Talk Nerdy with Cara Santa Maria

Seth Andrews (The Thinking Atheist) tells Cara stories about his past as a fundamentalist Christian. Also discussed: how to be an example to atheists and religious people alike, and atheist activism in the new media landscape.

Producer Jenny Churchill offers Cara a behind-the-scenes look at producing the news, including how we learn by making huge mistakes, what qualifies as news vs. opinion in our new media echo-chambers, and why car chases are just so damn fun to watch.

Cara sits down with USC graduate student Michael Lee to talk about all things astrobiology. What is it? What can it tell us about alien life? And how does studying our own ocean floor help us understand what might be lurking on Jupiter's moon Europa?

This week, Cara is joined in studio by one of #TalkNerdy's most requested guests, Jennifer Briney of the Congressional Dish Podcast. They discuss the dominant role corporate interests play in the American legislative process.

Cara sits down with Dr. Kevin Folta (Professor and Chair of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida) to continue their conversation about genetically modified organisms. Especially poignant: the philosophy of activism denying opportunities for the developing world.

Cara chats with YouTuber Jaclyn Glenn about her departure from the Catholic Church and subsequent rise as an atheist advocate. Also discussed: hate comments on YouTube and how life would be different if there were no religion.

Dr. Shini Somara (TechKnow) sits down with Cara to talk about why computational fluid dynamics is so important. Also included: lots of airplane talk and Shini’s journey across the pond to communicate science to the American public.

Cara and Dannielle Owens-Reid (Everyone Is Gay and The Parents Project) talk about issues facing LGBTQ youth, including the special struggles of bisexual and pansexual individuals. They also open up about their own sexual identities and histories.

Cara and photographer Rachael Porter nerd out about the history of photography, the weird and wonderful Burning Man community, and the role of art in demystifying the true lives of scientists and engineers.

Cara talks nerdy with entomologist Aaron Pomerantz about his work at thenextgenscientist.com, exploring the Amazonian rainforest, and how researching bugs can have far-reaching implications--including global health benefits.