Manu Prakash on the power of observation, curiosity-driven science, and physical biology

Manu Prakash is a physical biologist, inventor, and associate professor of BioEngineering at Stanford University. Manu was awarded the McArthur fellowship in 2016 and has received numerous other prestigious awards. His research is driven by curiosity, empathy for solving challenges in underserved communities, and a passion for democratizing access to science.

In this episode, we cover: his philosophy around curiosity-driven science and the power of observation, trends in bioengineering, the water-droplet computer, and the (Anti) Gravity Machine, which answers questions about life in the ocean. We also discuss the idea behind frugal science and his Foldscope and Paperfuge inventions, and why democratizing access to science is a global imperative.

Podcast Transcript

About and from Prof. Manu Prakash:

• Website: https://profiles.stanford.edu/manu-prakash
• Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manu_Prakash
• MacArthur Fellow: https://www.macfound.org/fellows/965
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/PrakashLab
• Reading Recommendation: Exploring Curvature by James Comey (https://www.amazon.com/Exploring-Curvature-James-Casey/dp/3528064757)

Assorted links:

• Curiosity-Driven Science – http://web.stanford.edu/group/prakash-lab/cgi-bin/labsite
• Frugal Science: https://125.stanford.edu/frugal-science/
  • Wildly frugal: http://web.stanford.edu/group/prakash-lab/cgi-bin/labsite/research/frugal-science-and-global-health/
  • Philosophy of Frugal Science: https://www.hhmi.org/stories/qa-manu-prakash-philosophy-frugal-science
  • Foldscope Instruments: www.foldscope.com
  • TED Talk (A 50-cent microscope that folds like origami): https://www.ted.com/talks/manu_prakash_a_50_cent_microscope_that_folds_like_origami
  • TED Talk (Lifesaving scientific tools made of paper) : https://www.ted.com/talks/manu_prakash_lifesaving_scientific_tools_made_of_paper
• Computing with Fluids: https://ee.stanford.edu/event/general/computing-fluids
  • TED Archive (Computing with fluids): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhroLzvW-JI
• “A question of taste”: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3814136 

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Music:

• Music used in this podcast: Simplex Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com): Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

• Chipper Doodle Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com): Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

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