Tag Archives: Science and Technology

Scholars' Circle Interviews

The Scholars’ Circle & Insighters Radio- Sept. 22nd, 2013

This week we cover following issues:

1) The house voted on Friday to de-fund President Obama’s signature Affordable Health Care act. What does this polarization mean for the future of US Policy? [ dur:  13 mins. ]

  • Sean Theriault, Professor of Government at Univ. of Texas at Austin. Author of  The Gingrich Senators: The Roots of Partisan Warfare in Congress and The Power Of The People: Congressional Competition, Public Attention, And Voter Retribution
  • Peter Hanson, Professor of Political Science Univ. of Denver;

2) Climate change, receding glaciers and melting ice sheets are causing the oceans to rise dramatically. What does that mean for the world’s coastal cities? [ dur: 14 mins. ]

  • Andrea Dutton, Professor of Geological Sciences at Univ. of FL; Author of Journal Science article Ice Volums and Sea level During the last interglacial
  • Brian Fagan. Professor of Anthropology at UC Santa Barbara; Author of The Attacking Ocean: The Past, Present, and Future of Rising Sea Levels

3) What most of the world has gotten wrong about Muslim fundamentalism. [ dur: 27 mins. ]

  • Karima Benoune, Professor of Law  at UC Davis, School of Law; Author of  Your Fatwa Does Not Apply Here: Untold Stories from the Fight Against Muslim Fundamentalism
  • Ousseina Alidou, Professor at Center African Studies, Rutgers University; Author of Engaging Modernity: Muslim Women and the Politics of Agency in Post-colonial Niger (Women in Africa and the Diaspora)
  • Sadia Abbas; Professor of English at Rutgers University; Echo Chamber of Freedom: Muslim Women and Pretext of Agency

 

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

The Scholars’ Circle & Insighters Radio- Aug. 11th, 2013

First, we look at the gap between the American Dream and reality, with Miles Corak

  • Miles Corak is professor of economics with the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottowa. He is the author of, Generational Income Mobility in North America and Europe and The Intergenerational Transmission of Employers.

Then, are high alerts, embassy closures, and national surveillance state reasonable reactions to the threat of terrorist acts?  Joining us are John Mueller and Mark Stewart, together, they coauthored Terror, security, and Money: Balancing the Risks, Benefits and costs of Homeland Security.

  • John Mueller is a research scientist and professor of political science at Ohio State University and author of Retreat from Doomsday and War, Presidents and Public Opinion.
  • Mark Stewart is a professor of civil engineering and director of the Center for Infrastructure , Performance and Reliability at the University of Newcastle in Australia.

Finally, on the Scholars’ Circle panel, with climate change, depleted natural resources, and more than 9 billion people. What will the world look like in 2050?

  • Deepak Ray is Postdoctoral Research Scholar at the Global Landscapes Initiative Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota. He is co-author of the study, “Yield Trends Are Insufficient to Double Global Crop Production by 2050,” and “Solutions for a Cultivated Planet.”
  • Eward Miguel is Professor at University of California, Berkeley and Director of the Center for Effective Global Action. He is the author of, Africa’s Turn? He is co-author of Economic Gangsters: Corruption, Violence and the Poverty of Nations, and the study, “Quantifying the Influence of Climate on Human Conflict.?
  • Laurence C. Smith is Professor and Chair of Geography at UCLA and author of The World in 2050: Four Forces Shaping Civilization’s Northern Future.

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

The Scholars’ Circle & Insighters Radio- July 14th, 2013

First, how much does biology effect the propensity for violence? We are joined by Adrian Raine, author of, Anatomy of Violence: The Biological Roots of Crime. [ dur: 28 mins. ] [ dur: 28 mins. ]

  • Adrian Raine is Professor of Criminology and Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of, Anatomy of Violence: The Biological Roots of Crime;

Then, as the California prisoners are on hunger strike, we explore the effects of solitary confinement and the impact of harsh prison conditions on guards and prisoners. [ dur: 28 mins. ]

  • Hope Metcalf is Associate Research Scholar in Law, and Director of the Arthur Liman Public Interest Program. She teaches a clinic on prisoners’ rights in the United States. She is the co-author of Administrative Segregation, Degrees of Isolation, and Incarceration: A National Overview of State and Federal Correctional Policie, and Gideon at Guantanamo: Democratic and Despotic Detention
  • Philip Zimbardo is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Stanford University and current *core faculty at Palo Alto University. He is the creator of the The Stanford Prison Experiment. He is the author of numerous publications including The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil, Psychology and Life, and The Psychology of Attitude Change and Social Influence.
  • Dr. Stuart Glassian is a psychiatrist who has formerly taught at Harvard Medical School. His is the author of, Psychiatric Effects of Solitary Confinement, and Effects of Sensory Deprivation in Psychiatric Seclusion and Solitary Confinement.
    He has served as an expert on class-actions lawsuits regrading solitary confinement.

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

The Scholars’ Circle & Insighters Radio- May 19th, 2013

What can nature teach us about how to organize our societies, governments and businesses? [ dur: 28 mins. ]

  • Rafe Sagrin, marine ecologist, Univ. of AZ.; Author of ” Learning from the Octopus: How Secrets From Nature Can Help Us Fight Terrorism Attacks, Natural Disasters and Disease. “

Then on the Scholars’ Circle we discuss at how music effects political change, and how politics effects music. [ dur: 30 mins. ]

  • Prof. Mark LeVine, Prof. of Middle Eastern History, UCI; Author of ” Heavy Metal Islam: Rock, Resistance, and the Struggle for the Soul of Islam “
  • Prof. Josh Kun, Prof. of  Communication and Journalism, USC; Author of  ” Playing for Change: Music and Musicians in the Service of Social Movements “
  • Prof. Richard Flacks, Prof. of Sociolology, UC Santa Barbara; Author of ” Audiotopia: Music, Race, and America “

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

The Scholars’ Circle & Insighters Radio- May 12th, 2013

First, do animals get depression, eating disorders, alcoholism, or diabetes? What can we learn from animals about healing? We explore the surprising common grounds between animals and us with the authors of “ZOOBIQUITY: The Astonishing Connection Between Human and Animal Health“.. [ dur. 28 mins. ]

  • Dr. Barbara Netttern-Herowitz, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA;
  • Kathryn Bowers, journalist. 

Then, on the Scholars Circle, we look at the politics of immigration today and throughout history. [ dur. 30 mins. ]

  • David Remiers, Prof. of history, Univ. of WI; Author of “Unwelcome Strangers: American Identity and the Turn Against Immigration”.
  • Gabriel Sanchez, Prof. of Political Science, Univ. of New Mexico. co-author of “Hispanics and US Political System: Moving Into the Mainstream”.

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

The Scholars’ Circle & Insighters Radio- Apr. 14th, 2013

First, we’ll begin with the surprising ways that Hollywood actors have shaped American politics and who have some of the most groundbreaking and influential on the body politic. [ dur: 27 mins. ]

Then, how do our experiences, our traumas, diets and lifestyles get coded in our genetic systems and passed on to our offspring and their offspring? How do they affect our health and our politics? [ dur: 28 mins. ]

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

The Scholars’ Circle & Insighters Radio- Apr. 7th, 2013

First, Is our behavior free will or is it . . . parasites?! New science shows how parasites change behaviors throughout the animal kingdom. Does it also apply to humans? [ dur: 14 mins. ]

Then, what becomes of children abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army and made to be sex slaves or child soldiers? one program seeking to heal and rebuild the lives of tens of thousands of child soldiers victimized by the brutal war in Uganda. [ dur: 15 mins. ]

Finally, on the Scholars’ Circle, making sense of the politics of North Korea. [ dur. 28 mins. ]

For a transcript of this interview, please visit: TheBigQ

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

The Scholars’ Circle & Insighters Radio- Mar. 3rd, 2013

First, can new media change power relations? We speak with Rory O’Connor author of, “Friends, Followers and the Future: How Social Media are Changing Politics, Threatening Big Brands, and Killing Traditional Media.” [ dur. 27mins. ]

Then, on the Scholars’ Circle, in the face of looming public health and sustainability, we look at the intersection of science and politics. [dur. 28 min. ]

  • Naomi Oreskes, Prof. History & Science, UC San Diego; Author of  “Merchants of Doubt”.
  • Prof. David Guston, Political Science, Co-director Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes, AZ State Univ.  Author of  “Between Politics and Science: Assuring the Integrity and Productivity of Research” .
  • Prof. Mark Brown, Gov’t & Political Science, CSU Sacrament; Author of “Science in Democracy”.

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

The Scholars’ circle & Insighters Radio- Jan. 20th, 2013

In this hour, can a breakthrough in DNA snipping lead to curing AIDS and other diseases?

  • Jennifer A. Doudna is Professor of Chemistry and Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at UC, Berkeley. She is the author of numerous publications including, “RNA-programmed genome editing in human cells”, “A Programmable Dual-RNA-Guided DNA Endonuclease in Adaptive Bacterial Immunity” and “RNA-Guided Human Genome Engineering via Cas9.”

Then, the Postal Service is in dire straits. What is the future of US mail?

  • A. Lee Fritschler is a Professor in the School of Public Policy at George Mason University. He is the co-author of numerous publications and books including, “Closed Minds? Politics and Ideology in American Universities” ,  and “Smoking and Politics: Bureaucracy Centered Policy Making, Sixth edition”.

Finally, on the Scholars’ Circle, how will the Obama Administrations proposals to address gun violence fare with the congress and the supreme court?

  • David S. Law is Professor of Law and Political Science at Washington University in St. Louis, and currently Visiting Professor at Georgetown University Law Center. He is author of numerous publications and co-author with Mila Versteeg of, “The Declining Influence of the US Constitution” and “The Evolution and Ideology of Global Constitutionalism”.
  • Sanford Levinson holds the W. St. John Garwood and W. St. John Garwood, Jr. Centennial Chair in Law and is Professor of Government at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of numerous publications and books including, “Wrestling With Diversity” and most recently, “Our Undemocratic Constitution: Where the Constitution Goes Wrong (and How We the People Can Correct It)”.
  • Erwin Chemerinsky is the founding dean and distinguished Professor of Law at the University of California, Irvine School of Law, with a joint appointment in Political Science. He is the author numerous books most  recently, “The Conservative Assault on the Constitution”, “Enhancing Government: Federalism for the 21st Century” and “Interpreting the Constitution”.

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

Insighters & Scholars’ Circle – Aug. 12th, 2012

Seg. 1: How Google affects our knowledge, politics, privacy, and public projects. Joining us is Siva Vaidhyanathan, Professor of Media Studies and Law at the University of Virginia, and author of, “The Googlization of Everything (And Why We Should Worry).”

Seg. 2: We explore eliminationalism and genocide in the 20th and 21st century with author and former Professor of Political Science and Social Studies at Harvard University, Daniel Jonah Goldhagen. Goldhagen authored, “Worse than War: Genocide, Eliminationalism and the Ongoing Assault on Humanity.”

Seg. 3: On The Scholars Circle we look at Presidential power, and its restrictions and constraints. Blame Obama or blame the system? Joining us are three experts:

  • Julian E. Zelizer is Professor of History and Public Affairs at Princeton University. Author:  Governing America: The Revival of Political History.
  • Eric Schickler is Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. Author:  Disjointed Pluralism: Institutional Innovation and the Development of the U.S. Congress.
  • Allan Lichtman is Professor of History at America University. Author:  White Protestant Nation: The Rise of the American Conservative Movement

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