Archive 2009
Click on the show title below to access the show archive stored on the Georgia Tech SMARTECH system.
| Wednesday Dec. 30th noon-1pm |
Classic Rewind Bill, Pete and Trent will take a holiday hiatus, so tune in for a classic rewind of Inside the Black Box. |
| Wednesday Dec. 23th noon-1pm |
The Logic of Voting Voting activist Bernie Ellis, who joined us previously to talk about how high tech voting machines aren’t always the best solution, returns to our show. He will provide us with an update on what is going on in Tennessee regarding this important issue. |
| Wednesday Dec. 16th noon-1pm |
It’s all Relative Pablo Laguna from the Georgia Tech School of Physics will join us to talk about General Relativity, Gravity and what happens when Black Holes collide.Georgia Tech Graduate Student Adam Wathen will also be on hand to moderate questions from a physics class with which he has been working at Cedar Grove H.S. in Ellenwood GA. |
| Wednesday Dec. 9th noon-1pm |
Newton and the Counterfeiter Thomas Levinson, director of the graduate program in Science Writing at MIT will join us to discuss his latest book “Newton and the Counterfeiter: the Unknown Detective Career of the World Greatest Scientist“. In addition to discussing Isaac Newton and his second career with the Royal Mint, we will chat about science writing and journalism. |
| Wednesday Dec. 2nd noon-1pm |
Between Magic & Science Pete and Bill chat with our listeners about the interface between magic and science and Arthur C. Clarkes third law: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistiguishable from magic”. |
| Wednesday Nov. 25th noon-1pm |
Nothing Funny about Ethics Roberta Berry, from the Georgia Tech School of Public Policy will discuss the ethics problems that arise with advances in science and technology. We will be joined by Mr. Martin Shelton (PhD student in biomedical science, Morehouse School of Medicine) and Ms. Megan Daugherty (law student, Georgia State University College of Law) who are Roberta’s students in a new class in this area being developed under a National Science Foundation grant. |
| Wednesday Nov. 18th noon-1pm |
Grad School – funnier than you think Jorge Cham, creator of PhD Comics will join us to discuss the lighter side of graduate school. Called “Hilarious” by the Chronicle of Higher Education it appears in periodicals from coast to coast and may be the only comic strip every reviewed by the journal Nature. |
| Wednesday Nov. 11th noon-1pm |
Drug Design and the Male Ego Kerry Fowler, medicinal chemist and industry consultant, formerly of G.D. Searle and the late ICOS corporation will join us to talk about medicinal chemistry, drug design and his role in the development of Cialis, the erectile dysfunction drug. |
| Wednesday Nov. 4th noon-1pm |
The Music of Science We’ll be joined by our friend and former guest Steve Harvey from the School of Biology here at Georgia Tech. We will be listening to some of the music from a new album entitled “Here Comes Science†by the group They Might Be Giants and other music about science that will make you wonder why we don’t have a Science category at the Grammy Awards. |
| Wednesday Oct. 28th noon-1pm |
Don’t know much about science Chris Mooney, author of the New York Times bestseller, â€The Republican War on Scienceâ€, and co-author of “Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens Our Future†joins us to discuss the numerous ramifications of the lack of scientific knowledge in society. Chris is currently a Knight Fellow in Scientific Journalism at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. |
| Wednesday Oct. 21st noon-1pm |
It’s Elemental “Chemistry – It’s Elemental” is the theme of this year’s National Chemistry Week, sponsored by the American Chemical Society. We will have a panel of chemistry geeks answering questions from science students at Apalachee H.S. in Barrow County, GA and from North Hall H.S. in Hall County, GA. Warren Matthews from Georgia Tech is arranging video teleconferencing with our two High Schools. Our panel includes Facundo Fernandez,Dave Sherrill, and Christine Payne from the Georgia Tech School of Chemistry & Biochemistry, David Gottfried from the Georgia Tech Center for Nanotechnology and Vernita Lockhart from the Coca Cola Corporation. The American Chemical Society hasvarious activities planned for National Chemistry Week. Click Here to hear Tom Lehrer’s song about the elements. |
| Wednesday Oct. 14th noon-1pm |
Classic Rewind Pete & Bill are out of the studio, so we will be playing a classic rewind of Inside the Black Box. |
| Wednesday Oct. 7th noon-1pm |
Nobel Pursuits Pete and Bill will be discussing some of the recently awarded Nobel Prizes, and will be taking listener calls on these recent prizes and all aspects of science and technology. Give us a call at 404-894-2468. |
| Wednesday Sept. 30th noon-1pm |
Quantum Weirdness Carlos Stroud, professor in the Department of Physics in the Institute of Optics at the University of Rochester, and the director of the Center for Quantum Information will discuss some really weird stuff on physics. Join as we explore whether the principle of quantum entanglement might ever be used to transmit information across the universe faster than the speed of light. |
| Wednesday Sept. 23rd noon-1pm |
Ins and Outs of Invention The patenting of a technical invention is critically important to innovation in science and engineering. Nigam Acharya, an attorney from the Atlanta office of Barnes & Thornburg will join us to talk about how patents work and where to begin if you think you have a patentable idea. |
| Wednesday Sept. 9th noon-1pm |
Calculus: Math in Motion One of Georgia Tech’s favorite Calculus Professors, Tom Morley will join us to talk about Calculus. We won’t just cover why it impresses people at cocktail parties, but actually talk about what it is and how it is useful. |
| Wednesday Sept. 2nd noon-1pm |
The World According to Bud The 11th President of Georgia Tech, Dr. G. P. (Bud) Peterson has been advising government, industry and academics on science and technology for years. He will sit down with us to discuss the future of science and technology in the U.S. and beyond. |
| Wednesday August 26th noon-1pm |
Borderless Engineering Bernard Amadai, Director of the Mortenson Center for Engineering in Developing Communities at the University of Colorado and the U.S. founder of Engineers Without Borders – USA will talk to us about the importance of engineering in the developing World. |
| Wednesday August 19th noon-1pm |
PVC and other scary chemicals Pete & Bill will look at dangers associated with Poly(vinyl chloride) and chemical safety in general after this topic was suggested by Paul, one of our regular listeners. We will look at the Greenpeace campaign to rid us from this plastic and will try to separate the science from the hype. For information about this on the consumer/environmental side see the Center for Health and Environmental Justiceand for the PVC industry side see the Vinyl Institute. |
| Wednesday August 12th noon-1pm |
Hackers, Crackers and Slackers, Oh My Our ow Chief Engineer, Trent Altman joins us to discuss software security. |
| Wednesday August 5th noon-1pm |
What I did on my Summer Vacation Pete is back and will catch up on Science in the News and take general questions from callers. He will also discuss technical education in Europe and the Middle East and other things he learned on his summer travels. |
| Wednesday July 29th noon-1pm REBROADCAST |
SCIENCE & YOUR MONEY Willie Belton, from the Georgia Tech School of Economics will talk about the basics behind this field and use it to explain what is happening with the current economic crisis. If you are as confused about this as Bill and Pete call in with your questions during the second half of the hour. |
| Wednesday July 22nd noon-1pm REBROADCAST |
Weapons Grade Allegations Dan Tedder, former staff member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will discuss shortcomings of the NRC to enforce its own regulations regarding the design of nuclear facilities. |
| Wednesday July 15th noon-1pm REBROADCAST |
Technically Funny Don McMillan, will join us to discuss the juxtaposition of humor and technology. Don has an M.S. in electrical engineering from Stanford University and previously designed integrated circuits but now he is the World’s most well-known technical comic and Pete’s and Bill’s personal hero. Don has appeared on the Tonight Show, but also does comedy with Powerpoint slides. |
| Wednesday July 8th noon-1pm REBROADCAST |
Medical Imaging: Way Beyond X-Ray Specs Join our guest Allen Tannenbaum from the Georgia Tech School of Electrical & Computer Engineering in discussing how large amounts of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and ultrasound data are manipulated to produce important diagnoses. Specifically he will talk about the virtual colon fly-through and how it compares to the latest rides at Six Flags over Georgia. |
| Wednesday July 1st noon-1pm REBROADCAST |
Einstein’s Hair – Big Bangs or Supernova Professor Andy Zangwill from the Georgia Tech School of Physics, a science history enthusiast joins us to talk about Albert Einstein, the man, the hair and the science. We will discuss the unusual celebrity of this noted scientist and debunk some common misconceptions. |
| Wednesday June 24th noon-1pm |
SETI: Is it science, or are we just lonely? Seth Shostak, from the SETI Institute joins us to discuss the science behind the search for extraterrestrial intelligence while he searches for intraterrestrial intelligence among Bill and Pete in the studio. Seth is the author of several books on this topic including his most recent Confessions of an Alien Hunter: A Scientist’s Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence”. |
| Wednesday June 17th noon-1pm |
Here Comes the Sun Michael Filler, from the Georgia Tech School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, joins us to discuss the technology behind solar cells and other methods for deriving renewable energy from the sun. |
| Wednesday June 10th noon-1pm |
The Science Behind the Music Physicist and musician, Henry Valk, will discuss our current scientific understanding of the mecanisms that give rise to musical sound, from its production by an instrument to its being heard by a listener. |
| Wednesday June 3rd noon-1pm |
Dark Chocolate: Is it Dark Matter or Dark Energy? Join our guest Hakeem Oluseyi from the Department of Physics and Space Science at the Florida Institute of Technology in discussing cosmology from dark matter to dark energy and the importance of diversity in physics. Hakeem is also a contributor to the television program Brink on the Science Channel. |
| Wednesday May 27th noon-1pm |
How Did I Get Here? Nick Hud from the School of Chemistry will attempt to provide an answer to this question posed by David Byrne of the Talking Heads. Coordinator of The Origins Project a Chemical Bonding Center funded by the National Science Foundation, Nick will discuss the chemistry requirements for the appearance of life on earth (at least all life except for Bill who we still suspect is some kind of alien). |
| Wednesday May 20th noon-1pm |
Preempted for ACC Baseball The ACC baseball Tournament will be broadcast during our regular time slot. We will be back next week with a new episode of “Inside the Black Box”. |
| Wednesday May 13th noon-1pm |
Gas and Hypotheses This is one of our Potpourri shows where we will wander through the ins and outs of science and technology. We plan to discuss new gasoline additives in the news and how scientific hypotheses are first formed. Feel free to call in with questions you have. |
| Wednesday May 6th noon-1pm |
What’s New with Chips Cliff Henderson, from the School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at Georgia Tech will discuss the latest developments in microelectronics research and how this is being used to make computer chips for the next generation of cool electronics. |
| Wednesday April 29th noon-1pm |
Fun with Epidemiology Our guest James Setzer, a consultant with Abt Associates Inc., will discuss how to logically interpret all the scary stories about infectious disease in the media. A former instructor at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory, Jim now travels the World advising governments on how to best address important health issues. |
| Wednesday April 22nd noon-1pm |
Why Johnny Can’t Communicate The public’s understanding of science and technology is only as good as the ability of scientists and engineers to communicate its significance. Jacqueline Mohalley Snedeker and Christina Bourgeois, who are responsible for teaching Georgia Tech’s Chemical and Electrical Engineers how to write, join us to discuss the importance of good communication skills for geeks. |
| Wednesday April 15th noon-1pm |
Hot Research from the Coldest Place on Earth Ignacio Taboada from the School of Physics joins Pete and his special guest hostAndy Zangwill to discuss Astrophysics at the South Pole. Using a cubic kilometer of ice, Prof. Taboada traps neutrinos in order to map activity of some of the hottest objects in the Universe. |
| Wednesday April 8th noon-1pm |
Science Education in the Trenches Two teachers trained as engineers (not educators) Tiffany Stark and Linda Patterson from the science magnet program at Wheeler H.S. in Marietta, GA will discuss the current state of H.S. science education. We will discuss what needs to be addressed in H.S. science education and some of the programs Wheeler is implementing to do just this. |
| Wednesday April 1st noon-1pm |
CHEMISTRY – IT’S EVERYWHERE Thomas Lane, President of the American Chemical Society (ACS) will join us by phone to explain the importance of chemistry in everyday life. If you don’t believe us just take a look at the ingredient labels on consumer products. Tom will also discuss the vision of the ACS and what this means to those of us who aren’t chemists. |
| Wednesday March 25th noon-1pm |
I Robot – Georgia Tech Style Bill Singhose, from the Georgia Tech School of Mechanical Engineering will this year’s design competition associated with the ME2110- Creative Decisions and Design Course. We’ll discuss the educational issues associated with such open-ended design projects and what we might expect from Bill’s students who are applying their design talents to Personal Transporters and Economic Bailouts. |
| Wednesday March 18th noon-1pm |
The Art of Approximation Pete and Bill will discuss the favorite approximations used by scientists and engineers including everything from linear models and harmonic oscillators to first order decay and ideal systems. We will explore how such simple approximations allow us to describe so much of what we see in nature. |
| Wednesday March 11th noon-1pm |
High Tech Start-ups: more than high tech Join us as we talk with John Ketchersid, Chief Technology Officer for the Atlanta Seed Fund about issues relevant to start-up companies in the high tech arena. |
| Wednesday March 4th noon-1pm |
Science of SCUBA Diving Bill and Pete will discuss the physics and chemistry of Pete’s favorite hobby – SCUBA Diving. Who says science can’t be fun. |
| Wednesday February 25th noon-1pm |
Complex Systems This started out as a potpourri type show be evolved into a discussion of the modeling and investigation of complex systems. The behavior of systems such as the global climate and economy are impossible to predict with a large degree of accuracy. That is why models and theories are constantly being updated. |
| Wednesday February 18th noon-1pm |
Classic Rewind Pete and Bill are out of town so we hope you will enjoy this previously broadcast episode of INSIDE THE BLACKBOX. |
| Wednesday February 11th noon-1pm |
Technical Entrepreneurs – An Alternative to Today’s Job Market Craig Forest, veteran of the American Inventor TV show, will join us to discuss technical innovation and the Georgia Tech Inventure Competion’s impact on creating a culture of innovation among undergraduate students. Previously the technical start-up company was the high risk option, but in today’s job market that may no longer be true.This will be a live show so call us at (404) 894-2468 with your questions and comments. |
| Wednesday February 4th noon-1pm |
Technically Funny Don McMillan, will join us to discuss the juxtaposition of humor and technology. Don has an M.S. in electrical engineering from Stanford University and previously designed integrated circuits but now he is the World’s most well-known technical comic and Pete’s and Bill’s personal hero. Don has appeared on the Tonight Show, but also does comedy with Powerpoint slides.This will be a live show so call us at (404) 894-2468 with your questions and comments. |
| Wednesday January 28th noon-1pm |
Human Augmentation – How Far is Too Far Steve Deweerth, from the Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Biomedical Engineering will join us to talk about human augmentation, what it is and how it’s reality may differ from how it is portrayed in the movies. Steve is a primary faculty member with the Laboratory for Neuroengineering at Georgia Tech will discuss both simple and complex examples human augmentation. This will be a live show so call us at (404) 894-2468 with your questions and comments. |
| Wednesday January 21st noon-1pm |
Baby It’s Cold Outside Michael Chapman, from the Georgia Tech School of physics will join us to talk about his work on a fascinating low temperature pheneomenon called “Bose-Einstein Condensation”. The 201 Nobel Prize in physics was awarded for the first experimental evidence of the unique phase of matter to scientists from the University of Colorado and MIT.This will be a live show so call us at (404) 894-2468 with your questions and comments. |
| Wednesday January 14th noon-1pm |
Weapons Grade Allegations Dan Tedder, former staff member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will discuss shortcomings of the NRC to enforce its own regulations regarding the design of nuclear facilities. This will be a live show so call us at (404) 894-2468 with your questions and comments. |
| Wednesday January 7th noon-1pm |
Science and Sports, Do They Mix? Dan Radakovich, the Georgia Tech Athletic Director will join us to talk about the challenges of maintaining a top athletic program at a school with top science and engineering programs. Also joining us with the student/athlete perspective will be All-ACC Diver and Tech Student Stephanie England.This will be a live show so call us at (404) 894-2468 with your questions and comments. |