#68: Let’s Send Our Homework into Space

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In Episode 68, Quinn & Brian discuss: Sending our homework to space.

Our guest is Michelle Lucas, an actual rocket scientist and the founder of Higher Orbits. Michelle spent 10 years at NASA, where part of her role involved teaching astronauts how to... you know, do space stuff. And now, at Higher Orbits, she’s teaching young people who aren’t astronauts yet, but might be, some day, because of her!

Now, this isn’t an episode about how to get away with not doing your homework. On the contrary, this is an episode that might actually make a kid want to do their homework – because, this time, an actual astronaut in space might help them finish it.

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To listen to this episode, click here. To read the transcript, click here.

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#66: So We Can't Just Blow Up An Asteroid, Then?

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In Episode 66, Quinn & Brian discuss: Why, apparently, we shouldn’t just blow up asteroids.

Our guest is Professor K.T. Ramesh, who is a professor of mechanical engineering at John Hopkins, founding director of the Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute (HEMI), and our new hero. You can think of HEMI as a real-life Avengers (no, we’re not just stuck on Endgame), except every member is like Bruce Banner without all the Hulk-iness or Tony Stark if he was never kidnapped by terrorists. Every day, they’re working to protect people, structures, and the planet, exploring a number of topics that are both critically important and impenetrably complicated.

One of their newest studies reveals that Hollywood and Atari may, in fact, have been incorrect when they repeatedly suggested that one viable way to defend the planet from an incoming asteroid would be blowing it up. We don’t know about you, but we certainly feel lied to – so it’s refreshing to have this conversation with Professor Ramesh to set the record straight.

To listen to this episode, click here. To read the transcript, click here.

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#43: The Future of Digital Health Part 1→

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In Episode 43, Quinn & Brian discuss: The future of digital health.

Our guests are Dr. Indra Joshi & Maxine Mackintosh. Together, these two co-founded One HealthTech, a grassroots community that champions and promotes the unheard voices in health innovation to drive our future healthcare using technology. Dr. Joshi is also the clinical lead for NHS England's digital experience programme and Maxine is pursuing her PhD in neuroinformatics at the Alan Turing Institute, where she is working on the intersection of data science and dementia.

A lot of our episodes start off somewhere a little depressing, like our impending environmental collapse or the impending U.S. federal government collapse, or both, then we find a silver lining – but today’s episode starts with the silver lining! The future of digital health is looking pretty goddamn’ cool, female, and colorful (like most things should). It’s a big step up from our alabaster-ass present, that’s for sure.

Listen to the episode here, or read the transcript here.

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#42: Almost An Astronaut→

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In Episode 42, Quinn & Brian ask: What happens when you’re almost an astronaut... and what comes next?

Our guest is Dr. Sian Proctor, an explorer, scientist, full-time professor, STEM communicator, and almost as astronaut. Today she joins the show to tell us how we can all help get more women and more people of color into space, one way or another. If you didn’t know – and we weren’t sure – being a white, male military pilot isn’t the only way to get to space! You can be exposed to radiation and get super powers, become an (evil?) genius who starts their own electric car and space flight companies, or become a college-educated engineer, biologist, physical scientist, computer scientist, or mathematician.

So we’re still out, but that’s still a pretty wide range of qualifications.

Dr. Proctor was so much fun to talk to and so inspirational, and this episode will serve as the booster shot you need to not give up on your dreams (even if your dream is to be the best antivaxxer out there because, like most vaccines, it’s completely safe for you and your children). It’s basically like watching The Greatest Showman over and over and over again, but in about an hour and with less singing.

Listen to the episode here, or read the transcript here.

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#28: Why the hell is space exploration important when the planet is literally on fire?→

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In Episode 28, Quinn & Brian ask: Why the hell is space exploration important when the planet is literally on fire?

To answer that, they’ve brought on The Space Gal, Emily Calandrelli. And boy does she set the record straight.

Emily is an MIT-engineer turned Emmy-nominated science host on TV and online, and she’s also a children’s book author.

Join us as we discuss the history of space exploration, what she’d do as NASA administrator/dictator, and her own upbringing in West Virginia.

You can listen to the episode here, or read the transcript here.

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