Extreme Physics

In this episode, we explore how data science is helping researchers simulate and understand some of the most extreme physical events on Earth, from floods in Texas to hypersonic flight. Our guests are Stephen Baek, a leading expert in geometric deep learning and associate professor of data science at the University of Virginia, and Jack Beerman, a Ph.D. student whose work is already shaping real-world applications. Together, they discuss how AI is transforming fields like weather forecasting, materials design, sports performance, and military innovation—and why graduate researchers like Jack are essential to moving this work forward.