AMSEcast

32:22

AMSEcast with guest Vasyl Dunets

AMSEcast ·

2026/02/19

This episode explores how science education becomes an act of resilience, hope, and nation-building in Ukraine. From the creation of the country's first national science museum to mobile science labs traveling near the front lines, the Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine demonstrates how curiosity can endure even amid war. The guest traces a personal journey from law and political science into science education, driven by a commitment to Ukraine's future. Listeners learn how museums, labs,

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44:35

AMSEcast with guest Dr. Ahmed El-Mokadem

AMSEcast ·

2026/02/05

In this wide-ranging conversation, Ahmed El-Mokadem explores the deep ideas behind mathematics' most mysterious numbers, revealing how concepts like zero, infinity, irrational numbers, and imaginary numbers challenge both logic and philosophy. He traces how constants such as π, e, the golden ratio, and the Feigenbaum constants appear universally across nature, physics, biology, and technology—suggesting they are discovered features of reality rather than human inventions. El-Mokadem highlights how

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28:19

From Earth to Mars: A Rock's View with Jan Zalasiewicz

AMSEcast ·

2026/01/21

From Oak Ridge, Tennessee, AMSEcast host Alan Lowe sits down with geologist and paleontologist Dr. Jan Zalasiewicz, chair of the Anthropocene Working Group and author of How to Read a Rock. Their conversation explores how rocks and minerals form and what they reveal about Earth's history, from the rock cycle and earthquakes to ancient climates recorded in stone. Jan explains how life, human activity, and materials like bricks and concrete have reshaped geology, and how coal, oil, and gas fit into

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04:01

AMSE Science Report with Alan Chodos and James Riordon

AMSEcast ·

2026/01/09

What if I told you that, no matter where you are or what you are doing, about 100 trillion neutrinos are passing through your body every second? Well, you might first respond, as I did, by asking what is a neutrino, and then wondering why we seem to have no awareness at all of their presence. I mean, if were one or two particles, sure, you might miss them, but 100 trillion every second? I needed to learn more so I spoke on our podcast, AMSEcast, with Alan Chodos and James Riordon about their

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04:01

AMSE Science Report with Robert Hettich

AMSEcast ·

2026/01/06

Robert Hettich who serves as the Corporate Fellow and Leader of the Bioanalytical Mass Spectrometry Group of the Biosciences Division at Oak Ridge National Lab, and as a Joint Faculty Member in the Microbiology Department at the University of Tennessee. Bob is an internationally recognized leader in the field of microbiomes. Now, you might have heard of microbiomes especially in regard to the biome or family of bacteria, that lives in your digestive system - our growing understanding of that

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39:19

Why We Go to Space: Curiosity, Innovation, and the...

AMSEcast ·

2025/12/24

In this episode of AMSEcast, host Alan Lowe sits down with William Harris, President and CEO of Space Center Houston, to explore the past, present, and future of human space exploration and what it means for American innovation. As the official visitor center for NASA's Johnson Space Center, Space Center Houston serves as the public gateway to human spaceflight. William shares how the center uses historic artifacts, immersive experiences, and cutting-edge STEM programming to demystify space

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28:54

AMSEcast with guests Alan Chodos and James Riordon

AMSEcast ·

2025/12/17

Ghost Particle explores the neutrino, one of the most abundant yet elusive particles in the universe, tracing its journey from a theoretical fix to puzzling nuclear reactions to a cornerstone of modern physics. The book explains how neutrinos helped preserve fundamental laws like conservation of energy and reveals how decades of ingenious experiments finally confirmed their existence. The authors guide readers through discoveries such as neutrino "flavors," oscillations, and the surprising

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04:00

How to Kill an Asteroid

AMSEcast ·

2025/12/15

Around 66 million years ago, an asteroid that was perhaps 9 miles wide struck the Earth, an impact that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs. What if an asteroid that large or even larger was headed toward Earth today? We've seen this scenario in books and in movies like Armageddon, but I wanted to get some expert input, so I spoke on our podcast, AMSEcast, with Robin Andrews, about his book, How to Kill an Asteroid: The Real Science of Planetary Defense.

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12:51

Inside The Franklin Institute with Larry Dubinski

AMSEcast ·

2025/12/10

Alan Lowe interviews Larry Dubinski, President and CEO of The Franklin Institute, as part of a series celebrating 250 years of American innovation. He joins AMSEcast to discuss the institute's 1824 origins, its mission to inspire curiosity in science and technology, and its deep ties to Benjamin Franklin's legacy. He highlights major exhibits, including the National Memorial, the Hamilton Collections Gallery, and historic patent models, and online series like Ingenious and The Road to 2050. Dubinski

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22:48

Franklin's Curiosity Unpacked with Richard Munson

AMSEcast ·

2025/11/26

Alan Lowe talks with Richard Munson about his book Ingenious: A Biography of Benjamin Franklin, Scientist. Munson's book aims to highlight Franklin's often overlooked scientific achievements. He describes Franklin's rise from a penniless runaway to a successful printer whose curiosity fueled his scientific breakthroughs. Franklin's experiments helped define core electrical concepts and led to inventions like the lightning rod, reflecting his Enlightenment commitment to reason and inquiry. His

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04:01

AMSE Science Report Sudip Parikh

AMSEcast ·

2025/11/24

A discussion of American innovation and leadership with Sudip Parikh.

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04:01

AMSE Science Report with Simon Cordrey

AMSEcast ·

2025/11/17

Author Simon Cordrey discusses the early days of the railroad and how that changed America.

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04:01

AMSE Science Report with Jay Feldman

AMSEcast ·

2025/11/14

Author Jay Feldman and Alan Lowe, Director of the AMSE Foundation discuss his book, When the Mississippi Ran Backwards.

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36:35

Planetary Defense 101 with Dr. Robin Andrews

AMSEcast ·

2025/11/12

Alan Lowe is joined in this episode of AMSEcast by Dr. Robin Andrews, volcanologist, science journalist, and author of How to Kill an Asteroid. Dr. Andrews explores how modern planetary defense blends cutting-edge detection networks, such as NASA's NEO Surveyor, with active deflection efforts like the DART mission, which successfully shifted an asteroid's orbit. He also delves into theoretical approaches, including gravity tractors and even nuclear options as last-resort strategies. While comets

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04:01

AMSE Science Report with Author Michele Gelfand

AMSEcast ·

2025/11/03

Michele J. Gelfand is the John H. Scully Professor of Cross-Cultural Management Professor of Organizational Behavior and Psychology at Stanford Graduate School of Business. Her book, RULE MAKERS, RULE BREAKERS: How Tight and Loose Cultures Wire Our World takes readers on a journey through a variety of human cultures, exploring unique a multi-faceted glimpse into the world around us and ourselves.

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42:21

Invention and Exploration at the Smithsonian Institution

AMSEcast ·

2025/10/15

Host Alan Lowe continues AMSEcast’s exploration of 250 years of American innovation with Smithsonian experts Harold Wallace Jr., Dr. Eric Hintz, and Tim Pula. Together, they trace invention from Benjamin Franklin’s experiments to modern breakthroughs, highlighting the Smithsonian’s exhibitions, collections, and hands-on learning at Spark!Lab. The discussion spans collaboration with the Library of Congress, the role of failure in creativity, and how patents shape (but don’t define) innovation. The

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23:15

Exploring the Human Microbiome with Dr. Bob Hettich

AMSEcast ·

2025/10/01

Dr. Robert Hettich is a pioneer in bioanalytical mass spectrometry. In this episode of AMSEcast, he describes how microbiomes form, vary across the body, and influence digestion, immunity, and overall health. Dr. Hettich also explains metaproteomics, the study of microbial proteins, to reveal how microbes function beyond their genes as well as their applications from human health to environmental cleanup and bioenergy. Inspired by his daughter’s experience with Crohn’s, Robert Hettich is especially

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04:01

One Woman's Personal Journey Through Sexism in...

AMSEcast ·

2025/09/20

Dr. Colwell shares her insight on the progression of women in science through the years. Framed by her own experiences we learn about her incredible work.

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01:09:13

The History of the American Railroad with Albert...

AMSEcast ·

2025/09/17

Railroads have shaped America’s growth, technology, and daily life for nearly two centuries. In this episode of AMSEcast, Alan talks with Dr. Albert Churella of Kennesaw State University about how innovations such as the automatic knuckle coupler, Westinghouse’s air brake, and the move from steam to diesel transformed safety and efficiency. Dr. Churella explains how signaling, centralized traffic control, and GPS-based Positive Train Control modernized operations. While U.S. passenger service lags

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ASME Science Report with Marc Wortman

AMSEcast ·

2025/08/09

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