What it's Like Being a Watchdog Over Some of California's Consumer Agencies

What it's Like Being a Watchdog Over Some of California's Consumer Agencies

From the California Medical Board to the Department of Insurance, the Consumer Protection Policy Center (CPPC) has been serving as a watchdog for decades on about a dozen California consumer agencies-- making sure the decisions they make have the consumer's best interests in mind. Marcus Friedman, administrative director of the CPPC, joined the "At the Edge of it All" podcast to share what legal rights consumers have and also how consumers can have a seat at the table for future decisions made by these agencies.

Missing Data: The Impact of Pregnancy on Women and Female Athletes

When biology professor Nicole Danos became pregnant, she quickly realized there wasn't much research on how pregnancy changes women's bodies. As a curious scientist, she decided to begin her own research on the topic and learn how women's muscles change during pregnancy and lactation. Danos joined the "At the Edge of it All" podcast to share her findings and also share how she's advocating for more research surrounding female athletes who are looking to get back into sports post-pregnancy. Danos also discussed why it is important to her to ensure her labs are more inclusive for aspiring female scientists.

The Power of Nonprofits in a Thriving Community

David Carter, senior director of Strategy and Innovation at The Nonprofit Institute, joined the "At the Edge of it All" podcast to share how his personal experience benefitting from nonprofit support when he was a kid inspired him to work with nonprofits today. Carter also shared how people can get more involved in nonprofits, monetarily or by volunteering, and how that extra support can help our communities thrive.

What You Need to Know about AI and How to Use it Safely

While artificial intelligence (AI) may feel like a new evolution in tech with tools like ChatGPT gaining recent popularity, AI has actually been helping us make Netflix recommendations and even monitoring our email spam for a while. Ebrahim Tarshizi, PhD, MBA, professor of practice and director of the MS in Applied Data Science (ADS) and MS in Applied Artificial Intelligence (AAI) programs and Erin Cooke, professor of practice in Applied Data Science and Applied Artificial Intelligence programs, joined "At the Edge of it All" to discuss what AI looks like today, how it works to find information and what precautions you should use before sharing personal information. Learn more about free AI literacy tools through USD's Center for Digital Civil Society here: https://pce.sandiego.edu/courses/center-for-digital-civil-society-ai-micro-learning-courses/ [https://pce.sandiego.edu/courses/center-for-digital-civil-society-ai-micro-learning-courses/]

The World of Monarch Butterflies and Their Role in Our Ecosystem

On this episode of "At the Edge of it All," we sat down with biology professor Geoffrey Morse who talked about the challenges that monarch butterflies face like, climate change and pesticide use, and how their decline impacts our entire ecosystem. Morse also shares what you can do at home to help the monarch butterflies thrive.