Stories of Impact

In this episode, we hear from Dr. Andrew Briggs, a professor of nanomaterials at the University of Oxford, and Dr. Dominic Burbidge, a lecturer in politics at the University of Oxford and director of the Canterbury Institute. Along with a team of scholars, their study of citizenship in a networked age has led to a carefully crafted report, including seven recommendations in support of their Agenda for Rebuilding Our Civic Ideals. Learn more about Citizenship in a Networked Age and the Agenda for Rebuilding Our Civic Ideals. Mentioned in this episode: Shoshanna Zuboff and The Age of Surveillance Capitalism Subscribe to Stories of Impact wherever you listen to podcasts More about this episode Read the transcript of this episode Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube Comments, questions and suggestions info@storiesofimpact.org Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation

How can we listen to people we don’t agree with? Rebuild trust in an era of “fake news” and “alternative facts”? Create social cohesion, cooperation, and healthy, safe, inclusive societies?  If you find yourself asking, “What are our rights as citizens, and what are our responsibilities?,” you’ll want to join journalist Richard Sergay and producer Tavia Gilbert for Season 3 of the Stories of Impact podcast, which explores the timely and vital question of what it means to be a citizen in a networked age. In our third season, we are in conversation with some of the world’s leading scholars who explore questions of citizenship—listening, privacy, decision-making, and more. The Stories of Impact podcast delves into the big questions of meaning, purpose, and truth. It is made possible through the generous support of a grant from Templeton World Charity Foundation.

In the final episode of our second season, we meet three scientists who are creating a community of people who see the world differently, bringing together scholars from around the globe who are passionate about collaboration and exploration of the myriad intelligences throughout the planet and the cosmos. Richard Sergay speaks with Drs. Erica Cartmill and Jacob Foster, co-directors of the Templeton World Charity Foundation Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute (DISI), and DISI associate director Dr. Kensy Cooperrider. They discuss the Diverse Intelligences initiative, their efforts to build community with today’s young, emerging scientists and scholars, and what they hope will be DISI’s legacy.  We’ll be on a break next week, but in two weeks, we’ll be back with Season 3, in which we focus on the topic of Citizenship. Learn more about Dr. Erica Cartmill, Dr. Jacob Foster, and Dr. Kensy Cooperrider. Mentioned in this podcast:  Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute Dr. Cooperrider’s podcast, Many Minds Subscribe to Stories of Impact wherever you listen to podcasts More about this episode Read the transcript of this episode Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube Comments, questions and suggestions info@storiesofimpact.org Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation

Today, we speak with an ethicist, a computer scientist, and a neuroscientist who have teamed together at Duke University to research how we might build human morality into an artificially intelligent machine. Drs. Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, Jana Schaich Borg, and Vincent Conitzer also tell us about a surprising outcome of their research: that imbuing machines with the ability to act in accordance with moral principles can actually help us deepen our understanding of our own moral philosophy and behavior. Learn more about Dr. Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, Dr. Jana Schaich Borg, and Dr. Vincent Conitzer. Subscribe to Stories of Impact wherever you listen to podcasts More about this episode Read the transcript of this episode Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube Comments, questions and suggestions info@storiesofimpact.org Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation

In this episode, we hear from Dr. Denise Herzing, Research Director and Founder of the Wild Dolphin Project and Affiliate Assistant Professor at Florida Atlantic University in biological sciences. For the last 25 years, Dr. Herzing has been on a quest to crack the code — to discover the keys to the secret language of dolphins. Today she talks about what she’s learned so far about dolphin “language,” what’s surprised her about wild dolphins’ interactions with each other and the researchers, and the possibility of humans someday communicating directly with dolphins. Learn more about Dr. Denise Herzing and the Wild Dolphin Project. Mentioned in this episode: Jane Goodall Dian Fossey Cynthia Moss Jacques Cousteau   Subscribe to Stories of Impact wherever you listen to podcasts More about this episode Read the transcript of this episode Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube Comments, questions and suggestions info@storiesofimpact.org Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation

In today’s episode, we explore the social cognition found within our own species, and what the benefit to every person might be if we deepen our understanding of the wide variety of intelligences of human beings.  We hear from two researchers at the University of Edinburgh, Dr. Sue Fletcher-Watson, and her colleague, Dr. Catherine Crompton, about their study examining the social cognition of autism, which shines new light on the comfort and confidence that autistic people can experience in communication and community with other neurodivergent people, and how everyone benefits when autistic people’s needs are supported. We’ll also hear from three participants in the doctors’ research, who discuss their own experiences as autistic people in a world designed for and by the non-autistic. Learn more about Dr. Sue Fletcher-Watson and Dr. Catherine Crompton. Subscribe to Stories of Impact wherever you listen to podcasts More about this episode Read the transcript of this episode Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube Comments, questions and suggestions info@storiesofimpact.org Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation

Dr. Brian Hare, a leading professor at Duke University, dives into the fascinating world of animal intelligence. He reveals how studying dogs uncovers insights into human psychology, emphasizing their emotional bonds. The discussion covers diverse intelligences in species, showcasing unique abilities like echolocation. Hare also emphasizes the cognitive evolution shaped by social behaviors, contrasting friendly foxes with aggressive chimpanzees. Plus, he hints at a new online tool to deepen our understanding of cognition in both animals and humans.

Today’s episode features the work of two scientists in seemingly unconnected fields of study: Dr. Andrew Barron, Associate Professor of Cognitive Neuroethology at Macquarie University in Sydney specializing in the honeybee brain; and his colleague, Dr. James Marshall, Professor of Theoretical Computation and Biology at the University of Sheffield, who studies robotics and artificial intelligence. Richard Sergay spoke with this pair of scientists to find out how their unique areas of expertise came together to apply discoveries about the intelligence of honeybees to the development of smarter, more capable artificially intelligent robots — machines like drones, which might increasingly assist humans in solving some of the most complex problems we face as a species. Learn more about Dr. Andrew Barron and Dr. James Marshall   Subscribe to​ ​Stories of Impact wherever you listen to podcasts. More about this episode Read the transcript of this episode Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube Comments, questions and suggestions info@storiesofimpact.org Supported by the​ Templeton World Charity Foundation

Today’s episode features the collaborative exploration of Dr. Fred Sharpe, an expert in humpback whales and the Principal Investigator with the Alaska Whale Foundation, and Dr. Laurance Doyle, astrophysicist and Principal Investigator of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute. Drs. Sharpe and Doyle are investigating  humpback whales’ complex, long-distance communication with the aim of learning about how alien intelligences, if they exist, might attempt to transmit their messages through the cosmos. Learn more about Dr. Fred Sharpe and the Alaska Whale Foundation, and Dr. Laurance Doyle and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute Mentioned in this episode: Songs of the Humpback Whale   Subscribe to​ ​Stories of Impact wherever you listen to podcasts. More about this episode Read the transcript of this episode Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube Comments, questions and suggestions info@storiesofimpact.org Supported by the​ Templeton World Charity Foundation

Host Richard Sergay speaks with Pranab Das, professor of physics at Elon University and Principal Advisor to the Diverse Intelligences Initiative from Templeton World Charity Foundation. Richard and Professor Das discuss the definition of intelligence and look at some of the DI projects we’ll hear more about this season. Learn more about Pranab Das and the Diverse Intelligences Initiative Mentioned in this episode: Survival of the Friendliest: Understanding Our Origins and Rediscovering Our Common Humanity by Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods   Subscribe to​ ​Stories of Impact wherever you listen to podcasts. More about this episode Read the transcript of this episode Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube Comments, questions and suggestions info@storiesofimpact.org Supported by the​ Templeton World Charity Foundation