9. Michael Bess: European History, Technological Change, and the Future of Humanity

9. Michael Bess: European History, Technological Change, and the Future of Humanity

This is a conversation with Dr. Michael Bess, a Chancellor's Professor of History, Professor of Communication of Science and Technology, and Professor of European Studies at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Bess is an expert in 20th and 21st-century Europe with an emphasis on the interactions between social and cultural processes and technological change. Dr. Bess is also the author of five books in these areas. Dr. Bess's Homepage: https://as.vanderbilt.edu/history/bio/michael-bess/ Dr. Bess's latest book, "Planet in Peril: Humanity’s Four Greatest Challenges": https://www.amazon.com/Planet-Peril-Humanitys-Greatest-Challenges/dp/1009160338 ------- Timestamps: [1:00] Childhood and early education [3:00] Studying art history in Italy [7:00] Grad school in journalism at Berkeley, pivot to philosophy [10:00] Thesis work on England, France, Italy, USA during the Cold War [21:00] How to study history [27:00] The environmental movement in France [32:00] Amplified consequences of combining technology [42:00] The tradeoff between domain expertise and legislative influence [47:00] AI-augmented United Nations and geopolitics, planet-level problems [59:00] The long-term effects of AI on humanity, coopetition in a global framework [1:14:00] Bio-enhancements and the future of humanity [1:25:00] Quantum computing [1:30:00] Meditation ------- If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to Like and Subscribe to the show. Find more episodes at: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1wWqHwxmGqSKywLmaLg7CD?si=43eae8bef0a144e2 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grasp-podcast-growing-research-awareness-speaking-with/id1652092830 ------- Music Credits: Spring Flowers by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

8. Catie Chang: Computational Neuroscience, Neuroimaging, and the Brain

This is a conversation with Dr. Catie Chang, a Sally and Dave Hopkins Faculty Fellow and assistant professor in the departments of Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Chang runs the neurdylab, which aims to increase the understanding of the human brain by advancing functional neuroimaging methodology. Dr. Chang's homepage: https://www.cchanglab.net/ ------- Timestamps: [1:00] First exposure to neuroscience, MIT and Stanford memories [7:00] The brain, MRI vs fMRI, identifying correlated signal changes in the brain over time [10:00] fMRI imaging, thesis work on temporal dynamics [15:00] fMRI vs. FNIRs, limitations of fMRI, modeling the influence of respiratory and cardiac activity in BOLD signals [26:00] Open questions in signal processing, interpreting neural circuits [30:00] Addressing subjective experience from study participants, group patterns vs. unique patterns of brain signals [35:00] Bridging the gap between lab study and practice and the role of AI in populations vs. individuals [40:00] Addressing ethical concerns about the ability to attribute brain signal artifacts to the emotional states of an individual [44:00] "Neuroscience edge cases" in The Man Who Mistook His Wife for A Hat, open questions in neuroscience [48:00] The role of understanding the brain in emulating intelligence ------- Music Credits: Spring Flowers by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

7. Doug Fisher: Artificial Intelligence, Consciousness, and the Environment

This is a conversation with Douglas Fisher, an Associate Professor of Computer Science and Computer Engineering at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Fisher's research interests include Artificial Intelligence and the Environment, Machine Learning, and Natural Resources. Dr. Fisher's homepage: https://engineering.vanderbilt.edu/bio/douglas-fisher ------- Timestamps: [1:00 - 5:00] Early education, first exposure to programming [6:00 - 8:00] Graduate school, early days of machine learning, switching to computer science [8:30 - 12:30] Misconceptions of AI, computer science courses, connecting cognition and memory to data structures [13:30 - 20:00] Early programming languages, early days of AI in the '50s and '60s, tools vs. generally intelligent agents, the development of deep learning [21:00 - 26:00] Intelligence as evaluation of alternatives, "Other Minds" by Peter Godfrey-Smith [27:00 - 32:00] Biological inspirations of AI, manipulation of surroundings [33:00 - 42:00] AI and the environment, applications of AI for endangered species and energy efficiency, the Rebound Effect [43:00 - 52:00] "The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind" by Julian Jaynes, consciousness as introspection, ChatGPT [53:00 - 57:00] Layered Large Language Models, hypercommunication, goal-setting [59:00 - 1:02:00] Animal vocabulary [1:03:00 - 1:11:00] AI in the limit, discussion of "The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect", educated guesses [1:12:30 - 1:19:00] AI alignment, conception to implementation distance [1:20:00 - 1:30:00] Computational creativity, reflection on output content, co-creativity [1:31:00 - 1:38:00] Advice ------- Music Credits: Spring Flowers by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

6. Wes Ely: Pulmonary and Critical Care, Long Covid, Delirium Research

This is a conversation with Dr. Wes Ely, a professor of medicine in the Division of Allergy, Pulmonary, and Critical Care Medicine at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Ely is also the co-director of the Critical Illness, Brain Dysfunction and Survivorship (CIBS) Center at Vanderbilt University, has completed over 500 peer-reviewed publications, and has been federally funded for medical research for the past 20 years. I was truly inspired by Dr. Ely's compassion and emphasis on the importance of maintaining patient dignity throughout the recovery journey. Dr. Ely's bio: https://medicine.vumc.org/person/e-wesley-ely-md CIBS website: https://www.icudelirium.org/ Dr. Ely's latest book: https://www.amazon.com/Every-Deep-Drawn-Breath-Critical-Transforming/dp/1982171146#customerReviews Timestamps: 01:30] Recognizing the calling to be a healer 03:30] Pulmonary and Critical care, bedside delirium: issues and innovations, ADRD re-classification 06:30] "How can we keep people safer?", lighting escape fires, maximizing human dignity, ABCDEF bundle, healing with mercy 10:30] Challenges of handling Long Covid, handling misinformation 12:30] Neuropathology of Long Covid, viral ghosts creating antigenic stimulation, Glial cell degradation and indirect neuron death, Paxlovid and Baricitinib, testing for immunoregulation 16:00] AI in medicine, Baricitinib, Eli Lilly's free distribution of Baricitinib in LMICs, ChatGPT can't replace human touch 19:00] Advice

5. Larry Rolen: Math Research, Number Theory, Ramanujan's lost notebook

This is a conversation with Dr. Larry Rolen, a tenure-track professor in the Department of Mathematics at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Rolen's research interests include modular forms, integer partitions, and L-functions. Dr. Rolen's homepage: https://math.vanderbilt.edu/rolenl/index.html ------- Timestamps: [ 1:30 ] Early education [ 6:30 ] The Banach-Tarski paradox, fractals [ 10:00 ] Measuring coastlines [ 12:30 ] First exposure to number theory, switching colleges, research opportunities [ 18:00 ] Introducing number theory, ubiquity of number theory in branches of math [ 20:00 ] Integer partitions, p(5n + 4) = 5k (Ramanujan), physics applications of integer partitions [ 24:00 ] Modular forms (hyperbolic complex functions), Fourier Series in music [ 29:00 ] Symmetry of modular forms, growth rates of number sequences [ 30:00 ] Connecting 0 to infinity [ 32:00 ] Symmetries of Modular forms in physics [ 35:00 ] Connecting distant mathematical fields with symmetry, slightly broken symmetry [ 38:00 ] Fermat's Last Theorem (x^n + y^n = z^n, n > 2) proof from Wiles, Pythagorean triples [ 45:00 ] The Weil Conjectures, Connecting elliptic curves to modular forms, mod p, encryption [ 53:00 ] Lattice-based cryptography, Discrete Log Problem, RSA key crowding [ 59:00 ] Unpacking elliptic curves, point adition on elliptic curves, unpredictability of elliptic curve sequences [ 1:03:00 ] George Andrews, Rescuing Ramanujan's lost notebook, mock theta functions [ 1:13:30 ] The Riemann Zeta Function, The Riemann Hypothesis, infinite sums, the critical strip [ 1:18:30 ] Counting prime numbers, connecting proportions of primes to the zeros of the Riemann Zeta Function, burden of proof for the Prime Number Theorem [ 1:26:00 ] Montgomery's pair correlation conjecture, random matrix models of the distribution of prime numbers [ 1:28:00 ] Dr. Rolen's favorite number e^(pi * sqrt(163) and its connection to Hilbert's complex multiplication [ 1:34:00 ] Combining LLMs and Sage for proof assistance [ 1:38:00 ] Hobbies outside of math ------- Music Credits: Spring Flowers by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/