using Magnetic Resonant Imaging to study these materials while on the faculty at Georgia Tech.
Wednesday August 5th, 2015 noon-1pm Computational Creativity
Ashok Goel, from the Georgia Tech School of Interactive Computing joins us to discuss computational creativity, and how this field can aid us in fields from engineering design to cooking.
Wednesday July 29th, 2015 noon-1pm Classic Rewind
Please enjoy this classic rewind of Inside the Black Box.
Wednesday July 22, 2015 noon-1pm What Am I Looking at
Alan Wagner, from the Georgia Tech Research Institute joins us to discuss his approach to typing and characterizing video with computers, and how this may provide useful information to the blind. Alan discussed trust issues between humans and robots with us back in 2011.
Wednesday July 15, 2015 noon-1pm Carbon – Right out of Thin Air
Matthew Realff, from the Georgia Tech School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering joins us to discuss our environmental carbon problem and some unique solutions, such as carbon removal from air.
Wednesday July 8, 2015 noon-1pm Dueling Bacteria
Brian Hammer, from the Georgia Tech School of Biology joined us back in 2012 to discuss how bacteria communicate with each other (Science in the Time of Cholera). Today he will discuss this communication mechanism can be used to manage bacteria populations by picking fights between various types of bacteria.
Wednesday July 1, 2015 noon-1pm It’s a Funny Story
Boyang (Albert) Li joins us to talk about recent research in cognitive science on understanding narratives. Narratives are important in understanding how humans think. He will also discuss his recent dynamic theory on humor.
Wednesday June 24, 2015 noon-1pm God Sent Me
Jeff Selman, initial plaintiff in the ACLU law suit against Cobb County, GA after placing evolution warning stickers on their science textbooks, joins us to discuss his new book God Sent Me: A Textbook Case on Evolution vs. Creation.” Jeff discusses his journey to awareness, and efforts to confront the deterioration of the boundary between church and state which is affecting the science classroom and other aspects of our lives.
Wednesday June 17, 2015 noon-1pm After Phrenology
Michael Anderson, of the Psychology Dept. of Franklin & Marshall College joins us to discuss his theory that the brain reuses existing circuitry for multiple behavioral purposes. The details of this theory, and its ramifications for understanding the brain are discussed in his recent book After Phrenology: Neural Reuse & the Interactive Brain.
Wednesday June 10, 2015 noon-1pm Electric Cars and Beyond
Our resident electric car expert, Chris Campbell of Electrify Atlanta joins us to discuss what’s new with electric vehicles including the new home power storage units, and the upcoming expiration of the relevant tax credits in Georgia.
Wednesday June 3rd, 2015 noon-1pm Black Holes – Fact & Fiction
Deirdre Shoemaker of the Georgia Tech School of Physics joins us to discuss the astrophysics of Black Holes and dispel many of the public’s misconceptions about these phenomena.
Wednesday May 27th, 2015 noon-1pm Non-Linear Dynamics in Your World
Flavio Fenton of the Georgia Tech School of Physics joins us to discuss the non-linear dynamics all around us from beating hearts to jumping beans. His work was recently featured in Dynamical Systems Magazine.
Wednesday May 20th, 2015 noon-1pm Bee Keepers to the Rescue
Our own co-host Jennifer Leavey, director of the Georgia Tech Urban Honey Bee Project, joins us after becoming certified as a bee keeper with an update the Colony Collapse Disorder and what bee keepers are doing to stem the tide of this spreading problem.
Wednesday May 13th, 2015 noon-1pm Fun with Physics
Ed Greco from the Georgia Tech School of Physics joins us to discuss new developments in the way we teach introductory Physics.
Wednesday May 6th, 2014 noon-1pm Classic Rewind
Please enjoy this classic rewind of Inside the Black Box.
Wednesday April 29th, 2015 noon-1pm Classic Rewind
Please enjoy this classic rewind of Inside the Black Box.
Wednesday April 22, 2015 noon-1pm 2015 InVenture Prize Competition
Some of the winners of the 2015 InVenture Prize Competition join us to talk about their inventions and what they learned during their participation in the nations largest collegiate invention competition at Georgia Tech.
Wednesday April 15th, 2015 noon-1pm Classic Rewind
Please enjoy this classic rewind of Inside the Black Box.
Wednesday April 8th, 2015 noon-1pm Classic Rewind
Please enjoy this classic rewind of Inside the Black Box.
Wednesday April 1st, 2015 noon-1pm Classic Rewind
Please enjoy this classic rewind of Inside the Black Box as Pete is busy with the 2015 InVenture Prize Competition today.
Wednesday March 25th, 2015 noon-1pm Atlanta Science Festival 2015
Pete and Jennifer discuss the second annual Atlanta Science Festival that is going on this week. We will highlight both previous and future events and discuss why such festivals are important.
Wednesday Mar. 18th, 2014 noon-1pm Classic Rewind
Please enjoy this classic rewind of Inside the Black Box.
Wednesday March 11th, 2015 noon-1pm Tech Talks
Pete was out of town so Jennifer interviewed Nick Selby, famous for his 2013 freshman convocation speech, about Tech Talks, an upcoming contest at the Atlanta Science Festival for communicating science to the public.
Wednesday March 4th, 2015 noon-1pm Extreme Biology
Amanda Stockton, from the Georgia Tech School of Chemistry and Biochemistry joins us to talk about her study of extremophiles on this planet and how it advances the study of the origin of life on this planet
Wednesday Feb. 25th, 2014 noon-1pm Snowmageddon 2015
We were off the air due to Georgia Tech closing because of weather.
Wednesday Feb. 18th, 2015 noon-1pm My Genome and Me
Kristopher Hite, joins us to talk about genomes and other aspects of biology and his efforts to share these ideas with the public. Kristopher is a former National Institutes of Health FIRST fellow (Fellowship in Resaerch Science and Teaching), and has engaged in research and teaching and Emory and Clark Atlanta University.
Wednesday Feb. 11th, 2015 noon-1pm Rantings of Science Educator
Educational statistics guru from the Center for 21st Century Universities, David Majerich, joins us to talk about his experience in various aspects of education.
Wednesday Feb. 4th, 2014 noon-1pm Classic Rewind
Please enjoy this classic rewind of Inside the Black Box.
Wednesday Jan. 28th, 2015 noon-1pm From Comedian to Science Comedian
Unlike many of our guests who started out as scientists or engineers and tried to be funny, Brian Malow began as a comedian and let his love of science transform him into a science educator who has produced educational programming for Time Magazine and Neal deGrasse Tyson. We’ll chat with Brian about the role of humor in science education and what the future holds for this interesting combination.
Wednesday Jan. 21st, 2015 noon-1pm Quantum Heat
Martin Maldovan from the Georgia Tech School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering will join us to talk about the quantum mechanical nature of heat transfe
Wednesday Jan. 14th, 2014 noon-1pm Classic Rewind
Please enjoy this classic rewind of Inside the Black Box.
Wednesday Jan. 7th, 2015 noon-1pm The Hype about 3D Printing
Cliff Henderson from the Georgia Tech School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering will join us to talk about 3D printing and when the hype is and is not justified.