The MSU Office of Research and Innovation is pleased to announce Manifold, a new podcast series that aims to take a hard look at today’s intellectual issues and controversies from varying points of view.
“The explosion of interest in podcasts motivated us to try something new,” explained Steve Hsu, Sr. Vice President for Research and Innovation. “The show is focused on in-depth discussions with people who are creating or envisioning the future: academics, scientists, technologists, startup entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists.”
“While invited lectures on campus are necessarily limited in time and place, the podcast format is available on demand, allowing the listener to consume content on their schedule. This helps to expand the reach and dialog on the topic,” according to co-host, Corey Washington, the Director of Analytics in Research and Innovation.
“We want the show to be at a level that is somewhat more accessible than a specialized academic seminar, but without sacrificing a deeper understanding of new ideas and research breakthroughs,” Hsu said.
“Steve and I have very broad interests and have known each other for almost 30 years,” said Washington. “We expect to learn and gain new perspectives as we promote discourse that is both rigorous and relevant.”
Available podcasts include interviews with anthropologist John Hawks (UWisconsin) on Neanderthals and ancient bones and genes; Bobby Kasthuri (Argonne) a neuroscientist who built an automated nanometer slicer; philosopher David Skrbina (UMichigan) on the Unabomber and dangers of technology; Sabine Hossenfelder (Frankfort Institute) discusses the crisis in particle physics, and Kaiser Kuo (of the podcast Sinica) provides insights on US-China relations. Soon-to-be released episodes include philosopher Sam Kerstien (UMaryland) on the ethics of gene editing and selection, and Joseph Cesario (MSU) on racial bias in police shootings.
New episodes are released biweekly on YouTube, iTunes, and Spotify. Listeners can subscribe or simply visit manifoldlearning.com directly to search episodes.
MSU faculty are encouraged to suggest individuals for interview on the series by emailing manifld@msu.edu.