Introducing “Lab Coat Optional”

What can exploration of the universe’s extremities teach us about home and ourselves? On this episode, host J.D. Talasek is joined by Richelle Ellis, a multidisciplinary artist whose work spans the deep ocean and  deep space. Ellis is also an analog astronaut–she participates in simulated space missions on Earth that help NASA prepare for long-duration space missions. Her practice explores humanity, technology, and how exploration can create connection. Music in this episode from Ursus Colossus and Buffalo. Resources: Visit Richelle Ellis’s website to learn more about her work.Read “Beyond Earthrise: Artemis and the Work of Richelle Ellis” in Issues. How can seeing Earth from above change the way we understand life below? 

As data centers have become a national political issue, they have been accused of many things, including “breaking American politics.” However, deliberation over proposals for data center construction plays out at the community level, often with significantly more nuance. Although city and state governments are under pressure to make the local benefits of development visible, they must search for strategies that squeeze value out of these negotiations for their communities.On this episode, host Megan Nicholson is joined by Jacob Hochard, associate professor of conservation economics in the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Wyoming, and Caden Bogus,  a graduate research assistant and interdisciplinary master's student at the University of Wyoming, to discuss Wyoming’s position as an up-and-coming spot for data center development. Wyoming’s energy production, cool climate, affordable land, and friendly tax policies have positioned the state as an attractive spot for data centers. How this growth gets translated into gains for Wyomingites has the potential to shape the future of the industry in the state and beyond. ResourcesRead “How Communities Are Bargaining With Big Tech Over Data Centers” by Jacob Hochard and Caden Bogus to learn more about how communities are negotiating with data centers.How are data centers impacting the midterm elections? Check out this article by Nicol Turner Lee and Darrell M. West.

Artificial intelligence is reshaping work, leaving many people wondering how to gain the skills they need to keep up with a rapidly changing world. Now, a group of American community colleges is working to democratize AI education and prepare students for the future.On this episode, host Sara Frueh is joined by Antonio Delgado, vice president of innovation and technology partnerships at Miami-Dade College and founder and leader of the National Applied AI Consortium. Delgado discusses “applied AI,” a pioneering program at Miami-Dade that provides students pathways to these jobs, and the broader effort by community colleges to help meet the need for AI-fluent workers in the labor force. ResourcesCheck out Antonio Delgado’s Issues article, “Community Colleges are Training the Applied AI Workforce” (Summer 2026) to learn more about how he developed Miami Dade College’s applied AI degree program and founded the National Applied AI Consortium.Visit the National Applied AI Consortium’s website to learn more about their work. 

Since World War II, federal funding has been the central driver of American scientific research. Recently, a state-based model for research shows how local research could be used to solve local problems.   On this episode, host Lisa Margonelli is joined by Jeffrey Warren, executive director of the North Carolina Collaboratory. About ten years ago, the North Carolina legislature created a way to get answers to policymakers’ questions and to fund research to solve local problems. The Collaboratory contracts with researchers at the state’s universities to do the work. So far, the legislature has allocated more than $300 million to fund 800 research projects on subjects ranging from water pollution to opioid addiction treatment to foster care. The Collaboratory’s model offers a new vision for how science can respond to society’s needs. Resources:Visit the North Carolina Collaboratory’s website to learn more about their work. Check out Jeffrey Warren’s Issues pieces for more on the Collaboratory's unique model of bipartisan problem solving. “Science for Hyper-Partisan Times” (2021). “Research That Solves North Carolina’s Problems” (2026), co-authored with Blair Ellis Rhoades. 

The Ongoing Transformation will be back soon! In the meantime, we’re bringing you an episode of a podcast we all enjoy: Lab Coat Optional, which is produced by Arizona State University’s Knowledge Enterprise.  The podcast looks at research, the people behind it and why it matters.In this episode, Nadya Bliss — executive director of ASU’s Advanced Capabilities for National Security Institute — explains how national security is more than tanks and battleships. She breaks down the vital role university research plays behind the scenes to anticipate emerging needs, strengthen infrastructure, accelerate innovation and quietly prevent conflict.

The Ongoing Transformation will be back soon! In the meantime, we’re bringing you an episode of a podcast we all enjoy: 10X Conversations. The podcast examines pressing issues affecting communities along the U.S. Interstate 10 corridor from Jacksonville, Florida to Los Angeles, California and how these challenges provide a lens into what the future may bring for the rest of the country.In this episode, climatologist Jennifer Vanos and human thermoregulation expert Konrad Rykaczewski talk about groundbreaking heat research at ASU, and how its results may help other heat-vulnerable cities in the I-10 corridor and beyond.

There was a time when everything on the internet seemed like it would be there forever, whether a Facebook status or a government website. But today the prospect of maintaining massive amounts of digital history is in doubt. This poses a particular issue for the open science movement, which has advocated for wide access to scientific data and papers over the last 25 years. The movement’s successes have led to the creation of digital research infrastructure such as data libraries and preservation systems that serve large and small research communities. Now, as the system is maturing, it’s becoming clear that open science isn’t free: it requires investment and significant effort to stay alive. Without it, open research cannot be verified or advanced. On this episode, host Megan Nicholson is joined by Jen Gibson and Kaitlin Thaney, authors of “Who Will Keep Research Data Infrastructure Open and Running?” in our Spring 2026 issue. Gibson is the executive director of Dryad, an open-access international research data repository and curation service. Thaney is the executive director of Invest in Open Infrastructure, a nonprofit that advances open-source solutions and systems for research communities. Resources:Read “Who Will Keep Research Data Infrastructure Open and Running?” for more on the importance of maintaining digital infrastructure.Visit Dryad and Invest in Open Infrastructure’s websites to learn more about open data, open infrastructure, and how you can support their work. 

On Science Policy IRL, we talk to people in science policy about what they do and how they got there. In this installment, host Josh Trapani talks to Mary Woolley about leading Research!America for 35 years. During her tenure, Research!America grew into a major research advocacy organization and helped advocate for many changes, including doubling the budget of the National Institutes of Health.In this episode, Woolley reflects on the transitions she has seen in science and the role of scientists over her career, and shares how researchers can engage with policymakers and the community. Resources:How do Americans feel about science? Check out the results from Research!America’s 2026 January National Survey. Read Mary Woolley’s letter in Issues about the importance of public engagement and understanding public sentiment. Learn more about the McClintock Letters Initiative, a national op-ed letter writing campaign to share why science needs investment. 

Spam represents nearly half of all global email traffic, from obnoxious ads to dire warnings of impending account closures to absurd invitations to join the Illuminati (just ask our podcast producer). It is a constant, annoying part of online life, but does it have to be that way?. Understanding the efforts to address spam in the early 2000s offers lessons for how we might regulate technologies such as artificial intelligence today. On this episode, host Jason Lloyd is joined by Rebecca Coyne, who recently received her master’s degree in public policy from the University of Michigan. Coyne wrote about spam policy in the Spring 2026 issue, in an article titled “Spam Policy and the Myth of the Ungovernable Internet.” Resources:Read “Spam Policy and the Myth of the Ungovernable Internet” by Rebecca Coyne, from our Spring 2026 issue. Learn more about the early internet by reading “A Prehistory of Social Media” by Kevin Driscoll, and listen to his podcast episode. Check out Spam: A Shadow History of the Internet by Finn Burton for more on the history of spam, and read this article to learn about the vigilante hijinks during the “spam wars.” For more on AI regulation, read “The Mirage of AI Deregulation” by Alondra Nelson in Science and “Moratoriums and Federal Preemption of State Artificial Intelligence Laws Pose Serious Risks,” a report from the Center for American Progress.

On Science Policy IRL, we talk to people in science policy about what they do and how they got there. In this installment, we’re exploring how science policy works from both inside and outside the government. Host Monya Baker is joined by Kumar Garg, president of Renaissance Philanthropy, an organization that helps philanthropists support science, technology and innovation. Prior to joining Renaissance Philanthropy, Garg trained as a lawyer and served in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. He shares how he has spent his career finding, funding, and implementing ideas both within the government and outside it via philanthropy, which is uniquely positioned to pilot “big, if true” ideas. ResourcesLearn more about Renaissance Philanthropy by visiting their website and listening to Garg’s interview on how philanthropy can fuel scientific innovation. Visit the NIH Brain Initiative website for more information on the initiative. See Team Kalil’s white board with more advice on how to get things done.