Best Russ Altman Podcasts (2023)

T

The Future of Everything

1
The future of AI Chat: Foundation models and responsible innovation 35:47

2h ago35:47

35:47

Guest Percy Liang is an authority on AI who says that we are undergoing a paradigm shift in AI powered by foundation models, which are general-purpose models trained at immense scale, such as ChatGPT. In this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything podcast, Liang tells host Russ Altman about how foundation models are built, how t…

T

Tech Breakfast Podcast

1
294: Geothermal energy - AWS AI chips - OpenAI - AI bots 44:24

13h ago44:24

44:24

Topic Summary:• Geothermal energy• Amazon announces new cloud AI chips• OpenAI• AI bots

T

The Future of Everything

1
The future of ecohydrology 31:12

12d ago31:12

31:12

Guest Alex Konings studies fundamental links between the global cycle of water percolating into the ground and evaporating into the skies and a similar cycle of carbon moving through the world, shaping ecosystems, droughts, and fires. These cycles are inextricably bound, she says, and understanding how they function individually and in tandem is ke…

T

The Future of Everything

1
Best of: Bendable electronics 27:03

19d ago27:03

27:03

We’re re-running a fascinating conversation Russ had with Zhenan Bao back in 2017 about the work she and her lab are doing to develop artificial skin. The possible applications of a material that could replicate properties of human skin range from restoring a sense of touch for amputees to creating bendable electronics. Thank you for tuning in, we …

T

The Future of Everything

1
Best of: Developing electronics for the extremes of space 26:25

26d ago26:25

26:25

Space exploration and travel are two topics that are always exciting, and that have sparked a lot of enthusiasm about the future. Debbie Senesky, a previous guest on the show, researches ways to develop tiny, tough electronics that could help augment our abilities to further explore extreme environments, such as those found in space. Today we’re re…

T

The Future of Everything

1
The future of computational imaging 36:15

1M ago36:15

36:15

Using math to improve photographs, with expert guest Gordon Wetzstein. Such methods have exploded in recent years and have wide-ranging impacts from improving your family photos, to making self-driving cars safer, to building ever-more-powerful microscopes. Somewhere in between hardware and software, he says, is the field of computational imaging, …

T

The Future of Everything

1
Best of: Guided missiles target cancer 27:38

1M ago27:38

27:38

Almost everyone knows someone who has battled cancer. Today, on The Future of Everything, we’re re-running our episode with Professor Jennifer Cochran who is bringing some hope in this area through work she and her lab are doing to find ways to localize therapies directly to the site of cancer tumors for more efficient and effective treatment. You …

T

The Future of Everything

1
The future of neuroscience: Karl Deisseroth sheds light on the inner workings of the brain 32:58

2M ago32:58

32:58

Transformational research techniques shaping our understanding of how the brain works. Guest Karl Deisseroth is a bioengineer and a psychiatrist who has developed two of the most transformational research techniques shaping our understanding of how the brain works — optogenetics, which allows neuroscientists to control brain cells with light, and C…

T

The Future of Everything

1
Best of: How do we educate a new kind of engineer? 28:57

2M ago28:57

28:57

A perspective on the need for diversity and empathy in the engineering profession. As we enter a new academic year, it’s an opportune time to think about how we’re educating the next generation of engineers. Russ's conversation in 2020 with Sheri Sheppard, an emeritus professor of mechanical engineering and founder of the Designing Education Lab at…

T

Tech Breakfast Podcast

1
293: Steve Jobs - AI and Spatial Computing - Project Sunroof 46:55

2M ago46:55

46:55

Topic Summary: - Steve Jobs - AI and Spatial Computing - Project Sunroof

T

The Future of Everything

1
The future of quantum mechanics: Unraveling entanglement's secrets 33:21

2M ago33:21

33:21

Discover how quantum mechanics is reshaping our understanding of time, reestablishing computational capabilities, and ensuring the security of sensitive data transmission. Guest Monika Schleier-Smith is a physicist who says that quantum principles, like entanglement, can make atoms do funny things, such as allowing two atoms to share secrets across…

T

The Future of Everything

1
The future of the gut microbiome 31:46

2M ago31:46

31:46

Discover the astonishing intricacies of microbial ecosystems and their potential to improve healthcare. Guest KC Huang is many things: A bioengineer. A microbiologist. An inventor. But mostly he’s an expert on the ecology of the human gut. He and his collaborators have developed a device that can sample bacterial DNA and create a living map of the …

T

The Future of Everything

1
The future of coastal erosion 29:40

3M ago29:40

29:40

Guest Jane Willenbring is a geoscientist who studies accelerating coastal erosion. The challenge lies not in understanding why coasts are receding today, but in determining what they looked like a thousand years ago to know how much they’ve changed — a secret revealed in coastal rocks through isotopes shaped by cosmic radiation. But measurement is …

T

The Future of Everything

1
The future of Muslim mental health 28:50

3M ago28:50

28:50

Join host Russ Altman with guest Rania Awaad, M.D., a Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Stanford University School of Medicine where she is the Director of the Stanford Muslim Mental Health & Islamic Psychology Lab. Delve into the intersection of mental health and spirituality, shedding light on the importance of holistic approaches…

T

The Future of Everything

1
The future of science education: Cultivating critical thinkers 31:08

3M ago31:08

31:08

Bad science is a big problem for society, says guest Jonathan Osborne, an expert in science education, but we don’t have to surrender to it. Beating bad science requires young people to learn three skills, Osborne says. First is an ability to size up conflicts of interest. Second, to evaluate a source’s qualifications. And third, to more rigorously…

T

The Future of Everything

1
Best of: How computer chips get speedier through specialization 28:18

3M ago28:18

28:18

The Future of computer chip design: delve into a revolutionary approach to chip design. A re-run of a conversation Russ had in 2021 with Priyanka Raina, an assistant professor of electrical engineering. Priya is an expert in computer chip design. Whether or not you realize it, chips are everywhere and power everything from your toaster to your car.…

T

The Future of Everything

1
Best of - AI and safety critical systems 27:52

4M ago27:52

27:52

Today we're rerunning a conversation Russ had in 2020 with Mykel Kochenderfer, a professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Stanford University. Mykel's research has impacted anyone who has been on a plane recently for any kind of travel. His research led to the creation of a program known as the Airborne Collision Avoidance System, or ACAS X , w…

T

Tech Breakfast Podcast

1
292: XR update - Patrick Mahomes vs Tom Brady - Chip manufacturers - Cadillac IQ - EVs 1:00:00

4M ago1:00:00

1:00:00

Topic Summary: • XR update • Patrick Mahomes vs Tom Brady • Chip manufacturers • Cadillac IQ • EVs

T

The Future of Everything

1
The future of longevity 30:22

4M ago30:22

30:22

Guest David Rehkopf is an expert in population health who says that where we live is one of the strongest influences on how long we live. While we know diet and health care are important, it has been tough to tease out what about these places allows people to live longer and healthier lives. By examining environmentally induced changes in DNA, we m…

T

The Future of Everything

1
The future of health outcomes 31:48

4M ago31:48

31:48

As anyone with chronic disease knows, access to health care doesn’t always equate with equitable health care outcomes, says guest Alyce Adams, an expert in innovations in health policy. Too often, care delivery breaks down along racial and socioeconomic lines. Our focus should be on better outcomes for all people, she says. Adams now develops inter…

T

Tech Breakfast Podcast

1
291: Nuclear Subs - Super Conduction - Open AI - Nuclear Power - Uber - Twitter X 51:51

4M ago51:51

51:51

Nuclear Subs TRS-80 Revisiting AI Dumbness Super Conduction OpenAI cant detect AI Nuclear POWER in Georgia Uber CEO reacts to price of Uber Twitt err.... X sign that wasnt

T

The Future of Everything

1
Best of - How misinformation spreads 26:26

4M ago26:26

26:26

We’re on the cusp of another election season. As people across the country educate themselves on the issues and candidates on this year’s ballot, one question they will have to ask themselves is, how do I tell fact from fiction? In early 2022, my guest Johan Ugander shared his research to better understand the ways information spreads online. We’re…

T

Tech Breakfast Podcast

1
290: ChatGPT worse - Burkina Faso - X Elon troubles - NVDA - Alphabet Q2 Earnings - DJI - Streaming Wars - Quest Pro 2 Cancelled - Worldcoin Launches - TikTok now has text 1:12:29

4M ago1:12:29

1:12:29

Topic Summary: • ChatGPT worse now • Burkina Faso • X Elon troubles • NVDA • Alphabet Q2 Earnings • DJI • Streaming Wars • Quest Pro 2 Cancelled • Worldcoin Launches • TikTok now has text

T

The Future of Everything

1
Best of - How light can power higher speed computing 28:18

5M ago28:18

28:18

Delve into the possibilities of silicon photonics as a game-changer in chip manufacturing. This is a re-run of a show that Russ did with David Miller back in 2021. David is an electrical engineer, and works in the field of photonics. As he shares in this conversation, there’s great potential for the field of photonics to help solve the problems pos…

T

Tech Breakfast Podcast

1
289: Lebron - Threads - Zuck - Elon 1:17:03

5M ago1:17:03

1:17:03

Lebron Threads Zuck Elon

T

The Future of Everything

1
The future of antibiotic synthesis 30:38

5M ago30:38

30:38

Chaitan Khosla is a chemical engineer who says that the world’s most advanced drug factories are not behemoths of the industrial age, but microscopic bacteria. These tiny creatures have evolved enzymatic assembly lines that ingest raw materials and churn out valuable other molecules, like life-saving antibiotics. By engineering new microbes, we hop…

T

The Future of Everything

1
Best of - How 3D printing is changing medicine 28:51

5M ago28:51

28:51

Explore the frontiers of 3D printing in healthcare and its potential to revolutionize personalized medicine, reshape prosthetics, and reimagine drug delivery systems. In this episode we're re-sharing a conversation Russ had in 2021 with Joseph DeSimone, a professor of chemical engineering at Stanford University. This one is about health, and Joe te…

T

The Future of Everything

1
The future of human vision 33:31

5M ago33:31

33:31

Neuroscientist Kalanit Grill-Spector studies the physiology of human vision and says that the ways computers and people see are in some ways similar, but in other ways quite different. In fact, she says, rapid advances in computational modeling, such as deep neural networks, applied to brain data and new imaging technologies, like quantitative MRI …

T

The Future of Everything

1
The future of trauma therapy 28:55

5M ago28:55

28:55

Guest Debra Kaysen is a psychologist specializing in treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who says that promising new cognitive and behavioral therapies are, quite literally, giving people “their lives back.” These therapies work without drugs to help patients manage their disease and its symptoms and, perhaps, even cure PTSD. We’re p…

T

The Future of Everything

1
Best of - The future of robot simulations 28:28

6M ago28:28

28:28

Hi everyone, Russ here, we’re running a best-of episode this week to re-share a conversation I had in 2021 with Karen Liu, an associate professor of computer science here at Stanford Engineering. The conversation is relevant today because, as we all know, AI is having a moment, and robotics is an important part of that. Karen and her lab have a goa…

T

The Future of Everything

1
The future of wastewater 29:51

6M ago29:51

29:51

Guest Bill Mitch says it’s no secret the world is running short of fresh water. As a civil and environmental engineer, he sees wastewater as a potential solution, if only we can eliminate the impurities. Mitch designs systems to remove toxic chemicals from wastewater to enable its reuse as a drinking water supply. It’s not easy, but it costs half a…

T

The Future of Everything

1
The future of greenhouse gases 29:01

6M ago29:01

29:01

Guest Matteo Cargnello approaches the challenge of greenhouse gases from a different perspective. He doesn’t study how harmful chemicals got in the skies, or even the consequences. Instead, Cargnello is using his skills as a chemical engineer to turn them into other benign or useful chemicals. So far, he’s turned greenhouse gases into valuable indu…

T

The Future of Everything

1
Best of - New forms of semiconductors are key to the future 28:24

6M ago28:24

28:24

This episode of The Future of Everything podcast with Srabanti Chowdhury first ran in 2022. We’re sharing it again to offer a glimpse into research being done to identify new materials for semiconductors that could lead to smaller, faster, more powerful and more energy efficient electronics. Since we recorded this episode, the CHIPS and Science Act…

T

The Future of Everything

1
The future of art 29:17

7M ago29:17

29:17

Deborah Cullinan’s job is to integrate arts of every form across campus. She says art has the power to heal and may be the answer to many of our present-day societal problems, such as growing political polarization and social isolation borne by the pandemic. Art advances equity, improves health, and enhances well-being for all, she says. Everyone s…

T

Tech Breakfast Podcast

1
288: Lex Fridman - Wolfram Alpha - ChatGPT - Today in tech history - AutoGPT - Generative AI vs AI - Google and Twitter purging inactive accounts - Sam Altman testifies in Congress 1:05:26

7M ago1:05:26

1:05:26

Topic Summary: • Lex Fridman • Wolfram Alpha • ChatGPT • Today in tech history • AutoGPT • Generative AI vs AI • Google and Twitter purging inactive accounts • Sam Altman testifies in Congress

T

The Future of Everything

1
The future of movement disorders 31:43

7M ago31:43

31:43

Helen Bronte-Stewart is a neurologist and an expert in movement disorders, like Parkinson’s. She says new approaches, such as closed-loop deep-brain stimulation, and new digital health technologies that chart subtle changes in movement are reshaping the field, leading to new understandings and new treatments for this once-untreatable disease. To mo…

T

The Future of Everything

1
The future of computational linguistics 32:39

7M ago32:39

32:39

Our guest, Christopher Manning, is a computational linguist. He builds computer models that understand and generate language using math. Words are the key component of human intelligence, he says, and why generative AI, like ChatGPT, has caused such a stir. We used to hope a model might produce one coherent sentence and suddenly ChatGPT is composin…

T

The Future of Everything

1
Best of - The future of computer science education 28:20

7M ago28:20

28:20

This episode of The Future of Everything podcast with Mehran Sahami first ran in 2019. We’re sharing it again to offer a glimpse into the ways our faculty are thinking about computer science education, an increasingly popular and impactful field of study. Earlier this week, Sahami and another of his colleagues, Chris Piech, launched the third offer…

T

The Future of Everything

1
The future of simple rules 27:48

8M ago27:48

27:48

Kathleen Eisenhardt is an expert in strategy and organizational behavior. She studies corporate decision making. She says the most creative companies are like jazz bands. Bound by a few simple rules, they are able to innovate continually. Other companies are like orchestras, tied to rigid scores and complex rules; they find it hard to improvise. If…

T

Tech Breakfast Podcast

1
287: Telegram Premium - Falcon Northwest - Grinds my gears - Netflix updates - Apple high yield savings accounts - COD cheaters - AnyBrain - AI future models 1:10:20

8M ago1:10:20

1:10:20

Topic Summary: • Telegram Premium • Falcon Northwest • Grinds my gears • Netflix updates • Apple high yield savings accounts • COD cheaters • AnyBrain • AI future models

T

The Future of Everything

1
The future of proteins 31:31

8M ago31:31

31:31

While DNA may be the blueprint of life, proteins are the workhorses, says Polly Fordyce, a bioengineer, explaining how one of her favorites, kinesin, “walks” in 8-nanometer steps transporting chemical cargo through the body. More remarkable still, Fordyce says, kinesin is just one among thousands of “incredible” proteins that make life happen, as s…

T

The Future of Everything

1
The future of mosquito-borne diseases 32:15

8M ago32:15

32:15

Rising temperatures and rainfall from climate change will have a surprising effect on human health, says biologist Erin Mordecai, an expert in diseases borne by mosquitoes, ticks and other living creatures. Such conditions are perfect breeding grounds for parasites that will bring deadly diseases to the U.S. and other places once thought out of rea…

T

Tech Breakfast Podcast

1
286: ChatGPT moratorium 55:32

8M ago55:32

55:32

Open AI ChatGPT moratorium https://futureoflife.org/open-letter/pause-giant-ai-experiments/

T

Tech Breakfast Podcast

1
285: Chat GPT - Counter Strike 2 - Linus Tech Tips hacked - FTC "click to cancel" - U2 49:23

9M ago49:23

49:23

Topic Summary: • Chat GPT • Counter Strike 2 • Linus Tech Tips hacked • FTC "click to cancel" • U2

T

The Future of Everything

1
The future of infectious disease immunology 28:24

9M ago28:24

28:24

When we’re sick, the time between onset and diagnosis is critical, sometimes life-saving. It turns out the human immune system is pretty good at knowing what’s making us sick. In fact, it’s telling us all the time, but only now is science tuning in to what nature has to say, explains Purvesh Khatri. The immune system is a “perfect diagnostic,” he t…

T

The Future of Everything

1
The future of computational health economics 26:54

9M ago26:54

26:54

When one has a medical procedure in America, it is often an algorithm that figures out how much of the cost will be reimbursed. That leads to a lot of unfairness, worse health outcomes for many and a group of insurers who learn to game the system, says guest Sherri Rose, a statistician and health policy researcher who studies the causes of such ine…

T

The Future of Everything

1
Michael Snyder: Insights from medicine’s most-measured man 29:20

9M ago29:20

29:20

With the advent of wearable devices and omnipresent monitoring of heart, lungs, blood and more, scientists can now gather unprecedented amounts of personal medical data. Just ask guest Michael Snyder, referred to as “medicine’s most-measured man.” He is the author of Genomics and Personalized Medicine: What Everyone Needs to Know and has collected …

T

Tech Breakfast Podcast

1
284: Tesla - Quantum Energy - AI 1:01:15

9M ago1:01:15

1:01:15

Tesla Quantum Energy AI guest: https://tinkertry.com/

T

The Future of Everything

1
Barbara van Schewick: Net neutrality and the future of the internet 29:26

9M ago29:26

29:26

While many users remain blissfully unaware, a battle is raging for the future of the internet. On the one hand are the large phone and cable companies who want to promote their services and to charge more for video and other data. On the other are people, like guest Barbara van Schewick, a lawyer, who champions a more democratic approach known as n…

T

The Future of Everything

1
Beatriz Magaloni: Data illuminate the cycle of police violence in Latin America 32:38

10M ago32:38

32:38

Beatriz Magaloni is a lawyer and a professor of political science who studies the challenges at the intersection of governance, poverty, and police violence in Latin America. On this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything podcast, Magaloni tells host Russ Altman that the solution to these challenges begins with studying the root…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Russ Altman Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide