BornCurious

As part of our 25th anniversary celebration, members of our community delivered “lightning talks”—seven minutes on a particular topic delivered by an expert in the field. In this mini episode, Nikolas Bowie, who is currently working on a book contesting the idea that the Supreme Court should have final say on what our Constitution allows, talks about justice.This episode was recorded on September 27, 2024.Released on December 5, 2024.Episode TranscriptGuestNikolas Bowie is a 2024–2025 Shutzer Fellow at Harvard Radcliffe Institute and the Louis D. Brandeis Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. He is a historian whose research critically examines the absence of democracy in institutions that construct and constrain our political lives.Related ContentNikolas Bowie: Fellowship BiographyHarvard Law School Article: “I Draw My Courage from You”CreditsIvelisse Estrada is your cohost and the editorial manager at HRI, where she edits Radcliffe Magazine.Kevin Grady is the multimedia producer at HRI.Alan Catello Grazioso is the executive producer of BornCurious and the senior multimedia manager at HRI.Heather Min is your cohost and the senior manager of digital strategy at HRI.Anna Soong is the production assistant at HRI.Special thanks to Productions, Inc. for production support and Cabin 3 Media for their invaluable contributions to the editing of this podcast episode.

Ruth B. Grossman, a speech and language pathologist and professor at Emerson College, explores the complexities of autism diagnosis, emphasizing its significant gender disparities. She challenges traditional views on the male-to-female diagnosis ratio, advocating for a more inclusive approach that considers autistic females. The discussion highlights the 'spiky profiles' of individuals across the spectrum, pushing for better representation and understanding of gender identity within autism. Grossman calls for ongoing dialogue to enhance communication and acceptance.

As part of our 25th anniversary celebration, members of our community delivered “lightning talks”—seven minutes on a particular topic delivered by an expert in the field. In this mini episode, Durba Mitra, whose research sits at the intersection of feminist and queer studies, tackles the topic of gender.This episode was recorded on September 27, 2024.Released on November 15, 2024.Episode TranscriptGuestDurba Mitra is the Richard B. Wolf Associate Professor in Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality at Harvard University. Her scholarship brings together feminist studies, sexuality studies, and global intellectual history. She is the author of Indian Sex Life: Sexuality and the Colonial Origins of Modern Social Thought (Princeton University Press, 2020), and her next book is The Future That Was: Third World Feminism and the Crisis of Authoritarianism (Princeton University Press, forthcoming). She was a Carol K. Pforzheimer Assistant Professor and a 2018–2019 fellow at Harvard Radcliffe Institute, where she also served as an interim faculty director at the Schlesinger Library.Related ContentDurba Mitra: Fellowship BiographyArticle: “Indian Sex Life” and the Cultural Control of WomenCreditsIvelisse Estrada is your cohost and the editorial manager at HRI, where she edits Radcliffe Magazine.Kevin Grady is the multimedia producer at HRI.Alan Catello Grazioso is the executive producer of BornCurious and the senior multimedia manager at HRI.Heather Min is your cohost and the senior manager of digital strategy at HRI.Anna Soong is the production assistant at HRI.Special thanks to Productions, Inc. for production support and Cabin 3 Media for their invaluable contributions to the editing of this podcast episode.

The Schlesinger Library is home to more than 3,000 volumes of personal diaries. In this episode, we talk to Kathryn Allamong Jacob, who recently retired as the Schlesinger’s curator of manuscripts, about her intention to read—and describe—as many of these diaries as she can. Not only are these intimate documents crucial for a fuller portrayal of American women’s experiences, but they also include stories that are amusing, confounding, heartbreaking, infuriating, and inspiring.This episode was recorded on May 2, 2024.Released on October 24, 2024.Episode TranscriptGuestKathryn Allamong Jacob is a historian affiliated with Harvard University’s Department of History and the former Johanna-Maria Fraenkel Curator of Manuscripts at the Schlesinger Library for the History of Women in America. Jacob is currently reading and describing the Schlesinger’s diaries, and she recently coauthored, with Frank Costigliola, “Elizabeth Morrison Diary—UN 1945” in the September 2024 issue of Passport.Related ContentRadcliffe Magazine: “Dear Diary”: American Lives in First PersonNews & Ideas: Scenes from a Manuscript Curator’s LifeCreditsIvelisse Estrada is your cohost and the editorial manager at Harvard Radcliffe Institute (HRI), where she edits Radcliffe Magazine.Kevin Grady is the multimedia producer at HRI.Alan Catello Grazioso is the executive producer of BornCurious and the senior multimedia manager at HRI.Jeff Hayash is a freelance sound engineer and recordist.Sky Jung is a multimedia intern at HRI and a Harvard College student.Heather Min is your cohost and the senior manager of digital strategy at HRI.Emerson Prond is a multimedia intern at HRI and a Harvard College student.Lily Roberts is a multimedia intern at HRI and a Harvard College student.Anna Soong is the production assistant at HRI.Special thanks to Cabin 3 Media for their invaluable contributions to the editing of this podcast episode.

Since last fall, communities across the country—including our campuses—have questioned the role of universities in public debates. In this panel discussion, cosponsored by Harvard Radcliffe Institute and the Council on Academic Freedom at Harvard, Dean Tomiko Brown-Nagin and three legal scholars consider whether institutions of higher ed should take stances on the issues of the day.This episode was recorded on March 5, 2024.Released on October 10, 2024.Episode TranscriptGuestsTomiko Brown-Nagin is the dean of Harvard Radcliffe Institute, the Daniel P.S. Paul Professor of Constitutional Law at Harvard Law School, and a professor of history, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences. An award-winning legal historian and an expert in constitutional law, Brown-Nagin is most recently the author of Civil Rights Queen: Constance Baker Motley and the Struggle for Equality (Pantheon, 2022).Tom Ginsburg is the Leo Spitz Distinguished Service Professor of International Law, the Ludwig and Hilde Wolf Research Scholar, a professor of political science, a faculty director of the Malyi Center for the Study of Institutional and Legal Integrity, and a faculty director of the Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression at University of Chicago Law School. In his work, he focuses on comparative and international law from an interdisciplinary perspective.Janet Halley is the Eli Goldston Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, and she is an expert on feminist legal theory; sex, sexuality, gender and the law; family law; law and humanities; and critical legal studies. Robert C. Post is the Sterling Professor of Law at Yale Law School. He specializes in constitutional law, with a particular emphasis on the First Amendment.Related ContentEvent: Institutional Neutrality in a Polarized WorldHarvard Gazette: Should Universities Be Taking Official Stances on Political, Social Issues of Day? Harvard Magazine: Universities in Public Debates Harvard Crimson: Amid Debates at Harvard, Legal Scholars Discuss Institutional Neutrality at Harvard Radcliffe Institute EventCreditsMax Doyle is the A/V technician at Harvard Radcliffe Institute (HRI).Ivelisse Estrada is your cohost and the editorial manager at HRI, where she edits Radcliffe Magazine.Kevin Grady is the multimedia producer at HRI.Alan Catello Grazioso is the executive producer of BornCurious and the senior multimedia manager at HRI.Sky Jung is a multimedia intern at HRI and a Harvard College student.Heather Min is your cohost and the senior manager of digital strategy at HRI.Lily Roberts is a multimedia intern at HRI and a Harvard College student.Anna Soong is the production assistant at HRI.Special thanks to Cabin 3 Media for their invaluable contributions to the editing of this podcast episode.

Did you know that our Sun’s wind generates a kind of protective cocoon that shields our solar system from harmful galactic material, such as radiation? So how did iron-60, a rare radioactive isotope created by exploding stars, end up here on Earth? In this episode, the astronomer Merav Opher talks us through her discovery that explains how iron-60 got into Antarctic ice and tiny shells at the bottom of our oceans—and what this may tell us about some of the key historical moments for planet Earth.This episode was recorded on April 29, 2024.Released on September 26, 2024.Episode TranscriptGuestMerav Opher, the 2021–2022 William Bentinck Smith Fellow, is a professor of astronomy at Boston University. Her research is focused on understanding the heliosphere, the cocoon around the solar system, and lays the groundwork to predict habitable astrospheres.Related ContentMerav Opher: Fellowship BiographyNature: A Possible Direct Exposure of the Earth to the Cold Dense Interstellar Medium 2–3 Myr AgoFellow’s Talk: Understanding Our Heliospheric Shield: Laying the Groundwork to Predict Habitable AstrospheresCreditsIvelisse Estrada is your cohost and the editorial manager at Harvard Radcliffe Institute (HRI), where she edits Radcliffe Magazine.Kevin Grady is the multimedia producer at HRI.Alan Catello Grazioso is the executive producer of BornCurious and the senior multimedia manager at HRI.Jeff Hayash is a freelance sound engineer and recordist.Sean Hennessy is a freelance sound engineer and recordist.Sky Jung is a multimedia intern at HRI and a Harvard College student.Heather Min is your cohost and the senior manager of digital strategy at HRI.Emerson Prond is a multimedia intern at HRI and a Harvard College student.Anna Soong is the production assistant at HRI.Special thanks to Cabin 3 Media for their invaluable contributions to the editing of this podcast episode.

In her work as a computer scientist, Fernanda Viégas focuses on data visualization and people-centered machine learning—but her background is in graphic design. So how did she land where she is today? In this episode, our hosts talk with Viégas about her unconventional path, her experience in the world of STEM, and what it’s like to sometimes be the only woman in the room. In addition, they talk about how taking a people-centered approach can make the field more inclusive.This episode was recorded on February 29, 2024.Released on May 9, 2024.Episode TranscriptGuestFernanda Viégas is a Sally Starling Seaver Professor at Harvard Radcliffe Institute, a Gordon McKay Professor of Computer Science at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and an affiliate with Harvard Business School. With her longtime collaborator, Martin Wattenberg, she coleads Google’s People + AI Research (PAIR) initiative, which advances the research and design of people-centric AI systems.Related ContentFernanda Viégas: Fellowship BiographyFellow’s Talk: What’s Inside a Generative Artificial-Intelligence Model? And Why Should We Care?People + AI ResearchCreditsIvelisse Estrada is your cohost and the editorial manager at Harvard Radcliffe Institute (HRI), where she edits Radcliffe Magazine.Kevin Grady is the multimedia producer at HRI.Alan Catello Grazioso is the executive producer of BornCurious and the senior multimedia manager at HRI.Jeff Hayash is a freelance sound engineer and recordist.Heather Min is your cohost and the senior manager of digital strategy at HRI.Anna Soong is the production assistant at HRI.Mahbuba Sumiya is a multimedia intern at HRI and a Harvard College student.

These days, it seems everyone is talking about artificial intelligence and machine learning—think ChatGPT. But how do these work, and where do they fall short? In this week’s episode, we do a deep dive on these tools with Fernanda Viégas, whose work in academia and industry focuses on people-centered machine learning.This episode was recorded on February 29, 2024.Released on May 2, 2024.Episode TranscriptGuestFernanda Viégas is a Sally Starling Seaver Professor at Harvard Radcliffe Institute, a Gordon McKay Professor of Computer Science at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and an affiliate with Harvard Business School. With her longtime collaborator, Martin Wattenberg, she coleads Google’s People + AI Research (PAIR) initiative, which advances the research and design of people-centric AI systems.Related ContentFernanda Viégas: Fellowship BiographyFellow’s Talk: What’s Inside a Generative Artificial-Intelligence Model? And Why Should We Care?People + AI ResearchCreditsIvelisse Estrada is your cohost and the editorial manager at Harvard Radcliffe Institute (HRI), where she edits Radcliffe Magazine.Kevin Grady is the multimedia producer at HRI.Alan Catello Grazioso is the executive producer of BornCurious and the senior multimedia manager at HRI.Jeff Hayash is a freelance sound engineer and recordist.Heather Min is your cohost and the senior manager of digital strategy at HRI.Anna Soong is the production assistant at HRI.Mahbuba Sumiya is a multimedia intern at HRI and a Harvard College student.

We’ve long known that our kindnesses benefit others, but did you know that they also benefit our own health? In this episode, our hosts sit down with the coauthors of a new book, The Biology of Kindness: Six Daily Choices for Health, Well-Being, and Longevity (MIT Press, 2024), that lays out the ways that science has shown prosocial behaviors to benefit us.GuestsImmaculata De Vivo is the Melanie Mason Niemiec ’71 Faculty Codirector of the Sciences at Harvard Radcliffe Institute, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, a professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School for Public Health, and an international leader in the area of molecular and genetic epidemiology of cancer.Daniel Lumera is a wildlife biologist, a research fellow in the sociology of cultural and communicative processes, and a lecturer and international reference in the area of wellness sciences, quality of life, and the practice of meditation.This episode was recorded on February 29, 2024.Released on April 18, 2024.Episode TranscriptGuestsImmaculata De Vivo is the Melanie Mason Niemiec ’71 Faculty Codirector of the Sciences at Harvard Radcliffe Institute, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, a professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School for Public Health, and an international leader in the area of molecular and genetic epidemiology of cancer.Daniel Lumera is a wildlife biologist, a research fellow in the sociology of cultural and communicative processes, and a lecturer and international reference in the area of wellness sciences, quality of life, and the practice of meditation.Related ContentThe Biology of Kindness: Six Daily Choices for Health, Well-Being, and LongevityImmaculata De Vivo Radcliffe BiographyDaniel Lumera Personal WebsiteCreditsIvelisse Estrada is your cohost and the editorial manager at Harvard Radcliffe Institute (HRI), where she edits Radcliffe Magazine.Alan Catello Grazioso is your cohost, the executive producer of BornCurious, and the senior multimedia manager at HRI.Jeff Hayash is a freelance sound engineer and recordist.Marcus Knoke is a multimedia intern at HRI, a Harvard College student, and the general manager of Harvard Radio Broadcasting.Anna Soong is the production assistant at HRI.

Heat waves, floods, droughts—catastrophes attributed to climate change seem to be happening more often. But is there reason for hope? In this episode, the climate change and disaster policy expert Rob Verchick outlines the challenges of climate change, especially when it comes to the law, along with why—despite the bad news—he remains hopeful.This episode was recorded on December 5, 2023.Released on April 11, 2024.Episode TranscriptGuestRob Verchick is a legal scholar who specializes in climate change and disaster policy. He is the Gauthier-St. Martin Eminent Scholar and Chair in Environmental Law at Loyola University New Orleans, a senior fellow in disaster resilience at Tulane University, and the author, most recently, of The Octopus in the Parking Garage: A Call for Climate Resilience (Columbia University Press, 2023).Related ContentRob Verchick: Fellowship BiographyThe Octopus in the Parking Garage: A Call for Climate ResilienceFellow’s Talk: Nemo's Fever: Deep Thoughts on Water, Culture, and Climate ResilienceConnect the Dots Podcast CreditsIvelisse Estrada is your cohost and the editorial manager at Harvard Radcliffe Institute (HRI), where she edits Radcliffe Magazine.Alan Catello Grazioso is the executive producer of BornCurious and the senior multimedia manager at HRI.Jeff Hayash is a freelance sound engineer and recordist.Marcus Knoke is a multimedia intern at HRI, a Harvard College student, and the general manager of Harvard Radio Broadcasting.Heather Min is your cohost and the senior manager of digital strategy at HRI.Anna Soong is the production assistant at HRI.