Talk Polymath: Evidence-based Conversations

In this episode, we talk with Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H)’s Inaugural Director, Dr. Renee Wegrzyn. ARPA-H, a new federal agency, accelerates accessible and equitable high-impact health solutions that cannot be readily accomplished through traditional research or commercial activity. To do this, ARPA-H aims to create new capabilities and solve important health problems for all Americans through ambitious, w...

In this episode, we talk with Colin Strong, Head of Behavioral Science at Ipsos. During our discussion, Colin differentiates behavioral science from traditional psychology and how the former can help us understand how to navigate the “liquid changing” sociopolitical and environmental situations currently happening on a global scale. Specifically, he offers his perspective on how the Pandemic affected the human condition, the behavi...

In this episode we speak with Dr. Stacy Woods, Senior Data Scientist at the Science Office of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). As the in-house expert in statistics and data visualization, her work primarily focuses on different aspects of water health. Stacy discusses the key role community members play in water health projects, recounting her work on the highly publicized case of lead pipes poisoning residents in Flin...

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Anastasia Yanchilina, a Research Scientist and “Rock Enchantress” at Impossible Sensing. Anastasia’s work is rooted in applying what we know about the past to what we can learn about the future. Combining her studies in paleoclimatology, paleoceanography, and climate policy with her expertise in geochemistry and geology, she analyzes data coming back from the 2020 Mars Perseverance Mission. Learn a...

In this episode, we talk with Eric Klingenberg, Materials Science Lead, at the Mars Advanced Research Institute, the research arm of Mars, Inc. Eric discusses how the development of new packaging for Mars products involves thinking beyond recyclability. He and his colleagues at Mars explore a variety of materials and technologies that present opportunities for making use of waste materials while also reducing the amount that ends u...

Ep. 10 | Solving Climate Change on Earth: Sensing Technologies, Ocean Exploration, and Scientific Collaboration

In this episode we talk with Pablo Sobron, Founder/Sensing Wizard at Impossible Sensing, and Research Scientist at the SETI Institute. Pablo discusses new sensing technologies that will map the ocean floor, and other harsh environments where these technologies can be applied to inform innovative climate change solutions. ...

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Farshid Guilak, who was recently elected into the National Academy of Engineering for his contributions to regenerative medicine and mechanobiology. Dr. Guilak is both the Mildred B. Simon Professor of Orthopedic Surgery and co-director of the Center for Regenerative Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis. Throughout his career, Dr. Guilak has pursued interdisciplinary collaborations that c...

In this episode, we talk with Peter Bergman and Sara Nadel of Learning Collider (https://www.learningcollider.org/), a research lab on a mission to accelerate socio-behavioral research to identify technology interventions that fight inequality. The lab partners with large-scale technology companies and organizations to access the high-dimensional data they collect, then use these massive data sets to assess discrimination and biase...

In this episode, we talk with Jamie Arbib, who with Tony Seba co-founded RethinkX, an independent think tank dedicated to analyzing and forecasting technology-driven disruption. RethinkX recently released a report on climate change mitigation. It questions conventional forecasting, which they believe underestimates complex system dynamics and the impact of technological disruption.

During the conversation, Arbib discusses ...

This episode of Talk Polymath discusses novel technologies for brain health and how eye movement can be used to diagnose and treat concussions. The guests will share the science behind their concussion diagnostic tool, the data that drives it, and how they see the future of brain health. Our guests are Rosina Samadani, Ph.D., CEO of Oculogica, and Dr. Uzma Samadani, M.D., Ph.D., Founder of Oculogica, Associate Professor, Department...

This episode of Talk Polymath welcomes the longest-serving DARPA Director, Dr. Tony Tether who is joined by Boston University’s Head of the Division of Materials Science and Engineering, Dr. David Bishop (formerly with Bell Labs). The discussion focuses on the impact of innovation engines like DARPA and Bell Labs, and also explores some of the research they’re currently focused on – which includes superluminal travel, cardiac tissu...

This episode of Talk Polymath focuses on the augmentation of human performance through scientific cognition and neuroscience programs. Our guests, Amy Kruse, Ph.D., Biologist & Partner at Prime Movers Lab, and Anna Skinner, Ph.D., Founder and President of BlackMoon, LLC, will explore cutting-edge research and technologies focused on optimizing human performance.

Amy Kruse, Ph.D., is a Partner and Principal Biologist at...

This episode of Talk Polymath focuses on the circle of life of infectious diseases like COVID-19 and how viruses spill back into the natural world through reverse zoonosis or anthroponosis. Our guests Krista Milich, Ph.D., biological anthropologist at Washington University in St. Louis and Stephen Morse, Ph.D., epidemiologist at Columbia University Medical Center, will explore reasons for the increased emergence of zoonotic infecti...

The second episode of the Talk Polymath podcast discusses the concept behind “Pharmacy on Demand” and how a distributed medicine manufacturing network could help create a safe and reliable supply of medicines for communities worldwide. Our guests for this episode are Tyler McQuade, Ph.D., Chief Innovation Officer, On Demand Pharmaceuticals; and Mickey McManus, Senior Advisor and Executive Coach at BCG, and Research Fellow Emeritus ...

The first Talk Polymath episode focuses on COVID-19 and how this pandemic mirrors and differs from previous ones. Our guests are William Warren, Ph.D., Vice President and head of FluNXT at Sanofi Pasteur; and José Ramón Fernández-Peña, MD, MPA, Director of Health Professions Advising at Northwestern University and President at American Public Health Association.

Talk Polymath is Polyplexus.com's monthly podcast series...