Send us a textDr. Punya Mishra is Associate Dean of Scholarship & Innovation and Professor in the Division of Educational Leadership & Innovation in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University. He is internationally recognized for his work in technology integration in teaching; the role of creativity and aesthetics in learning; and the application of design-based approaches to educational innovation. He has received over $7 million in grants, published over 100 articles, and edited 3 books. He is an award-winning teacher, an engaging public speaker, as well as an accomplished visual artist and poet. And like any true Douglas Adams fan, he is interested in life, the universe, and everything.In this episode we talk about: How Dr. Mishra began seeing the beauty of the world through scienceHow can we revive the sense of wonder and curiosity in our classrooms?How education fails to cultivate the skill of curiosity and perceptionThe role of beauty in scienceDr. Mishra’s framework to better understand aesthetics in scienceCan curiosity be both helpful and harmful?Why do the aesthetics of coding matter?Can learning about the aesthetics of science help cultivate public trust?How can we develop generative curiosity?Why are the aesthetic aspects of science important?To learn more about Dr. Mishra work, visit: https://punyamishra.com/ You can also find him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/punyamishra Resources Mentioned:Dr. Mishra's framework for the role of aesthetics in STEM education:https://punyamishra.com/2019/02/10/aesthetics-stem-education-introducing-a-new-framework/Creativity & the Mindful Wanderings of Dr. Jonathan Schooler: https://punyamishra.com/2022/06/22/mindful-wandering-creativity-new-article/This episode is sponsored by Templeton Religion Trust as part of a grant on the aesthetic dimensions of science (TRT0296). To learn more about them, visit www.templetonreligiontrust.orgThis episode is also sponsored by the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies, a global research center located at the University of Southern California. IACS works to create dialogue, spark ideas and sustain academic research on Catholic thought, creative imagination and lived experience. Learn more at iacs.usc.eduSupport us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/BeautyatWorkPodcastSupport the show

Send us a textDacher Keltner is a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and the faculty director of UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center. A renowned expert in the science of human emotion, Dr. Keltner studies compassion and awe, how we express emotion, and how emotions guide our moral identities and search for meaning. His research interests also span issues of power, status, inequality, and social class. He is the author of The Power Paradox and the bestselling book Born to be Good, and the co-editor of The Compassionate Instinct. His latest book is titled Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life. In this episode we talk about: What drew Dacher to the scientific study of awe How awe differs from wonder and beauty What has surprised him the most about what he learned through his research What are the causes and triggers of awe, and why it matters for us to experience it How might experiences of awe facilitate scientific inquiry? And conversely, can scientific work deepen our sense of awe and mystery? Can awe lead us to both action as well as contemplation?    Are there problems with the structure or culture of science that inhibit experiences of awe? How can we nurture awe in research culture?  What is the relationship between awe and spirituality?  How can we practically cultivate awe in our daily lives? To learn more about Dr. Keltner’s work, visit: www.dacherkeltner.comResources Mentioned:Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your LifeEdmund Burke on the Sublime and the BeautifulCharles Darwin’s The Origin of SpeciesThe Invention of Nature by Andrea WulfSupport us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/BeautyatWorkPodcastSupport the show

Send us a textLuke Burgis began his career on Wall Street in investment banking and private equity and went on to found multiple companies in technology, consumer products, and wellness. He is Entrepreneur-in-Residence and Director of Programs at the Ciocca Center for Principled Entrepreneurship at The Catholic University of America, where he is also a professor of business. He graduated from New York University’s Stern School of Business with a degree in Finance and Accounting and later studied philosophy and theology at a pontifical university in Rome. Luke is the co-author of the book Unrepeatable: Cultivating the Unique Calling of Every Person, with Dr. Joshua Miller, and the bestselling book Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life (St. Martin’s Press), inspired by the ideas of the social theorist René Girard on the mimetic or imitative nature of human desire.In our conversation, we talked about what beauty has to do with mimetic desire and rivalry, especially in the worlds of science and technology.In this episode, we explore:1. What attracted Luke to pursue finance, entrepreneurship, and then to study philosophy and theology2. What is mimetic desire, and why does it matter?3. The work of Rene Girard on mimetic desire4. How mimetic rivalry relates to unhealthy competition in science5. How to foster healthy competition instead of mimetic rivalry6. Comparing the worlds of technology and academia when it comes to mimetic desire7. Luke’s conceptual framework called The Three-City Problem, examining the relationship between reason, faith, and technology9. How one can focus on deeper beauty rather than mimetic desire10. The scapegoating mechanism and the mimetic crisis11. How to become anti-mimeticTo learn more about his work, visit his website and subscribe to his newsletterCheck out his book:Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Lifehttps://www.amazon.com/Wanting-Power-Mimetic-Desire-Everyday/dp/1250262488Support us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/BeautyatWorkPodcastSupport the show

Send us a textArd Louis is a Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Oxford where he leads an interdisciplinary research group studying problems on the border between chemistry, physics, and biology.He was born in the Netherlands, was raised in Gabon, and received his first degree from the University of Utrecht and his PhD in theoretical physics from Cornell University. Prior to teaching at Oxford he taught theoretical chemistry at the University of Cambridge.In this episode we explore:1. What drew Ard to study physics2. Where he encounters beauty in his work3. What beauty means to scientists in the fields of biology and physics4. The role of awe and the sublime in science5. Ard’s recent research of the frequency of symmetry in nature6. Is there beauty in asymmetry?7. The significance of beauty in science 8. Can beauty be misleading—a source of bias?9. How does beauty in science relate to the beauty we encounter in art? 10. Why should the public care about beauty in science?Visit Dr. Louis’s research group website:https://www-thphys.physics.ox.ac.uk/people/ArdLouis/Support us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/BeautyatWorkPodcast Support the show

Send us a textOur guest today is Anjan Chatterjee, MD, FAAN. He is a Professor of Neurology, Psychology, and Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania and has served as the Chair of Neurology at Pennsylvania Hospital. While his clinical work focuses on cognitive disorders, the focal points of his research are in neuroaesthetics, spatial cognition, language, and neuroethics. His multidisciplinary knowledge has won him recognition and awards. It has led him to author his book, The Aesthetic Brain, a study on how art has embedded itself into the human mind as investigated through the lens of neuroscience and evolutionary psychology.Dr. Chatterjee joins us to discuss the following:Dr. Chatterjee’s academic path from philosophy, to neuroscience, to neuroaesthetics.Are humans hard-wired for beauty?Individuals are influenced by culture, and culture is influenced by the collective.The Aesthetic Triad and how it is affected by moral judgments.Using beauty as a heuristic.Why humans can find beauty in non-sensory subjects.The questions asked by neuroaesthetics.What can we learn from exploring aesthetics in Science?Visit Dr. Chatterjee’s blog on Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brain-behavior-and-beautyCheck out his books: The Aesthetic Brain: How we evolved to desire beauty and enjoy art and co-edited Brain, Beauty, and Art: Bringing Neuroaesthetics in Focus as well as Neuroethics in Practice: Mind, Medicine, and Society, and The Roots of Cognitive Neuroscience: Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychology.https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FHZZYOU/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i1Brain, Beauty, and Art: Essays Bringing Neuroaesthetics into Focus (With Eileen Cardillo)https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09LVVRY54/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0Neuroethics in Practice (With Martha J. Farah)https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CXQ6PSU/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i2The Roots of Cognitive Neuroscience: Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychology (With H. Branch Coslett)https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HFPV4AI/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i3Support us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/BeautyatWorkPodcastSupport the show

Send us a textToday’s guest is Dr. Luca Cottini, a scholar, associate professor at Villanova University, and the host and creator of the YouTube show Italian Innovators. Although trained as a classical philologist and cultural historian, his interests go beyond Italian art throughout history. Through his show, Dr. Cottini explores the present artistic contributions of Italy through entrepreneurship and innovation across multiple disciplines. His books include The Art of Objects: The Birth of Italian Industrial Culture and a monograph on Italo Calvino.Dr. Cottini joins us to discuss the following:What attracted Dr. Cottini to study design and innovation.His thoughts on Galileo being the father of modern science.How Italy’s humanities-focused education influences science.How different ideas contribute to each other and create innovation.Some examples of encounters with Beauty that spurred innovation.Could aesthetic principles also hinder innovation? How?The role of beauty in the future of science.How to cultivate intellectual humility and drive in the face of failure.To learn more about Dr. Cottini’s work, visit https://www.italianinnovators.com/Check out his book: The Art of Objects: The Birth of Italian Industrial Culture, 1878-1928https://www.amazon.com/Art-Objects-Italian-Industrial-1878-1928/dp/1487502834Visit his YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/c/ItalianInnovatorsSupport us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/BeautyatWorkPodcastSupport the show

Send us a textDr. Eloise Ballou is a psychiatrist specializing in psychotherapy for adolescents and hospital-based emergency psychiatry. She received her medical degree from the University of Ottawa in the French stream and completed her Psychiatry residency at the University of Toronto. She enjoys supervising Psychiatry residents in psychodynamic psychotherapy at the University of Toronto, and also works as a locum psychiatrist in Northern Ontario in acute care and emergency room settings. She studied Art History and Psychology at the University of Toronto prior to starting her medical training and has a particular interest in applying insights from the humanities to her medical practice. In our interview, we explore:What drew Eloise to medicine/psychiatry in the first placeWhere she encounters beauty in her work as a psychotherapistThe obstacles to encountering beauty in her work and in the medical profession generallyHow beauty might be relevant to mental healthWhat it might look like for scientists, physicians, and the healthcare field more generally to take beauty more seriously or to cultivate the conditions for professionals to encounter beauty in their workTo learn more about her work, visithttps://www.drballou.com/Support us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/BeautyatWorkPodcastSupport the show

Send us a textToday’s guest is Dr. Milena Ivanova, a philosopher of science based at Fitzwilliam College at Cambridge University, where she is a fellow, graduate tutor, and the Director of Studies in Philosophy. Dr. Ivanova’s research involves studying aesthetics in the expansive field of science and publishing numerous articles, papers, and books on the subject. She is the author of  Duhem and Holism (Cambridge UP, 2021) and co-editor of The Aesthetics of Science: Beauty, Imagination, and Understanding (Routledge, 2020). Dr. Ivanova lends us her expertise to explore the following:What attracted Dr. Ivanova to studying beauty in scienceThe relevance of beauty and its role in understanding scienceFunctionality and optimality of purpose contributing to an experiment’s beautyThe beauty of experiments beyond visual aesthetics through design and significance On beauty contributing to biasThe benefit of learning about beauty in science for scientists and philosophersApplying beauty and the awareness of it in other aspects To learn more about Dr. Ivanova’s work, visit https://www.milenaivanova.co.uk/Also, check out her books such as:Duhem and Holismhttps://www.cambridge.org/core/elements/abs/duhem-and-holism/0D574554BB82648C0E5E1DFA6C550300The Aesthetics of Science: Beauty, Imagination, and Understandinghttps://www.routledge.com/The-Aesthetics-of-Science-Beauty-Imagination-and-Understanding-1st-Edition/Ivanova-French/p/book/9780367141141You can also explore the topic of our interview in the following articles:When is a scientific experiment like a beautiful work of art? https://aeon.co/essays/when-is-a-scientific-experiment-like-a-beautiful-work-of-artWhat is a beautiful experiment?https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10670-021-00509-3The aesthetics of scientific experimentshttps://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/phc3.12730Watch out for our new episodes every 1st and 15th of the month!Support us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/BeautyatWorkPodcastSupport the show

Send us a textMy guest today is the astrophysicist and author Dr. Mario Livio. Dr. Livio is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. For 24 years, Dr. Livio worked with the Hubble Space Telescope. He has published more than 500 scientific articles on topics such as cosmology, supernova explosions, black holes, extrasolar planets, and the emergence of life in the universe. He is the author of seven books including The Golden Ratio, Is God a Mathematician, and Brilliant Blunders. His latest book is Galileo and the Science Deniers. In this episode, we explore:What attracted Mario to astrophysics in the first placeMario’s definition of beauty in science consists of three specific criteriaMario’s experiences of encountering beauty in scienceHow mathematics may be relevant to our understanding of beautyWhether the beauty we can encounter in science and art are similar or differentWhether scientists should care about beauty in their work, and if the public should care about beauty in scienceTo learn more about Dr. Livio’s work, visit https://www.mario-livio.comAlso, check out his books such as:Galileo and the Science Deniershttps://www.amazon.com/Galileo-Science-Deniers-Mario-Livio/dp/1501194747/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=The Golden Ratiohttps://www.amazon.com/Golden-Ratio-Worlds-Astonishing-Number/dp/0767908163/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1660240897&sr=1-1Is God a Mathematician?https://www.amazon.com/God-Mathematician-Mario-Livio-ebook/dp/B004NNVFW2/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1MXORNGPGLQ4CWhy? What Makes Us Curioushttps://www.amazon.com/Why-What-Makes-Us-Curious/dp/1476792100/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1660241070&sr=1-1Support us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/BeautyatWorkPodcastSupport the show

Send us a textBeauty at Work explores how beauty shapes our lives and the work that we do. In this interview-based podcast, sociologist Brandon Vaidyanathan explores the role of beauty in domains like science, business, religion, food, justice, and more. You’ll hear from leaders and experts across many fields and will gain new insights into how beauty shapes our brains, behaviors, organizations, and societies. Subscribe and learn how to harness the power and promise of beauty in your life and work, while avoiding its pitfalls and perils.Don't forget to hit subscribe!Support us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/BeautyatWorkPodcastSupport the show