Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond
by The Daily Princetonian
Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond (B Cubed) is a collaborative project between The Daily Princetonian and Princeton Insights. The show releases 3 episodes monthly: one longer episode as part of the Insights partnership, and two shorter episodes independently created by the 'Prince.' This show is produced by Senna Aldoubosh '25 under the 147th Board of the 'Prince.' Insights producers are Crystal Lee, Addie Minerva, and Thiago Tarraf Varella. This show is a reimagined version of the show formerly produced as Princeton Insights: The Highlights under the 145th Board of the 'Prince.'Please direct pitches and questions to [email protected], and any corrections to [email protected].
Episodes
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Planet Formation Theories with Dr. Guðmundur Stefánsson and Dr. Vyshnavi Vennelakanti
How are planets formed; how do we know which theory is true? In this episode of Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond, Jovian Cheung sits down with Dr. Guðmundur Stefánsson (prior postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Astrophysics) and Dr. Vyshnavi Vennelakanti (prior postdoctoral research associate...
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Opening up the “Black Box” of Artificial Intelligence Models to Understand Human Cognition with Dr. Sarah-Jane Leslie and Dr. Tania Lombrozo
Have you ever wondered how similar information encoding and processing of artificial intelligence (AI) is to our own human brain? How are our minds incredibly energy efficient compared to the bucketloads of energy required to power these sophisticated yet oftentimes naive AI models? These are all...
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Exploring Princeton Plasma Physics with PhD Student Maxwell Rosen
The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), roughly four miles out from campus, is a national lab run by the Department of Energy and yet remains a relatively elusive branch of Princeton’s research centers. The PPPL focuses on using plasma, often called “the fourth state of matter,” to tackle...
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Demystifying Computational Neuropsychiatry: A Deep Dive into Mental Health Research and Resources w/ Professor Yael Niv
How do computational processes help us understand mental health disorders and precisely tailor treatments to each individual? In this episode of Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond, Aanya Kasera sits down with Dr. Yael Niv, a professor and researcher in the Princeton Neuroscience Institute to learn...
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Course SPOTlight! Robots and Humans with Dr. Alexander Glaser and Dr. Ryo Morimoto
In this episode, Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond sits down with Dr. Alexander Glaser (MAE) and Dr. Ryo Morimoto (ANT) on their inaugural course, "Robots in Human Ecology (ANT 325/MAE 347/SPI 384)," which not only combines engineering and anthropological disciplines to shed light on technology's...
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Welcome Back from the Hosts!
Welcome back, Princeton! Today we sit down with Lina and Jovian as they talk about why they're working on Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond (B Cubed), what drew them to science communication, and what to expect for future episodes! This episode of B Cubed was produced under the 148th board of The...
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Love and Intimacy in the Digital Age w/ Dr. Thalia Gigerenzer
In this episode, Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond sits down with Dr. Thalia Gigerenzer on the impact of technology and dating apps on modern interpretations of love. Dr. Gigerenzer's research as an anthropologist has focused on Muslim communities in India, including deep dives into the impacts of...
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Understanding offshore wind energy w/ Avery Barnett
In this episode, Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond sits down with Avery Barnett, a PhD student from Jamaica. She works closely with her advisors SPIA Professor Michael Oppenheimer and MAE Professor Jesse Jenkins focusing on renewable energy policies in the Caribbean. Barnett spoke about her work…
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6G Wireless: A new method to reduce food waste w/ Atsutse Kludze GS ’26
In this episode of B-Cubed, Senna Aldoubosh and Ria Tomar sat down with ECE graduate student Atsutse Kludze to discuss recent findings of how producers can use 6G wireless signaling as a non-invasive way to quantify and assess produce quality. The project was done at the SWAN lab, in…
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Learning, Sleep, and Spotify w/ Dr. Elizabeth McDevitt and Dr. Ken Norman
Sleep is an integral, yet often overlooked, part of a Princeton students daily schedule. But, what does our brain actually do when it’s asleep? This is a focus of Princeton Computational Memory Lab. Dr. Elizabeth McDevitt, a postdoctoral researcher in the lab, likes to picture sleep as the...
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STEM TA Spotlight w/ Rish Raghu, Jessica Jin, and Ben Zenker '24
We asked Princeton undergraduates to send us the names of their favorite teacher's assistants — and they answered. Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond interviewed three STEM TAs: Chemical and Biological Engineering (CBE) PhD candidate Jessica Jin, COS Master's Student Rish Raghu, and Math…
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Senior Thesis Spotlight w/ Hannah Faughnan '23 and Imani Mulrain '23
In this episode of Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond, Senna Aldoubosh and Simone Kirkevold sit down with Hannah Faughnan, a senior in the EEB department, and Imani Mulrain, a senior in the Chemistry department, to learn more about their senior theses. Hannah and Imani cover what got them interested...
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Material Design and Quantum Computing Applications w/ Grad Student Josh Leeman
In this episode of Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond, Senna Aldoubosh and Noelle Kim sit down with Josh Leeman, a graduate student in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department. Josh discusses his interest in applying technologies from condensed matter theory to quantum computing...
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Computer Vision w/ Dr. Ruth Fong
In this episode of Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond, Senna Aldoubosh sits down with Dr. Ruth Fong, a researcher and professor at Princeton in the COS department. Dr. Fong discusses her interest in computer vision and explainable AI, gives us insight into her lab's (Looking Glass Lab) collaboration...
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Theoretical Computer Science w/ Dr. Pedro Paredes
In this episode of Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond, Senna Aldoubosh and Lina Kim sit down with Dr. Pedro Paredes, a professor and researcher in the Computer Science Department to learn more about his research with theoretical computer science. Aside from discussing his work, Dr. Paredes delves…
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Immunology in Rewilded Lab Mice w/ Grad Student Alexander E. Downie
In this episode of Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond, Senna Aldoubosh and Ketevan Shavdia sit down with Alexander E. Downie, a final year graduate student in the Graham lab, to learn more about his upcoming dissertation. Alec discusses his research with rewilded lab mice, a recent New Yorker…
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Noncommunicable Diseases and Socioeconomic Status in Turkana, Kenya w/ Grad Student Benjamin Muhoya
In this episode of Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond, Thiago Tarraf Varella sit down with Benjamin Muhoya, a graduate student in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology department to learn more about his research. Benjamin discusses his research in hospitals prior to coming to Princeton, his research...
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The Mind of the Yellow Fever Mosquito w/ Grad Student Timothy W. Schwanitz
In this episode of Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond, Senna Aldoubosh and Oyshee Lahiry sit down with Timothy W. Schwanitz, a graduate student in the McBride lab to learn more about his experience working in the lab. Timothy discusses his interest in insects and etymology, the research the McBride...
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Social Computing w/ Dr. Andrés Monroy-Hernández
In this episode of Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond, Senna Aldoubosh and Lina Kim sit down with Dr. Andrés Monroy-Hernández, a professor in the Computer Science department to learn more about Social Computing. Dr. Monroy-Hernández discusses his journey into CS, creative uses for AI, and addressing...
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Pathogen Detection Using mCARMEN w/ Dr. Cameron A. Myhrvold
In this episode of Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond, Senna Aldoubosh and Ketevan Shavdia sit with Dr. Cameron A. Myhrvold, an assistant professor in the Molecular Biology at Princeton, to discuss his research on using CRISPR to develop new technologies to detect pathogens. Dr. Myhrvold discusses…
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Jupiter's Auroras w/ Dr. Jamey R. Szalay
In this episode of Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond, Thiago Tarraf Varella sits down with Princeton researcher Dr. Jamey R. Szalay to discuss the science behind Jupiter's auroras. Dr. Szalay also discusses exciting breakthroughs being madeby the Jovian Auroral Distributions Experiment (JADE) in...
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Social Impairment in Autism mouse models w/ Chino Eke
In this special episode of The Highlights, we interview Chino Eke, an undergraduate senior in the Neuroscience department. We discuss his senior thesis research, which was done with his advisor Professor Elizabeth Gould, a professor and researcher in the Princeton Neuroscience department focused…
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What can vocal marmosets tell us about human development? w/ Thiago Tarraf Varella
In this special episode of Princeton Insights: The Highlights, we interview show host Thiago Tarraf Varella, a third year graduate student in the Psychology department. We discuss his research, which was done with his advisor, Dr. Asif Ghazanfar, a professor and researcher in the Princeton...
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Futuristic Nostalgia w/ Yeon Soon Shin and Rolando Masís-Obando
In this episode of The Highlights, we're joined by Yeon Soon Shin, who completed her doctoral degree in neuroscience at Princeton in 2020 and Rolando Masís-Obando, a 5th-year graduate student in neuroscience. We discuss their paths to graduate work in psychology, their research on how…
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Talking Toddlers w/ Mira Nencheva
In this episode of The Highlights, we're joined by Mira Nencheva, a graduate student in the Department of Psychology. We discuss her path to graduate work in psychology, the day-to-day of working with toddlers at the Princeton Baby Lab, and how the vocal pitch of a caregiver can affect learning...
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A 'bird's-eye' view w/ Professor Cassie Stoddard
This episode of The Highlights was produced under the 145th Managing Board of The Daily Princetonian in partnership with Princeton Insights. Cassie Stoddard is a professor in the Stoddard Lab of EEB. She can be reached at [email protected]. To view the transcript for this episode, click…
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‘Which side are you on?’ w/ Patricia Hoyos
This episode of The Highlights was produced under the 145th Managing Board of The Daily Princetonian in partnership with Princeton Insights. Patricia Hoyos is a graduate student in the Kastner Lab of PNI. She can be reached at [email protected]. To view the transcript for this episode, click...
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Decoding Mosquitoes w/ Zhilei Zhao
This episode of The Highlights was produced under the 145th Managing Board of The Daily Princetonian in partnership with Princeton Insights. Zhilei Zhao is a post-doc in the Goldberg Lab at Cornell University. He can be reached at [email protected]. RESOURCES: Princeton Insights coverage:...
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Automating Observations w/ Talmo Pereira
This episode of The Highlights was produced under the 145th Managing Board of The Daily Princetonian in partnership with Princeton Insights. Talmo Pereira is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Neuroscience. He can be reached at [email protected]. RESOURCES: Princeton Insights coverage: A...
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Nematodes and Reproductive Aging w/ Nicole Templeman
This episode of The Highlights was produced under the 145th Managing Board of the Daily Princetonian in partnership with Princeton Insights. Nicole Templeman is an Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of Victoria and a Canada Research Chair in Cell Biology. She can be reached...
About this show
Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond (B Cubed) is a collaborative project between The Daily Princetonian and Princeton Insights. The show releases 3 episodes monthly: one longer episode as part of the Insights partnership, and two shorter episodes independently created by the 'Prince.' This show is produced by Senna Aldoubosh '25 under the 147th Board of the 'Prince.' Insights producers are Crystal Lee, Addie Minerva, and Thiago Tarraf Varella. This show is a reimagined version of the show formerly produced as Princeton Insights: The Highlights under the 145th Board of the 'Prince.'Please direct pitches and questions to [email protected], and any corrections to [email protected].
Hosted by
The Daily Princetonian