Lab Coat Optional
Lab Coat Optional is the show where research is made relatable. Each episode, we dive into the research, the people behind it and why it matters. Tune in for smart, accessible conversations on the latest research from Arizona State University when our next season launches on Sept. 23! We are a production of Knowledge Enterprise at ASU. Learn more at research.asu.edu.
Episodes
Something a little different this week!
While we're busy getting our next season ready, we're bringing you an episode of a podcast we all enjoy: The Ongoing Transformation.
The Ongoing Transformation is a show from Issues in Science and Technology, a quarterly journal published by the National Academy of Sciences and Arizona State University.
Find the Ongoing Transformation on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
As a summer treat, we are sharing an episode of Ten Across Conversations, another podcast from Arizona State University.
This episode features two ASU researchers on the frontlines of a growing problem: extreme heat.
Find more Ten Across Conversations on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
ASU computer scientist Hannah Kerner explains how the combination of machine learning and satellite data help map farms, monitor disasters and understand climate impacts — turning decades of Earth observation data into tools.
Further listening and reading:
- Listen to Hannah on the Satellite and Deep Learning podcast with Robin Cole
- Check out Applied Geospatial by Christopher Ren
- Read Empire of AI by Karen Hao
What does sound feel like? Music theorist Lindsey Reymore explores timbre — the “color” of sound — and why the way we describe music might be more shared than subjective.
Further reading and listening:
- Learn more about the ACTOR project at McGill University and the Timbre and Orchestration Resource
- Listen to Peter and the Wolf!
Learn more about:
We trade data for convenience every day. But at what cost? Rakibul Hasan breaks down how everyday tech became a surveillance network that determines what we see, what we pay — and maybe even what we think.
Resources
- Try Brave or Duck Duck Go as a browser
- Try the Start Page search engine
Further reading and watching:
- Privacy Is Power by Carissa Veliz
- LOST GENERATION
- The Social Dilemma from Netflix
Astrophysicist Skylar Grayson explains how she uses supercomputer simulations to study black holes, how scientists can piece together a picture of phenomena billions of light years away and why communicating science clearly matters just as much as discovering it.
Find Skylar on:
Further reading:
Plastic is everywhere. The same material that makes modern life easier has also become a persistent environmental pollutant.
Charlie Rolsky — ASU alumnus and executive director of the Shaw Institute in Blue Hill, Maine — explores how microplastics move through our environment and into our bodies, what we do and don’t know about their impacts, and why “biodegradable” often doesn’t mean what we thin...
As AI and emerging technologies reshape daily life, Andrew Maynard — scientist, author and professor in the Rob Walton College of Global Futures — discusses how we navigate disruptive innovation responsibly — and how we can hold onto our humanity in a rapidly changing world.
Further reading:
Listen to Andrew’s show, Modem Futura wherever...
Director of the National Institutes of Health Dr. Jay Bhattacharya joins the show to discuss his priorities for the agency, building trust with Tribal communities, his advice to young researchers — and some of his favorite board games.
Jay's board game recs:
- Azul
- Castles of Burgundy
- Anything by Vital Lacerda!
Lab Coat Optional is a production of the Strategic Marketing and Communica...
Energy demand is surging. To understand what’s driving it and how we’re going to meet it, I’m joined by energy veterans Kelly Barr and Gary Dirks from the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory. They explain the complicated nature of energy planning, why nuclear energy is getting another look and why when it comes to navigating our energy future — reliability is king.
Further reading:
Nadya Bliss — executive director of the Advanced Capabilities for National Security Institute — explains how national security is more than tanks and battleships. She breaks down the vital role university research plays behind the scenes to anticipate emerging needs, strengthen infrastructure, accelerate innovation and quietly prevent conflict.
Further reading:
- Listen to Sources & Methods, NPR’s nat sec podc...
Bonus episode!
Guest host Dr. Lara Ferry, vice president for research at ASU Knowledge Enterprise, talks with Meha Jain, of the University of Michigan and Mayank Kejriwal, of the University of Southern California, the inaugural winners of the ASU-Science Prize for Transformational Impact, presented by ASU and Science.
Further reading:
Bonus episode!
You might’ve heard about a “shutdown” last week on January 30. Organizers urged people in the U.S. not to work, go to school or spend money at all to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement. But what is a shutdown, really? How is it different from a strike, or a protest — and what effect do these actions have?
In this bonus episode, sociologist and director of ASU’s Center for Work and...
Water law expert Rhett Larson explains why 2026 is a make-or-break year for the 40 million people who depend on the Colorado River for drinking water, power, agriculture and so much more. What happens if states can’t agree on how to share this resource going forward, and what do we have to give up to ensure a sustainable future for us all?
Further reading
Explore the Kyl Center’s Arizona Water Blueprint to find out the so...
We're back and bigger than ever!
Okay, well, we're exactly the same size, But we are definitely back!!!
This time around, we’ll take you on a trip... to explore psychedelics as a form of therapy! Into deep space, to understand the evolution of galaxies. We're digging into our growing energy demand, what happens when the rules governing the Colorado River expire and how music shapes our emotions.
All this and more coming soon!
N...
From grant strategy and infrastructure to indirect costs, university research relies on a complex, fast-moving system to pursue discoveries and deliver real-world impact. Lara Ferry, vice president of research for ASU Knowledge Enterprise and President’s Professor, joins the show to explain how universities balance basic curiosity-driven work with applied goals, the challenges and opportunities of the current federal funding ...
Jane Austen’s enduring legacy is a bit like a lace doily: a frilly decoration that covered over the grime of real life in Regency-era Britain.
But it turns out Austen was much less mild and more wild than public perception — or her family — ever let on.
In this episode we’re joined by Devoney Looser, Regents Professor of English at Arizona State University and one of the world’s most prominent Austen sch...
“Seeing is believing” doesn’t ring as true as it once did. With the advent of generative artificial intelligence, the line between what’s real and not online has become blurred.
This episode we’re examining generative AI’s impact on the information landscape with researcher Joshua Garland. Joshua leads the Center for Information and Narrative Complexity at the Global Security Initiative at Arizona...
Addiction and substance use disorder isn’t simply the result of “bad choices” — it’s caused by brain chemistry, relationships and the environments we live in.
In this episode, Professor of psychology Lani Shiota delves into what really drives addiction and how to prevent and treat it. From Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” campaign to medication-assisted treatment, she shares what science s...
In this episode, we examine how stories and narratives can influence global affairs. P.J. Allin explains how China is using narratives to shift the balance of power in Southeast Asia.
P.J. is a research analyst at the Center on Information and Narrative Complexity in the Global Security Initiative and a PhD candidate in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Arizona State University.
Explore her publ...
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