Carry the Two

Tara Kerin, a project scientist at UCLA specializing in epidemiology, dives into the science behind The Last of Us. She discusses the plausibility of a fungal apocalypse and how R0, a key statistic in disease spread, plays a vital role in both real-world pandemics like COVID-19 and fictional narratives. With humor, Tara breaks down complex epidemiological concepts and explores the intersection of math, science, and storytelling in media. Her insights reveal how entertainment can educate the public on health issues.

Robert Rosner, a notable physicist from the University of Chicago, and Paul Wilson, a leading nuclear engineering professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, dive deep into the intricate history of nuclear fission. They discuss the groundbreaking work at Chicago Pile 1 and its pivotal role in the Manhattan Project. The conversation touches on the complexities of managing nuclear reactions, the moral dilemmas faced by scientists during the era, and interesting parallels between nuclear dynamics and pandemic management. Their insights illuminate the profound impact of nuclear research on both science and society.

In this engaging conversation, Kevin Grazier—a planetary physicist and science advisor known for his work on Battlestar Galactica and Gravity—dives into the intersection of science and storytelling. He discusses how complex scientific concepts, especially orbital dynamics, are seamlessly woven into the narrative of the Foundation series. Grazier shares insights from his collaboration on projects like the Cassini mission, illustrating how real science can enhance cinematic experiences. He also emphasizes the importance of integrating math and statistics into engaging storytelling.

We're taking a short break to prepare for our next series of episodes, looking at mathematics and statistics in Hollywood. So stay tuned! Find our transcript here: LINK Follow more of IMSI’s work: www.IMSI.institute, (twitter) @IMSI_institute, (instagram) IMSI.institute Music by Blue Dot Sessions. The Institute for Mathematical and Statistical Innovation (IMSI) is funded by NSF grant DMS-1929348.

Predicting weather is already a difficult statistical challenge, but it becomes even more complex when trying to predict rare weather events. Dan Cooley, a professor in the statistics department at Colorado State University, uses extreme value analysis to model these rare events. In today’s episode, we ask Dan how his work can help explain the changing frequency and severity of wildfires in Colorado and how climate change might be playing a key role. Don’t forget to listen to Dan’s work through a geophysical lens, over at Third Pod from the Sun! Check out the episode here: LINK Find our transcript here: LINK Curious to learn more? Check out these additional links: Hear Dan’s talk for IMSI’s Confronting Global Climate Change: https://www.imsi.institute/videos/transformed-linear-methods-for-multivariate-extremes-and-application-to-climate/ More on the Fire Weather Index: https://www.nwcg.gov/publications/pms437/cffdrs/fire-weather-index-system Extreme Value Theory: https://towardsdatascience.com/extreme-value-theory-in-a-nutshell-with-various-applications-3260b6a84316 Previous Carry the Two episode on 100-year floods: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/richard-smith-on-100-year-floods/id1629115184?i=1000574780329 Follow more of IMSI’s work: www.IMSI.institute, (twitter) @IMSI_institute, (mastodon) https://sciencemastodon.com/@IMSI, (instagram) IMSI.institute Follow Dan Cooley: https://www.stat.colostate.edu/~cooleyd/ This episode was audio engineered by Tyler Damme. Special thanks to Third Pod’s producer Jace Steiner. Music by Blue Dot Sessions. The Institute for Mathematical and Statistical Innovation (IMSI) is funded by NSF grant DMS-1929348.

Researchers become interested in their fields through all sorts of unique paths. Today’s guest, Angel Hsu of University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, came to climate research from a public policy background. She uses her work to help inform local communities how policy decisions affect different groups’ risk to extreme heat and the heat island effect. Specifically, she uses local and global data sets to track heat stress across city neighborhoods and show how those can differ based on neighborhood income. Don’t forget to listen to Angel’s work through a geophysical lens, over at Third Pod from the Sun! Check out the AGU’s Third Pod from the Sun with Angel: LINK  Find our transcript here: LINK Curious to learn more? Check out these additional links: Hear Angel’s talk for IMSI’s Confronting Global Climate Change: https://www.imsi.institute/videos/detecting-and-attributing-disparities-in-urban-heat/ Data Driver Lab website: http://datadrivenlab.org/urban/ Carry the Two’s previous episode on Angel’s work: https://www.imsi.institute/podcast/tiffany-christian-on-the-heat-island-effect/ Carry the Two’s previous episode on community science: https://www.imsi.institute/podcast/kathryn-leonard-and-axel-carlier-on-crowdsourcing-for-math-research/ Follow more of IMSI’s work: www.IMSI.institute, (twitter) @IMSI_institute, (mastodon) https://sciencemastodon.com/@IMSI, (instagram) IMSI.institute Follow Angel Hsu: @ecoangelhsu, https://publicpolicy.unc.edu/person/hsu-angel/ This episode was audio engineered by Tyler Damme. Special thanks to Third Pod’s producer Jace Steiner. Music by Blue Dot Sessions. The Institute for Mathematical and Statistical Innovation (IMSI) is funded by NSF grant DMS-1929348.