How to Science Podcast
This summer, we've been bringing you episodes from the University of Michigan's How to Science podcast, which is hosted by Assistant Professor Monica Dus of the Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology.
Below is a list of the episodes we've aired, along with details about How to Science pulled from the podcast's website.
How to Science is a show about the human side of scientists and the beauty of research, produced by the University of Michigan's College of LSA. We insist that science is beautiful, accessible, personal, and human. And that any listener can science, too.
How to Science episodes aired on It's Hot In Here:
July 12
Season 1, Episode 6: Tim McKay
- Tim McKay tells the story of his early science days — when he had to defend his research equipment against mice, scorpions, and rattlesnakes in the desert — to his tamer, more recent efforts to welcome people into the fold of higher education.
August 9
Extinct Science Trophies: Professor Pamela Raymond (Season 2, Episode 10 )
- One thing about off-color jokes is that people stop laughing once the secret’s out. When Professor Pamela Raymond received an inappropriate anatomical heirloom from a colleague, she and Professor Deborah Goldberg put an end to the bizarre tradition.
Season 1, Episode 3: Meg Duffy
- This week’s podcast features scientist Meghan Duffy. She talks about her love of tiny water creatures, sampling lakes with pantyhose, and why she wouldn’t want to live in Antarctica (ever again).
August 16
Science as a Superpower: Dr. Monna Hanna-Attisha (Season 2, Episode 12)
- Flint pediatrician Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha fought naysayers to bring acknowledgment and attention to the lead water crisis in Flint, Michigan.
Season 1, Episode 4: Orie Shafer
- Mature adults say that pulling all-nighters for tests is a flawed, short-term strategy. But scientist Orie Shafer says that even standard 9-to-5 work hours can make people unhealthy. This week’s podcast holds more insights about life, science, and flies.
August 23
Season 1, Episode 5: Sara Aton
- This week’s podcast features a conversation between scientist host Monica Dus and guest researcher Sara Aton, whose curiosity about the science of sleep gets her out of bed every morning.
Selling Out for Science? Researcher Kevin Boehnke (Season 2, Episode 8)
- A provocative email in researcher Kevin Boehnke’s inbox forced him to reckon with the ethical implications — and complications — of where his research funding comes from.
September 13
Risk and Reward in Research (Season 2, Episode 7)
- Astronomer Jon Miller’s research satellite in orbit broke because of a glitch in its software code. In this episode, Miller talks about how he balances risk and reward in a science career.
Season 1, Episode 2: Abby Lamb
- An interview with scientist Abby Lamb of the University of Michigan's Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology.
October 4
Dangerous Experiments (Season 2, Episode 9)
- When the H5N1 flu virus threatened the public with a pandemic, Professor Michael Imperiale helped the U.S. government decide how best to keep the contagion contained in research labs.
October 18
Season 1, Episode 1: Trisha Wittkopp
- An interview with Trisha Wittkopp, a professor in MCDB and in the University of Michigan's Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB). She’s a geneticist to the core who wonders deeply about how changes in genes produce differences in living things.
Kid Scientists (Season 2, Episode 11)
- During a career that has spanned decades, developmental psychologist Henry Wellman has observed how the many kids who have visited his lab grew to understand the world.