Episode 35: Space Robotics

Outer space is one of the most hostile environments humans live and work in. Harsh radiation, hard vacuum and temperatures that fluctuate between boiling hot and freezing cold are only some of the challenges that engineers have to overcome before astronauts ever set foot in a spacecraft. Join Sam, Sarah, and special guest Maddie Haas as we discuss how environmental control and life support systems (ECLSS) engineers make human spaceflight possible. From the perils of the first spacewalks to why engineers had to change the Artemis 2 thermostat, in this episode we explore the science and future of keeping humans alive and comfortable as they explore the final frontier. Links: Our Website: https://interactomemedia.wixsite.com/website Twitter: https://twitter.com/theinteractome  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/interactome_media/ Mastodon: @[email protected] Credits: Audio/Video Editing: Sam Pickell Artwork: Maia Reyes Intro/Outro Music: Geovane Bruno - Dancing In The Future Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:24 Meet Maddie! 7:25 Why Aerospace Engineering? 9:31 Thermal Engineering and Life Support Systems 28:23 Spacesuit Design 47:30 Additional Thermal Considerations in Space 59:32 Modeling and Preparing for Space 1:08:15 Maddie's Involvement with Atremis II 1:21:41 How Research in Space Informs Life on Earth 1:30:48 Outro

What plays in your head when you hear “DNA?” Amir Bitran, postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley AND classical musician, joins Maia, Sam, and Joe to discuss how he composes science-inspired music! Tune in for our joint analysis and play-by-play of excerpts from his piece “When DNA Makes Loops,” and a lively discussion about inspiration, accessibility, the parallels between science and classical music, and the beauty in both. Additionally, we pause a few times to listen to When DNA Makes Loops throughout the episode. Below is a list of the segments of the piece we listen to at each pause. Segment 1: 0:00 - 0:45 Segment 2: 1:08 - 1:40 Segment 3: 2:21 - 3:05 Segment 4: 9:28 - End Links: When DNA Makes Loops: https://soundcloud.com/amir-bitran/when-dna-makes-loops More about Amir’s science and compositions: https://www.amirbitran.com/ The Inner Life of the Cell: https://youtu.be/wJyUtbn0O5Y?si=ja_DqzKIvir59MiR Our Website: https://interactomemedia.wixsite.com/website Twitter: https://twitter.com/theinteractome  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/interactome_media/ Mastodon: @[email protected] Credits: Audio/Video Editing: Sam Pickell Artwork: Maia Reyes Intro/Outro Music: Geovane Bruno - Dancing In The Future Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 3:22 Meet Amir! 14:14 What draws Amir to classical music? 23:07 What is science inspired music? 31:02 Segment 1 40:08 Segment 2 45:18 Segment 3 51:59 Segment 4 1:06:15 Outro

Note: This episode was recorded on September 17, 2025. When you think of meteorology, you probably think of someone giving a weather forecast on TV. But predicting the weather requires a whole team of scientists, from those who run simulations in labs to researchers on boats, and even a few who fly planes into storms to get measurements up close. In this episode, we invite Colorado State University graduate student Delián Colón-Burgos to teach us all about forecasting hurricanes. She guides us through the field of hurricane meteorology, from what a hurricane is to how scientists are updating forecasting models to reflect our changing seas. Links: Our Website: https://interactomemedia.wixsite.com/website Twitter: https://twitter.com/theinteractome  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/interactome_media/ Mastodon: @[email protected] Credits: Audio/Video Editing: Sam Pickell Artwork: Maia Reyes Intro/Outro Music: Geovane Bruno - Dancing In The Future Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:23 Introducing Delián! 3:08 What is a Meteorologist? 6:42 Seasonal Forecasting 8:26 How do hurricanes get named? 10:06 Delián's Origin Story 13:32 Defining a Hurricane 24:26 How are storms forecast? 32:13 Delián's work 43:57 Predictions going into hurricane season 49:13 "The Calm Before the Storm" 52:17 Effects of climate change on hurricanes 54:35 Closing thoughts 58:33 Outro

Have you ever wondered how new medications go from being a research project to being safely used in hospitals and clinics around the world? In this episode of the Interactome, host Sam talks about their work on technical challenges in the field of process development. From the different types of therapeutic molecules to how horseshoe crabs keep patients safe, this episode covers many of the steps on the path between a potential medication working in a petri dish to saving lives. Links: Our Website: https://interactomemedia.wixsite.com/website Twitter: https://twitter.com/theinteractome  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/interactome_media/ Mastodon: @[email protected] Credits: Audio/Video Editing: Sam Pickell Artwork: Maia Reyes Intro/Outro Music: Geovane Bruno - Dancing In The Future Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 2:58 Biotherapeutics vs Small Molecule 13:52 Research Process Lines 20:24 Research Grade Pharmaceuticals vs Pharmaceutical Grade 25:22 Upstream and Downstream 28:47 Suspension vs Adherence of Cells 40:25 Soap 42:14 How do you Know if it's Safe for a Person? 49:57 Clinical Trials 59:50 Getting the Drug into the Person 1:19:59 Conclusion

The age old nature vs. nurture question is complicated, especially when genetics are involved. On this episode, we dive into the concept of “epigenetics,” which translates to “above the genome.” Joe, Sam and Natalie cover how your environment can play a role in how your genes are expressed, how you can have different kinds of cells from the same DNA, and … jello? You’ll walk away with an understanding of why your DNA is a lot more like a cook book than you think. Links: Our Website: https://interactomemedia.wixsite.com/website Twitter: https://twitter.com/theinteractome  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/interactome_media/ Mastodon: @[email protected] Credits: Audio/Video Editing: Sam Pickell Artwork: Maia Reyes Intro/Outro Music: Geovane Bruno - Dancing In The Future Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 2:04 Jean-Baptiste Lamarck 6:19 Licking Rats 9:55 Nature vs Nurture 14:22 The Need for Epigentics 20:36 The Mechanisms of Epigenetics 40:52 Licking Rats Part 2 55:21 Outro

The human brain is arguably the most complex organ in the body - and its hard to do experiments on it in a lab setting without invasive tools like electrodes and injections in the brain itself. But what if we had less invasive tools for understanding the brain in the lab? Join Sarah and Joe as they talk with Schuyler, an MD-PhD candidate, about the wild world of non-invasive neuroengineering... and Dungeons & Dragons! Links: Our Website: https://interactomemedia.wixsite.com/website Twitter: https://twitter.com/theinteractome  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/interactome_media/ Mastodon: @[email protected] Szablowski Lab: https://www.szablowskilab.org/ Credits: Audio/Video Editing: Sam Pickell Artwork: Maia Reyes Intro/Outro Music: Geovane Bruno - Dancing In The Future Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:09 Meet Schuyler! 5:25 What is an MSTP? 7:00 What does everyone do for fun? 14:00 Breaking down Noninvasive Neural Engineering 30:34 When will these techniques be used in clinical trial? 32:58 Acoustically Targeted Chemo Genetics 51:25 Can this be applied to space medicine? 1:01:48 Outro  

When you think of health care, space probably doesn’t come to mind! But the emerging field of space robotics can provide groundbreaking insights to the world of medicine! This episode, Texas A&M robotics engineer Emily Wilkinson  sits down with Natalie and Sarah to discuss her career journey, current research, and her NASA internship (where she met Sarah!). Links: Our Website: https://interactomemedia.wixsite.com/website Twitter: https://twitter.com/theinteractome  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/interactome_media/ Mastodon: @[email protected] Texas A&M RAD Lab: https://rad.engr.tamu.edu/ Credits: Audio/Video Editing: Sam Pickell Artwork: Maia Reyes Intro/Outro Music: Geovane Bruno - Dancing In The Future Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:49 Meet Emily! 2:54 Getting to NASA 11:48 The Internship 15:09 How Emily and Sarah Met 27:20 Emily's Current Job and How She Got There 36:36 Projects That Emily's Lab Does 47:19 A Day in the Life of Emily 1:00:09 Radiation Testing 1:08:53 Outro

Whether it's the city, the suburbs, or somewhere else, have you ever stopped to think about why place where you live is designed the way that it is? That's thanks to urban planners, of which our guest this episode - Angela Lei - is! Join Angela, Sam, and Sarah as they discuss what urban planners and engineers do in terms of zoning, considerations made for pedestrians, and a little bit of history around Boston's Chinatown. Links: Our Website: https://interactomemedia.wixsite.com/website Twitter: https://twitter.com/theinteractome  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/interactome_media/ Mastodon: @[email protected] Credits: Audio/Video Editing: Sam Pickell Artwork: Maia Reyes Intro/Outro Music: Geovane Bruno - Dancing In The Future Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:20 Meet Angela! 3:51 What is Urban Planning/Engineering? 8:53 Exurbs 14:37 Zoning 21:51 Transit Oriented Development (TOD) 30:47 Urban Planning's Impact on the Environment 33:48 Boston's Chinatown 40:46 Defining Borders and Splitting Land 43:37 Pedestrianism and Climate Resiliency 45:38 What Can You do to Impact Urban Planning in Your City 47:00 The Inner Belt and the Highway That Never Was 59:34 Redesigning a City Built for Cars 1:13:20 Outro

What do doctors and astronauts have in common? Turns out, it’s more than you might think! On this episode, Sarah and Maia are joined by Shawna Pandya, MD. Shawna is a physician, astronaut and scientist. Tune in to hear her talk about navigating health care in the most extreme environments, and how she helps patients survive and thrive!   Links: Our Website: https://interactomemedia.wixsite.com/website Twitter: https://twitter.com/theinteractome  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/interactome_media/ Mastodon: @[email protected]   Credits: Audio/Video Editing: Sam Pickell Artwork: Maia Reyes Intro/Outro Music: Geovane Bruno - Dancing In The Future   Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:47 Meet Shawna! 2:39 How Shawna Became an Astronaut 11:11 Space is Trying to Kill You 18:05 Training for Space 27:00 Other Cool Tech Related to Space Medicine 29:54 Working on a Team of Highly Skilled Individuals 34:29 Shawna's Upcoming Mission 42:30 One Piece of Advice for Aspiring Astronauts 45:30 Outro

AI doesn’t typically make people think of parenting, but when you listen to this episode you’ll be shocked by the similarities! Cole Smith walks us through how to train AI, how it differs from machine learning, and why building an AI system can feel a lot like raising a child. Links: Our Website: https://interactomemedia.wixsite.com/website Twitter: https://twitter.com/theinteractome  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/interactome_media/ Mastodon: @[email protected] Credits: Audio/Video Editing: Sam Pickell Artwork: Maia Reyes Transcript: Margaret Downs Intro/Outro Music: Geovane Bruno - Dancing In The Future Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:15 Meet Cole! 2:32 How Did Cole Get Into This Space? 4:17 What Exactly is AI? 8:42 Classifying AI 11:40 The Difference Between AI and ML 16:34 What is AI Good At? 19:45 What is Generative AI? 32:01 What is a Large Language Model? 34:41 What Can't AI do? 42:49 Bias in AI 53:20 Choosing the Right Model 59:54 Where Does Cole Think AI is Heading? 1:05:38 Outro