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PODCAST

Curious Conversations

Curious Conversations is a series of free-flowing conversations with Virginia Tech researchers that take place at the intersection of world-class research and everyday life. Produced and hosted by Virginia Tech Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications Travis Williams, university researchers share their expertise and motivations, as well as the practical applications of their work in a format that more closely resembles chats at a cookout than classroom lectures.

education

All Episodes

00:19:02

The Dog Aging Project with Audrey Ruple

Curious Conversations ·

2024/03/25

Audrey Ruple joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about the Dog Aging Project, the largest-known study of dog health which aims to understand the keys to healthy aging in dogs and the risks to their health. She explained what information they are collecting, what it means for dogs, and how it might also be used to better understand human health.About Ruple Ruple is an associate professor of quantitative epidemiology and the Metcalf Professor of Veterinary Medical Informatics in

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00:18:47

All about air pollution with Gabriel Isaacman-VanWertz

Curious Conversations ·

2024/03/18

Gabriel Isaacman-VanWertz joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about air pollution and its misconceptions. He shared his insights related to how plant and human emissions interact and what that means for our shared environment, as well as how he got into this field of study and his hope for the future.About Isaacman-VanWertz Gabriel Isaacman-VanWertz is an associate professor in civil and environmental engineering in the College of Engineering and an affiliate faculty member of

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00:19:33

Righting a wrong understanding of Newton's law with...

Curious Conversations ·

2024/03/11

Daniel Hoek joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about the recent discovery he made related to Newton's first law of motion. Daniel Hoek joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about the recent discovery he made related to Newton's first law of motion. The law is typically translated as “a body at rest remains at rest, and a body in motion remains in motion, at constant speed and in a straight line, unless acted on by an external force." Hoek explains

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00:17:38

Measuring the risks of sinking land with Manoochehr...

Curious Conversations ·

2024/03/04

Manoochehr Shirzaei joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about the importance of understanding and measuring sinking land, commonly called land subsidence. He shared insights about the use of satellite data in creating high resolution maps, how land subsidence fits into the overall picture of climate change, and how he hopes the information is used by localities.About Shirzaei Shirzaei is an associate professor of geophysics and remote sensing in the Department of Geosciences and

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00:23:15

Emerging technology and toursim with Zheng "Phil" Xiang

Curious Conversations ·

2024/02/26

Zheng "Phil" Xiang joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about the intersection of technology and tourism. He shares the significant technological shifts in the tourism industry over the past decade, including the influence of social media and artificial intelligence on trip research and the experience itself.Xiang is a professor and the department head of the Howard Feiertag Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management. His research interests include travel

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00:18:55

AI and education with Andrew Katz

Curious Conversations ·

2024/02/19

Andrew Katz joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to chat about the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in education. Katz shares his insight related to the applications of AI models, such as chat GPT, in analyzing student responses and providing feedback, as well as the challenges of AI in education and hope it can provide a more individualized education experience. Katz is an assistant professor in the Department of Engineering Education and the director of the Improving Decisions

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00:13:29

Warm, fuzzy feelings and relationships with Rose Wesche

Curious Conversations ·

2024/02/12

Rose Wesche joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to chat about the science behind the warm, fuzzy feelings that often accompany a new romance, the transition from infatuation to attachment, and how to maintain intimacy and passion in relationships. She also shared her research exploring the emotional outcomes of casual sexual relationships and provided advice for those in relationships. Wesche is an assistant professor of the Human Development and Family Science department in the College

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00:23:33

The future of wireless networks with Luiz DaSilva

Curious Conversations ·

2024/02/05

Luiz DaSilva joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to chat about the evolution of wireless networks, the importance of advancing the next generation of wireless, and the critical role the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) is playing in that DaSilva is the Bradley Professor of Cybersecurity in the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Executive Director of the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative. His research interests include wireless networks, with a focus on

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00:18:02

The positive impacts of bird feeding with Ashley Dayer

Curious Conversations ·

2024/01/29

Ashely Dayer chast about her work at the intersection of birds and humans, including a new project that explores the positive impact bird feeding has on human well being and general tips for the hobby. Dayer is an associate professor of Human Dimensions in the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation and is an affiliated faculty member of the Global Change Center. She also leads the Dayer Human Dimensions Lab, which is home to the National Bird Conservation Social Science

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00:22:22

Sticking to healthy changes with Samantha Harden

Curious Conversations ·

2024/01/19

Harden is an associate professor in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech and director of the Physical Activity Research and Community Implementation Laboratory, as well as an exercise specialist with Virginia Cooperative Extension. Her research focuses on the yoga kernels of mindfulness, breath work, and movement and how yoga can promote flourishing (personal, professional, and communal wellbeing) and longevity (healthy aging).

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00:23:03

Screen time and young children with Koeun Choi

Curious Conversations ·

2023/12/11

Koeun Choi chats about the impact of media on young children. She shared insights from her research on screen time and young children and introduced a project she’s working on that explores the use of artificial intelligence to help children learn to read. Choi is an assistant professor of human development and family science in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences and the director of the Cognitive Developmental Science (CoDeS) Lab.

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00:23:21

The history of holiday foods with Anna Zeida

Curious Conversations ·

2023/12/04

Anna Zeide joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to chat about the history of foods traditionally connected to holidays occurring during the winter months, as well as the nature of developing personal traditions. Zeide is an associate professor of history at Virginia Tech. She is also the founding director of the Food Studies Program in the College of Liberal Arts & Human Sciences. She studies food as a way of understanding environmental change, dynamic cultural practices, consumer

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00:23:40

The chemistry of better batteries with Feng Lin

Curious Conversations ·

2023/11/27

Feng Lin joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to chat about the chemistry behind creating better batteries for electric vehicles. He broke down some of the current challenges to mass producing an effective and affordable battery, and shared his thoughts on the potential for coal in helping overcome these hurdles. Lin is an associate professor in Virginia Tech’s Department of Chemistry and the Leo and Melva Harris Faculty Fellow in the College of Science. His research focuses on

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00:11:23

AI as a personal assistant with Ismini Lourentzou

Curious Conversations ·

2023/11/20

Ismini Lourentzou chats about artificial intelligence and machine learning related to personal assistants, as well as her student team’s recent experience with the Alexa Prize TaskBot Challenge 2. Lourentzou is an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science and core faculty at the Sanghani Center for Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics. She is also an affiliate faculty member of the National Security Institute and the Center for Advanced Innovation in Agriculture.

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00:26:32

The power of international collaborations with Roop...

Curious Conversations ·

2023/11/13

Roop Mahajan joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to chat about the value of international collaborations to research and innovation, as well as how they’ve contributed to his work advancing the “wonder material” graphene. Mahajan is the Lewis A. Hester Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and director of strategic research and innovation for Virginia Tech India.

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00:19:12

Driving around heavy trucks with Matt Camden and...

Curious Conversations ·

2023/11/06

Matt Camden and Scott Tidwell of the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) joined “Curious Conversations” to talk about the institute’s Sharing the Road program, which has shared tips for driving around heavy trucks with more than 20,000 high school students since 2018. They discussed the research behind the program and shared practical safety tips for drivers of all ages.

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00:14:21

Autonomous technology and mining with Erik Westman

Curious Conversations ·

2023/10/30

Erik Westman joined Virginia Tech’s ‘Curious Conversations’ to share his insights on how machine learning and autonomous technologies are impacting the mining industry, as well as what Virginia Tech is doing to prepare students for the future of the industry. Westman is a professor in the Department of Mining and Minerals Engineering and oversees Virginia Tech’s Center for Autonomous Mining.

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00:23:36

Agriculture technology and farmers with Maaz Gardezi

Curious Conversations ·

2023/10/23

Maaz Gardezi joined Virginia Tech’s ‘Curious Conversations’ to talk about the importance of developing agriculture technology alongside and with the input of farmers. He shared details about a current interdisciplinary project he’s working on at the intersection of technology and agriculture, as well as his thoughts on the potential for advanced technology in this space. Gardezi is an assistant professor of sociology in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. He has spent more than a decade

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00:16:58

AI and healthcare workspaces with Sarah Henrickson...

Curious Conversations ·

2023/10/16

Sarah Henrickson Parker joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to chat about how artificial intelligence and machine learning is currently being used in some healthcare spaces, and what the potential is for the future. Parker is the Chair of Health Systems and Implementation Science at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, an associate professor at The Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech.

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00:19:06

AI, online threats, and toxic chatbots with Bimal...

Curious Conversations ·

2023/10/09

Bimal Viswanath joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to chat about how the rise in artificial intelligence and large language models has changed the online threat landscape. He explained how this technology works and shared about a current project he’s involved with that aims to mitigate toxic language in chatbots. Viswanath is an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science, and a Commonwealth Cyber Initiative researcher.

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105 results

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