Episodes
Have you thought about the chemistry that goes into the food you eat? What are the scientific processes that govern our ingredients and delectable meals? Dr. Eric Decker, Professor of Food Science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, is an expert in lipid oxidation and food chemistry. On this exciting episode of Let’s Talk Chemistry edited by Emma Stewart, hosts Yeongseo Son and Erin Suh talk about our interview with Dr. Eric Decker. He shares his tips on food preservation, the science...
Published 04/19/24
What are heavy elements? What is a neutron flux? Dr. Thomas Albrecht-Shoenzart, Professor of Chemistry at the Colorado School of Mines, is an expert in radiochemistry and transuranium elements. On this exciting episode of Let’s Talk Chemistry edited by Presley Vu, hosts Jason Lu and Neel Youts talk about our interview with Dr. Thomas Albrecht-Shoenzart. He tells us about the Valley of Death, applications of radiochemistry, and advice to future chemists. If you would like to learn more about...
Published 03/26/24
Science should be an unbiased agent of good. It is rigorous, methodical, and systematic. Yet, it still brings controversy and mystery; Misinformation can spread like wildfire; Scientists can be ignored. Dr. Joe Schwarcz, the Director of McGill University’s Office for Science and Society, is an expert in separating sense from nonsense. On this exciting episode of Let’s Talk Chemistry edited by Emma Stewart, hosts Jasmine Winter and John Strojny talk about our interview with Dr. Schwarcz. He...
Published 03/01/24
With great powers comes great responsibility. Gene editing is a powerful tool in the realm of biomedical advances. On this exciting episode of Let’s Talk Chemistry edited by Presley Vu, hosts Erin Suh and Alexander Seo talk about their interview with Dr. Bomyi Lim, Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. Her lab studies the regulation of chemical kinetics in biological systems. We hope you enjoy! If you would like to know more about Dr. Bomyi Lim,...
Published 02/11/24
Imagine being a detective in the world of molecules, uncovering secrets that could save lives. That’s what medicinal chemistry does—it helps us design drugs that target diseases like puzzle pieces fitting together. On this exciting episode of Let’s Talk Chemistry edited by Presley Vu, hosts Yeongseo Son and Jason Lu talk about their interview with Dr. Donna Huryn, Professor of Practice at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Huryn is also a co-founder of Empowering Women in Organic Chemistry,...
Published 12/28/23
What does it mean to digitize chemistry? How can we create artificial life forms? What are the origins of life? On this exciting episode of Let’s Talk Chemistry edited by Emma Stewart, hosts Grace Go and Alexander Seo talk about their interview with Dr. Lee Cronin, the Regius Chair of Chemistry at the University of Glasgow. Dr. Cronin is celebrated for his groundbreaking work in creating artificial life, exploring chemical evolution, and pushing the boundaries of digital chemistry. We hope...
Published 12/17/23
What makes a good scientist? What makes a good student? On this exciting episode of Let’s Talk Chemistry edited by Emma Stewart, hosts Jasmine Winter and John Strojny talk about their interview with Dr. Steven Clarke, UCLA’s Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry. We hope you enjoy! If you would like to know more about Dr. Steven Clarke, you can check out his research here or reach him by email at [email protected]
Published 11/29/23
What if we could make bags out of the food we eat? On this electrifying episode of Let’s Talk Chemistry edited by Presley Vu, hosts Yeongseo Son and Alexander Seo talk about their interview with Dr. Karen Wooley, a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Texas A&M University. She shares her work with sustainability, sugars, and industry. We hope you enjoy! If you would like to know more about Dr. Karen Wooley, you can check out her research here or reach her by email at [email protected]
Published 11/08/23
The most humble creatures on earth sometimes reveal incredible solutions and secrets. GFP (Green Fluorescent Protein), naturally found in jellyfish, is a marker used in almost all biological laboratories. On this exciting episode of Let’s Talk Chemistry edited by Presley Vu, hosts Yeongseo Son and John Strojny talk about their interview with Nobel Prize Laureate Dr. Martin Chalfie, a University Professor at the Department of Biological Sciences at Columbia University. He was the first to...
Published 10/27/23
Organic chemistry is art. Each chemical structure comes with a certain number of lines, a certain shape, a certain essence to it. How can we manipulate a chemical reaction to produce a useful product? How can we defy what chemistry claims to be incredibly hard and accomplish unique mechanisms? On this episode of Let’s Talk Chemistry edited by KG Gude, hosts Olivia Lambertson and Jasmine Winter talk about their interview with Dr. Robert Bergman, the Gerald E. K. Branch Distinguished Professor...
Published 10/11/23
With curiosity and creativity, there are no limits. We can be scientists. We can be doctors. We can be authors. Our renowned guest today has done all three. On this riveting episode of Let’s Talk Chemistry edited by Presley Vu, hosts Yeongseo Son and Grace Go talk about their interview with Nobel Prize Laureate Dr. Robert Lefkowitz, a James B. Duke Professor of Medicine and Professor of Biochemistry and Chemistry at Duke University. He elaborates on his Nobel Prize winning work on G-protein...
Published 09/27/23
A tool to help us study the structures of atoms and molecules, spectroscopy is used everywhere to solve big problems. From astronomers who are determining the distance of a distant star to chemists who are solving biochemical problems, spectroscopy has a unified purpose: to see better. On this exciting episode of Let’s Talk Chemistry (edited by Presley Vu), hosts Jasmine Winter and Nina Deng talk about their interview with Dr. Sarah King, a Neubauer Family Assistant Professor of Chemistry at...
Published 09/19/23
Superheroes don’t just exist in our comic books. We find them, here, in the real world. They protect the innocent. They fight injustice. They use their powers and skills for good. And we have interviewed one such superhero—working as both a global research scientist and serving as an elected government official. On this riveting episode of Let’s Talk Chemistry (edited by Presley Vu), hosts Yeongseo Son and Nina Deng talk about their interview with Dr. Najat Saliba, a Professor of Analytical...
Published 09/09/23
What if our lab coats were more scientist-friendly? What if we transformed them to be safer? On this special episode of Let’s Talk Chemistry, hosts Yeongseo Son and Olivia Lambertson interview Derek Miller, the founder of Genius Lab Gear. He shares with us about the launch of their new product—the lab coat project, and how it will address the needs of scientists. If you like to know more about Genius Lab Gear, you can check out their site.  LAB COAT GIVEAWAY INFORMATION: Want to win a lab...
Published 08/28/23
With the rise of AI and machine learning, how are scientists incorporating these new tools in their research? With these computational methods, how are scholars stretching new limits and advancing our understanding of the world around us? On this exciting episode of Let’s Talk Chemistry, hosts Yeongseo Son and Ankur Rao talk about their interview with Dr. Emily Ryan, an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Associate Director for the Institute for Global Sustainability at Boston...
Published 08/18/23
What if we could use water droplets to “pull bread out of air” and drive agriculture? What if we could use a drop of our sweat to understand our health? On this riveting episode of Let’s Talk Chemistry, hosts Yeongseo Son and Olivia Lambertson talk about their interview with Dr. Richard Zare, a Marguerite Blake Wilber Professor of Natural Science and a Professor of Chemistry at Stanford University. Awarded the Wolf Prize in Chemistry by a unanimous decision in 2005, Dr. Zare is known for his...
Published 08/12/23
Many of us are familiar with lab safety and the precautions we take when doing simple experiments in school laboratories. But how does this safety look different on a larger scale and how do we avoid the potential danger of large amounts of chemicals? On this episode of Let’s Talk Chemistry, hosts Yeongseo Son and Olivia Lambertson talk about their interview with Dr. Syeda Sultana Razia, a Professor of the Department of Chemical Engineering, at Bangladesh University of Engineering and...
Published 08/04/23
Have you ever noticed that the sequoia trees in California have continued to survive forest fires? What if we told you that they had a natural flame retardant that scientists are attempting to recreate? On this episode of Let’s Talk Chemistry, hosts Yeongseo Son, Nicholas Molitor, and Nina Deng talk about their interview with Dr. Miriam Rafailovich, a Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering at Stony Brook University. We talk about the importance of material...
Published 07/17/23
Many of us are familiar with stained glass and the beautiful translucent colors that display breathtaking artwork. Would you ever imagine that these colors are the result of nanoparticles? On this episode of Let’s Talk Chemistry, hosts Yeongseo Son and Bella Liguori talk about their interview with Dr. George Schatz, a Professor of Chemistry at Northwestern University. We talk about plasmonic nanoparticles, the development of Raman spectroscopy, and photocatalysis. We hope you enjoy! If you...
Published 07/07/23
Pharmaceuticals are an important technology in our world that help save so many people. But sometimes, drugs that are good for humans can get into our water supplies and harm other organisms. But why is something helpful for us, but hurtful for other animals? On this episode of the Let's Talk Chemistry, hosts Nicholas Molitor, Olivia Lambertson, and Yeongseo Son talk about their interview with Dr. Damià Barceló, a Professor of chemistry at the Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water...
Published 06/30/23
Wouldn’t your chemistry class be so much more engaging if you were able to talk about superheroes and theoretical elements like vibranium? This educator is working to do just that. On this episode of Let's Talk Chemistry, host Olivia Lambertson interviews Dr. Sibrina Collins, an Executive Director of STEM Education and Associate Professor of Practice in Chemistry at Lawrence Technological University. We talk about how storytelling can help us learn chemistry better, STEM education, and...
Published 06/15/23
Most of us were learning the alphabet or how to read in kindergarten. But what if you could have been doing scientific experiments? On this episode of Let's Talk Chemistry, hosts Yeongseo Son and Olivia Lambertson talk about their interview with Dr. Danny Schechtman, the 2011 Noble Laureate and Distinguished Professor of Material Science and Engineering at Iowa State University. We talk about transmission electron microscopy, quasicrystals, a science kindergarten, and facing backlash in...
Published 06/08/23
Have you ever seen those beautiful photos of nebulas or stars in space and wondered what they are made of? This scientist researches just that! On this episode of the ChemTalk Podcast, hosts Bella Liguori and Olivia Lambertson talk about their interview with Dr. Ewine van Dishoek,  a professor of Molecular Astrophysics at Leiden University. We talk about water in space, the creation of telescopes, and collaboration in science. We hope you enjoy! If you would like to know more about Dr. Ewine...
Published 05/31/23