Rocks for Jocks

Today is a solo episode with your host, Alex Chansky! I talk about why I do this show — in addition to some personal reasons, this channel is a great opportunity to make scientific research more accessible and understandable to the public!

This is especially important in recent months as research funding cuts are proposed and our country’s top research institutions are cutting people & projects. So why is science funding important? Listen to find out more!

00:00 Why I do this show

01:20 Why Public Understanding of Science matters

05:36 Current Funding Threats

08:51 Long-term Funding cut impacts

15:30 Ask Some Questions

Music: 368 by Dyalla

In this episode, I interview Rob Baxter, CEO and founder of CBC Wind Energy. We talk about the mechanical resilience, environmental impacts, and minimal infrastructure of CBC’s wind turbines, which are especially useful in disaster relief areas. Rob also shares insights on the broader role of renewables in diversified energy portfolios and offers advice for entrepreneurs in the energy space.

01:18 Innovative turbine designs

06:58 Cost and Efficiency of CBC's turbines

12:26 Optimal and extreme conditions

20:00 Environmental impacts & challenges

28:06 Advice for renewable energy entrepreneurs

Welcome back to Rocks for Jocks! Today's episode is all about climate change, uncertainty, and the wild ride of asymmetric risks. Stick around to see why every tenth of a degree matters in this high-stakes climate game. Subscribe and join us on the journey towards a greener future!

Cover image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Polar_bear_watches_USCGC_Healy_230922-D-GO191-1035.jpg

In this episode, I dabble in lectures 3 through 5 of Stephen Hawking’s book, ‘The Theory of Everything’. We are talking Hawking’s shocking explanations of stars, black holes, and the Big Bang! Hawking tells a joke about the pope. I explain surface area using a baseball as an analogy — sports! I even ruminate briefly on how I imagine an infinite universe.

00:00 Intro

00:54 Lecture 3

09:13 Lecture 4

14:50 Lecture 5

Cover image from NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio, public domain (https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14619 ).

In this episode, I host Amanda Calhoun, PhD candidate in the Earth and Planetary Sciences program at Harvard! In one project, Amanda uses carbon isotopes to uncover signs of ancient life. In another project, Amanda uses pyrite (fool’s gold!) to understand Earth’s oxygen history.

Listen to hear about the history of both our atmosphere and life itself!

00:00 Intro and Overview

02:46 Research Projects Explained

05:41 Fieldwork and Sample Collection

12:35 Goals & Implications of projects

15:27 Origins of Life, Applications, and Environmental Impact

21:04 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Music: 368 by Dyalla