Astronomy Highlights: 3D Astronomy, AI in Astrophysics

This is the second episode of a series where we hear about recent research presented at the American Astronomical Society (AAS) January 2024 meeting.

Credit: ESO/Igor Chekalin

3D Astronomy (starts at 3:08) Dr. Nicole Karnath, Research Scientist, at Space Science Institute, talks about using the Hubble Space Telescope and the airborne SOFIA telescope to explore the wondrous 3D world of protostellar shocks.

AI in Astrophysics (starts at 17:38) Dr. Megan Ansdell, Program Scientist at NASA Headquarters in the Astrophysics Division and the Planetary Science Division, talks about using artificial intelligence and machine learning in astrophysics research, and how AI/ML can be applied to large datasets, and the example of data that will come from the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.

Executive Producer: Joel Parker
Show Producer and Host: Joel Parker

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Astronomy Highlights: Stellar Magnetic Fields, Zooniverse

This is the first episode of a series where we hear about recent research presented at the American Astronomical Society (AAS) January 2024 meeting.

(Credit: AIP/J. Fohlmeister)

Magnetic Braking in Old Stars (starts at 3:13)  Dr. Travis Metcalfe from the White Dwarf Research Corporation talks about studies of one particular star, 51 Peg, that has gone through magnetic braking. He discussed how studying magnetic fields around similarly middle-aged and older stars not oly can help us in our search for life on other planets, but also provide a clue of what might have impacted the evolution of life here on Earth.

Citizen Science with Zooniverse (starts at 13:21) Dr. Laura Trouille from the Adler Planetarium is the Principal Investigator of the Zooniverse project.  She explains how “citizen science” works, which crowd-sources science research in a wide range of projects not only in astronomy, but topics ranging from biology and physics to arts and literature.

Executive Producer: Joel Parker
Show Producer and Host: Joel Parker

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Science Stories from 2023

cc NOAA Science Graphic

 

We share the How on Earth team’s picks for of science stories of 2023:

    • Superconductor Hopes And Failures (starts at 1:47)
    • New Weight Loss Drugs (starts at 5:56)
    • Hot Temperatures (starts at 9:27)
    • Asteroid Autumn (starts at 12:29)
    • Bird Population Decline (starts at 16:51)
    • Sickle Cell Disease Treatment (starts at 22:29)

Executive Producer: Joel Parker
Show Producer and Host: Joel Parker
Additional Contributions: Shelley Schlender, Beth Bennett, Susan Moran

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Ghosts of Thanksgiving Past

Wild turkeys in Utah
Merriam’s turkey, courtesy of Flickr user “Fool-On-The-Hill.”

In addition to recent news about possible therapies to restore lost sense of smell due to COVID, we do a deep dive into the How on Earth archives to bring you some still-relevant stories from past Thanksgiving episodes:

Host/Producer/Engineer: Joel Parker
Executive Producer: Susan Moran
Contributors: Shelley Schlender, Beth Bartel, Benita Lee, Stacie Johnson

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The Little Book of Aliens

The Little Book of AliensIn this Halloween episode, we talk with Dr. Adam Frank, an astrophysicst/astrobiologist at the University of Rochester, about his recent book: The Little Book of Aliens. We hear some of the stories and learn about the science of life “out there” – astrobiology – and the past, present, and future search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

Host/Producer/Engineer: Joel Parker
Executive Producer: Susan Moran
Headline contributors: Shelley Schlender, Beth Bennett

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Recovery: The Lost Art of Convalescence (excerpts) / Fund Drive

As part of the KGNU Fund Drive, this episode of How on Earth features excerpts of Beth Bennett’s interview of Dr. Gavin Francis about his book Recovery: The Lost Art of Convalescence. We explore the difference between sickness and health, and the gap between them: Recovery. Based on decades of treating disease and injury, Dr Francis proposes a more active role of the individual in their recovery.  We also talk about the importance of self-care and compassion, the role of the environment we create for ourselves, and the importance of caregivers.

Producer/Engineer: Joel Parker
Hosts: Joel Parker, Shelley Schlender
Feature Contribution: Beth Bennett
Executive Producer
: Susan Moran

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2023 Graduation Special (part 2)

diploma-and-graduation-hatWith graduation season upon us, today’s edition of How on Earth is Part 2 of our annual “Graduation Special”. Our guests in the studio today are scientists and engineers who have or will soon receive their Ph.D. from the University of Colorado in a STEM-related field.  They talk about their thesis research, their grad school experiences, and what they have planned next.

Dhruv KedarPhysics
Topic: A Fully Crystalline Cryogenic Reference Cavity

 

Kathleen McGuireAnthropology
Topic: Navigating the Needs of the Many and the Few: Examining the Relationship between Ring-tailed Lemur (Lemur catta) Group Function and Individual Variation on St. Catherines Island

Brian AldenAstrophysical & Planetary Sciences
Topic: Investigating the Properties of Merging Galaxy Clusters with Radio Halos/Relics Using X-ray Derived Pressure Maps

 

You can listen to Part 1 of this year’s special or all past year Graduation Special episodes.

Host / Producer : Joel Parker
Executive Producer
: Shelley Schlender

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2023 Graduation Special (part 1)

diploma-and-graduation-hatWith graduation season upon us, today’s edition of How on Earth is Part 1 of our annual “Graduation Special”. Our guests in the studio today are scientists and engineers who have or will soon receive their Ph.D. from the University of Colorado in a STEM-related field.  They talk about their thesis research, their grad school experiences, and what they have planned next.

Rob Streeter – Electrical Engineering
Topic: High-resolution Deep-tissue Microwave Thermometry

 

Amanda HamptonApplied Math
Topic: On the Three-Dimensional, Quadratic Diffeomorphism: Anti-integrability, Attractors, and Chaos


Jacob Kravits
– Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering
Topic: Balancing Cost, Water, Emissions, and Reliability in Power Systems Operations

You can listen to Part 2 of this year’s special or all past year Graduation Special episodes.

Host / Producer : Joel Parker
Executive Producer : Shelley Schlender

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AI or not AI, that is the question — ChatGPT, DALL-E, and Generative Artificial Intelligence in the Human World

A DALL-E generated image of this interview
A DALL-E generated image of this interview.

We talk with Dr. Casey Fiesler, Associate Professor of Information Science at the University of Colorado, Boulder about “generative AI,” particularly regarding ChatGPT and DALL-E, which are topics of recent news stories expressing excitement and concern.

We asked ChatGPT to write a description of what such an interview might be:

Dr. Casey Fiesler joins Joel Parker on the KGNU radio science show How on Earth to discuss generative AI and its recent breakthroughs, such as ChatGPT and DALL-E. Fiesler explains that these AI models use deep learning algorithms to generate new content, such as text or images, based on patterns found in existing data. She acknowledges the impressive capabilities of these models, such as DALL-E’s ability to create highly realistic images from textual prompts. However, Fiesler also raises concerns about the potential negative impacts of generative AI, including the perpetuation of biases found in training data or the creation of harmful fake content. Fiesler emphasizes the importance of responsible development and use of these technologies, as well as ongoing research into addressing these issues.

After you listen to the show, you can determine how accurate is that description.  And can you identify the three interview questions we asked that were generated by ChatGPT?

Host & Producer: Joel Parker
Executive Producer: Beth Bennett
Featured Music: “Reflection” – generative music by Brian Eno

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James Webb Space Telescope (Part 2)

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope – JWST – was launched on December 25th, 2021.  We talked with scientists and engineers about JWST’s first year and some of the projects it is being used for.  In this second part of our JWST special, our guests and their projects are:

Check out Part 1 of this feature (2022 Dec 20)

Host & Producer: Joel Parker
Executive Producer: Beth Bennett
Featured Music: “Floating in Heaven” by Graham Gouldman and Brian May

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