Talk Nerdy with Cara Santa Maria

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by Historian of the United States, American West & Civil War, James Tejani. They discuss his new book, “A Machine to Move Ocean and Earth: The Making of the Port of Los Angeles and America.” Follow James’ work.

Robyn Arianrhod, a mathematician and historian of science with a PhD in general relativity, dives into her book, Vector. She shares her academic journey and how mathematics serves as a language revealing the universe's mysteries. The conversation touches on the challenges women face in mathematics and the positive changes in academia regarding diversity. Robyn explains vectors in an engaging way, discusses their role in technology, and argues for teaching math through history, emphasizing its shared human journey.

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by award-winning classicist and author of seven books, Dr. Daisy Dunn. We discuss her newest book, “The Missing Thread: A New History of the Ancient World through the Women Who Shaped It.” Follow Daisy: @DaisyfDunn

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by Dr. Paul A. Offit, MD. He is the director of the Vaccine Education Center, an attending physician in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and a professor of pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. We discuss his 2021 book, “You Bet Your Life: From Blood Transfusions to Mass Vaccinations—The Long and Risky History of Medical Innovations.” Follow Paul: @DrPaulOffit

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by Los Angeles based nature conservation photographer, native bee educator and community scientist, Krystle Hickman. Her endeavors elevate awareness of the decline of native bee species while shedding light on their intricate and biodiverse ecosystems. Follow Krystle: @BeeSipOnline Krystle’s photography: BeeSip

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by science journalist and author, Brandon Keim. They discuss his forthcoming book about our relationships to wild animals and to nature, “Meet the Neighbors: Animal Minds and Life in a More-than-Human World.” Releasing July 16 2024. Follow Brandon: @9brandon

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by former NASA astronaut, retired United States Air Force colonel, scientist, and pilot Cady Coleman. They discuss Cady’s forthcoming book, “Sharing Space: An Astronaut’s Guide to Mission, Wonder, and Making Change.” Releasing July 2, 2024. Follow Cady: @Astro_Cady

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by science writer and author Ferris Jabr to discuss his forthcoming book, “Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life.” Follow Ferris: @ferrisjabr

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by author and podcaster Nicola Twilley to talk about her new book,”Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves.” Follow Nicola: @nicolatwilley

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by cognitive and social scientist, Dr. Leila Takayama. They talk about Leila's work exploring human-robot interaction. Follow Leila: @leilatakayama