STEM-Talk

Latest Episodes
Episode 187: Dawn Kernagis talks about creating permanent subsea human habitats
Today Ken interviews his co-host Dr. Dawn Kernagis about her new position as the Director of Scientific Research for DEEP, a UK startup that is pioneering a new era of ocean exploration.For listeners unfamiliar with Dawns background, she is a NASA-trai
Episode 186: Mari Dezawa discusses her discovery of MUSE cells and the role of stem cells in regenerative medicine
Today we have Dr. Mari Dezawa, one of the worlds leaders in stem-cell research and regenerative medicine. Mari is a pioneer in this emerging field and is known worldwide for her discovery of MUSE cells, a unique type of stem cell with exciting clinical p
Episode 185: Andrew Koutnik discusses metabolic health, athletic performance and growing up with type-1 diabetes
Today we have our good friend and colleague Dr. Andrew Koutnik on the show. Andrew is a research scientist who studies the influence of nutrition and metabolism on health, disease and performance. He specializes in Type 1 diabetes and works with a wide ra
Episode 184: Ken and Dawn answer listener questions on AI, grip strength, ketamine, protein, digital twins, and more!
Its time for another episode of Ask Me Anything. Dawn and Ken answer listener questions that range from generative AI to whether grip strength is a biomarker for longevity and the potential of ketamine as a treatment for depression. Dawn also gives a bri
Episode 183: Michael Schmidt on the challenges of building a space-faring civilization
Today we have the second installment of our interview with Dr. Michael A. Schmidt, the founder, CEO, andChief Scientific Officer of Sovaris Aerospace, a company focused on assessments and solutions applied to humans in space and extreme environments on E
Episode 182: Michael Schmidt on what precision medicine means to human spaceflight
Today we have Dr. Michael A. Schmidt, the founder, CEO, andChief Scientific Officer of Sovaris Aerospace, a company focused on assessments and solutions applied to humans in space and extreme environments on Earth. Michael is also a professor of aerospa
Episode 181: Ken Forbus talks about AI and his development of the Structure Mapping Engine
Our guest today is Dr. Ken Forbus, the Walter P. Murphy Professor of Computer Science and a Professor of Education at Northwestern University.Joining Dr. Ken Ford to co-host todays interview is Dr. James Allen, who was IHMCs associate director until h
Episode 180: Pascal Lee on NASA’s ambitions to send humans to the Moon and Mars
Today we have planetary scientist Dr. Pascal Lee and STEM-Talk host Dr. Ken Ford in a wide-ranging conversation about NASAs ambitions to return humans to the Moon as a stepping stone to sending astronauts to Mars.Pascal is making his third appearance o
Episode 179: JP Errico explains how vagus-nerve stimulation reduces inflammation and chronic diseases
Today we have JP Errico, a scientist and inventor whose work focuses on neuroimmunology and the many ways it impacts cellular metabolism, inflammation, mental health and how we age. He recently joined IHMC as a Senior Research Scientist.JP is particular
Episode 178: Karl Herrup discusses the shortcomings of Alzheimer’s research
Today we have Dr. Karl Herrup, a neurobiologist known for his investigations into the roles that DNA damage and noncoding genetic variants have in Alzheimers disease.Joining Ken today to interview Karl is Dr. Tommy Wood, a visiting scientist here at IH