Talk Nerdy with Cara Santa Maria

Optical engineer Holly Bender speaks with Cara about making and using cool imaging spectrometers (for science!) at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, why it’s important for women to have strong role models in STEM fields, and just how much science and creativity go hand-in-hand.

Cara chats with Adam Scorgie, producer of "The Culture High," about marijuana prohibition, how the failed drug war is shaping the US justice system, and the detrimental effects it has on the growing population of incarcerated Americans.

Cara is joined by Dr. Paul Debevec, Chief Visual Officer at the University of Southern California's Institute for Creative Technologies. (His cutting-edge science made Avatar, Gravity, District 9, Benjamin Button, and a bunch of other films possible!) He shares the process of making a digital character, the importance of crossing the uncanny valley, and how you can tell that the moon landing was not a hoax.

Cara chats with Kim Horcher, host of “Nerd Alert” on The Young Turks Network, about the difference between nerds and geeks, how the internet is evolving, and why she hates being called a “girl gamer.”

Cara sits down with theoretical physicist Dr. Lawrence Krauss ("A Universe from Nothing") at Apostacon in Omaha, Nebraska to discuss his cover story in Scientific American magazine. Topics include the recent BICEP2 findings (including what gravitational waves are and what they mean for inflationary theory) as well as why it's important for scientists to communicate their work to the general public.

President of American Atheists, David Silverman, joins Cara at the Apostacon Convention in Omaha, Nebraska to talk about why atheist activism matters, what your voice can do for the movement, and something he calls the "atheist Jewish scam."

Cara digs deep into GMOs (genetically modified organisms) with Dr. Kevin Folta, a preeminent researcher and science communicator. They discuss the technique's risks and benefits, its top three uses, and how "golden rice" could have saved millions of lives.

Did you know that 95% of the known universe is made up of stuff that we can neither see nor measure directly? Cara sits down with theoretical physicist Dr. Katherine Freese to talk about her new book, "The Cosmic Cocktail: Three Parts Dark Matter."

Sex educator and podcaster Sandra Daugherty (Sex Nerd Sandra) joins Cara to discuss sexual health, struggles with motivation, and self-expression among millennials.

Science Editor at Nerdist Industries Kyle Hill sits down with Cara to talk about being a geek-of-all-trades, how the media overhypes biomedical stories, and what it means to be a scientific thinker.