When did you get involved in Great Mysteries of Physics and what drew you to this project?

At university I studied philosophy, hoping to glean answers to the big questions. But I soon discovered that the types of explanations I was looking for existed more in the realm of physics. After reading Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time, I was hooked and eventually ended up embarking on a PhD in physics. While working in a lab wasn’t for me in the end, I still held a deep fascination with the more fundamental aspects of physics, which often intersect with philosophy. Having noticed that many of The Conversation’s readers also seem keen on this topic, I created the idea for this podcast last year. I am lucky to have very bright and supportive colleagues at The Conversation, with far superior podcasting skills to me, who are helping me make it happen.

Why is podcasting the right medium for this project?

Each mystery in the series is very broad and fluid, with lots of competing ideas. It can be hard to convert that into a specific article with a strict word count. I thought it would work better in conversational form, with some sound effects to help steer the mind when grappling with abstract concepts.

What was the first podcast you ever listened to?

I came to podcasts quite late – I think it was Hidden Brain. It’s brilliantly fun and accessible.

Which podcasts do you take inspiration from?

One of my favourite podcasts is called Flashback Forever, it is Swedish. It involves three female comedians going through threads of the forum Flashback, essentially the Swedish version of Reddit. The curious, friendly and non-judgmental atmosphere they create is something I think all podcast hosts should aspire to. I also like Sean Carrol’s Mindscape. These days, specialisation is at the heart of pretty much everything so I find the broadness and boldness of this show refreshing and rare – it certainly doesn’t shy away from complex topics.

Can you give us an interesting snippet of science you’ve learnt from making Great Mysteries in Physics?

That we shouldn’t write off an idea as completely unscientific just because we don’t yet have any evidence for it. The theory of atoms is ancient, but it took millenia before we actually had evidence for it. Oh, and that studying bubble formation at ultra-cold temperatures might teach us something about how universes form in a multiverse.

Where can readers find out more about you?

I recently wrote a book with Matt Warren about thinking, which has lots of information about me. It’s called Are You Thinking Clearly? 29 reasons you aren’t and what to do about it and was published by Hodder Studio last year. It looks at various factors that affect how you think, from genetics and culture to the bacteria in your gut and the signals from your body. I’m also on Twitter as @miriamfrankel.

Listen to The Great Mysteries of Physics on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps >>

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The post Great Mysteries of Physics: Grappling with abstract concepts appeared first on POD BIBLE.

Last time we checked in with you, you’d just finished up the first series of 100 Moments that Rocked Computer Science. What kind of reception did you get?

We had such a great time making the first series and I was really pleased by how well it did. It made the Apple top-10 charts for Technology, which was very fabulous. But the best bit was hearing back from listeners who had clicked on an episode and then binged the rest. It was also fantastic that so many people tuned in from outside the UK. I remember hearing that we had a big surge of listeners in Slovenia, to whom I’d like to say a belated najlepša hvala!

So what’s new for Series 2?

There’s a whole new line-up of incredible guests, absolute icons in their fields, but I think the best additions have got to be Kaal and Quentin, both of whom are currently studying computer science at Durham. They did an amazing job helping me discuss where we’d be without each episode’s ‘moment’ and what we can expect from the resulting technology in the future. One thing we’re trying to do with this podcast is to show how computer science is a very concrete way of shaping everyone’s future and the more people (and different kinds of people) we can equip with computer science skills, the better that future is going to look.

What’s your favourite episode so far?

I had an absolute blast with all of my guests so this is a very tricky question! But I think certain ‘moments’ have led to some particularly interesting discussions like the one with Anne-Marie Imafidon where we talked about Ada Lovelace and the very recent re-discovery of women in tech history. My chat with Jimmy Wales of Wikipedia (later in S2) was fascinating too as we discussed diversity in AI and how you can’t keep technology separate from social and political issues. That really built on my interview in series one with Megan Smith about civic tech. Another favourite episode was the one about quantum computing, because Tom Ilube’s explanation – of something that’s pretty complex – is absolutely brilliant. It’s an education podcast at the end of the day and every time I hear someone say that they learned something from it, I’m just so thrilled.

We know you’re a professor of computer science at Durham University but what does it mean to be their Tech Evangelist?

Well, I love technology! I also feel so grateful that education and technology have completely changed my life, helping to bring me and my family out of poverty. So I’m very passionate about technology not just because it is so exciting as a subject but because it changes lives. Through my social enterprise #techmums teaching tech skills to mums, particularly in underserved communities, through to our award winning programme TechUPWomen – retraining women with potential from all kinds of backgrounds directly into tech careers I’ve seen how technology can empower and enhance people’s lives in so many ways. The more we all understand the potential of technology, the more we ensure that we have diverse teams creating products and services the better our future will be. Tech gives us the tools to improve life for everyone on the planet, I can’t help getting excited about that and trying to get everyone else excited about it too!

It’s not just for the Boys
Target Jobs at Bloomberg London HQ Nov 2012

What’s the most surprising use of technology that you’ve seen?

This is probably not what you had in mind but the most surprising tech I’ve seen is when my now husband proposed to me using an online World War II code-breaking Enigma machine simulator. It was so romantic, funny and fabulously geeky. I think lots of other people enjoyed it too as Paul’s proposal was covered across the media and we trended on Twitter Moments worldwide, which shows that we all love a love story.

You’re a very busy person! Are you normally multi-tasking when you listen to podcasts? And what are you listening to these days?

Haha, true. Well it depends on the podcast, I do knit quite a lot, so if I’m not working I might be knitting as I listen. My favourites apart from #100moments are Kara Swisher’s Sway, Alan Carr’s Life’s a Beach, Jon Ronson’s Things Fell Apart, and I usually fall asleep at night listening to the BBC’s Newscast. My all time favourite podcast series is the first series of S-Town, it is utterly incredible, if you haven’t listened to it, go listen to it now.

You can listen to 100 Moments That Rocked Computer Science on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app. 

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The post INTERVIEW // Professor Sue Black from 100 Moments that Rocked Computer Science appeared first on POD BIBLE.

Who are you and what’s your podcast about?

I’m Prof Lucy Rogers – the inventor with a sense of fun! I was a judge on Robot Wars, wrote a book on rocket science and did a PhD in Bubbles…

My podcast is called The Engineering Edge and came about when DesignSpark (an online engineering platform) challenged me to search the globe (virtually) for people and places using everyday tech in extraordinary ways. From giving humans a sixth sense to transforming the future of space exploration, I share how everyday electronics are being used everywhere from NASA satellites to animal conservation and vertical farming.

What was the first podcast you ever listened to?

Space Boffins. It’s a monthly podcast from The Naked Scientists website that brings cutting edge conversation and debate about the past, present and future of space science. It also won the Sir Arthur C Clarke award for Space Media, which is pretty fun!

Why did you decide to start podcasting in the first place?

I’m curious about things, and like finding out more. This was a great excuse to ask questions of people doing interesting things. It’s also a really easy way of sharing technical stuff in a fun way.

Which podcasts do you take inspiration from?

Nothing specific… but those that make me think about things I haven’t really considered before. And those with people with interesting stories/experiences.

Who’s your dream guest for the podcast?

Do you have an interesting engineering story? Then you!

What are the biggest lessons you’ve learned so far as a podcaster?

Audio quality is everything – don’t forget to remove your dog’s collar when recording as she might make a jingling noise in the background!

What episode would you say is the perfect introduction to your podcast?

EP 4 ‘Lucy goes into space and time’. I visited the Surrey Space Centre, which is one of the world leaders for low-cost technology and applications for the space industry. They have a laser system for use in atomic clocks, which will one day be used in outer space!

Where can Pod Bible readers find out more about you?

You can find out more about me on my website www.lucyrogers.com or follow me on Twitter @DrLucyRogers.

Season 2 of The Engineering Edge is out now! Listen on ACAST,  SPOTIFY, and ALL OTHER PLATFORMS.

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