Episodes

  • Dehua Pei: How Do Large Molecules Pass Through Cell Membranes?

    Dehua Pei: How Do Large Molecules Pass Through Cell Membranes?
    Aug 13 2025
    Dehua Pei, Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, discusses his groundbreaking research on how biomolecules, particularly large proteins, traverse cell membranes. This fundamental question has significant implications for drug discovery. His team has identified a new mechanism they call vesicle budding and collapse (VBC) and is exploring its potential to deliver therapeutic agents for diseases […]
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    27 mins
  • Sultana Nahar: Eye on the Sky

    Sultana Nahar: Eye on the Sky
    Jul 23 2025
    Sultana Nahar, research professor in the Department of Astronomy and 2025 recipient of the William Fowler Award for Research from the Eastern Great Lakes Section of the American Physical Society, discusses her innovative research in atomic astrophysics, including her notable contributions to the NORAD atomic database and the book Atomic Astrophysics and Spectroscopy. She explores […]
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    35 mins
  • Ashley Hope Pérez: Exploring Uncomfortable Narratives in Literature

    Ashley Hope Pérez: Exploring Uncomfortable Narratives in Literature
    Jul 16 2025
    Ashley Hope Pérez, Associate Professor in the Department of Comparative Studies, discusses her latest book, Deformative Fictions: Narrative Ethics and Cruelty in Twentieth-Century Latin American Literature. Pérez explores difficult and uncomfortable narratives in literature and explains how these fictions challenge readers and why such narratives are important. She and host David Staley discuss her experience […]
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    36 mins
  • Kate Shannon: A Picture is Worth (More Than) a Thousand Pixels

    Kate Shannon: A Picture is Worth (More Than) a Thousand Pixels
    Jul 9 2025
    Kate Shannon, Associate Professor of Art and the Ohio State University 2025-26 Artist Laureate, focuses on photography, and digitally manipulating and recontextualizing existing photographs to explore their connection to time, history, and the digital age. Shannon is fascinated with the physical deterioration of photographs and how it contributes to their stories. Host David Staley and […]
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    31 mins
  • Kentaro Fujita Asks, “Can YOU Resist a Marshmallow?”

    Kentaro Fujita Asks, “Can YOU Resist a Marshmallow?”
    Jul 2 2025
    Ken Fujita, Professor of Psychology, researches self-control in the Ohio State University Motivation and Cognitive Science Laboratory. He explores how motivation and cognition intersect to affect decision-making and behavior, such as the influence of thinking patterns on desires, as famously shown by the marshmallow test (can a child resist eating a marshmallow for 15 minutes?). […]
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    29 mins
  • Christa Teston: How to Teach Dignity

    Christa Teston: How to Teach Dignity
    Jun 25 2025
    Christa Teston, the Andrea Lunsford Designated Professor of English, discusses her book Doing Dignity: Ethical Praxis and the Politics of Care. Teston argues that dignity is not an inherent trait but a practice that depends on situations and can be taught. She supports her argument with ethnographic research and interviews with healthcare professionals during the […]
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    30 mins
  • Jason Rawls: On A Hip Hop Mission

    Jason Rawls: On A Hip Hop Mission
    Jun 18 2025
    Dr. Jason Rawls, Assistant Professor of Hip Hop Studies, discusses his approach to education, which uses hip hop culture to connect with students. He talks about how he went from being a business major to an educator by emphasizing the importance of authenticity and building strong connections through hip hop. Rawls describes the elements of […]
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    29 mins
  • Björn Köhnlein: From Sounds to Language

    Björn Köhnlein: From Sounds to Language
    Jun 11 2025
    Björn Köhnlein, Associate Professor of Linguistics, studies sound systems in languages. He and host David Staley discuss how speech melodies and intonational patterns distinguish between statements and questions and the challenges of historical linguistic studies. Köhnlein shares his journey into linguistics, his fascination with generative grammar, and his current research projects, including the surprisingly complex […]
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    34 mins