Talk Nerdy with Cara Santa Maria

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara speaks with Dr. David George Haskell, the author of “Songs of Trees: Stories of Nature’s Great Connectors,” They juxtapose the joyous relationship humanity has long had with nature against modern abuses, such as consumption, destruction, and shortsightedness. David’s verbal expression is as eloquent as his writing—this poetic conversation will have you thinking about your place in the great ecosystem we call Earth.

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, connects with Israeli-based immunologist and Chief Scientific Officer of BiondVax Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Tammy Ben-Yedidia. They discuss her incredible work developing and testing a multi-season, multi-strain “universal” flu vaccine.

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara speaks with mathematician Dr. Hannah Fry about her new book, “Hello World: Being Human in the Age of Algorithms.” They talk about her work as a television presenter for the BBC and a radio presenter for “The Curious Cases of Rutherford and Fry.” They also discuss the use on algorithms in modern society, including her own research into the mathematics of human behavior.

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by speaker, writer, and empathy educator Kate Kenfield. They talk about her ingenious Tea & Empathy cards, which facilitate conversation in a non-confrontational and practical manner. They also discuss the necessity of empathy for effective interpersonal communication, with a special focus on social and emotional learning, consent, and gender differences.

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined in-studio by journalist Vince Beiser to talk about his new book, “The World in a Grain: The Story of Sand and How it Transformed Civilization.” They discuss the surprising and fascinating history of sand, from its foundational role in society to its dealings as a black market commodity.

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara speaks with the creator and author of “Dinosaur Comics,” computer programmer-turned-writer Ryan North. From his incredible new book “How to Invent Everything: A Survival Guide for the Stranded Time Traveler,” they discuss how one might build a civilization from scratch (if, you know, it comes to that).

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara chats with actress Alison Becker (Parks and Recreation) about the ups and downs of the television industry with a special emphasis on the #MeToo era. They also discuss her work in sketch comedy, as well as her super cool side gig teaching improv to help people improve their communication skills.

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by Dr. Kevin Hainline, a postdoctoral researcher in astrophysics at the Steward Observatory in Tucson, Arizona. They discuss the nature of black holes and galaxies, the value of science communication, and his work on the upcoming JWST NIRCam (the imager for the James Webb Space Telescope).

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara sits down in studio with Mara Altman, author of the hilarious and enlightening new book, “Gross Anatomy: Dispatches from the Front (and Back).” They talk about the writing that originally inspired the book (her Kindle single “Bearded Lady”) as well as Mara’s journey to understand the origins of embarrassment and shame that often accompany our relationships with our bodies.

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by Sara MacSorley, the author of "Super Cool Scientists: A Coloring Book Celebrating Women in Science." They talk about her work in science communication, with a specific focus on what Sara is doing to promote inclusion and representation in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).